Rogue Spotter Collection

by Kimberly A Rogers

  The draw pulling me toward her strengthened, and I couldn’t resist another moment. I captured her mouth savoring the way she responded in kind. Her hands slid down from my wrists to grip my biceps as I deepened the kiss.

  We were both breathing hard when I lessened the intensity of my kiss, combing my fingers through her hair as I pulled back. Lauren’s eyes had closed but when she opened them, she looked at me with such pure . . . emotion that I was rooted to the spot. Lauren suddenly offered me a smile as she let go of my biceps only to cradle my face between her slender hands. “Mathias.” My name was a caress rolling off her lips before she leaned up to press another sweet kiss against my lips.

  Desire blazed through me as I reached up to cover her hands with mine. Then, sense returned. I couldn’t do this to her. I pulled her hands away as I broke the kiss. “Don’t.”

  Lauren stared at me, confusion and hurt warring in her gaze now, as she drew back slightly. “Mathias? I don’t understand. I thought you—”

  “I’m sorry,” I forced the stiff apology out. Touching her hands burned me now, and I dropped them as I forced myself to stand up. Staring down into Lauren’s bewildered expression cut me deeper than any wound I had received fighting. “This cannot happen. Not with you. It’s too dangerous.”

  “Mathias, wait.”

  I shook my head as I forced myself to turn away from her. If I kept looking at her, I would break and I could not do that. “No, Lauren. This was a mistake.”

  “Mathias.”

  I heard her get to her feet, but I was already striding toward the door. I snagged my slicker and tugged it on before I left the cottage. The feel of cold rain against my face didn’t cool the burning desire to go back to her as much as I hoped. As I needed.

  Moving away from the cottage took far more effort than it should have, and every second the burning need to fulfill the rites fought to compel me back inside to Lauren. To ask her to come with me to my people’s ancient homeland. I grit my teeth as I forced myself to keep walking through the rain and darkness. I couldn’t do that to her. The rites could be . . . deadly to any paranormal who wasn’t powerful or a Myrmidon. And, Lauren was neither.

  The further I moved away from her, the stronger the cold flowed through me fighting to extinguish the distraction of the draw. Lauren knew nearly everything now. It was only just and it meant that we had to part ways. The memory of her limping around the cottage stood strong in my mind. She would need a walking boot soon. Then, there would be no reason for us to travel together. She would be safer away from me.

  A low groan escaped me as the memory of her luminous eyes burned through my mind. The feel of her soft lips yielding beneath my kiss offered a haunting caress even now. I didn’t dare go back to her. I would never leave. I would never be able to let her go without attempting to win her. I forced my mind away from Lauren and summoned the memory of Amber’s lifeless body, of finding her dead and being attacked by a dragon shifter with a hydra marking his face. It had been how I first met Royal . . .

  Royal . . . My path turned from going back to my shelter toward the stable. I needed to put a new plan in place. One that would keep Lauren safe and put her far out of reach when I lost my battle with the cold. It was the only way now. I felt too much to escape without being affected. It was the only way.

  * * *

  Chapter Eleven

  Lauren

  Mathias had already vanished into the rainy night by the time I reached the door and yanked it open. I stared out into the darkness for a moment before I slowly closed the door. What had just happened?

  My lips still tingled from his kiss and the heady sensations he had stirred. I placed my hands against my cheeks, shivers still running down my spine at the memory of the feel of his larger lightly calloused hands touching my skin with such gentleness. I blew out a breath trying to make sense of everything.

  I hadn’t completely thought out what would happen after I kissed Mathias a second time, but it certainly hadn’t involved him running out into the night. To get away from me. I shook my head as I sank down on the bench once more. How in the world had we gone from the most fantastic toe-curling kiss I had ever experienced to Mathias declaring it a mistake and walking out on me?

  I had no idea.

  Dragging my fingers through my hair, I still couldn’t quite collect my thoughts. My brain kept replaying the kiss. The first one, not the one that sent him running. I was certain there had been a weight to that kiss, something more than passing attraction. Something more than interest in a brief fling.

