by Layla Nash
"An angel fell from heaven and landed on him." Edgar shook his head and checked his watch. It was well after midnight and there was still plenty more to do before he could turn in for the night.
"Jesus Christ." Kaiser sighed and rubbed his hair until it stood up in spiky tufts, his beard in disarray. "He's a mess without being in love. I might have to chain him up in the basement at this rate."
"Serves you right. I can't believe you told him what I said before the fight." Edgar picked up his radio and began the long trek back to the main lobby and ballroom, Kaiser lumbering next to him. "Fight club is fight club, man."
"You have to admit, roaring 'I'm Edgar fucking Chase' is pretty memorable. I couldn't let that one go." The bear chuckled but composed himself into silence when Edgar's scowl deepened. "Sorry. Next time you go all kamikaze on me, I'll keep it to myself."
"I wasn't going to lose."
"One guy against four wolves? I had my doubts."
"You shouldn't have." Edgar glared at a subordinate wolf who paid a little too much attention to one of the women Owen led ahead of them.
Kaiser slapped him on the back as they reached a main corridor, then shooed Edgar towards where their rooms waited. "Go take care of your girl, we've got this covered."
"She's not my —"
"Bullshit." Kaiser raised an eyebrow. "You don't charge into a fight like that unless there's a mate involved."
"My mate is dead." Edgar felt a familiar shell harden around his heart as he stared down the empty hall, toward where Ivy hopefully slept peacefully and Eloise guarded her rest. "I just felt bad for this girl. That's it."
"Well, I hope if I'm ever in trouble, you feel bad for me, too." The bear gave him a shove down the hall. "And you look like hell. Go rest. If I can pry Owen away from his angel, I'll send him to check on your girl's wounds. He can stitch her up if she hasn't healed."
Edgar wanted to ignore Kaiser, wanted to storm into the mess of prisoners and start rendering justice, but the bear was right — Edgar was tired. To his bones. Exhaustion crept in until his muscles ached, and he turned toward the long hall without another word. He'd make sure Ivy was okay, then find himself a comfortable couch for the night. Maybe Logan would open up the mansion to the women who didn't have anywhere to go. The lion hoped with a quiet desperation that Ivy would come home with them, at least for a little while. Edgar didn't allow himself to hope.
Chapter 5
I woke up again in a strange room, this one softly lit by a lamp in the corner, but I lay in a comfortable bed instead of sitting on a hard chair. Everything hurt — my back burned with an unhealthy fire, and my muscles ached all the way to my bones. Memories came back to me in a blur of faces and sounds and smells, but panic didn't follow. I vaguely remembered a girl with wild dark hair sitting in the chair next to the door, though it seemed I was alone when I woke.
Trying to sit up only created spikes of pain in my back, and I bit back a cry. When I tried to roll to my feet, I nearly fell. Before I could try again, the door cracked open and light flooded the room. I braced for more bad news, more fighting, someone dangerous, but instead the big blonde guy from before — the lion — eased into the room. He turned on another lamp so I could see better but wasn't blinded, and smiled. "You're awake. How do you feel?"
"Terrible," I said, but it came out more of a croak. And I wore someone else's clothes. His clothes. The entire room smelled like him. I was in his bedroom, in his bed. My thoughts clicked a little too slowly. I started to move again, needing to get space, but the pain in my back erupted and I froze, not wanting to cry out.
He took a deep breath but didn't move. "My name is Edgar. I don't know how much you remember, but you're free. The guys who sold you are dead. We found a bag with your name on it in their rooms, I figured that was yours?"
I managed to nod, still watching him warily.
"Good. There weren't many clothes in it, though." He shifted his feet, almost nervous, and I held my breath. Edgar gestured around the room. "You were hurt during the fight, so we put you in here to make sure you could rest. The clothes you wore were ruined for the most part, so my brother's mate put you in some of mine."
Brother's mate? "The girl with the weird eyes?"
A smile made him look younger, less hardened. "Yes. That's Eloise. She's a gorgon — part Medusa. She paralyzes people, on purpose and on accident, so we had her guard you. Plus, she was madder than a wet hen and we didn't want her to misfire."
