by Lacey Thorn
“You brought that on yourself,” Kenzie told her mate.
“Daniel, look at me,” Ariel urged, reaching up a hand to cup his face, rubbing her thumb over his skin. He closed his eyes, seeming to sink into her touch as if he were starved for it. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open and stared at her. “Breathe, Daniel. You’re moments from your lion bursting through your skin and giving the few humans around us a show they won’t forget. We don’t want to do that.”
She ignored Gabriel and Kenzie, keeping her focus completely on the man she couldn’t seem to step away from. She’d been keeping her distance from him since their first meeting. Why couldn’t she continue doing that? Nothing had changed. Nothing could change. She would always be unworthy, and he would always deserve better.
His hands dropped to her hips, trembling where he gripped her. He clenched and released several times as he fought for control.
“Not a good idea to engage with a primal male.”
Ariel glanced back and took in the man who went with the voice. He was bigger than any shifter she’d ever seen, topping even Gabriel’s height. She knew who he was before Daniel spoke, but it was nice to put a face with a name.
“Aleksy,” Daniel growled. “Tony.”
Tony must be the man standing beside Aleksy. He was slightly shorter than Daniel, putting him barely over six feet.
“What the fuck did you give him, Tony?” Gabriel demanded, stepping forward.
Ariel was afraid he might try something with Tony, but Aleksy stepped forward in a way that positioned him firmly between them. The way he stood, feet planted wide with arms crossed over his chest, seemed to dare Gabriel to try anything. The woman stood beside him, looking so much like Reno she had to be his sister, Lyra. The sister he’d never known existed. She’d moved to Tony’s side, her stance similar to her mate’s.
“He’s fine.” Tony ignored them all and headed straight toward where she and Daniel stood. “You must be Ariel. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
His smile was charming, but she noted the concern in his gaze as he took a visual inventory of Daniel before grasping his wrist and checking his pulse.
“Slow it down,” he murmured softly, pitching his voice in a way that made her wonder if the others would be able to hear. “Focus on your mate, Daniel. Close your eyes and breathe in her scent. Talk to him, Ariel. He needs calm, and you, my dear, seem to be what brings him that.”
Tony met her gaze, his assessing as he gave her his full attention for the first time. “You’ve got this handled, so I’m going to head back and help diffuse what’s happening over there before Aleksy loses his temper.” He shook his head. “Never a good thing. He’s a bit protective when it comes to me. Something Lyra has apparently decided to do, as well.” He sighed, trying to give the impression it annoyed him, but Ariel could tell it meant something to him. He brushed his fingers along her shoulder as he turned to go. “We’ll chat soon. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Tony was definitely an interesting man.
“You didn’t flinch.”
Daniel’s voice snapped her attention back to him. “What?”
“When Tony touched you. You didn’t flinch,” Daniel said, curiosity in his gaze.
She shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak then slowly closed it. Daniel was right. She hadn’t flinched away from Tony’s touch. Then it had really been nothing more than a brief glide and her focus had been on Daniel at the time. And Tony had distracted her with what he was saying, so she wasn’t focused on his hands but his words. It was as if he’d known how to approach her. She wasn’t sure what to think of that, so she refocused on Daniel.
“Are you okay now?”
He slowly nodded as he exhaled a hard breath. His fingers flexed against her. So did another part of him as he became aware of how close they stood. Her breasts were flush against him, and though she’d been able to ignore the heaviness of them before, she acknowledged it as she watched him begin to notice. He took a sharp step back, placing distance between them once again. She fought the instinctive need to follow him even as fear threatened, once again. How was it possible to want someone and yet be afraid in equal measure? If she’d had any doubt on just how fucked up she was, that would suffice to remind her.
“I’m good. I didn’t mean to… I…” He broke off, obviously struggling with what to say to her about the erection he hadn’t been able to hide from her. He appeared gutted, which wasn’t what she wanted for him.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not,” he growled. “Do you think I don’t see the fear in your eyes?”