  I knew what I wanted it to mean. I wanted him to care about me, to love me like I love him. My eyes widened and a startled laugh escaped me. I loved Mathias. This attraction was running deeper and stronger than mere interest. Love? It had to be, didn’t it?

  But, he’d left like I was a gorgon trying to catch his eye . . . Not the best reaction to an extremely romantic and heady kiss. However, he hadn’t said he didn’t feel anything for me. He said it was too dangerous. That meant there was hope, right?

  There had to be hope. Mathias’ past experiences and his own code for being a gentleman meant he wouldn’t be the type to dally and run. He was just trying to protect me from a fate similar to Amber’s. Her death had so clearly left a mark on him that it only made sense for him to react this way.

  He was right after all. He was a 10, a Myrmidon, which easily made him the most dangerous man currently walking the earth. My head told me I shouldn’t get involved. My heart announced it was far too late. A Spotter falling for a man who was not only a high number, but a Myrmidon . . . Who would have believed it? I barely believed it.

  I would go find Mathias in the morning. After I had time to get over what his kiss had done to me, and we could have a serious logical conversation. I limped to the back room feeling the painful twinges in my ankle. I would need to rely on my crutches tomorrow as a precaution. It would make it difficult to search for Mathias if he completely disappeared again. By the time my head touched the bed, I was already dreaming of Mathias’ kiss and his own declaration.

  * * *

  Lauren

  The morning after Valentine’s Day and our kiss, I was unable to do more than hobble into the main room of the cottage to get food and water. It definitely put a damper on my plans to talk to Mathias. And, I definitely needed to talk to him. I needed to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood . . . everything.

  Another six days passed before I was able to put any real weight on my ankle, and every day added strength to the little voice whispering doubts. Mathias hadn’t come to check on me. He had run out so fast, maybe he didn’t feel the same way about me. The doubts continued to haunt me, growing more difficult to drown out.

  What if I was only fooling myself to imagine that he would care about me? Didn’t Mathias need someone stronger? A paranormal that could come close to his strength, although it seemed unlikely she would also be a 10. Maybe a dragon shifter would be a better fit for him or there could still be an unattached Myrmidon female who would definitely be a better fit. He probably had already considered all of this and that was why he left. That was why he stayed away.

  After spending the morning with those lovely thoughts chasing through my head and losing more of my confidence by the second, I finally decided to go find Mathias. Ignoring the crutches, I opted for the faster option of limping outside. For once, it wasn’t raining or snowing and the sun was still up. I needed to find Mathias. I needed to just ask him pointblank if he . . . If we . . . If there was a chance, no matter how small, for us.

  Even now in spite of my doubts shouting at me that it was too much to imagine or hope for, I still found myself wanting this, wanting him. I didn’t want to cave to my doubts despite that being easier. The heart deep need to find Mathias and learn if there was hope drove me to the smaller cottages to search for him. But, he wasn’t there.

  Unsure of where to search next, I went to the stable. Perhaps, I would ride Ailsa and find him that way. My steps
faltered when I reached the stable only to find all three Fae ponies were gone. A heavy weight settled in my stomach as I realized he had truly left this time. Abandoned.

  I leaned against the wall of the stable feeling sick to my stomach, and the sapphire teardrop hanging around my neck seemed to burn my skin. Abandoned . . . No different than any other time in my life, all the foster families who would abruptly stop talking about me being part of the family right before someone came to take me away and place me with a different family. For another too short time. A shaky breath escaped as I closed my eyes. Why was it so easy for people to walk away from me?

  The question burned at me, and then the memory of Mathias’ blue-green eyes replaced it. Desire had blazed bright in them and the kiss . . . I touched my fingers to my lips as I opened my eyes once more. He couldn’t have truly meant to abandon me. Mathias was . . . He was not like most of the people I had known and certainly not like any of the men I had occasionally dated. Maybe they would have abandoned me, but Mathias wouldn’t. Even if there was no hope for a true relationship between us, he would not abandon me.

