“Thank fucking god,” Kale said, sighing with relief when he finally found the small sliver of glass and pressed his thumb against it.
Within seconds, the tracker was being pushed open as Ashley’s arm expanded, filling with muscle while dark brown fur began growing out of her skin and Kale found himself looking into the beautiful green eyes of his mate as she bared her fangs at him.
This was going to be a long fucking night.
Chapter 30
Something smelled really bad and Ashley had a bad feeling that the smell that was turning her stomach was the wet, furry mess moving beneath her. When it shifted with a loud groan that definitely wasn’t human, she squeezed her eyes shut and began praying that this was just a really bad dream as she was forced to grab hold of what was definitely wet fur and bit back a whimper.
She really wanted to go home now.
She also really wanted whatever she was sprawled on top of to stop moving. Swallowing hard and telling herself that everything was going to be okay, Ashley told herself to open her eyes, but she knew that she was a horrible liar. She didn’t want to find out what she was lying on top of, why she was naked, or what would happen once she opened her eyes, but she knew that she didn’t have a choice. Slowly exhaling, she lay there for another minute as she willed her eyes to open and felt her stomach drop when she realized that she was lying on top of a really freaking huge bear.
“Oh, my god…” Ashley mumbled weakly.
“Your new best friend is an asshole,” Kale said somewhere to her right as Ashley lay there, swallowing hard as she struggled to remember how to breathe, but it was difficult knowing that she was on a large freaking bear!
“What happened?” Ashley asked hollowly as she forced herself to turn her head only to find herself frowning when she spotted Kale leaning back against a tree, shirtless, covered in scratches that looked like they were already healing, and looking amused for some reason.
“You and the asshole played tug of war with a deer before raising hell all night, chasing squirrels, and bitch-slapping fish,” he drawled, watching her closely.
“I don’t remember any of this,” Ashley mumbled, frowning as she tried to remember what happened last night.
The last thing she remembered was Kale tearing off her tracker and…
Nothing.
“No one remembers their first shift,” Kale told her, shrugging it off as he folded his arms over his chest while she lay there, struggling not to panic.
“I’d really like to go now,” Ashley mumbled, wincing when the bear beneath her grumbled and shifted onto its side, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut again and pray that the bear beneath her wasn’t on the verge of waking up to look for a snack.
“I bet you would,” came the murmured reply that didn’t exactly sound like he was in a rush to help her.
“I really would,” she mumbled weakly, nodding only to rethink the move since she really didn’t think that moving was a good idea right now.
“You know what I would like?” came the bored question.
“To save me from being mauled by a bear?” Ashley asked, sounding really hopeful to her own ears as she forced herself to open her eyes only to end up biting back a whimper when she spotted Kale still leaning back against the tree only now, he was examining his fingernails, looking bored.
“That sounds fun, but no,” Kale said dryly as he dropped his hand away. “I was thinking that we could talk.”
“Wouldn’t you rather talk behind the safety of a locked door over pancakes?” Ashley suggested with a hopeful smile that quickly died away when he said, “No.”
“I could always climb down and make it back home on my own,” she pointed out, only to grab handfuls of wet fur with a whimper when the large bear beneath her stretched in its sleep, threatening to send her flying.
“You could,” Kale murmured in agreement as she lay there clinging to the bear, deciding that now would be a lovely time to have this conversation.
With that in mind, Ashley cleared her throat and asked, “What’s on your mind?”
“Oh, this and that,” Kale said, watching her curiously.
“Could you perhaps be more specific?” Ashley asked as she risked a look down and found herself staring at large paws tipped with sharp claws that she really didn’t want to become better acquainted with.
“I thought we’d start with all those secrets that you’re keeping from me,” Kale drawled, looking like he had all the time in the world for this conversation.
Clearing her throat, Ashley said, “I’d be willing to negotiate the terms of that conversation.”
“You have nothing to negotiate,” Kale pointed out.
Biting back a wince, she murmured, “This is true,” in agreement before adding, “But I would still like to discuss other venue options for this interrogation.”
“And what will you give me if I agree to the terms of your surrender?” came the amused question as Ashley found herself wondering if she could slide down the back of the bear and-
“Anything!” Ashley yelled, squeezing her eyes shut when the bear beneath her stretched in his sleep again, forcing her to hold on tightly.
“Anything?”
“Yes!” she quickly said when the bear beneath her started making noises that didn’t sound promising.
There was a heavy sigh and then, Kale, bless him, was plucking her off the bear and throwing her over his shoulder. Relieved, Ashley opened her eyes to find the huge grizzly bear sitting up and-
Was the bear pouting?
Yes, yes, he was, Ashley thought, sighing heavily as she tried to prepare herself for what was coming.
God, he was fucking exhausted, Kale thought with a pained groan as he felt the pain in the ass that kept him up all night crawl over him and settle next to him on the bed.
