Touch the Sky

by Kari Cole

  He was certainly in pain. His cock pulsed with every frantic beat of his heart and—he touched his mouth. His canines were still extended, and fuck, they hurt, as bad as the first time he’d ever shifted.

  What she’d said echoed in his ears. “I’m so sorry. I can’t mate you.”

  He touched the fang-shaped bruises on her neck. “Cassie? It’s the mating dance. Don’t you feel it?” Had he lost his mind? Every molecule of his being felt like they were being drawn toward her. His beasts sang for her. Both of them.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said.

  “What?”

  Moving like an arthritic, she sat up and pulled a pillow to her chest, covering her nudity. “The mating dance doesn’t matter,” she said. Tears ran down her face like rivers. “I can’t do this to you.”

  No. No way. Fuck that. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. “What are you talking about?”

  She shook her head.

  “No,” he said. “You have to answer me. Give me something, Cassie.”

  Anger blasted out of her, filling the room with its bitterness. “Stop calling me that! It’s not my name!” She moaned then. “Oh God. It’s not my name.” She jumped from the bed and started grabbing clothes, shoving them on. Her shirt was inside out.

  “Whoa. Wait a minute.”

  “I’ve got to go. This was a mistake.”

  “Don’t say that. How can you say that? We’re true mates.” He was going crazy. That was it. He’d finally cracked from having too many voices in his head.

  She raced to the door, and he jumped over the bed to block her. “Damn it. Stop. What the fuck is happening?”

  When she met his eyes, he recoiled. Absolute desolation lay within.

  “Let me go,” she whispered. “You have to let me go. Forget about me. It’s for your own good. Pretend I never existed.”

  His hand fell away from the door and she rushed out, running right past Frost. The wolf looked at him in shock and whined, then he, too, raced down the hall and out of Vaughn’s home.

  Out of his life.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Hannah raced through the front door of Jessie’s house, Frost on her heels. Tears streaked her cheeks and she was still sobbing. Her heart hurt, actually throbbed with pain. She’d denied the mating dance. She may never feel normal again.

  How could she have allowed this to happen? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  She went straight to the guest bedroom and looked around. She opened the closet door and rummaged through plastic garment bags containing quilts, a couple of dresses, and winter coats. She slammed the door shut and dropped to her knees, looking under the bed.

  Frost bumped her shoulder and the backpack fell off and clunked onto the floor. He made a questioning noise.

  “I don’t know,” she cried. “I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

  Could everything she owned really be chucked into a backpack smaller than the one she’d used in high school? She wasn’t leaving anything behind?

  Just your heart.

  She choked back another sob. Was she really going to run? She’d done it before. She’d lost track of how many times now. Seven? Eight? The week she’d spent here at Jessie’s was the longest she’d stayed in one place since...since—

  The cold, iron fingers of a panic attack gripped her lungs and squeezed the air out. She rolled onto her side, her heart pounding so loud she almost couldn’t hear the frantic howling of her wolf inside.

  “Oh God.” Now that the wolf knew they’d found their mate, would she even let Hannah leave? Would Vaughn?

  Frost barked and licked her face. He kept doing it, throwing in a couple of swats to her chest until she grabbed him. Pale gold eyes stared into hers and she froze. No more gasping. No more flailing on the floor. He took a long breath in and nudged her nose with his. She did the same. When he breathed out, she grimaced.

  “Eww. We need to brush your teeth.”

  He grumbled and sat beside her.

  They lay together on the floor for a while, her pulse returning to something resembling normal, though she didn’t feel like it at all.

  “I love him.” There. She’d said it out loud. Tears burned in her throat, but at least she could be honest about how she felt. “I love him, and I can’t have him. He doesn’t even know my real name.”

  Frost sighed and laid his head on her shoulder.

  A few tears escaped her eyes and ran down into her hair. “I don’t understand why this is happening. It isn’t fair. I’m not a soldier or a cop. I’m a silly girl who likes pretty things. I’m not a hero.” Not like Vaughn. “Damn it. What am I going to do?”

