by D. M. Shane
He laughed. “Thanks. So, I was thinking, if you’re up for it, we could go downstairs and watch a movie. You’ve been cooped up in this room for hours.”
“That sounds fun, actually. I can’t even remember the last time I watched a movie.”
“Really?”
“I’ve been so busy with work that I barely have time for anything else. Not that I can afford it, anyway. Oh, crap.” The diner. Dammit! My stomach dropped, and I buried my face in my hands. I’d completely forgotten about my other job.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have a second job. Or did. Hell, I don’t know. Things just keep getting better and better.”
I jumped out of bed, intending to search for my phone, but when I stood up, the room swam around me, and I almost toppled over.
“Easy. Not so fast.” Arkkadian caught me and eased me back down onto the bed. “There’s no rush. Tell me what you need and I’ll get it for you.”
“My phone. I need to call the diner. They’re probably wondering why I haven’t shown up for my last two shifts. Dammit. Now I’ve probably lost that job, too.”
God, how dismal could my life get? I buried my face in my palms again. The last thing I needed right now was a lack of income, not with the mounting bills I owed. Life sure knew how to kick a woman when she was already down, and I was sure down.
“You work two jobs?” Arkkadian almost sounded incredulous. Yeah, well, not everyone could afford the finer things in life, wolf boy. I didn’t say it aloud in case he took offense like his brother did when I’d called them werewolves earlier.
“Yeah. I’ve got a bunch of bills to pay,” I admitted. “I’m so screwed.”
“Tell me.” He seemed genuinely concerned.
I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I never enjoyed talking about myself much, but with recent revelations, I answered him honestly. There wasn’t a lot to tell, but I could feel the compassion emanating from him. I was so used to being on my own and doing things for myself, but this—here with him—felt different somehow.
“I grew up in foster care and bounced from home to home. I never fit in anywhere. Some of the kids were bullies, sometimes the parents were. I was never in a home for long before they were moving me somewhere else. As soon as I aged out of the system, I left Seattle with nothing but a backpack full of clothes and a couple of credit cards. I moved several times, taking any waitressing or bartending job I could get, but I never stayed in one town for long. None of them ever felt like home, at least not until I came to Whitewater three years ago. Carter and Paige quickly became family, giving me a job and a place to stay where I truly felt welcome for the first time in my life. But that’s how I racked up all the credit card bills… all that moving from town to town, working two, sometimes three jobs just to survive. Trying to find a place of my own. Trying to find a home.”
“What about your family? How did you end up in foster care?”
Arkkadian sat quietly and waited. He reached for my hand and squeezed, reassuring me. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs, hesitating to say more.
“You can tell me anything. Really. No judgment,” he offered.
Nervously twirling a finger in my hair, I let out a long sigh. Maybe it was time I stopped bottling it up. Arkkadian seemed like he wanted to help, and it wasn’t like I had anyone else I could confide in anymore. Not with my previous life gone.
“I don’t like to talk about that part of my life very much. I don’t remember some of it. Some of it I don’t want to remember. I still have nightmares. You’ve already seen me at my worst. The fear. The anxiety. Quick to anger,” I explained. “You’ve seen how easy it is for me to lose myself. Not even therapy has helped.”
Arkkadian listened silently and nodded in reassurance when I paused my story. The next part was the worst. I hated those memories more than anything, but I steeled myself and continued anyway, and before I knew what was happening, the words tumbled out.
“When I was seven, I woke up in a hospital waiting room. I didn’t understand how I got there. My clothes were ruined and bloody. I knew my name, but I couldn’t recall the names of my parents or what had happened to me. When a nurse found me in the waiting room, I freaked out. They had to sedate me, and when I woke up, I had bandages all down the side of my body, from my hip all the way to my neck. They said someone had cut me and then sewn me back up.”
It didn’t escape my attention that Arkkadian stiffened beside me. I didn’t blame him. It was a story straight out of some deranged killer’s police file. Who does that to a child? Someone insane, that’s who.
