by Aliyah Burke
His voice followed her. “I have.” The statement was spoken in perfect assuredness.
Steeling herself so she didn’t turn, Aida kept heading toward her vehicle. She moved past Tau who played chess on his new board. He waved but didn’t get up. Tossing her bag onto the passenger seat, she swung up into the back, resetting the dogs’ items. Standing tall, she put her fingers in her mouth and whistled.
“Sure you won’t stay longer?” Christopher asked, appearing by the door.
“No, I have to get going.” She jumped down and hugged him. In the back of her mind, she swore she heard growling. Stepping back, Aida looked around and saw her boys running towards her. Side by side, they thundered up, and with no hesitation, they sprang up from the ground, over the side to land in the back.
“Good boys. There’s water there, drink up.”
“Don’t stay away to long this time, Aida.”
“I won’t, Christopher. Take care.”
She’d already said her farewells to everyone else, yet she still hesitated. Casting a look behind her, she searched for something. Not something. Dane. She couldn’t see him, but Aida would bet her last dollar he watched her from somewhere.
Stepping up into the driver’s seat, Aida started her engine and drove off with a wave and one final peek in the rearview. She pushed hard to get home. Stopping as little as possible. Parking before her house, Aida stumbled to bed, exhausted. Yet the last thing Dane said continued to flash through her mind.
I have.
Chapter Five
Dane watched her leave, and it tore at his gut. He shoved a hand through his hair. Until he could no longer see her vehicle, he remained hidden, then he slipped through the woods and entered the village from a different side.
Christopher sought him out. “A word, Dane?”
“Of course.” He followed Christopher over to some stumps and sat on one. “What can I do for you?”
“Aida told me what occurred between you two.”
Face impassive, Dane held the inquisitive stare. “Did she?”
Christopher shrugged. “Well, not totally. But I want to make sure you won’t hurt her.”
He fought back a snarl at the insulation he would ever hurt her. She’s my mate! But Christopher didn’t know that. Neither did Aida. Yet. “I would never hurt her. I promise, Christopher. I’d gladly give my life for hers.”
Christopher seemed taken aback by that statement. “Why would you say that?”
Dane rose to his full height, and he could feel his tiger pushing through. No point in ignoring it with this man. “Because she’s mine,” he announced.
Getting to his own feet, Christopher sighed and shook his head. “I think you could seriously hurt her, Dane. And if that day ever comes, you and I will not be on friendly terms.” He walked away.
Dane watched him leave. His animal wanted to challenge Christopher right then. Aida and Christopher had some kind of connection, and he didn’t like it. Neither did his beast.
“Mr. Dane! Mr. Dane!” Tau yelled, running up.
“What is it, Tau?”
The boy watched him with sparkling brown eyes. “Can we play later?”
“Sure thing. After the evening meal, we’ll play.”
The boy grinned widely. “Okay. Bye, Mr. Dane.”
“See ya,” he said to the boy’s retreating back.
Tau ran off ahead and Dane followed much more slowly as he realized something. He had healed. Pausing, he lifted his head and scanned the village he’d come to consider a second home and the people she contained. They would be missed.
He could feel his animal’s indecision about what came next. It wanted its mate, but at the same time, it longed for revenge on those who had killed his friends.
What about our mate?! it roared after he decided to go make the traitor pay.
Accept us, and you don’t need your mate. We can make the pain go away. We can help you to find the freedom you only know in tiger form. The darkness chimed in with its two cents.
Dane snarled and pushed the voices back. “Damn it!” Muttering a string of curses in Russian, he strode to where he knew he could usually find Christopher at this time of day.
“Christopher,” he said, walking in the room.
Blue eyes stared at him. “What can I do for you, Dane?”
“Can I use your phone?” Even saying the words made him nervous. Once he made the call, he knew it would only be a matter of time.
“Of course.” Christopher got up and retrieved his phone then handed it to him.
