by Meg Ripley
With her thoughts of Flint came doubts about her brother. Was it possible at all that Nate was involved in some scheme like the one Flint had outlined? It couldn’t be true, because she didn’t want it to be. Nate was supposed to be in charge of the pack and looking out for their welfare, but if he was allowing some of their members to be killed in order to put on a show and incite more attacks by his own people, then…
She didn’t want to think about what that meant. Audra rolled over and readjusted the sleeping bag under her head, but she knew she wasn’t going to get the rest she needed.
Not when Flint was so close.
9
Flint watched the sun rise through the treetops, shedding light through the piney bows and slowly illuminating the campsite. It’d seemed so remote and secure the night before, as though they were in the middle of nowhere. But as daylight touched the upper edge of the tent, Flint knew the two of them were now much more vulnerable than they’d ever been.
He hadn’t slept through the night except to doze occasionally, spending most of the hours on guard around their campsite. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was moving and acting simply because he had a sense of duty—to protect Audra. It wasn’t because he was restless and shifty inside, feeling an inexplicable urge to move just to get the energy out of his system.
Looking over his shoulder, Flint considered waking her up. But there was something nice about knowing the woman his wolf had demanded to claim was sleeping away in his tent. He felt protective, like he’d finally fallen into a job that suited him. He imagined slipping back into the tent once he’d resumed his human form and finding her there on his sleeping bag, her dark hair splayed out against the green nylon. He imagined her waking up, blinking those bright azure eyes at him, and then smiling. He imagined the two of them slipping inside that sleeping bag. Feeling her soft, smooth skin against his. Their warmth and breath mingling. Their bodies touching in ways governed by instinct that went back to time immemorial...
But that wasn’t what would happen. He was lucky she hadn’t made a move to disappear into the night after the way he’d treated her. He’d threatened her, tied her up, and essentially held her prisoner. When it came right down to it, Flint couldn’t keep his inner beast in check when it came to Audra. His natural tendencies were strong and demanding, and they had the potential to derail this entire mission.
Unfortunately for them, the mission was still on. He’d threatened her, and he’d probably have to threaten her again. Audra didn’t appreciate what he was trying to do for her pack, and no amount of caresses and soft words would change that. Flint regretted what he’d done, but he was there for the mission and nothing else. He’d have to remember that.
Flint let go of his wolf form, feeling the pain in his back as he struggled into an upright position once again. His lycan body was useful for hearing and seeing in the night and for walking patrol without having his feet hurt, but his human hands would be much more adept at arranging an appealing breakfast. The golden morning sun was the only one who watched as his fur receded and his hands softened, as his claws melted back into normal nails, and as he leaned against a pine tree to stretch out his muscular back.
He walked to the front of the tent and listened. It was quiet; so quiet that for a moment, he wondered if she’d managed to escape without him noticing. “Audra? It’s time to get up.”
Nothing. No reply. No movement.
Flint crouched in front of the tent flap, his heart reverberating in his chest. “Audra?” Shit. If she’d gotten away and reached her pack, he’d be dead before he could even contact the rest of the Force.
She whisked the flap aside just as he reached for it. Her hair was tousled (much like he’d imagined), but the cranky look on her face was an added bonus that amused him. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve slept on the ground? I’ve gotten spoiled.”
“Well, how long has it been since you fished for your own breakfast?” he asked.
He expected her shoulders to slump with disappointment or for her to give him some grumbling resentment of the situation he’d put her in, but she shrugged. “I think I could do that.” She climbed out of the tent and stood, turning around to pick up her shoes.
Flint couldn’t help but check out her ass as she did so, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets to stop himself from grabbing what he’d only barely gotten to explore the night before. “We have two options for this. I can shackle you with the ropes to make sure you don’t run away.”
She turned around, her expression surprisingly neutral. “Or?”
“Or we can trust each other for a bit. I’ll let you walk freely, and you won’t try to run away. It’ll be much easier to get the work done.” That was true, but it was also true that he didn’t want to tie her up again—well, unless she asked him to. He bit his lower lip against the smile that tried to erupt at that thought.
“Deal.” She tied her boots and straightened. “Where do we go?”
“This way. It’s a bit of a hike.” Flint grabbed two fishing poles and a tackle bag and led the way down the trail, wondering if he should bring up the subject of what they’d done the night before. Was she waiting for him to make some sort of commitment, some declaration of love and eternity? That didn’t seem to fit in very well with the theme of kidnapping and secret missions. He’d leave it for now.
By the time they’d reached the creek, Audra hadn’t darted off into the woods in an attempt to escape him. She’d walked along without saying much at all. He stepped up to the water and handed her a pole. “You know how to use this?”
Grabbing a band from her wrist, she finger combed her hair back into a messy ponytail, which accentuated those stunning eyes and cheekbones of hers even more. “Of course I do,” she said as she took it from him, careful not to touch his hand. “We used to fish all the time.” To show him she meant it, she unhooked the lure and cast it beautifully into the water, where it landed with a small splash.
