by Elle Lincoln
“Why?” I poke at my eggs before taking a bite of the delicious melt in my mouth cheesy goodness. “This is good. But seriously, why?”
“Why what?” His eyes stray to watch as I chew.
“What did my dad do for all of you? Everyone I’ve met has told me how much my dad meant to you guys. But no one tells me why.” I dig into my breakfast, devouring everything on my plate. I mull over my question to him. The more I think about it, the more it bothers me. Most people don’t just gift their devotion and loyalty to just anyone. It’s earned more so than trust. Whatever my dad did for this town was no minor feat.
“If you didn’t know, I can’t tell you. Not yet. Al—” He coughs into his hand. “Athos’s orders.”
I hum low in my throat, taking the last bite of egg and debating how ridiculous I’d look if I licked the plate clean. It’s been far too long since I had steady meals. I moved out of my mother’s house long ago, and right now my apartment sits vacant, collecting dust, with nothing but freezer meals lining the shelf of the sixty’s era ice box. “I’m sure it’s in his office.” I sip my coffee, refraining from licking the plate.
“Office?” Liam glances around the cabin, his eyes wide, almost like the thought disturbs him. Which really makes no sense at all. “Allen had an office? He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to have one.”
“Sure did, in his bedroom.” Right then and there, I make a promise to myself that once I’m alone, I’m going to tear that office apart from top to bottom. But not while he’s here or any of the other guys. They have to earn that, and right now they are just being friendly. Nothing more.
Which twists my gut. I want them there for me.
“Just, be careful. Your dad had his secrets, and he kept them to himself for good reason.” He cocks his head to the side and a lock of blond hair falls over his eyes. His lips pinch as though he wants to say more, but he can’t.
“I know my dad kept secrets.” I frown, the biggest one being why he barred me from returning to the cabin for the last six years. Resolve settles in my stomach. “No matter what he kept from me, it was something that got him killed. I can’t help but think...” I trail off. My belly churns at the words lost in my throat. What if he truly died because of me? It sounds ridiculous, but there is a little piece of me whispering a haunting lullaby that the thought rings true. “Never mind.”
His thoughtful eyes watch me until he breaks the silence stretching between us. “Why don’t you go get ready? I’ll clean up.”
I release the pent-up breath I’d been holding before beaming up at him with a teasing smile. One he soaks in. “So he cooks and he cleans. Where have you been all my life?” I try for light, only his eyes darken.
“I’ve been wondering that myself, doll face.” The seriousness in his tone has me longing for the playful Liam from moments earlier.
I slide off the stool and head back up the steps, my neck prickling as Liam watches me. I don’t look back, but I may or may not throw a little swing into my hips. When I reach the top, a blush creeps up my chest and to my face.
Slapping my cheeks, I lock myself in my bathroom only to stumble over to the sink where I flick the cool water on. I splash my face a few times before looking at myself in the mirror. “What the hell is wrong with you, Bean?” I question the sanity of the woman staring back at me. Her steely eyes are full of confusion, of an unknown future.
It’s hardly the time to have a quarter life crisis, and yet as I grip the counter, that fact rings true. I’m out here looking for answers, or I’m supposed to be, though my hormones keep getting the best of me. Leading me down a path where my heart will only get hurt.
I swallow past the lump in my throat, reaching for a hair tie and throwing my mess of silver blond waves up in a bun. My shirt rips as I tear the fabric from myself with a slight hint of anger.
I want to feel lust. I want to feel desire.
Yet I need to find out what happened to my dad. That takes priority. It’s time to get serious. I need to forget that insta-lust and determine just what the hell is going on here. Because it’s huge, I can feel it in my marrow. The secrets that lurk all around me.
Two weeks until Ash, Pepper, and Nessa show up with the guys. Two weeks to get a handle on the situation before they steal me away back to the city, and with it, the reality of my cruel world.
It doesn’t matter what lens I look through, Dad died. With his death, a chasm grew in my heart, leaving nothing but a black void of longing. The death of a parent doesn’t just disappear with time. I’ve learned from watching my family. The pain only eases as the mind creates understanding. Material things and instant gratification are Band-Aids to a deeper wound.
