The Heart Remembers: Blood Valley Investigations: Book Two (The Omega Auction Chronicles 16)

by Kian Rhodes

  ~*~

  "So, what's our plan?" I set the plate holding both of our food in Scott's lap and crawled back under the cover with him, leaning against the wall. In retrospect, I probably should have asked more questions when he suggested that we sneak out of the hospital and run, but, honestly, I felt so safe with him that it really had seemed like a no-brainer. After that first time at the cliff's edge, I hadn't even had an episode when he was with me.

  As corny as it sounds, he was my safe place.

  My anchor.

  "Well," Scott wolfed down half of the first sandwich in two bites. "I didn't tell that damned detective, but I'm guessing he was right that you were at the club trying to find out what happened to you."

  It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway.

  "So I thought that we'd take another run at tracking down the men you were chatting with. See what they know."

  "Really?" The potato chip I'd put in my mouth turned to sawdust and I had to take a drink to wash it down. "You're not mad at me for that?"

  "For what?" The rest of the sandwich was demolished. "Talking to other men?"

  "Well, yeah," I tried to keep from cringing but failed. "I really wasn't going to hook up with him, I swear."

  "I know." Scott looked at me curiously. "Har, it never even occurred to me that you were."

  The breath I didn't realize I was holding escaped in a rush and I laughed, nearly giddy with relief.

  "That said," Scott set the empty plate aside and tugged me onto his lap, "I would really prefer it if you never took that kind of risk again." He nuzzled into my neck. "You can tell me anything, Har, and I'll always have your back. When I saw all those creeps swarming you.." he trailed off, sucking lightly on the tender skin behind my ear. "Please don't scare me like that again."

  A familiar panicky feeling crept over me, making me think I'd pronounced myself cured of the episodes too soon.

  "Hey, hey, none of that, Harley," Scott crooned into my ear, holding one of my hands to his chest and stroking my back firmly with the other. "Deep breaths. Stay here with me, baby."

  I tried to match my breaths to his and quickly noticed that same increase in the scent that was so totally him.

  "I'm not mad at you, Har," he continued to murmur softly in my ear. "I never was."

  When the fear began to dissipate, he brushed his nose over the back of my neck. "That's better."

  "Sorry," I mumbled, staring down at the blanket and wishing for the millionth time that I wasn't so fucked up. It wasn't like I could really expect Scott to put up with my issues indefinitely.

  "Of course you can."

  "Huh?" I jerked my head up.

  "Expect me to stick around," he clarified, leaving me wondering if I'd spoken out loud. "I'm not leaving you. I told you that." Scott pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. "You're stuck with me."

  The fear was slowly being replaced by a warm internal glow and my body just sort of melted against his chest, as I inhaled the scent of his skin.

  "Anyway," Scott switched back to the previous topic as if we'd never left it, "I think it makes more sense to go back to the area where you were living with Zade."

  "Aren't we running from them?"

  Scott laughed. "No. We just needed a little head start and now we've got it."

  "Why do you think we should go back there?"

  "Well," Scott said thoughtfully. "The Oh! Club is a chain and dating sites usually use an algorithm to help match members with people close by. So there's a good chance that we were actually at the wrong club the other night. The people that we're looking for might be at a different location. One closer to where your profile says you live."

  I tilted my head back and stared into his eyes.

  "What?"

  I couldn't help but laugh. "With all those professionals working on this case, how is it that none of them came to that conclusion?"

  Scott shrugged self-consciously. "Just lucky, I guess."

  "I don't think so," I disagreed, leaning forward to plant my lips hard on his. "Scary smart is a little more like it." Suddenly eager to be on the road, I grabbed my pants from where I had tossed them on the floor earlier and yanked them on over the sticky jock. "Well, let's go, Alpha. We're burning moonlight!"

  When Scott didn't respond, I turned to find him watching me with an odd expression. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing, really," he said swiftly. "But that's the second time you've called me Alpha. How come?"

  Was it? Although, I could swear I remembered him referring to himself that way the day I'd snuck in to use his laptop and ended up sitting on his face.