Dane looked at it almost as if expecting it to bite him. Blood pumped faster, and his creature responded to the tension coursing through him. Dialing a number he well knew, Dane waited for it to be answered.
“Hello?” a crisp voice said.
Rage pulsed through him. “Hello, Slim.” He made no attempt to disguise his voice.
“Dane!”
“You missed, and I’m coming for you.” He hung up and handed it back to Christopher. “When it rings, it’ll be a general. Tell him I’m here and to come get me.” Dane left the room.
Early in the morning, two days after he’d made the call, the sound of an approaching helicopter cut through the South African air. Dane stood alone on the outskirts of the village, head up. He never even averted his head when the rotor wash of the landing UH-60 Blackhawk whipped up dirt. Merely narrowed his gaze, utilizing his long lashes to help protect his eyes. His body tensed momentarily when a figure disembarked from the helo and approached.
Dane studied the silver-haired man with a patch over his right eye and a jagged scar which began above the eye patch and continued to his chin. Soon, that man stood before him, dressed in cowboy boots, jeans, and a t-shirt. General Bradley Herbert. Behind him were four armed men.
“Thought you were dead.” Bradley glanced around as he spoke.
“So did he,” Dane replied in a monotone voice.
“He said you’d say that.” General Herbert looked at him, and Dane held his stare unflinchingly. “I have to bring you in. What about your family?”
“They’ll be all right.” His mind drifted to Aida and stayed there. She calmed him. Even now, when they were miles apart, the thought of her brought him a sense of peace.
“Let’s get going.”
Dane stepped toward the chopper, noticing how the other men tightened their grips on the weapons they held. He sat by the door and ignored everything else around him while they took to the air. His respect for the general allowed these men to get him in the helicopter without so much as a restraint placed upon him, or any sort of struggle.
“We’re going to Pretoria,” General Herbert said over the noise.
Dane continued to stare out of the chopper. It may not have been the smartest thing to allow Slim to know he’d survived, but damn it, he wanted that bastard to be scared and looking over his shoulder every step of the way.
“Colonel. Colonel,” Herbert called to him.
When Dane didn’t answer, one of the men nudged him with the barrel of his weapon. “General’s talking to you.”
With a snap, Dane reacted. The man soon looked at him from the floor of the chopper. Squeezing his hand tighter around the pale neck, he ground out, “Don’t push me, boy. You ever put the muzzle of a weapon up at me, you damn well better be pulling the trigger.”
In his peripheral vision, he could see the other three watching with worry in their expressions even as they also trained their weapons on him. Youngsters. Dane also saw the general frown. With a final quick tightening, Dane released the young man, who scrambled away, anger and embarrassment in his gaze. With a bland expression, Dane looked back out of the fast moving helo, the wind rushing over his face and the wild untamed beauty of South Africa flying by beneath him.
Once they reached Pretoria, he was escorted down through a poorly lit building and shown to a tiny cell. In the small dark room, Dane sat alone on the cold, damp cement floor. There were no items in the room. A small se
ction in the top of the door allowed a miniscule sliver of light in. None of it mattered for he could see fine. He could see the trickle of water which ran down one wall, and he picked out and identified the bugs crawling around.
One thought kept him quiet. Aida. Dane hated to be caged. Within him, his beast paced restlessly. In the shadows, he could see the cold tendrils of the darkness reaching for him. Aida. Dane focused on the light she brought to his life.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. General Herbert approached the cell; Dane could tell by the walk.
“How you holding up, Crypt?” the general asked once he had been shut in the cell. A single light hung from the opening, showing Dane the tired, withered look the general now had.
“Fine.” Dane returned his attention to the wall before him.
“So how do we handle this?” There was genuine concern in his tone.
Dane snapped his head toward the man. “Slim is mine.” His statement reverberated around the stark cell.
General Herbert sighed and rubbed his chin. “Dane—”
“Mine!” he reiterated with a snap which sounded more like the growl of his beast than a verbalized word.
“You know we don’t condone vigilante justice.”
