by Stella Night
“Maybe I did,” Rory said softly. “I didn’t think about it that way when I came here. Things had gotten so out of control. I was scared and afraid. You were the only man I could turn to for help. But maybe that was unfair of me.” She paused, chewing her lower lip. “If you want me to leave, I understand.”
Dylan seemed to consider it. The very fact that he had to think about it tore at her insides. She’d worried she would ruin everything by not telling Dylan the whole truth, and she’d been right. Earlier, Dylan had been ready to take her as a mate. Now he didn’t even know if he would let her stay.
“You don’t have to leave,” Dylan said finally. “The one thing I’ve always vowed was to keep you safe. And I will. No matter what.”
Hope swelled in her breast. Maybe she hadn’t screwed everything up after all. “So you and I are good?” she asked.
“No,” Dylan said.
Rory never realized a single word could cut so deep or hurt so much. “Dylan.”
He raised his hand, gesturing for her to be quiet. “I don’t like you lying to me, especially about something so important.”
“It’s not like you never lied to me,” she spat, anger causing her to lash out.
“What do you mean?”
“About my brother. You never told me he knew about us. You never told me you thought it was the reason he died that day.”
She regretted the words the moment she said them. Dylan’s eyes went cold and hard.
“I never lied about that,” he said, his voice a low growl. “I kept it a secret to protect you. It wasn’t a burden you needed to bear.”
“A lie of omission is still a lie.”
“Then I guess we’re both liars,” he said.
She couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes. The silent accusation there was too much. It ripped her insides up. She thought she might be sick.
“This was a mistake,” Rory said softly. “I should go. This isn’t your problem. I should never have involved you in this.”
“You don’t have to leave,” Dylan said. “I still want to help you.”
“I know you do, but it isn’t fair to you. I don’t want to just use you.”
Dylan exhaled heavily. “I didn’t mean that.”
“Yeah, you did. And you were right. I didn’t come here for Dylan, the man. I came here for Dylan the warrior. Dylan the killer.”
Dylan slammed his fist against the wall, causing the whole house to shake.
“I don’t care,” he said. “If that’s all I’m good for, at least let me do that. When this is all over, we can go our separate ways again, if that’s what you want.”
Rory shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I owe it to you. I owe it to your brother. Let me keep you safe.”
“You don’t owe me anything. Any debt you think you owe is forgiven.”
“You don’t get to decide that. The debt is mine to pay, whether you want it or not. You’re staying here and I’m keeping you safe.”
“You can’t keep me here,” Rory said.
“Wanna bet?”
“What, are you going to arrest me?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
Rory stared into his eyes which blazed like emerald fire. There was nothing she could say that would change his mind. The determined look on his face was proof of that.
“Fine, whatever,” she finally said.
She turned her back on him and stormed away into the guest bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Then she leaned against the smooth wood and sank down to the floor. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Things with Dylan had gone from amazing to train wreck so fast, she could barely understand what happened. Her thoughts raced through her head like leaves blowing in the wind. She was unable to catch hold of any of them, making it impossible to figure out her next move.
She collapsed onto the bed, feeling lower than low for hurting Dylan. He was hurt because she hadn’t trusted him and because all she’d wanted from him was protection.
If only she had told him the truth from day one, none of this would be happening. She could be wrapped in his arms right now and tangled in his sheets. Instead, she withered away in a cold bed all alone.
The loneliness was overwhelming. She hadn’t realized just how alone she’d been ever since Dylan had gone out of her life. It took being with him again to make her realize just how much she needed him. And not just as her protector, but as her lover.
He was like the other half of her heart, and by lying to him, she’d taken that part of her and thrown it away. It was a terrible feeling, and one she didn’t think she could ever recover from.
Maybe she could apologize and make it all better. But she knew things could never go back. Their reunion had been tenuous at best. A flimsy house of cards ready to blow over at the gentlest breath of wind.
Well, Rory’s lie had been a hurricane, toppling the cards, and she couldn’t see any way to put it back together.
The best thing she could do was leave. This should never have been Dylan’s problem in the first place. She could run, disappear, and put all this madness behind her.
Of course, Dylan wouldn’t let her go. If nothing else, he kept his word. He’d promised to protect her, and he meant it, even if her presence tore him up inside.
No, she had to leave when he wasn’t looking. It was the right thing to do.
Her bedroom had a window. She would wait until the sun started going down. Then she would sneak away undetected.
It might put her life in danger, but at least she could spare Dylan.
