Savage Instinct

by Anwar, Celeste

  “Get it together. You don’t know him like that,” she said then splashed cold water on her face and dried it off. She didn’t want him thinking that she lusted after him. He seemed like the kind of man that would let the knowledge go straight to his head.

  It only took Nydia a few moments to retrieve the supplies she needed as well as the pajama pants she’d laundered and a new t-shirt. She set the clothes down. She’d just leave the room when he dressed instead of making him traipse back to the bathroom.

  Right now, she needed to put some triple antibiotic on that cut and get it covered. “Maybe it’s because it was so deep. I guess you needed stitches. I wish I’d thought to get some of that superglue stuff to seal it up. I’m sure it’d be better than just putting a patch over it.”

  Nydia leaned forward to get a closer look at the wound. Smelling the scent of freshly washed skin made her feel dizzy and lightheaded. From beneath her lids, she could see him part his lips as she tended to him. He’d shaved, and if she thought beard stubble looked good, just the hint of dark hair beneath his skin made his jaw look hard and delectable. The firm line begged to be nibbled along, right up to his ear and down his corded neck.

  Nydia hurried her task, needing to distance herself from him. She could see his hands clenched in his lap, as if he felt the tension between them just as strong as she did.

  She did not need to lose her head. She had to remind herself she was stronger than an achy and neglected little pussy.

  The phone rang as she pasted the last strip of tape on his chest, vibrating on the counter where she’d left it earlier. Nydia jumped at the abrupt sound, giving a nervous laugh.

  Reaching for the phone, she saw on the screen that it was Richard. She rolled her eyes and slid her thumb across the screen to answer it. She reckoned she’d avoided him long enough.

  “Hello?” she said.

  Richard’s voice came through loud enough it made her eardrum spasm. “Why have you not answered any of my phone calls, Nydia? You’ve been acting like a spoiled brat!”

  Nydia leaned a hip against the counter, turning her back to Aiden. “Did you just call to insult me?”

  Richard sighed. “I thought you’d want to apologize for what happened earlier this week. Are you still sulking?”

  “Look, it sounds like you’re not ready to see the error of your ways. When you do, give me a call.”

  “I’ll do better than that, Nydia. I’m coming over and you can’t stop me.”

  Chapter Ten

  “What was that all about?” Aiden asked Nydia as she set their breakfast on the table.

  She sat across from him and picked at her eggs. “Richard said he’s coming over. I’m not sure how much to believe, but he sounds like he’s in a rage. I’d like to think he wants to work things out, but it isn’t going to happen if he comes here with an attitude.”

  Aiden munched on his back, appearing thoughtful. “I should leave. It’s going to be worse if he catches me here.”

  Nydia looked at him, surprised. “Really? I thought you were holding out until you felt 100%?”

  He shrugged. “My buddies should be back tonight anyway. Can I borrow your phone after breakfast? I thought I’d try them again and see if I remember the number.”

  She nodded. “I’m not looking forward to Richard coming over.”

  “Did he say what time?”

  “No. I imagine he’ll want to surprise me at the worst time rather than come straight over after he made his announcement. That’d be too convenient. I’m sure he wants me to suffer over it for a little while.”

  “Hmmm.” Aiden drained his coffee mug. “Well, don’t worry. If he’s here while I am, I can pound him into the ground if he gets frisky with you.”

  Nydia snorted when she laughed then covered her mouth quickly. She dropped her hands back to the table and drummed her fingers on the surface. “I hardly think that’ll be necessary. Besides, you’re still getting over your injuries, and Richard isn’t exactly the type to get physical without being provoked. I don’t intend on starting a fight. He’s just miffed I didn’t come crawling back to him all weekend and let him stew in his own juices. He’s used to me making the first move to apologize. And, I’m tired of it.”

  Aiden smacked his right fist into his other palm. “You sure? It’d feel good.”

  She gave him a look. “For you or for him? That’s just what I need is for you to get hurt again on my watch.”

  He frowned and looked outraged with his brows raised on his forehead. “I’m insulted you think I’m such a poor fighter. Or that Richard would be that much better than me.”

  She tapped her forefinger on the table. “Well, he does MMA training at his gym.”

  Aiden’s face went stony. “So that means he can whip my ass?”

  “He won’t while I’m here!” she said, standing suddenly to clear the dishes away and rinsing them off in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher.

  “I don’t need a woman fighting for me,” he said quietly.

  “And I don’t need a man fighting for me,” she said over her shoulder as she finished up. She turned around and looked at him. “Number one, this isn’t any of your business. You act just like this is going to end in a fight with you and Richard. I hope you’ll behave yourself! Number two, I don’t need anyone defending me because it isn’t going to get that far. Here, use the phone and talk to your friends. I’m going to watch some TV and get my mind off this imaginary battle that’s going to take place between you two.”

