Aquarius (Guardians of the Stars Book 2)

by Kim Faulks

  The wind whipped his blond hair from his face, and snow turned to sleet. The icicles splattered my face, yet I needed more. I wanted to be numb—just as he looked numb. I wanted to feel what he was feeling—no matter the cost.

  “You blame me, don't you?” My words were lost to the wrath of the wind, but I knew he heard me.

  He flinched. Ice clung to his cheek only to collide with another and fall. His words blended with the bitter cold. “What did you say?”

  I took one slow step. My fingers trembled. I craved to touch him, to bring him back to me any way I could. “I understand if you do. I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted you to be hurt.”

  “What did you say?”

  It was as though he couldn’t hear me, and couldn’t see me. I swallowed the lump in the back of my throat and whispered. “It’s okay to blame me.”

  Those blue eyes cut through the sleet and the snow to pierce me where I stood. “Why would you think that? They attacked you, Odessa…they hurt you. None of this is your fault. None of it.” He strode forward, grasping my shoulders. “Do you hear me? This is all on them—they chose to hurt another, they chose to act like beasts without finding another way.”

  “And what if there’s no other way?”

  He stared at my lips. His brow narrowed. “Then we make another way.”

  The snow fell in droves, smothering his hair, and clinging to his shirt. He left to protect me. It wasn’t hate that I saw in his gaze—it was love. It was determination. I’d never seen anyone more beautiful—and more powerful.

  We make another way. His words resounded inside my head. It sounded so simple, just find some other way to slip through the crack of humanity and walk amongst the demons. I’d been searching for a way since the attack—hoping there was a way I could figure it out. I’d searched as far as I could, sending ripples of my energy across the county—farther than I’d ever reached before—and found nothing.

  We make another way.

  I had to find another way to die.

  I stumbled under the headlong wind and clutched the fur at my chest. The mountain had disappeared. There was only white—as far as I could see. Cold, bitter white. “We need to find shelter.”

  Victor looked shell-shocked, narrowing in on me with those unfeeling eyes. There was something happening to him—something I couldn’t see. Snow covered his body, sticking his white cotton shirt to his skin. His lips moved, but I couldn’t hear a word. The deafening gale filled my head. I shuffled closer and reached for him.

  He was warm, toasty and warm. Flakes melted as they touched his skin and ran in rivulets down his arm. I lifted my head, finding his stony gaze. “We need to find shelter and get out of this storm.”

  He shook his head. His arctic gaze found mine as he answered. “Don’t you see me, Odessa? I am the storm.”

  I stilled, letting the words fill me and saw what was happening with blinding clarity. The wind howled, icy clouds moved in—water turned to ice. This storm mirrored the one inside.

  He was cold. So cold. Frozen to his core and filled with icy rage.

  I stumbled under the bluster; around me, snow was piling fast, moving in with deadly speed. Would the storm cover this mountain, towns, counties—the world?

  I stared into those cold, hard eyes and that dark part of me understood. He could consume—just like my wolf—he could kill and hurt.

  “We need to keep moving. I have a cabin not far from here.”

  His lips moved. I barely caught the sound. I was drowning under the weight of his fury—and suffocated by his pain. My boots carved a track through the heaped snow as I took a step. This man dwarfed me, consumed me, and even if I had to walk through a blizzard for the rest of my days, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

  My fingers were light as I trailed them along his arm, his shoulder, and then the bristles on his face. “I love…y-you more in this moment than I d-did before. U-unleash your rage, V-Victor. As long as I’m beside you I-I’ll withstand anything.”

  He raised his hand to pin mine to the hard edges of his cheek. “You’ll always be beside me. I don’t need anyone else—as long as I have you. You are my pack, Odessa. You are my family.”

  The gust whipped snow and dirt from the ground, swirling the debris in a violent tornado but—in here, nestled hard against this man—we were immune. He was more than the eye of the storm. He was the center of my world. A shudder tore through me. I clenched my jaw, trying to still the chatter.

  “God, you’re freezing. Come here.”

