Deathbed promises were sacred. If she broke her oath, she violated everything that had ruled her life since her father and brothers had died.
Aiden and his men seemed safe - for now. The disease only struck males who had contact with the land for at least two weeks. But it was best to get the males off her ranch, away from danger. After seeing one of Richard’s men with symptoms of the parvolupus, she couldn’t be certain the disease hadn’t mutated and shortened the incubation period.
“What are our plans for today?” she asked.
He sipped his coffee, his dark gaze holding hers. “First I’ll tour the grounds, get an idea of how much work your ranch requires in repairs so I can give orders to my men on what to fix first. After that, I’ll hold a formal meeting with your people to let them know my expectations, and what they can expect of me.”
Acid churned in her stomach, ruining the delicious taste of the eggs. “Must they remain here?”
He gave her a curious look. “Of course.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to send them back to your ranch? I expect I’ll be living there, with all the females your males want to mate with.”
Aiden’s gaze did not waver. “Not when your ranch looks like shit. I want my men, hell, our men now, to start pitching in with repairs. You have them at your disposal.”
“This ranch is falling apart. I’d rather just go to your place.”
Please believe me. I can’t risk you getting ill.
“After all you’ve done to keep your home together, you want to abandon it?” Aiden shook his head. “No. We’re staying here.”
She slammed down her cup, making the china rattle. “Damn it Mitchell, don’t I get a say in this? It’s my property. And what gives you the right to dictate this?”
“The ranch isn’t yours until I deed it back to you, which I will do when it’s properly fixed.” He ate a piece of bacon, his face brooding. “You’re used to doing everything your way, and that’s going to end now.”
“And do everything your way? I don’t think so.”
“Eat your breakfast. We’ll talk as we tour your ranch.” His mouth thinned. “And maybe then you’ll level with me and tell me what happened to all the men. Not even a damn cowhand working your stock. Or any stock to speak of. Why did you sell it all?”
Nia pushed back her plate. “I’m not hungry.”
He set down his fork, his body rigid. “You will eat. You’re my mate now, and I’m going to care for you. You’re lacking in protein. Eat.”
“Fuck you, Mitchell.”
“You already did that last night and in the shower, Blakemore.” Unsmiling, he regarded her. “There are some things I’ll learn to compromise on, but your health and welfare aren’t among them. Eat.”
Sullen, she picked up her fork and began to eat. When they finished their breakfast, Aiden cleared the table.
Then they walked outside the cottage. On her front porch, Darius, Kyle, Dale, Jackson, Garth, J.J., and Raphael lounged on the steps and in the faded, rusting furniture. They stood upon seeing them, nodded in respect.
Dismay filled her. “What are you doing here?” she asked them.
“We’re here to help assess repairs. Aiden asked us,” Raphael said.
“And run any intruders off the ranch so they’ll never return. I’m leading the team to track every inch of this land. I’m Aiden’s best hunter. If there’s a gnome lurking in your woods, I’ll find it.” Kyle cracked his knuckles.
More males exposed, in danger of catching the disease the longer they remained on her land. And these were mated males. Hadn’t she heard enough sobbing and wailing as the mates of the dying expressed their sorrow? She couldn’t bear to see it happen again.
Nia threw Kyle a cool look. “Anything with a nose can track down a gnome. Even Aiden could do it. They smell as bad as your feet, Kyle, only they don’t stink as much. I’ll stick with my females hunting them down.”
Maybe if she insulted them enough, they’d get the idea and leave.
Far from looking insulted, Kyle laughed. Dale punched his arm playfully. “You forget to shower again, wolf? Damn, I thought Arianna cured of you of that little problem.”
“Kyle’s feet smell like roses compared to yours, Dale,” Darius put in.
“Want to hold a contest? My feet are bigger and smell way worse,” said Jackson.
