Josh strode to the nearest bench and relaxed against the cool metal backing. He took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. Snow was on its way. In the mountainous outskirts of Seattle, most were used to seeing rain, but the winter months were finally leading to snowfall. Josh shrugged. It didn’t really matter what the weather was, nothing about his daily routine would change. He’d eat, sleep, watch TV, and work out—alone. Then he’d go to work and wish he were alone. What was a little snow?
He was off the job for the day but didn’t know what he was going to do. He could go home, but why? Nothing was waiting for him there. Just a shabby apartment with bare walls devoid of personal touches. Josh swallowed the last of his dog, licking the cream cheese off his fingers before washing it down with the rest of his Coke. Fuck, he was lonely. And not happy about the fact he cared that he was lonely. He was a SEAL, for fuck’s sake. He shouldn’t care one way or the other. But here he was, at the onset of winter, sitting on a park bench, alone and pissy, and apparently a pussy about it as well. Josh shook his head.
Letting out a deep breath, Josh closed his eyes, and opened up his senses to his surroundings. The wind brushed his face, cooling the melancholy temper heating his cheeks. Murmurs of conversations from passersby, customers and townspeople quickly shopping and mingling before the coming storm drifted through on the wind. He turned his head toward voices, most likely two teens, both low, almost a whisper but with such a hint of excitement and dread, it carried to his ears on the wind.
“Did you hear?” one of the boys asked, fear on his tongue. “One of the Jamenson sons was taken after the fight. Reed, I think.”
“Reed? Which one was he?” the other boy asked.
“The artist. No real title, but still the Alpha’s son.”
“Crap, what are they doing about it?”
“I don’t know. But you know the Centrals are about to get their asses kicked. You can’t just steal the son of an Alpha and think it’s okay. No matter how crazy you are.”
“No shit.”
“I just hope they find him.”
“Yeah. But it’s weird, ya know.”
“What?”
“Reed being taken so soon after that witch was. Remember that?”
“Huh?”
“That witch who owned the herbal shop in Callensbury. Some guys came in, roughed up the shop, killed her mom, and then took her.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I wonder if it’s connected somehow.”
“Well, if it is, I’m sure the Jamensons will find out. That’s what they do.”
“But they can’t find them. It’s been what…three days or so?”
“They will. They have to. The Jamensons are like gods. They’ll do it.”
“Sure.”
Both boys walked off, leaving Josh to ponder their words.
Someone had kidnapped the Alpha’s son? Interesting. As a human, he shouldn’t know about werewolves, witches, and whatever else went bump in the night. But being on some of those more risky missions put him right in the path of nightmares better left unknown.
Not to mention Josh was a Finder.
One look at the person’s face and he could close his eyes, open his senses, and Find them anywhere in the world. Not a bad talent to have in the SEALs. But he didn’t want to use it in his new life. Too many memories. Too many people lost and never Found. Because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t Find someone across the veil of death.
Flashes of chestnut hair and gray eyes merged with sandy blond hair and forest green eyes. What the hell? He’d never laid eyes on these two souls, but he could see every definition of them clear as day. Memories of their daily lives passed too quickly for him to discern any real significance other than the fact he felt as though he knew these people. Or needed to know them down to the very essence of his heart.
The images molded into fights, shouts, and scrapes. Men came for each of them, stealing them from their homes. Their lives. In that moment, he knew who he was looking at.
Reed and the witch.
How could he see their pasts? That wasn’t something he normally did. No, he could only Find their present.
Josh closed his eyes, ignoring the first fall of snowflakes brushing his cheeks and eyelashes. He opened his senses the way his grandmother had taught him before she passed long ago. Tunneling through the webs of souls he’d met, through the threads of destiny and paths less taken, he searched for the two he’d never met. He needed to Find them.
There.
The sandy-haired wolf, Reed, sat next to the curly-haired beauty, the witch. He wished he knew her name. Darkness surrounded them, creating an almost hazy interpretation of what he should be seeing, as though something was trying to block him. But he could still pull on that thin, but strong thread of connection between the three of them. Yes, for whatever reason, there was a connection, clear as day. What to do with that would have to be shelved for now and dealt with at a later date.
Josh concentrated harder, grasping at their location. Ahh. Reed and the witch were in a basement of some sort, deep in the forest. He looked harder and around the dilapidated building, searching for landmarks so he could get to them.
Wait. Go to them? Since when was he mounting a rescue mission for two people he hadn’t met? He wasn’t in the SEALs anymore. His internal military objective slapped him upside the head. Once a SEAL always a SEAL. That wasn’t just for those pesky Marines. He would try to rescue them for the clear reason that it was his duty, not only because he felt that tenuous connection between the three of them.
No, definitely not.