  "That's right, baby. Let your Alpha in."

  A shiver ran through me as I recalled the pleasure that had followed his words.

  I shrugged. "Dunno. Is Big Daddy better?"

  Scott snorted out a laugh and shook his head, reaching for his own discarded jeans.

  "Gods, no. Let's hit the road."

  Chapter Thirty

  Scott

  The drive from Wolfsrudel back to the Blue Ridge pack lands was about four hours, give or take. Not exactly a road trip, but the still-healing wound in my shoulder meant that even with a couple of rest breaks to stretch my back and shoulder, I was stiff well before we arrived.

  About halfway through the trip, I twisted in my seat, angling my good arm over my head to try and loosen the knots forming there, and saw Harley watching me, his eyes intense.

  "Something wrong?"

  Harley's lips twisted into a slight frown, but he shook his head. "No. Not really."

  "You know you can talk to me about anything," I reminded him. "And it sure looks like there is something on your mind."

  Harley continued to study me and then it seemed like he came to a decision. He released his breath in a long, slow exhalation. "I had a dream. The night you tore your stitches."

  "Okay."

  "Scooter was there. The wolf that I told you about."

  I waited. As far as I knew, this was the first time that Harley had remembered one of his dreams.

  "He saved me from a monster." Harley drew the side of his bottom lip into his mouth in an all too familiar nervous habit. "But when it was done, he was bleeding from his shoulder."

  "I see." I forced my face to remain passive as my heart began to race. First, Harley had called me Alpha and now he remembered a dream days after he'd had. Was it really possible that Harley was going to recover his memories after all? It was all I could do to hide the joy coursing through my body at the thought.

  When Harley's eyes narrowed slightly, I realized that while I was inwardly celebrating the milestones in his possible recovery, my Omega was waiting for a response.

  "That's great, Har," I said, my voice carrying a little more emotion that it probably should have.

  He released his lip from his teeth and his eyes narrowed a little more, taking on a suspicious glint. "You don't sound surprised."

  "I'm not." I wink at him, choosing to intentionally misconstrue his comment. "I always believed you'd get better and now you are!"

  "About the wolf, Scott," Harley huffed, making me snicker. "Isn't it odd that the wolf that befriended me out of the blue received the same injury protecting me that you did?"

  Well, either his memory was recovering or his subconscious was putting one and one together. The problem was, I wasn't sure how much information to offer without risking damage to his recovering mind. Making a mental note to call the doctor that had been treating him as soon as I could, I forced myself to give him a relaxed smile that belied the anxiety and excitement fighting for control of my emotions.

  "No. I don't think that's odd at all." I grabbed his hand and raised it to my lips, kissing the soft skin on the inside of his wrist. "After all, we both care about you and want you safe, right?" I didn't wait for him to agree. "So it makes perfect sense that you would associate us together."

  I flipped his hand over to kiss the top. "But,
more importantly, Har, is the fact that you remembered it." Slowing the van to a stop in the middle of the empty road, I ignored the honking of the truck behind me and leaned over to press a kiss to his lips. "I'm so happy for you."

  Instead of answering, Harley angled his head to give me better access and brought one hand up to cup the back of my head, pulling my mouth harder against his. By the time I broke the kiss and pulled back, Harley's eyes were glazed over and there was a steady stream of cars passing me on the left as they shouted and made insulting gestures.

  Pressing the gas pedal, I started encouraging the van to climb back to the speed limit – she had a lot of great traits, but speedy acceleration wasn't one of them – and Harley settled back in his seat. Soon he was dozing, so I turned up the radio, rolled down my window, and enjoyed the rest of the drive.

  Harley was still out cold, his head resting in my lap and my hand resting lightly on his hip, when I turned into the drive that led to the Blue Ridge Alpha's house. I'd only been there once before, but the aggressive security force trying to stop the Blood Valley Omega, Levi, and me from entering stood out in my mind, so I was surprised to be waved through the gate without opposition.

  Pulling up to the house, I was more than a little surprised to see Zade's pick-up truck parked out front. Granted, I had sent him a letter telling him of my plans to bring Harley to Blue Ridge, but there was no way he could have received it already and beaten us there.

