What the plan was—where they were even going—she didn’t know. And she didn’t care. Her world was complete again.
She’d paid her dues. Not enough in her pack’s eyes, of course, but obviously the universe—or whatever higher power—recognized that she’d been through plenty, and had earned a way out. Permanently this time.
She looked at the vampire to her left.
With him.
Four
Shain didn’t know it was possible to sweat on the inside of his body.
Maybe he should’ve waited for Marex. Or had her sit in the back. Anything to serve as a buffer between them. The truck’s interior was saturated with her sensa: sweat from her run, whatever soap she used, and her own distinctive aroma that was forever imprinted on his senses permeated the small space.
How many times had he run his nose along her skin to capture that scent? He’d licked it, reveled in it, clutched her body close to him many days just to fall asleep. By the gods, he craved. Shain briefly closed his eyes, trying not to breathe it in, switching from one sweaty hand on the steering wheel to the other.
He hadn’t thought the proximity to her would torture him like this. It was twice as bad as it had been when they were together. Maddening.
That jacket of his was ruined with her exotic scent now. He’d never be able to wear it again.
Gods, I need air.
He took the next exit and pulled into a truck stop.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You need clothes. Stay here.”
There wasn’t much of a selection, but he managed to find a pink sweatshirt, a pair of one-size-fits-all leggings and socks. No shoes, but that would have to do for now. He also grabbed a few snacks since they still had a long way to go.
“Passing through?” The cashier smacked her gum and smiled at him flirtatiously.
He snapped out of it, reaching for his wallet. “Yes.”
“Did you find everything you need?”
“I did. Thanks.”
“Is there nothing else you want?” She took her time putting his items in the bag.
His mouth quirked in a wan smile. Bold human women were aplenty in the Midwest, he found, always making it clear what they wanted. One had to appreciate it. “What do I owe you?”
He paid and left, his mood somewhat lightened now that he’d gotten a few minutes of cold, stale air. The second he climbed in the driver’s seat, however, clearing his nose only made her scent all the more potent when he was back in it.
He aggressively put the SUV in drive.
As he pulled back on the interstate, she rifled through the plastic bags, pulling out the sweatshirt and leggings.
“Sorry I couldn’t do better,” he said, glancing at her.
“They’re perfect. Thank you.”
She started to remove his jacket.
He jerked his gaze straight. Don’t look.
Then again…screw that. He was owed a look. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the lines of her thighs, the silhouette of her stomach, her breasts...
Damn me. His cock swelled merely with a glance. It’d be so easy to pull over and take her in his arms.
Her sensa continued to scream sexual longing, mile after mile. It poured from Kimber like the sun radiating heat. Her fervent sex drive had stunned even him; she’d wanted it often, anytime, nearly anyplace. Shifters loved to fuck as much as they loved to fight, but in the end, a vampire’s needs were voracious. Kimber was the first immortal he’d met who wanted it more than he did.
Involuntarily, he inhaled, taking in her desire, feeding on it, not doing his cock any favors.
By the gods, she wanted to make love. Badly.
Shain hardened his thoughts and frowned.
To hell with what she wanted or what his body throbbed for.
She finished putting on the sweatshirt and leggings. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.” He shifted in his seat, using his thumb to push his erection down from straining his zipper.
“We’ve been driving for hours and you’ve barely said ten words to me, Shain.”
That was because he didn’t know what to say. He had questions, he was in doubt, he felt too many things to sort them rationally. “I don’t feel like talking.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m still—processing all of this.”
She turned in her seat to face him. “So am I. We should talk about it.”
His silence was his ambivalent way of allowing conversation.
Her gaze was locked on his profile for a long time before she said anything, as if she was studying him, trying to read him.
“You seem…I don’t know. It’s just that when I saw you, I was so happy, but also in serious disbelief. Diana told me she sent the letter to Zander Kane, but she didn’t mention you. Only him. I thought there was no way an alpha from another pack would even think about coming for me, let alone you doing it. But there you were.” She touched his bicep, then breathed, “Here you are.”
He jerked from her touch on his sleeve. “Marex and Zander asked me to come. They thought if you didn’t see a familiar face you wouldn’t leave.”
She gaped at him. “That’s why you came?”
“You shouldn’t be forced to marry, Kimber. This isn’t the Dark Ages.”
She straightened her spine. “Is that the only reason? Because you disagreed with the custom?”
He pulled out the letter from the console to hand it to her. “That, and because your friend Diana begged Zander to come get you. We had to do what was right without starting a war.”
She took the paper. After reading, she sighed. “Oh, Diana.”
There was one thing he wanted to ask. “If we hadn’t shown up tonight, would you have gone through with the wedding?”
After a pause, she softly answered, “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t think I had a choice. Not unless I wanted to try and start a life on my own, with no money, no support, and nowhere to go. Do I have to remind you what your kind does to mine if they find out we’re separated from a pack?”
A reminder wasn’t necessary. “At least being on your own is better than to be some asshole’s subservient wife.”
