Zander swore under his breath and rose from the bed. Hands on his hips, he strode to the railing that overlooked the first floor of the cabin. Rena wanted to go to him. To curl her arms around his waist, press her cheek against the broad expanse of his back, and seek shelter in his strong, warm, masculine body. However, her heart skipped a beat, and her thoughts went to Zander and all he had suffered, when she saw three angry-looking slashes running from shoulder to hip.
Rena swallowed hard, recalling the battle he’d had with Zed. She couldn’t begin to imagine the loss he had withstood and the years of loneliness that had followed. He wanted to help his brother, she understood that. But why did he believe his own happiness had to be sacrificed in order to achieve his goal?
The man was hell-bent on torturing himself.
“Can you answer one question for me?” Rena asked quietly. “If you and Zed are identical, then why do you believe that I’m Zed’s mate and not yours? And please don’t tell me how complicated it is. I’m not stupid, and if you ask me, I’ve been pretty damned understanding about this whole crazy mess. I deserve that much.”
Rena had never believed that she’d meet a man like Zander Lorens. One who could accept all of her, the good, the bad, and the weird. Now that she had found him, the idea of losing him was unthinkable. Was the universe that cruel? Would it bring this man into her life, one she could fall in love with, only to keep him from her?
The savage irony of her situation wasn’t lost on her. The raw truth seared into her heart and soul, threatening to drown her in its wake.
Zander let out a heavy sigh and leaned both hands on the railing. The muscles in his shoulders bunched as his energy signature buzzed with anger-tinged frustration. Rena rested her chin on her knees and wrestled for patience, even though all she wanted to do was go to him and kiss the scars on his back until they vanished.
“You’re right. And I can’t begin to tell you how badly I wish things were different.”
Zander turned around slowly, and the dark, pained expression carved into his features broke her heart. He was all sharp angles and edges that looked like they were carved from stone. His ropy, muscular arms hung at his sides, but even in the relaxed setting of his bedroom, the man was a bundle of tension.
“They could be different,” she whispered. Rena fought the tears that stung the back of her eyes and swallowed, even though her throat felt like sandpaper. “We can make the choice to… What if you and I—”
“I can’t leave him there!” His voice boomed through the cabin, and his eyes shifted to those of his dragon. The man’s voice was gritty and rife with tortured restraint. “Don’t you get it? There can’t be two mates for one woman, because Zed and I are identical. As far as the universe is concerned, we are one and the same.”
“What if—”
“He’s my brother, Rena.” Quiet regret had replaced anger, and his glowing gaze flickered back to his lovely, pale-green, human eyes. “Zed is the only family I have left. He wouldn’t even be in this situation if it weren’t for me. I’m the one who killed Arianna—not him.”
“You were both fighting. Hell, he’s the one who started it. I was there, Zander. I heard the whole thing. He wasn’t listening to you. He was blind with rage.”
“But I’m the one who killed her, Rena. Me! Not him. I did it, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my brother pay for my sins for all eternity.”
“You’re punishing yourself,” she murmured softly. Understanding and sadness edged her words. “That’s it. Isn’t it? The curse isn’t enough. You have to make damned sure you torture yourself for the rest of your existence.”
Zander held her bold stare but said nothing. He didn’t have to, because she knew she had hit the proverbial nail on the head. A pang of sorrow flared in Rena’s chest, and a chill whispered over her, as though a door had been slammed shut, closing off all possibility of a future with him, and the ache inside her swelled. For a moment, Rena feared she might actually choke on the finality of it.
He tore his eyes from hers as he swore quietly and ran both hands through his shaggy hair. Rena wanted to argue with him some more, tell him what a stubborn ass he was being, but before she could say another word, he made a beeline for the bedroom door.
“The storm has passed,” he said, pulling the door open.
“Has it? Still seems pretty stormy around here to me.”
She arched one eyebrow, but he ignored her attempt to continue their discussion.
“We need to get on the road as soon as possible. I don’t want to risk another night away, and we definitely can’t walk in the dreamrealm again. We got out before Zander emerged, but I doubt we’ll be that lucky next time. We have to be there in the cave with him when he wakes up. The Amoveo haven’t exactly been my allies, but I need to get to Zed and help him when he wakes up. If I don’t, if he were to emerge alone on their ranch…the outcome could be catastrophic.”
“I bet,” Rena murmured. “So they know about me coming to meet everyone, but they don’t know about you and your brother?”
“No.” He shook his head solemnly. “They don’t.”
“Zander…” She searched his gaze, but he looked away abruptly. The man was making a nasty habit of shutting her out and cutting her off.
“We have to leave, Rena.”
“Fine,” she huffed.
Rena shoved the sheets aside and hopped out of bed. Zander stilled in the doorway, his gaze rolling over her in one steady pass, lingering briefly on her bare legs. His energy signature hummed and whirled around her ferociously, reminding Rena of the way he would rev the engine of his Harley.
He could tell her a million times that he didn’t want her, but it was a bald-faced lie. Words were easy to manipulate. People used them all the time to present only what they wanted the world to see. Energy signatures, on the other hand, never, ever lied. Zander’s words were pushing her away, but his spirit was calling her closer.