Nia stared, trembling inside. These males were determined to do as their alpha asked. They had a loyalty that ran as deep as her females had for her. She looked at J.J. and Raphael, and instead of seeing two strong alpha males whose friendship bonded them to Aiden, she saw their coffins, and their mates weeping over them.
She thought fast. The disease seemed to strike faster in unhealthy males. And it was concentrated in the areas frequented by the pack. Maybe she could buy time in sending them to the furthest borders of the ranch.
Nia glanced at Aiden, who folded his arms across his chest and looked cold and stiff. She’d hurt him with her words.
Better to hurt him with words than to watch him die…
“If you’re going to stick around, then go to the west and northern borders. Lots of territory. The gnomes have been sneaking in by using the mountain pass. I can’t cover that ground because it’s remote, rocky and dangerous to access on anything but foot and I have too damn much to do around here. There’s a dirt road leading from the lodge to the mountains you can use to access the pass, but you’ll need a four wheel drive.”
All of them looked at Aiden.
Aiden growled deep in his throat. “Do it.”
The males jumped off the porch and headed to their trucks. Aiden didn’t look at her. “Let’s go. We’ll start with the barns.”
CHAPTER 9
Five hours later, she and Aiden returned to her cottage. Exhausted, Nia sat out back on her balcony as Aiden showered. A cool breeze played with her hair, drying the sweat on her body.
Aiden was furious.
To his credit, he said little, but judging from the tension in his broad shoulders and the lines bracketing his firm mouth, he was pretty pissed she’d let things slide this long. When he’d seen the main barn, with its weathered exterior, withering floorboards, rusty farm equipment and leather harnesses going to rot, he’d turned away and muttered.
“You should have let me know. I’d have sent my men sooner.”
Sorry honey, I was too busy trying to hold things together and save my pack from dying. Didn’t have time to host a barn raising.
The shower shut off. Nia went back inside. Aiden left the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his lean waist, his black hair wet and curled at the edges. Water beaded in the hairs on his muscled chest.
She glanced away, not daring to want him all over again.
“You should have told me.” He sat on the bench near the window and scowled. “One day that damn stubborn pride of yours will get you in trouble, Blakemore.”
“Not as much as your pride will, Mitchell. Did you think you could bring your men in here and steamroll over my pack, acting as if you could save the day?”
“Someone had to save your pretty little ass because you were too damn proud to ask for help! Did you want to wait until everything was at the point of no return?”
“Why are you yelling at me? I did the best I could, considering I had nothing!”
“I’m yelling because I don’t want you to live like this anymore, damn it! I don’t like seeing you hungry and alone, and hurting!”
She stared, her stomach working into nervous knots. He cared. But that could turn disastrous. “Then don’t stay here. You got what you wanted, so go home.”
“Never without you,” he growled. “You’re mine. Where you go, I go.”
She stared up at him. “You won’t like where I’m going, Mitchell. Straight to hell.”
“Then I’ll join you.”
He backed her up against the bed and when she fell upon it, he covered her.
Their lovemaking was fiery, filled with all the ang
er and the passion she felt.
Aiden’s cell phone rang. He rolled over and thumbed it on. “Report. We’re both here.”
He switched the phone to speaker and Darius’ worried voice came over the line.
“No signs of gnomes on the outer borders. But there’s some dead wildlife that we found, two deer, a few squirrels and about three rabbits. Looks like disease got to them.”
“Damn,” Aiden said softly. “Did you save any of the carcasses?”
“One of the rabbits. Bagged it with gloves and put it on ice when we got back to the lodge. We burned the corpses. If it’s some kind of wildlife virus, we don’t want it spreading.”
“What was the sex of the animals?” she asked.
Aiden threw her a puzzled look.
“Male, least the deer were. Didn’t examine the others too closely. All we saw was they had fur missing, placed by these weird black scales, like a fungus.”
Her heart slipped to her stomach. No wonder the gnomes had fled. They were too smart to stick around because the parvolupus had begun to mutate, affecting other life forms.
