by Jade, Amelia
He roamed far and wide, leaving the decision of how to notify him if he needed help up to Flint. Nothing came across as unusual on his little jaunt, prompting him to head back toward the parking lot. As he got closer, the scent of human and metal became clear.
Guns. Goons and guns. He lifted his nose, testing it. Three of them.
Aiden moved along their scent, gaining on them quickly, but also quietly. The humans were good at moving noiselessly, considering he hopped up onto a log and nearly ran into one after they had paused. His jump had been completed in near-perfect silence. But with the human’s head perhaps three feet from his own, staying unseen just wasn’t possible.
Shit.
His options were not good. Running seemed preferable; he could lose them with ease as he circled out and around and back to Flint and the van. They wouldn’t beat him to it, and he could be there to help Flint deal with the others if need be. Then they could get in the van and drive away before the gunmen arrived.
Or he could do something really, really stupid, and attack them. This was the idiotic route. The one most likely to get him killed. He couldn’t take on three armed gunmen, even with the element of surprise, which was already being lost. Not without there being a good chance of them tagging him with some hot lead. Yet, if he did take them on, it would prove to Flint that he could be trusted, and perhaps engender some respect for dealing with them on his own. It could also get him killed, very easily.
The smart thing to do was run.
Which is why Aiden leapt at the nearest gunmen, a blur of black fur in the darkness. He had that going for him. With the sun having set nearly an hour before when they were arriving back at the pack house, things among the trees were very dark. Little of the city light penetrated this far into the foliage, giving him all sorts of cover and natural camouflage.
Aiden rode the panicked gunmen to the ground. His trigger discipline was excellent though. Despite the surprise attack, he didn’t shoot as he was buried under two hundred-plus pounds of wolf. Aiden leapt from his back into the face of the next attacker who had just completed his turn. First his paws, then his jaws shredded the delicate, sensitive skin of the human’s face.
He bounced off the gunman back at his original target. Aiden’s jaws closed on the back of his neck and he tore at it viciously for a split second before darting off into the woods. He listened carefully at the pained cries of the two men, and the angry voice of the third telling them both to shut up.
Smiling, he crept through the darkness until he was behind them. Even if the one remaining healthy attacker had been looking in the right direction, his only warning would have been the sudden appearance of a pair of yellow eyes that darted toward him. A split-second later bone-white teeth would have loomed large in his vision.
Instead Aiden slashed in swiftly and stealthily, his razor-sharp teeth ripping much of the gunman’s calf free of his body before he darted away back into the underbrush. A moment later gunfire blew apart his trail in a hail of bullets, narrowly missing Aiden as he ran deeper into the brush, circling out and around them once more.
He was breathing heavily now, more from the close call than his efforts. Several of those bullets had gone by so close he’d heard them whiz by his ear. He would have to be more careful next time with a follow-through attack, so they wouldn’t get the chance to orient on him.
Twice more he darted in unexpectedly, taking chunks of flesh off each time. The gunmen were good though, and both times the bushes disintegrated under the combined fire of all three of them. Finally they managed to get their backs to each other, each of them watching a different direction.
Aiden wanted to keep going to drive them off, but he felt like this was enough. He shifted back to human form, careful to keep a tree between him and the others.
“Leave,” he commanded, his voice echoing through the trees, bouncing off of some.
A flurry of gunfire sprayed all around where they thought he was. Most of it was in the right general direction, but none of it threatened him. Not with a three-foot-wide tree in the way.
“Fuck you!” came the response a moment later.
“Leave before I kill you.”
“Fucking Weres,” came the reply. “You think you own everything. That you have the right to sell this shit. Well guess what, some of us don’t want it out there. You don’t know what it does!”
Aiden frowned. He started to ask them what they were talking about when another wolf emerged from the forest and resolved itself into Flint. His face was covered in blood, the only evidence of how he’d dispatched the other two.
“Sitrep.”
“Three men, back to back, automatic rifles, twenty-five yards straight ahead,” he said, indicating the direction. “They know what they’re doing too.”
Flint nodded. “Wounded?”
“Yeah, all three of them are in rough shape, but still in the fight.”
“Can they run?”
“No.”
“Okay, we’re out of here then. They’ll have backup, possibly local police.”
Aiden again wanted to know more, but Flint was already back in his wolf form and leaving, fully expecting Aiden to follow. Cursing himself, he dropped to all fours and took off, only stopping briefly to grab his clothing. Then, without waiting around any longer, they hopped in the truck and departed, leaving the gunmen to wonder what had happened.
They weren’t the only ones with questions. Despite his hopes that his night would end with a more comprehensive picture of just what the fuck Stephen and his pack were up to, it appeared Aiden was going to be left with more questions than answers.
He’d already surmised that they must be selling something. The question was, what ? Drugs? Weapons? Stolen goods? He had no idea. While there was no law in the shifter world that packs must adhere to the idea of being the “good guys,” it was well known that nobody would stick up for them if they were caught.
