“I’ve known you since you were but a babe, Sachin.” She shook her spoon at him. “You were still on your mother’s tit. You are nothing if not a troublemaker. I can guess the smell of sex in the air is from you and one of the castle whores.”
“No. Not I.” He blushed from his toes to his ears and glanced back to find Lazar was long gone. The last thing he wanted was someone mentioning him being on his mother’s tit in front of his men. “I am innocent, sweet maiden.”
“I’ll sweet maiden you.” She threw the spoon at him and he laughed, stumbling on his way out of the kitchen. For such a fearsome warrior, he seemed to be having trouble staying on his feet.
Rayna was right. He needed to take leave and get away from it all, but the knowledge didn’t make going any easier. He’d spent nearly four hundred cycles protecting Kabril. To leave him at his most vulnerable time seemed wrong. Still, a direct order, by his queen, had been issued. Sachin had no choice but to accept.
He kicked the heavy wooden door of his chamber open so hard and so fast, it splintered down the center before slamming into a tiny side table. An open saucer filled with oil and a floating wick crashed to the floor, its contents coating the broken door and table. Kabril would remind him of his temper when he saw the damage. Not that Kabril hadn’t been known to break a door or two in his four hundred cycles.
Sachin wiped the sweat from his brow and fixed his gaze on the side table. There, a piece of leather was threaded through a lone amber crystal. It shimmered as the light from the window shone in, causing various patterns to appear on his chamber-room walls. There was a time Sachin was never found without the leather tied around his neck. Guilt had caused him to finally remove the item that reminded him of Paige. He had given her a matching one in the beginning of their friendship and she’d done something similar with hers, threading a black cord through it. The crystals were magikally charged, allowing the wearer’s thoughts to be amplified. When Sachin was still wearing his, he would sense Paige’s need to see him and he would go to her. She’d stopped wanting him near after he’d left her a year ago in the grass, alone and vulnerable.
I wonder if she still wears hers.
Closing his eyes, he tried and failed to push thoughts of Paige from his head. He’d made himself a promise to stay away from her. She was an addiction, one he couldn’t seem to shake. As Rayna’s order to go to Earth filtered through Sachin’s mind, the need to go to her was great.
A warrior he may be, but he’d tasted defeat the day he’d lost his heart to Paige. Looking in on her couldn’t harm anything. He just needed to be sure she was well.
Chapter Six
Earth
Paige double-checked the horse’s bandage and rubbed his upper leg. The injury had been slight and the horse was expected to make a full recovery. It, like many of the people who passed through the ranch, had come to her broken, abused. “You’re a good boy, huh? That’s right. A good boy.”
The horse turned its head towards her and seemed to understand her concern. It had survived neglect from its previous owner and had been brought to her barely able to support its own weight. That had been a little over a year ago. With much love and care, it was well on its way to being whole again. It did have a tendency to be rambunctious and had ended up hurting itself in the process. They went out of their way to safeguard the ranch, in hopes it would prevent injuries to the horses, but domesticated horses were notoriously accident-prone. This one was no exception. He was young and finally free of abuse. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to enjoy his time to the fullest.
The early summer air was drier than normal and she wondered if another drought would hit the area. The ranch had made it through the year prior, when just about everything in the surrounding area had dried up. Their income came mostly from boarding animals and the onsite animal hospital. Sarah was a veterinarian. Paige was in her second year of school to be a veterinary assistant.
Smiling, she stood and patted the horse’s back. “Go ahead. Let’s see how it’s holding up.”
The horse walked away and she kept a close eye on the wrapped leg. Even though Paige knew the horse would be fine, she couldn’t help but worry. His mood had been surly of late and his temperament unpredictable, reminding her of somebody she once knew.
“Firecracker looks to be doing well,” a deep, familiar voice came from behind her.
Think of the devil and he shall appear.
Turning, Paige found a six-foot–five-inch wall of toned muscle sitting on the top rail of the wooden fence. He hadn’t been there a moment ago. The man’s black goatee matched his shoulder-length hair and his thick eyelashes, drawing attention to his silver eyes. It wasn’t a color one found naturally, and there was a time Paige wouldn’t have questioned him on the fact. That time had long since passed. Even with all the questions she had for the man before her, there was still no denying the fact he took her breath away. She’d heard it said before—looking that good should be outlawed. She tended to agree. She’d also thought she’d never see him again. His return wasn’t exactly welcomed. It confused her.
“Sachin?”
He smiled. “Paige, it’s been far too long.”
His body was a model of perfection. He ran his hands over his jean-clad thighs and tipped his head, offering a sheepish smile. It was a smile that used to make her melt, but his appearing and disappearing act had long since worn on her. The last time had been the final straw. He’d had the nerve to run out on her the minute he’d finished having sex with her. She’d even gone so far as to hunt for him, but it was as if he never existed. There had been no paper trail, no record of any kind of him.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
The smile slid from his face. “Ah, I see you are upset with me.”
