by Susan Bliler
A snarl blasted up Tyson’s throat. And, from where he was sprawled out on a fat, red leather sofa, Noah snorted, “Christ, Ty, this is worked up even for you.”
It was, he knew it, but he couldn’t talk Monster down. He’d been pissed that they’d taken their eyes off Cersi. He was fired up because she could’ve been hurt by his lapse in judgment. He was wrecked because this is probably why he didn’t deserve a mate. He didn’t look after Cersi like he should have.
Tyson’s phone dinged, and he stopped pacing to jerk it from the back pocket of his jeans. He read through it with a grunt before looking up at Cersi. “Vesa’s gonna be okay. Her arm’s broken, but it’s been casted. They’re gonna get something to eat and then they’ll be on their way back.”
Cersi nodded but didn’t hold his gaze. It pissed him off. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking that he was worthless. He didn’t like feeling dismissed like that, so he stalked across the room and planted himself in front of her. Weariness was tugging at her. He could see it in the way she sat, the way she breathed. He realized he’d missed giving her another round of pain meds and that only infuriated him more. He wasn’t any good at this. Taking care of a woman required skill, patience, and consideration that he didn’t possess.
“Noah, take her up to the guest room. Get her settled.”
Finally, Cersi lifted mutinous eyes to his. “I don’t want to get settled. I want to wait for Vesa.”
Noah, who’d been shoving up from the couch, stalled halfway up and looked from Tyson to Cersi then back.
“Noah,” Tyson boomed. “Do as I say.”
Noah nodded, stood to his full height and crossed to the couch before bending and reaching for Cersi. She slapped his hand away.
“Hey!” She yelled but spoke to Tyson. “I’m not a child, and I don’t need a keeper. I’m not going anywhere. I am waiting right here until my sister is back.”
Noah froze with his hands extended toward her as he looked at Tyson. Honestly, Monster was going ape-shit at the thought of another male touching her, but he was trying to ignore that protest because Cersi could never be his.
“You’ll do as I say,” he declared. Inside, a surge of exhilaration tore through him when Cersi shoved to her feet and walked right up to him. Eyes sparking with fury, she planted herself just a breath from him.
“Oh shit!” Noah grabbed Cersi’s arm to pull her back and the second he did Cersi jerked away and snarled, “Don’t fucking touch me!”
The exact instant she said the words, Tyson ordered, “Don’t fucking touch her!”
“O-kay,” Noah reeled back, hands in the air. “Great! Two crazies. I’m out.” He left the den and left Tyson and Cersi glaring at each other.
“You’re exhausted, Cersi, and you need to take more meds.”
“I’m not exhausted. I’m tired from traveling, and my arm barely hurts.”
“Why,” he growled stepping back and plowing his hands through his hair. “Why do you have to be so goddamn difficult?”
“Why do you have to be such a jerk,” she countered.
“Hours,” he gritted out. “It’s gonna take hours for Vesa to get home, so….please,” he forced through clenched teeth. “Let me show you to a room where you can rest until they’re back.”
Lifting her chin haughtily, Cersi walked passed him with a clipped, “Fine.”
Curling his hands into fists to keep from grabbing her and hauling her over his shoulder, Tyson rolled his shoulders as he followed her out of the den.
***
Two days later, Cersi smiled at something Vesa said, and she hoped whatever it was Vesa was rambling on about merited a smile because Cersi wasn’t listening. She’d spent the prior evening getting caught up with Vesa. Cersi had learned of shifters and medicine. And the nagging question that had been plaguing her about Haddix telling those assholes who’d come that Tyson’s Monster wasn’t affected by the cycle of life was finally answered. Medicine, Vesa had explained. A shifter’s ability to change into his animal form was medicine. There were many forms of medicine out there and in varying degrees of power, but none were more powerful than a woman’s ability to create life. It’s why when a woman was on her period, shifters couldn’t change in her presence. Her medicine broke all other forms, and because Cersi had been bleeding when she’d come to BlackLodge, all the shifters had been forced out of their shifts and back into their human skin when she’d gotten near. Women held the power.
