Forbidden Bond

by Jessica Lee

  A knock sounded at the back door, interrupting the moment. “I’ll get it.” Olivia pushed from the table and headed into the kitchen. Through the sheer material of the curtain covering the small window in the door, she saw that it was Max, one of the younger ranch hands who lived in the room over the barn. She opened the door. “Hey, come on in.” Max pulled his dusty hat off.

  “Thank you, ma’am.” He nodded, knocking a few wild strands of dirty blond hair into his eyes.

  “What’s up? Would you like something to eat?”

  “No, ma’am.” With a large calloused hand, he shoved his hair back over his forehead. “Thank you. That’s real nice of you to offer, but I’m here with some not so good news.” His jaw ticked as if he chewed on the words he was holding back.

  Olivia’s gut clenched. “Kris is in the dining room.” She ushered him in.

  “What’s this bad news about?” Her brother sat back, his plate now shoved away from him. Olivia stood behind his chair.

  “I thought I heard some disturbance with the cattle about an hour ago, so I went out for a ride, you know, to check things out.” He shook his head. “Looks like we had some wolves attack the herd. I found three dead, sir. All calves.”

  “Oh, God.” Olivia’s stomach roiled.

  “Son of a…” Kris scrambled from his seat and grabbed his crutches.

  “Damndest thing, sir. Don’t know why they were out to kill so many. They just didn’t target one and take it for food. It was like they were toying with them. Seeing how many they could take down.”

  Kris hustled as fast as his crutches would carry him toward the backdoor and the keys hanging on the wall next to the frame. He grabbed his from the second hook and handed them to Max. “Get my truck and bring it around. Then I want you to take me out there. Show me what you found.” He turned to Olivia. “Call Eion. He needs to know what’s happening.”

  Nodding, Olivia went to the phone perched on the wall as Kris hobbled out onto the porch behind Max. She punched in the number to Eion’s cell from the card pinned to the corkboard beside the telephone. Eion answered on the second ring.

  “Yeah, Kris. What’s up?”

  “Eion, it’s me,” she said, unable to disguise the distress in her voice.

  “Liv? What’s wrong?” The strength in his tone, the kind that sounded like he’d punch through the receiver to fix whatever had her upset, went straight to her heart.

  “I’m okay. It’s not me, personally. It’s the ranch.” She swallowed hard. “We lost some of our calves tonight.” Dammit. It was the last thing they needed. The ranch couldn’t afford any loss.

  “Lost calves? What the hell?” he growled. “What happened?”

  “I haven’t been out there yet. Kris just left with Max to see for himself. But Max said he thought it was wolves.” Olivia paced over to the window in time to watch the red glow of Kris’s taillights disappear around the barn. Seconds passed. “Eion? You still there?”

  “Yeah. I’m here.”

  “Did you hear what I said? Max thinks we have wolves stalking our herd.”

  “Yeah…” A sound resembling the jingle of keys reached her ear before he added, “I’ll be right there.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Don’t jump to fucking conclusions.

  There was no reason to believe what Liv reported over the phone had anything to do with his people. The arteries along the side of his throat pulsed with every heartbeat. Eion skidded his Silverado to a halt in front of the Wilson home, dust clouds swallowing the pickup and drowning the beams of his headlights. Play it cool, Mandrake. He sucked in a deep breath. Could be a coincidence that forty-eight hours after Tawny had vacated Little Crow Pass a pack of wolves wreaked havoc in the Wilsons’ backyard. Yeah. One hell of a coincidence. He cut the engine, grabbed his keys, and left the vehicle in one swift move.

  “Nice going.” Liv met him coming around the front end of the truck. “I think you set a new speed record between our properties.”

  “Hey.” He brushed a palm down the length of her arm. “You okay?”

  Liv shrugged. “I’ve had better days.”

  “Kris still out there?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. They’re not back yet.”

  “Hop in.” Eion motioned toward the truck, keys still in hand. “I’ll take us out there.”

  With Liv in the passenger seat, Eion snaked his truck between the house and the barn, through the gate, and onto the acreage.