"Great," I said, a little weakly. A Medusa? Who the hell were these people? "Who are you?"
"I'm Edgar. Edgar Chase." He cleared his throat, then pointed at the side table next to the bed. "There are some painkillers in the bottle over there. You haven't healed much, though, so our medic might need to bandage your back again."
Painkillers. I glanced at the small bottle, then shook my head and steeled myself. I'd been through worse. I'd been in far more pain and managed to fight through it. I couldn't let this guy see me so weak and afraid. Weakness would get me killed. It didn't matter that his scent, the way he moved in the room, reassured me rather than making me panic. He didn't worry me, didn't make me nervous. I braced myself for the pain and gritted my teeth, forcing myself to sit up so I could face him a little more like an equal. I should have been worried that he didn't worry me more.
"No pills," I said, and my voice came out like gravel. I still felt disoriented from whatever that damn alpha gave me, and the room blurred around the edges even with the extra light. But deep down, part of the disorientation also felt like relief. I felt safe, for the first time in a very long time, even if the rational part of my brain knew there was no good reason to feel that way. The wolf part of me wanted to curl up with him in bed, but the wolverine part of me didn't trust his motives. I cleared my throat and held up my hands to fend him off, even though he hadn't moved from where he stood near the door. "Just — explain what happened. Please."
"Okay. May I sit?" He didn't move until I nodded, which made me eternally grateful. He settled into the chair near the door, and I wondered where the crazy-eyed girl went. She might be a good friend to have, all things considered. But Edgar Chase, with the short blonde hair and the shadow of a tattoo behind his ear, looked like a good friend to the wolf. I tried to listen as he started talking, slow and easy, but something about his eyes kept distracting me. "They put you in the Auction, then knocked you out when you tried to escape. I fought for you and won, and we were in the back room to complete payment when you woke up. You said you hadn't gone willingly, and when the alpha tried to escape, we fought. My brothers and I, and our allies, were here to stop the Auction, or at least the part where women were sold against their will. So we fought them, and the organizers, and the rest of the men who wanted to buy girls."
My throat closed — the others. I vaguely remembered a dark room with other women, crying and whispering and plotting. I blinked to clear the memories and the sudden disorientation as that memory felt more real than the soft warmth and comfort of sitting in a room with him. "There are more, locked up. Waiting."
"We found them," he said, gently. So careful and calm, even though his knee bounced with barely-controlled energy. "They're fine. It's late, so we're staying here until tomorrow morning. They're in some of the suites down the hall, if you'd rather stay there?"
The knee-bouncing grew a touch wilder, and he gripped his other leg as if it might fly off completely. I considered the safer option, staying among the women, even if I knew that wasn't really possible. Something about him calmed the wolf part of me, at least, and so far he'd been more respectful and careful of me than anyone I could remember since...
I shoved away the thought and cleared my throat. "It's okay. If you don't mind me staying here. I'll stay here."
Relief washed over his expression and he relaxed a little in the chair. "I don't mind. At all. You're welcome to stay." He watched me closely for a few heartbeats, then took a deep breath. "We've cleared out all the people who were just here
to meet someone, and we'll deal with the bad guys tomorrow. The Alphas Council will adjudicate what happens to them. Hopefully something distasteful. But we can talk more about that tomorrow. You need rest."
"Why did you fight for me?" The question escaped before I thought how it would sound, but once it was said, I couldn't unsay it.
Edgar looked thoughtful, at least, before he answered. His knee stopped jiggling when he thought. "Well, two reasons. You seemed familiar, and I wanted the chance to see if we knew each other from somewhere. And you were determined to make your own mind about where you went, particularly when you threw that guy over your shoulder, and I didn't like the idea of those guys telling you what would happen. So I figured I could convince them to stay out of your way."