It was a lot of information to take in, but Cersi was glad to hear it. She hadn’t gotten the opportunity to talk to Vesa the night of the attack because just as Tyson had predicted, Cersi fell asleep after taking some pain meds. She’d struggled to stay awake while waiting for Cersi, Haddix, Brayden, and Afften to get back from the hospital and when she’d finally passed out on the sofa, Tyson had carried her up to a guest room. Once she’d finally talked to Vesa, her sister told her all about how she’d been kidnapped by some men and then rescued by Haddix. Something about the story didn’t add up. She wanted to press Vesa but figured it could wait. Her sister had been through a lot, and maybe that was the reason she was holding back. Tonight, the atmosphere was more relaxed. Happy knowing that Vesa was home and safe, the guys were hosting what they called a winter BBQ. The food had been great, but Cersi had spent most of the night quietly watching how the pack interacted with one another. She was an observer by nature and watching the BloodMoons told her two things. One, they were incredibly close-knit, and two, their leader, Haddix, was absolutely in love with Vesa.
Eyes glued to the roaring flames in the large metal fire pit, Cersi hunkered deeper into her lawn chair. She watched as the flames danced and swayed to the crackle and pop of the blaze. Fat fluffy snowflakes were drifting down and occasionally, she’d catch a slight hiss as the fire licked the flakes from the sky.
She was trying to pay attention to what Vesa was saying, but she just couldn’t stop thinking about Tyson. He’d been acting different since they’d arrived at BlackLodge and she didn’t understand why. He seemed so distant. She couldn’t figure out what happened. What had she done wrong?
Vesa shoulder bumped her good arm which had Cersi tearing her gaze from the flames long enough to smile at her sister. Cersi knew Vesa had figured out she wasn’t listening though because Vesa rolled her eyes and muttered, “God, I hope me and Haddix don’t act this bad.”
The words had Cersi’s brows spearing down. This bad? She wondered if it was obvious that she was preoccupied with thoughts of…someone. And if so, did everyone know who she was thinking about.
Lifting her eyes, she scanned the people circled around the fire pit. Noah was chugging a beer and laughing about something Afften said. Vesa left Cersi’s side and made her way through the muted darkness to Haddix just as he stood. Without a word, he lifted Vesa up into the cradle of his arms and reclaimed his seat with her slung across his lap. His nose brushed Vesa’s cheek a second before he lifted her casted arm and placed a kiss there. Cersi watched how thoroughly enamored the Alpha was with her sister and watching Vesa smile, she realized it went both ways. Vesa was happy and obviously in love. Angling her head, she took a sip from her beer and wondered what it’d feel like to have a man look at her they way Haddix was staring at her sister.
As if of their own volition, Cersi’s eyes slid to where Tyson stood beside Haddix. He was watching her across the fire, his eyes intense. They were flashing green, and in the dark, he looked like some feral jungle cat watching his prey. The flames made shadows dance across his face and the whole while, she watched him, Tyson watched her right back. Cersi knew she should feel scared or a little trepidation at the very least, but she didn’t. Under the intense scrutiny of Tyson BloodMoon’s watchful eyes, she felt oddly safe. She felt like nothing could touch her. She knew Tyson wouldn’t permit it. She chuffed a soft snort when the words war and peace flashed in her head. Yeah, that’s what he felt like. She’d seen the way the others interacted with him, it was even worse in town. Peopl
e skirted around him and avoided eye contact. Tyson BloodMoon was given a wide berth by all, but she didn’t have those same instincts around him. No, she liked getting in his space and holding his gaze too long. She liked challenging him because she knew he wasn’t used to it. It made him uncomfortable because it was something no one else did and for some ludicrous reason, that made her smile. Hell, even locking eyes with him now, she canted her head and lifted her brows in silent challenge. His expression went hard, and she smiled. It turned into an outright bark of laughter when he rolled his eyes and stalked to the cooler before lifting the lid and jerking out another beer. Yeah, this man was all war and for some insane reason being near him gave her peace. It was official, her instincts were all fucked up.