She stiffened. “That’s not what I’d be and you know it.”
He had to clamp down his jaw to stop a smile. No. She’d be nowhere near that kind of mate. That was one of the things he’d loved about her. Her spirit. Her guts. Her independence. Which was why the fact she was going to allow men to make decisions for her pissed him off.
“Who was he?” he asked.
She faced the front again. “An omega. His name was Hudson. He joined the pack a few years ago, right before I left for Atlanta. Your basic pack brute. All bite. No heart.”
Great. So he’ll be extra maniacal when he hears the news. “Is he in love with you?”
“He’s obsessed with owning me. I doubt he knows what love is.”
“That won’t stop him from coming for you.”
She didn’t disagree.
Two hours later, he took the exit off the interstate and onto the highway that would lead home. After half a dozen turns, he pulled into the small clearing next to the driveway, where his snowmobile waited. He parked and turned off the truck. “We need to take the snowmobile from here.”
She looked around the dark. “To where?”
He got out without answering, walked to the snowmobile and pulled off the protective tarp.
She opened her door. “I don’t have any shoes, remember?”
Which meant he’d have to carry her again. He walked over to her, gestured for her to climb into his arms, and she did. Holding her felt good. He wanted to bury his face in her neck and never let go, but he didn’t want it to feel good. He set her down on the seat and handed her a helmet. He’d come back for his overnight bag later.
Because the distance was only half a mile, they arrived at the cabin quickly.
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So many times he’d dreamt of this moment, bringing her there, imagining the look on her face, what she’d say.
She didn’t ask him to carry her inside, removing her helmet, awe on her beautiful face.
“Whose place is this?” she asked.
It was supposed to be ours. “Mine.” He unlocked the door.
She looked around. “It’s so secluded.”
“That’s the point.”
She glanced at him then walked in as he flipped on the lights.
Her audible gasp made his heart thunder. “Shain. Oh my god. It’s amazing.”
The small part of him that cared was pleased, but he didn’t want to hear that she liked it, or anything positive about it. “If you’re hungry, there’s soup in the fridge. Just heat it up. Half bath is over there. Two bedrooms upstairs with a full bath. You can sleep in the master. I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
Sleep? She broke out of her awe. “What?”
“I need a shower.” An ice cold one.
He left her standing there, agape. The fact she was shocked they wouldn’t be sharing a bed, and that he’d made it clear, was a result of him being unclear about his feelings.
He undressed and cranked the shower handle to the coldest setting, head hung, resting his hands on the wall and letting the chilly water douse his body. He breathed out, attempting to tame his emotions, one by one. Having her there was nothing short of surreal. One minute, he was chopping wood, trying not to think about what he’d lost a thousand times a day, with nothing to look forward to but another day like the one before, and the next, he was on a mission to rescue the woman he thought was out of his life forever.
The way she looked at him when she saw him in the woods…
He slapped the wall with a curse.
Why gods why did she look at him like that? As if she still loved him and assumed he’d forgiven her? She’d taken his love and thrown it in his face. He should be done with her. Feel nothing. Where was the exquisite numbness for her now? Why did he want to forget what she put him through and hold her?
He closed his eyes.
Because.
Because he’d fought so hard to stay sane since then, and she didn’t deserve to be forgiven instantly, without explaining herself, without making him understand just why it’d had to be that way.
If she expected to start over and be together again, she was mistaken.
He couldn’t risk it.
Not with at least a dozen shifters trying to track them down, that could at any hour come and take her. If that were to happen, there was no doubt they wouldn’t leave him alive that time.
And if she was stolen away again, he’d be dead anyway.
Kimber dropped the soup spoon in the bowl, unable to finish, anxious for Shain to emerge from the bathroom.
She was finally beginning to understand his signals, from the very first moment of their reunion, when he hadn’t embraced her, to his aloof demeanor in the truck, to his attitude, to how he’d just coldly informed her they’d be sleeping in separate rooms.
He hadn’t shown up out of love, but obligation…that romantic, gallant vampire part of him that couldn’t ignore a woman’s distress call.
Just as Kimber had assumed for months…he despised her.
Yes, he desired her, she’d seen the evidence of it while she’d undressed next to him, but there was no love in his eyes. Or at least, she hadn’t seen it. None of his actions thus far proved her wrong, only heartbreakingly right. If he had come because of his love for her, he would’ve swept her up in his arms the moment she was within reach, he would’ve kissed her, told her he loved her, and pulled over the second they were safe and held her.
Staring at the carrots and chunks of potatoes, she sucked in a breath, tears filling her eyes.
Don’t cry. You should’ve expected this.
He had every right to be bitter. Did she really think he would fall to his knees with open arms? That he would forgive and love her again without an apology or explanation?
That had to be what he needed. Of course she planned to tell him everything or anything he wanted to know. She’d hide nothing.
Time. That’s all she needed to give him. An explanation and a little time.
