Coveted

by Stacey Brutger

  He was the one in charge. The levelheaded, calm one of the pack, able to think clearly and decisively under pressure.

  He paused before knocking. There was only one flaw in his sound reasoning.

  Shayla.

  His mouth went dry remembering her perusal of him in the courtyard, the way her eyes had darkened to that wonderful blue of a stormy sky, and all his hard-won restraint vanished. The smell of her desire had made him forget his own name, and he would’ve granted her any request.

  Until she’d apologized.

  He’d gone cold in an instant. In his experience, women like her only apologized when they wanted something.

  He’d decided to beat her at her own game.

  He’d meant to demand she tell him about her ability, insist that she help find his men. Instead, he all but begged her for a kiss. He’d hardly dared to breathe as he waited for her refusal.

  But she hadn’t backed down. He’d misjudged the situation entirely.

  That hadn’t been calculation in Shayla’s eyes.

  It had been pure lust.

  Now he couldn’t think of anything else.

  She wanted him. For now. But maybe he could use that to his advantage, seduce her into helping him before she grew bored with him.

  He scarcely remembered how to seduce a woman. In his dealings, he made sure they understood up front that he wanted a physical relationship, nothing more. Shayla wouldn’t let him get away with that. She would demand more.

  He knew how to pleasure a woman, but seduction was a far cry from sex. He needed her to want him for more than a day. If he could convince her she loved him, she’d stop trying to leave. He would be able to keep her safe, and she would offer to help find his men when she found out how bad the situation was for them.

  It was the best solution for both of them.

  But when he stood outside her door, he could only stare at it, frozen, the enormity of the task nearly making him tuck tail and run. Everything he wanted, needed, was behind that door. He wasn’t going to let his weakness for her stop him, not when he was so close.

  He lifted his fist to knock when a hand gripped his wrist. Aiden whirled, grabbing the intruder by his throat and pinning him against the wall. Recognition came slower.

  “Mac.” Aiden lowered the man. His wolf bared his teeth, not wanting to release its prey. “What the hell are you doing loitering outside her door?”

  Claws threatened to burst from his fingertips, but the desire to tear into the man he trusted most in the world, over a woman, had the power to rein in his emotions.

  Mac raised his hands in surrender. “I haven’t bothered her.”

  Fur sprouted along Aiden’s arms, bursting through his skin, then retreating as he battled for control. “That’s not what I asked.”

  “I came to invite you both to dinner.”

  Aiden didn’t believe that was the reason for even a second. “Try again.”

  “I came to talk reason into your thick skull. You know as well as I that the danger to her increases the longer she remains with us. If you care for her at all, she must either be claimed or released.”

  Every muscle clenched in protest at the thought of her being taken from him. “They are hunting her. She’s dead the instant we release her. We can keep her safe here. No one would ever suspect to look for her within the pack.”

  “Except for the men who captured you.”

  “They wouldn’t dare a direct attack, especially not for a human.” Aiden dismissed it out of hand, then paused, his instincts sharpening. “But that’s not what’s bothering you though, is it?”

  “If she’s one of the Beloved, it’s only a matter of time before she discovers the truth. We have to be the ones to explain it. Imagine what would happen if someone else were to tell her first.”

  “No. We don’t even know if she is Beloved. I will not risk it.” Aiden shuddered as if a ghost had plunged its hand in his chest and squished his heart.

  It was too soon.

  Aiden refused to listen further. If she were Beloved, she would be beyond his reach, and that was unacceptable. The Beloved had their choice of a mate and, after his treatment of her, he’d be the last man she’d ever select.

  “She’s the first one in hundreds of years. She’s too important to risk in any scheme you’re cooking up. She needs to be tested so we know the best way to proceed.”

  Aiden knew it was the right thing to do, but everything in him rebelled. They were trying to take what was his, and he wouldn’t allow it. “We can’t risk her being harmed. She’s the key to finding the missing wolves.”

