by Zoe Chant
“That lug of a husband of mine will be back soon,” Charity continued. “He was on the late shift last night, so my guess is he’ll be like a bear with a sore head when he gets in. Or a lion, at any rate.”
Charity smiled, but Joe, in a panic, subtly tried to shake his head at her, desperately signaling Not yet! Not yet!
No matter how obscure the message might have been, Charity seemed to pick up on it. She raised an eyebrow at him, but she didn’t say anything else.
Joe knew he needed a chance to explain – to tell Charity why exactly he needed to take it slow in explaining who they were to Sasha. But for that, he needed to be alone with her. His lion, disgruntled, snorted a little, curling his nose up. Why wait? Tell her now. She’s our mate – she’ll understand.
Joe pushed its indignant voice to one side. The lion was helpful most of the time, but in situations like this, it certainly wasn’t.
Charity, living up to her reputation for being perceptive, turned to Sasha. “Hey, how long has it been since you were able to take a long, hot bath? You look like you could use a good soak. Joe, how about you show our guest to the bathroom?”
Joe nodded gratefully. “Sure thing.”
Putting his arm on Sasha’s shoulder, he guided her across the living room and down the corridor. He threw a grateful smile over his shoulder to Charity as he went, but really, he felt his guts twisting up inside him at the idea that he was deceiving Sasha.
He wanted to blurt out the truth – the whole truth – right now. To explain to her that while he too was a shifter, he’d never, ever hurt her. That she was his mate – the one he was meant to be with. That he’d protect her to his very last breath.
Even as his lion purred its approval of that plan in his chest, Joe knew he had to take it slow. Telling her everything now would only scare her. And she’d been through enough already.
Joe opened the door to the massive bathroom just off the corridor. Lions liked to feel comfy when they relaxed and have plenty of space, and the bath reflected that just as much as the rest of the house: it was a spacious tub, to say the least.
“Wow,” Sasha said. “I could get used to this.”
Please do, Joe thought. “Like I said, you can stay as long as you need to. This house and everything in it is yours.”
Again, Sasha looked as if she wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Finally, Joe saw tears glimmering in her eyes.
Alarmed, he asked her, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Sasha said, hastily wiping the tears from her eyes. “It’s just that… it’s been so long since anyone was so kind to me. I guess I… I guess I’m just a little overwhelmed. That’s all. You… I mean, you’ve been like a dream.” She sniffed, glancing up at him. “I guess that sounds ridiculous.”
Joe looked down at her, the yearning to kiss her tears away and the desire to go and tear the brutes who had hurt her limb from limb battling in his heart. Unable to stop himself, he pulled her into his arms and let her sob into his chest. She wasn’t trying to hold back her tears now – all the pain and exhaustion and fear of the last few weeks had finally caught up with her. Joe simply held her, letting her cry, one arm around her back, the other stroking through her long, dark hair.
“I’m sorry,” she said finally, pulling away slightly.
Joe shook his head. “No need to be sorry. You’ve been through a lot. It’s only natural.”
Sasha nodded, sniffing a little, before she took a deep breath. “Thank you, all the same. I can’t tell you what it means to me.” She glanced toward the tub. “Though it looks like that thing is more than big enough for two.”
Joe licked his lips. There was nothing he wanted to do more than jump into the tub with Sasha, and put all the fear right out of her mind by showing her just how much she meant to him. Wipe away all the bad memories by taking her to the heights of ecstasy instead. But he knew he couldn’t. Not until she knew the truth. It just didn’t seem right otherwise.
Placing a relatively chaste kiss on her forehead, Joe swallowed, marshaling his self-control. “You know I’d love that,” he said, voice soft. “But I think you should just relax for the moment. Just have a good soak and forget about everything else. Then we’ll figure out where to go from here.”
Sasha nodded. “Sure,” she said. “You’re probably right that I could just use some time to relax.” A wicked gleam came into her eye. “Plus, I know once we’re in there I’m not going to want to get out, and I’d hate to miss breakfast.”
Joe laughed softly. “Yeah, that’s also a good point. I’ll leave you to it. Take your time, okay?”
“Okay,” Sasha agreed.
Leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind him, Joe waited until he heard the water start to run before heading back to the kitchen. Now, he just had to figure out how he was going to explain all this to Charity.
Emerging into the living area, Joe quickly amended his thought – how he was going to explain this to Charity and Mason?
It seemed that his cousin had arrived home from the sheriff’s department while he’d been showing Sasha to the bathroom. He’d laid his wide-brimmed hat down on the counter, and he and Charity were currently in the act of necking like teenagers in the kitchen.
Joe waited a moment, and then cleared his throat softly.
“Oh – oops.” Mason at least had the manners to look a little sheepish. “Sorry about that, Joe. But you know, I just worked a double, and…” He shrugged, as if having been away from his mate for more than a few hours at a time was enough of an explanation.
Which, Joe supposed, it was. And it was something that he was now in a position to appreciate. He could already feel the pull of missing Sasha, even though she was only a few rooms away.
Getting naked, his lion helpfully reminded him. And probably missing you, too.
Joe shook his head. He couldn’t think about that right now.