After all, he’d been led to believe she’d met her mate and gone back to the pack to live happily ever after, and now he knew that was nowhere near the truth.
The bathroom door opened upstairs. She stood and looked above.
Nude, Shain took his time walking to a bedroom, his back to her.
A desirous breath escaped her to see those muscular legs, perfectly sculpted ass, and wide back. Her hands tightened to fists then released, the need siphoning to her pussy, making it clench.
Her wolf howled, in heat, impatient to mate.
But first. Talk.
When he started to come down the stairs in jeans and a shirt, she tentatively made her way to the living room, watching him sink to his haunches to prepare a fire in the hearth. Obviously for her benefit; vampires relished the cold.
How she wanted to run to him, wrap her arms around him, and tell him she was sorry. So, so sorry.
The fire crackled to life and he rose, looking at it, while she looked at him.
Swallowing, her heart thudding in her ears, she shuffled his way, and stood behind the loveseat.
He whipped around like he hadn’t known she’d been there.
They stood staring at each other for a long time, communicating by body language and facial expressions alone. Her face apologetic and contrite. His, resentful and hurt.
“About what really happened…” she began tenderly, wishing she didn’t have to do this, and relieved he’d finally know everything.
His eyes narrowed. “You lied to me. And you led me to believe that lie this entire time.”
“I had to.” Her voice broke.
“Why? Damn it, why?”
After a deep breath, she allowed her mind to drift to the past, and relayed her side of story. The real story. “That—that morning, after we’d made love, I couldn’t sleep. I thought we were free, and let my guard down, convinced myself the pack must have given up on finding us. We were finally far enough from Atlanta where your ex-allies couldn’t taunt us.”
They’d been hiding out in a cottage in Maine under fake names, and had been on the run for months.
A tight, hot ball grew in her throat. “So while you slept, I went to the market. I was going to make you that…” her small laugh was wobbly, “that blood orange drink we’d joked about. Buy a new dress. Cook dinner. I wanted to surprise you.” A simple but ultimately perilous idea. “I was feeling bold. Untouchable. I should know every time I feel like that, crazy things happen. After all, the last time I’d been that bold was when I went for a night swim on private property.”
The evening they met.
Shain’s expression hardened.
She swallowed. “I was choosing cherries when I saw a man at the end of the aisle, staring at me. I knew right away he was a shief. Within an instant, my perfect morning was over. I didn’t know what to do. I went the other way, but then there was another man, and they blocked me in. Told me if I screamed, they’d rip my throat out and throw my body into a lake.” She shrugged. “I believed them.”
Shain’s hands squeezed to fists and released. “And then?”
Kimber sniffed, casting her gaze off, remembering the terror, how shaken and angry she was. Her wolf had felt cornered and outnumbered, but she hadn’t feared for her life, only thinking of Shain’s.
“They took me to picnic area where the alpha, Amos, waited with more shifters, like we were about to have lunch or something. He demanded I come back to Tavish. I said no. Never. He actually tried to reason with me, emphasized I belonged with my own kind, that this fantasy with you had to end. That by staying together we would be telling the underworld a shiya and a vampire love was possible, and that it’d only give vampires more of a reason to kill us off. I told Amos I didn’t
care what it did. That I loved you. That I chose you.”
Her sweet, tearful words only seemed to irritate Shain. “We both know how this ends, so get to the part where you chose to betray me.”
“I didn’t—” She cut off, closing her eyes at his anger, new tears refreshing the trail of the previous ones. “They told me our address, described the house, what you were wearing the night before. Amos said there were six shiefs surrounding the property, and they had orders to drag you outside on your knees, in front of the sun, if I didn’t come of my own free will. I didn’t believe he wouldn’t kill you anyway.”
“How did he convince you otherwise?”
“He said killing you wasn’t worth it, that no one would care, since you were an immortal forsaken. He said it would hurt you more if I left you.”
Emotion flickered for the first time in his turquoise blue eyes, but he didn’t let her see it for long.
“I told him you’d never believe that I ran away, that you’d come for me, that they wouldn’t be able—” her voice started to shake, “—to keep us apart.” Taking a deep breath, she pushed to finish with a clear voice. “It wasn’t just about you and me. They knew who your parents were and where they lived. Who your brother was. Amos told me I had to convince you I wasn’t in love with you, or else. I spat in his face, and blurted without thinking… I said the only way you’d believe that was if I told you I’d found my shifter mate.”
His posture straightened. “I see. So that part was your idea.”
“They were threatening to kill you and your family. I had no choice!”
He slowly raised his gaze to hers, hard as ice. “Yes, you did.”
“Can’t you put yourself in my place? I had fifteen fucking minutes to say goodbye. That’s it. Amos warned if I wasn’t outside and in the truck within that time, they were going to storm the house and pull you outside so I could witness your death.”
“And you thought they’d be able to do that? That I wouldn’t be able to fight them?”
“There were too many, damn it! You would’ve died!”
Shain: Immortal Forsaken Series #6 (Paranormal Romance Novella) Page 4