  “It’s so hard to believe,” Liv mumbled. “Kris and I were just saying at dinner that things were looking a little better.” Eion glanced over at her. Liv stared back, the pale glow from the dashboard lights casting her face in shadows. “Thanks to you,” she whispered, sincerity cracking her voice.

  His chest tightened. Eion swung his gaze back to the trail. “Nothing to thank me for. I’m happy for the opportunity to help out an old friend.” He swallowed, wetting his suddenly parched throat, and turned back to Liv. “Old friends.”

  Despite the stress of the evening, a slight smile curved the perfect bow of her mouth. The familiar burn crawled over his flesh, ratcheting his libido. He jerked his attention back to the view outside the windshield. Focus on why you’re out here. Her and Kris’s land, their home, came first.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, rustling in her seat. “Especially with tonight’s turn of events. Kris is warming up to you as well.”

  At least that was good news—Kris didn’t hate him. Taillights glowed red a few hundred yards away. “There they are,” Eion announced, and turned the truck toward the men.

  Seconds later, leaving the truck running for extra illumination of the area, they hopped out of the vehicle. Kris and Max loomed over the macabre scene. Eion moved in beside Kris. Tension thickened the air to a palpable wave that ebbed and flowed around them. He squatted next to the remains of one of the Wilsons’ calves, his gut rebelling at the sight.

  Max and Kris huddled with Liv behind him, deep in conversation regarding their findings. With the others distracted, Eion lifted the mangled head of the calf and making sure his back stayed to the others, he breathed deep.

  Every muscle in his body tensed, ready for action. He growled low in his throat. Biting down hard on his molars, Eion stifled his immediate impulse to spring from the carnage. Not from the gore, though the animal had been brutally ripped in half and left for the vultures. The reaction came from the weight of the knowledge slamming into his senses with the force of a semi.

  Shifters.

  He made a swift scan of the area. A few feet away lay another ravaged, dark mass of legs, fur, and discarded entrails. Eion lowered the carcass to the ground and strode over to the other kill, his senses alert. As with the previous calf, Eion kneeled and performed a quick olfactory inspection. Not every scent clinging to the air and the remains belonged to his kindred species—some were pure wolf. But there was no denying the evidence in his hands and around him.

  Fuck.

  His people had led the raid on the Wilson herd.

  What the hell are you trying to prove, Father?

  “You drawing the same conclusion?” Liv came up behind him. Eion dropped the upper half of the deceased animal like a thief caught red-handed. He got to his feet and turned to face her.

  He dusted off his hands. “Looks like a pack of wolves, all right.” Eion and Liv returned to where the others stood. “I see two,” he said, directing his statement to Kris. “How many did you find?”

  “Three total. Third one is just out of the range of our headlights.” Kris pointed toward a distant spot in the darkness behind Max.

  “Dammit!” Eion blurted, and scrubbed a palm over his day old beard. “I’ll take care of the remains. It’s only three, so it won’t take me that long.”

  “I’ll help,” Max chimed in.

  “No,” Liv ordered. “You take Kris back to the house, and I’ll help Eion.” Eion swung his head toward Liv, his heart racing at the thought of spending that much time a
lone with her.

  “I don’t mind, Ms. Wilson.”

  Listen to the kid, Liv. Eion stared at her profile, conflict swirling inside his head like a whirlpool about to pull him under. Common sense—logic—said she really needed to go home, yet the devil on his shoulder whispered in his ear that here was exactly where he wanted her.

  “You sure you don’t want Max’s help with this?” Kris shuffled closer. “Damn, it pisses me off that I can’t take care of my own deceased.”

  “We’ve got this, Kris.” Then Liv turned to Max, “Thanks for checking on the herd tonight. But you need some sleep, so please drive Kris back to the house, then go on home. Eion and I will take care of the rest. Just leave me a shovel from the pickup.” Liv snagged Kris’s arm. “After we’re done here, we’ll come back in and talk.”

  “All right, then.” Kris nodded and followed Max. Moments later, they backed up and started toward the house, leaving Eion alone with Olivia.

  “You happen to have a shovel or will we need to share?” She lifted the one Kris had given her.

  “Yeah. In the back of the truck.” He nodded. “I’ll grab it.”

  Eion retrieved the shovel and returned to where Liv stood staring at the carnage. “Do you want to bury or burn them?”

