She pulled up a local real estate webpage and scrolled through the offerings. There were a lot of cabins for rent, the kind that hunters or stir-crazy husbands would love. Kennedy was neither. She wanted something in town, a place close to all that Grove had to offer. The kind of place she wanted would be walking distance to the diner and a short drive to the grocery store. Preferably, it would have a view of some sort.
Biting the tip of her thumb, she wondered if that was asking too much. Kennedy knew she’d spoiled herself while travelling the country. If she wanted something, she usually gave it to herself. Now, she wondered if that gave her unrealistic expectations.
Until she found just the right place.
Immediately, she had her phone in hand, dialing the number on the page.
Chapter Fourteen
Wyatt slept for days after the fight with Jasper. His wings hadn’t fully healed from the last fight, just as he feared. It’d hindered him when he found Jasper on his own. Had he been able to call upon the others, Wyatt wouldn’t have gotten hurt as bad. They would have been able to mitigate the damage.
Yet, he’d had no way to get ahold of them. He’d been the idiot that chucked his phone into the lake. Wyatt groaned again when he realized that meant he couldn’t call the hotel and check in on Kennedy either.
His body protested when he tried to sit up. Despite the quick healing that his beast allowed him, it seemed he was still in pieces. Each movement reminded him of what was broken. When he closed his eyes, he could still see the shattered web of his wings. He drew a shuddering breath.
Determined, he put one foot on the floor. His limbs burned with the all-consuming flame of pain. Nothing cooperated. His hands shook when he tried to push back the blanket. By the time he was sitting at the edge of the bed, his vision was swimming. Darkness pressed in at the edges.
Wyatt gritted his teeth and tried to push past it. Kennedy must think he’d only been interested in a one-night stand. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. He needed to explain his disappearance. If he could tell her what happened, then maybe he could fix what he’d done.
But Wyatt couldn’t lift himself from the bed. His elbows gave out and dropped him back onto it. Pain sparked in his chest, shattered ribs out of place once more. He tried to breathe through it, but every breath brought darkness closer.
The beast promised him it was only sleep. His body needed to rest.
***
Kennedy flipped through magazines in the convenience store across the street while she waited for the realtor to arrive. It was warm inside and smelled of cheap coffee, a smell she couldn’t help but love after her years of travel. There was nothing wrong with cheap coffee and powdered cappuccinos.
Since she’d arrived in Grove, not a day had gone by that she hadn’t seen Wyatt. He’d been around every corner. The days that passed without him unsettled her. Each one tightened a knot between her shoulder blades.
When she glanced out the window, she searched for him in every face, but he wasn’t there. He wouldn’t be. She was starting to worry that he’d gotten what he wanted. She touched the mark on her neck. It hadn’t healed, but the hunt was over.
Wasn’t it?
Kennedy had slept with him. She’d screamed his name the way he’d demanded. His disappearance shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. Other men had done much worse. At least she’d gotten to experience the days that led up to that night. She could hold them tight forever, but a bitter part of her knew that would never be enough.
Every time she stepped foot in the hotel, she expected the concierge to greet her with a missed message, an explanation for why he’d disappeared. The not knowing drove her wild. Her mind came up with story after story to fill in the places that were blank. Fear told her he hadn’t liked what he’d seen. Anxiety tried to tell her that he’d found someone better. Despair whispered that she would never truly belong here.
And yet, she was still going to look at the apartment. She could only hope that he would find her. Eventually. When he did, he would have a good explanation for all of this. Kennedy sighed.
After stuffing an over-expensive culinary magazine back into the rack, she was about to turn and grab a coffee. A flashy cover caught her eye. It wasn’t the kind of magazine she ever would have read, but one word made her pause.
Aurum.
She plucked the magazine from the rack. The article title read The Sexy Bachelors of Aurum Bank. Kennedy couldn’t help but raise a brow. Flipping through the magazine, she quickly found Ashton smirking back at her. He looked suave in his suit and tie, a look she never expected to work on him. Curious now, she flipped further.