  She handed him her cell phone and walked away.

  “Just because you say something won’t happen doesn’t mean it will happen like you thing.”

  Nydia refused to be baited into an argument. She knew how to handle a man. When talking didn’t work, the silent treatment always did. Never had she seen any other technique infuriate and frustrate a man like being quiet. It was strange, because so often, they wanted a woman to be quiet—unless it was her idea. Then she had some nerve not answering questions or demands.

  When she made no response to him after he repeated himself, she watched him clap his mouth closed and furiously punch numbers into her phone.

  From her position on the couch, she could see a frustrated look cross over his face. She felt bad for him, but he’d aggravated her and what pity she possessed had dissipated. She was ready for him to leave.

  “No luck?” she asked when he stomped into the living room and settled on the couch. “You look like you’re feeling better since eating.”

  “Yeah. Must’ve been low blood sugar,” he grumbled. “Can’t get an answer. I’m leaving tonight, come hell or high water.”

  “Think you’ll need a ride?”

  He looked at her. “I can make do on my own. I’ve taken enough of your help as it is. I know you want me gone, you’re just too polite to kick my ass out on the curb.”

  Nydia didn’t say anything, just stared straight ahead at the television, confirming his suspicions.

  Yeah, she did want him gone. And she wanted her well-ordered life back in place.

  ***

  Malik rubbed his bald head in a gesture he did whenever trying to relax. Abel and Hudson followed him back to the hotel room.

  “We need to do this again,” Abel said, kicking gravel with his boots, thumbs hooked in his front jeans pockets.

  Malik grinned, his elongated teeth flashing against his swarthy skin. “Maybe next time I’ll get myself and Aiden a girl.”

  “That stick in the mud?” Hudson grunted. “Ain’t no woman ever gonna chain him down.”

  Malik laughed. “You right about that. Think he’s called us by now wondering what’s taken so long?”

  Abel shrugged and shook his nutty brown hair out of his eyes. “I think he probably spent the whole week hunting like the wolf. That’s what he said he wanted. For us to get out from under his ass so he could relax for once.”

  They reached the car they’d driven up the mountain pass and left parked in a vi
sitor’s center all week. The festival had taken place deep in the woods, where no cars could reach, away from the prying eyes of humans, hikers, and anyone else nosy enough to come snooping around where they didn’t belong. Most of the time, someone had kept watch to make sure the shifters could party in peace. Some had selected mates fairly quickly. Others had just been there to see old friends and make new acquaintances.

  None of the three had managed to find anyone they wanted to settle down with the rest of their lives, but that didn’t mean everyone had struck out. Malik knew he’d seen Ollie with two different women on two different nights, and if that ugly son of a bitch could find someone, it meant some of the others in their pack had too. It just might take them a while to get back to Misty Springs.

  Malik unlocked the doors and slid into the driver’s seat. While Hudson and Abel got in, he reached in the center console between the front seats and retrieved his phone.

  “Any missed calls?” Hudson asked, settling into the front passenger seat and locking his seatbelt across his lap and chest.

  “Naw,” Malik said. He tucked a wayward black strand of hair behind his ear and punched in Aiden’s number from his contacts. The phone rang a few times, then someone picked up on the other line and hung up.

  “That was weird,” Malik said, frowning.

  Abel spoke up from the back seat. “What?”

  “Someone just hung up on me.”

  “Think he’s sleeping?” Hudson asked.

  Malik gave him a look. “At this hour? It’s too early for bed and too late for an afternoon nap.”

  “Maybe he’s got a lady friend over and didn’t want to be interrupted,” Hudson said.

  Malik dialed the number again. It went to voicemail this time. He dialed it again. Same thing. “Aiden isn’t picking up.”

  “That’s not like him. He knows the festival is over today. He’d want for us to check in,” Abel said.

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” Malik muttered.

  “It’s gonna take a few hours before we can get there. We better head out. No more fiddle farting around,” Hudson said.

  “I can’t help but get a bad feeling about this,” Abel said from the back.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Malik said, trying not to give in to the pessimistic voice inside his head that said they all needed to be worried.

  ***

  “What the hell did you just do?” Lee Riker asked, snatching the phone away from his baby brother, Joey.

  Joey gaped at him. “I thought maybe it was him calling. I hung it up right away. I didn’t answer it none.”

  Riker dropped the cell phone on the kitchen floor and smashed it beneath Aiden’s shoes, which now encased his own feet. They’d all made use of Aiden’s clothing, since they’d been camping out at his place for the past few days. Riker hadn’t exactly wanted to look at everyone’s dongs while they waited for Aiden to return.

  “What’d you do that for?” Joey asked, looking at the bits of plastic all over the tile.

  “So you can’t do anything else stupid. It’s one thing to let it go to voice mail. Now anyone lookin’ for Aiden’s gonna know he had his phone and hung it up.”