“Help yourself to whatever’s in the kitchen.” He tore his gaze away as he grabbed the doorknob and started to leave. “I’ll meet you outside.”
When he turned his back on her, Rena grabbed the edge of the shirt she was wearing, the one she’d chosen because Zander’s masculine scent still lingered in the fabric. She whipped it off over her head, leaving her completely nude in the early-morning sunlight.
“Zander?” she called. “Catch.”
He turned around, and the expression of shock flicked to desire in a hot second as he caught the shirt with one hand. Rena made no move to cover herself. She stood before him boldly as her hands drifted over her breasts and then down to her belly before finally settling on the curve of her hips. To her delight, Zander’s eyes shifted again. She shivered as his glowing gaze raked over her naked body, and she could practically feel his hands on her.
Rena strode toward him with slow, intentional steps, and as she slipped past him in the doorway, their bodies barely a breath apart, she paused. Her nipple brushed his bare arm, and a strangled groan rumbled in his chest. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed what she could only assume was a healthy dose of lust. Her gaze flicked down to his sweatpants, which were doing nothing to hide his growing erection.
“Thanks for the shirt,” she whispered. “Looks like you need another cold shower.”
Without waiting for him to respond, Rena sauntered into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. As she turned on the shower, one thought ran through her head. Before the sun went down that night, she was going to prove to Zander that nobody decided her fate except for her.
Curse or no curse.
When Rena turned around to grab the shampoo from the bag she’d left on the counter, she caught sight of her reflection, and her stomach dropped to her feet.
There, on her lower back, was a bluish-black splotch with a darker outline. She craned her neck trying to get a be
tter look and backed up so she was as close to the mirror as possible.
Though the shape wasn’t defined, the location was correct.
She could have lied to herself and acted like it was only a bruise or something. But she would only have been denying what she knew in her gut was true.
A mate tattoo.
Rena’s body was betraying her, and fate was conspiring against everything her heart wanted. And her heart wanted Zander.
Chapter 13
Zander tightened the strap over his bags with a violent tug, recalling the sight of Rena’s perfectly sculpted, naked body. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he swiped at it with the back of his hand, trying not to think about the swell of her hips or the dip of her waist. His cock twitched and throbbed against the zipper of his jeans from the memory of all that beautiful, creamy skin.
It had taken every single ounce of strength and self-control Zander possessed to not touch her when she’d brushed past him. When her nipple grazed his arm, all the blood rushed to his dick, leaving him light-headed. He thought he was going to pass out, but by some small miracle, he didn’t. Zander kept his eyes on the wall in front of him instead of watching her disappear into the bathroom.
After that brazen move on her part, he knew there was no more screwing around. Rena may not have understood what was at stake, but Zander didn’t have that excuse. He knew better than to tempt the fates and mess with the order of how things were supposed to be. Given the hell his brother had existed in all these years, Zed deserved to have a mate, and the son of a bitch was lucky as hell to find one in a woman like Rena McHale.
The sound of the cabin door closing captured his attention, and a split second later, Rena’s energy signature flowed over him on the crisp October breeze. She smiled and waved as she strode toward him with an air of confidence that only heightened his attraction to her. The fallen leaves and gravel crunched beneath her boots. The clothes she wore were similar to the day before, and as she made her way to the barn, he couldn’t help but note the fluidity with which she moved. Her casual beauty was breathtaking. As she got closer, it was evident she wore very little makeup, and her hair was still damp from her shower. This, of course, instantly made him think of her naked.
Wet and naked.
“There you are!”
Rena’s cheerful voice shattered his dirty thoughts and brought him back to reality. Zander willed his body to cooperate, but every single one of his cells roared in protest. He squatted down next to the bike and tightened the strap over his bag, even though he knew full well the damn thing was tight enough. He had to do something other than stare at her.
“I locked up the cabin. The lights are off, and I turned the thermostat down.” She held out the keys and jingled them at him. “Do you want these, or should I hang on to them?”
Zander rose to his feet slowly, the heat of her body flickering over him in subtle but unmistakable waves. He held out his hand, and she dropped the keys into his palm before plunking her bag on top of his. Rena gave him a flirty, sidelong grin as she used the extra bungee cord to secure her belongings to the bike. Her self-sufficiency was one of her most appealing qualities.
The woman was beautiful, smart, tough, and independent.
Perfect.
Shit.
He stuffed the keys into the pocket of his leather jacket and strode toward the back of the small barn, his heavy steps echoing through the sparsely occupied space. Other than a few gardening tools and a snowblower, the place was empty. Then again, Zander didn’t put the barn here to store lawn equipment. The small, gray structure, seemingly unassuming and unimportant to anyone who might stumble upon it, housed something sacred to him and his people.
“Hey, do you have an iPhone charger?”
“No. I have a flip phone.”
“Dude.” Rena’s eyebrows lifted, and her gaze swept over him with mild disapproval. “You really are five hundred years old, aren’t you?”
“What can I say?” He shrugged. “I’m not a fan of technology. If you weren’t with me, I’d be camping instead of staying at motels.”