Josh opened his eyes, looking at the slight accumulation of snowfall that promised to be a monster of a storm in the coming day. Fewer people lingered on the streets, and the temperature had slowly dropped. But Josh wasn’t thinking about the people in his line of vision. No, the owners of those green eyes and then those gray eyes firmly held his attention.
No matter how hard he tried to deny it, it was there. But what was so special about this duo? Why did he have to be on this bench at this time to hear about the kidnapping from those two kids? Fucking fate and all that shit.
Josh closed his eyes again, remembering the looks on their faces in their captivity. Pain radiated in his head at the thought. Why was he so close to this? Why did it hurt him so much that they were out of his reach and in dire need of help?
What was Josh going to do? Could he talk to someone and let them handle it so he could run away? No, not run away; let someone closer to the situation and the captives deal with it.
Josh snorted. Yeah, just throw away the responsibility. That sounds like a plan.
He was ex-military. A human. He wasn’t supposed to even know about the existence of another world. The supernatural. If he went to the Redwoods and asked them for help or gave them the information he knew, would they believe him? Or laugh at his face and tell him to go away? Or worse, would they believe him and kill him if they thought he was part of the plot of involving the loss of their loved ones?
Too complicated and strenuous by far. Fuck. He’d have to go in alone and get evidence. More evidence than just the fact he’d seen them in his head. Yeah, because that didn’t sound crazy. His parents and other kids sure had thought so. But this wasn’t about him. Two people who, for some reason he could Find in a way he could with no one else, were in trouble. They needed his help.
That settled it. Josh would go to them, to that old building with its dark basement and hazy surroundings, most likely due to some highly dangerous magic he had no defense for. He would get them out right then if he could, see what he was able to do. But if that didn’t work, he’d get evidence of where they were and find a way to get it to the Redwoods. They were strong werewolves after all. Some of the strongest. Surely they could rescue Reed and the witch if they had help.
Yes, that sounded like a reasonable plan.
Josh stood up and stretched his aching back. Fuck. He rubbed the back of his neck i
n frustration. He was most likely running to his death. But he couldn’t leave them out there, alone but for each other. No, not when he was an able body who could maybe help. And frankly, it wasn’t like he had anything else to go back to if he didn’t make it. These two were important to him for some reason; he just had to save them and find out why.
Chapter 4
Hannah shivered in Reed’s arms and he held tighter, trying to keep her warm. The temperature outside had dropped dramatically and slowly seeped into the small room. Her little body refused to stay heated in the dank basement. Her cold curves snuggled up to him, as he tried to infuse his warmth into her. His body temperature might be higher than a normal human’s, but no matter what he did, she just couldn’t stay warm.
Hannah sneezed in her sleep, jerking herself awake. Reed laughed at how damn cute she was. Seriously, who sneezed themself awake?
“That wasn’t funny, jerk.” Her small smile and delicate blush belied any harshness in her tone. “Reed, don’t laugh at me. This isn’t any time to laugh.” Her mouth curved a bit more, and she gave him a look like she was trying to hold back her own laughter. Reed wanted to lick the curve of her lips, taste them to see if she carried that honey and bitter apple scent in her pores.
“I’m sorry, dear Hannah.” He tried to put on his best solemn face but barely refrained from laughing. Even though they were stuffed and locked in a basement, he couldn’t help but relish the fact he held her in his arms. The only thing to make it better would be getting out of there. Oh, and if they were naked. But that was just a given.
“You better be. It’s not nice to make fun of a sleeping person.” She sobered. “But thank you for making me want to laugh, even though there really isn’t anything to laugh about here.”
Oh how he wanted to make everything better with a flick of his wrist, to be able to save and protect her. But he couldn’t; there was nothing for him to do. The walls were too enforced, too many of the guards held strength that rivaled his own. Plus, Corbin held weapons no honorable werewolf should hold. If he didn’t have to protect and shield Hannah, he might have been able to do it. But with his mind distracted by the fact he’d found his mate and still felt as though he was missing something, he didn’t feel comfortable risking her life. Reed shook his head. He needed to find a new topic, something that would get their minds off their captivity. The only thing that came to mind and piqued his interest was sitting in his lap, rubbing her bitable bottom on his erection every time she moved, whether she knew it or not.
“Tell me about yourself, Hannah.” If he hadn’t been holding her, he wouldn’t have noticed the almost indecipherable stiffness in her body, but he continued. He needed to hear more about her, and if her reaction was any indication, she needed to let out her tension and share. “What are you like outside of these four walls?”
Hannah took a deep breath, her breasts rubbing against his arm as she did so. Reed held back a groan. This wasn’t the time to bend her over and mount her.
“I disagree on that.”