  I blew out a slow breath through my nose and left the stable. Maybe Mathias had moved the horses. It was difficult to say, but I couldn’t believe he would simply leave. Maybe he was merely letting them graze further out.

  “Mathias?”

  There was no answer. I pursed my lips and kept walking. The breeze was cold and cut through my sweater, but I didn’t want to go back for my coat yet. He had to be around somewhere. I hoped.

  If he wasn’t in his usual hideaways, then maybe he had gone further out. To graze the Fae ponies . . . Which sounded ridiculous, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. It was ridiculous to find a Myrmidon and a Spotter in the same place in this day and age, too. Yet, here we were . . .

  Still I kept walking, my limp making my gait awkward and clumsy but I didn’t turn back to get the crutches since I didn’t need to move faster. Stretching the tendon would be a good thing. A heavy fog rolled in with the sun’s slow retreat behind the horizon enveloping the mix of ruins and cairns in a creepy atmosphere. I shivered as I looked around. The fog was thickening by the moment. I could hardly see five feet away.

  A cackling laugh broke the eerie silence. I shuffled around to face the direction of the laugh, but I kept my mouth shut. If whatever was out here didn’t already know where I was, then I wasn’t about to give away my position. I started to back up only to catch my right heel on a rock. I stumbled, my left leg giving out from under me, and landed on my back.

  I heard the cackle again. It was closer. I pushed up on my elbows and spied a skeletal figure just barely obscured by the fog. It was waving a dark colored cloth. No, it was a simple cloth hat much like the old fashioned stocking caps norms like to put on their garden gnomes or wear at Christmas. I could see its glowing number flickering between a 5 and a 6. Panic started beating its wings frantically against my ribs. A redcap had found me. And, I was easy prey right now.

  I scrambled backwards dragging my left leg since I didn’t trust my ankle to hold my weight. Another shadow appeared in the fog, tall and lean. Hope flared, easing the little knot of panic in my throat, as the shadow came closer. Mathias had found me . . . but then two more shadows appeared in the fog on either side of the one I had hoped was Mathias.

  The redcap cackled with renewed glee, and I knew it was too late for me to escape. But, it didn’t stop me from dragging myself backwards. If I could just get back into the village, maybe I could hide before they caught up. The shadows lunged forward and emerged from the fog to surround me. The two males grinned wolfishly at me, both Unseelie. The female hunter was a half-shifted jaguar and definitely out of place in Scotland. All three had blazing 7s above their heads. The male, who seemed to be their de facto leader, looked me over and licked his lips. “So this is the woman who led to the fall of Weard’s so called greatest hunter? A little small for my taste.”

  The female shifter gave a chuffing sound, caught between a jaguar’s cough and a more human sounding laugh. She circled closer to me, tapping the tips of her claws together, as she eyed me like I might be a poor excuse for a snack. “They’re always a little small for your taste, dear. I still don’t believe he fell because of this little Spotter.” She suddenly crouched poised to pounce as her snout pulled back to better reveal her fangs. “Do you see our numbers? What are they?”

  I kept pulling myself backward waiting for the right opportunity to do my best to run. I glanced at the air above their heads. Telling them their numbers would confirm I was a Spotter, but it was far too late to try to keep that particular secret from Weard. I bit my lip and glanced at their numbers again.

  “Come on,” interjected the other male. He was a little shorter than his companion but far broader through the chest and shoulders. “Tell us what it’s like to be spotted,” he cajoled with a toothy grin.

  His companions laughed, and I felt a line of low mossy stones directly beneath my hands. The boundary? I hesitated only a moment more watching them draw closer. Then, I glanced at the redcap who was creeping behind them still mostly hidden in the fog. I lifted my chin. “The redcap is a . . . six.”

  “Who cares?” snapped the leader. “What are our numbers?”