I wiped away a tear as it slipped from the corner of my eye. The lump in my throat felt ten times bigger than it actually was. “I have the letter R carved into my hip. I don’t know what it stands for. They said I just kept screaming over and over about a fire. I’ve had the same nightmare about it my entire life. I dream about fire and I hear a child screaming, but I can’t see any faces or hear any voices. I have nightmares about Kane, too, but at least I know what happened with him. I don’t have any memory of the fire or how I got all those scars.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how terrifying that must have been,” he told me. By the gravel in his voice, I knew the things I said were upsetting to him. “Maybe over the coming days, I’ll be able to answer some of those questions for you when you’re feeling better.”
I swallowed hard. “Thank you. This is hard. My life did a one-eighty in the last couple of days. The only friends I’ve ever known are both dead. My home is gone. The bar is gone. My job at the diner is probably gone. Not like it matters, we both know I can’t go home, anyway.”
“The good news is you aren’t alone. You have me. And Sara and Gideon. We’re not going anywhere. Give us a chance, please. Trust us. I promise it will be worth it,” he said.
“Thank you.”
Arkkadian reached up to brush another tear away with his thumb. I leaned into his touch, letting the warmth of his skin comfort me. I couldn’t remember a time I’d ever let myself be so vulnerable with someone. I hadn’t even told Paige all the things I’d shared with him. Somehow, with Arkkadian here beside me, it just felt right. It felt freeing. Like the weight pressing me down into the ground had finally lifted.
“Truthfully, I’m sure I know who are you are and what happened. There are stories, but they can wait for now. I think you’re where you’re meant to be, though.”
He was right. Somehow, I knew in my heart I was where I was meant to be as well. Even if my brain hadn’t caught up with the idea.
“I never did thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving me.”
“You’re welcome. I’d do it all over again. I hope you know the last thing I want to do is make your life any harder.” He squeezed my hand gently and interlaced his fingers with mine. I didn’t pull away, finding comfort in his touch. I took that as a positive sign that maybe things would be okay.
“So, what do you say about that movie?” he asked.
“I think I’d like that, but I still have to call the diner.” I had a feeling, however, that it wouldn’t matter. No show… no job. Those were Marcy’s rules. One strike and you were out.
“Okay. Make your call and then we’ll go downstairs.” Arkkadian produced his own cell phone from his pocket and handed it to me.
“Thanks.” I stared down at our interlaced fingers and a few more tears streaked down my face. Once again, Arkkadian wiped them away, the pads of his thumbs soft against my skin. For the first time since waking in his bed yesterday morning, I felt truly safe. It made me smile.
I dialed the diner, and a new waitress, one I didn’t recognize, answered the phone. That wasn’t a good sign. I asked for the owner and waited for Marcy to pick up. Unfortunately, she didn’t take too kindly to my unexplained absence and confirmed what I already knew. My home being burned to the ground hadn’t mattered one bit to her. I was well and truly screwed. I owed a lot of money,
and now I had no way to pay it off.
“Well, that’s that I guess.” I had expected it, but now that it had happened, I felt numb. I never liked the diner job, but the tips had been worth it. Now, that was no longer an option.
“I’m sorry,” Arkkadian said. “I’ll make it right. Tomorrow, we’ll take care of whatever bills you owe. It’s the least I can do.”
I bristled at the thought. Why would he pay my debt? We were nearly strangers. Acquaintances. I couldn’t ask him for that kind of money. It wouldn’t be right.
“No, really. It’s okay. You don’t have to do that. I’ll find a way to pay them off.”
“Aislin, let me do this for you. Please,” he pressed.
“Arkkadian, it’s a lot of money. I don’t feel right taking it.” I gripped his phone in my hands, rubbing my thumbs across the surface like a worry stone. I stared at it, willing it to wipe all the awful away, all the while knowing it was pointless.
“You’re not taking it. I’m giving it to you. Now, how much do you owe?” When I hesitated, he asked again. Fuck.
