by Lara Adrian
And it shamed him to reflect on how callously he’d rebuffed those gifts.
He’d had to shut her down hard and fast. Especially when everything Breed in him had been dangerous with the need to feed, to find some relief from the intensity of his wounds.
Shit. He should have taken her up on the offer to bring him a blood Host. Nearly twenty-four hours since he’d run headlong into the morning sunlight to look for the boy and now he was walking the edge of a ravenous thirst.
He would have to leave the house to address the situation as soon as night fell. God knew if he’d be up to the test of another night under the same roof with Leni, regardless if she continued giving him the cold shoulder.
But what about the next night? Or the one after that?
He knew the best solution for her, and for himself.
It was the one he’d been trying to ignore while he dealt with the agony of his burns. Now that he was healed, it was time to do what was right.
Before he could change his mind or delay any longer, he picked up his burner phone and called his brother’s encrypted number. The call connected on the third ring, nothing but silence on the open end of the secured line.
“Razor, it’s me.”
A measured exhalation filtered into Knox’s ear. Then a low, hissed curse. “Well, I’ll be goddamned. Hell must’ve frozen over if I’m hearing from you, brother.”
“Close,” Knox said, glancing out the attic window at nothing but snowdrifts and ice crystals on the ground below.
“Where you at?”
“Maine.”
Razor grunted. “What the fuck are you doing up there—and in the middle of ball-shriveling February, besides?”
“I’ve been asking myself that same question for almost a week.” He took a seat on the edge of the narrow bed. “I need you to do something for me, Raze.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve me meeting you up there, I’ll do my best. What’s going on?”
“I need a safe house. Somewhere up here near the North Maine Woods, or even Quebec.”
“I’ll see what I can do. What kind of trouble are you in?”
“It’s not for me. It’s for someone else. A woman. Her name’s Lenora Calhoun.” He cleared his throat. “She’s a Breedmate.”
“Yours?” Razor asked, more than mild surprise in his voice.
Knox blew out a curse, but only because the swift denial he expected to issue had suddenly gotten trapped in the back of his throat. “I have no claim on Leni.”
And he intended to keep it that way, before he fucked things up any worse.
“If you’ve got no claim on her, why is she asking you to find her a safe house?”
“She hasn’t asked. This is my decision. It’s for the best.”
Razor scoffed. “Spoken like a man who has no claim on a woman. What the hell have you gotten yourself into up there?”
“You want to keep asking stupid questions, or are you going to help me?”
“I’m just trying to figure out what made you call for an assist after going on half a year without a word. Been a long time since you worried about anyone, Knox. Especially a female.”
“She’s a Breedmate,” Knox muttered. “Isn’t that enough?”
“You tell me, bro.”
It was enough, and Razor damn well knew it. But the cagey former Hunter was like a bloodhound when it came to chasing down quarry, and right now he smelled Knox’s weakness where Leni was concerned.
“You know what, forget it.” Knox stood up, started pacing the tight confines of his quarters. “This was a bad idea. I’ll find another way to handle this situation myself.”
Razor chuckled. “Relax, asshole. I’m all over it already. I just put feelers out to a couple of my contacts while we’ve been talking.”
Some of Knox’s frustration simmered down. “I don’t want to rely on any of your shady underground connections, Raze. No other Hunters for this, either. I need someone I can trust implicitly to keep Leni and her young nephew safe.”
“She’s got a kid?” Razor’s dubious tone came through loud and clear. “Is the boy Breed?”
“No. He’s human. Her half-sister’s six-year-old son.”
“That could complicate things.”
Knox ran a hand over his jaw. “Tell me about it.”
“I’ll make it work.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll owe you.”
“I know. Don’t be surprised if I come to you to collect one day.”
Knox wasn’t sure what he meant, but his brother’s tone hinted at private troubles he was in no hurry to confide. “I want a legit resource on this, Razor. Airtight security and confidence from whoever you bring in, all right?”
“Is the Order legit enough for you?”
Knox’s track back and forth halted. “You’ve got contacts in the Order now?”
“I’ve got contacts everywhere that counts, brother.” He paused, silent for a moment. “Say the word and it’s done. But you and I both know once I open that door, I can’t close it again. Lucan and his warriors don’t fuck around when it comes to protecting unmated Breedmates. Especially ones who’re in some kind of danger. That’s what we’re talking about here, right? You going to be ready to let your Leni go if the Order decides she’ll be able to live a safer life away from you?”
“I told you, she’s not mine.”
So, why did it grate over his heart like jagged steel to imagine the Order taking Leni and Riley into their protection? He couldn’t ask for a better, more capable alternative—other than one of his own brethren down in the Everglades Darkhaven.
“You haven’t answered my question, brother.”
“Just make it happen,” he snarled.
“All right.” Razor’s reply was solemn and resolute. “Consider it done.”
Knox ended the call without a reply, his attention snagged on the sound of Leni and Riley talking downstairs. The front door creaked open, then closed with a solid thump.
What the fuck?
Where was she going? How could he protect her when she hadn’t even told him she was leaving?