Mack wouldn’t have sent him here for that though. He would just tip off the police and let them handle the problem for him. Far easier to do it that way. So why insert Aiden into the mix? That clearly indicated it was something related to the fact they were Weres. There were a few things they could be selling. None of them pleasant, and some of them downright terrifying to think of if word got out.
On top of that, there was the question of who the gunmen were. His earlier inner joke about the masked vigilantes suddenly didn’t seem so far off the bat. Whoever they were, they seemed intent on stopping Flint from delivering whatever had been in the back of the truck. Or was still there, for all he knew.
In his pocket his phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he looked at the message.
Private Number: No record found of any wild shifter within five years on either side of the date you provided.
Aiden took a second to reread the message, then sent one thanking his contact and deleted the conversation. The number wasn’t in his phone, and never would be. He’d memorized it a long time ago.
Just before he’d left the RRT.
The message hadn’t answered his question, but it had told him something he’d long suspected. Stephen was lying to Willow about what had happened to her family.
The question was, why?
Twelve
Willow
She paced back and forth in the upstairs hallway, the curtains wide open, giving her a full view of the driveway. Once her father had told her that Aiden was going out with them that night on a delivery, Willow had instantly known she wasn’t going to sleep until he returned.
It wasn’t that she was expecting trouble for any specific reason. The deliveries always seemed to go smoothly, and she rarely heard of any issues. The government, as big and ungainly as they might be, seemed to always handle its business with her father’s company smoothly and efficiently. What Willow didn’t understand was why it all had to be so clandestine. Why couldn’t they operate during the daytime? She hated all this sneaking around bullshit!
Tonight was e
ven worse, however. With Aiden out on a delivery—with Flint of all people!—she was even more anxious. In her gut she could just feel that something was going to happen. Thankfully the house was empty, which meant nobody was there to see her little freakout.
Movement on the driveway caught her attention like a dog who knows the word “walk.” Willow was practically perched on the windowsill as a vehicle came up to the house. It was a white pickup, which unfortunately didn’t tell her much. All of the vehicles stored at the pack house were white pickups, besides the van they used to get to and from the facility daily. She had to wait until it pulled up and two figures emerged.
When neither of them seemed to be moving with obvious hurry or injury, Willow allowed herself to breathe her first sigh of relief. Perhaps everything had gone according to plan. They headed inside and she went to greet them.
“What the FUCK happened back there?” Flint shouted as the door opened.
“Like I’ve told you twice before, Flint. I don’t know who they were. I was patrolling the forest, like you asked me to. I smelled three humans. I went to check them out, and they were armed with guns. They weren’t novices at wilderness movement either. They stopped, I jumped up on a fallen tree, and they were right there. I had no choice.”
“You didn’t know if they were friendly or not!” Flint raged.
Even Willow, taken aback by the anger, could figure out the bullshit in that logic. Aiden didn’t need her help, though. He snorted.
“If they were friendlies, then you didn’t do your damn job properly, in which case everything is your fault. I did exactly what I should have done, Flint, and you know it. You’re just pissed that someone was following whoever those guys you were meeting with, and almost got the drop on us.”
Flint stared daggers at Aiden, and for a moment Willow thought the two of them were going to go at it. But eventually the pack Second just snarled and walked away. The pair of them stood where they were, watching as Flint headed up the stairs and to his bedroom. The door slammed a moment later, confirming his location.
Willow exhaled. “Well, that was fun.”
“Oh, barrels of it,” Aiden said dryly, rolling his eyes so hard it had to have hurt. “You only got the tail end of it. I had to listen to it all the way back here.” He shook his head. “You know, Willow, I think Flint might have some anger issues.”
She snickered. “You don’t say.”
His brown eyes latched on to her, filling with warmth and amusement. “I would never say!”
They stood like that for a second, staring at each other, neither speaking, nor making a move. Then, like a dam that had finally broke, they rushed forward into each other’s arms. Aiden lifted her up, twirling her around in the air like she was as light as a feather. She rested her hands on his wrists just in case, but it wasn’t necessary. Aiden had her, completely and securely.
The muscles on his arms bulged slightly as he lowered her until she could kiss him. It was interesting to experience being the taller one, and also quite a lot of fun. She wrapped her arms around his neck, cupping his face and tilting it upward so she could kiss it properly. Aiden stopped his spin once their lips touched, standing in the middle of the hallway without moving, not a tremble in his arms as he held her aloft. Willow had never felt so safe before.
“Are you okay?” she asked, running her hands up and down the side of his head, staring intently into his face, looking for any signs he must be holding something back from her.
“I’m fine,” he assured her. “It was dark, and we were in a forest. They didn’t stand a chance.”
“You killed them?” Willow wasn’t sure how to feel about that. She knew they’d been attacking him, but still, to have killed…
“What? No!” he said, shaking his head. “Hurt, yes. But nothing they won’t heal from. Just enough to incapacitate them, prevent them from following, that sort of thing, you know?”
She nodded, the motion a little jerky but confident enough.
“I don’t kill indiscriminately,” Aiden said, glancing up the stairs after Flint. “And certainly not humans. There’s just no point. I have killed,” he admitted. “And if that’s going to be a problem, speak up now.”
