Coveted

by Stacey Brutger

  His wolf was the best tracker in the pack.

  They’d followed her into the Frost World once, they could do it again.

  He slammed his eyes shut, opened the connection between them wide, and allowed his wolf to lead him to her side. The room spun, and he lost his hold on Shayla, smashing into a stone wall with a jarring thump.

  Aiden staggered to remain on his feet, surprised to find himself in the hallway outside his own room…put out in the cold like some mutt. He stared at the door, knowing Shayla was waiting for him on the other side.

  An unexpected attack of nerves made him straighten to his full height. He ran a hand over his head, smoothing back his hair. He had to tread carefully. He needed a strategy to win her over before she figured out the truth. He grabbed the door handle, but didn’t enter. He stared at his callused hands, his fingers more comfortable with a weapon or claws than wooing a woman.

  Would she know what he’d done?

  Would she give him time to explain before she demanded to leave?

  The wolf nipped him hard for pussyfooting around like some fangless, clawless human, shoving his paws against his skull to get him moving. He was an alpha. It was time to claim his prize.

  He’d have to gage how much she knew and devise a plan of attack. But that would only work if she didn’t discover the liberties he’d stolen. With reluctance, Aiden cut the fragile connection. The action was painful, as if the vines gathered around his bones had suddenly grown thorns.

  Both mates could mute and switch off the connection for a limited time, but it was physically taxing. The loss of connection hit the wolf the hardest. Even now, his beast prowled around the prison of Aiden’s human body, seeking his mate. If the connection wasn’t re-established soon, his wolf would go feral and not even Aiden would be able to contain him.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Shayla jerked awake, bolting upright as agony ricocheted through her. The pain was slow to subside, and a dull ache lingered as if she’d lost something vital. With her heart thudding like gunfire against her ribs, she surveyed her surroundings, struggling to remember what had happened.

  She was at Avamoore.

  In Aiden’s bed.

  His scent stole around her, a haven that made her yearn to pull the covers up to her face and inhale. Heat crept into her cheeks, and she unconsciously ran her hands over the sheets, imagining Aiden stretched out beside her wearing only his kilt. His touch had been so real, she’d swear the bed was still warm from his body.

  No wonder she’d been dreaming of him.

  For a few heart-stopping seconds before waking, she’d felt whole for the first time in her life, and it had been because of him.

  Then he was gone, ripped from her arms like some cruel trick.

  Shayla rubbed her chest but the emptiness remained. She’d searched for that connection for so long that she was devastated to discover that it had all been a dream.

  Thank the faeries she’d figured it out before she’d done something foolish when she saw Aiden again…like throw herself in his arms.

  Realizing she was mooning over him, Shayla scrambled out of the bed, expecting Aiden to burst into the room at any moment and catch her fantasizing about him.

  Again.

  But the door remained stubbornly closed.

  The sense of something being off curdled her good mood.

  Aiden would never have left her to wake alone. He would have wanted to be there to holler at her the minute she woke.

  Had her stalker circled around and succeeded in killing him?

  Shayla stumbled over her own feet as she hurried toward the door, suddenly conscious her body felt like one massive bruise. She touched her shoulder and whimpered in pain.

  She’d been shot!

  Instead of a gaping wound, only a small ridge of sensitive scar tissue remained.

  The last thing she remembered was Aiden carrying her, cradling her like something precious. Everything after that was blank. She had to find Aiden, touch him and reassure herself that he was safe. When she reached for the handle of the door, her fingertips met smooth wood.

  No knob.

  Shayla blinked in confusion, and a new sort of panic blossomed in her chest. She whirled and flung open the doors to the closet, only to be confronted by a solid stone wall.

  There was no secret passageway.

  She was trapped in the Frost World.

  Terror clogged her throat. To enter the without a purpose was to risk never returning. She had no connection to the outside world to guide her back.

  The possibility of losing Aiden, just when she’d found him, held her muscles and bones in a punishing grip so tight she couldn’t move.

  He was the one for her.

  The one she’d been searching for so long that she’d almost given up finding him, but Aiden had proven to be too stubborn to be dismissed.

  Cold air whirled in the room, the frost creeping over the walls like pretty lace, enticing a person to touch. The sound of ice cracking filled her ears, and she watched the delicate frost spider over every surface, leaching the life out of everything in its path.

  Shayla reached out. She had to know if she could cross the boundary growing right before her eyes. Pain spiked in her fingers like needles jammed under her fingernails. She jerked back, her skin going numb by painful increments. Backing away from the wall, she circled the bed and stopped short to see the massive old wolf from her necklace standing guard on the fire.

  The dwindling flames were the only thing keeping the deadly ice at bay. If the fire burned out completely, she’d be left completely at the mercy of the bitter cold.

  Shayla stiffened her spine, refusing to give up, not when Aiden had finally admitted he loved her. He protected his people above all else. She’d use that need to create a place for herself.

  She could be valuable.

  Make herself indispensable.

  It would give her the much-needed time to convince him that he couldn’t live without her. But first, she had to find a way out of the Frost World. She’d done it as a child. She could do it now.