  He gripped my fingers and fed them through the gaps in his shirt. His muscles quivered, the touch of his body sent a charge through mine. I tried to focus on the storm, on the wind and the sleet. I tried to focus on the white tufts of snow dangling from the end of his nose—anything but the sleekness of his stomach and the hard curve of his chest.

  “You okay?”

  His words were warped and strange. I dropped my head in a slow nod. It was the best I could do. I tightened in places the cold couldn’t reach. My fingers shuddered, and then I pressed them against his skin. I didn’t expect the rush—didn’t compensate for the heady feeling of falling in love. I thought I understood, but as I lifted my chin and caught his gaze, I knew I understood nothing at all.

  Passion danced in the green sunburst of his eyes. I wanted capture him, hold him. I wanted to set him free and run wild beside him. I wanted to howl at the moon and frolic in the snow. I wanted to make love until the sun set in the West and the haunting cry of the Screech Owl echoed through the woods.

  His eyes widened, and through the hard ridges of his ribs, I felt the rhythm of his heart speed. His blond hair tumbled forward as he bent, and I couldn’t fight the rise to meet him any more than I could stop the world from turning.

  His lips brushed mine, so sweet, so tender before he pulled away. “Think we can make the cabin by nightfall?”

  I nodded. I would’ve agreed to anything. “We best keep going then.”

  A smile spread across his lips, but that was where it ended. I dropped my hand from inside his shirt and my fingers ached with the loss. We turned together and kept moving, never straying any more than a step or two from each other’s side. The closer I stood to him, the easier it was to walk.

  Rivers gave way to more mountains, and then flattened out to endless fields. I walked until my legs ached, then turned numb. I walked until the snowstorm gained momentum, and the sky dulled. I walked until I couldn’t walk anymore. The fire in my chest was all I could feel. Pain flared somewhere deep with every inhale. I swallowed the frigid air and licked the ice from my lips. Victor slowed, and then stopped one step ahead. He stared into the blizzard before turning.

  “Just need a second, to catch my breath.”

  “We’re almost there. Look.”

  He lifted a finger and pointed. My lids stuck to my eyes. I blinked, then again, trying to conjure moisture. My eyes stung and blurred, tears glistened as I followed his direction to a dark blur.

  “Come on.”

  His warm hand gripped mine and pulled me along. I stumbled, trying to match his long strides and dropped my head to the wind once more. His hand was the only thing that saved me, that stopped me from falling to the ground. My teeth chattered and the cracking sound filled my head. One glance behind us and there was nothing, but the neat tracks through the pile.

  But in front of us, the dark blur sharpened to the outline of a cabin. Through the snow, I couldn’t tell where we were. A faint outline behind the building whispered trees. They grew darker, the closer we came. Pine trees laden with snow sagged. I tried to find sense of the familiar. Had I passed through this place before?

  Victor dropped my hand as we stopped at the door. I huddled against the wooden slats and took shelter from the wind. “What is this place?”

  He turned his head, his hands fiddling with the door and yelled. “Someplace quiet. They’ll never find us.”

  No one would find us, not out here, not with the sto
rm. The door swung inward and Victor grasped my arm, shoving me inside. Shadows crowded the room. I blinked and tried to focus, everything I saw was white. The snow left me blind. I stumbled forward, and reached for something to hold.

  The wind unleashed its fury through the cracks in the walls, but the sound was nothing compared to the roar still resounding inside my head.

  Something clasped my arm. I jumped at the touch. Dark shapes took form in my snowed-out world. Victor rubbed his hand along my arm and touched my cheek. “You’re freezing; I’ll get a fire going. You’ll be warm soon, Odessa. I promise.”

  My body shook and shuddered. My knees threatened to take me down and spill every joint and bone from my body. The blur sharpened to shapes. Victor crouched to the floor and worked fast, piling wood, grasping kindling. The scrape of a match had me stumbling closer.

  “H-how were y-you able to find this p-place?”

