Vynn (War Cats Book 4)

by Grace Brennan

  “If you saw me earlier, why wait to say hi?” she asked.

  He hesitated and then slowly took a step forward. “It looked like you were staying out here, and I wanted to bring you some things.”

  It was then that she noticed the backpack hanging off one shoulder. Pursing her lips, she wondered what to say to that. She wanted to say she didn’t accept anything from anyone, but in reality, it all depended on what he brought her. She wasn’t in a position to turn down things she needed.

  He watched her patiently, and she took the time to look him over. He was tall, and his long legs were encased in jeans that showed off muscles she could see even through the material. He wore a white t-shirt under an open, beat up leather jacket, and he had boots on his feet. His body was completely covered, but it couldn’t disguise how powerfully built he was.

  He had dark brown hair that was shaved on the sides and back, longer and spiked up in the front, and a short, closely trimmed beard covered his strong jaw. His lips were full and sensual, and his dark brown eyes were shadowed by lashes women would die for.

  But what caught her attention the most were the three silvery slash marks down the side of his right cheek. They looked like—were they claw marks? How was that possible? Claw marks that size had to have been made by a large animal, but what she could see of the rest of him looked remarkably unharmed. How could that be?

  Her breath stalled as one way it was possible slammed into her. If he was a shifter, like she was, that would mean possible proximity to large animals that could leave such a mark while he still walked away from it.

  She didn’t know how she felt about the possibility that he could be like her. She’d never met another shifter, other than her mom, and she didn’t remember her much at all. Her dad hammered into her how mean, how disgusting, shifters were, but this Vynn didn’t look mean, not really. And she wasn’t mean, so that meant he might not be, either.

  The thought that kept running through her mind, though, was that he sure as hell wasn’t disgusting. The way her body was reacting to him, the awareness she had of him—no, he definitely didn’t disgust her. She thought he was handsome, really, and that alone surprised her. She couldn’t remember the last time she was attracted to a man.

  She stared at his scar as she thought, and her brow twitched when she realized it was rippling. He was clenching and unclenching his jaw, and she looked up into his eyes, wondering at what she saw there. A bit of anger, and was that… embarrassment? Surely not. A man like him didn’t look like he ever felt emotions like that.

  “Are you finished?” His voice was curt, a scowl gathering on his brow.

  She eyed him, wondering over his tone, but dismissing it. She had other stuff on her mind. “Finished what? I was just wondering… are you a… shifter?”

  His scowl turned into a frown of confusion. “You couldn’t tell?”

  He didn’t question her over what she was talking about, like he knew, but still… “You didn’t answer the question.”

  “Yeah, I’m a shifter. Like you.”

  “You know I’m a shifter?”

  His eyebrows rose and as she watched, his dark brown eyes lightened to a whiskey color. “I can smell your animal. All shifters can. You should be able to smell mine.”

  Brow furrowing, she sniffed the air, but there was nothing—oh, wait. There was a hint of fur on the slight breeze, and she took a cautious step toward him. The smell became stronger, so he must have been telling the truth. She never knew she could tell when she was around shifters by the smell.

  “Did you not know that before?” he asked, his deep voice mystified as he took another step, sliding the backpack down to his hand.

  She shook her head quickly. “I’ve never been around shifters before.”

  “What about your parents?”

  She frowned at him. “Rude. I don’t think you should be asking personal questions like that.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t know if you’re just blunt and honest, or different.”

  Different. She was definitely different. “I’m Ashley. What did you bring?”

  His mouth quirked, making a deep groove appear in his left cheek. “Just a couple of extra blankets and food.”

  The mention of food caught her attention. The blankets would be appreciated, of course, but all she’d eaten for the past few weeks was meat she hunted as her fox and what edible greens she could find. She hadn’t had anything else since she left the last town she was in, and the thought of different foods sent excitement flooding through her veins.

  He held the backpack out, but she didn’t want to get close enough to him to take it. Chewing on her lip, she finally pointed to her right. “Can you put it down over there and then go back to where you are now?”

  His eyes narrowed as he studied her, and then he nodded slowly. Moving to where she pointed, he put the backpack on the ground and then walked back to his original spot. Keeping her eye on him, she walked to the backpack, excitement filling her. She couldn’t wait to see what he brought.

  Vynn frowned thoughtfully as he watched Ashley gingerly unzip the backpack. She wasn’t what he’d been expecting at all. She was wary, although that was understandable. A smart woman should be wary of a strange man she didn’t know showing up.

  But she was definitely different. And how the hell did she not know how to tell when a shifter was around? She was one herself, so she had an enhanced sense of smell. The only shifters who had no smell were dragons. Even if she didn’t smell it, or know how to recognize the smell, her animal should have been telling her.

  And if she was telling the truth about not knowing other shifters—and she had been, because shifters could hear lies—she still had at least one parent who was a shifter. They should have taught her about herself.

  She pulled out the blankets and dug in for the food, making a soft exclamation over what she found. It wasn’t much, just a couple of cans of vegetables and fruit, and some chips and snack cakes, along with a couple of bottles of water. Basically, it what was in front of him when he opened a cupboard. Her obvious enjoyment over what little he brought made him wish he brought her more, though. More variety, and more food, period.