“Okay, then.” Flint set down his tackle bag and did the same, keeping his lure away from hers so their lines wouldn’t tangle. He was content just to go through the motions at first, but he knew he wasn’t there on a fishing trip. “I know you aren’t eager to, but I really need to talk to you about this whole thing with Nate. He’s putting you and your family in danger. I want to help, but I can’t if you won’t let me.”
She kept her gaze on the little ripple in the water where her lure danced just beneath the surface, waiting for an unsuspecting fish. “I don’t see why I have to be a part of the plan.”
“I didn’t mean for you to be.” He could hear the impatience in his own voice, and he sucked in a deep breath. “If I’d had things my way, you never would’ve found out about me until it was all over with. I didn’t come here with the intention of roping someone else into the mission. But since you eavesdropped on my conversation and got yourself involved, I don’t have much of a choice.” He could’ve kicked himself for being careless enough to let her find him like that and overhear his call with Garrison. That moment had changed everything.
“And what would you have done otherwise? Just killed Nate, exposed his plan to the rest of us, and then disappeared?”
Flint watched her profile. She was stunning, but she had a fierce look about her when she was angry. It was completely different when she was with her son or when she didn’t think anyone was watching, but in that moment, she looked like some sort of warrior princess. “I don’t know.”
“You’re going to tell me you came all the way out here without a plan?” Audra did look at him now, but only just long enough to stab him with the daggers in her eyes. “I don’t believe that.”
“Should I take it as a compliment that you think I have things in hand more than that? No, don’t answer that.” He thought he felt a nibble on his hook, but when he reeled in the line, he’d only caught a branchy weed. Flint pulled it off and recast. “The thing is, I never know exactly what’s going to happen on a
mission. Sometimes, that’s the fun of it.”
Audra shifted her weight to her left foot, making Flint think for a second she was about to turn and run. But she stayed put. “Look, I know what we did last night was…unexpected, but it doesn’t mean I’m just going to go along with whatever you say. I’m not some helpless woman who believes whatever a man says and goes running to him for protection. And I’m also not the type of person who just betrays her pack because some guy claims it’s the right thing to do.”
Flint squinted against the increasing sunlight. “I wish I could understand that feeling.”
“What do you mean?”
“That feeling of being so dedicated to your pack that you’d do anything for them and go to any lengths to protect them.” Sure, he felt that way about the Force, but that was a different sort of pack altogether, not like what Audra had with her family.
“Don’t you have a pack?” She checked her line and cast it back into the water, the shapely muscles of her legs twisting pleasantly as she did so.
“I’ve never exactly been one to follow the rules. When my pack back home got a new Alpha, I left.” Many of the memories from the earliest part of his life had been overwritten by scenes from his days in the service, but they were still there in the background. They swam to the surface now that the subject had been brought up, but he tried to shove them down.
Audra sat on a large rock, curling her knees up between her arms. “Because you wanted to, or because you had to?”
“That depends on who you ask. Either way, I had to go and I did.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“No, don’t be sorry.” The last thing Flint wanted was for anyone to feel sorry for him, especially Audra. “I’m used to not fitting in, and I’m fine with it. But maybe that’ll help you understand why it’s difficult for me to comprehend the blind loyalty that everyone else seems to have toward their packs. I just can’t trust like that anymore.”
She was silent for a long time, and when he risked a glance at her, he saw that she was frowning. Flint hadn’t seen that sort of sadness on her face before. “What is it?”
“Just thinking and comparing, even though I shouldn’t be. Everyone’s different.” She twitched the end of her pole, hoping to entice some hapless fish. “I have my pack, and it’s been nice to know there’s always that option. I’ve always had someone to fall back on, no matter what. But I’ve let my ex ruin that for me, essentially. He cheated on me, but it wasn’t just that. He changed my entire life, and I resent him for it. I let him take me away from everything I’ve ever known, and even though the decisions were mine, I can’t help but blame him. I thought coming home would fix everything, like hitting a big reset button. But it’s not like that. I look at everyone differently now, even people I’ve always trusted and have no reason not to trust.”
Flint nodded. “And I’m sure that doesn’t make it any easier when some asshole like me comes along.”
“I don’t think an asshole would help Randy shoot little Army men off the balcony and reach for the Goldfish crackers from the top shelf,” she said with a smile. “I think you’re a lot of things, Flint, but you weren’t an asshole to my son.”
Flint couldn’t stop the way his lips turned up when he thought of Randy. “It’d be impossible not to be. He’s a sweet kid.”
“I just hope he stays that way, with all of this.” Audra held her pole with one hand and swiped the other over her forehead. “I haven’t decided where we’re going to live, or what I’m going to do about his father, or how I’m going to handle any of it, really. I think of myself as this strong person, and I know everyone else does, too, but on the inside, I’m just as lost as confused as I could possibly be.” She dropped her hand then and straightened her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you all that. You just caught me on little sleep and no coffee, and I’m sure being held captive in the woods didn’t make things any better. The whole point I was trying to make at first is that I’m not going to help you with this mission of yours. You’re asking too much.”