“Twelve thousand. Please, I don’t want you to think less of me,” I said, hanging my head in shame. I was so used to relying on myself most of my life. I hated needing his help. I hated needing any help at all. I’d gotten myself into debt, and I needed to get myself out.
“Stop. I don’t think any less of you. You did what you had to do to survive on your own. That’s commendable. I want to help. Please let me.”
“I’ll pay you back. Every cent. I’ll work for it if I have to.”
“It’s a gift. Let me do this for you,” he said. “Let me take care of you.”
I wasn’t getting out of this. Me and my big fat mouth. I let out a huff, resigned to his generosity. Accepting all that money went against every fiber of my being, but I didn’t have much of a choice at this point. My bills wouldn’t pay themselves.
“I… thank you. That’s really generous of you.”
“No need to thank me. That’s what mates are for.”
“I really appreciate it.” I did my best to ignore the mate comment, not on board with that part of my new reality just yet.
“Now what do you say we finally enjoy that movie?”
Arkkadian helped me up off the bed, making sure I was stable on my feet. So far, so good. I still felt a little dizzy but remained steady as he helped me across the room and down the steps. Halfway down, I stopped him when a thought crossed my mind.
“Can I ask you something? It’s probably silly.”
“Shoot.”
“Should I be calling you ‘sir’ or something? You are the Alpha.”
“I only like to be called ‘sir’ in the bedroom,” he said with a laugh and a wink. Heat crept up my cheeks. I walked headfirst into that one.
“And… I’ll just stop talking now.” I was suddenly very aroused and very embarrassed. And then I remembered him mentioning he could smell such things. Oh, my God! Mortified, I descended the steps quickly, leaving him to trail behind.
“Relax.” He followed me into the den with a chuckle. “We’ll save that for later, after we’ve gotten to know each other better. A lot better.”
Changing the subject to something where I wouldn’t shove my foot in my mouth, I asked him where the nickname Arkken came from.
“It’s a childhood nickname. Only my family really uses it, though. Gideon had trouble saying my name when we were little, so it got shortened and it just kind of stuck. Sara, however, likes to use my full name when she thinks I’m being an ass. You’ll find she uses it often.” He wiggled both eyebrows, and the twinkle in his eye made me laugh. “Most everyone else refers to me as Arkkadian or Alpha, though. But you are my mate, which also makes you my family.”
Family? The idea warmed my heart, and I wanted to know more about who I really was. I tried to remember what he’d said before I’d vomited all over his shoes. Aeterna? Aeternus? I just couldn’t recall, but for now, I put it aside. I still had a slight headache and just wanted to relax. I’d already experienced information overload once today, and for now, that was enough.
18
Arkkadian
I could barely contain myself during the movie. We relaxed together on the big leather sofa in the den, Aislin snuggled under a cozy blanket on the cushion next to me. The fire crackled in the hearth, lending a warm ambiance to the room and amplifying my desire for the woman beside me. She picked a romantic comedy, and within minutes, she’d nestled comfortably into my side, our bond ultimately working its magic. This knowledge made my wolf increasingly happy. It also made me increasingly and desperately randy.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and gently stroked her arm, and she relaxed into me. The feel of her body up against mine drove me wild, and for the entire length of the movie, the only thing I could think about was her delectably naked body splayed out on my bed. Or her long legs wrapped around me as I delved into her heavenly essence and kissed my way around her body. I wanted to taste every single inch of her. Feel her soft body beneath mine. Feel her heat wrapped around me like a tight glove. Listen to her beg for more while I ravished her and drove her over the edge of ecstasy.
Thankfully, she didn’t notice the heat I packed in my pants. Or at least I’d hoped not. I was painfully hard almost the entire movie, and I would have to take care of that or take a very long, very cold shower. Possibly both.