She frowned. Most humans, knowing they were developing feelings for a killer would be a deal breaker. But she knew that shifters were different, and what Aiden had likely done was not murder the way a human would see it. Their world was different. For instance, she knew her father had killed before, and she didn’t let it affect the way she loved him. So why should Aiden be any different?
“Humans?” she asked quietly, the word coming out before she knew she wanted to ask it.
“No. I’ve hurt some badly, but only to ensure myself or others could escape a situation. But never a mortal wound, no.”
“Did the others deserve it?”
Aiden hesitated. “All but one,” he admitted. “One, in hindsight, probably could have been saved, and I regret it all the time. But it was either me or him, and at the time, I didn’t see another way.”
Willow nodded. “I understand.”
He started to let her down, but Willow fought it off by clamping down harder around his neck. Eventually he picked up on her resistance and adjusted his grip so he could hold her aloft still. Now though she was cradled into his arms, one around her legs, one around her back as he held her to his chest.
“Aiden?” she said, kissing his neck with an increasing urgency. Something that had been kept restrained was building within her now, and Willow needed to let it out.
“Yes?”
“I think you should take me upstairs now.”
Thirteen
Aiden
The walk upstairs was silent.
Not an awkward, unsure, tentative thing. But a comfortable peace between two older parties that knew what was about to happen. Neither of them were nineteen anymore, the nervous trepidation and insecurities of inexperience were gone for both of them, replaced by a calm confidence and a desire to experience one another in a more intimate setting.
Aiden wasn’t actually sure which room in the huge house was hers, having only ever encountered her on the lower level, but she guided him to it. Much to his relief, it was down a separate corridor, where all the guest rooms were located. Her father believed in giving Willow some space from his loudmouthed pack it would seem. For once, Aiden agreed with something he’d done.
The huge bed had four wooden posters and a black metal canopy over it, draped with a white cloth that looked like a sail. He walked over to it and set Willow down into the bedding, feeling her sink deep into the thick down comforter. Still without a word he stepped back, and, knowing her eyes were on him, slowly pulled his shirt up and over his head, flexing his muscles and twisting his body to give her as good a show as possible.
He was no Chip & Dale’s dancer—or whatever they were called—he knew that. But just because he couldn’t do a proper seductive striptease without falling across the floor and breaking something didn’t mean he couldn’t at least give her a little show.
“Ow oww,” Willow catcalled from the bed, biting down on her index finger seductively as her eyes opened wide to look at him. “Take it off!”
“I need some music,” he muttered sarcastically.
“Oh, I got this!”
Aiden stood up straight, frowning as Willow rolled over and grabbed her phone, fiddling with it for a few moments before plugging it into a bedside dock. Music started to emerge a moment later.
“ I’m…too sexy for my sh—”
Aiden lunged forward and hit the pause button. “No.”
But Willow never heard him, she was too busy trying to contain her laughter. Both hands clamped over her mouth as she shook violently, tears streaming down her rapidly reddening face. “The look—your face.” She lost control again. “Price…less!”
Her words were coming out in fits and spurts.
“You think you’re soooo funny,” he drawled, fiddling with his belt
.
Willow nodded, grabbing a pillow as she laugh-cried into it.
Aiden dropped his jeans.
Willow stopped laughing immediately as her eyes focused on the rather obvious bulge in his pants. Aiden felt his ego swell at the way she licked her lips nervously, the earlier humor already forgotten.
“Finish the job,” he ordered, letting just a bit of steel slip into his voice, letting her know that playtime was over.
“Okay,” she said breathlessly, sliding onto her knees in front of him before pulling his boxers down to the floor where he could step out of them. “Oh.”
It was the reaction he’d hoped for. Now he watched from above as Willow looked up at him from her knees, eyes wide. “Put your hand on it,” he said firmly.
Willow’s right hand came up and wrapped around his shaft, her touch warm and feminine in a way that he couldn’t describe any better. She didn’t wait for him to say anything else before she started to stroke him up and down in short motions. Aiden groaned as her tongue came out and licked up the underside of his head, warm, wet, and just firm enough to be felt, but not enough to be rough.
His eyes closed momentarily, but he opened them soon enough, his arousal swelled by the sight of Willow in front of him, lavishing attention on his cock. It was such a visceral, dominant moment that it rose up inside of him, swelling over until he wanted nothing more than to return the favor.
With a growl that filled the room he bent over, casually lifted Willow off the floor, and pushed her down onto the bed, mounting her as he covered her lips with his. They kissed with a franticness that wouldn’t have been believed a few minutes earlier. His hands ran up and down her body, leaving no part of it untouched, even as he undid buckles, bra, and buttons. None of it could be stripped without him moving, and it was with great reluctance that he eventually slipped back off the side of the bed.
But that all died when her clothing joined his on the floor, although perhaps a bit more haphazardly scattered. Aiden stood back and admired the sight of her naked body on the bed in front of him. She was pleasantly thick, with curves and meat in all the right places. A little moon tattoo adorned her upper leg on one side. He smiled, never having pegged her as the type to get ink.