Resolve settles around my shoulders like a heavy blanket as I return to my room. A quick check tells me the temperature will once again be higher than normal. Still, I pull on jeans and a tank because I need to search the woods. The thick material keeps the brush and briars from attacking my delicate flesh. Even if I only have time to walk a little today, I have to go, because otherworldly hands now drive me to search.
Dressed, I make my way downstairs, my sneakers squeaking on the polished wood steps.
“Ready, beautiful?” Liam’s full watt smile warms me up. His dimples give him that all-American boy look with a hint of mischief. Mischief I understand far too well. Grandma would adore him.
“Sure.” I snatch my purse before heading out the door. Once outside, I activate the locks. “Did you check the locks in the rest of the house?” A tinge of anxiety seeps through me, knowing that whoever got in and killed Dad still has the ability to get in.
“All locked,” he assures me, moving to the front of the house.
Still, I hesitate. “I should change the passcode.” I lean in to do just that when Liam’s arm reaches out.
“Sabina, it’s safe, no one will get in here. I promise.”
“But you can’t possibly know that.” I chew on my lip, the indecision weighing on me.
“I can and I do. Trust me.” His pleading eyes beg for that trust.
I blow out a breath. Do I really trust him? Or is my attraction to him messing with my ability to judge a person’s character? “For now, but I’ll change the code later.”
“It’s an excellent idea.” He loops his arm in mine, not at all trying to convince me the locks are fine and I’m not overreacting. The blood that stained the floor speaks for itself that I am not, in fact, overreacting. “Which post office do you need to head to?”
“I passed it on the way in, on Route Satan.”
His chuckle warms me where it shouldn’t. “I know the one. Any other errands you’d like to run today?”
“I want to walk the woods. Figure out if there’s anything there.” Even if I’m not sure there is.
“You know we’ve combed these woods inside and out, Bean. We would have found something if it was there.” He heads toward his truck, which is almost identical to Dad’s, maybe a little newer and covered in more mud. It’s well-worn with a playful vibe that matches Liam’s personality.
Liam a clicks the fob, unlocking the truck, so I open the door and climb into the passenger seat. He may be right, he may have combed through everything close to the cabin. But— “Liam, what radius did you search?”
“To the end of the property line.” He starts up the truck before pulling out onto the lane.
“Where is the end of the property?” I question. His truck rumbles down the lane and toward the main road as he expertly avoids the potholes.
He glances over at me, his lips pinched and words stuck in his mouth. His face reddens as he struggles to hold them in.
“Spill it, Liam. It looks like you ate a pile of shit and can’t spit it out.”
His face wrinkles in disgust. “That is a horrible visual. But, Doll, I can’t.” He smacks the steering wheel, his hands gripping the leather until his knuckles whiten. Whatever he’s keeping from me, he wants to tell me.
But he won’t. Though if I work
him hard enough, he may spill it all.
Except annoyance and anger spill from my mouth. “Why do I feel like you guys are holding shit back? If you know something, don’t you think it would be smarter to just tell me rather than keep me in the dark?” I hesitate, my mood shifting from okay, to mild, then to volatile in five seconds flat. “Know what? Forget it.”
Fury engulfs me. Rage makes me do stupid shit. It’s like there’s a creature inside me that takes over, and my normal brain sits above me, watching the petty demon take over. Dad used to tell me I became a possessed little gremlin, all the while laughing at me. Called me cute.
That’s why when I open the door and roll out of a moving vehicle, I don’t think too much of it other than I’m miffed and very clearly overreacting. I can’t even blame it on hunger. Also, it is absolutely uncontrollable.
I take to the lane without falling. Though Liam wasn’t driving too fast to begin with. Ignoring the squeal of tires and the smoke cloud as he skids on the gravel, I march up the driveway with more stomp to my feet than necessary.