  "Hey." I stroked Harley's hair lightly. "Wake up, sleepy head. We're here."

  Harley smiled and pressed against my palm like a cat looking for pets, but didn't open his eyes. "I love it when you touch me." He nudged my hand again. "Keep doing that?"

  I chuckled and rubbed my fingers through the spiky hairs on the side of his head that were starting to grow out. "Later, baby. We're here."

  Harley's only answer was a disgruntled sigh, but he stretched and finally opened his eyes. "Hi."

  "Hi, yourself." I waited until he sat up to lean over for a kiss, laughing when he jerked away. "What's wrong?"

  "I need to brush my teeth," he mumbled, covering his mouth with his hand. "That has to be some nasty breath."

  I rolled my eyes. "You can use my toothbrush. It's in the back."

  "Shower, too?" Harley asked hopefully, reminding me that he was still wearing the jock soiled with our juices under his jeans.

  My dick immediately began to fill at the thought and I had to clear my throat.

  "Ah, well, maybe we should see what's going on inside first?" I suggested, nodding to the truck. "It looks like we have company."

  Harley's face paled, but he bobbed his head in agreement before ducking into the back to brush his teeth. "I'll be out in a minute."

  I stepped out of the van and leaned against the side, waiting for Harley before approaching the house. No sooner had he rejoined me than the door swung open wide. To both of our surprise, it was Levi and not Zade who walked out to greet us.

  "Hey, guys." Levi wrapped his arms around Harley in a warm hug before reaching out to shake my hand. "What are you doing here?"

  So Zade hadn't gotten my letter. No surprise. I cocked my head. "Is Zade available?"

  "Nope." Levi's lips turned down ever so slightly at the corners, but he kept his voice strong. "He's not here. I..I came back alone."

  Oh, hell. That was not a good sign.

  "Oh, no!" Harley wound his arm around Levi's waist and led him back inside. "What happened?"

  I followed behind slowly, not sure that Levi would want to talk in front of me, but he turned and offered a small smile. "You might as well come with us. You've heard my sob stories before." Once inside, he gestured for Harley and me to take the couch and he sat down in one of a pair of matching leather recliners. "Like I said, Zade isn't here." Levi swallowed hard. "We're, well, having a trial separation is the way to put it, I suppose." He tried to smile, but his blue eyes were full of tears when they met mine. "I guess I wasn't really what he wanted after all."

  "Oh, Levi," I sighed. "I'm sure that isn't it. What happened after you left my hospital room?"

  Harley raised a brow and I realized I'd been so caught up in everything else that I forgot to tell him about the situation.

  Later, I mouthed, relieved when he gave a slight nod.

  "I don't know," Levi said softly. "Zade started in again on all the reasons that he didn't want you dating Harley and, well, I guess I lost it." He shrugged. "I jumped in the truck and came back to pack my stuff." He gave a small laugh but there was no humor in it. "Luckily my room at Trevor's place is still vacant. I can move back in."

  "Shit," I groaned. "I'm so sorry, kid."

  "Thanks." Levi dashed the tears from his eyes. "Enough about me. What are you guys up to?"

  That, I had to admit, was an excellent question.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Rafe

  My tiny office had never been so packed or so quiet as it was when I hung up the phone. Zade and Clint were still in the chairs opposite my desk and the far wall was lined with my usual back up – Bane, Snake, Whiner, Jackal and, of course, where Jackal went, so went Vlad. Still, even with nearly every square inch of the room packed, you could have heard a pin drop when I dropped the telephone receiver back into the cradle with a clunk.

  I looked around at the congregated beings and shook my head. "That office is short staffed right now, so unless we have actual proof instead of just suspicions, they don't have the manpower to investigate."

  Everyone groaned in unison and I held up my hand to stave off the complaints that I knew would come at the tail end. "But we are more than welcome to send a crew to investigate."

  "That's pretty far out of our jurisdiction," Whiner said skeptically.

  "True," I agreed. "But we have their blessings, so.."