The other photos were not professional like Ashton’s had been. They were candid shots, like someone had been prowling around Grove to sneakily capture photos of the Drake family. Griffin scowled into a sunset, which wasn’t a bad look for him. Another face, one she didn’t recognize, had back hair pinned back and the crazy gleam of a rock-star in his eyes. Maybe she just assumed that because the photo showed him moving instruments along with other rocker-looking types.
Finally, Kennedy found Wyatt. She smiled at the page, at the guy with a beer in his hand and the kind of smile that warmed her heart. The warmth grew oppressive. She couldn’t bear it, snapping the magazine shut and slamming it back on the rack.
“If you’re going to ruin it, you’re going to buy it,” the clerk shouted at her.
He eyed her suspiciously until she stepped outside to wait for the realtor. Her shoulders slumped. She scanned Main Street as if Wyatt would magically appear and take her into his arms. She had no idea where he’d gone or why he’d left. Seeing his face tagged as a hot, young bachelor filled her with dread.
Kennedy felt like she couldn’t hang on to him, like there was no chance she would win his heart now. He would soon be bombarded with women trying to steal him away just because he was involved in a big bank. Not because they loved the way he smiled or the way his beast filled his eyes.
Someone ran up to Kennedy, arms waving. At first, Kennedy’s heart surged with hope, then she realized the form was feminine. It was just Makenna. She shook something in her hand. When she stood before Kennedy, she opened it up to reveal the same magazine Kennedy had just jammed back onto the rack.
“Did you see this bullshit?” Makenna asked. “My mate is not a fucking bachelor.”
Kennedy smiled at Makenna’s possessiveness. Perhaps what Kennedy felt was not too far from what she saw in Makenna, though she had no claim over Wyatt the way Makenna had over Ashton. She was not a mate.
Not as far as she knew.
Makenna scowled at the pristine photo of her boyfriend before pausing. The magazine slapped her thigh as she took in her surroundings. “What are you doing here?”
Kennedy pointed to the wide windows that filled the second floor of the building across the street. “My realtor is supposed to come and show me the apartment.”
Makenna clapped her hands together. “So, you’re staying? That’s so exciting!”
Kennedy offered a tight-lipped smile in return. It would have been more exciting had Wyatt been there to see the place with her. His disappearance confused her. She’d thought they were doing so well, that they’d moved forward. Then, it felt like they’d gone right back to the beginning.
Grove was her home, but so was Wyatt. She didn’t know how she knew. The knowledge sat inside her, as intrinsic as her own name. Yet, the magazine boasting Wyatt as one of the hottest and richest bachelors bothered her. It was like finding a secret account on a dating website, an advertisement to draw in more women. Kennedy struggled with the fallout inside her, with no longer feeling like the one.
They’d never discussed anything so serious, so she wasn’t sure why she’d held onto the idea.
Across the street, a pearl pink SUV pulled up to the curb. A woman with hair sprayed into place slid out of the driver’s seat and waved at Kennedy. The back window of the SUV bore a vinyl decal for one of those mul
ti-level make-up companies, but the door boasted the name of the realtor business. Kennedy shook her head at the absurdity of it and prepared herself for the inevitable make-up sales pitch.
“Do you mind coming with me?” Kennedy asked Makenna. “I know we aren’t particularly close or anything, but I would like a local’s take on the place.”
Makenna smiled wide and hooked her arm though Kennedy’s. “I’ve got your back. If Marcia tries to upsell you, I’ll remind her of that time I punched her in the nose in tenth grade.”
Kennedy’s eyebrows shot upward. “That is a story I will need later.”
“It’s a deal.”
The realtor eyed Makenna’s presence warily the entire time she showed them the apartment. Kennedy would have felt bad for the realtor, but her mind wandered. The updated kitchen with a black granite and quartz countertop sparkled like the night sky. She could envision Wyatt navigating it beside her, probably asking her what the difference between a green and yellow onion was.