  Which was weird. He’d never felt compelled to take care of anyone before, in any way, but he did with her.

  She’s special, his tiger said, relaxed in his chest as Vynn watched Ashley.

  That was almost as disturbing as his urge to take care of her.

  Pursing his lips, he studied her, wondering what made her special, like his tiger thought she was. She was tall, and the top of her head would probably reach his chin if she stood next to him. Her clothing was on the baggier side, but she wasn’t too thin, not really. She might be taking pleasure in the food he brought her, but it was clear she ate decently. Her bright red hair was long, hanging in loose curls, reaching a little past her mid-back.

  She had a small dusting of light freckles across her nose, and her skin was pale and creamy. It was her eyes that were her most stunning feature, though. They were a blend of gray and green, and he thought that was all human color, not a mix of her animal and her human sides.

  She was beautiful, for sure, but he’d seen beautiful women before. It didn’t make her special, and it didn’t explain this urge he had to scoop her up and take her home with him, so he could be sure she was safe and warm.

  It’s because she’s our mate.

  Vynn choked on air at his tiger’s words. Fuck, his mate? No way. His mate was a nice, obedient Indian woman, not a red-headed, half-wild outsider. He didn’t even know what animal she had. He couldn’t have a mate who wasn’t an Indian or even a tiger.

  His cat snorted. You’re an idiot.

  Normally, Vynn would take exception to that, but he was feeling too blindsided by his animal’s declaration. Ashley chose that moment to glance up at him, grayish green eyes shining.

  “Thank you for the supplies. It’s been a while since I haven’t had to hunt or forage for food.�
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  His tiger hissed inside him, not liking that she hadn’t had everything she wanted to eat at her disposal. Honestly, he didn’t like it either, but he couldn’t think about that now. Clearly, she’d been eating well enough to survive, and like he observed earlier, it wasn’t like she was skin and bones. She could take care of herself.

  And he had to get out of here, because he felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin at any moment.

  “You’re welcome. I’ve got to get home now. Enjoy your food and use those blankets tonight.”

  Her brow furrowed in confusion, but he didn’t wait for her to reply. Spinning on his heel, he walked back through the woods toward his house, fighting his tiger. The cat was shredding his chest, urging him to go back, but he wasn’t going to stop until he was safely inside his home.

  “Vynn. Just out for a walk in the woods?”

  He stopped just inside the village and glanced over at Zane, the sarcasm in his words washing over him. Kian was standing next to him, giving Zane a disapproving look, but when he glanced at Vynn, his eyes held the same question.

  He gave them a sardonic smile. “That’s exactly what I was doing. You both know I enjoy long walks in the woods, and a good book in front of the fire. Two of my most favorite things in the world.”

  Touching two fingers to his brow, he moved on, walking swiftly to his house. Zane was muttering about him being a dick behind him, but he just shook his head with a smile. What those assholes didn’t realize was he actually wasn’t lying about that. He enjoyed both activities. But they were so convinced he was up to no good, they didn’t even consider that he was telling the truth, even though they should hear it in his voice.

  They were smart men. But they were so busy trying to find lies in his truths that they missed the obvious. Most of the time, he really was just telling the truth, and that was all there was to it.

  Reaching the family home he grew up in, he let himself inside and walked to the living room, immediately starting a fire. As he did so, he thought of Ashley, out in the cold tonight, with nothing but blankets to keep her warm.

  The thought made him borderline ill, but hell, if she got too cold, she could shift. Their animals always ran much warmer than their human counterparts did. And he’d already come to the conclusion that she could take care of herself. He didn’t need to worry about her.

  He still did, though. Why the hell was she out in the woods anyway? Sleeping, by all accounts living, out there. What had her life been like to lead her to that point? And where had she been before? It was only in the last few weeks that he began catching her scent around the War Cats’ woods.

  He was going to have to get used to not having the answers, because odds were, he’d never see her again. He definitely wasn’t going to seek her out, mate or not.

  Shrugging out of his jacket, he tossed it on the couch, then shoved his hands in his pockets as he stared at the portrait above the mantel. He didn’t know why he hadn’t burned the damn thing already. He should. He should get every single reminder of his bastard father out of this house.

  But bastard or not, his father taught him everything he knew. The lessons were harsh, and were generally accompanied by a beating to make sure they took, but they had been effective.

  War Cats values were to be taken into consideration before anything else. Really, they were the only thing to be considered. Kian might have changed most of those values, and the rules were different now, but those lessons were still burned in his mind.

  Outsiders were inferior. If someone wasn’t a War Cat, they had no worth. If they weren’t a member of the tribe, if they had a different animal, if, God forbid, they were human, they were so far beneath the War Cats, they weren’t even worth notice.

  His father would flip his shit if he knew Vynn’s mate was an outsider, that she most likely harbored a different animal inside her.

  Hell, according to his father, even most of the tribe was inferior, because the Sardana’s were a noble family. Their line was pure, their Indian heritage unblemished.