  “The Beloved are precious. Any wolf would willingly sacrifice himself to keep her safe.” When Aiden turned back toward the door, Mac spoke softly. “You’re walking a dangerous line. If you take one wrong step, she’ll be lost to us. Are you willing to risk that?”

  “What do you expect me to do?” All that should matter was his pack, but he couldn’t get her out of his mind. She had become important to him when he wasn’t paying attention. Even now, he ached to be near her. He didn’t know how to balance his duty against the overwhelming desire to keep her for his own.

  Mac sighed and conceded defeat, nodding toward her door. “I hope to hell you know what you’re doing.”

  Aiden clenched and unclenched his fists as he paced, his wolf pawing the ground in agitation. Marking his territory. Power swelled, pressure building under his skin as his beast fought to break free and answer the unspoken challenge.

  He flat-out refused to release her.

  He’d take her as a mate before he’d allow anyone to steal her from him.

  The pressure inside him eased at his decision, his wolf retreating in victory. Calm descended, and he gave a quick knock on Shayla’s door. When the door cracked open, his good intentions vanished, pure lust slamming into him at the sight of her waiting for him.

  * * *

  Shayla pressed her ear against the door, blatantly eavesdropping while Aiden and Mac so casually discussed her future. What the hell was a beloved? She wasn’t anyone’s savior, and damned if she could recall hearing anything about them in her grandfather’s stories.

  The unsettling reaction from the men in the training yard bothered her, and she wondered if the castle might not be as safe a place as Aiden had claimed. What worried her more was the ominous mention of a test, where pass or fail meant her life.

  The knock startled her so badly Shayla stumbled over her own feet as she backed away. Nerves bubbled up at seeing Aiden again, mourning the loss of their promised kiss. She quickly suppressed everything but the need to learn the truth. Afterwards, she was pretty sure the last thing he’d want was to be anywhere near her.

  She tugged open the door, then stopped short, rattled all over again by the sharp, handsome angles of Aiden’s face. It made no sense for her to be attracted to him. She lived in the city, dated slim, sleek men who developed their muscles in the gym. So why did the sight of this warrior of old make her crave more?

  Hunger darkened Aiden’s face, and he stepped into the room without waiting for an invitation. Shayla took a cautious step back, her resolve to wrestle the truth from him weakening in proportion to his proximity to her. One touch and she wouldn’t care about anything.

  When he took a step toward her, she raised her hand to ward him off. “We need to talk first.”

  Much to her surprise, Aiden halted on the spot. His brows furrowed as if annoyed, but never once did he take his gaze from hers. “What’s to talk about? I’ve come to claim the kiss you owe me. Simple.”

  Shayla swallowed past her dry throat. There was nothing simple in what he wanted. If he touched her now, nothing would ever be the same again.

  He captured her hand, his fingers warm as he drew her closer. There was no escape as he waited for her to grant the kiss she’d so recklessly promised.

  With the bite of panic nipping at her and no finesse whatsoever, Shayla blurted out the question on the fringes of her brain before
she forgot about it altogether. “What is a beloved?”

  Aiden stiffened like a poker was rammed down his spine, suddenly unbending and unforgiving. The warmth in his eyes turned to frost. The grip on her hand tightened. “Where did you hear that name?”

  Funny how fear had a way of making lusty intentions fade. Shayla yanked on her hand until he reluctantly released her. Then he stepped back and very deliberately leaned against the door. He wasn’t going to let her leave until she answered him.

  Shayla crossed her arms. Fine by her.

  If she wanted to stay alive, she needed to know the truth. All of it. “You were speaking to Mac in the hall. Maybe it’s time you tell me the real reason you brought me here.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Aiden clamped his jaw shut against the howl of denial working up his throat.

  How much had she heard?

  She wasn’t running in fear, so she couldn’t know the truth about his heritage. That reassurance was the only thing enabling him to hold back his wolf. He waited for panic to crowd her face, fear to darken her eyes. His legs trembled under the strain of not stalking her across the room.

