She shook her head. “I want peace. I don’t want to have to hurt them. But I will if it comes down to me or them. Or them or you. Or them or humans. So, yes, we hired you to help us cure them. We’re not heartless. But don’t forget our birthright is to commit violence against werewolves. It is our inheritance and every hunter has claimed it as such. You, on the other hand, Samantha Knight, have a much different inheritance. And I suspect, by the time you claim it, the one you’ll surprise most is yourself.”
She swiveled back to face the road and eased us forward, driving slowly through the city. Neither of us spoke again. I suspect she was giving me space to think over what she’d said. I was glad for the quiet moment and a chance to try and calm the pounding of my own heart.
An inheritance.
The Knowing inside me was quiet but it had stirred at that word.
Edie was right—and I was terrified about it. About what would come next. But deep down, I was also at peace. All these weeks of trying to put myself back together again and feeling so off as I’d tried to merge the two people I’d become. Even in Guam, relaxed and with plenty of time to think, I had still felt like something was missing. Some other piece of this Sam puzzle.
I’d begun thinking of it as destiny, but it was deeper than that. Stretching backward into the past much farther than it stretched forward.
An inheritance.
The goddess—or the Knowing, or whatever it was—had given me purpose. Now, I just had to find the guts to receive it.
Edie’s words stayed with me as she helped wake RJ and led us both inside what was apparently a hunter-exclusive medical facility. I gave a statement to the doctors about the attack and described RJ’s initial condition and wounds and then they took him back for examination. Edie went with him and I found myself alone in a waiting room.
I powered up my phone and winced at the amount of missed calls and voice mails I had. Guam was slightly outside my calling plan so I’d left my phone off since leaving last month. Now, I saw I would be paying a price for that too.
“Holy crap,” I muttered, skipping through voice mail after voice mail from the same person. Mason, my ex come to town to rekindle romance—only to try and murder me when I’d turned him down. I hadn’t seen him since just before winter break. And I didn’t think I cared to. I was worried about him though. He’d looked pretty sick when he’d turned on me. Alex had said CHAS was watching him and he hadn’t shown any more signs of losing himself since then, but who knew what had happened while I was away.
His voice mails just asked me to call him back, though they turned more desperate and pleading toward the end. I deleted them all and put aside the problem that was Mason for now.
I put in a quick call to Kiwi to let her know we were back stateside and safe. Then I texted my mom with the same info—albeit without the details about RJ’s werewolf bite injury or the fact that I was at a supernatural medical facility while the doctors—hopefully—literally worked their magic on his infection.
Then I called Mirabelle. It went to voice mail, not that I’d expected any differently. I left her a message reminding her to feed Granny.
And finally, to Brittany, my roommate, an update that I’d be home soon. Somewhere between her rapid-fire questions about whether I’d made out with anyone for New Year’s and the low hum of HGTV on the flat screen mounted across the room, I dozed off.
It was the smell that woke me.
I came to, groggy and almost positive my dreams were now haunted with the sensory memory of Alex leaning close while I slept. God, he couldn’t even leave me alone in my own mind, the asshole.
I groaned but a voice interrupted, turning it to a shriek instead.
“Somehow, you manage to make even open-mouthed drooling look sexy. It’s really unfair to the rest of us, you know.”
I jumped clear out of my chair and then fell back into it again, clutching tight to the metal armrests as I folded my knees in on myself. Like that would have protected me from him.
Like anything could protect me from Alex Channing.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, but even though I tried packing accusation into the words, I couldn’t help drinking him in.
He wore his usual: cargo pants and boots. A pull-over with a zip-up collar in a brown/green color that was more tactical—and practical—than fashion-forward. He had a few days’ worth of stubble along his jawline and that combined with the sharp-edged glare he pointed at me now made me outright shudder as I huddled below where he stood over me.
Alex Channing was every inch sex and violence. Two things that—up until getting my memory back—scared the shit out of me. And, yet, at the mere sight of him glaring down at me, I wanted him more than I ever had.
It was almost enough to overlook the dark purple circles ringing his eyes or the way his hands shook almost imperceptibly. But I saw it. And it broke my heart. He was still sick. In fact, he looked worse.
He shrugged, as if his showing up here was no big deal. “It was on my way,” he said.
“On your way where?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Also, you smell like wet dog and whiskey,” I added, wrinkling my nose as his usual scent of pine gave way to the hint that he hadn’t showered recently.
He laughed and something inside me cracked and somehow also healed at the same time. Dammit, why did he have to come here? And why did he have to act like coming here wasn’t everything?
Maybe, to him, it wasn’t.
I set my feet back on the floor and stood. If this was happening, the showdown I’d always known would come, I needed to stand tall while it did.
The moment I stood up, he took a step back. Distance, I realized. It was in the way he stood and the cool expression he wore as he watched me move.
He wasn’t back. Not really.
“I’m passing through to Carolina. Thought I’d check on RJ. I heard about his injury,” he said and I almost missed the small wince before he covered it. I wondered which part he felt bad about and had to bite back the question, positive it would take us straight into an argument.