  The door opened, the ancient wood groaning in protest.

  Shayla whirled, blinking in surprise to see Aiden enter as if conjured by her thoughts. He stood there, arms crossed, arrogance and danger wrapped around him like a second skin.

  She wanted to throw her arms around him, but the reality of him being there turned her blood to ice, and her heart slowly shattered.

  Only the dead ever visited the Frost World.

  * * *

  Aiden had taken only a few steps when he spied Shayla waiting for him. Joy spiked through him until he spied her unsmiling face. Only one thing held him back from closing the distance between them…he couldn’t risk her learning the truth about the mating bond before he had a chance to explain.

  He stopped a foot away from her, the pain of keeping his distance a physical ache, and he crossed his arms to keep himself from snatching her up into his arms where she belonged. He’d withstood months of torture, but being denied her touch threatened to break him in less than two seconds flat.

  Fire haloed around her form, and Aiden frowned to see that she’d lost weight in the last week. He would have to learn to take better care of what was his.

  “What are you doing here?” Shayla advanced on him, looking ready to slap him upside the head.

  Aiden was taken aback by her sharp tone. “Rescuing you?”

  But he wasn’t so sure anymore. He expected her to be happy to see him. Instead, she looked furious.

  She couldn’t have known what he’d done.

  It was too soon.

  For the first time in his life, Aiden froze in the face of battle. When she didn’t outright accuse him of anything, the rigid set of his shoulders eased a fraction.

  “I refuse to believe you’re dead, so that means you must be a dream.” Shayla bit her nail, muttering to herself, and desire flared in his gut at her confession. A fragile spark of hope flared to
life, and he couldn’t resist teasing her a bit for all the torture she’d put him through. “So you’re saying you’ve been dreaming of me?”

  Shayla narrowed her eyes, but the blush that colored her face betrayed her. And charmed him down to his toes and everywhere between. Aiden swallowed hard, counted to ten, then again, before he could guarantee that he wouldn’t pick her up, spread her out on the bed, and make his dreams a reality.

  But he needed one touch to tie him over, it had been too long since he’d last touched her. When he lifted a hand, Shayla flinched. Aiden tightened his lips, reluctantly letting his arm drop to his side, but he refused to give up at the first little sign of resistance.

  “I came to take you home.” Aiden couldn’t keep the gruffness out of his tone.

  “Home?”

  “It’s been three days.” Aiden shrugged, doing his best to ignore the way she didn’t seem to have any problem keeping her distance. “Did you think I wouldn’t follow when I learned you were in trouble?”

  Cute lines crowded between her brows as she frowned.

  “You’re not dead. You’re not a dream. You’re really here.” Shayla’s heart pounded so hard all she heard was blood rushing in her ears. “You have to go back. This place will kill you. Even staying a minute can be too long.”

  “No.”

  He said nothing more, as if the conversation was over.

  “You infuriating man, didn’t you hear what I said?”

  “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

  Aiden got that obstinate look that told Shayla she wouldn’t be able to budge his stubborn ass. Shayla refused to accept that. If he got here without her, then she could darn well get him back out.

  “Tell me exactly how you were able to find me?” Shayla would swear that he’d flinched at her question, and a sick sort of dread nearly suffocated her. “What did you do?”

  “What was needed,” Aiden yelled and started pacing.

  Like hell!

  His total conviction that saving her—no matter the cost—pissed her off and scared her shitless. “I’m not some damned duty you need to check off.”

  “You were shot because of me!” He marched toward her until he was right in her face. “You had no right to risk your life!”

  Shayla swallowed hard, unable to speak above a whisper as she remembered what happened. “You would’ve died.”

  Aiden cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing over her jaw. “Then you understand why I couldn’t let you go, not when I just found you.”

  Shayla shivered at the raw emotions in his voice. When Aiden lowered his head, she forgot about everything but the need to taste him.

  An annoyed growl rose from behind her, and Shayla whirled to face the old wolf as he lumbered to his feet. “What’s going on?”

  “I believe he is deciding if I’m worthy of you.” Then Aiden smiled at her in a way that made her gulp. The unbending stance he’d worn since entering, the one that was all alpha, gave way to the man that she craved more than breathing. “He wants me to state my intentions, because there will be no more talking after I get my hands on you.”

  Shayla’s mouth dropped open at his matter-of-fact statement, unable to ignore the seductive drop in his voice that that hinted at pure sin. “Say what?”

  Aiden straightened, his wolf coming forward until his beautiful green eyes glowed as he faced down the ancient wolf. “She’s my mate.”

  It was that simple.

  The ancient wolf lifted his top lip, flashing his fangs as if smiling. Then the wolf turned and passed clear through the solid wall.

  Aiden turned to face her, looking so determined that Shayla took a step back. She didn’t precisely feel threatened, but this was a side to him that he’d kept locked away from her.

  Primitive.

  Full of raw need.

  Before she could gather her wits and question his claim, Aiden swooped down and planted his mouth over hers. Pure lust swamped her, and the threads linking them, the ones she’d assumed were a figment of her imagination, sparked to life.