“So… Charity tells me you have a guest,” Mason said, as he picked up a knife and began to slice an onion. His voice sounded sly, and Joe wondered just what Charity had said to him.
He nodded. “Yeah. She was taking refuge up in the old cabin out by the forest, right at he edge of the pride lands.” He paused. Both Mason and Charity’s eyes were fixed on him. “She’s on the run – but that’s what complicates things. It seems she fell in with some bad people.”
“What kind of bad people?” Mason asked, suddenly slipping back into sheriff mode.
Joe shook his head in a rare show of exasperation. “No one’s committed any crimes that I know about – except for false imprisonment, and Sasha’s the victim in that case. Just let me explain.”
Mason held up his hands in apology, and Joe continued.
“By bad people, I mean bad shifters. It seems like they’re one of those groups who want to keep themselves separate from humans, and don’t even like humans to know they exist. Anyway, Sasha got caught up with one of the pack’s enforcers, and he brought her up to their lands. When she wanted to leave, the pack’s alpha, some character called Colfax, threw her in a room and wouldn’t let her leave. She was able to escape, but they came after her. They chased her right to the border of our lands.”
Mason and Charity were staring at him. Both had looked steadily more and more outraged as he’d told them the story, but that didn’t surprise Joe. Both of them had a strong sense of justice, which was part of the strength of their mated bond.
“That’s horrendous.” Charity was the first one to speak. “We have to do something to help her.”
“Of course we do,” Mason said. He paused, narrowing his eyes at Joe. “But Charity said that she thought that… well, that there was something more between you than just the desire to help a lady in distress.”
Joe swallowed. Charity certainly didn’t miss a trick. “Yeah. I think – I mean, I know – she’s my mate. I knew it from the first second I saw her. But when I touched her…”
Mason nodded. “Yeah. I know exactly what you mean.” He g
lanced down at Charity, his eyes full of love. “It’s unmistakable.”
“That’s for sure.” Joe was momentarily overwhelmed by the memory of how he’d felt, the first second his fingers had brushed against Sasha’s injured ankle. But he forced himself to focus. “But that’s part of the problem. The only shifters she’s ever known have been these cruel bastards who tricked and hurt her. She’s terrified of shifters. I don’t know how –”
“You mean you haven’t told her yet? She doesn’t know?” Mason asked.
Joe shook his head miserably. “I haven’t figured out how to tell her just yet. I want to think she’ll understand, but…”
“If she’s your mate, she’ll know you don’t mean her any harm,” Charity said gently. “When Mason told me, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. It didn’t matter if he could turn into a lion or a walrus or a grand piano. He was the only one for me.”
Joe glanced down at his hands. He hadn’t realized it, but he’d been pressing his fingertips into the counter so hard they’d turned white. He wanted desperately to believe that was true. But the fear and horror in Sasha’s voice as she’d described what had happened to her…
He just couldn’t be sure.
And he didn’t know how he could even begin to explain it.
Chapter Six
Sasha
Joe Whittaker, maybe you are too good of a man after all, Sasha thought as she curled up beneath her blanket, alone in the bed.
It wasn’t necessarily that she’d wanted to have sex with him again – although that certainly would have been amazing – it was more that she’d never felt safer before in her life than when she was near him. His arms around her had given her a strange kind of peace that she’d never known before. The way he had held her and just let her cry earlier in the bathroom had been… cathartic. Like she was emptying herself of all the bad stuff that had built up inside her over the past few years.
She’d felt so much better for it afterward, not to mention the good soak in the tub – a luxury she hadn’t had for quite some time – and the spread that Charity had laid out for them on her return.
Joe’s cousin Mason, the county sheriff, had been courteous and sweet to her. Apparently, Joe had told him about her troubles while she’d been in the bath, because Mason had asked her, without going into detail, if there was any way he might be able to help her in his capacity as a lawman.
Sasha had shook her head to that – she had no idea where Colfax and his men might have gotten to, and in any case, she was pretty sure that if the law came looking for them, they’d simply shift into their animal forms and slip away. But naturally, she could hardly explain that to Mason. Joe might’ve believed her, but she didn’t want to push her luck.
They’d had dinner as a family later that evening – Joe’s father, Lincoln, had joined them, after being out before dawn working on the ranch. He seemed like a stern man, but he’d still welcomed Sasha to his home, just as everyone else had. When dinner was over, Joe had shown her to a spare room, made sure she was warm and cozy, and then kissed her cheek and told her goodnight.
Which was what had led Sasha straight back to thinking all of this was just too good to be true.
Sure, Joe’s desire for her had been clear at the cabin, and she didn’t doubt it was sincere. But that had been before she’d told him exactly how Larssen and Colfax had treated her. Maybe he thought she needed some time without a man around her, or that she’d been traumatized by Larssen’s horrible behavior.
Maybe, in another instance, that might have been true, Sasha thought. But Joe had been so kind and gentle – the exact opposite of everything Larssen had ever been. Sure, Joe was tall, broad, and as muscled as a bear, but Sasha had the impression he only ever used all of that strength for good – to help people who needed it.