It all sounded good, but I still lay in his bed. He'd still bought me. Part of me rebelled against feeling anything for this man, even knowing my heart died with Jake years ago. Edgar might say all the right things, and give me space, but that didn't make him any different from the other assholes in the crowd who wanted to buy a woman against her will. I moved slowly to shift my weight, desperate to ease the ache in my lower back, and he nearly jumped out of the chair.
I squinted through the light and the pain, still wobbling, and began to reconsider the painkillers. It might be worth it, just to sleep. "They gave me wolfsbane. So I couldn't shift."
"The medic thought that was why you weren't healing." Edgar ran a hand over his short hair, and a tattoo peeked from his wrist as his shirt moved. "It should wear off soon. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Do you want to shower or change?"
It was almost enough to make me smile. He seemed so desperate to help me, and for no reason that I could understand. "I think I'm okay. For now."
"Good." He glanced over his shoulder at the door, and I wondered who waited outside. More of his brothers, maybe, or girls with crazy eyes. Edgar eased to his feet. "I'll be out there, if you need anything. Just shout and I'll hear you."
"Are you —" I stopped myself, flushing with embarrassment as he paused and looked back at me. I felt like an idiot, some child scared of the dark, but there was no hope for getting any rest if I lay there alone. Maybe I'd been able to sleep earlier because the girl sat in the room with me, and her breathing reminded me I wasn't alone. I chewed my lower lip and concentrated on tracing the stitching on the heavy down comforter. "I don't like the dark. They kept me alone, in the dark, and I can't — Would you mind, I mean... If you could stay for a little while, I wouldn't mind. Would appreciate it."
Imagine, asking a stranger to sleep in the same room with me, just so I wouldn't scare myself with bad dreams. I rubbed my forehead, already so disconcerted I couldn't look at him as Edgar took a deep breath. "Of course I'll stay. Of course. This couch looks more comfortable than the floor out there anyway." And he smiled.
I flushed as I smiled back, then tried to compose myself. I couldn't let my guard down yet. Definitely not around him and his easy smile and soft voice. This one was more dangerous than any of those loud assholes. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome." Edgar moved quickly, efficiently, to pull a couple of pillows and a spare blanket from the top of the closet, making a simple bed on the couch before kicking off his shoes. He surveyed the room once more, then froze as I groaned and tried to lay down once more. "Do you need anything?"
"New skin," I wheezed, but propped myself up on my side, leaning forward against a pillow to relieve the pressure on my back.
He smiled but hid it, turning off one of the lamps before fussing with his cell phone. "I can't help with that, but the wolfsbane should wear off pretty soon and you'll feel much better."
I both hoped and feared he was right. When I closed my eyes, though, I wasn't in the hotel room. I was in a much darker, more dangerous place. It took a long time before I relaxed in the half-light, even with the rough cadence of Edgar's breathing.
Chapter 6
Edgar almost jumped out of his skin with the need to comfort her, to ease her pain, to help her, but the girl looked a half step away from losing control completely. So he stayed back, even though the lion fought him every second, and gave her space. And then thanked every deity he'd ever heard of when she tentatively asked him to stay in the room with her. He wouldn't have slept a wink if he'd been in the living room of the suite, and even though the couch in the bedroom was hard enough to pass for concrete, he felt a thousand times more comfortable just being able to hear her breathe.
His heart thawed a little, despite a sense of guilt that he betrayed Anna somehow, by caring about this girl. He couldn't understand how this girl affected him so much, after so many years and so many other women failed to even distract him. He'd never cared about anyone that much after Anna died, and the worry drove him crazy. Threatened to drive the lion over the edge completely.
She couldn't be his mate. Couldn't be. And she didn't feel like his mate the same way that Anna had. Edgar moved on the couch, trying to find a more comfortable position, and punched the pillow under his arm. The girl's breathing hitched, and he froze, waiting to see if he'd disturbed her. She murmured and moved uneasily, but didn't wake, and Edgar started breathing again. She definitely didn't feel like Anna had, like he'd found the missing part of his soul. He still felt as if this girl belonged with him, as if they were linked or connected or kindred, but he couldn't understand why. He'd never heard of people who'd lost their mates finding another, but he hadn't known very many who survived their mates for a decade. Maybe the universe wanted to make it up to him.