  Emotions trickled through the connection, the intensity of them robbing her of breath. In shock, she realized that they were his emotions. Eagerness washed over her, but underneath lay a heavy dose of fear and such loneliness that it carved out her chest. Buried in the darkness rested a tiny flicker of devastating hope. The combination demolished the last bit of her resolve to hold herself apart.

  As she leaned into him, a layer of wonderment and pure lust settled in her pores, invading her body and soul, and she could do nothing but marvel at the man who wrapped her so securely in his arms. Shayla swayed forward, her hands coming to rest against his shoulders, unable to keep from touching him. When he brushed his fingers along her waist, his consuming need to devour spoke more clearly than any words.

  And he hadn’t wanted to share that precious connection with her.

  Devastation struck fast and brutal.

  Shayla tore herself away, and pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, then quickly dropped it when she couldn’t stop shaking. “What the hell was that?”

  Aiden didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “I claimed you for my own. It’s how I was able to locate you.”

  She went lightheaded, the back of her throat aching with unshed tears at everything he’d sacrificed. Wolves mated only once. Because she took a bullet meant for him, his damned duty wouldn’t allow him to let her to die if he could prevent it. “You shit! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

  “Saving your ass. Again.”

  Shayla blinked at his growly reply, and could’ve sworn that his gaze dropped to the very body part he’d mentioned. A flash of heat rippled in the air between them, hot enough to tempt her closer.

  Then all animation drained from Aiden, all but the fresh wounds that she’d put in his eyes.

  “Hate me all you want, but I meant what I said. We either go back together, or I don’t go back at all.” Raw power swelled, filling up the very room with his presence.

  It made her forget her own name for a heartbeat.

  The alpha was back.

  Panic corroded her insides away like acid. He was trapped with her as the frost steadily stole closer. She couldn’t let it touch Aiden. Unless she could figure a way to free him, they’d both die. “Explain this connection.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw, his reluctance more than obvious, and Shayla narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

  “It binds us on a basic level.”

  “Like mind reading?” She went cold, then hot that he would be able to see her every thought…all her secret fantasies.

  “No.” Aiden rubbed the back of his head, looking anywhere but at her. “Well, not exactly.”

  The last part was a mumble that she barely heard. Shayla crossed her arms defensively. “Then what exactly?”

  “We can’t read minds.” He fidgeted with the first signs of awkwardness. “More like sense emotions.”

  Her heart hiccupped in her chest. “So you know what I’m feeling?”

  “No. I mean, not precisely.” He huffed in frustration and then proceeded to stalk back and forth across the room like a caged animal. “The connection ties us together on a basic level, allows us to communicate with each other without words.”

  Shayla remained quiet. Frankly, she didn’t know what to feel. Everything he said reminded her of an old married couple so comfortable together that they didn’t need words to know what the other one was thinking. It sounded sweet and terrifying and she wanted it so badly she couldn’t speak.

  At her silence, Aiden’s pacing picked up speed. He kept flicking glances up at her from the corner of his eyes, as if unable to resist watching.

  “You have my promise that I won’t be a bother. The connection can be blocked on both ends.” He clenched and unclenched his fists as if battling himself. “I don’t regret what I had to do to save you.”

  He said the last defiantly.

  His discomfort would be adorable if it di
dn’t break her heart. Shayla had to clear her throat twice before she could speak. “Answer me truthfully. Did you make this connection only to save me?”

  How was it possible to want something so much that your entire world hinged on a single word?

  Aiden hunched his shoulders. “I did it for me.”

  He straightened abruptly, his eyes practically glowing. “Be mad at me, hate me if you want, but I would do it again just to spend one more minute near you.”

  A flood of emotions cascaded through her, so intense that it was hard to breathe at his confession. “And when we kissed…”

  “Touch makes our connection stronger. In that kiss, you felt…me. What I feel every time I’m near you.” Aiden’s lips tightened, studying her every nuance. “It’s a bond between mates.”

  Shayla’s heart tripped over and landed with a heavy thump. He was everything she’d ever wanted, more than she could’ve ever dreamed, and she would be damned if she would give him up now that everything was within her reach.

  She’d opened her mouth to reply, when an idea struck her. “That’s it! I woke when you broke the connection. By strengthening it, we should be able to open the door between the worlds.”

  Shayla rubbed her hands where they still tingled from touching him. Images of being in his arms again sent her pulse ricocheting with such potent need that she could barely string together two words. She licked her lips, straightened her shoulders, ignoring the way her insides trembled, and met his intense stare. “Kiss me.”

  It was a demand.

  Aiden didn’t move for a second, just studied her with those green eyes of his. Anticipation burned through her when he came forward, moving with a lethal grace no human could duplicate.

  Stalked.

  Her breathing picked up speed as his gaze raked over every inch of her body, lingering in places that left fiendishly wicked heat in its wake that made her forget everything but the man in front of her. The bed slammed into the back of her knees, and she tumbled backwards with a startled squeak.