“Fear, yes. But not of you. I swear. Not of you.” And knowing that surprised her, as well.
“Daniel. Ariel. Come join us,” Tony called.
“Stay with me,” Daniel ordered, linking his fingers with hers. She nodded, reminding herself that he needed her.
It wasn’t until they headed toward the others that she realized Vic and Gideon had joined them at some point. Gideon watched her with narrowed eyes while Vic simply smiled, offering encouragement without words.
“I managed to secure a place for us to stay while we’re here,” Tony offered. “Talbot won’t be easy to find. I’ve got another team heading in to help. Plus, I’ve contacted any sources I have in this area.”
“As have I,” Gideon stated, interrupting Tony. “The place where Quinn was held is already abandoned. As far as I know, there were no other survivors.”
“Talbot will have taken his working experiments with him,” Tony countered. “He won’t kill them off before he’s through with whatever he had planned for them.”
“I’m well aware of how he treats his experiments,” Kenzie stated. “How do you know so much about him?”
Tony and Aleksy shared a look.
“Talbot tried to take me once,” Aleksy stated. “He wasn’t prepared for a primal animal.”
Ariel met his gaze for the first time and was startled to note his eyes. Each one was split down the center, with one side of the iris blue and one side brown. She noted he’d referred to himself as primal. He’d referred to Daniel as that way earlier. She needed to find out exactly what that entailed, so she was prepared to help Daniel when he needed her. Or… Was that why Tony had urged Daniel to “mate his mate”? Ariel noted the strength of the bond Aleksy and his mate shared. It was as if they’d been together for decades when Ariel knew they’d only recently met.
“Did he take you instead?” Ariel asked Tony.
“No,” Tony replied. “Turns out I’m not so easy to capture, either. But he took someone close to me. Took him, tortured him, then gutted and left him where I’d be sure to find him, so I’d be with him when he died. Painfully. Make no bones about it. I will find Talbot, and I will kill him. Slowly. Painfully.”
“We need information from him.” Gideon voiced that bit of wisdom, but Ariel understood the need for vengeance that burned within Tony. Whoever Talbot had killed had obviously been very important to Tony.
“I’ll take great pleasure in making him spill every one of his secrets,” Tony promised.
“I’ll help,” Kenzie vowed with a nod.
“Christ,” Vic groaned. “We can’t go all rogue on this one, and Tah agreeing to what Tony has in mind? Probably not. We’ll need to take Talbot back to Riverton when we catch the bastard. Tah and Reno will both want to speak with him.”
“We take him back then. Here. There. The result will be the same.” Tony’s voice perfectly conveyed his commitment to doing exactly as he’d stated.
“Assuming we find him,” Ariel offered. A wave of anxiety hit as everyone’s attention turned to her. She immediately went to take a step back, putting distance between her and the others, but her step only pressed her against Daniel, who stood directly behind her. His palm rose to touch against the small of her back, offering her comfort and support, letting her know she wasn’t alone.
“She’s right,” Daniel agreed, giving voice to his suppor
t of her, as well.
“We’ll find him,” Tony vowed. “I can feel it. His time is up. Who’s ready to turn the tables and make the hunters become the hunted?”
“Everyone here,” Daniel replied, and Ariel saw the truth of that on all the faces around them.
“Then let’s get hunting,” Tony ordered.
As a group they moved across the parking lot, Ariel stayed with Daniel. She needed to find a few minutes to speak to Gideon, to give him Thomas’ journals. She also wanted to tell him what she’d discovered about what had gone on between her and Thomas. She knew Gideon wanted to believe the best of Thomas, though lately, he seemed to struggle with it. She’d share what she’d learned and let Gideon make his own conclusions.
Her glance went to Daniel, taking in the tense way he held his shoulders, the flex of muscles as he moved, and the firm press of his lips. Later. She’d speak with Gideon later. Daniel came first. He deserved at least that from her.