“What are you doing?” Kale asked, sighing heavily as he turned his head so that he could watch the woman who should have passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow settle back against the headboard as she did her best to balance a plate of cookies on her lap.
“Renegotiating the terms of our agreement,” Ashley said, looking so fucking adorable wearing one of his old shirts with her hair pulled up into a messy bun as she nibbled on a large chocolate chip cookie that he was tempted to steal.
“Oh, yeah?” Kale asked, watching her as she grabbed another cookie before she finished devouring the one in her hand.
After a shift, shifters usually needed three things, food, sex, and sleep, which is why he’d dropped her off in her bathroom and told her to take a shower and get some sleep before they talked. It appeared that she’d decided to take care of hunger first, Kale thought as he watched her devour another cookie. For a moment, he lay there, running his eyes over her, watching the way that she devoured the cookie with a murmured, “So good,” as her eyes closed on a moan, as he looked for any sign of the other need that shifters usually needed to take care of and the one that he’d been thinking about all night.
While Ashley had been running wild through the woods, investigating every fucking thing that she came across, he’d spent the night trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his mate was a shifter. He never saw it coming, never so much as caught a hint of what was about to happen, and now that it had, he knew without question that his mate was an Impure.
That alone would have been enough for most shifters to reject their mates, afraid to weaken their lines and what it could mean for their offspring, but Kale couldn’t fucking care less. Not when it meant that her scent alone would help protect her, but not as much as his mark would, Kale thought as he found his gaze shifting to her neck.
Once upon a time, the idea of marking his mate had turned his stomach, but now…
His cock swelled at the thought of sliding his fangs into her neck as he slid his cock inside her tight, wet-
He watched as a blush crept up her beautiful, lightly tanned skin as her answering scent reached him, letting him know that her body was rea
cting to his scent. He was tempted, so fucking tempted, to reach for her and show her how good sex between mates could be. The only problem was that she had no fucking clue that he was her mate.
Chapter 31
“Why haven’t you asked me about your mate yet?” came the quietly murmured question that drew Ashley’s attention to find Kale watching her as she struggled not to think about how much she liked being near him. Not that, that was the reason why she was in here, Ashley told herself. She’d made a promise and she planned on keeping it. The fact that keeping that promise allowed her to be next to him was just a coincidence.
“Because it doesn’t matter,” Ashley said, nibbling on another cookie as she shrugged off his question.
“How’s that?” Kale asked, shifting so that he was using his arms as a pillow as he watched her.
“I don’t want a mate,” she said, biting back a sigh as she waited for him to argue the same points that Jacob had.
“Then what do you want?” Kale asked, taking her by surprise, which is probably why she answered him honestly.
“I want to fall in love,” Ashley admitted, trying to shrug it off like it was no big deal, but it meant everything to her.
“You could fall in love with your mate,” Kale pointed out as he reached over and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“But that’s not usually how things go, is it?” she asked as she turned her head so that she could watch him.
“No, it’s not,” he murmured in agreement as he watched her. “Is that how it was for your parents?”
“My parents weren’t mated,” Ashley admitted, watching as Kale frowned in confusion only to see something click in his expression seconds later. “You don’t look surprised.”
“That’s because I’m not,” Kale said, holding her gaze.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Ashley asked as she watched him roll over onto his back.
“You said that you wanted to renegotiate the terms of our agreement?” he reminded her as he took the plate of cookies from her lap and placed it on the nightstand next to him.
“Are you changing the subject?”
“That depends,” Kale murmured as he reached over and pulled the comforter away, making it easier for her to crawl beneath it so that she could get comfortable for this conversation.
“On what exactly?” Ashley asked, settling onto her side so that she could look at him while they talked.
“Are you still going to give me anything that I want?” Kale asked, turning back onto his side so that he was facing her.
“That depends,” she murmured, repeating his stipulation and making his lips twitch.
“On what exactly?” Kale murmured absently as he reached over and gently traced his fingertips along her jaw, leaving a trail of warmth behind and made her wonder if he had any idea what his touch did to her.
“On whether or not you’re willing to answer my questions,” Ashley said, worrying her bottom lip as she watched him nervously, praying that he didn’t say no, but already knowing that he didn’t have any reason to say yes.
“What do you want to know?” Kale asked, watching as his fingertips moved over her jaw, looking enthralled with the movement.
“Many things,” Ashley said absently as she struggled against the urge to lean into his touch.
“That really narrows it down,” Kale murmured, his lips pulling up into a teasing smile only to slowly die away when she asked her first question.
“Why weren’t you surprised when I told you that my parents weren’t mated?”
Sighing, Kale dropped his hand away. “Because nothing about you surprises me at this point.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do you know what an Impure is?” Kale asked, watching her closely as he waited for an answer that Ashley knew better than to give him, but…
“Yes,” she whispered hoarsely.
“Your mother was a shifter,” he guessed correctly.
“She was an Alpha.”