Makenna caught her smiling, but didn’t have time to ask why. Kennedy just shook her head. When they moved to the bedroom, Kennedy saw him there, too. She could so easily envision them laying in a giant bed laden with cozy blankets. From there, they could watch storms roll over town, the best view of Grove through the massive windows.
Little by little, her stomach dropped. Each step caused it to fall another inch until it slapped the ground and dragged behind her. Every where she looked, she could see Wyatt. The possibility of her future with him was in every corner. Only two days ago, she’d been nearly certain of their future.
Then he’d gone and disappeared from her life. Kennedy didn’t know what to do with her thoughts. They spiraled. She thought of the magazine, of the women who were probably clamoring to get to know him. She didn’t want him for whatever money he might have. She didn’t need it.
She wanted Wyatt for, well, Wyatt. For the beast that turned his eyes into molten metal. For the way he growled when he held her. For the way she felt when he was around.
Turns out, he only wanted her for one thing.
Makenna nudged Kennedy with her elbow. She ducked her head and whispered privately. “Hey, are you alright. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Kennedy swallowed, feeling like her mouth was full of cinnamon. It was hot and sharp, dry as a desert at midday. She clenched her fist and tried to fight through the feelings of desperation gnawing at her from the inside. This apartment, this dream of staying in Grove, would mean almost nothing if Wyatt didn’t want to share it with her.
Before the showing was over, Kennedy turned on her heel and ran for the door. She didn’t know where she was running, just that she had to go somewhere. There was nowhere in town that would help her escape from the confusing thoughts inside her mind. No matter where she turned, she was still lost.
Finally, she turned her face toward the sky as if in a last-ditch effort to find Wyatt. She’d thought she had finally found someone who cared about her. Everyone who ever passed through her life had been momentary, fleeting like the leaves that fall to the ground each autumn. They’d smiled and spoken pleasantries, but none had ever offered more feeling than an animated conversation. Not even her own family had cared much when she set off to explore the world.
No one cared when she left. It was that kind of detachment that caused her to drift. In Grove, she thought she’d found an anchor, someone who would care about her in all the ways no one else had.
It turned out, she’d been wrong. Maybe the apartment, as beautiful as it was, wasn’t the right choice. She could find the next stop in her tour of the country. Perhaps she would visit Virginia City and explore the old saloons and underground tunnels. At least there, she could drink away the feeling of emptiness trying to swallow her whole.
Chapter Fifteen
Wyatt ran. His body still screamed in protest. A rib was still disconnected, prodding his insides with each impact. But the beast pushed him. It screamed inside him.
He’d been asleep for three days.
He had no idea what happened in those three days. Kennedy could be long gone by now. His beast panicked at the thought, going wild inside him. It took all his effort to keep the creature locked inside. He could feel his eyes changing, his vision wavering between human and beast. He sucked in a breath through his nose.
The town still smelled of her. It was faint, but he would know that scent anywhere. Hope fluttered in his stomach. He felt lighter on his feet. Would he find her at the diner? The hotel? Maybe she’d gone back to the karaoke bar to drink after his disappearance. He wouldn’t blame her.
After his fight with Jasper, he’d crawled back home to lick his wounds. He’d been more beast than human, functioning on instinct alone. As much as he’d wanted to find Kennedy, she wouldn’t have been safe with him. Both he and his beast understood that and so he’d gone as far away as he could to heal.
Then, he’d left her wondering where he’d gone for three days. Not just that, but he’d disappeared right after they’d made love. It looked horrible and he would have to find the right way to explain to her, a way that didn’t sound pathetic.
Wyatt knew he’d screwed up. He shouldn’t have thrown his phone into the lake. He should have found a way to contact Ashton or Griffin, someone who could tell Kennedy what happened. But, he’d gone off by himself and told no one how badly he’d been hurt.
