by Lisa Kessler
Chloe took my hand, walking me closer to the Stone Mother. Her entire face lit up, animated with the spark of a true storyteller. “The Stone Mother gave birth to Man’s children. She loved them very much, but her oldest son fought with the others.”
I looked up at the rock formation in the moonlight, the water sparkling around the Stone Mother. Her tears. I glanced at Chloe. “What happened to him?”
Chloe patted her hand. “Just like my little Osa, always wanting the ending before the story has even begun.”
Gareth’s silhouette stood tall at the water’s edge. Anything but little. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you.”
Chloe grinned, worn lines framed her dark eyes. “Man couldn’t bear the constant fighting, so he called his many children together. He spoke to them of peace and harmony, but his eldest son attacked another before he finished talking.” She shook her head and pointed toward the mountains. “Frustrated, he split up his family, sending his eldest west with one of the women. Others followed him. They became the Pitt-Rivers and the children who could get along stayed in this valley and became the Paiute tribe.”
“Did the Stone Mother ever see him again?”
“Her son?” Chloe sighed. “No. She lost a few of her children that day as the family scattered. Her husband hiked up the mountain and into the stars where he still watches over her.”
“So that’s why she cried.”
“She sat here with her basket and wept for her banished children and her broken family. Her tears continued to fill the valley until she turned to stone.”
I stared up at the Stone Mother’s bowed head, remembering a time when I thought I’d never stop crying. Sasha was still in the police academy the day she met me at the bus stop and whisked me away. Our parents were dead. My world tilted on its axis. I couldn’t remember the actual conversation, but I recalled the pain like it happened yesterday.
I’d been small enough that my parents were still superheroes to me. How would I live without them?
“Are you all right?”
Chloe’s voice snapped me back to the present. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, nodding. “Yeah. I’m just…tired.”
My gaze wandered to Gareth. His arm shot forward, skipping a rock across the smooth surface of the lake. “He’s still hurting for his brother.”
Chloe sighed, turning to watch him. “My poor Osa has many hurts, but he won’t let anyone close enough to heal him.” She took my hand, looking up at me. “There is magic in this place, but you must open yourself up to it. Gareth senses the magic, but it cannot touch him.”
“It’s a risk to open your heart and care when you might find yourself alone in the end.”
Her lips parted, but she hesitated before speaking. “You have a wise heart.”
Her emotions surrounded me, a rich mixture of hope and wonder, and her love for Gareth.
“I don’t know about that…” I chuckled, shaking my head. “I try to keep moving forward. Sometimes that’s the best I can muster.” Swallowing a lump of emotion, I whispered, “I lost my parents when I was young. My older sister raised me.”
Chloe gave my hand a squeeze. “They are proud of you.”
“I hope so.” I might find out soon. Clearing my throat, I crossed my arms in front of me, suddenly grateful for Gareth’s leather jacket. At least it provided a little armor. I wasn’t ready to start wondering if I’d see them again on the other side.
“Osa,” Chloe called. “Your friend is cold. You should get her someplace warm, and maybe treat her to some coffee.”
Gareth approached us and my pulse quickened. His dark gaze connected with mine before his trepidation swirled around me. Reading emotions wasn’t an exact science. People were different and their feelings were rarely pure. And when I met someone like Gareth, who kept them repressed, it made deciphering the brief emotional messages even more complex.
He could’ve been worried I was cold, nervous I might be dying right here, or a host of other things. His concern wasn’t the same as Jason’s. Gareth didn’t share the responsibility for my welfare or the doctor’s ego that Jason did.
Usually my gift gave me a leg up with relating to people, but Gareth remained difficult to read.
“You want my jacket? You could double them up.” He started to slide the leather off his shoulder, but I put my hand up.
“That’s okay. I’m fine, really.”