“All I’m asking,” Flint said slowly, “is for you to help me make this better. It doesn’t have to be this way. You won’t have to worry about what Nate is doing to the pack and whether or not there will be anymore attacks. And you won’t have to worry about Randy, either.”
“Don’t you dare bring my son into this!” Audra snapped. She whipped her face around to glare at him. “I know he’s sweet and wonderful, and I don’t need you to tell me that! You can’t just come here, show your handsome mug, and think everyone will do as you ask without any proof!”
There was nothing Flint wanted more than to latch onto that comment about him being handsome and tease her. She was so easily provoked, and it brought out the bratty little boy inside him. But she was right, and there was a mission. The mission, the mission, the mission. Always the mission. “You want proof?”
She pursed her lips, narrowing her cheeks in a way that exaggerated the angle of her eyes. “I’d be willing to look at it, if you had any.”
Flint’s mind started working quickly, falling back into his role as a member of the SOS Force and not some depraved wolf who’d caught the scent of a bitch in heat. “I’m sure that I could. It would just take a little time.”
Mostly because he’d have to buy himself some. He’d brought a certain amount of surveillance equipment with him—because how could he leave for a mission without it?—but he couldn’t exactly do any recon on Nate when he had Audra to watch. She might not’ve run off since he’d untied her the night before, but that didn’t mean he was ready to trust her.
His eyes landed on the tiny circle of plastic film plastered just behind Audra’s ear. It was peeling ever-so-slightly around the top edge, no doubt dislodged from their impromptu hookup. He’d hardly thought about it at all since he’d put it on her, but just seeing it reminded him of the one person he knew who was better at gathering intelligence and monitoring communications than anyone else in the world. “Audra, give me some time, and I’ll give you some proof.”
“The more time we waste out here, the more likely it is that Nate and the others will be wondering where I am,” Audra pointed out. “I left Randy at home with my parents, you know; I wasn’t planning on being gone all night.”
“I know. I’ve already thought of that.” It was one of the many things that had occurred to him as he’d stalked the circumference of their campsite overnight. She might not have been prepared to spend the night in the woods, and he certainly hadn’t been prepared to take a hostage. “The more you help me, the sooner you’ll get to be with him again. Now, don’t look at me like that.” She’d taken on that openly hostile look that came to her face so easily. “It’s not a threat. It’s a fact. And I’ll find a way to get you in touch with him. I just need time.”
“Yes, so you’ve said. You know, Flint, you—” Whatever lambasting she’d been preparing for him was cut off by the curve of her rod. Audra pulled back, quickly spinning the handle on the reel.
“Do you want some help?” Flint asked.
“Does it look like it?” Indeed she didn’t, as she stood up on the bank and pulled her prize in as though she’d been doing this all her life. And if she’d grown up there on the edge of the wilderness, she probably had. Audra pulled in the gleaming fish, expertly removing the hook from its mouth and holding it by the jaw. “Ready for breakfast?”
As they headed back to camp, Flint was silent. He had too much to think about. He’d have to get a hold of Hudson, and unfortunately that meant explaining just how much trouble he’d gotten himself into. The bigger problem, though, was that he didn’t need Audra to overhear any more of his conversations than she already had; he’d have to communicate with Hudson as a wolf. The only thing he truly knew for sure was that things were only going to get more interesting from here.
10
Audra lay back under the trees just to the side of the tent, putting her hands under her head and lettin
g the sun shine down on her face with her eyes closed. Her stomach was mostly full once again, although she’d have gladly taken another bowl of that delicious stew or even another fresh fish fillet roasted over a morning fire. There were plenty of things she could say about Flint if she had the chance, but she was grateful that he truly did know how to live in the wilderness.
A shadow blocked out the light. “You’re not falling asleep on me already, are you? At least you actually got some sleep last night.”
“Have you ever been held against your will?” she asked, not opening her eyes. Flint might have agreed not to tie her up again, but he was never far away. It caused such a conflict in her, since she both wanted him close and resented him for it. “It’s exhausting.”
“That may be, but I’ve got something to do. I need you to get up.”
She let out an irritated grunt as she sat up. Audra was spent. She missed her son, and she wanted nothing more than a nap followed by a massive mug of strong coffee. Clearly, she wasn’t going to get any of that from Flint. But she did remember what he said about getting to see Randy sooner if she cooperated, and she used that as her driving force to plaster a smile on her face. “What do you need me to do?”
“Just come with me, that’s all. I’ve got to shift to do this particular, um, thing, and I think it’d be easier if we both did it.”
Her eyes raked over his body and then back up to his face. She’d already seen him as a wolf once, with his snowy coat and the starlight shining down on it. That was before she’d found out he was a spy, but even then, she’d felt such an attraction toward him. Audra wondered how he’d look in full display under the sun, but she didn’t see what it had to do with her. “Why do I need to shift?”