He wouldn’t blame Kennedy if she never forgave him. What he’d done was cruel.
The hotel came into view, her scent leading back to it. He burst through the doors, already careening toward the stairs when someone called out to him. The voice was shrill and sent a blade of ice slicing through his stomach.
He stopped.
“Darling! Wyatt. There you are.” She touched his shoulder and turned him around.
He looked down at her angular face, skin pale and painted with a thick layer of make-up to hide any imperfections. Nicole smiled at him, sweet an innocent as though she’d never thrown a five-thousand-dollar ring in his face.
“W-w-what are you doing here?” He looked over his shoulder, hoping Kennedy didn’t appear. He didn’t know how to explain this to her. Hell, even he didn’t understand what was happening.
Nicole hitched her bag higher on her shoulder. A rolled magazine poked out of the top of it, crumpled and fraying around the edges as if she’d opened it over and over. “I’m here for you, silly. I told you over the phone that I wanted to apologize. When I called back and there was no answer, I figured you wanted me to apologize in-person.”
To see Nicole was the last thing he wanted. Every memory of what they’d had together was forgotten, cast aside in favor of something that was truly real. Now, when he looked at her, at the perfectly straightened blond hair that fell to her shoulders, he knew they never would have been happy.
He knew that Kennedy was his mate.
The beast growled low, annoyed at Nicole’s presence. He wanted to tell her to go away, but she’d come all this way. He figured he could honor the money she spent in travel expenses and hear her out. There was no way to fix what they’d broken, because it had been doomed from the start. What he could do was move forward with a fresh start, clearing all the loose ends dangling behind him.
Nicole misread his intentions. Her smile spread wider and she stepped into him, placing a hand on his chest. He reached to remove her hand when he heard a soft gasp behind him. The world froze in an instant. He knew who would be standing behind him. Already her scent enveloped him. His beast leapt for joy, but his heart sank.
From the outside, his interaction with Nicole would appear to be something else entirely. He spun around. An explanation was on the tip of his tongue, but Kennedy was already heading toward the door. She waved a hand behind her, effectively blowing him off.
He wasn’t ready to let go. Not yet.
Wyatt turned to chase after his mate, but Nicole held onto him. He couldn’t use his supernatural speed. Nicole knew nothing about that side of
his life. It could also hurt her, if she insisted on holding onto him.
Wyatt cursed. His lips curled.
“I don’t know why you’re still mad at me,” Nicole pouted. Her eyes glazed over with unspent tears. “I thought we could reconcile and pick back up where we left off! I know now that I was a fool to leave you. I was caught up in my own problems at the time. I acted without thinking.”
Wyatt gently pushed Nicole back. In a split second, her face changed. What had been a plea became spite. She wind-milled her arms and shouted, making a show of falling to the ground. His heart gave one, heavy thump. Everyone in the room had turned to look at them. At the spectacle Nicole created.
It was all a lie, though. Wyatt had never lifted his hand against her in anger. That wasn’t the kind of man he was. He looked from face to face, silently asking them to believe in him. He couldn’t read their faces, their thoughts.
“I don’t understand,” Nicole screeched. She attempted to push herself up and dramatically collapsed onto the floor, as if her arm was broken. “Someone, help me!”
No one in the hotel lobby moved. People went back to their jobs. Others shook their heads.
Wyatt noticed the magazine at his feet, fallen from her purse after she threw herself to the ground. He paused for a moment, looking back at the open door and wondering where his mate had gone. She was out there. All he had to do was find her and explain himself.
But, first, he had to deal with Nicole. He bent and picked up the magazine. Immediately, it opened to a dogeared page. He couldn’t help the incredulous laughter that escaped him. Nicole, when he glanced back at her, was frowning so hard he thought her face would remain that way forever.
“So, you realized I had more money than I let on,” he said. “If I’d told you from the beginning that my family owned Aurum Bank, you never would have given my ring back. You would have done everything in your power to keep me even though you didn’t actually love me.”
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