  They couldn’t let her go. Not yet. He hadn’t had time to seduce her into feeling something for him and laying his claim. It was forbidden to discuss the Beloved with outsiders. The knowledge would only put her in more danger. Unwilling to lie outright, Aiden decided to give her a few half-truths, enough to satisfy her curiosity, and still keep to the law.

  He would tell her the rest later.

  Eventually.

  Shayla narrowed her eyes on him. “Stop thinking up lies. What is a beloved and what has it got to do with me?”

  Aiden stared at her, nonplussed by her accurate assessment. Shayla had the right to know the risk. Too many wolves knew about her.

  “It’s because of your talent.”

  All the color drained from her face. Aiden folded his arms across his chest, his knuckles turning white as he resisted the urge to comfort her.

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  She lied.

  “Don’t you?” Anger thrummed through him at her audacity. He pushed away from the wall, catching her shoulders in his hands. “How did you find me in the tunnels?”

  The little chit jerked away from him and lifted her chin. “I fell through the ceiling. I followed the passageway, and it led me to you. It’s not like you have a lot of options underground.”

  “And fishing me out of the sea?”

  The smile she gave him was more of a grimace. “Luck.”

  “You told me you seek things.”

  “I’m good digging up information.” She muttered and crossed her arms, not giving an inch.

  Aiden leaned forward until he was a hair’s breadth away from tasting her. “I can see your devious little mind working. Don’t lie to me. You wanted the truth. I gave it. Don’t I deserve the same?”

  Shayla had the audacity to snort. “You gave me some version of the truth, but you didn’t tell me everything. Not by a long shot.”

  She walked up to him, and he straightened, trying not to back away from the fire in her eyes. She thumped her finger on his chest. “Nothing you said explains why people would want to hunt me.”

  He couldn’t very well tell her they were hunting for werewolf blood, so he gave her as much the truth as it pertained to her. “Because you helped me. If you’re caught, they’ll take you hostage.”

  “But I’m innocent.”

  “Doesn’t matter, not to them. You know too much. You’ll disappear like all the rest.”

  She planted her little fists on her hips, and Aiden couldn’t help feeling a thrill at the challenge. “How did they capture you?”

  Humiliation burned anew at the memory of being fooled and captured by a human. He wanted to say he allowed himself to be taken on purpose, but it would be a lie. Now that he’d decided to keep Shayla, he refused to lie to her any more than he already had. It felt wrong. “I was investigating the report of a drug being connected to the recent disappearances. They caught me before I could learn more.”

  He caught a whiff of sea and citrus from her that got him hard in an instant. He inhaled sharply, relishing her scent, unable to take his eyes off her when she began pacing.

  Shayla stopped suddenly and narrowed her eyes at him. “Nora was your lead.”

  She saw him jerk his eyes away from her ass, and he stared over her head. A dull shade of red filled his face. The reaction totally delighted her. No way was he leaving without sharing the story. “Tell me.”

  “I was stupid. I followed a lead and got caught snooping. Most of the men seem to go missing after going on a date. A drug is placed into their drink or food. If they don’t react, the date ends. No harm, no foul.” Unless they turned wolf, then they would be drained and tossed aside like roadkill.

  He shrugged. “I managed to track one of the women from information in a newspaper article. She was the sole survivor in a recent attack. It was a trick. Before I knew it, I was drugged and taken like the rest.”

  Shayla wasn’t sure she liked the idea of Aiden on a date. “And the other men taken? Were they tortured like you?”

  Aiden gave a curt nod. “That would be my guess.”

  “You keep saying your men. Why are your people being targeted?” Shayla suspected she knew the truth, but she wanted to hear him say it.

  “Like you, we have a special bloodline. They hunt us for money and kill us once they take what they want.”

  Shayla gave him points for artfully dancing around the truth. Nothing he’d said was a lie. “Can’t you warn your people?”

