She’d awakened that morning to find him giving a giggling Jamie tiger rides around the private garden of the cottage they’d stayed in overnight. Aiden had fully shifted into his tiger form, and Jamie had been riding on his back, clutching handfuls of his thick fur in her hands. She’d been worried that he might shun Jamie, after the things Olivia had said to him, but he was still as devoted as ever to the little girl. It was just Liv he gave a wide berth to, though she was doing her best to avoid him, as well.
After a harrowing drive up to the coast of Maine the day before, they’d chartered a private plane and flown across the Atlantic, to a rural airstrip in Scotland. Jamie’s medicine had worked perfectly, and she’d slept through most of the flight, while Aiden had been a nervous, foulmouthed wreck the entire time. Olivia knew he’d been worried about a Death-Walker attack while they were in the air, but she also suspected that the tiger in him didn’t like soaring through the clouds, preferring to have its feet planted firmly on the ground. They’d spent the night near the airport, in the quaint country cottage that Kierland had leased for them, and after packing up that morning, they’d headed south, into England. The drive had gone more quickly than she’d expected, and they were already traveling up the winding road that led to the house she and Jamie would apparently be calling home. Olivia knew she should feel something about that, but there was nothing. Just a hollow void in her chest, emotionless and still.
Finally, after all that had happened, she’d gone into safety mode and shut down. Completely. It was either that or fall apart. And falling apart simply wasn’t an option when you were on the run for your life…and the life of someone you loved.
At the thought of the L word, she inwardly cringed, remembering her heartfelt declaration on Wednesday. It had hurt, but she’d had to wake up and face reality, no matter how painful it was. Aiden didn’t want her love, because he didn’t love her in return. Or maybe he couldn’t. Either way, he’d thrown the idea back in her face before she could even get it said, making his feelings clear.
Of course, she and Aiden weren’t the only ones on edge. They’d met up with Kierland Scott when they’d landed, and the instant the Lycan had spotted Morgan in their group, tempers had flared. It was obvious, even to an outsider like Olivia, that the two had a turbulent past—one that caused the tall, auburn-haired Lycan to glower every time he was in the same room with the gray-eyed shifter. Morgan, however, had handled the situation with a cool, I-couldn’t-care-less-what-you-think-of-me kind of attitude that Olivia secretly envied, wishing she could be that poised and in control. It was only when Kierland wasn’t looking at the female Watchman that a powerful flash of emotion smoldered in Morgan’s gray eyes, the flames vanishing the instant Kierland glanced her way again.
“We’ll be there soon,” Kellan murmured, pulling Olivia’s attention back to the present. She and Jamie and Morgan were all riding with Kellan in a rented Land Rover, while the others followed in two similar vehicles. Morgan was watching a movie in the backseat with Jamie, while Olivia sat in the front with Kellan. “That’s Harrow House up there,” he told her, pointing toward the majestic rise of the sandstone building just visible through a mass of swaying treetops.
“My God.” Squinting against the last rays of the late-afternoon sunset, she struggled to see the details more clearly, thinking it looked like a castle. “It must have been amazing to grow up in a place like that.”
Kellan snorted. “It was actually kinda cold.” His dry tone made it obvious he wasn’t talking about the temperature. “My grandfather was about as soft as those stone walls.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. That couldn’t have been easy.”
Rolling his shoulder, he said, “Aw, we did okay. I had Kierland, and he was the best brother any kid could have ever wanted.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “It’s obvious the two of you are close.”
“I drive him crazy,” Kellan remarked with a husky bark of laughter, “but he loves me, faults and all.”
Olivia laughed as well, but as they made the next turn in the road, the soft sound turned sharply to a gasp. “The bridge is out!” she exclaimed, staring through the windshield at what remained of the wooden structure that should have spanned the fast-moving stream on the road ahead of them.
“Yeah,” Kellan murmured, bringing the car to a slow stop. “Smithson warned Kierland that it’d gone out a few years ago during a storm. We plan on getting the bridge rebuilt as soon as possible.”