Cersi’s smile fell. With a shake of her head, she looked down at the snow at her feet. She liked it here. It was quiet and reminded her of her and Vesa’s time with Nick, their foster father. He used to take them to the mountains and teach them things like how to shoot, hunt, and build a fire with nothing but what the land provided.
“You smell sad.”
Cersi’s lips lifted at the corner, but she didn’t look up at Tyson. Her eyes stayed on the snow at her feet as she shrugged. “Just thinking about the man who took me and Vesa in.”
“Nick?”
She looked up, shocked that he knew.
Tyson jerked his chin across the fire toward Vesa. “She told us about your dad.”
Dad. It was a funny word and one she’d never used with Nick. He’d been good to them, but she knew better than to get attached to anyone. It still haunted her to this day how Nick’s brow would furrow when Vesa called him dad, but Cersi simply called him Nick.
“You smell sadder.”
Now it was Cersi’s turn to roll her eyes as she sucked in a deep breath and rolled her head on her shoulders, sitting up straighter. “I’m not sad.”
“That’s a lie.”
“What,” she snapped and then continued more calmly. “What do you want, Tyson?”
He looked down at her chest. “You’re not dressed right. Are you cold?”
She looked down too and hell yes she was cold. It was freezing balls out, but a quick glance across the fire where Vesa was cuddled up in Haddix’s lap and Afften was settled in Brayden’s had her shaking her head once. “No.”
Beside her, Tyson growled, “Another lie. Here.”
He was jerking his coat off, so Cersi held up a hand. “I’m fine. Keep your coat.”
Ignoring her, he settled it on her shoulders and grunted, “Don’t need it. We don’t get cold.”
“Then why do you wear them?”
“To make humans feel safer around us. It helps them forget that we’re animals. Makes them feel better.”
Cersi shuddered. She wasn’t sure if it was from Tyson’s words, the look on his face, the venom in his voice when he said humans or the heat that clung to the inside of the coat he’d wrapped her in.
Across the fire, Haddix snorted. “We’re not animals, Ty. We’re shifters. It means we’re part man too.”
Tyson muttered, “Maybe you are.”
Noah chimed in, “Monster ain’t that bad, man. Look how good you’ve been at controlling him lately. He’s hardly ripped out of you at all since you…”
Brayden’s words died when a growl blasted up Tyson’s throat.
Haddix hit Noah in the shoulder, and the young shifter muttered, “What? I was just trying to help.”
Tyson’s clipped out, “Don’t” sounded so animalistic that Cersi glanced up at him. His expression had gone all hard, his shoulders seemed broader, and she could have sworn he was suddenly taller.
Standing, Cersi glanced at the house. “Think I’m gonna call it a night.” She smirked, “Been a long day.”
She’d expected Tyson to lead her back to the house, but Vesa scrambled off Haddix’s lap and rushed around the fire. “Come on, I’ll get you settled.”
Disappointment filled her. It only grew when she shrugged out of Tyson’s coat and went to hand it back to him. He’d already given her his back and simply walked away. She watched him go for a moment before she folded the coat over the back of her lawn chair and followed Vesa to the house.
In front of her, Vesa asked, “You get enough to eat?”
“Yeah,” Cersi muttered. “I had enough.”
Vesa led her up to the guest room, but Cersi wanted to leave. Now that she knew that Vesa was alright, she wanted to climb in her jeep and drive away from BlackLodge and Tyson. He was messing with her head, making her wish for things she’d never have. He was making her chest ache, and she hated it. This wasn’t supposed to happen, never again. She’d built up walls to protect her from this kind of shit. So, why was she fighting to keep her tears at bay?
Chapter 14
Cersi tossed and turned for hours. She’d heard everyone come in and after the house finally quieted, she lay there for a few more hours before she gave up on any hope of sleep.
Redressing in her jeans, boots, and sweater, she made her way through the house and quietly out the front door.
As soon as she stepped from the house, the arctic wind blasted her cheeks and stole her breath. Honestly, it felt good. Pacing down the steps, she watched as her feet were swallowed up by a good foot of snow. It was beautiful. Looking up, she scanned the campgrounds and smiled as the moonlight poured light onto the crystalline flakes that twinkled and winked like a blanket of glitter.