Right. As if he would be any use to her in the full light of another morning.
“Son of a bitch.”
He flashed down to the kitchen in an instant, met with the silence of an empty house. On the counter near the sink lay a note jotted in crisp handwriting.
Took Riley with me to open the diner. I need him with me, where I can keep a close watch and know he’s safe.
When I get home, we need to talk.
—L.
Knox leaned against the counter and exhaled a curse.
She was right, of course. They did need to talk.
He only hoped she wouldn’t despise him for what he’d just done.
CHAPTER 17
Opening the diner had been just the distraction she’d needed.
Business was slow most of the day due to the unmaintained roads surrounding Parrish Falls and the tinier bergs spread out around it, but she’d had a steady flow of customers that kept her hopping between the kitchen and the dining room from the minute she turned the sign in the front door.
The bell jingled as another patron, one of her favorite locals, came inside from the cold and took his seat at the counter. Leni grabbed the coffee pot and filled the ceramic cup in front of him, leaving room enough for the triple creams she knew the regular would be dumping into the strong brew. “How did you and Mable fare in the storm the other night, Claude?”
The old man nodded in greeting as he tore the foil tops off the creamers. “Power’s still out and the road’s a mess, but we’re just fine. We were luckier than most. Heard on the satellite radio that the roads farther into the interior toward St. Zacharie are going to be all but impassable for the next couple of days.”
“Well, I’m glad you were able to make it out. It always brightens my day to see you.”
His gray-whiskered cheeks turned a little ruddier at her compliment. “Mable would�
�ve liked to join me, but her damn hip’s acting up again. Thought I’d come in for coffee then bring us home something warm for lunch.”
Leni smiled. “I just made a batch of chicken and dumplings this morning.”
“Sold,” he said, toasting her with his steaming cup. “I’ll take two plates to go.”
“Coming right up.”
With the rest of the lunch customers already taken care of and Riley contentedly playing at the far booth with a handful of race cars she’d let him bring from home, Leni headed into the kitchen to prepare the new order.
She had settled into her usual rhythm in the hours she’d been back at work. It felt good having something else to occupy her thoughts, other than the complicated jumble her life had become in recent days. Working took her mind off the Parrishes and her unbearable sense of dread over Travis’s homecoming. God knew she needed a break from that worry.
She should be relieved he hadn’t made a beeline for her house the moment he was freed from the state penitentiary. She was glad to be spared the confrontation, but she also couldn’t lull herself into believing he would stay away forever.
And while keeping herself busy allowed her to put that trouble on the shelf for awhile, it didn’t help her stop thinking about Knox. It didn’t help ease the hurt that had opened up in the wake of his cool rejection.
The full day and night she’d gone without speaking to him—without so much as seeing him despite the fact that he was living under the same roof with her—had passed at an agonizing pace. It felt as though a week had stretched out between them. She missed him as if it had been even longer than that.
What kind of naive idiot did it make her that she had let her heart get so tangled up in him after only a few days in his company?
A few days and one incredible night, although she didn’t want to think about the feel of Knox’s arms around her now. She didn’t want to remember how consuming the feel of his mouth on hers had been, or how intensely pleasurable it had felt to have his big, powerful body moving over her naked skin, thrusting deep inside her.
A shiver of arousal swept through her, igniting her veins in spite of the hurt that lingered in her heart.
She had expected to feel some measure of satisfaction behind the wall she’d constructed between them. Instead, all she felt was alone. As for Knox, she couldn’t even be sure he had noticed her determination to avoid him. Or maybe he’d been relieved.
Either way, the time apart had given her a chance to think more clearly—something she’d seemed incapable of doing ever since Knox arrived in town.
For most of her life, she had taken care of herself. For the past six years, she had taken care of Riley by herself too. She was perfectly capable of doing that now, and no one—not even Travis Parrish or the rest of his family—was going to stand in her way.
She had managed well enough before Knox showed up. She would manage after he was gone. She and Riley were not his concern.
As soon as she returned home after work, Leni intended to free him of whatever obligation he felt toward protecting them. In fact, she planned to demand it.
She’d been rehearsing the words in her head all day. Now, all she had to do was convince herself she truly meant them.
Forcing a smile to her face, she carried out the packed and bagged servings of hot lunch and set them down on the counter while she wrote up the bill.
“Here you go, Claude.”
He glanced at the total and shook his head. “You’re slipping, Leni. Forgot to charge for my coffee.”
“It’s on the house for everyone today. Seems the least I can do for all of you who’ve been braving the roads to come in and eat.”
He grinned. “Well, in that case, thank you kindly.”
“My pleasure.”
She made a quick round with the carafe again, refilling his and the rest of the patrons’ cups. Then she swung by to check on Riley, who was currently chatting up the elderly couple seated in the booth in front of his.
“The red one’s the best, though. It’s got doors that open and it goes really fast. Watch.”
Leni caught the airborne muscle car in her free hand as Riley launched it off the table. “Okay, I think we all get the picture, kiddo. Cars need to keep their wheels on solid ground in here, all right?”