Reed ignored his wolf. He was pretty sure the animal thought about sex more than he did. And that was saying something since he’d been pretty deprived recently.
“I shouldn’t be telling you anything about me.” Hannah’s face scrunched up in confusion.
Reed felt a pang of hurt at her words, but reminded himself she didn’t know they were mates. His fault, he knew, but it was still the right choice, for now.
“I won’t share what you say here. But I want to know more about you. Who are you, Hannah?”
Hannah let out a deep breath and bit her lip.
“I’m an earth witch. I control the soils and can call on other parts of nature if I need to. But I’m only moderately functional with that stuff. My real talents are in the healing.”
Reed nodded, urging her to continue.
Hannah held out her hand, absentmindedly playing with the hair on his arms. Goosebumps raised on his flesh at her soft touch.
“I owned a potions and herb shop with my mother.” Her voice broke at that last part. Tears fell down her cheeks.
“Hannah, baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. We don’t have to talk about this anymore.”
She bit her lip in her delectable way and shook her head.
“No, I need to tell you. I want to tell you.” She stared off into space, her mind on whatever memory haunted her dreams. “When Corbin’s men took me, they destroyed the shop. My mom and I were working that day. It wasn’t too busy so she told me to go in the back and mix up some more lotion for dry skin. She said she’d take care of the register and customers. If it got busier, or if someone needed me, she’d get me. I didn’t hear the door open from where I sat. I was too engrossed in what I was doing. It takes a lot of concentration to make a good potion and herb remedy. So I didn’t hear anything until I heard her scream.”
Reed held her closer, her heartbeat fast against his as tears ran faster down her face.
“I ran to the front, not thinking of something that could hurt me. I just had to get to my mom. You know?”
Reed knew. That’s how he’d gotten here too.
“And then…” Her voice broke again, and Reed rubbed small circles on her back, trying to offer soothing comfort where there was none to give. “I didn’t see her, only a shadow, and a puddle of blood. But I knew. She was gone. And I had been in the back, not paying attention to what was going on.”
“Hannah, it wasn’t your fault.”
“But I could have helped her.”
“Hannah, they went there for a purpose.” Shit, wrong thing to say.
“Yeah, to find me. And they killed my mom for it.” Anger and despair swirled in her eyes.
Reed was at a loss of what to say—an uncommon occurrence for him. Usually, he was the one people came to for cheering up. He was the one with the words and pleasantries. Yet with his mate in his arms, he felt inadequate.
“It’s not your fault. It’s Corbin’s and Hector’s fault. They were the one who had those men come for you. They were the ones who took your mom away from you. There was nothing you could do.” She must have felt a hundred times more helpless than he felt at the moment.
“I know that. But it still doesn’t make it right. When I came out of the back room, I saw her and screamed. I didn’t use my powers. Shock, I guess. But I should have. Maybe then I would have gotten out of there. But no. They came for me and knocked me out. I don’t remember what happened after that. I woke up here, and then a couple of weeks or so later, you came too.”
Reed held her to his chest, trying to give her the strength she needed, knowing he was lacking. She stopped crying, exhausted emotionally as well as physically. A salty trail of tears remained on her cheeks. Reed wiped away their evidence with the pad of his thumb, taking in the softness of her skin.
“No matter what happens, I will find a way to kill him.” Reed’s voice deepened with a promise of vengeance. He sounded cold and calculating, unlike his normal self. But maybe like he was worth something.
“You’ll have to take a number and stand behind me. Because I plan on killing those bastards and dancing on their graves.”
His Hannah was a force to be reckoned with. Sexy. He nuzzled her hair, inhaling her honey and crisp apple scent.
“Reed?” Her soft voice tickled the faint hairs on his chest.
“Yes, baby?”
“Why do they want us?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? One he’d been contemplating since he woke here next to, but not touching, the sweet witch in his arms.
“I think they took you because you are a rare healing earth witch. You might be able to aid them somehow.”
“That’s what I thought. Odd to think a man so bent on pain would want a healer.”
“I’d try not to think about that too much,” Reed whispered as shivers racked Hannah’s body.
“But what about you?”
“I’m not really worth anything. I’m just a plain wer
ewolf. It must just be for ransom. They could have taken any of my brothers and had their powers on hand. But no, they took me.” A nobody artist with no title. Just the blood of the Alpha running in his veins.
“Hey, that’s not true. You are worth something. You are powerful. I’ve seen you. Don’t count yourself short.” Her indignation at his self-deprecation was nothing short of cute. Wrong, but cute.
“I’m only an artist, Hannah. I’m the son of the Alpha, but I don’t have a title. I’m not really Alpha enough to be useful to the Centrals or even part of the Jamensons frankly. My brothers are so much more.”
Trinity Bound Page 3