“Smithson?” she asked, trying to recall if she’d heard the name before.
“He was the estate’s caretaker when my grandfather was alive,” Kellan explained, pulling the Land Rover onto the side of the private road, while the others parked behind him. “He’s ancient now, living down in the local village. Kierland called him and got him to have the village priest come up and bless the moat.”
Raising her brows, she said, “And no one thought that was an odd request?”
The Lycan snorted as he turned off the engine. “The locals have always thought everything that happens up here is odd. For centuries there have been rumors circulating that the estate is haunted. They say that if you listen at night, you can sometimes hear things howling at the moon.”
Olivia slanted him a wry look. “Considering you come from a family of werewolves, it sounds like more than mere superstition.”
“Not as far as they know,” he drawled, giving her a wink.
Peering through the windshield, she asked, “So how are we going to cross the stream?”
“There’s a stone pedestrian bridge that survived the storm, so we’ll have to make our way there on foot. The bridge will take about ten minutes to get to, but there’s a path through the trees that leads to it.”
Well, hell. She didn’t like the sound of that. Especially after the faint message that Molly had received from Monica during the night, warning that they needed to reach the house as quickly as possible. Jamie was still wearing the Dark Marker that Aiden had hung around her neck a week ago, and as a precaution, Olivia, Molly and Hope had been given Markers to wear as well, the ornate crosses now hanging around their necks from black velvet cords. Quinn had been carrying the Markers, which he’d brought, in a secured case, from Ravenswing when they’d escaped—but the Watchmen and Buchanans had agreed that they should be taken out today and used for protection.
Olivia only hoped they didn’t need them.
It didn’t take long to get everyone organized, no more than a handful of minutes passing before they found the path to the bridge. They traveled in a long line, with Aiden in the lead, while Kellan and Kierland brought up the rear. They’d opted to leave their luggage back in the cars for the time being, deciding it would be better to focus on getting everyone to safety first.
As they made their way along the winding trail, Olivia couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of the scenery, with its sloping, tree-covered hills and the occasional outcropping of rock. It was beautiful, in a strange, mystical kind of way, like slipping into a fairy tale, and Olivia whispered quietly in Jamie’s little ear, pointing out each new discovery as she carried the child in her arms.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Morgan suddenly murmured, walking at her side.
“You do?”
Morgan nodded, a frown tugging at the corner of her mouth. “The back of my neck is tingling, which is never a good sign. Just stay sharp and keep your eyes open for anything unusual.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “As if this whole situation isn’t unusual,” she muttered.
Morgan’s mouth curled with a crooked smile. “You know what I mean.”
She did, and the idea prompted her to go ahead and do something she’d been putting off for two days now. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Jamie for me?” she asked. “I need to have a quick word with Aiden about something.”
“Sure thing,” Morgan agreed, taking the little girl in her arms. “Jamie and I are best buds, aren’t we, sweet thang?”
Olivia brushed a quick kiss against her niece’s cheek, then took a deep breath and jogged ahead on the narrow path, around Ian and Molly, until she reached Aiden. He didn’t turn to look at her as she moved to his side, but by the tightening of his jaw she knew he was aware of her presence.
She coughed, took another deep breath, then said, “I, um, I need to talk to you.”
“Thought you were pissed off at me,” he said in a low voice, sliding her a quick, wary look before focusing on the trail again.
“I am,” she whispered, wetting her lips. “But…this isn’t about me. I need to ask you a favor.”
He gave a sharp nod, still not looking at her as he waited for her to go on. “If something happens to me—”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” he grunted, cutting her off.
“I know you’ll do your best to protect us,” she murmured, rubbing her wounded arm. It no longer hurt, but it was still a stark reminder of how close she’d come to death. “But things go wrong, Aiden. If something happens, I want your promise that you’ll look after Jamie.”
“You mean find her a good family?”
“No. I mean look after her yourself.” She remembered his poignant reaction when Jamie had given him one of her drawings—how concerned he always was that Jamie was not only safe, but happy—and knew, without any doubt, that she was doing the right thing. “I want…I want you to raise her as your daughter. I realize that it’s a lot to ask, but she…cares for you, and I know you would do everything in your power to protect her.”
