by Morgan Fox
Her eyes locked on his penetrating green gaze. “Why are you still here? I wish everyone would just leave me alone.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Shadow.”
Folding her arms over her chest, she asked, “Why not? I never asked you to come here. I didn’t ask anyone to come here.”
“I’ve told you this already…I’m always here.” The strange way he said that made her feel as though he were standing guard over her, watching her every movement.
Shadow narrowed her gaze on Julian. “What does that mean? You say that a lot and it never bothered me until now.”
“You know my people are from another dimension,” he reminded her.
Duh. Shadow nodded.
“The portal to my world is here and I’m forbidden to travel outside of Shadow Meadows.” His eyes darkened, as he said, “Not without you.”
Shadow didn’t like the sound of that. Was he telling her this to frighten her? Was he warning her of something? “Julian, I think you better explain yourself. You’re starting to make me nervous.”
He raised his hands. “I don’t mean to.” He cleared the distance in a few single strides. He took hold of her hands. “Shadow, I want to show you my world. I want you to come back with me.”
She tugged her hands free. “Absolutely not,” she blurted. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to be left alone, not travel to another realm with you.”
“You’ve done it before,” he reminded her.
“I was a child,” she spat.
Julian looked down, his expression stoic. “I guess I should leave then.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Shadow said disdainfully.
He turned, clicking his fingers. Her eyes danced to the front window as he orbed. He turned to look at her one last time, and then was gone.
Sighing, she knew Julian wasn’t far away. He never was.
Chapter 3
Shadow cautiously drove through Silent Falls and wondered if a bomb had gone off. In less than twenty-four hours, the small town had changed drastically. Guilt sank to the pit of her stomach as she observed all the wreckage. Roofs had been damaged, signs tumbled to the ground, phone poles uprooted, and cars had been overcome with floodwaters that still hadn’t receded.
Luckily Shadow drove a Dually pickup truck. Living in the country had taught her that cars were pretty much useless. Not to mention, women who drove trucks were considered badasses, a persona she would’ve enjoyed having, but clearly that was more Silence’s personality.
Instead, I get the title of being the bitchy twin with brains.
She maneuvered her truck down any empty space she could find, praying that she was still on the road. Driving in floodwater was dangerous. She knew that. But she also knew that she needed to get to the clinic.
Somehow she sensed Gavin’s presence, and her gaze sprung up to see him. Swallowing the tightness in her throat, she couldn’t bring herself to look away.
Shirtless, his muscular body was coated in mud, and in his arms was a small, brown and white calf. Its rear legs were bloody and the flesh torn. Doctor Brock and his assistant were standing in the back of a white pickup truck, waiting as Gavin made his way through the knee-high water toward them. With care, they hoisted the animal from Gavin’s arms and gently placed the wounded calf in the bed of the truck.
As if aware of her hard stare, Gavin’s head snapped in her direction. Their gazes met and her breath hitched as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her belly quivered, reminding her of the attraction she had for him.
Overcome with warmth, she couldn’t help but tug at the collar of her shirt. Heat crept up her neck and into her face. No matter how much she fought the power of the mating bond, she couldn’t lie to herself. Her body wouldn’t let her.
She wanted him again. At least her body did.
Slipping his shirt back on, Gavin motioned toward her. His long, powerful legs parted the water with ease. She brought her truck to a complete stop, pulling it off to the side of the road.
She rolled down the passenger side window, but Gavin glared at her as he stepped around the front of her truck, making his way over to her. She should’ve known he’d do that. He wasn’t the passive type.
Sighing, she pressed the button on her door for the window to go down and waited for him to appear.
Gavin’s massive frame ate up the space beside her. His brown eyes softened with relief. “I’m glad you’re here. The clinic is busting at the seams with injured people. I’ve put a call out to your sister. We could use all the help we can get.”
Oh, goody, Sheriff Silence Foster to the rescue. “I’m headed to the clinic now.”
Gavin’s large hands gripped the door, his fingers dipping over the edge. “I’ll go with you. I’m sure you could use the help.”
Her jaw tightened. The last thing she needed was for him to be hovering over her, especially when she needed to focus. Gavin clouded her judgment. He was sending her body on a tailspin. “I can handle this on my own. I appreciate the offer—”
He leaned inside the window. Even though she wanted to put distance between them, the scent of his musk drew her closer. She studied the wicked curve of his lips as he said, “Sometimes, Shadow, everything is not about you.” Shocked by his blatancy, her eyes flared wide. “As much as I would’ve appreciated your need to want me there, it’s my job to protect the citizens of this town, and I’ll do exactly that.” He held her stare, his eyes darkening. “And since you decided to leave just when you were needed most, things are a madhouse. Trust me when I say, you’ll need my help.”
She sank into her seat and slowly nodded. She couldn’t argue with him. He was right. “Then I guess I’ll see you there.”
Gavin stood tall, adjusting his tan Stetson. He lowered the brim on his forehead. His blistering stare penetrated into her, sending another shiver down her spine.
“I guess you will.” The buttery smoothness of his deep voice left her breathless.