“Camping? No thanks. I like plumbing. Anyway, I forgot to bring my charger, and now my phone is totally dead.”
“You can use mine if you need to make a call.”
“No, it’s Vito.” She looked away and brushed the hair from her forehead, as though suddenly uncomfortable. “It’s just, well, if the people at Sunnyfarm need to get in touch with me…”
“I’m sure you can pick one up along the way.”
“Yeah, okay.”
She hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans, and silence hung between them awkwardly for several beats of his heart.
“We should probably go then.”
“We still have to do one more thing before we leave.” He stopped by the back wall of the barn. “It won’t take long.”
“What’s the matter, Zander?” Rena sighed. “Need to whack your weed before we split?”
Zander shook his head and cast a wicked smirk over his shoulder at Rena. “I hope you’re not claustrophobic.”
“Why?” She followed him over but moved cautiously. “What have you got back there?”
Zander squatted down and hooked his finger in the iron latch embedded in the wide-plank wood floor. Rising to his feet, he yanked the door open and coughed when he inhaled a nose full of dust and dirt. As the cloud dissipated, the steps leading into the underground chamber were revealed.
“Holy cow,” Rena whispered. She moved in next to him and peered cautiously into the entry. “What the hell is down there?”
“My torture chamber,” he said flatly.
“Very funny.” Rena elbowed him playfully.
“The power of the dragons is rooted in the earth. It stems from the rock and fiery core from which we were born.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “But why do we need to go down there?”
“We have to get Zed a spirit stone.” Zander went down two steps before turning back to Rena. “His was destroyed when the spell was cast, and he can’t emerge from hibernation without it.”
Zander went down two more steps but stopped when Rena didn’t immediately follow.
“Come on.”
“It’s pitch-black down there.” She inched closer and folded her arms over her chest while peering into the dark. “Don’t you need a flashlight or something?”
“No.” A knowing grin bloomed, and he extended an arm, offering her his hand. “Trust me.”
Rena flicked her pale-brown eyes from his hand to his face and then back again before finally wrapping her fingers around his. He tried not to notice how perfectly her hand fit into his or the warmth of her flesh as is it shimmied along his palm. But he failed. Miserably. When her eyes clapped onto his and she gave him a reassuring nod, a swell of gratitude swamped him.
Even if she wasn’t meant to be his, he was grateful for the time they had shared. Letting her go was going to be the most difficult task of his five-hundred-year existence.
As they made their way down the curved stone staircase, the light from the entrance began to fade. Rena tightened her grip on his fingers as her other hand flew to his shoulder. She pressed her body against him, and her breath, a mix of coffee and mint, wafted past him in the dimly lit space. The scent conjured up images of cozy mornings and sharing coffee while snuggled in bed.
Zander shook his head. Get a grip, man. Get a grip.
“It’s too dark, Zander.” Rena’s voice quivered slightly, but he could tell she was fighting her fear. “We’re going to break our necks.”
“No, we’re not.” He turned his face to the left, and when the fresh scent of her shampoo filled his head, Zander’s eyes shifted with a tingling snap. Rena’s smiling face, with an expression of genuine appreciation, was bathed in a soft red glow. “Use your clan vision. The Fox Clan has especia
lly keen eyesight and hearing. Even in your human form, you should be able to access those gifts. You’ve been experiencing it in bits and pieces, but it’ll take some practice to use them on purpose.”
“If you say so.”
Her tongue flicked out, moistening her lower lip as she closed her eyes. A split second later, her lids flicked open, and Zander found himself staring into the glowing, amber eyes of her clan.
“Perfect,” he whispered.
“Thanks.” Rena gave his hand a quick squeeze before tearing her gaze from his. “Now let’s—”
She stopped speaking, and her jaw dropped as her eyes flicked down toward the landing. Zander couldn’t have stopped the beaming grin on his face if he’d tried. And he didn’t want to. A mixture of pride and satisfaction swirled inside him as he helped Rena discover her abilities.
“Holy shit, Zander.” Her laughter bounced around them playfully. “I can see everything! I mean everything! Every crack and crevice. And bugs! Look! Wait—what’s that?” She slapped his arm and then pointed ahead. “There’s a light toward the bottom of the stairs. Go! Come on!”
She urged him to move, and he couldn’t help chuckle at her eagerness. “I’m going, I’m going.”
Zander took the rest of the stairs at a faster pace, with Rena moving confidently behind him. When they reached the dirt floor of the spirit cave, Zander stepped to the side so Rena would have plenty of room to explore the sacred space.
All of the walls glimmered in varying shades of red quartz. It crept up toward the ceiling and even lined the side of the stairs. Dirt and dusty, bland rock made up the floor and the stairs, but the remainder of the cave, which was about thirty feet in diameter, was comprised entirely of jagged, glittering quartz.
In the middle of it all, bathed in the soft glow of the spirit stone, was Rena. Her hands covered her mouth, and a gasp slipped between her fingers as she turned around, slowly taking it all in.
“This is amazing,” she said, her hands falling away from her lips. “It reminds me of the wall that Zed is hibernating in. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Undiscovered Page 19