He closed his eyes against the memories but Anna's face stayed in his thoughts. She would have liked Ivy, he knew.
Edgar dozed, not letting himself fall too deeply asleep in case Ivy needed something. He'd texted his brothers not to disturb him until it was time to leave for the mansion. Apparently Carter and the love-struck Owen convinced most of the women to stay at the Chase mansion for a few days, until they could get their bearings and all the trials were sorted out, so a convoy of vehicles would truck back to the city as soon as the sun rose. He wanted Ivy to be in that convoy, in his truck, right next to him.
He didn't know what time it was when she started having nightmares, but he woke as her breath hitched and a pained noise escaped. Rather than rolling or adjusting her position to alleviate the pain from her back, she just flinched, her feet moving under the sheets, and his heart sank. Definitely nightmares. Edgar eased upright, torn. He wanted to wake her, but there was no telling how she would feel about a strange man standing over her bed in the dark. That might not help much.
Edgar cleared his throat and said softly, "Ivy, wake up."
Nothing. Her expression tightened, a frown deepening across her forehead, and her lips parted. A cry escaped, desperate and afraid, and his heart broke a little. Cracked around the edges. Edgar took a deep breath and moved around the bed to stand nearer, pitching his voice a little louder. "Wake up, Ivy. It's just a dream."
Her breath came faster, shallower. Her feet moved more, jerky and uncontrolled.
He held his breath and touched her arm. "Ivy —"
She woke with a start and a cry, lashing out, and Edgar backed away. "I'm sorry. You were dreaming. Do you want a light?"
"No," she croaked after a long moment, and from the hiccup in her breathing, he thought she cried. She curled up around the pillow and hid her face, hands clenched near her head. "Is it time to go?"
"Not yet." Edgar returned to the couch and sat, but couldn't quite make himself lay back. She looked miserable, even if the wounds in her back should have healed. "Want to talk about it?"
He caught the movement as she shook her head. He understood. There wasn't enough money in the world to get him to talk about his nightmares. Edgar started to put his feet up but froze as her soft voice, small and uneasy, reached him through the darkness. "I don't think I can sleep more. Do you mind — could we talk for a while?"
"Of course." He sat up, hesitating, then shoved to his feet and took the two steps to the b
ed. He sat down on the edge, far from her, and eased back to lay on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling. And he counted it a victory that she didn't immediately flee, even though she tensed. He chose not to notice, trying to count the cracks in the ceiling through the darkness. "What do you want to talk about?"
She sounded half-asleep still, particularly as the silence stretched and her breathing slowed. "I was trying to find someone when the pack captured me. I think he's in the city. Can you help me find him?"
Looking for someone. Edgar's heart sank. Looking for a mate, maybe? A replacement? Someone she followed from wherever she left? It figured that the first woman who made his lion feel alive already had someone. He frowned at the darkness. He needed to man the fuck up already. He barely knew this girl, she owed him nothing, and it was her choice where she went and who she looked for. "Of course. I know a couple of private investigators. One of them will certainly be able to find whoever you're looking for."
"It won't be easy," she said with a sigh, relaxing more. She even rolled a little closer to his side. "He won't want to be found."
"Really?" Edgar made a mental note to contact Smith, the investigator who'd helped Atticus's mate find her long-lost family. "Why would he want to hide from you?"
"Because I want to kill him." She said it so easily he thought for a moment he'd misunderstood, between the soft warmth of her body next to his arm and the sleepy quality of her sighed words. The lion purred, pleased with her strength and intoxicated by her scent. Ivy nuzzled against his shoulder, eyes closed, and murmured something he didn't quite catch. Then she smiled. "He's the last one. When he's gone, I can finally move on."
So many questions filled his brain that Edgar didn't know where to start. Why she wanted to kill him, how many came before this dude, what she planned to do when she moved on... He shook his head in the darkness and just closed his eyes. "I'll help you, if you need it, Ivy."