  The tiny glow flickered as he answered. “I own it. I come here sometimes, when I need to get away. It’s not much—I guess that’s why I like it. It’s quiet, hidden. You’re safe here—no one will find us. There’s a forest on one side and a deep cavern on the other. Maybe if the storm slows I can show you.”

  His voice softened. The way he spoke filled me with fear.

  If the storm ends? Didn’t he control the storm and the hate—or had he lost control? My own shadowed wolf waited. The harsh panting lingered somewhere below. Don’t look at her…don’t give her any attention. I stared at Victor instead, maybe he’d lost control. Maybe this place—this escape—was as much for him as it was for me.

  The orange called, reaching higher, swallowing the tiny pieces of wood. I shrugged off my backpack and swayed under the release. My bag hit the floor as I buckled, and fell to the floor in front of the flames.

  The heat was slow, tickling and biting my skin, before moving deeper. Victor pulled me close, scooting his ass along the ground to nestle me between his legs. His chest pressed against the fur, a slow burn filled me. I dropped my head back against his shoulder, and felt the scar on my face pull tight. Hopelessness danced around me like the flickering of flames.

  Fire.

  I closed my eyes to the familiar panic.

  Burning.

  The scars at the base of my neck twitched. Shrill screams drove a nail through my head. They were the screams of a child. The screams of me.

  The sound seeped into my world, tearing through this shack with the wind. I lifted my head, and wrapped my arms around my middle.

  “You’re okay here,” Victor whispered. “No one can find you. No one can hurt you.”

  He drew his feet up beside me, and scooted away. “It’s been a while since I was here last. Stay there. Get warm. Let me see if I can clean the place up a little. There’s a spit for cooking over there that slides across the fire.”

  I was already moving, grasping the straps of my pack and drawing it near. A sense of awkwardness had settled over us, as though we’d left part of our magic behind. I grasped the biggest of my kills and searched for the spike. A rough wipe with a rag and I settled the meat over the flames. I busied myself with the food and the fire—stoking the flames gently—and soon the cabin filled with the sweet smell of sizzling meat.

  I followed his steps as he moved from one room to another and talked. “I’ve never been here with anyone else, so it’s a little basic. There’s no running water, but later when you’re warm and fed I have a surprise for you.”

  The excitement in his voice returned, sprouting new wings, for the old ones were broken and left behind. I smiled and nodded, following his lead. “I guess you’re lucky I’m a simple girl with simple needs then, huh?”

  He stopped—a dust-filled sheet balled up in his hands—and turned, seizing me in his gaze. “Odessa, there’s nothing simple about you—”

  He was right. Layers upon layers…down…down…down.

  Somewhere down there was my past. I heard the rattle of the chains, felt my skin pull taut. The crackle and hiss of the rabbit blended with my memories—but my future was here in this room.

  “—but that’s why I love you. You’re more… More woman, more wolf. You’re soft and powerful and damn well humble.” He dropped the sheet to the ground. A storm gathered in his eyes. “But you’re also secretive. You don’t trust me. Not yet…not with the real you. But I hope one day…”

  His words drove a stake through my chest. Secretive, not trusting. Secrets…so many secrets. I shuddered. I was exposed, open. Only one knew me, only one. I closed my eyes as a tear slid free and he was there, glistening cool and clear like the sky on a cloudless summer’s day.

  I sent out a flare.

  Dragon.

  And waited.

  Something brushed against my mind, a whisper…so soft.

  I’m here. He snarled, but his words were bitter and strange.

  Are you okay?

  I sent a tendril of energy toward him—only a hint of a caress. Warmth turned to ice, spearing an icicle through my soul.

  No. My dragon recoiled, and slipped farther away from me.

  I climbed to my feet and took a step toward Victor. I saw him, saw his pain and his…failure. He never moved as I raised my hand and brushed his cheek. “You didn’t fail me, Victor.”

  A tortured sound slipped free. The man followed the dragon, wrenching his head from my fingers.

  “You didn’t fail me.”