Chloe stood between us and sighed. “Neither of you are fine.” She went to Gareth and pulled him down for another hug. She kept her voice low, but my werewolf hearing made it impossible to avoid eavesdropping. “You be good to this one, Osa. She has a strong spirit. Let her in.”
He didn’t answer her; no doubt well aware I could hear every word.
Gareth straightened and walked back to her Jeep. I followed, wishing for impossible things like a cure for this mutated werewolf DNA coursing through my veins. Giving them a little privacy, I stopped at the motorcycle and spent some quality time messing with the leather gloves.
I still missed my parents. It wasn’t the same raw pain it had been when I was younger. Most days it crept up on me when I least expected it. Would I see them again when I…
“Hey, you ready to go?”
I twisted around as Gareth approached. “Only if you are. I was just tagging along tonight. I don’t want you to cut your visit short because of me.”
He came up beside me and I swore the heat of his skin warmed me. “Sorry about Chloe. She means well, but she’s not good with boundaries sometimes.”
“She’s sweet.” I started to smile. “She’s a great storyteller, too.”
One corner of his mouth curved up slightly. In the weeks I’d known him, his smiles were precious and few. “She could tell stories about the old ones until your ears bled. Our tribe has kept the legends alive since time began, and she is doing her part to keep them going.”
“I admire that kind of passion.” He glanced toward me, but I kept my attention on the water. “I planned on being a school teacher.”
A strange mixture of anger and kindness swept over me and quickly vanished.
“Jason’s a great doctor. He’ll find a way to fix this.” I wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince me or himself. “You’ll still be able to teach.”
“Hope so.” I shrugged. “Let’s talk about something less depressing.” He didn’t offer anything up. Apparently I was on my own. “Do you like to camp?”
Why did I ask that? I hated camping. I guess it didn’t matter. We weren’t going to pitch a tent right now. I glanced at the saddlebags on the Harley. It’d have to be a pretty tiny tent to fit in there.
“Haven’t camped since I was a kid. You?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “Actually, I hate camping.”
He smiled and my breath caught. He had a gorgeous smile and, for just a second, I saw the man he kept hidden from the rest of the world. “Then why’d you ask if I like it?”
“I have no idea.” My cheeks flushed with heat. “It was all I could think of without asking about your family.”
His smile faltered a little, but he didn’t retreat completely. “You never told me why you came to the garage tonight.”
The air sucked out of my lungs. I couldn’t tell him I wanted to have sex with Jason, but my body had other plans.
“Something happened in the shower. My hand tingled. My joints popped like I was shifting again.”
Oh shit. I hadn’t meant to let that slip out. His dread slammed into me so hard I almost took a step back.
“Did you tell Jason?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m supposed to meet him at his office tomorrow anyway. I can tell him then. He was so relieved that I shifted with the Pack last night and survived, I didn’t want to ruin it when he came over.”
“You were with him tonight?”
Another interesting jumble of emotions hit me. Concern, confusion, and…before I could place it, he’d bottled everything back up.
/> “He took me to dinner to celebrate my first shift.” That much was true. “What about you? Were you coming out here for a reason?”
Chapter Six
Gareth
I considered lying for a second, but what the hell, I wasn’t going to see her again anyway. “Needed a little time to reflect.” My gaze settled on Gabe’s bike. “I’m selling the garage. The buyers are coming tomorrow to check it out and sign paperwork.”
She frowned as she turned toward me. “Where are you going?”
“Colorado.”
“But the Pack…”
“Will be fine without me. I’m no good to anyone here. Colorado will be a clean start for me.”
“Wow.” She crossed her arms. “Does Adam know?”
“I think my Alpha suspects, but I don’t need his permission.” I bent to pick up another rock and skipped it across the lake’s surface. “I can’t stay here. Everywhere I look I see ghosts.”
Silence settled over us while my pulse galloped like a racehorse at the starting bell. Holy shit. Had I just told her all that? What now? Nadya missed her calling. She would’ve made a damned fine shrink.