“I know you don’t. Slim betrayed us. He killed every last member of my unit and tried to kill me. I will find him, and I will kill him.” He shook his head. “You know we have our laws and codes here. He broke the most sacred trust.”
Herbert paced a little bit. “It’s good to see you, Dane. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances. If by some miracle, you have the chance to come this way again, you should check out the Northern Cape area. Roggeveld Mountains.” The look the man gave him told him all he needed to know. General Herbert wouldn’t ever state it aloud but that was as good as permission to take care of Slim and his betrayal as anyone would ever get.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Dane said while filing the news away for future use.
The general pounded on the door. “You’ll be transported tonight. I’m really sorry about this.”
Dane stood and faced him. “So am I, sir.”
The door opened, and two men with guns kept an eye on things. Dane kept himself away from the door and appeared as unthreatening as he could. General Herbert walked out, taking the light with him, before looking back. Dane stared at the man with the single blue eye, remaining immobile until the heavy door slammed the cell into near darkness.
Alone, Dane dropped back to the dank floor. I will avenge your son, General. General Herbert’s son, Demon, had been one who perished. The boy had been the youngest and newest member of their unit. Now, he was dead. And it was Dane’s job to make the one responsible pay. He didn’t have rules like the general to follow. The rules of their unit superseded everything else. And Slim had violated those rules and the trust. An act that sealed his fate.
Dane was subdued when they came for him. He offered up no resistance when they secured his hands, and he followed the armed guards quietly to the back of a converted ice cream truck. Three men were in back with him. One being the young solider he’d had the run-in with in the chopper earlier. Before long, they were underway.
“Well, well,” the soldier sneered. “We meet again.”
Dane stared straight ahead.
Crack!
Pain exploded through his head. A rumble of rage welled up in his chest. Dane flexed his muscles and looked at the smirking man. Silence reigned in the back as the other two looked between them, unsure what to do. He knew because he could smell their confusion.
“That’s what you get for touching me,” the man said.
Dane looked away without a word.
“Ain’t got nothing to say now? Fucking Spec Ops, you ain’t nothing but pussies,” the man taunted.
Glancing to the other two men in the vehicle, Dane spoke in a low tone. “Be careful. This man will get you killed.”
“Shut up, man. Prisoners aren’t supposed to talk,” the arrogant pup ground out. He drew back his arm again and struck out with the butt of his rifle.
Dane was ready for it. With a ripple-like movement, he avoided the blow and pulled the man close, only to launch them both toward the back door. It flew open with the force of the hit, and they rolled out of the moving vehicle, slamming into the ground. With his elbow, Dane clocked the cocky young soldier in the jaw, snapping it back and knocking him unconscious, then sprinted off into the woods as the screech of brakes reached him. He ignored the desire to show that idiot just what he was truly capable of.
Without looking back, he slipped away and blended in with the environment. His head pounded but Dane kept moving until he found a small watering hole. Most of the animals scattered when he approached. He didn’t care about them, but he hesitated right before his toes hit mud. Mud leaves tracks.
Thirsty or not, Dane skirted the hole and after a glance at the sky continued on, setting a pace he could maintain for a long time. Dane was tired, and his head pounded. Thankfully the blood had finally stopped flowing. In all truth, he had no idea where he was. He’d been moving for a few hours now.
All he knew was where he was headed. To the one who called out to the deepest part of his soul. His mate. Aida. He could see their mating bond link, but it didn’t shine like it would had they actually been mated. He reached out to her, desperate for the feel of warmth and light she brought to him only to fall short. Snarling away his frustration, he continued on.
Under the cover of darkness, he leaned against the trunk of a large tree. Rotating his wrists, Dane grimaced when the handcuffs chaffed and dug into his skin, yet ignored the fact he could snap the offending metal. Working some moisture into his mouth, he gave himself three more minutes of rest before he pushed to his feet and began moving again. He was exhausted when he stopped before the door of a small house and knocked. The sun had just begun to rise. Dane knocked again and waited.