  Frost’s response was to get up and go lie in the corner. The one thing her friend could not abide was a pathetic whiner.

  Ugh. A silly girl who likes pretty things? Really, Hannah? Shame burned her face and she sat up. She might not be anyone’s idea of a hero, but she wasn’t a helpless kid either.

  First, she needed to get her rump off the floor. She stood and rubbed the tears from her face. Frost peered at her with one eye.

  “I apologize for that sorry display. Wallowing time is over.”

  Since the day her ability had gone haywire, she’d been running around like a chicken with her head cut off: zigging here, zagging there. It had kept her out of the hunters’ nets, but it hadn’t brought her much closer to finding those kids and getting them out of Genysis’s labs.

  “I should have come to Jessie right away.” She hadn’t wanted to risk her cousin and—no. No. She was being honest with herself now. Sometimes the truth hurt. A lot. She hadn’t come because of guilt. How could she explain to her cousin what had happened? That in her panic and fear, she’d acted completely on her own and stolen something that threatened the most evil men she could imagine? That instead of talking to her father about what she’d seen when she touched Macon Crawford’s ring, she’d snuck back into his office the day after the party and taken the memory card? Or that the reason she hadn’t gone to her father was because she was terrified that he already knew what Crawford and Genysis were up to?

  Bile rose in her throat making her gag. No. Nope. Not going to vomit. Not going to do it. She took a shaky breath and squared her shoulders. What was done, was done. There was no going back to change the past and she was going to have to face up to all her stupid, deadly mistakes.

  Step one in that process was to do things differently.

  “I didn’t go to the Authority because they’re in Apex’s pocket, right?”

  Frost hopped up onto the bed, eyes bright as he watched her pace.

  “And a lot of the packs we’ve come across have been shady or hurting, right?”

  Frost nodded once.

  “It’s not like I could have asked any of them for help. They didn’t know me. They’d have no reason to believe me. But this pack...” She rubbed her hands together. She almost couldn’t get the words out, her hope was so great. “They’ve seen so much already. They know something’s wrong. This pack will believe. Vaughn will believe.”

  If he’ll still have anything to do with you.

  Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket with an incoming text. She yanked it out.

  “Raze,” she said. No time like the present to tell him about the new plan. She pulled the laptop out of her bag, sat down on the bed, and logged in. As soon as she did, a message popped up.

  Progress report?

  “Such a charmer, this guy,” she told Frost. Working on it. Tolerance is better, she sent. She was about to tell him about her progress reading numbers off Jessie’s computer when his response flashed on her screen.

  Working on it? Have u ID’d any of the password?

  The password? Was he nuts? No. I can’t touch that.

  What are you doing?!!! This isn’t vacation.

  I know that, s
he typed, stabbing each letter. I’m not touching that thing until I know I can get something useful off it.

  Do u think this is a game?

  Ofc not. How can you ask me that?

  Maybe because u seem more interested in fucking the sheriff than doing ur job.

  Hannah shoved the computer off her lap onto the bed and jumped back. Frost scrambled to his feet, teeth bared, looking for the source of danger.

  “Wh-what? How does he know that?” She looked at the computer and cell phone she had with her all the time. Could he listen in when she wasn’t using them? Maybe. Probably. She’d seen the movie about that NSA contractor who blew the whistle on government spying. But the first night she was with Vaughn, she’d left her phone in the living room, and the computer had been in her backpack. Could Raze have overheard something before Vaughn had carried her into the bedroom? Maybe.

  Last night, she’d kept the phone in the backpack with the computer. In Vaughn’s kitchen.

  Could she have missed someone following them? Well, yes, easily. She was only alive through the grace of the goddess and Raze’s intervention. She had no idea what she was doing.

  She sat back down on the bed. Is Arachne watching me? she asked him. Who the heck was this person anyway?