Chapter Twelve
A week. They’d been following Talbot’s trail for a week. A week of having Ariel so close yet still, too far away. At least, Daniel had graduated from sleeping on the floor in front of their door to sharing the bed with her. She slept fully clothed on one side of the bed while he slept the same way on the other.
Or at least, they pretended to sleep. Both were seriously lacking in obtaining actual zzz’s, and it was definitely starting to take a physical toll on them. Ariel was like a walking zombie, and Daniel’s lion was so close to the surface, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold control from his animal side.
“Daniel!”
He turned to see his brother looking completely pissed with him. That was par for the course by now. He and Gabriel had been clashing all week. Gideon and Vic had gone back to Riverton after a long conversation with Ariel the night before, and Daniel wasn’t sure if either of them were coming back. Of course, they had a full house as it was. There was Aleksy and Lyra along with Tony. Then there was Gabriel and Kenzie. Mitch and Jonah had gone back with Quinn originally. Mitch had stayed with her, but Jonah was back with two new guys. With Daniel and Ariel, their traveling party was at ten. Not exactly inconspicuous.
“Are you even paying attention?” Gabriel thundered as he stomped to Daniel. Not for the first time, Daniel wondered what it would take to get Gabriel on the helicopter back home.
“What the hell do you want, Gabriel?”
“I—”
Ariel was between them in an instant, a growl spilling from her lips. One hand flattened against Daniel’s chest while the other fisted around Gabriel’s shirt.
“Enough!” she snarled, getting in Gabriel’s face. “Are you paying attention? Your brother’s one escalation with you away from shifting into his lion right here. Is that what you want?”
“I want him to go home until we figure out what’s going on with him,” Gabriel snarled, and the only thing that saved him was the fact he didn’t get in her face.
“Well, too fucking bad,” she snapped. “We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere. Deal with it.”
Gabriel growled, but Ariel merely leaned in and growled back.
“Problems, boys?” Kenzie asked as she and Tony joined them, but her gaze was squarely on her mate.
Gabriel blew out a breath and took a step back from Ariel. She immediately moved so she stood directly in front of Daniel, planting her feet wide as if she were going to protect him from anything else thrown at him. He dropped his hands to cup her hips and simply held onto her.
“Whatever the two of you are doing, do it faster,” Gabriel commanded. “Both of you look like the walking dead. And the rest of us are no good if we’re watching out for you all the time. Get your shit together or get out.”
With a growl, he reached for his mate then walked away.
“I’m still not sure if I like your brother or not,” Tony admitted. “But he’s right. Neither of you are doing the rest of us any good in your current conditions. Both of you need sleep before the bags under your eyes become bigger than the ones we’re all living out of right now. Whatever it is you need to work through, work through it. If I have to choose between getting my hands on Talbot or saving one of your lives, I’m not sure I can be trusted to put either of you first.”
Daniel doubted that. No matter what Tony said, he’d never be the type to leave them in the lurch.
“Why don’t you two head back to the hotel. Try to sleep. Or talk. Or do both. Or whatever.” Tony waved his hands toward the lot where they’d left their vehicles. “I’ll send Jonah back with you. He wanted to check in with Mitch today, anyway.”
“We don’t—”
“Yes, we do,” Ariel interrupted. “I’m so exhausted I can barely think, and I know you’re not much better. We need to sleep.”
She’d turned to face him, and he kept his hands on her hips, letting her spin in his hold. He couldn’t not touch her. The need for her touch in return was a physical ache beneath his skin trying to claw its way out.
“Don’t make me kick your ass in front of everyone,” she warned, and it took all he had to hold back his grin. He didn’t think she’d appreciate it at the moment.
“Where’s Jonah?” Daniel asked Tony.
“Headed to one of the vehicles. We’ll stick local today. Between Gabriel and me, we have several contacts we can check in with. I’d like to move out early tomorrow morning, so we’ll keep it lowkey today unless we get a hot lead. Rest. Be ready to pound pavement tomorrow, or I’ll knock you both out and put you on the helicopter home. Understood?” Tony didn’t wait for them to answer. He merely nodded that he accepted their unspoken agreement and headed off. The man was constantly in motion. Daniel hoped he got the opportunity to get to know Tony better. He found that he really liked him.