  Tears glimmered in his eyes. “Yes, I did. I made a promise to protect you. I should’ve been there. Should’ve known. Maddy—”

  I slipped my finger over his lips. “Maddy didn’t know what they had planned and neither did you. We can’t allow ourselves to fall prey to the past. We must look to the future.”

  His lips moved my finger. “Why does she hate you so much?”

  I dropped my hand. The scars along the back of my neck itched. Ants crawled along the raised, thickened skin of my shoulders. Hide, run—a voice whispered. But I wasn’t running anywhere. He already knew…deep down, he already knew. “I killed her mother.”

  His eyes widened. I could see the cogs turning, trying to fit the pieces together.

  “She… She was a cruel woman. She did things… I was a child.”

  His voice was a whisper. “The scars—on the back of your neck and your shoulders.”

  “They cut me, and then burned me, poured coals over my body. I had to dig the black embers from my skin for months. They changed me, somehow, turned my wolf into what she is now. Said it was for a purpose…but what kind of purpose could be that cruel?”

  The hiss of his breath was all the answer he could give. I nodded and slid one step back—distancing myself on the outside when all I wanted to do was curl up on the inside and sleep…just sleep.

  “So why would you find them? Why would you put yourself through all the hate?”

  I shook my head. He wouldn’t understand…not even I understood the need to find the Alpha and try to make amends—and try to explain. But how could I explain the events of that night? How could anyone understand?

  Only one did. My protector…my dragon.

  The sting of ice eased. One small brush. The dragon took a step toward me. I’m here, wolf. I’m here.

  His voice trembled. “They did that to you?”

  I nodded. There were no words.

  “And you killed her?”

  I lifted my head and met his gaze. “Yes.”

  Blue eyes sparkled. “Good.”

  He moved, quickly covering the small step, and grasped my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he gripped my waist and lifted. My fur jacket pulled taut, trapping my arms. I released one arm and then the other, shrugged off the skin, followed by my shirt.

  Frenzied movements filled the dusty space. I couldn’t get there fast enough. I needed him…needed him like I needed air to breathe.

  “Hurry,” I whispered, casting my clothes to the floor behind me.

  His hands slipped. One foot hit the ground and then the othe
r as he shook his head. “No, I’m not hurrying…not this time.”

  His unbuttoned his shirt and yanked the tail from his waist, then crossed to the fire. Two more metal prongs sat beside the hearth. He grasped the spears and dragged the meat free, placing it on the stone edging. “I had planned to keep the surprise for later…but I don’t think I can wait.”

  His skin looked so beautiful in the firelight, so clean, so pure. I crossed the distance and trailed my fingers along his spine, tracing every bump of bone, every hard edge of muscle. He turned and captured my fingers, rising like the tide to stand.

  “There’s no rush this time… out here, there’s only you and me.” He moved his fingers to the strap on my bra. “I liked it better when you didn’t wear this.”

  He hooked his thumb inside the band and dragged it over my shoulder, finding my gaze. His lips were flushed from the cold, too red for a man. My lips skimmed his mouth and kissed the corners.

  The trail cooled in the icy air, sending a shudder through me. He reached for my shirt with trembling fingers, working the buttons all the way to my waist. I shuddered as he fumbled with the clasp of my jeans, and then my zipper. “You won’t need any of these.”

  The slow glide of my jeans and panties left me breathless. I stepped free, wrapping my arms around my bare body while he followed suit, unhooking his pants and dropping what was left of his clothes to the floor.

  I shuddered while the wind howled. Fresh logs in the fire sent sparks against the stone sides.

  “That should keep the place warm until we get back.”

  “Get b-back? W-where the h-hell are we going like this?”

  His smirk lifted one side of his mouth higher. “You’re gonna hate me for a whole three seconds. I promise.” He held out his arms as he straightened. “You’ll be warmer against me.”

  He grasped my waist and lifted. I wrapped my legs around his body and my arms around his neck before he moved. He was warm, but not nearly warm enough. Fear turned to panic as he made for the door.

  I raised my head and whispered. “Victor… No.”