by Asha King
“What?” he chanced, unable to see it from his position.
“Nothing, it just...doesn’t look as bad.” Her fingertips lightly glided over the wound and tingles rushed through his skin. Erik took in a sharp breath and she met his eyes. “Did that hurt?”
He swallowed, holding her gaze as heat worked through his body. “Not badly.”
She looked away, busied about with fresh bandages. He desperately wanted to shower but could forgo rising for another couple of hours. His stomach twisted hungrily and she seemed to sense it.
“I’ll make breakfast,” she said as she taped fresh gauze to his side. “Any requests? Provided the power’s back on.”
“Anything. Everything.”
A small smile curved her lips. She closed the first aid kit with a snap. “Coming right up.”
“Adelaide.” Erik grasped her wrist before she rose, his firm, calloused fingers firm enough to hold her without squeezing. She froze and her gaze was wary but she didn’t tense. He let her go as he didn’t want to frighten her. “Thank you.”
“I will want an explanation at some point.”
He hoped to be gone before he had to give it to her. “I know.”
“And it’s Addie. You stay, I’ll get breakfast.”
Erik nodded and stared up at the ceiling while she stood. The floor creaked under her quick steps as she headed for the kitchen.
Wherever he’d landed last night, it seemed about the luckiest place in the world.
Chapter Five
Rain-soaked fields spread before him in the pale light of dawn.
Lincoln stared, his head tilted to the side. Dark, alert eyes scanned the hills, the trees. A brutal storm had ripped through several counties, hampering search efforts through the night.
A tall, reedy man loped through the trees toward him. Even before the man opened his mouth, Lincoln felt rage brushing his skin. He knew exactly what he’d say.
Tall grass swished as he stopped at Lincoln’s side, his lips parting.
“Save it, Rogers.”
Rogers’ mouth snapped closed again and his head bowed.
Lincoln took a few steps forward, staring down at the fields and woods. Dampness hung in the air and a chilled breeze rushed past him, stirring his long, slate-gray coat to swirl around his legs. His cold blue eyes narrowed on the hazy gray horizon but though he pressed with his magic and let it roll outward with curling tendrils that felt and tasted, he sensed...nothing.
Hmm.
Soft steps parted the grass behind him. A woman came to stand at his side, peering in the same direction he did. He waited, but the more silence stretched on, the more uneasy he became.
“Nothing,” she said in a low voice barely above a whisper.
He watched her from the corner of his eye. Her long dark red hair whirled around her shoulders but her lithe body was stock-still, a tall, unmoving form encased in black leather.
If Angelica couldn’t sense anything... “Could he be dead?”
Her head shook just slightly. “His soul would be in the ether. I’d call it, tear it, make it weep. But nothing. He is not dead. But he is...shielded.”
Shielded. He knew anyone with that kind of power in the area—in the hemisphere. Knew them, used them.
No one would cross him and house a stray like this.
His eyes narrowed. Angelica remained at his side and behind them the others, all waiting for instructions.
Instructions he didn’t have for them yet. This was not the way things were supposed to go.
“Ignorant beast,” Rogers muttered. “No consequence.”
“The beasts stay ignorant because punishment is swift and consistent,” Angelica said sharply without turning, and Lincoln allowed her to speak for him in this instance because he would not dignify stupidity with a response of his own. “Where one escapes, it allows a path for others to follow.” Her voice pitched lower. “And we will make an example out of this one.”
The rain had washed away any scents his trackers could follow and now no trace remained, not even a slight pull as his tendrils of magic uncoiled and probed. Unexpected but he would deal.
“Find me someone to interrogate,” he said and he turned, coat fanning, as he stalked back toward the helicopter. One of his men saw his approach and immediately rushed for the pilot’s seat; it would be ready to rise as soon as he reached it.
Angelica and the others were at his heels and she barked orders, taking over. She was ruthless and powerful enough that he trusted whatever plans she made.
Soon they’d catch the damn mongrel and whoever hid him.
No one could hide from Lincoln for long.
Chapter Six
Water rushed from the faucets into Addie’s old claw-foot bathtub. Steam wafted up and though the bungalow warmed more as morning crept toward noon, she figured Erik was injured enough that the extra heat would do him good.
He’d eaten. A lot. She ended up sitting in the living room barely touching her food while he polished off enough toast, eggs, and bacon to feed two people and then she’d offered him hers. He’d been reluctant but she’d fed enough starving cats that she knew when one wanted more and it took very little pushing to get him to finish her breakfast as well. Then he slept, the mere act of sitting up seeming to take a lot out of him.
He still hadn’t told her what happened.
That was enough to set her nerves twisting. She knew, of course, that he still could be dangerous—he could be something other than he seemed to be. Though nothing in his demeanor said otherwise, and even injured he could kill her if he wanted to, she didn’t entirely trust him.
Still, she gave him the benefit of the doubt. At least until he gave her a reason not to.
Addie rose from the edge of the tub and padded back down the dark hall. He’d woken ten minutes ago, drank a lot of water, and that was when she suggested he get cleaned up.