Joe had a quiet strength that spoke of an honest soul and a protective spirit. Sasha didn’t know why, but she already trusted him with her heart. If he’d said he wanted her, despite everything she’d been through, she would have said yes without a second’s hesitation.
Sasha sighed, rolling over on the bed. The large bed felt empty without Joe’s big, warm body beside hers. She wished she could have snuggled up close to him… but then again, perhaps he was right, and she should be using this time to rest as much as she could. She sure did feel sleepy, after all.
Sasha’s eyes were just beginning to droop down into a doze, when she was suddenly jerked wide awake, her heart pounding, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
Her eyes wide, she waited, wondering if she could have been mistaken – if she’d merely been drifting into another nightmare.
But no – there it was again: the long, thin, mournful wail of a howling wolf.
Sasha froze. Her blood seemed to have gone cold in her veins. This time she knew there was no way it could have been just her imagination.
Her hands shaking, she threw back her bedclothes and scrambled out of bed, rushing to the door. When she yanked it open, Joe stood on the other side, his face grim.
“I heard it too,” he said, voice low. “I was just coming to get you.”
“Do you think – have they come back –” Sasha took a deep breath, trying to compose her thoughts. “Is it Colfax, do you think?”
Joe pressed his lips together, as if considering his response. “Maybe. I’ll just have to go out and check.”
“What?” Sasha yelped, before remembering the rest of Joe’s family must be sleeping right now. “No, Joe, I can’t let you do that,” she continued in a softer tone. “Don’t you remember how dangerous they are? What I told you they can do?”
Joe looked down at her, mixed emotions chasing each other across his face. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded strangled. “Sasha – I – I have to tell you –”
“Sorry to interrupt.” Mason’s voice sounded from farther down the corridor. Sasha looked around Joe’s imposing form to see his cousin coming up the hall toward them, buttoning his shirt. “But I do believe we have a problem.”
Joe, apparently abandoning what he’d been about to say, turned to look at him. “Yeah, I’d agree with that.” His voice was low but firm.
Sasha looked wide-eyed between the two of them for a moment, wondering how Mason could know why exactly a howling wolf might be an issue, before looking up at Joe.
“Did you tell him?” she asked, surprised. “And he believed you?”
For a moment, Sasha watched as something passed between Joe and Mason, before Mason answered, “Yeah. I know about this Colfax and his crew. The Blackwood Bunch, or whatever it is they call themselves. Joe explained about what they’d done to you, and why they were trouble.”
Sasha wanted to press the question again – after all, Mason hadn’t specifically answered her – but at that second they were all distracted by the sound of Lincoln’s door at the end of the corridor bursting open.
“Is this what I think it is?” he asked, his voice gruff with anger. “Are these assholes really trespassing on my lands?”
Sasha’s head was whirling. She felt like there was some other conversation going on between the three men that she wasn’t a party to. Both Lincoln and Mason seemed far more riled up than they should have, even if they knew and understood what bad news Colfax was. And why was it that they’d all jumped out of bed at the sound of the howling wolf – even if they did know that Colfax was a shifter, it was hardly the first conclusion you’d jump to. Especially if you’d only just found out shifters existed.
“Sasha,” Joe said, his voice grim. “I don’t know how this is going to go down, but we have to assume this is Colfax and his crew coming back for… I don’t know what. But you said yourself: these men are dangerous. Please listen to me when I say that you need to stay inside and let us handle it. I can’t have you in harm’s way.”
Joe’s eyes were steady on hers, his hands gripping her shoulders gently but firmly. Sasha had so many questions – so many things she wa
nted to ask him. But she knew that now was not the time. Not trusting herself to speak without a tremble in her voice, she simply nodded.
Behind Mason and Lincoln, Charity spoke up. “I’ll be here with her, Joe. Don’t worry about a thing.”
Joe looked into her eyes a moment longer, before raising himself to his full height.
“Thanks, Charity.” He looked back down at Sasha. “This won’t take long, I promise you. We’ll be back before you know it.”
Without another word, the three men walked down the hallway and into the living room, going to the front door. Sasha and Charity followed, Charity running her hands over her belly. Mason leaned down to give Charity a quick kiss. Then Lincoln opened the door, and the men went out into the cold night air.
Unable to stop herself, Sasha went to the door after they’d closed it behind them, opening it just a crack.
“Sasha, I’m not sure you –” Charity started to stay, but Sasha shook her head, cutting her off.
“I’m the one Colfax and Larssen are after,” she said, keeping her voice steady. “And it’s my fault they’ve come all the way here looking for me. I don’t want Joe, Mason and Lincoln to – to have trouble with them just for me. They’re my problem too. It’s only right.”
For a moment, Charity looked like she might be about to try to dissuade her, but then she simply nodded, once, firmly.
“You’re right,” she said. “And to be honest, this ‘I’ll protect you from everything!’ attitude these Whittaker boys have – it’s sweet, of course. But sometimes you need to gently let them know you can handle your own problems.”
Sasha couldn’t help but smile a little – not just at the warmth in Charity’s words, but the way she was already talking about her and Joe as if they were a couple. It gave Sasha hope that maybe, if Colfax and his crew could be convinced to back off, there really could be a future for them, together…