The door swung open, light from the inside framing the figure.
“Dane?” Aida’s alto voice flowed to him.
“Hello, Aida.”
“Well, don’t stand there, come on in.” She stepped back.
Dane entered and remained silent, following her with his gaze as she shut the door behind him. Her dogs stood to one side, watching him as intently as she did. His cat hissed in indignation. The beast didn’t like dogs, and it was even less pleased these two didn’t run from him.
Coming back to stand before him, Aida reached out and used one finger to lift his bound hands by the links of his handcuffs. “I’m scared to ask,” she said. She opened her mouth before shaking her head and pointing to the kitchen. “Go sit down.”
Dane did, fighting his smile. He stared without shame when she walked back into the room. Her hair was tousled, and her lemon yellow cut off t-shirt teased him with a hint of her belly. She wore white cotton pants, and he could see a green stone in the hand painted flowers on her nails of her big toes. Between her thumb and index finger dangled a handcuff key. He arched a brow, exhaustion somehow taking a back seat to his curiosity.
“You have a handcuff key just lying around?”
Aida narrowed her eyes. “Apparently, it’s a good thing I do.” She bent over, and he found it hard to tear his gaze away from her breasts which he had a beautiful view of. “There you go,” she said, dropping the offending metal on the tabletop.
“Thank you,” he said, moving his wrists to try and stop the ache.
She stared into his eyes and sighed. “Go shower so I can see how bad your wounds are.”
Dane longed to hold her to him and taste her. But he was filthy, sweaty, and she deserved better. “Okay.” He headed off to the bathroom before he forgot himself. Standing under the warm spray, Dane groaned in relief. He tensed when a light knock came followed by Aida’s voice.
“I’m stealing your clothes,” she announced.
Peering around the edge of the green shower curtain, Dane grinned at her. “I’d gladly walk around you naked, no need to steal
my clothes.”
“You must be feeling better.”
“Oh, much,” he purred. “Want to join me?”
She rolled her eyes, but he caught the faint flush in her cheeks and heard the increased beat of her heart. “I’m going to wash your clothes. I’m afraid you’ll be in a towel for a bit.”
She walked out, leaving him alone with a raging erection. Dane ignored it. Instead, he finished quickly and climbed out. Leaving the bathroom, Dane could smell fresh fruit and an array of other foods. He could hear her comforting voice speaking. What she said, he had no clue; he wasn’t familiar with the language she spoke. Tightening the towel around his hips, Dane prowled up the hallway and stopped.
Aida stood at the counter, frosting cinnamon rolls. She wore another colorful skirt, knotted up on one thigh and a black ribbed short sleeve shirt. Her hair sat piled, up off her neck, on top of her head in a haphazard way. She continued to chatter away, laughing in an enticingly arousing way.
He walked into the room and strode toward her. She turned to him, a phone at her ear, and her eyes grew wide. Aida stammered a few more things and hung up. Her eyes darkened while they roved over his near naked state. He could feel himself hardening beneath the towel.
“Am I interrupting?” he asked, staring without shame at her.
“Nnyaa.” He raised a brow. “No, you’re not.”
“Okay.”
“How…how are you feeling?”
“Much better now. Almost one hundred percent.”
“Good. Help yourself then you can get some sleep. After which, your clothing should be dry, and I may just want an explanation.” She paused. “Although, I doubt it.”
He stepped up flush to her curvaceous body. She swallowed hard, and her nose flared. With one hand, Dane grabbed her hair, releasing it to flow down over his hand, and tugged her head back. Then he kissed her. He plundered her mouth, seeking her submission. Demanding it. Dane closed his eyes with the powerful wave of emotion that hit him. She felt so perfect pressed against him. So right. So his.
Tearing his mouth off hers, he stared into her eyes. The gold in her twin orbs shone more prominently in them all of a sudden. Her tongue snuck out to lick her lips, and he stiffened even more.