Gideon walked in the front door just as the credits were rolling. I met him in the other room, leaving Aislin to cozy up under the blanket and pick another movie. He handed over the day’s security report and then left just as quickly as he’d come, but not before he noticed the tent in my pants. I could hear him laughing as he made his way back down the path outside. Ass. When I returned to the den, Aislin was watching the news.
“Anything new?” I asked, placing the folder in a drawer to look at later. It wasn’t unusual for Gideon to drop off regular reports.
“None,” she answered sadly. “Just the same old ‘robbery gone bad’ spiel. They still haven’t mentioned the names of the deceased or any upcoming services.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I knew more. Either way, attending the service is out of the question. Not while Kane’s whereabouts are unknown. If he’s still alive, that’s exactly where he’d come looking for you.”
“I know.” She sighed. “I just… I don’t know.”
I sat back down beside her, putting my arm around her again, and kissed the top of her head as she leaned into me.
“Maybe I can pay my respects another time. I really miss them, Arkkadian. It hurts so much.”
I hugged her to me, recognizing the longing in her voice and her need to grieve as she fell apart in my arms. “Shh... I’m right here.” I held her close, comforting her as best as I could. “Everything will be okay.”
I wished with all my might that I could fix everything for her. That I could make all the bad things go away. If I could bring her family back to life, I would. It hurt that I couldn’t, but what I could do was be there for her. However she needed me to be. Whatever she needed me to be. Her eyes were red and swollen by the time she stopped crying.
“All right, beautiful. Buck up. Let’s get our minds off all this sadness. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I’ll warm up some of Sara’s homemade chicken soup. It’s so good.” I smiled, patting my stomach and releasing her to stand.
“That sounds wonderful.”
“How’s your headache? Any better?”
“Much. Thank you.”
“Good.” I was glad to hear it. I still felt fairly guilty for making her sick earlier.
She pushed her hair behind her ears. “Why are you being so nice? I’m such a mess.”
“Because I’m a nice guy? And you’re not a mess. You’ve just been through a lot. Every woman deserves to be treated with kindness and respect.”
“You’re chivalrous, too, I see.” The corner of her lips quirked upward in a half-grin.
“Yes, yes I am.” I winked. “Plus, you’re my Aeternus. It’s my duty to cherish you.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I hardly know you. Slow down, speed racer.” She laughed, a small bit of humor poking through the sadness. So I played on it.
“I’ll win you over. You’ll see.” I grinned, taking it as a good sign that she was in a playful mood.
“Yeah, yeah, so you say.” She grinned. “Anyway, I’m starving, remember?”
“I know. Your stomach’s been growling for an hour,” I teased, and she tossed a throw pillow at me. I laughed. “Uncle! Uncle!”
Just then, her stomach grumbled so loud, her face flushed in embarrassment. It was adorable.
“Why don’t you look for another movie, and I’ll go warm up dinner.”
“Sounds good.”
“Your wish is my command, milady.” And then I bowed with a flourish, enjoying the fact that I could make her smile and laugh.
She giggled like a schoolgirl. She was definitely more comfortable in my presence. I loved it. So did my wolf. Maybe it wouldn’t take her so long to come around. And just maybe, this new life could help her heal.
“I shall return momentarily.” With that, I gave her a swift swat on the butt and was out the door to the other room.
“Hey!”
My laughter filled the air.
19
Aislin
I snuggled up under the blanket with the remote. For a while, I just stared blankly at the television, my mind still on what I’d seen on the news. The smell of chicken soup drifting into the room broke me out of my reverie, and my stomach growled again in response. Turning my attention back to the television, I searched for another romantic comedy, but a short while later, I realized Arkkadian hadn’t come back into the room yet. Longing for his company, I went to look for him when I heard his voice in the kitchen.
Arkkadian was listening intently to someone on the phone. He held a finger to his lips and reached a hand out for me to join him. When I reached his side, Arkkadian pulled me close and wrapped an arm around my waist. I instinctively leaned into his warmth and inhaled, taking in not just the delicious aroma emanating from the stove, but his scent.