  “Five,” I whispered, not quite believing that I was going to try this. As all three spat curses and vehemently disagreed with my revelation, I glanced at the air over the broader male’s head. All three hunters noticed the movement as their curses lessened enough that I could actually be heard again. I raised a trembling finger to point at the broader male. “Wait, he’s a 7 now.”

  “Only him?” exclaimed the leader.

  When his fellow hunter preened, the leader shoved him. I pulled myself a little further away from the two males as they started a shoving match. The female shifter gave a low growl and turned her attention away from me in favor of approaching the two. “Enough!”

  They ignored her command, too focused on shouting in each other’s faces about why one or the other couldn’t be significantly higher. Her rounded ears flattened against her skull as she bared her teeth in a drawn out hiss. She marched into the fray attempting to break the two apart.

  I seized the opportunity. Dragging myself across the boundary stones, I didn’t wait a moment longer to scramble to my feet. I nearly collapsed again as my left ankle buckled with a sharp pain, but I ignored it. I half-ran, half-limped as fast as I could manage, heading back into the village. Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten far before the redcap screeched. The arguing continued until the vile little goblin screeched again, no doubt doing its best to interfere. I hobbled faster praying that they wouldn’t simply tackle me and be done with it. Praying the boundary actually served as a barrier. I could just make out the lean-to forming the stable when there was a popping sound and something in the air shifted. They must have found a way to physically break the protections forming the glamours and boundary.

  Fear drove me to push past the throbbing pain in my ankle. I could hear them running behind me, somewhere in the fog. By some miracle, I reached the cottage and was able to slam the door shut. I hobbled over to the table and dragged it across the main room, not the least bit concerned when it made a hideous noise as its legs scraped across the floor. I jammed one of the chairs against the door first before I shoved the table flush against it, pinning the chair beneath the hinge.

  I stumbled back from the table, falling to my hands and knees, as I caught my breath. There was no noise from outside. I staggered back up and then hopped on my good foot toward the bedroom. Glass shattered and I covered my head with a scream as a rock landed in the center of the room, missing me by a mere inch. I kept hobbling and hopping my way to the bedroom. I could hear the door rattling on its hinges and then the sound of at least one body landing on the roof.

  I forced myself to ignore the sounds as I focused on grabbing my go bag. Everything except for the extra supplies was already packed since I didn’t like being too settled. Other tha
n the figurines. They were still on the table.

  I hobbled back into the main room, listening to the footsteps running across the roof. They were going in circles instead of trying to actually get inside, which was . . . disconcerting. I reached the table and grabbed the three figurines.

  All noise stopped.

  That wasn’t trustworthy at all . . . I started to back away from the table only to shriek when the second window broke sending glass shards everywhere. A few stung my cheek as I turned away.

  Then I heard the female speaking, still in the odd mix of a growl tinged alto. “Lauren Hope, we bring you an offer. Come to work for Weard Enterprises and everything that has happened since the incident with Smalls at Halliman’s will be made to go away. Weard will announce you were a victim of mistaken identity. Your good name and reputation will be restored. No one will ever speak of the ‘rogue Spotter’ again. And, you will be a rich woman doing the world so much good by working for Weard.”

  A bitter laugh escaped me. “I’ve heard this offer before and I didn’t fall for it then. I’m not going to now.”

  “You should take the offer, little Spotter,” she replied, a sinister cloyingness sinking into her growled words.

  “I’ll die first!”

  There was silence and then I heard footsteps circling on the roof directly above me. I hobbled away to the back room. I shoved the door shut just as the lean male I had mistaken for the leader jumped through the roof, bits of thatch and wood falling to the floor with him. I jammed one of my crutches beneath the handle, bracing the end against the foot of the bed, and waited. I quietly slipped the figurines into my go bag and slid it onto the floor on the other side of the bed. Where I wouldn’t trip over it. I heard the male grumble a curse and then the sound of the table crashing across the room before he shouted, “She’s hiding!”