Nodding, Kale said, “Which is why you’re alive when most Impures are killed at birth.”
“My mother loved me,” Ashley said firmly, watching as his expression softened.
“She had no reason not to,” Kale murmured, cupping her face in his hand as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
A shaky breath left Ashley as her eyes closed while she lay there, savoring the feel of what should have been a simple touch, but she was quickly learning that there was nothing simple when it came to the way that he made her feel. Every time he was gone, she felt like a piece of her was missing and whenever he was near her, it was never enough.
“And your mother’s mate?” Kale asked, bringing her back to reality.
Opening her eyes, she said, “He hated me.”
Ashley watched as his eyes flashed silver. “Did he hurt you?” he demanded through clenched teeth.
“No,” she said softly with a small shake of her head as she reached up and cupped his face in her hand, unable to help herself. “He never got the chance.”
“Did they know what your father was?” Kale asked, watching her through silver eyes as she ran her fingertips over his jaw, enjoying the feel of the light stubble teasing her skin.
“I don’t know. They never talked about him,” Ashley said, moving to pull her hand away when something in his expression stopped her. “But you know, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Kale said, holding her gaze.
Not really sure that she wanted to know, she slowly exhaled before asking, “What am I?” because she knew without a doubt now that she was no longer just a Pyte.
“You’re an Ion,” Kale said, making her frown in confusion.
“What is that?” she asked, pulling her hand away only to have Kale reach up and take her hand in his and place it on the mattress where he held it.
“It means that your father is a very powerful demon,” he said and…
“I’m sorry. What was that?” Ashley asked, really hoping that she’d misheard him.
Smiling ruefully, Kale said, “Your father is a demon.”
Frowning in confusion, Ashley said, “You said that I was a Pyte.”
Chuckling, he leaned in and kissed her forehead again. “You are, mo ghrá.” He pulled back only to lean back in and kissed the tip of her nose. “And you’re also a shifter. An Ion means that you are directly descended from one of the demons that created vampires. Your father’s demon blood along with your mother’s shifter blood makes you an Impure, a mix of shifter, demon, and Pyte. It explains everything from how your mother was able to have you when she should have only been able to have her mate’s children, how you survived, why you didn’t hit your immortality until you had shifter blood, why you don’t need as much blood as you should, why you can eat food, and why you haven’t lost control. It also explains why your shifter side stayed hidden for so long. Your father’s blood protected you and made the impossible possible.”
When she could only stare at him, Kale chuckled as he leaned back in and kissed her forehead. “Do you need a moment?”
Not really sure how to respond, Ashley nodded.
“Do you want me to shut up?”
Worrying her bottom lip, she shook her head.
“Would it help if I told you that you were special and that there wasn’t anyone else like you?” Kale asked against her forehead.
“I don’t want to be special,” Ashley mumbled sadly, hating that word more than anything.
That’s what her mother called her when she explained why the Pack didn’t want her around. It was the same word her father used when he left her behind and the one word that the social workers, teachers, and doctors used when they had to explain why she wasn’t like everyone else.
She didn’t want to be special. She wanted-
This, Ashley thought as she felt Kale’s lips touch hers. He moved his lips gently over hers, once, twice, and then, once more before pulling away and leaving her breathless.
&
nbsp; “What was that for?” Ashley asked as she opened her eyes to find him watching her through silver eyes.
“That was my anything.”
Chapter 32
Williams Mansion
He was too late, Christofer thought numbly as he sat there, staring down at the images of the men who’d killed his sister. The one thing that he could have done for his sister and he couldn’t even fucking do that, Christofer thought bitterly. His eyes shifted red as his grip around the iPad tightened until a crack began to make its way across the screen seconds before it shattered.
He’d failed another sister.
The knowledge turned his stomach as he sat there, thinking about Marta. She should have told him that she was sick, should have given him a chance to save her, but she’d lied to him. She’d also suffered before she’d taken her life and he hadn’t been there to hold her hand when she drew her last breath. He would have given anything to be there to hold her hand and tell her how much he loved her at the end.
God, he missed her so much.
She would have loved Gavin, Christofer thought with a sad smile. She would have spoiled Gavin rotten and hit Christofer with that damn cane of hers whenever he didn’t hand his son over to her fast enough. He wished that she was here now so that he could talk to her. He was going out of his fucking mind knowing that another sister had died alone.
At least, the men who’d hurt her had suffered, Christofer tried to tell himself even as he couldn’t help but wonder who’d killed them. Probably the same person who’d bailed them out of jail, he realized, leaning back in his chair as he stared down at one of the sketches that he drew of the little girl that he would have given anything to protect.
If he had known that Ashley was out there…
Nothing would have stopped him from finding her.
He needed her.
Christ, did he need her, Kale thought as he leaned back in and brushed his lips against hers, unable to help himself. He’d never needed anyone, but god, did he need her. He couldn’t explain it and really didn’t fucking care, not when it felt this fucking good to touch her.
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