  “Avamoore is primarily a training ground. Most of the clan lives independently. We spread the word, but what can we tell them? Stop eating, drinking or dating? My clan is very…physical. Dangle a beautiful woman in front of a man, and they’ll fall for it every time.”

  Shayla blinked at his blatant flirtation, narrowing her eyes as she pictured him pursuing other women with a single-mindedness that would make them fall at his feet in worship. She quickly banished the image of a flock of women vying for his attention, but it left a sour aftertaste. She wasn’t about to join that long line of conquests. “They are killing people. I’d think that’d put a damper on any extra-curricular activities.”

  She didn’t care for the sudden twinkle in his eyes.

  “Or the danger would intensify the experience.” He crept closer. “Every nerve heightened. Every touch either a threat or a caress.”

  Shayla swallowed hard, praying that he couldn’t hear the frantic pounding of her heart. She shook her head to clear the images of them entwined, pressed against an alley wall, never knowing if one touch, one kiss would be their last. Her body heated, and she could’ve cursed her foolish imagination. She struggled to pick up where their conversation left off. “Can’t you turn them in to the cops?”

  “And say what?” Aiden smiled ruefully. “That beautiful women are kidnapping men for nefarious purposes? I don’t think they would exactly worry about our virtues being in danger.”

  A short smile quirked her lips but quickly faded.

  “Book me on the first flight out of here. Hell, you can walk me on board.” Shayla’s voice was hoarse when she spoke. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t sure she wanted him to take her up on her offer.

  “If they even suspect you are one of the Beloved, they will hunt you down. I can’t keep my pack and you safe at the same time if you’re halfway around the world. Leaving could lead trouble directly back to your family.”

  Shayla blanched. “Then what can we do?”

  “Give me a week. One way or another, I’ll keep you safe.”

  One week of being close to him.

  Within touching distance.

  It would be heaven and hell.

  She also had a job to finish, that was if her employer still wanted her since she blew off the interview. She eyed Aiden. He appeared calm, as if her decision didn’t matter. That was if y
ou didn’t notice his unnatural stillness, the way he clasped his hands behind his back with perfect restraint. Energy hummed under his skin, and she could almost feel his wolf reaching for her.

  Her resolve weakened. “One week?”

  Aiden gave a short nod.

  Her grandfather had wanted her to have an adventure. Well, here it was, smacking her in the face. If she left, she’d only put Aiden’s pack and her own family in danger. She would not be a pawn. She would make her own choices. She could keep her distance from him, make sure that they were never alone. Although she wasn’t a one-night-stand type of girl, he tempted her to re-think her rules. She just needed to remember that he wasn’t a forever type of man.

  If it was a choice between spending a week with a hunky man or running for her life, the decision was easy.

  She chose Aiden. “One week.”

  Air whooshed out of him. Aiden hadn’t been aware of how much hinged on her answer. How much it mattered that she chose him.

  “Why don’t I get us some food to celebrate? We can have our own private meal.” And keep her away from his men. He’d use the time alone to convince her she couldn’t keep her hands off him. His fingers tingled to touch her skin, spread the pheromones until it was the truth.

  Shayla blinked innocently up at him. “Aren’t they holding dinner for us downstairs?”

  Aiden gritted his teeth. He’d forgotten she’d been listening at the door, but he could stack the cards in his favor. He’d give her a kiss she wouldn’t forget and put his scent all over her in the process. “As you wish.”

  When she smiled and walked toward the door, he quickly stepped in her path. She nearly smacked into him, then frowned up at him in an adorably grumpy way. When she would’ve shuffled away, he caught her close. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  Shayla glanced up at him blankly, and some of his joy deflated to think she so easily forgotten their promised kiss when he could think of nothing else. “You still owe me a kiss.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath. Heat flooded her at the chance to get her hands on him, but logic dictated she keep the kiss short.

  Uncomplicated.