***
Dylan fumed in the cool air of twilight. He wanted to destroy something. Anything.
He couldn’t believe Aurora lied to him, and he hated that all she’d wanted from him was the dark killer inside him. When she showed up here after all these years, a part of him hoped things could go back to the way they’d been before. Back before everything had gone to shit.
And that hope had been rekindled when he felt that connection spark between them again. The old love he’d felt for her had awoken again in full force. But that was the problem with hope. It makes you believe in the impossible and leaves you bitterly disappointed when the impossible doesn’t happen.
If he had just given up on any chance at reuniting with Aurora, he wouldn’t be standing there feeling like his heart had just been torn out of his chest.
Better not to feel anything than to feel this kind of pain. He could take a punch, he could take a bullet, but the worst pain he’d ever felt was Aurora’s betrayal.
“Damn, brother,” Xander’s voice cut through the red fog of rage clouding his brain. “You look like you’re about to murder the whole goddamn world.”
“I just might.”
“I take it from your reaction that Rory’s guilty?”
Dylan shook his head. “She was set up. I’m not sure how, but I’m sure she didn’t do it.”
Xander looked surprised. “Well that’s good news, isn’t it? Why so pissed off?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. What’s the word on Bishop?”
“I just got off the phone with Riley. I asked him if he’d heard anything about Bishop. Riley told me Bishop hauled ass out of town with a bunch of shifter buddies.”
“Heading this way,” Dylan said, part statement and part question.
“Riley wasn’t sure, but if I was a betting man, yeah.”
Dylan nodded. “I’ve been expecting this.”
“Think we have time to get out of here?” Xander asked.
“Maybe,” Dylan said. “But I’m not running.”
“Look, bro, I know you’re like this super bad ass, but even you can’t fight an army of shifters all by yourself.”
“Right now I could. They have no idea who they’re fucking with.”
“I’m digging the confidence. Seriously. But you’re talking crazy.”
“You don’t think I can take them all?”
Xand
er thought about it. “I mean, maybe. But there’s no way you could survive. You’re strong and you heal fast, but not fast enough. I’m not about to lose my brother just because he wants to show off how bad ass he is and die in a blaze of glory.”
“Well, then I have good news.” Dylan grinned savagely. “Bishop’s not the only one with friends.”
Chapter 12
Rory listened to the two brothers talking while she hid around the corner of the house, just out of sight. Their voices carried on the wind, but she couldn’t make out their words, just the tone.
Dylan sounded angry. Xander, as always, sounded upbeat and joking. She doubted even Xander could lighten Dylan’s mood after what had happened between him and Rory. No, the only thing that could fix that problem was for her to leave.
After what seemed like forever, their voices moved and she heard them go back inside the house. She didn’t know how long it would take for Dylan to notice she was gone. If she was going to escape, the time was now.
She darted from behind the house, making her way over low tree trunks and through patches of clear ground. The dying light of the day cast everything in black and blue, like the land itself was bruised. In a way, it had been.
Dylan had taken out his guilt and emotion on his ancestral homeland. It would be forever scarred by the violence he’d committed. The terrible things he’d done to this forest were a grim reflection of the terrible things he’d done when he’d gone to war.
Rory couldn’t help but think about the night she saw him running wild in the darkness, lashing out blindly like a man possessed. She’d been able to soothe the savage beast inside him that night. He had been so grateful for the moment of peace.
Rory wondered who would be there for Dylan now that she was leaving for good.
She knew the answer, although it pained her greatly to admit it. There would be no one else. Not after her.
He’d allowed himself to love again. Then she broke his heart. Rory couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d ruined the man forever.
She paused at the edge of the forest to take a look back at the lonely house sitting among a field of dead trees. There was still time to go back. Still time to try to heal the wounds she caused.
Rory could go back and help him, the way he’d been so willing to help her, even after she’d made those stupid comments to him.
No, she decided. It was much simpler and much better for everyone if she went away forever. She hoped that Dylan could find peace without her, and she hoped she herself could find a new path in this world. One that didn’t lead her to a cruel marriage, a jail cell, or an early grave.
So far, every road she’d ever traveled led to heartache. Maybe this time, things would be different.
She turned and plunged into the shadows of the forest, doing her best to become one with the dark pools of night. She collided with something hard in the darkness. Strong hands grasped her arms, clamping down like vice grips.
“Just the woman I was looking for,” a voice chuckled in the darkness.
The voice belonged to Bishop.