  Don’t worry about that. Do ur job.

  Don’t worry? He never answered her questions about what they’d do once she figured out the password. She was tired of being dismissed. Did they even have the resources to help those kids? Her wolf bared her teeth in a silent snarl. Something about Raze’s attitude and the situation raised the hair on her nape.

  What are you going to do when I get you into that memory card? she asked.

  Leave that 2 me.

  No thanks. Done being the pliant idiot. Do you have enough people to rescue them?

  It took a few seconds for Raze’s reply to come. Not ur concern.

  Not her concern? Whose is it then? Are you concerned about them? Because I want to know that we’re going to rescue those kids and make sure Genysis is never able to do this again.

  Three blinking dots appeared. It took almost a full minute for his reply this time. It filled her veins with ice. I was concerned enough 2 risk my life setting up this little project of ours. Concerned enough 2 risk exposure w/ every hack. Concerned enough when I couldn’t retrieve Crawford’s data on my own that I made sure I had someone on the ground with the proper incentive and skills to get it for me.

  The words swam before her eyes. No. No, he couldn’t—

  Another message appeared. Why do u think I risked dosing u w/ some of Genysis’s best serum?

  She gasped and slammed the computer closed. Sliding to the floor, she stared at her glove-covered hands. Ears back and tail tucked, Frost watched her. “He did this to me on purpose?” Had Raze condemned Frost, too? “Oh, God. My family—”

  Now she did throw up. Scrambling to the wastebasket, she heaved until her ribs hurt and she thought she might tear open the shotgun wound.

  “What are we going to do?”

  Her wolf had some definite ideas about that. And they did not involve staying where that bastard Raze knew where to find her.

  “I have to be the stupidest freaking female on the planet.”

  For the second time that day, she was racing out of a house. She dropped the cell phone and laptop on the floor and stomped on them until they were worthless piles of plastic and silicon. Next, she ran across the hall into Jessie’s room. Shameless, she flung open drawers and stuffed jeans, a couple of shirts, a hooded sweatshirt, and socks into the backpack. Frost watched every move, his tail flicking in agitation.

  “We have to be smart.” She had to be smart, for once in this whole damn charade. “If Vaughn won’t listen, we have no choice. We’ll have to run again.”

  Without help.

  Without a plan.

  Without the male she loved.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The mating dance was a fucking bitch.

  And Vaughn was a fucking idiot for not realizing what was going on between them. In his defense, he hadn’t expected to not know. Hell, hadn’t he just watched Luke lose his damn mind when Izzy showed up in town? The male had chased her all over the territory before they’d claimed each other. Vaughn had thought that was the norm.

  Goddamn human birth control. He should have remembered before this morning that she was taking them. No wonder he hadn’t figured out she was his mate until last night in the kitchen. Even then, her scent hadn’t clued him in. He’d just been ready to tell the goddess to go to hell because he was in love with Cassandra.

  He shook his head. He was all-in, crazy in love with her, and she wanted him to pretend she didn’t exist.

  Right. How was he supposed to do that? Forget her smile or the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed? Forget how she put herself in danger to protect innocent children? Forget how she soothed both his beasts and accepted him without question? For a few shining hours last night, he’d known that it was now his life’s mission to take care of her and make her as happy as she made him. He was just supposed to forget all of that?

  No fucking way.

  I can’t do this to you, she’d said. It’s for your own good.

  Like hell.

  Like a video stuck playing on a loop, his wolf kept showing him Cassandra running out the door. Yup. Really stellar work, that. Vaughn had let his own pain paralyze him. This wasn’t like when Elena had run from him, afraid of what he was. Cassandra wasn’t afraid of him. Even a blind idiot could see she was hiding something important, something that scared the shit out of her.

  Then he’d compounded his stupidity by not following.

  That, at least, he could fix.