  She drew in a shaky breath. “They’re fairly small. Let’s just bury them. Make one hole and place them together.”

  “We can do that.” Eion stabbed the tip of the shovel in the ground. “Why you, Liv?”

  “Why me, what?” She shoved some loose strands behind one ear and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

  “Why did you want to handle this and not have Max take care of it?”

  “Why not?” She grabbed the handle of her own shovel and joined him in creating the burial site. Eion watched her launch into the job of preparing the grave for her cattle. Damn, he was so impressed with the woman she’d become—intelligent without an overabundance of pride that would keep her from handling unpleasant tasks.

  It didn’t take long to dig a hole big enough for what remained of the three calves. After two trips, Liv had the first in its final resting place. She leaned onto the shovel, glaring into the darkness of the grave. “I love this place, Eion.” Liv glanced over at him. “Just as much as Kris does or my dad did. They’re my cattle—my responsibility.” Her voice cracked.

  And his heart broke.

  The next thing he knew, Liv was in his arms. And the world spun away. “I know,” he breathed into her hair. “I’ve got you.” Eion held her tight, the tremble racking her body vibrating through his soul. She sniffed, then lifted her head. Using his thumb, he brushed away a smudge of dirt from her cheek. Tears glistened in her eyes, and he knew that he’d die before he allowed her to be hurt.

  Her lips parted right before the pink tip of her tongue eased out, wetting them. He groaned at the sight. One taste. God, just one taste, or he’d go mad.

  “Liv,” he moaned, or maybe the sound was inside his head. He leaned in, and their lips brushed. Once. Twice. Then on a whimper—his—hers—who the hell knew—they slammed into each other. Tongues sliding, tasting, a duel of desire as old as time itself.

  “Oh, God.” She gasped, coming up for air.

  And he reclaimed her mouth.

  “Eion,” she murmured against his lips, reaching up and threading her fingers into his hair.

  He trailed kisses across her cheek, then lower down the curve of her neck. “You taste so damn good,” he growled at her ear before licking the tender outer edge. “Sweet and tart.” He rocked his hips into her.

  “Yes,” she breathed, pressing back against the evidence of his need. “No.” Liv shoved from his arms. “What am I saying?” She shook her head. “I mean no.” Liv crossed her arms under her breasts.

  The frigid blast of her rejection kicked him in the gut, chilling him to the core. You’re a fool, Mandrake. Your own damn fault for letting your control slip and taking the moment where it never should have gone.

  “Liv…shit,” he spat. “I’m sorry.”

  “This didn’t happen.” Liv stepped back. “Okay? Nobody needs to know that we… Damn!” She whirled. “Forgot my shovel.” Liv grabbed it. “I have a boyfriend, Eion,” she muttered, staring at her boots, the words barely audible. But with his extrasensory hearing, they were crystal clear.

  “I know,” he said, his voice rusty with unspent lust.

  “Then you know I should not have let you kiss me.”

  He grunted in response. The reminder that she belonged to someone else lodged like a cancerous growth in the back of his throat, making it hard to verbalize anything else.

  “I can’t hurt Taylor like that—I won’t.” Even in the shadows of his truck’s headlight, he couldn’t miss the fierce determination in her eyes. Eion reached out and stroked her upper arm.

  “I apologize. I crossed the line.”

  Liv glanced to where his fingertips brushed her skin, then slowly lifted her chin until they were face to face.

  “You’re not only beautiful, but a woman any man will be damn proud to have at his side.” Despite the pain in his chest, Eion pulled off a tight smile. “There’s enough stress on your plate without my adding to it. I respect your commitment, and it won’t happen again.” But she was a magnet to the steel of his resolve. Her pull was undeniable. He released his hold to stroke the delicate skin of her face. She closed her eyes. “But I don’t regret kissing you. And I won’t forget…either one of your kisses.”

  One brow lifted at his confession, and Liv worried her bottom lip as if she battled over her next choice of words. “Neither will I,” she finally murmured, then she returned to the task at hand.

  An hour later, they were back in the Silverado, the animal remains buried in their makeshift grave. The only sound between them was the radio softly delivering another top forty tune. Gavin Degraw belted out Not Over You. Ironic considering he’d never managed to “get over” the woman beside him.