I’ll drive my own self to the damn post office. Get my own food. And head to the secret trail Dad always took me to. I guarantee he did not look there. There are over five hundred thousand acres out here. No way they searched all of that.
“Sabina, did you just roll out of a moving vehicle?” Liam slams the truck door, his boots crunching on the gravel.
“Of course not, that would be detrimental to my health. I’m not crazy.” I might be crazy.
He isn’t wrong. Who in their right mind would jump out of a moving vehicle?
“Do you have any self-preservation, woman?” I can hear him nearing me, the breeze carrying his freshly baked bread scent. So tantalizing.
“What day is it?”
“Thursday.”
“Then no, I only have self-preservation on Mondays.” Shit, this is what crazy looks like.
“What did I say that pissed you off?” He speeds up to walk backwards in front of me. His long, lean legs miss each and every pothole. “Tell me so I can make it better.” He’s so genuine it hurts.
I squint at him because that is trickery. No one should be able to walk backwards like that and not fall over. “It’s what you didn’t say, Liam.” I stop, my head swimming. “Look, I like you, and aside from the ridiculous amount of lust just the sight of you stirs, I’m here for one reason and one reason only.”
He stops, wearing a goofy, dimpled grin on his face. “You like me,” he singsongs.
“That’s what you got out of that? You’re like a big child.” I shake my head, a smile on my lips despite myself.
“You think I’m sexy.” His voice deepens, and the bastard runs a hand down his muscular torso, momentarily distracting me.
“Stop.” I point a finger at him. “No.”
He freaking shimmies like a damn Chippendale, then thrusts like a pro, diverting my eyes to his body porn. When he rolls his hips, I look heavenward, and his laughter rings out around me.
“But you want to look, do it, Bean, look.” Damn him, I look. His hands reach under his shirt, exposing tanned flesh as his low-slung jeans bunch and flex with each hip roll. That sexy smirk of his undoes me, and when those dimples pop out, I know I am a goner. I laugh despite myself.
“I don’t even know you.” I want to rip my hair out, this conversation is going nowhere.
“No, but I want to get to know you.” He steps closer, no longer dancing like a stripper.
“Nope.” I push a finger to his chest, his very hard chest, as I take a step back. “Don’t you bring your smell over here.”
“What do I smell like to you, doll face?” He snatches my hand, threading his fingers through mine.
“Doughnuts.” I twist my lips up, not proud of that fact. Who tells someone they smell like doughnuts?
“And you like that scent?” He steps closer again, and this time I meet his eyes. I see the need for me to answer his question written across his face.
“Of course. Every time you get closer to me, I want to—”
A howl splits the air. Liam freezes, his body thrumming with tension as his head tilts to the side.
Frowning, I peer behind him. “Are there wolves out here? I’m pretty sure wolves aren’t common here.” Coyotes maybe. Shit, do they sound the same?
Liam grabs me, lifting me up in his arms, and the worry pouring from his body has me steadily heading toward freaking out. “We need to go.” The fun, playful tone disappears, and in its wake is a seriousness I didn’t think Liam was capable of.
“Liam?”
“I’m not fucking around, Sabina, get in the damn truck.” He sets me down in front of the passenger door.
“What the hell, Liam?” I slam the door shut and spin around to walk back up the driveway once more.
Only, I can’t because there is a massive gray wolf standing in the middle of the lane.
“Sabina, don’t fucking move.” The apprehension in his voice sends a trickle of doubt through my body.
Maybe I should have gotten in the truck.
“Is it rabid?” I glance at the truck from my peripheral. I could make it, it’s just a short dash. I like to jog. After doughnuts. But I’m not that out of shape.
“Don’t even think about it,” Liam murmurs to me.
“Okay then, what the hell am I supposed to do?” I angry whisper right back, though it’s more like an angry yell.
The gray wolf growls, a low rumbling in his throat that sets me on edge. An itch rises at the base of my spine, telling me I’m in trouble. I need to run.
“Don’t move.” How does he do that?
Shuffling draws my attention to the side as foliage shifts with the weight of a greater beast than the one in front of me. “Oh, shit.”