  Turning into the driveway that led past Mills Nursery & Florist, he followed it to Jessie’s house. Cassandra’s van was parked haphazardly beside it, like she’d made it as far as she could and just gave up. Vaughn rubbed his eyes. He never should have let her go upset as she was. She could have been in an accident.

  He parked and ran up the front porch steps. The door flew open before he could knock, and Cassandra slammed into his chest. “Whoa. Easy,” he said, grabbing her arms to keep her from falling down.

  Too wide, red-rimmed eyes blinked at him. “Vaughn?” And then she smiled, making the sun shine brighter in the sky. Until he saw the stuffed backpack dangling from her hand.

  “You’re leaving? Without talking to me?”

  “I—I was—”

  Hands still gripping her biceps, he walked her back into the house and slammed the door shut with his foot. Windows rattled and Frost appeared beside them. Body in an alert, aggressive line, the wolf wrinkled his muzzle in warning.

  Vaughn pointed at him. “You stay out of this.”

  “Vaughn—”

  “Running away. That’s how you’re going to handle this? We’re true mates and you can just leave?”

  “No. This is just in case. I was—”

  “In case of what?” Her mouth opened and hung that way for a few seconds before snapping shut. He gave her a little shake. “In case of what, Cassandra?”

  “Hello!” Jessie’s voice called out from the back of the house. “I know Vaughn’s here and I don’t want to see anything I shouldn’t, if you catch my drift.” She laughed at her own joke.

  Over Cassandra’s shoulder, he saw the exact moment Jessie realized she wasn’t interrupting a nooner. Her eyes darted between Vaughn’s face, his hands on Cassandra’s shoulders, and Frost’s pissed posture.

  “Uh, hey,” she said, approaching them. “What’s up?” Cassandra winced. “Han—um, Cassandra, are you all right?”

  “It’s—”

  It’s not my name.

  “Don’t,” Vaughn said. “No more lies. What were you just going to call her, Jessie?”

  “Uh...”r />
  The door opened behind him. The scent told him who’d come in without him turning around. He should have been shocked, but somehow in this messed up day, it made sense.

  “Her name’s Hannah Cochran, and she’s a murderer,” Diego said.

  * * *

  “Murderer?” Hannah must not have heard that right. It was hard to tell between the pounding of her pulse and the frantic barking of her wolf. Maybe he said something else after that and she’d just missed it with all the shouting and growling? Why would anyone think she was a murderer?

  “What the fuck are you talking about, Diego?” Vaughn demanded. He let go of her arms and she wanted to beg him to touch her again.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Jessie said.

  Diego shoved a file folder into Vaughn’s hands. “Look at those. You wanted to know why I was so certain Sharon Beck was here in Black Robe and why I wouldn’t let you help me hunt her—it’s because of her.” He pointed at Hannah, and she turned to look behind her.

  “Who’s Sharon Beck?”

  He scoffed and kept speaking to Vaughn. “Hannah stole a memory card full of numbered accounts and access codes from one of her father’s clients. The information on that card is worth millions. Where is it, Ms. Cochran?”

  Numbered accounts? “That’s not what’s on it.”

  Jessie gasped.

  Hannah stomped her foot. “That is not what’s on that card. I don’t know any Sharon—”

  Vaughn held up a piece of paper. It was dark with ink—a picture of some kind—but she couldn’t make out the image. When he spoke, his voice was hollow. “He has pictures of you with her.”

  What? “That’s not possible. I don’t—”

  Diego cut her off. “Did you really think no one would know you’d taken the card, or did you just figure you’d be gone before anyone noticed?”

  “I didn’t think it would be so hard to get into it.” At the sudden ringing silence, she realized she’d said that out loud. Vaughn’s face was ashen, but his eyes burned fever-bright.

  “Why don’t you tell them about your family?” Diego said in a perfectly calm voice, as if he hadn’t just gutted her. “Ms. Mills here is your blood relative, isn’t she? Your mother’s cousin? Maybe she’d like to know what happened to Catherine.”