  Except that one dark spot their history. The secret shame of his family that no one could know about. That Vynn wasn’t even supposed to know about. But his mom let it slip when he was younger.

  His father beat into him that no one could ever know. And then he beat into Vynn’s mom that she couldn’t let that shit out again.

  He switched his gaze from his father’s stern visage to his mom’s sad and broken one in the portrait. She died not long after that, and he wasn’t at all sure it wasn’t from an internal injury his father inflicted during that beating. Vynn didn’t remember her very well, because she died when he was young, but he remembered her words, the beating, and her death.

  Fuck, why was he thinking about all this? There was no reason to, other than the fact that he knew what was important to a true War Cat, and what wasn’t. His ultimate goal of revenge on Ian and Luke would mean he wouldn’t physically be here any longer, but he’d always be a War Cat, down to his soul.

  And Ashley… well, she wasn’t suitable for a noble member of this tribe.

  Pompous, idiot asshole, his tiger hissed.

  Maybe so. But he wasn’t compromising his values for a woman—no matter how beautiful she was, or how drawn to her he already felt.

  Chapter Three

  Ashley shivered in her blankets, watching the sky lighten from black to dark gray. A cold snap moved through yesterday afternoon, making her grateful beyond words for the blankets Vynn dropped off, but she was still cold. It was definitely time to move on. She wasn’t sure how long it would take her to get to Denver and a bus stop, and if it was this cold already, she didn’t have much time before she was too frozen to get there.

  Let me out. You won’t be cold then, her fox spoke up faintly inside her.

  Ashley snorted. She usually kept her animal buried so deeply she couldn’t hear her speaking, but too much of her energy was focused on keeping warm. Yeah, right. If I let you out, I might not ever get my body back.

  Don’t see how that’s a bad thing.

  Rolling her eyes, she sat up and pulled the blankets around her. The sun would be up soon, and then she’d eat the last can of peaches, pack her things, and begin the walk to Denver. Thinking of the food made her think of Vynn. She hadn’t seen him since he dropped off the backpack two days ago, and she’d thought about him a lot.

  He seemed like an odd man, which nearly made her snort again. Generally, she was the odd one, so it was weird to think there was someone out there more so than her. But the way he showed up, bringing her much needed supplies as a gift, seeming willing to talk and then taking off abruptly, was strange.

  She’d wondered if she would see him again, but he hadn’t been back. Now it looked like she’d never see him again, and she found herself feeling disappointed. That was weird, too. She didn’t like people. Sure, she got lonely every now and then, but she was happy alone. And she never felt disappointment over not seeing someone.

  The sky was light gray now, the orange hues of the sun brightening it from the east, so she dug out the can of peaches, thankful it was a pop top lid. Pushing all thoughts of Vynn and disappointment out of her mind, she ate quickly, and then grabbed her soap and walked to the lake to wash the stickiness off her hands. There hadn’t been any eating utensils in the bag, so she’d been using her fingers to eat.

  Sucking in a breath at how cold the water was, she quickly finished, shaking out her hands. She’d been bathing in the lake, but now it was far too cold for that. What she wouldn’t give for a hot shower. Maybe she could spare enough money to get a cheap motel room in Denver before getting on a bus. She hated the feel of being grimy, and she was quickly heading that direction. She could wash her clothes in the sink while she was there, too. That was something else she’d been using the lake for, but the air was too cold to dry the clothes well.

  Picking up the soap, she stood and turned, taking one step before freezing in place. Vynn was standing by the tree line,
close to where she’d first seen him. He didn’t say anything at first, just studied her closely, and she did the same.

  He was dressed much the same as he’d been the other day, but his hair was a little messier, the spikes sticking up in every direction. His eyes were red, and he looked tired, his lips pressed together with brackets on either side.

  Mine, her fox whispered inside her.

  Her brow twitched over the word and the possessiveness in her animal’s tone. She had no clue what her fox meant, and dismissed it as her crazy coming through. Vynn finally moved, running his fingers through his already rumpled hair, and it was then she noticed the jacket hanging off one arm. Had he brought that for her?

  “I didn’t think I was going to see you again.”

  He exhaled, a frown on his face. “I didn’t intend to come back. But it’s been cold, and it’s going to get colder. The forecast said we’d get some snow tonight.”

  It was her turn to frown. “Snow? It’s only September.”

  Eyeing her, he shook his head slowly. “It’s October now. Have you been out here so long you lost track?”

  Shit, it was October? Thinking back to her journal, where she wrote down each date, she realized there were a few days she’d skipped writing in it, but forgot to skip the dates, as well. She hadn’t remembered until just now. She’d been writing the dates wrong.

  “Not too long. It can’t be that far into October.”

  “It’s not. It’s only the third. But I first caught your scent a few weeks ago, so I know you’ve been out here for a while.”

  “You’ve known I was here for that long?”

  He nodded. “I didn’t know where exactly you were, but I knew you were in the area. I couldn’t track your scent, for some reason.”

  He frowned as he said the last part, so she guessed it bothered him that he couldn’t. She didn’t know why, though. It wasn’t like tracking was a major life skill everyone knew how to do.