“And why shouldn’t I be?”
He had no response. Not that she really expected him to be able to make a legitimate case. He did what so many men did, he ran after he’d gotten what he’d wanted.
Was he back in hopes of more?
Paige glanced away, needing a moment to soak in the knowledge he was indeed before her in the flesh. There were many things she’d wanted to say to him for so long. So many things she should tell him, but none of them fell from her lips. A silent curse was all she could muster before collecting her thoughts once more. She set her sights on the horse. “This isn’t the same Firecracker you remember. He passed away.”
“Really?” Sachin asked, as his gaze swept over the horse. “He looks almost identical.”
“I know.” A half smile tugged at her lips and she fought it. “It’s why I named him Firecracker Redux. He’s a pistol who survived horrible abuse. You should have seen the conditions they had him living in, Sachin. Rusted, barbed-wire fencing, a metal shelter with a broken door and his food was moldy and infested with worms. Don’t even get me started on the physical abuse.”
Why was she talking to him so calmly when all she really wanted to do was kick, scream, throw a fit at how he’d abandoned her, and the secrets he’d obviously kept from her. She’d practiced what she’d say or do if she were to ever come face-to-face with Sachin again. All of it went out the window the moment she stared into his silver gaze. Something deep inside her chest tugged, feeling as if invisible strings connected them.
“Like his predecessor,” Sachin offered, his voice thick.
She nodded, her heart in her throat and an array of emotions washing over her. She tried to convince herself it was because of his concern for an animal she’d loved, but she knew that was only part of the reason she was close to crying. He was back, and deep down Paige knew that was all she’d ever really wanted. But she couldn’t take him toying with her feelings again. There was no way she could let him beneath the shield she’d built, the one that had finally allowed her to stop crying herself to sleep at night—the one that would let her start to live again.
“Then it’s a fitting name for a fine horse,” he offered evenly.
Firecracker n
udged her, urging her to move towards Sachin. The first Firecracker, an equally black stallion with a similar wild streak, had always seemed to take to the mysterious rogue, no matter how many times Sachin vanished for months on end, chipping away at her hardened heart in the process. Its namesake seemed just as enamored with Sachin.
Sachin hopped down from the fence and dusted off his backside. Oh God, how she wanted to be the one touching him, but it wasn’t to be. Paige had once thought Sachin might have feelings for her that extended beyond a roll in the hay. He couldn’t care about her and vanish like he did.
“Paige.” He put his hand out and stroked the top of Firecracker’s head. “Are you going to talk to me or are you planning on giving me menacing stares the entire time I’m here?”
“And how long is it that you’re here for, Sachin? I’d like to know since I’m planning on the latter of the two.” Annoyed with her behavior, Paige took hold of Firecracker’s reins and tried to lead him from the exercise area. Sachin blocked her path and the horse seemed bound and determined to stand his ground as well.
Men. They were all traitors and co-conspirators.
Sachin laughed, as if he’d read her thoughts.
“How long do you want me here?” His silver gaze slid over her slowly, heating her body along the way.
Paige swallowed down the lump in her throat, fighting to maintain control. For some reason, whenever Sachin was near, she responded to his very presence. No other man had made her react so and she seriously doubted any ever would. It made it damn hard to get over Sachin’s disappearing acts, his secrets, and, in the end, his use of her and move forward, but she was determined to do just that. Her heart wasn’t a toy and he’d played with it enough. Besides, it was no longer just her that she had to worry about—she’d moved on and another man’s happiness was now intertwined with hers. She had questions for Sachin, but they would have to wait until she could prepare herself to deal with him.
“You should go,” she heard herself say, unsure where the courage to form the words came from.
He ignored her.
“Sachin.”
Leaning down, he put his lips dangerously close to hers. Kissing him would be so easy. He’d branded her with the taste of his kisses long ago, imprinting them on her. Her lips tingled with remembered pleasures. To give in to him would be so easy. A sweet surrender.
He inched his fingers up her sides, partially under her shirt and Paige did the same to him, needing skin-to-skin contact. Her body was starved for him and, if she were forced to admit it, so was she. Each press of his fingers into her flesh caused another torrent of cream to form between her legs. Needing someone this bad wasn’t normal. She should be furious at him for his betrayal and for so many other reasons, but her mind was awash with nothing but feelings of the moment.
“Paige!”
Chapter Seven
Sachin stiffened at the sound of the male voice. Last he knew Paige and Sarah lived alone on the ranch, rehabilitating horses. They’d stopped taking in troubled teens several years back. The only hired hand they’d had was a young boy, around the age of fifteen or sixteen. Surely not old enough to have a voice as deep as the one he’d just heard. He waited for any sign from Paige as to who the man was, but got his answer soon enough.
A tall man appeared from around the side of the barn, carrying a basket with him. He wore a cowboy hat and looked to fit the part perfectly—a country boy—a human country boy. Something Sachin could never be. He would forever be a warrior from another realm.