Could it get any worse?
“Thanks Dar. See you at dinner.”
Aiden shut off the phone.
She slipped out of bed, dressed and went outside. So many conflicting emotions and feelings. She didn’t want to have Aiden Mitchell in her life. She’d spent years running everything, thank you very much, and now he’d charged into her life and took over.
They butted heads like two fighting rams. And yet the lovemaking left her breathless and craving more.
And they faced a disease that could kill even a strong male like Mitchell. Nia closed her eyes, remembering the pain etching her father’s face as he gasped his last…
Promise me you’ll never betray our people to outsiders...
She needed clarity.
Aiden poked his head out the door. “Where are you going?” he asked as she descended the steps.
“For a short walk. Alone.”
Nia raced down the stairs, then followed the gravel pathway down to the pond. A short while later, she jogged through the woods, pushing past the overgrown brush. Dry leaves and twigs crackled beneath the soles of her boots. She climbed the hill until reaching a wide, open space. Mountains rose in the backdrop, jagged and proud peaks that had guarded this land for centuries.
Her parents had always wanted to be buried here.
She dropped to her knees beside two plain marble headstones engraved with their names. Her family was gone, except for Nikita. First their mother during childbirth. Then they’d lost their eldest brother to the disease, then their second brother.
Dad followed him to the grave ten days later.
Nia stared at the gentle curve of each headstone. She brushed dead leaves away from them and touched the marbled engraving of her father’s name.
“I miss you,” she whispered to the cold stone. “I miss you hugging me and calling me your princess. I miss how you used to make us pancakes on Sunday with little smiley faces drawn in syrup. I miss how you propped your feet on the coffee table and ate all the popcorn when we watched movies. I miss how you used to hunt with me, always behind me to watch my back.
“I miss you so much. Dad, I wish you were here to tell me what to do. I feel like I’m walking in a fog.”
Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed for all she and her twin had lost. Their family. Their innocent childhood. Most of all the love of the parent who was fiercely dedicated to guiding them through life.
She didn’t hear him behind her, but detected his warm, rich scent of pine. The masculine aroma made her feminine senses tingle amid the misery. Or perhaps it was because they were mated now, and her body recognized her man.
Two gentle hands settled on her shaking shoulders, massaging as he murmured to her in his deep voice. Then she felt him settle on the ground beside her, and Aiden pulled her into his arms. Nia cried against his chest, releasing the flood of grief she’d stemmed for years, grief she’d refused to show because there had been too much to do, the crisis paralyzing all her pack. Someone had to take charge.
So she had.
But now it felt too damn good not to be the strong one, the one who didn’t weep when they buried yet another once-strong male, or the ranch’s stores of food and supplies ran low. Now she could finally cry for her family, lying beneath the cold earth.
She lifted her wet face and he wiped away her tears with his thumbs. “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I’m here now. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I need to be alone. Please. I’m sorry, but I need time with my dad.” She pulled away from him and touched the gravestone. “Just for a little while.”
He traced a tear with his finger, two lines indenting his forehead. “Nikita, I’m your mate now. I’m here for you, whatever you need me for. I wish you’d open up to me.”
Oh, she was sorely tempted. But the years of disciplining herself to keep everything shut inside her had honed her control. And her twin had begged for a few more days so she could focus on finding the cure.
“I’m the alpha. They can’t see me break down. You understand. This is the only place I can truly be alone, have privacy to mourn.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, and then squeezed her shoulder. “I understand. I’ll be at the cabin. But if you’re not back in thirty minutes, I’m coming after you. I don’t like you being out here by yourself. There might be more gnomes who decide you’d make a lovely wolf snack.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve taken care of myself for years, Mitchell.” She scrubbed her face with a fist and added softly, “Thank you.”
He dropped a kiss on her forehead. She heard him heave a deep sigh and then walk away, shuffling his feet in the dry, dead leaves.