Olivia was so wrapped up in her thoughts, it actually took her a second before she noticed that he was no longer walking beside her. Turning around, she found him just standing there, in the middle of the path. “You want me to adopt her?” he croaked, looking as if he’d been smacked upside the head with a two-by-four, his expression completely dazed.
Nodding, she said, “Yes. If something happens, that’s exactly what I want.”
He muttered something foul under his breath, then shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking again. “Well, like I said before, nothing’s going to happen to you, Liv.”
“You don’t know that,” she told him, keeping her voice gentle, since he was certainly wound up enough for both of them. “Things happen, Aiden. Life’s like that. I just…I need your promise.”
It seemed like forever before he finally said, “I’d do it.” His voice was gruff, edged with tension and strain and things she could tell he was trying hard to hide. “If it had to be done, I’d…yeah, I’d adopt her.”
“Thank you, Aiden.”
BY THE TIME AIDEN MANAGED to choke down the lump of emotion lodged in his throat, Olivia had already walked away, heading back to Jamie and Morgan. Scrubbing his hands down his face, he struggled to get himself under control. She couldn’t have surprised him more if she’d asked him to get a sex change and start calling himself Lola.
Coming up beside him, Ian slapped him on the shoulder. “You okay, man?”
“Yeah,” he muttered, reaching into his back pocket for his pack of cigarettes, then scraping out a coarse swearword when he remembered he’d left them back in the car.
“You know,” Ian murmured, “it’ll be easier if you just give in.”
Aiden scowled, but found he couldn’t hold on to the anger. He was reeling, even harder than before. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t wrap his brain around the idea that Olivia trusted him to be a good father to Jamie, and he was afraid of letting his thoughts run with it, not knowing where they might lead. What did it mean? He didn’t know, and he was too damn tired to figure it out. His beast urged him to act from his heart…from instinct, but his fear still had him mired in doubt and denial.
“You should listen to Ian,” said a soft, husky voice. “He knows what he’s talking about, Ade.”
Slanting a dark look toward the petite blonde now walking at Ian’s side, he asked, “Why’d you do it, Molly?”
She didn’t ask him to explain, knowing that he was talking about the way she’d insisted he be the one to go after Jamie and Olivia. “Because I thought she would be good for you,” she admitted with a soft shrug of her shoulders. “She sounded like a strong woman, but one with a big heart.”
He let out a sharp, explosive sigh. “And you didn’t think it would matter that she’s human?”
“It shouldn’t,” she murmured, her eyes gentle as she caught his dark gaze. “In fact, I was hoping that might help you get over your issues.”
“I don’t have issues,” he growled.
Molly’s sharp laugh earned her a heavy glare, but she simply smiled in return. “Honestly, Aiden. Olivia Harcourt is exactly what you need. A loving woman who won’t let you walk all over her. At first it was just wishful thinking on my part that something might develop between the two of you, but after seeing how you are with her, I think I got it right.”
“Well, don’t go patting yourself on the back,” he sneered. “Because in case you didn’t notice, things haven’t exactly worked out.”
Molly rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard that animals can be ornery when they get cornered,” she groaned, “but honestly, Aiden, you’re taking this to the extreme. The only reason things aren’t working out is because you’re acting like a jackass. Think about it. A family would do you good.”
A family. The word wormed its way through his mind, completely at ease there. He hadn’t even realized what the word truly meant until Liv had shown him what it could be.
As the path wound around a massive outcropping of rock on their right that stood taller than Aiden’s head, the narrow pedestrian bridge finally came into view up ahead of them. The house loomed in the distance on the other side of the stream, and Aiden suddenly had the strangest urge to run back, grab Olivia and Jamie and race for the safety of its walls. Pulling in a deep breath, he searched the air for any signs of danger, but a strong headwind was blowing down the valley. He knew nothing was ahead of them, but that didn’t mean something couldn’t be sneaking up on them from behind.