Her voice sounded tentative. “Will you tell them good-bye?”
That was the million-dollar question. I was running away from pain. Causing more wasn’t part of the plan. I’d be kidding myself if I thought turning my back on Adam and Aren would be painless. I grew up with them. Gabe and Adam were best friends, and Aren had been the first one to show up and help me hang the sign over my garage after I finally saved up the down payment.
And it didn’t end there. Hell, I taught Luke and Logan to drive. And although I wasn’t as close to Jared and Jason, I had no doubt if I needed them, they’d be right there to back me up.
Could I look all of them in the eye and tell them good-bye?
“Probably not.”
Chicken shit of me, but they’d figure it out eventually. It would save all of us an awkward, emotion-filled farewell. I’d ride off into the sunset and we’d go our separate ways. Clean break.
“They don’t get any say, then.”
I shifted my eyes to her face, my shoulders tight. “No one will notice I’m gone. Adam’s busy with his kids, Aren is planning a wedding, and Jason’s trying to save your life…” I tipped my head toward the Harley. “We should get you back.”
She crossed her arms, a wrinkle creasing the center of her brow. Not happy? Welcome to my world, sweetheart.
I pulled the gloves on and straddled the bike. She didn’t get on. Grabbing my helmet, I glanced her way. “You coming?”
“These people are your family.” She pressed her lips together, then huffed out a pent-up breath. “I can’t believe you’re going to leave them without even saying good-bye.”
I slouched, doing my best to rein in the emotions she churned up. With her psychic gift, she probably already knew plenty that I didn’t intend to say. “My family is dead, Nadya.”
“Oh spare me.” She snatched her helmet off the back of the seat, her voice rising in volume with each word. “Family isn’t just your blood. Chloe loves you like family, so does the Pack, and you’re tossing them aside like garbage.”
Every muscle in my body tensed. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” I gripped the handlebars tight to keep a tenuous hold on my emotions. “Are you getting on the bike or not?”
Her eyes narrowed as she yanked on her helmet. Sliding onto the seat behind me, her body molded perfectly against mine. She leaned forward, close to my ear as I fired up the engine.
“My parents were murdered when I was in elementary school. I know exactly what I’m talking about.”
I revved the engine. The Harley roared, breaking the silence of the night. When Sasha came to us and needed the Pack to hide Nadya, it never occurred to me that their parents were out of the picture. The Pack could fight Nero. Human parents wouldn’t stand a chance.
But Nadya had been even younger than I was when the collision stole mine.
I rolled us onto the two-lane highway and gunned it. The wind stung my face and I welcomed the ache. I’d been a self-righteous, dismissive asshole.
And I shouldn’t care. I was leaving tomorrow anyway. She could hate my guts. No sweat off my back.
But the warmth of her soft body against mine made it tough to keep my distance. I’d hurt her and she didn’t deserve it. I was far from perfect, and no one would ever accuse me of being a gentleman, but cruel didn’t sit well with me.
Coming over the rise, I leaned to the left and killed the headlight as we swung onto a narrow driveway. I cut the engine, coasting into the dirt parking area. Knickering and the shuffle of unshod hooves grew to the right of us.
“Why are we stopping?” She turned her head toward the noise. “Is this a stable?”
I patted her thigh. “Hop off.”
She got out from behind me and I swung my leg over. “This is a wild horse round-up. The Bureau of Land Management culls the Mustang herds and brings them here to get adopted.”
“Okay.” She turned from the horses to face me. “But why are we here?”
Good question. I wasn’t sure myself yet. I hung my helmet from the handlebars. “I was an ass earlier. I didn’t know about your parents. Anyway. Guess this is my peace offering.”
She watched me for a second like she didn’t believe a word I said, but finally she lifted her helmet and slipped off her gloves. “Are we allowed to be here?”
I shrugged. “It’s after visiting hours.”
“So I should be ready to run to the bike if we see a flashlight?”