***
Aiden couldn’t believe it. He’d been mated for less than a day, and his mate wanted to be alone in a graveyard.
He swore quietly as he returned to her cabin. Niki was supposed to be lounging in bed, pampered by him, not weeping by a grave. He felt helpless at the sight of her tears. Hell, he’d do anything to make her happy, but she still remained guarded and cautious.
Except in bed, where she turned into a wildcat, eager and clawing in her need. Oh yeah, no problem in that area.
But outside of bed, she was still prickly.
When would she open to him?
He reached Nikita’s cabin, walked up the back steps, opened the door and went through the hallway into the living room and ground to a halt.
Niki sat on the sofa, leafing through a magazine. She looked up, and blinked in apparent surprise. Then a smile touched her face. No tears. No signs she’d been crying.
He looked around, stunned. How had she beaten him back here? Yeah, he’d made a few detours, checking out the barn and the pond, but still…
“Hi.”
Aiden’s nostrils flared. He felt confused and off kilter. Hell, Niki had made him feel like that ever since he’d met her five years ago. But not like this, as if he didn’t know her.
It was her fragrance. Her scent, it was different. Just a little. A touch of the fragrant lilies and spring flowers he loved, laced with vanilla. Vanilla was the essence of childhood Lupines and Lupines who’d never had a lover. But Niki’s scent should have changed by now. Certainly they had made love enough to warrant such a change.
“What are you reading?” he asked.
She held up the magazine. “Wildlife journal. Habits of wolf packs.”
He grinned. “Because of all that howling you did an hour ago?”
Niki stared at him as if he’d spoken a foreign language. Aiden rubbed his chin, puzzled.
He studied her face, really looked at her, and noticed for the first time that her upper lip formed just a little more of a bow. Odd. No scar, either. What happened to her scar? Did she cover it with makeup?
He peered at her face. No makeup. Fresh, wholesome skin. That was all.
“Are you happy?” Niki asked h
im.
Taken aback, he stared. “With you?”
She nodded.
“I would be happier if you weren’t so damn close-mouthed about everything and you’d open up to me.”
“But are you happy?” The magazine trembled in her grip. “Happy having me as your mate. Making this kind of forever commitment. Promising to care for me as long as your heart keeps beating.”
Never had he seen Niki this uncertain. Aiden sat down beside her and took the magazine, tossing it aside. He clasped her hands, wincing at how cold they were, and looked into her eyes. She swallowed hard and pulled her hands away. Blood drained from her face. Startled, he frowned. She looked too pale. What happened the rosy cheeks? The healthy pallor that his mate had since he’d stuffed her full of food?
“I’ve wanted you for five years, Niki. No other woman would do. Mating you was a commitment I’m damn glad to have made, and I’d promise to care for you into the next lifetime, or whatever follows this one. No regrets.”
A tremulous smile touched her mouth. “Good. I’m glad of it.”
He pulled her into his arms.
“I’ll be even happier if I can taste you instead,” he murmured, and covered her mouth with his own.
She stiffened, her fingers tightening on his arms, digging into the muscles like claws. She tasted of cherries and sharp, tangy spices, not the sweet honey and fresh peaches of his mate. The kiss was flatter than two-day old beer, missing Niki’s fire and passion.
Aiden immediately released her. Shock, dismay and then disbelief filled him. How could he have not seen?
Niki stared at him, her face paling. “I have to throw up.”
She raced for the kitchen sink and began vomiting. Aiden stared at her, feeling all kinds of dismay. His kiss made her sick? What the hell?
But when they made love, it was all fire and passion.
Maybe she was pregnant. No, she hadn’t yet gone into heat. Aiden shook free of his thoughts and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He uncapped it and handed it to her as she wiped her mouth with a paper towel.
Niki took the water and drank deeply. Sweat dampened her hair. “I’ll be all right. Thank you.”
Bad Boys of the Night: Eight Sizzling Paranormal Romances: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Page 136