Relieved to watch him stalking away from her, she pulled back onto the flooded road, and made her way to the clinic. The parking lot was filled with trucks, even a few large field tractors. Thankfully, the clinic had been built on higher elevations and the floodwaters hadn’t reached its doors.
At least there is one thing to be grateful for.
The moment Shadow stepped inside, the world around her exploded into chaos. People were yelling and screaming. The injured lined the floors on makeshift cots. Her overwhelmed staff was being swarmed upon as they tried to assist each person.
She scowled, surveying the situation in a blink. She hadn’t been notified on just how bad things were since the cell towers were out. The system had surely been overloaded by all the calls going in and out.
Another reason living in a small town sucked…black holes and no cell service. She rolled her eyes. I really need to get out of this town.
“Dr. Foster,” Alana said on a gasp. Her chestnut brown hair had come loose from the bun, falling in thin strands around her face. “Thank God you’re here. We’re running out of room.” The charge nurse’s pale green eyes widened, almost in fear. She looked as if she was prepared to drop at any moment. “What do you want us to do?”
Alana’s plea for help tore at Shadow, making her heart sink further into her stomach. She cleared her mind of everything except her job as the supervising attendant. “Do we have someone triaging the patients?”
“Yes.” She pointed to the short-haired redhead, wearing black-rimmed glasses, standing in the far corner with a clipboard in hand. “Anthony is doing that now.”
“Excellent. Follow me,” Shadow said calmly. “Anthony, what do we have?”
His gaze shot to her face and a slight wash of relief seemed to fill his eyes. “I’ve moved all the trauma patients into the main room. Dr. Bryant and Dr. Michaels are attending those. The minor wounds are in the front, and those that have broken bones and require surgery are in the pre-op area.”
“Excellent job, Anthony, you’ve done well.” Shadow patted him on the shoulder. “Please call Deputy Gavin and ask him to find a way of making our clinic bigger. We’re going to need all the room we can get once our patients get out of surgery.”
“Yes, Dr. Foster.”
Once she had a clear idea of where the serious patients had been moved, she wasted no time scrubbing in and getting to work.
* * * *
Gavin ran his hand through his hair, knocking his Stetson crooked. His eyes rolled back in his head as he asked Anthony, “She wants me to do what?”
Anthony cleared his throat. “She said we’ll need a place for our patients to recover. I really don’t know what we can do.” His voice quivered and Gavin imagined he was overwhelmed with everything that had been going on. “Some of these patients just need a safe place to go for the night.”
Gavin’s mind flooded with a mountain of ideas, but none were an immediate fix. He dug the heel of his cowboy boot into the ground, grinding his teeth. Intense pressure swelled in his chest, but he immediately squelched it. Keeping a level head would be much easier if the taste of Shadow wasn’t still on his lips, distracting him.
“Okay, great. I’ll figure something out. I’ll need a little time.”
“I don’t think we have much time, sir. We’ve got more patients and not enough room.” Anthony scoffed. “I’m about to start pitching tents in the parking lot.”
“Tents,” Gavin repeated. That was exactly what they needed. “Anthony, you’re a genius.” Gavin disconnected the line and went to work.
Less than an hour later, Gavin stood beside his friends, Gaius, Declan, and Marcus, and a few others who began setting up the giant canopies in the clinic parking lot. Gavin had called the local wedding shop and since no one was hosting a wedding during the hurricane they were able to provide him with half a dozen tents. The local home improvement store donated several air-conditioning units to keep the tent space cool.
One nice thing about a small town…everyone helps everyone.
“Where is Silence?” Gaius murmured. His shoulder length black hair was pulled back at the base of his neck. “We could use her help.” His mountainous frame swallowed the space around him as he held up one side of the tent.
Decked out in his usual black military fatigues, Marcus shifted his weight, supporting the opposite side of the tent. His deep-ocean blue eyes were piercing. “She’s allowed to have time with her mates,” he said, sounding almost jealous.
Mates? Gavin’s gut twisted as his mind ventured back to the image of Julian standing beside Shadow. Had he made a mistake by not claiming her, not taking what rightfully belonged to him? She was chosen to be with him, and yet, she hadn’t seemed thrilled by the idea. In fact, she seemed anything but pleased.
“Silence is on her way back,” Gavin told them, his jaw tightening.
Scoffing, Declan’s aqua-blue gaze shifted to Gavin. “What? Why? We can handle this. Once the water recedes, we’ll have this shit cleaned up in no time.”
Gavin pressed the metal clip into the leg of the tent, locking it into place. Declan did the same thing on the opposite side. Gavin sighed. “Look, she wants to be here for the town.” He knew better than anyone that Silence would be furious if he had left her out of this. She most likely would’ve ripped his balls clean off. “She’s the sheriff. She should be here.”
No one said another word to him as they finished setting up the tents. Gaius and Marcus had installed the air-conditioning units and Declan brought in the needed medical equipment from the clinic. The beds were rolled out with the recovering patients. Dozens of volunteers flooded the clinic from neighboring counties to help where they could.
Most of the recovery would happen once the water had gone down. Keeping people from exploring the town and wading in unclean water would be a challenge, especially when he only had one other officer helping him.