Water rumbled behind her, blaring from the faucet to strike the porcelain. Addie paused in the living room archway.
He was still awake, still sitting, in fact, and staring blankly ahead. She hesitated just a moment before continuing into the room.
Erik glanced up sharply. His eyes were growing progressively more bright and alert. Though his body was still damaged, his mind was returning to him.
“I figure while you get cleaned up, I’ll head into town and see about some clothes.” He still had nothing to wear and though Addie couldn’t say how modest he was, she would feel infinitely better if he had something on. She’d thrown the quilt in the wash; now he had a thick beach towel around his waist.
His spot by the fireplace was a small nest now of pillows, towels, and blankets. She didn’t have a spare bed and though he was welcome to rest on the couch, he’d fallen asleep before she could offer.
Erik started to rise and immediately she went to his side, helping him stand upright. He stifled a groan as he stood straight, visibly winced, but didn’t complain. It took a few moments of his arm over her shoulder before he gave in and leaned on her for support. Each step was stiff and labored.
They rounded the coffee table. “I’d feel better if you saw a real doctor,” Addie mumbled.
“It’s...better.”
Men. She resisted the urge to poke him in the ribs to prove her point. “Any more requests while I’m running errands?”
His arm was very heavy over hers and body searing-hot, whether a tiger thing or from the fever, she couldn’t say.
“I feel badly enough imposing on you.” His hand squeezed her shoulder as they walked slowly across her living room to the dark hallway. A tingle spread down her arm from the contact and she gave herself a mental shake, focusing instead on making it to the bathroom safely.
The tub was three quarters of the way full and steam cast a sheen over their skin as they stepped into the bathroom. Addie eased out from under his arm and left him leaning against the sink while she turned off the faucet and gathered fresh towels and a cloth. She set the pile of te
rrycloth on the closed toilet seat and stood straight.
Her eyes absently did a sweep up his body, taking in the carved muscle and bump of ribs. If she kept feeding him well, he’d get rid of that hungry look.
If you keep feeding him? He isn’t a damn stray cat. But he sort of was, wasn’t he?
I’m deranged.
Her gaze moved up, meeting his eyes. In the light of day, when he was alert and awake, the bruising along his jaw and scrapes did nothing to hinder the overall appeal of him. Dark hair shadowed his cheeks, jaw, and chin, but the roughness suited him. Amber eyes studied her back and Addie felt a blush rise up her neck to her face.
She swiftly looked away. “So I’ll run some errands. Try not to pass out and drown in the tub.”
“Addie...”
She paused in the doorway and glanced over her shoulder at him, her breath catching in her throat at the steady, intense look he gave her.
“This is appreciated but you don’t have to go to any trouble.”
“Havelock’s a small town, so don’t expect anything too glamorous. It’s the Salvation Army for your wardrobe.”
“I don’t...” He still leaned against the sink but even that, even fumbling for words, did nothing to diminish the pure strength of him. “I have nothing to offer in exchange.”
“Get well. Tell me what’s going on. That’ll work for me.”
He nodded and glanced away. She figured he didn’t plan to tell her much, if anything.
But she still intended to push him as soon as the opportunity arose.
****
Erik listened to her steps retreat down the hall. With effort, he eased forward until he stood straight and slipped off the towel he’d been wearing. Each step seemed to shoot pain up and down his body and just putting one foot in front of the other seemed a feat.
He was a long, long ways from what he’d come from.
A fighter. Warrior. Killer. If he closed his eyes too long, he’d smell the blood, hear the pleas, remember the feel of all terror leaving his brain as his survival instinct took over. Kill or be killed was engrained so deeply...
He should be dead by now, he knew. He’d felt it last night, not just the exhaustion taking him but the wounds he’d suffered. They were fatal. Pure adrenaline had pushed him on but somewhere deep within him, he didn’t expect to make it. If he was lucky, he’d find a spot to hole up and die on his own. At least he’d do it as a free man.
And then there was her.
Erik tried not to think about her, instead stepping into the piping hot bathwater. Heat enveloped him, welcomed him as he sank down, though he remained careful not to get the wound on his side wet. Pure bliss coursed through his veins and he let out a deep, rumbling breath of contentedness.
The house around him whispered and shifted as its mistress moved about. She was something, but he hadn’t yet placed what. But he felt the warding around the place rise up and mute everything within. It had to be intentional—he couldn’t imagine who would be capable of doing that unaware.
He could ask, he supposed. But then she’d want answers of her own. The less she knew, the safer she’d be, he knew, but...
Erik closed his eyes and attempted to banish any thoughts of her to the back of his mind. Still she rose again unbidden and his body tightened in response, hardening at the mere remembrance of her so near, of the spicy, earthy scent that clung to her, and of warmth she emanated.
He had no business reacting like that, he knew, and immediately felt the burn of shame even if he couldn’t control his body. He shoved forcefully at the thoughts and concentrated on soaking up the heat for a moment before getting cleaned up. Though he’d impressed upon her and was now forced to be her houseguest, he could at least avoid looking like a homeless street urchin.