She glanced at her customers and offered an eyeroll and a mouthed apology. They didn’t seem bothered in the least. Riley had that effect on most people, Leni included. She’d hated reprimanding him yesterday, and her attempt to ground him had been admittedly lax. Staying mad at the little charmer was next to impossible.
Rather like the bigger, slightly less charming—but equally devastating—male she’d left back at the house.
“I’ve got macaroni and cheese waiting for you in the kitchen,” she said, placing Riley’s car on the table with the others. “Are you getting hungry for lunch?”
He bounced on the seat, his face lit up with excitement. “Yes!”
“Then please put away your cars and go use the restroom. I’ll bring your mac and cheese out to you. Make sure you wash your hands before you come out.”
“Okay!” He swept the fleet of miniature race cars into his backpack before scrambling out of the booth and hurrying to the nearby men’s room.
Leni couldn’t hold back her smile as she finished her rounds of check-ins with the smattering of patrons, then returned to the kitchen to fetch his lunch. The normalcy of the day settled around her like a warm comforter. This was how things were supposed to be for her.
Steady, familiar, comfortable.
It should be enough.
It would have to be, because starting tomorrow Knox would be gone.
She didn’t want to think about that, no matter how much she wanted to believe it was for the best.
She scooped a portion of the fresh-baked casserole onto a plate for Riley, then added a spoonful of applesauce and a couple of florets of steamed broccoli. She had no delusions that the green veggies would pass his lips without a good deal of cajoling, but she figured it was always worth a shot to try.
With a glass of chocolate milk to complete the meal, Leni pushed open the swinging door with her hip and stepped out to the dining room with both hands full.
At that same moment, two men approached the diner’s entrance from a large gold SUV in the parking lot. She didn’t have to see the Parrish & Sons logo on the side of the vehicle to know who it belonged to. Leni recognized Enoch Parrish’s bent, wiry frame even before he lifted his gray head and scowling face.
The younger man accompanying him looked vastly different than she recalled.
Travis Parrish had gone away to prison a tall and trim, slope-shouldered twenty-five-year-old. He was returning home twice as thick and bulky with weight-trained muscles. His rich brown hair was shorn tight against his skull and flecked with silver now, evidence of a difficult existence these past several years. But his face was unmistakable.
So was the flat, dark gaze that found her through the glass of the diner’s front door.
Some cowardly part of her urged her to drop what she held in her hands and rush to bar the door before they could get in. But it was already too late for that anyway. The bells over the entrance gave a jaunty clamor as Shannon’s convicted assailant and his sneering, elderly father came inside.
A handful of the locals turned to greet Travis like an old friend or a favored son. Maybe it was unfair for her to wish everyone despised the Parrishes as she did. To most of the town, they represented not only the founding family but the largest employer when the timber business had been booming. The Parrishes continued to bankroll various businesses and charitable causes in the county. They had been flexing their wealth and power for generations, and there were few who would cross them, even now.
Still, watching Travis stroll into her establishment to shake hands with her customers as if he belonged there—as if he hadn’t been sent away for nearly killing her sister—set Leni’s teeth on edge.
&nbs
p; She put the plate and glass of milk down on the countertop near the cash register, her gaze wary and guarded. She didn’t know whether to demand the two of them leave, or let them see that she wasn’t going to be easily intimidated.
She chose the latter, at the same time praying they would go before Riley came out of the restroom.
Someone seated farther down at the counter called out to Enoch. “Heard what happened to Dwight the other night. Attacked by a goddamn vamp? What’s the world coming to when we’ve got bloodsuckers pushing this far north?”
“My boy’s doing just fine, considering,” the elder Parrish said, swiveling his narrow gaze on Leni behind the register. “As for the creature that attacked him, we’re gonna be ready for the bastard next time he dares show his face again.”
Leni wanted to laugh at the sheer bravado of the statement. There was nothing Enoch Parrish and all three of his sons combined could do to Knox before he eviscerated every last one of them. She held the old man’s gaze, refusing to let him cow her.
Another man chimed in from a booth near the door. “Takes more than a near brush with death to slow Dwight down. I passed him and Jeb driving a load of timber toward the border on my way into town this morning. They were hauling ass too, nearly plowed right into me.”
Travis, who’d been busy basking in the welcome from some of the patrons, now swung a glance at his father.
Something peculiar flickered in the old man’s eyes, but he shuttered it with a slow blink and a flattened smile directed at the local man who spoke. “We had an order that needed filling right away.”
“Must’ve been important to brave the awful road conditions out that way.”
Enoch chuckled dryly. “Money doesn’t wait for good weather.”
The man laughed. “Amen to that.”
“Besides, Dwight has a vehicle to replace now.” The Parrish patriarch turned his attention back to Leni. “What we ought to do is press charges against the Breed male who attacked him. Unless you can think of a reason we shouldn’t.”
“Maybe I should press charges against Dwight for running me off the road earlier that night. Whatever he claims Knox did to him, he had it coming.”