***
Dylan looked at the closed door leading to the guest room. Aurora was on the other side of that door, brooding, angry, and not wanting to see him. He dreaded facing her.
Dylan was amazed at how such a small woman could make him feel this way. Sure, she was tough, but there was no good reason for her to instill this kind of fear in him.
He had a feeling it wasn’t her he was afraid of. It was the guilt he felt for the things he’d said to her earlier. His anger had gotten the better of him. He’d lashed out at her without thinking. Still, that was no excuse.
It just confirmed his belief that he was no good to any woman. Dylan was too violent. Too dangerous. He could never be a husband. Or a father. All he would ever be good for was fighting.
Dylan was a warrior. His world was blood and thunder. His hands were made to destroy, not to embrace a lover or cradle a child.
He’d known that about himself since he came back from the military. The devil was inside him and the best he could hope for was to channel that devil in the right direction. Killing people who deserved it, instead of hurting the ones he loved.
He’d been a fool to think he ever had a shot at a normal life again. When Aurora came back around, he thought it was possible. She made everything feel possible. He saw a world of hope when he looked in her eyes, and a bright peaceful future in her infectious smile.
But like everything else in his life, he had destroyed that smile. He had a feeling she would never smile at him again. And if so, it was his own damn fault.
Hunter had been right to tell Dylan to stay away from Aurora. He was no good for her. No matter how much he hoped he wasn’t the man Hunter thought he was. No matter how much he wanted to believe he was better man. Dylan was who he was.
At least he could protect Aurora. Even if he couldn’t be a man she could love or a man who could take her as a mate. Some other man would have to give her those things. Dylan could only give her the one thing he had to give. His protection.
He knocked on her door, prepping himself to give her the news that Bishop was on his way. He had to convince her to stay inside and hidden when Bishop showed up with his boys. Things were going to get really violent, really fast. Dylan was confident he could handle the confrontation as long as he didn’t have to worry about Aurora being stuck in the middle of all the fighting.
There was no response to his knock. He shook his head and cursed himself for a fool. She was still pissed at him. No big surprise. He didn’t have a way with words like his two brothers. Noah was the leader and the statesman. People followed Noah naturally. Xander was the joker and the ladies’ man. He could become fast friends with just about anyone, and he knew all the right things to say to smooth any feathers he ruffled along the way.
Dylan knocked again. “Aurora, I know you’re still angry. But I need to talk to you. I have news about Bishop.”
Still no answer. “Come on Aurora. I’m not kidding around. You need to hear this.”
Panic spread through him, like a million little spiders crawling inside his skin, their sharp tiny legs pricking him. His instincts told him something was wrong.
“Aurora, answer me right now or I’m breaking this door down.”
Silence was the only answer. He slammed his shoulder against the heavy mahogany door. The wood splintered into toothpicks at the force of his blow.
He wasn’t sure what he expected to see, but all he saw was an empty room. The window was open, letting in a cold night breeze.
Dylan sniffed the air to catch her scent. The heady smell of her still hung thick in the room. It was why he hadn’t realized she was gone.
Clearly, she had escaped out the window. All the talk of leaving earlier, Dylan should have known she would try something like this. A part of him must have hoped that she didn’t mean it. He thought she was just speaking in anger and that she really wanted to stay so they could patch things up somehow.
But obviously she had not been pretending. She wanted to be away from him, even if it meant putting herself at risk.
He felt a sharp pain in his chest at the thought. Things really were finished between them. Dylan knew he needed to let her go.
There was only one problem. Aurora would have to take the only path out of the valley. That meant she was on a direct collision course with the man she’d been running from in the first place.
Dylan thought he felt panic earlier, but that had been a minor rumble compared to the earthquaking terror he felt in that moment. Aurora was in trouble. Deadly trouble.
Despite the heated words they’d exchanged, Dylan couldn’t let her face something like that. In any other situation, he would have honored her decision to leave and let her go. But there was no way in hell he would let a son of a bitch like Bishop hurt the woman he loved.
Dylan would die before that happened.
Death was a real possibility now that Aurora was gone. D
ylan had set a plan into motion, but those plans hadn’t taken Aurora’s escape into account. Dylan had been prepared to face Bishop here at the house, not in the woods.
He remembered something Hunter used to say. Make a plan and God laughs. God was definitely laughing at him now. He had no choice but to improvise.
Dylan ran into the living room where Xander was standing anxiously.
“What was all that noise?” Xander asked. “What’s going on?”