  “I like this song,” Liv muttered, catching him off guard.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Really.” She laughed, the effect going straight to his nervous system, jacking up his pulse, and renewing the throb in his groin.

  “I remember you being a country music girl,” he managed to add, doing his best to focus on the conversation and not the building heat.

  “That was a long time ago. Young girl raised on a cattle ranch who continues to work with all manner of farm animals? I can see where you’d think I might still be into that.”

  “But I’ve got it all wrong, huh?”

  “I like my dance music. Some rock, and, of course, what girl doesn’t love a heartbreaking ballad?”

  “Okay, okay.” He nodded. “You do have some surprises underneath that rancher/doctor façade.”

  “I’ve grown up a lot since you left. Things change.” She shrugged and then rested her chin on her palm as she gazed out the side window for several long minutes.

  “And sometimes things remain exactly the same, no matter how many years go by,” Eion said as he slowed the truck, shifted it into park in front of her house, and risked a glimpse at her.

  In silence, he watched until she caught his stare in the window. Liv turned until the full impact of her green eyes burned straight into his soul. For what felt like an eternity, yet not nearly long enough, no one spoke. The connection between them pulsed on a level that he could swear synced with every beat of his heart.

  Liv shivered, then blinked. “You’re so right,” she said.

  Inside, they found Kris waiting for them at the dinner table. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee,” he said, lifting a steaming mug to his lips.

  “Sounds good.” Eion grabbed a cup from the rack on the counter. “Liv?”

  “Yes, please.” She nodded. “Thanks.” He pulled down one for her as well. “Black is fine.”

  The three of them gathered around the table.

  “I’ll call Wyoming Game and Fish tomorrow,” Liv said with bo
th hands gripping her mug like a lifeline. “It’s Friday, so I imagine nothing will happen on their end until next week, but at least it’ll get things moving.”

  “And the faster they can help us to put a stop to those wolves, the better.”

  “I know wolves are coming off the protected list for Wyoming and can be hunted. Still…” She shook her head. “I don’t want to have to kill any of them unless it’s absolutely necessary, not if we can talk to Game and Fish and relocation is an option.”

  What was his father thinking? Wyoming Game and Fish were going to be brought in if he didn’t call this off. A nightmare scenario was building, and the last thing his family needed right before a change in leadership was for one of their own to be nabbed by a game warden.

  “I have another suggestion,” Eion said. “Let’s hold off on notifying any agency right now until we know the extent of what we’re dealing with.”

  “You know as well as I do, with any animal, once they’ve successfully made a kill, they’ll be back,” Kris interjected. Eion lifted his cup and allowed a mouthful of the warm brew to slide down his throat.

  “He’s right, Eion.” Liv toyed with her mug, her gaze finding anywhere but him to land on. “I don’t know if we can afford the wait-and-see approach.”

  “But we aren’t absolutely sure what we’re dealing with yet. What will you tell them? Something killed some of my cattle. We think it’s wolves.” When silence filled the air, Eion said to Kris, “I say give me some time to watch the herd, find out what has marked them for prey, and then if we can’t handle it, call in the department.”

  “I don’t know, Eion.” Kris dropped his head and studied his coffee. “There’s a lot at stake. If we wait too long—”

  “Something else to consider…” Eion glanced to Liv and back to Kris. He hated adding to their stress, yet he needed the time to make this go away. “I didn’t want to bring this up, but property values are already low in this area. What do you think will happen to the estimated value of your ranch if you bring in Wyoming Game and Fish, announcing that you have a serious predator problem?”

  “Fuck!” Kris spat, then a half-second later, his cup went flying and crashed into the dining room wall in a shower of white ceramic chips. Liv jumped, eyes wide. Kris groaned and swiped both palms over his closely buzzed scalp before his wide hands plopped onto the oak surface of the table. He turned his gaze to Liv. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head, defeat washing over his features. “It just gets to me sometimes. The constant two steps forward, three steps back dance we keep doing. Dammit, I swear it’s as if someone up there,” Kris glanced at the ceiling, “has a grudge against me.” His fingers curled into tight fists. “I can’t seem to fucking win.”