He wouldn’t admit it to the others, but he was glad that Silence was returning. They worked well together and knew what the other needed before they even knew they needed it. He had always wished for that sort of connection with Shadow.
“You can’t get everything you want,” he muttered to himself.
Then he spotted a redheaded woman from his past. Blinking repeatedly, he couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. He never imagined he would come face-to-face with her again.
He’d grown up in Silent Falls, but it hadn’t meant he spent every waking moment there. Two years ago, Gavin had taken a trip to the Texas coast. Frustrated that he couldn’t seem to get Shadow to notice him, he escaped for a summer. Those memories came rushing back to him, memories of a woman who had his body reeling with lust he never expected to experience again.
Judging from the way she was staring back at him, she was also remembering the last nights leading up to the end of their vacation. The gleam in her eyes and the wicked curve of her smile had his hands suddenly tingling with the vision of her skin beneath his touch. A flood of warmth raced up his arms and into his chest, diving straight to his cock.
He shifted his stance. The uncomfortable bulge made it impossible to walk without giving away his physical predicament.
“Gavin,” Alexis cried, racing toward him. Her long, flowing red hair spilled over her widespread arms.
Gavin’s heart pounded as the floral scent of her skin filled his senses, reminding him of the tantalizing time he and Alexis had spent together. The air whooshed from his lungs as her body clung to him. Her lips pressed against his cheek in a dozen tender kisses. He closed his eyes, picturing Shadow.
Pulling back, he stared into Alexis’s crystalline eyes. “What are you doing here?” he asked, the words coming out with more surprise than he’d meant.
She captured the collar of his shirt in her hands, pulling him close against her. Her body molded to his. “I’m here because I heard your town was in the path of the hurricane. I’m here because I thought you might need a little help.”
Gavin was stunned. He couldn’t believe she was standing here in his arms. He also didn’t know what he was supposed to say to her now that she was here.
“Well, don’t look so shocked, Gavin.” She studied him as if trying to read his mind. “Are you not happy to see me?”
He shook his head. “No, that’s not it. I’m glad to see you.”
She eased back a step and rested her hands on her hips. “Then what? Did you do something stupid like get married?”
Gavin almost choked. “No,” he gasped.
“Seeing anyone?”
“Not exactly.”
Alexis held his gaze, her vibrant eyes lighting up at the thought that he hadn’t said yes. He knew she was pleased to learn this by the scent of her body.
“Good,” she breathed, stepping into his arms again. “Maybe now you can stop being so surprised and we can find a place to pick up where we left off two summers ago.”
Instantly her lips pressed against his. Her hands cradled at the back of his neck, weaving through his hair. His eyes shut tight as the intensity of her kiss deepened. His hands clasped her hips. The warmth of her body seeped into the tips of his fingers. His cock thickened and pulsed with arousal. Her ravenous mouth was devouring him and he couldn’t deny how much he craved it.
Shadow…
“Now that’s more like it,” Alexis said, licking her lips.
The sharp tingle of awareness pulled at him and he found his gaze shifting to Shadow who was standing just outside the clinic entrance. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes were wide and red with anger.
Just as quickly as Shadow had appeared, she was gone, and he knew he’d fucked up. The last thing Gavin wanted was to create more distance between them. But judging from the look of betrayal on Shadow’s face, he had done just that.
Chapter 4
Shadow charged down the hallway into her office and slammed the door at her back. Angrily, she untangled her hair from the bun. Clenching her teeth, she had a powerful urge to r
ip the red hair right off of that woman’s head. Staring at Gavin as he’d held that woman in his arms felt like a knife to her heart.
A knock came to her door. The heavy thud of knuckles jarred her from her souring thoughts. She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and then brushed the dampness onto her white lab coat. Sucking in a cleansing breath, she released it slowly and then opened the office door.
Silence’s unflinching expression greeted her. “Hey, sis,” Silence said, stepping into her office. Shadow closed the door behind her. “It seems you have everything under control.”
Shadow tucked her chin down to her shoulder, hoping to hide her tearstained face and watery eyes. She cleared her throat. “Did Walker and Lance come with you?”
“Of course,” Silence breathed. “Walker used some of his resources to bring in equipment to help get the buildings and homes repaired quickly.” She sat down in the chair. “They’re getting started immediately. Thank goodness things don’t look as bad as I thought they would.”
Shadow nodded. Her nerves were still unsettled. Gavin’s delicious grin crossed her mind and she closed her eyes as she moved around her desk. Inhaling another breath, she prayed Silence wouldn’t ask about him. She didn’t think she’d be able to handle discussing the mess she’d made. Silence’s life was perfect and hers was falling apart at warp speed.
“So,” Silence started. “Did Julian return home?”
Shadow nodded, keeping her eyes searching the paperwork on her desk.
“Good,” Silence said, leaning back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest. “Now tell me what happened between you and Gavin.”
Shadow swallowed. Her throat was suddenly as dry as cotton. Every nerve inside her began to vibrate. She couldn’t discuss her stupidity over Gavin. Her heart wouldn’t let her.
“I’d prefer we didn’t have this conversation. It didn’t turn out so well when you and I talked about it earlier.” She nervously repositioned herself in the chair.