“He’s in with the doctors now,” I said, gesturing to the door they’d taken RJ through earlier. “Edie’s with him.”
“Edie’s here?” Alex registered surprise as he glanced to the door and then back at me.
“Yes,” I said slowly, confused. “Is that a problem?”
“No. I …” He shot one more glance at the closed doors and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I want to see her,” he said.
“And me?” I countered, bringing my chin up in a show of courage that I definitely didn’t feel. I was literally shaking in my boots as I waited for an answer. “Did you want to me see me too? Or was that an unfortunate side effect of checking on your friend?”
“Sam.” Alex’s hard edge vanished and he stepped forward, closing the distance between us and reaching out to cup my cheek in his calloused palm.
I froze, my lips parting automatically as he tilted his head and leaned down, his lips hovering only an inch from my own. My mouth actually ached to make contact with his, but he held back, inhaling and closing his eyes as if trying to memorize me. As if forming the memory were more important than the experience.
I knew firsthand that sometimes it was.
“I wanted to see you most of all,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear and throat. We stood there, silent and frozen, and for a second, I thought he might actually kiss me. That I might actually let him.
But then he pulled back, and frowned, staring intently at a spot on my forehead. He brought his hand up from my cheek to brush away the hair in my eyes, tugging my chin down so he could get a better look, and my heart sank.
He wasn’t going to apologize or change his mind. Alex Channing was going to take what he wanted from me and everyone else no matter the cost. Once he’d had his fix, and broken me all over again, he would do what he did last time. He would do what he did best. He would run.
Chapter Ten
Al
ex
My chest tightened and my breath hitched as I stared at the small, white line on Sam’s forehead. It wasn’t big. Barely three inches long. And it wasn’t new looking, either. Whatever had put it there hadn’t been a recent injury. But that was the problem. Because, I knew every inch of this girl’s body. Or at least the parts she’d already shown me. There was plenty more I hadn’t seen—that I spent a lot of time imagining—but her face was something I’d taken great care to memorize. And that scar was not part of the canvas last I’d studied it.
“What is that?” I asked, the words coming out harsher than I’d intended as I peered closely at the raised white line through her dark hair.
She tugged out of my grasp and straightened, her face flushed. “It’s a scar,” she said simply and I knew I’d pissed her off. Or hurt her. I should have kissed her, but I’d gotten distracted. Now, I’d probably never get that chance again.
But the scar had me on edge enough that I couldn’t feel guilty just yet.
“I can see that. Where did it come from?” I asked.
“Relax, it’s not your fault,” she said icily. When I reached for her again, she batted my arm away and stepped back, her dark eyes flashing in a warning. “It’s also not your concern.”
I honed in on the way she balled her fists. The last time she did that, there’d been a handful of fur inside. Was that still happening to her? “Did something happen while you were in Guam?” I asked and her expression contorted to instant indignation. “Something else?” I added, but it was too late. She was already furious.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” she said through closed teeth. “You left me. You chose to walk out even when I asked you to stay. So, anything that happens to me now is none of your business. I can take care of myself.”
My own hurt and guilt flashed bright and stark against her anger, blotting out all rational thought.
“Clearly. You’re already out there killing things.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. As soon as I said it, I knew I’d gone too far. “That was… Sorry, I’m just tired.”
But Sam was fuming. And normally, she was breathtaking when she was this pissed, but right now, all I felt was more guilt.
“You did not just say that to me,” she hissed, taking a step forward. And, God help me, I took a step back. I wasn’t a complete idiot. “You were the one who screwed things up,” she hissed. “You lied to me. Every day even while you kissed me, you lied to me. And when you finally give me the truth, you chose to run away rather than face up to the consequences of your actions. Now you want to give me shit for killing something that threatened my life? A werewolf that, according to Edie, you were supposed to be guarding?”
My eyes widened and I stopped moving.
Sam poked a finger in my chest, her eyes lit like flame-throwers. “Oh yeah, I know about that. I heard her briefing the doctors for their reports. Abel, right? You were assigned to keep tabs on him. You and some other hunter asshole up in Alaska. And you couldn’t even do that right. So, I had to clean up your mess and do the one thing I hate most in the entire world: kill something. No, scratch that. There’s one thing I hate more than killing and that’s taking shit from Alex Channing about killing.” She poked a finger hard against my chest and I rocked backward on my heels, too eaten with the guilty truth of her words to stand my ground.
I took a step back and she followed, still stabbing me with her accusations and her stiff finger. “So, before you even think about ragging on me about anything, maybe consider apologizing for one of your many mistakes. Pretend that you’re here for some other reason than to just be an asshole and stir me up before walking out all over again. Otherwise, sit down and shut the hell up. Because I have enough other life-threatening problems to deal with right now. I don’t need you walking in here and shattering my heart all over again.”
Her tirade ended and she turned away but not before I caught sight of her eyes swimming in barely contained tears.
Scratch that, I was an idiot.
She was right. What had I expected? To show up and have her fall into my arms? To harden my heart and hers by trying to walk out on her twice?