  “Oh. Don’t we want them to come see us?”

  “Yeah,” Riker said, going to the pantry to rifle through what remained inside for something to eat.

  “I don’t get it,” Joey said.

  Riker looked at him and resisted scowling. “It’s over your head.”

  “Well it wouldn’t be if you’d tell me,” Joey muttered under his breath.

  “I think his gang is on the way back from wherever they went. And you just gave them something to be suspicious about. Especially since Aiden ain’t gonna be answering the phone anytime soon.”

  Jesse walked into the kitchen. “I think we need to sniff him out afore he can meet up with them. Find out where he’s been hiding. He might even be dead. You stuck him real good, Lee.”

  Riker rubbed his jaw after setting some canned food on the counter. “You probably right, Jesse. We been holed up here too long, getting too comfortable. Lazy. We’ll go check out his lieutenant’s and everyone else’s place. See what’s up. I’m tired a sittin on my ass here. ‘Specially since we ain’t got no beer and no pussy either.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Just as their movie popcorn on the stovetop finished popping, someone pulled up in the yard. Her cellphone rang, and whoever was in the yard honked the horn.

  Nydia cringed.

  They weren’t just honking the horn, they were laying on the horn.

  “That is so rude to the neighbors,” she said, pulling her pot off the oven and hurrying to the door to see who was making that racket. She had a pretty good idea who it was anyway.

  As she opened the door, she saw she’d been right. Richard pulled up the drive in his classic restored mustang. Even at the distance, she could see his face frowning.

  Inside, Nydia’s mind raced.

  If he was there to apologize and he saw Aiden, he was likely to get the wrong impression. Nydia didn’t want him telling his family that he’d found her shacked up with another man and they’d been right about her all along.

  Just thinking about their smarmy faces made her hackles raise.

  She quickly closed the door and went out on the stoop. He skidded to a stop in front of her house behind her sedan, blocking her in should she have the thought of escaping.

  She crossed her arms over her chest. She’d thought they’d had enough fighting, but from the way he’d honked at her, she knew she wasn’t going to be that lucky. Much as she’d like to bring this inside, she couldn’t. Not with Aiden inside.

  Nydia knew from the way Richard was acting he wasn’t going to be easy to deal with. In fact, she’d have to be an idiot to think they weren’t about the have a fight in her front yard.

  She inhaled a deep breath, exhaling slowly, trying to keep her cool before she could get herself too riled up.

  Walking slowly down the steps, she willed herself to remain calm as Richard got out of the car and slammed the door shut.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Richard shouted. “Just what do you mean, not answering my phone calls?” He crossed his arms over his chest and waited like a parent would wait for an unruly child to explain their behavior to them. The way he looked down on Nydia made her realize the way he truly felt about her.

  Nydia stopped in her tracks. She didn’t like his tone or his attitude. “I’ve been right here. This is my home. Where have you been? You haven’t been by here to see me, or to collect your things. I wasn’t certain what was going on.”

  “Don’t play dumb with my, Nydia. I know damn good and well you check your messages. You could see I’ve been calling. Are you avoiding me? Are your panties still in a knot because your little feelings got hurt by my big mean sisters? I thought you were a grown woman, but you’re acting like you’re still in junior high.”

  Nydia pointed a finger at him. “Excuse you? You need to calm down and take it down a notch. What do you mean coming here to attack me like this?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. His blue eyes regarded her coldly. “You’re not my mama. I don’t need you to tell me to calm down. If anything, I’ll get louder if I want to.”

  Nydia wanted to avoid name calling, but he was acting more like a child than she ever was. “To tell you the truth, yes, I was avoiding your calls. I didn’t want to answer your calls until you came to your senses and were ready to come apologize for the way you, and your family, acted the other day. I thought it would be better if we both had time to reflect on what happened, rather than snapping at each other. Like this.”

  He snickered. “You were waiting for me to come apologize? That is priceless. You came to my home and you acted like a colossal bitch while you were there. You didn’t try and get along with anyone and you acted like you were better than everyone else. You are a picky, know-it-all bitch, and my family did everything they could do in o
rder to get along with you,” Richard snarled.

  Nydia’s mouth gaped. She snapped it shut, taking another deep breath to calm the shaking inside her chest. “Have you been taking that HGH again? You’re acting completely irrational and hateful like you’re on something. You know I don’t like when you get pumped up like this. Why would you even come here if you just wanted to fight?”

  “If anyone’s on drugs, it’s you.”

  Nydia rolled her eyes and covered her face with her hands. She’d only seen him like this one other time, and that was before an amateur fight. He’d been working out religiously for weeks in preparation. The testosterone had smothered all the kindness from him. She couldn’t help but think he’d been doing something similar with his crazy attitude. Which meant he was a powder keg waiting to explode in her face.