“Come on,” Ariel ordered then turned and pulled out of his grasp, walking away from him.
He didn’t corral the growl that spilled from his throat, but she merely turned her head long enough to growl back and kept marching. God, he wanted her. Just to hold her would be enough. To hold her close while they both slept.
At the vehicle, Jonah was waiting for them, fingers tapping a staccato beat on the steering wheel, eyes hidden behind mirrored shades. Though he was human, he was built like a tank, tall and broad. From what Daniel had learned, Jonah had been tracking and infiltrating groups of hunters for years. He joined them long enough to get intel and for Mitch and the rest of their group to get in place. Then they took out the hunters, saving as many shifters as they could. Daniel wasn’t sure what had led the group into helping shifters, but he was sure every one of them would have a story.
“Hop in,” Jonah said in lieu of a greeting. “I’ll be playing the role of chauffeur and guard, today and today only. Get your shit together or get gone.”
“Fuck you, Jonah,” Ariel snapped as she slammed into the backseat, leaving Daniel to ride shotgun.
“Tsk, tsk,” Jonah reprimanded. “Save the dirty talk for your mate, little girl. I ain’t engaging.”
Daniel growled at Jonah, not bothering to hide his irritation.
“Exactly,” Jonah agreed as if that made sense.
Daniel glanced back at Ariel, and damn, if she didn’t turn him on. Her arms were crossed under her breasts, plumping them up in offering, though he was sure that wasn’t her intention. Still, it was the sour look on her face that had him hard enough to hammer nails. Narrowed eyes, flaring nostrils, and lips pressed flat. Color rose along her cheekbones, emphasizing the delicacy of her features.
His gaze stayed glued to her the entire drive. For her part, Ariel seemed to ignore him while Jonah drove in silence. Her door was opened almost before Jonah came to a stop. Daniel immediately joined her, riding her ass as they walked into the hotel and headed toward their room. Their room. He expected her to slam the door when they entered, but she closed it with a soft snick then flicked the lock before pacing across the room and turning to face him, hands held loosely at her sides.
/> “I have nightmares.” The words were hard and fast as if she had to get them out quickly. “I can’t control them. So I don’t sleep.”
“You don’t want to have them with me here?”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t want to have them with any of you here. Especially you.”
“Why especially me?” he demanded, trying not to let her admission piss him off.
“I wake up screaming. Crying. Begging.”
“So,” he thundered. “It’s a nightmare, Ariel. The very word suggests it’s not going to have you waking with smiles and laughter.”
She snapped her teeth together so hard he worried she might injure herself. “It makes me look weak.”
So that was it. She worried he’d think she was weak because of nightmares.
“You could never be weak to me,” he swore, moving to sit on the bed and removing his socks and shoes. He saw her processing his statement as he stood to work on the buttons of his shirt.
“What are you doing?”
“You said we need sleep, and you’re right. I can’t sleep with everything on. I usually sleep in my skin, but I’ve got some gray sweats I can wear. I can’t keep trying to rest with my clothes on. It’s uncomfortable.”
“Is that why you haven’t been sleeping?” she asked, finally easing to sit on the bed and remove her shoes and socks. “You could have changed into your sweats any night, Daniel.”
He grunted as he shrugged off his shirt and reached for his bag. “I haven’t been sleeping because you haven’t.”
She blew out another breath, dropping her head into her hands. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“Do what?” he demanded. “Sleep? I think Tony really will give you something to knock you out if you need it.”
She shook her head. “This.”
“This what?” he asked, needing her to say exactly what she was thinking.
“Don’t be obtuse, Daniel. Us. I told you I wasn’t cut out to be a mate.”
“Bullshit. We haven’t even tried.”
“Haven’t tried?” She was up on her feet, looking thoroughly pissed. “I’ve been sleeping in that bed with you for days.”