  "We're really going to head out of state to see if there is a problem?" Jackal said dubiously. "Oof!"

  Next to him, Vlad's signature caftan – this one a neutral beige covered in palm trees, but, as usual, nearly transparent – fluttered as his elbow was planted firmly in his husband's side before he stepped forward. "Of course, we have to help! I'd like to volunteer."

  I smothered a smile – since vetting into the pack, Vlad was always one of the first to volunteer for any mission, regardless of danger or necessary skill set. "Thank you, Vlad." I nodded seriously and scribbled his name on the notepad in front of me. "As soon as we form a plan, I'll match volunteers to available assignments. In the meantime, you're all excused." I caught Whiner's eyes. "Council meeting at dawn."

  No sooner than Whiner had led the troops out of the office, the COPSD receptionist was rapping lightly on the door.

  "Got a delivery for you, Rafe."

  "Thanks, Becky." I accepted the large manila envelope and, poking a claw through, sliced through the seal, grinning when Clint rolled his eyes at my shenanigans. Inside were two smaller, letter-sized envelopes. To my surprise, one had Zade's name neatly printed on the front. "Looks like this is for you," I commented, tossing it across the desk.

  Zade's raised brow told me that he was just as surprised as I was. Tearing it open, he pulled out a wad of bills followed by two neatly folded sheets of paper. Quickly scanning the letter, he groaned and shoved it all back into the envelope and dropped it back on the desk.

  "Good news?" Clint asked with a snicker. The snicker turned into a laugh when Zade glared at him.

  "Scott," Zade huffed, "has taken it upon himself to prepare a purchase agreement transferring Harley to his care and keeping."

  "Really?" I had to bite back a laugh myself. That Alpha definitely had nerve. "How much is he offering?"

  Zade leveled a scathing look at me. "Like it matters?"

  I cocked a brow. "Doesn't it?"

  "You know damned well that I can't sell Harley when he doesn't even know who he is."

  "Yeah, because that's the only thing that's wrong with treating Omega's like property," a newcomer s
niped.

  "Hey, baby." I stood up to give my chair to my mate. "Everything okay?"

  Colby sat, giving me a grateful smile. "Yeah. Fine." He pulled an envelope from his pocket and waved it in the air. "This was left at the house, though."

  "You're a popular guy today, Zade," I said with a smirk when I recognized Levi's neat printing on the front of it.

  "Fuck my life," he groaned, leaning forward to snatch it from Colby's fingers. He ripped it open and scanned it, all his usual cockiness faded away and most of the color drained from his cheeks. "Son of a bitch." He shoved himself to his feet and turned to the door. "I've gotta go."

  I picked up the letter he had dropped on top of the envelope from Scott and read it to myself. Wincing, I refolded it and gently placed it back inside the envelope.

  "Remember when he said Levi would get over their spat about Harley and Scott?" I asked no one in particular. Clint nodded and I sighed. "Levi went back to Blue Ridge to pack up. It seems he's going back to werewolf territory."

  "What?" Clint's eyes widened. "Why?"

  "It doesn't really go into detail. He just says that he isn't willing to compete with Harley for Zade's affection and he suggests that Zade needs to do some soul searching to see if he is really as unattached to Harley as he says he is."

  "Fuck," Colby hissed under his breath. "That is not good."

  "I don't know," Clint said thoughtfully. "Maybe it's not so bad."

  "Explain?" Clint may have been a long time friend, but that didn't mean we always agreed.

  "Think about it," Clint said calmly. "You know Zade is crazy for Levi and I know Zade is crazy for Levi, but Levi is the one he needs to make it clear to." Clint shrugged. "If his Omega is going home to Trevor, it would seem that Zade hasn't accomplished that. Besides, he really is acting like an ass by trying to keep them apart." He rolled his eyes. "All this protecting Harley crap is nonsense. Amnesia or not, Omega's know what they want."

  Well. He did have a point.

  "This could get interesting," Colby said suddenly, waving the letter from Scott that he had nosed into while Clint and I were talking. "You said Levi went home to Blue Ridge?"