Off to the side of the house, there was a roadway that led between rows of cabins. Vesa had told her that Tyson’s cabin was at the end. She’d said that he was more solitary and didn’t like to stay in the house with the rest of the pack.
Pack. Just thinking about the word and all that she’d learned about Haddix and his BloodMoon shifters had Cersi’s head reeling. It was a lot to take in, but she’d grown up believing in a lot of things that other people thought were foolish. Shifters? Nah, that wasn’t that big of a stretch for her. She’d been fascinated with rare species of animals growing up, and the more odd and rare, the more she’d researched. One of her favorites was a species of wood frog called the Rana Sylvatica. It could freeze nearly solid, its heart would stop, and it’d stop breathing completely and could stay that way for days or weeks at a time before thawing and coming back to life. Nature was fascinating to Cersi, and even though she’d asked Tyson and Vesa a dozen questions about shifters, her curiosity was nowhere near sated.
Taking a step toward the road that led to Tyson’s cabin, Cersi stopped herself. For long minutes she stood with nothing but the sound of her own breathing and the cold wind to accompany her before she turned and headed the other direction. The snow crunched under her booted feet as she circled the main house and headed for the tree line. She thought a little night hike might help clear her head and exhaust her some, but she’d only made it just inside the tree line when a voice behind her had her jumping nearly out of her skin.
“You can’t go that way, there are wolves out there.”
Whirling around, Cersi had a hand flattened on her chest as she glared at Tyson. “Don’t sneak up on me!”
“Didn’t sneak.”
“You didn’t announce yourself either!”
“I made plenty of noise.”
“Yeah,” she countered. “Well, I’m not a shifter. I’m one of those pathetic humans you so despise, and we don’t have very good natural instincts.”
Tyson jammed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, his eyes going to the star-filled sky overhead as he mumbled, “Ain’t that the truth.”
Annoyed, Cersi gave him her back and headed for the woods.
“I wasn’t joking, Badass. There are wolves out there!”
“There are wolves right here,” she bit out angrily. “I’ll take my chances.”
A snarled, “Shit!” filled the clearing before the sound of heavy steps on the crunchy snow caught up to her. She didn’t have to turn around to know he was following her.
“Don’t need a bodyguard.”
“You need something!”
Whirling around, she nearly ran into his chest. Annoyed, she jerked her head up. “I need to know what your problem is! Ever since we got here, you’ve been acting like a dick!”
He was angry now too. “I was just supposed to get you here, not play Mr. Nice Guy once I made that happen.”
His words stung, but her fury snapped her right out of being wounded. “Well fine!” She shooed him off. “Go away! I don’t need you following me, and I never thought you were a nice guy! Don’t give yourself so much credit.”
She stormed off deep into the trees. Behind her, she heard Tyson snarling, but he didn’t follow her. Good! She hadn’t been joking when she said she didn’t need a bodyguard.
Good and pissed, she walked for a long time. When she finally found a road, she followed it, not caring where it took her. About a half hour in, she reconsidered her poorly made decision when a howl filled the night sky and lifted the fine hairs on the back of her neck. Her feet skidded to a halt, and she looked side-to-side only just now considering that the shifters who’d attacked them could still be lingering in the area. She turned and looked back over her shoulder, but the snow was falling in earnest now, and she could only see her tracks for a few feet before the rest were buried by snow.
Shit!
Opting to just follow the road back up, she figured it had to lead back to BlackLodge…right?
In the distance, she heard a rumbling and her heart kicked into overdrive. Tyson growled all the time, and she knew it was because of Monster, but this…this was different, and it was getting closer.
Getting off the road, she ducked behind a tree and pressed her shoulders into the cold bark. It took her all of a minute to realize the sound was a truck rumbling down the road right to her.
Peeking out from behind the tree, she wasn’t surprised to find Tyson frowning at her from the driver’s seat of a gold Ford F-150.
Eyes locked on her, Tyson growled, “Get in the truck.”