God, I was a fucking monster. But I was also not going to be able to walk away from her twice.
The moment she stopped talking, I reached for her, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her hard against me. She let out a small cry of surprise, her eyes widening. But she didn’t struggle. Maybe I didn’t give her time. Maybe I was putting the icing on the cake of mistakes.
I no longer cared.
I bent my head, hauled her up by the elbows, and crashed my feverish lips to hers. It was the most delicious kiss of my life.
My lips moved fast and furiously against hers, taking what I was desperate for and offering it all to her right back again. Desperation leaked in. I didn’t care that she knew how badly I wanted her. I just needed to feel her against me. More than I needed anything else.
My thoughts were thick with the fog of need. Without thinking, I lifted her off the ground and she wrapped her legs around me, clinging to me. Her hands caressed the back of my neck and I prodded her lips open, my tongue snaking into her mouth. She tasted like fucking sunshine and tropical breezes. How was that even possible from a kiss?
Maybe I was losing my damned mind.
I didn’t care. I just kissed her. When she moaned into my mouth, my knees threatened to buckle and, without even looking up, I closed the distance to the opposite wall, pushing her back against it to hold us both upright.
She gripped my collar hard and kissed me back with an intensity I’d never seen before. She was pissed as hell and beautiful as sin; a warrior goddess. And she was mine. At least for now.
“Oh, Alex,” she moaned as I tore my mouth from hers to kiss a trail down her throat to her chest. She gripped my neck in both hands, guiding me. “You’re so hot,” she said and my lips curved against her skin.
“Thanks, babe,” I said, licking where I’d just kissed before moving on.
“No, no, I mean, actually hot. Alex, you’re burning up.”
I looked up and found her watching me with concern knitting her brows. I nipped at her bottom lip, my condition the last thing on my mind for once. “Can we talk about my health later? Otherwise, I could collapse right here from sexual frustration.”
She smirked. “That sounds serious. I can go get a doctor right now—”
I shoved against her with my hips, pinning her harder against the wall. “You’re not going anywhere,” I said, and kissed her again just to shut her up.
She gave a muffled laugh that was almost lost to my attempts to invade her mouth with my tongue. My hands came up to cup her breasts through her shirt and then fumbled lower for the hem, so I could slip my hand inside the fabric.
Skin to skin. I wanted her pressed against me. No more barriers.
The sound of someone clearing their throat behind me had me tensing all over. I whipped around and when I spotted Edie, I felt the relief mix with embarrassment. It was plenty awkward but it could have been worse. It could have been Tara.
“Glad to see you’re taking my suggestion,” she said and I felt Sam go limp against me.
All of the heat between us was sucked from the room. I hoped we weren’t right back to where we’d started, but judging from the way she avoided my gaze, I figured we weren’t far off from it. Damn.
I took a step back, lowering her feet carefully back to the floor before I moved completely away from her. I felt the space between us like a cold chasm.
“Hi, Edie,” I said, forcing myself to focus on Edie and leave Sam for later.
She laughed, clearly not bothered by the awkwardness. The old bat was probably enjoying it. “Get over here and hug me,” Edie said.
I put my own embarrassment aside and did as she asked, finding comfort and affection in her embrace. It was what I imagined it felt like to “come home.” Not that I had anything else to compare it to.
“You look like
shit,” she said matter-of-factly, cupping my face in her wrinkled hands. And then to Sam, “Doesn’t he look like shit?”
I looked back at Sam as she blinked, still trying to adjust her shirt and hair. Her lips were swollen and pink from my kisses and I had to look away just to keep from getting hard in front of Edie.
Awkward.
“Yeah,” Sam said after seeming to think about it. I looked for anger but found only confusion and distance. She was closing herself off and I couldn’t blame her for it. “He really does.”
Edie huffed as if that settled something important.
I rolled my eyes. “How’s RJ?” I asked.
“They’ve identified the bacteria that caused his infection and are giving him antibiotics through his IV now. He’ll need to stay a couple of days for observation as this particular strain is something of a bitch if it’s not contained.”
“He’s going to be okay, though?” Sam asked, the worry in her voice plain. Guilt tugged at me over that. This wasn’t on her.
“He’ll be fine,” Edie assured her.
Sam nodded, exhaling heavily as she ran a hand through her hair to comb it out.
Edie shot a glance at me before adding, “Sam, would you mind giving Alex and me a moment alone together? I need to speak to him about work.”
“Of course,” Sam said, reaching for her bag beside the chair where I’d found her.
“Thanks. There’s a cafeteria through those doors and to the left. I know you must be hungry after all your travels,” Edie added.
“That sounds great. I’ll head there now,” Sam said, not meeting my eyes as she passed me on her way out. For some reason, watching her walk out did me in and I felt my resolve crumbling.
I let her go and turned to Edie. The moment we were alone, I said, “I don’t care what you say, I’m going back in to protect Sam. Either on the record or not. And there’s not a damned thing you can do or say to make me change my mind.”
Chapter Eleven
Inheritance: (A New Adult Paranormal Romance) (Heart Lines Series Book 2) Page 9