I make a mistake of taking a step back, drawing the wolf’s attention. His snarls send fear pumping through my veins, his body crouching as he gears up to lunge at me. I take another step back just as another wolf, this one all white, charges out of the woods to launch itself at the other. I have but a moment to catch a spray of blood arcing through the air in my direction before strong arms capture me.
A scream tears from my throat, the force of it rendering me raw.
“Shh. I’ve got you,” Liam coos, before officially shoving me in the passenger side of the truck. He doesn’t waste time crawling in after me and slamming the door shut. Climbing over me, he slams his own door shut and starts the engine. “Fuck!”
“What?” I glance behind me at the beasts rolling on the gravel lane, and then to the front where another gray wolf, this one even bigger, prevents us from going any farther down the driveway. His fur stands on end, his head low as his muzzle emits a strangled snarl. “Holy shit. Just run him over. It’s rabid.” That thing is doomed.
Liam grips the steering wheel as he curses under his breath. “Doll face, I hate to do this to you, but the other guys aren’t close enough yet.” He rips his teal Hawaiian shirt off tossing it to me.
“Do you really think now is the time to get naked?” I squeak, as he unbuttons his pants.
“Doll, I really wish it was like that.” My eyes widen as he peels his pants off after toeing his boots off. “Don’t go anywhere,” he commands, before flinging the door open and stepping out buck ass naked.
“Insane, he’s absolutely insane.” I must be in shock. The slam of the truck door startles me, and I scramble to lock the doors. “I’m living in the twilight zone.”
I watch in horror as Liam stalks in front of the truck toward the other wolf.
I need to help him. I have salt guns in my truck. I can make it back there. Maybe. Except what the hell will a salt gun do to a full-grown rabid wolf? I don’t move, my eyes glued to Liam as he charges the wolf. A gasp gets caught in my throat, my heart thundering in my veins.
A brilliant flash of light damn near blinds me, and in the next moment, there’s another white wolf launching itself at the gray one.
Sweet tiny baby chocolate
pudding love cakes.
Liam just turned into a wolf.
“Yeah, no, I’m out.” I overturn the engine, nearly stalling the truck, and just as the wolves roll into the underbrush, I peel out like a bat out of hell.
Chapter 6
Hallucinating, I’m hallucinating. I had a stroke yesterday or a heart attack even though a stroke sounds more likely. My brain is bleeding. That does weird shit to a person! I did not, under any circumstances, see a man turn into a wolf.
Impossible.
Nope. Nope. Nope.
My breathing quickens, and I feel an actual panic attack coming on. One that feels completely different from the one I had yesterday. Never mind that, though, I need to call my doctor. She will know what to do.
Phone? Phone? Where art thou phone? I glance wide-eyed at my purse resting on the floor, then back to the road I’m thundering down, hitting every pothole like it’s my job and royally scraping the undercarriage. A long hard scrape has me wincing.
How attached is Liam to this truck?
Doesn’t matter, I need to...
What? What the hell am I going to do? Run? From a wolf? A maniacal laugh escapes my lips, bordering on hysterical.
My foot slips off the gas for a mere second and my heart flutters. I’m back too far, I’m down too low. This isn’t my truck, and I have no freaking booster seat. “Is it too much to ask for these stupid redneck trucks to come prepared with a damn booster seat? Not all people were created tall, ya know!”
I can feel the crazy spilling out of me like a broken sugar jar.
I tear ass through the little town, leaving a few bystanders eating my dust. A quick glance in the rearview shows George standing there with his brows pulled low. But then he’s gone. Fading from view as I bump onto the road out of here.
Normal. I need some kind of normal. A laugh spills out of me. Ash. I could call Ash. She’s in the military and has pets. That means she has a google PhD and knows more than I do. Mostly. Animals have mental issues, don’t they? I swear cats are always giving me the side-eye with their pompous looks and attitude. And I’ve never once met a puppy that wasn’t charged up on speeders without the speeders. Okay, maybe that is just a normal puppy personality.