****
Addie strolled through downtown Havelock, her market back over her shoulder and swinging against her hip.
She’d never fully appreciated how much it could suck living in a small town until she’d tried to buy men’s clothing and personal items.
Even at the Salvation Army, browsing the racks and shelves overflowing with items, eyes followed her into the men’s section. Though she made a big show of pretending to compare the sizes against her own yoga pants, there was no denying that she was shopping for someone else—not when she grabbed a pair of pants that would only fit a man six-three or so and definitely not her. Everyone in town knew her and certainly knew she didn’t have a boyfriend. So she made her trip brief, grasping a few pairs of dark track pants she thought would fit along with some T-shirts. Shoes, she didn’t even try. He was housebound for the time being anyway, and she didn’t want to guess at his size.
Loading up on all of that seemed to take forever even if she was only in the thrift shop for ten minutes. From there she headed to the discount store for a pack of underwear, and then grocery store where she stocked up on more breakfast foods, soups, and finally energy drinks.
Weighed down with bags, she wasn’t looking forward to the walk home, but she kept her head down and started in that direction anyway. Hot sun beat down on her, warming her black hair which swung in a ponytail against her back.
A prickle of warning ran down her spine and she shifted uneasily. Much like the afternoon the day before, when she came home in the rain, something unsettling crept up on her, that foreboding sense of something coming.
Her mother would’ve brushed it all aside, but given the shapeshifting tiger in her living room, Addie couldn’t do that anymore.
I wish you were here, Granmama.
A blue Chevy rolled up next to her then, crunching gravel on the shoulder of the road. Robbie leaned across the passenger seat as the window rolled down and offered her a lopsided grin. “Ride?”
She glanced down only briefly at the bags she carried and then smiled gratefully in return. “That would be wonderful.”
After tying her bags closed and strapping them in the back, she climbed in the truck and buckled up, and soon the vehicle was rumbling back down the long road.
Despite the sun being out all morning, the grass on either side of the road was damp and muddy. While a blue sky hung over them, Addie couldn’t shake the feeling there was another storm on its way.
Her stomach twisted as they rode back for her house; she was only vaguely aware of Robbie’s idle small talk. Would Erik even be there when she returned? He seemed too weak to leave, yes, but he might not stay. Not now that he was conscious and mending.
And if I get home and find him gone? Do I believe I’m crazy then?
She didn’t want to contemplate it.
“Addie?” Robbie prompted.
She visible started and glanced at him quickly. He faced the road but flicked his eyes in her direction and she realized he must’ve asked her something.
“I’m sorry, I missed that. Didn’t sleep well.”
He smiled gently. “No problem. There’s a new blues band playing at the Haven’s Bridge tonight. I thought you might want to go?”
Haven’s Bridge was the one respectable pub in town: clean, run by good people, usually with good music on weekend evenings. It sat on the western corner of Havelock, right next to the rickety wooden bridge leading out of town.
She should go out, she knew. Be normal. Have fun, maybe relax a little. But what other people considered “relaxing” was something that made her uncomfortable—she spent the whole time feeling weirdly separate from everyone else.
“I don’t know about tonight,” she said after pretending to give it some consideration. I’d rather stay home and take care of the strange tiger-man sleeping in my living room, oh God, I am nuts. “I didn’t sleep much with the storm last night.”
She braced and studied Robbie but though there was the flicker of disappointment in his expression, he didn’t get angry about it. “Understandable. Maybe next week?”
“Sure.”
He pulled into her driveway and Addie fished her house keys from her pocket. “You’ll tell me..
.”
She paused and met his eyes.
Seriousness crossed his expression, pulling his brows down tight over his eyes, his head tilted forward. “...if everything’s okay? If you need anything?”
Her stomach gave another twist. Did he know...something?
Addie pushed back at the weird feelings and instead flashed a smile. “Absolutely. Thanks again for the ride.”
Before he could respond, she slipped out of the truck and immediately went for her bags in the back. Though she offered a quick wave, discomfort followed her up to the house. Fine hairs rose on the back of her neck and she tried to suppress a shudder, but she knew she wouldn’t feel right again until she was locked up safely in her home again.
Chapter Seven
Erik sensed Adelaide’s return before the front door opened. The air around the house tensed and rippled, swelling and then warming as she entered.
He sat once more by the fireplace, this time wrapped in a towel. No fire burned this time and the house was warming as the summer day wore on, but he felt the most comfortable in that spot. He’d slept on the floor long enough over the years that the fluffy couch seemed foreign; he didn’t think he could sleep there if he tried.
He did lean against the side of the couch, his head tipped back. The stillness seemed to ease the throb in his head and the sting in his side. His eyes opened and he glanced up, alert, as Addie entered the house. Even though he knew it was her before she entered, life had taught him to always be on high alert.
Erik rarely knew what was coming but he was used to it being bad.
Addie carted in several bags, a fresh beading of sweat on her brow. Her eyes found his immediately, cautiousness in them as if she hadn’t expected him to be there still. A small smile touched her lips and his heart gave a sudden, heavy thump.