“You got the same feeling I’ve got?” Ian suddenly muttered, scanning their surroundings with a narrow gaze. The outcropping of rock completely blocked them on the right, while a small area of moss-covered ground spread out on their left, bordered by a thick wall of trees. “Like we’re not alone out here anymore?”
Before Aiden could answer, Olivia came running up to him with Jamie clutched in her arms. Hope followed just behind with a gun clutched in her hands. “Morgan and the others sent us ahead,” Olivia panted. “She wanted me to tell you that they’ve picked up a scent, but it’s faint. They’re checking it out now.”
“We need to get the women up to the house,” Aiden said in a low voice, reaching behind him for his Glock. “And we need to do it quickly.”
“It’s too late.” The whispered words came from Jamie, and everyone stopped, staring at Jamie’s pale face, her brown eyes shocked wide with fear. “They’re already here.”
“Who’s here?” Olivia asked, sliding a worried look toward Aiden.
“All of them,” Jamie whispered, lifting her face toward the sky. Following her line of sight, Aiden felt his gut clench as he caught sight of three Death-Walkers flying in over the swaying treetops. As they came closer, their rank stench reached his nose, their yellow eyes burning through the thickening, lavender shades of twilight. The creatures were each different, and yet similar. The same cadaverous white skin. Same small horns and eyes, as well as jagged fangs.
The ground began to vibrate with the hard, heavy pounding of fast-moving bodies, but Aiden could tell from the scent that it was Kierland and the others. They came rushing around the curve in the path, their weapons drawn and at the ready. “Casus are coming,” Kierland growled, his rugged face etched with grim lines of worry. “From the scents we picked up, there’s a lot of them.”
“We’ve got Death-Walkers, too,” Ian told them, jerking his chin toward the sky.
Holding a Beretta in o
ne hand and one of his knives in the other, Noah muttered, “Shit, this just keeps getting better and better.”
“I say we make a run for it, hard and fast,” Quinn grunted, keeping close to Saige’s side.
Sniffing at the air, Aiden shook his head. “There isn’t time. If they catch up with us on the bridge, we’ll be trapped out in the open. We’ve got to make a stand here.” Looking around at the other Watchmen, he said, “Get the women against the rocks and fan out around them. We’re not going to waste time tonight trying to use the Markers to fry these assholes. Just fight to kill. Does everyone have their flasks?”
Nods went around the group as everyone pulled out the flasks of salted holy water they’d picked up on their way through Tennessee, and then they quickly got into position.
CHECKING TO MAKE SURE that Jamie still had her Marker hanging around her neck, Olivia clutched the little girl tighter against her chest and pressed her back against the craggy wall of rock, while Aiden positioned his tall, muscular body in front of them for protection, his friends fanning out at his sides. She wanted to reach out and touch his shoulder, asking him to promise her that he’d be careful, but right then a howl sounded in the distance, echoing through the thickening twilight. It was a stark, sadistic sound, conjuring images of torture and pain. The kind that made chills break out across the surface of her body, and she felt the bonds of her emotional lockdown begin to strain and snap.
One second everyone was locked in that tensed, charged moment of terrifying expectation…and in the next, more than twenty tall gray forms burst through the trees, and the battle with the Casus began. All around them, muscular bodies exploded into action, the darkening evening filled with the sickening sound of flesh being ripped by claws and teeth and bullets. Riley used his telekinetic powers to pull the weapons away from those Casus who were armed, but the monsters were still a formidable enemy. They attacked with a fast, brutal savagery, and while Kierland and the others fought to hold them back, Aiden’s deadly aim with a gun was being put to good use. He’d already managed to shoot three Casus through the head when a Death-Walker swooped down on him. The heinous creature slammed him to the ground, his gun knocked away as it slashed at him with its deadly claws. Panicked, Olivia was still fumbling with her flask, trying to get the lid off while holding Jamie, when Hope came to the rescue, flinging a stream of the salted holy water across the Death-Walker’s pale back. An unearthly scream ripped from the creature’s chest, and then it was gone, disappearing as quickly as it had come.
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