I almost laughed. “Bet you can’t say you’ve ever been arrested for trespassing.”
“It’s okay, I know a police detective who could probably help us out.” Her smile revealed that dimple in her cheek that drove me to distraction. I’d never wanted to kiss a woman so badly. Shit, I needed to get a grip. Fast.
“Sasha would help you out, but I’d be left to rot in jail.”
“For trespassing?” She grinned. “Nah, the jails are overcrowded. Maybe they’d send you home with one of those shock collars on your ankle.”
I chuckled before I could stop myself. “You’re making me think this after hours visit to the Mustangs might be a bad idea.”
“You’ve got a great smile. You should use it more often.” She turned and walked to the horses, leaving me behind to remind myself that I was moving to Colorado, she was Jason’s girl, and the big one…
She was dying.
Grounded again, I followed her, stopping at her side. Nadya reached her slender hand through the fence, scratching muzzles and necks. The horses muscled their way closer to get to her. Watching her smile, cooing at the Mustangs, I understood their eagerness. There was something addictive about her.
Her hair flipped over her shoulder as she turned toward me, surrounding me in her scent for a moment. “You’re not going to pet them?”
I held up a gloved hand. “Nah, I have to be ready to drive our getaway car.”
The moonlight sparkled in her eyes. “Good thinking.” Her features softened. “Thanks for bringing me with you tonight. I know you’d rather be alone, but I really appreciate the company.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” I glanced over at my brother’s bike. “I’m pretty sure you could’ve found better company than me anyway.”
She reached over and gave my forearm a squeeze. Even through my jacket, her touch warmed my skin. I turned to find her a step closer, her new friends pressing against the fence to get her attention again.
“Other than that last dig, I actually had a pretty nice time tonight.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry you’re leaving.”
Staring down at her, I wanted to pull her close and taste her lips. But kissing her wouldn’t change her fate, or mine.
I moved away and her fingers slipped free of my leather jacket. Disappointment shone in her eyes for a second, or that might’ve been my wishful thinking. What the hell was wron
g with me?
“Looks like the horses want more of your attention.”
She went back to the fence, giving each muzzle affection, her smile returning. I kept my distance. The world was full of assholes, wastes of skin no one would miss. Why did this amazing woman get handed a death sentence?
I’d been asking the same question about Gabe for over six months. Why couldn’t it have been me?
A scuff of boots broke me out of my thoughts. Nadya’s eyes met mine. She’d heard it, too. I’d never been with a woman who shared my heightened senses. I tilted my head toward the Harley. She nodded, following my lead.
A beam of light sliced through the night about a quarter of a mile away, outside the caretaker’s house.
“Time to hit the road,” I whispered.
Nadya jogged behind me. I climbed on the bike, retracting the kickstand while she slid in behind me.
“Stop right there. This is government property. You’re trespassing!”
I glanced over my shoulder. The guy was way too far back to attempt a shot in the dark. He was bluffing.
“You ready?”
Nadya’s arms slid tight around my waist. “Ready.”
I rolled the bike forward with my feet to get on level ground. Once I started the engine, we’d need to gun it. I couldn’t risk losing traction on loose gravel.
“I said stop!” The flashlight beam bobbed behind us. He was running.
“We’re outta here.” The Harley roared to life and I let out the throttle. The rear wheel spun a couple times before we rocketed forward. I leaned left, leading us back out onto the open highway, dusting our pursuer.
Behind me, Nadya laughed. The sound infected me until I chuckled right along with her. She leaned closer to me. “You really know how to show a girl a good time.”
I grinned and patted her clasped hands at my waist. When I glanced down I noticed her gloves were missing. Probably a casualty of our visit to the Mustangs. No biggie. I had replacements at the garage. I was glad I left mine on. This was my favorite pair.
When I pulled up to her apartment, I turned the bike off and rolled it to the curb. I glanced at the dark windows. “Sasha’s not home?”