He’d thought she was a passing thing, a phase he needed to go through on his path of life. How wrong he’d been. She was so much more. An obsession. A gift the gods would not grant him. Something tugged at him from within. A truth he seemed unable to see. As he thought back to the night they’d shared, the words he’d spoken became crystal clear to him.
He sucked in a large breath.
He’d claimed a human.
He’d claimed Paige.
He had a wife.
A wife who didn’t think too highly of him.
A wife who currently had another male coming for her.
The man with the basket approached slowly, his eyes full of questions but his facial expression agreeable. There was something familiar about the man but Sachin couldn’t place him. “Who do we have here?”
Paige pushed her long auburn hair behind her ear and shuffled her feet, a sure sign she was nervous. “Umm, Bailey, this is an old friend of mine, Sachin.”
Bailey? He knew that name from somewhere. At some point Paige had mentioned it to him. As if reading his mind, Paige glanced towards him. “Bailey is the sheriff here. He helped me when I had those problems with vandals last year.”
I bet he did.
Sachin barely kept hold of his temper as he watched Bailey bend and plant a kiss on the corner of Paige’s mouth. The man dared to kiss his wife? “Mmm, baby, I didn’t know you had company today or I wouldn’t have—”
Baby?
Sachin entertained killing him on the spot. The man had some nerve.
“He just stopped by and is leaving.” She gave Sachin a daring look.
“Nonsense, I brought enough food for an army. You know how my momma is. She heard I wanted to bring lunch out to you and she insisted on coming over to my house to prepare it.” Bailey laughed and the sound grated on Sachin’s nerves. “She kept mumbling something about how bad my cooking is.” Bailey glanced at Sachin. “Care to join us for lunch?”
He’d much rather rip the man’s head from his shoulders but Sachin kept that bit to himself and nodded. “Thank you,” he managed. “I’d be honored.”
Paige gawked at him, her mouth open wide. “What?”
Sachin grinned. If his woman thought he was leaving her with another man, she was wrong. “The man made me an offer I could not refuse.” He put his hand out. “Here, I can take that basket to the house.”
“No,” Paige said quickly. She took a moment, adjusting her shirt and rubbing her palms on her thighs before locking gazes with him. “I’ll get it, Sachin. Really. Sarah’s resting and I don’t want to wake her.”
Interrogating prisoners was one of Sachin’s specialties. He had a sixth sense for a lie. His skills were not needed to know Paige wished desperately to push him away. Did she not understand who she was to him?
You only just figured it out, he reminded himself.
He knew Paige had led a hard life, one that left her first being fostered by the woman who owned the ranch and then eventually adopted by her. Trust was something she didn’t offer freely, and a part of him knew she might not be willing to accept him back into her life. No amount of foresight helped to ease the pain of seeing her in another man’s arms. But he deserved it. Deserved seeing she’d managed to move on.
Bailey gave her a little swat on the backside and Sachin was reminded of seeing Lazar with the whore. His thoughts shifted and images of Paige surrendering herself to Bailey plagued him. Hot rage tore through him and he made a move to go at Bailey.
Oh God, Sachin’s going to kill him. Just keep him away from Bailey, then everything should be fine.
Hearing Paige’s thoughts in his head made Sachin stop dead in his tracks. He stared at her long and hard, sure it had been a play of the mind. A trick of some sort. Tipping his head, he waited to hear more but none came.
Paige handed the basket to Bailey. “Will you take this up? I’ll be there in just a second. I want to get Firecracker Redux back to the stables. Sachin can help me.”
Bailey cast a worried glance in Sachin’s direction before reluctantly taking the basket from Paige’s outstretched hand. “Sure thing.” He bent and kissed her again.
Sachin fought the urge to kill the man and remained motionless. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done—outside of fly away from his mate a year ago. Once Bailey was far from view, Paige turned to Sachin, her expression anything but kind. “You lay one hand on him and I will skin you alive. Understand?”
> He bit back a laugh. He’d been privy to many instances of skinning alive and knew Paige lacked the knowledge or the stomach for the act, but her threat was admirable. “Yes. I understand.”
“Good.” She walked towards the horse. “Now, help me lead him back to the stables.”
He fell into step next to her. They made their way into the back stables and he assisted in corralling the horse. When he looked, he found Paige sliding the barn door shut and then focusing on him.
“Why did you leave?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Because I had to.
“I did not come here to cause you pain, Paige.”
She lifted her chin. “Then why did you come? Why now after all of these months?”
Because I missed you.
“If you truly wish for me to leave,” he sighed, “I will.”
He thought for a minute she would say yes. She didn’t. Putting her hand to her mouth, she stifled a tiny cry as her shoulders slumped. It broke his heart to see her weep, and before he knew it, he had Paige held tight to him, her face buried against his chest. It felt good to hold her again. Too long had gone by without the feel of her.
Each sob cracked the hardness surrounding his heart. He hated knowing he’d done this to her. He’d upset her. Planting a tiny kiss upon her head, he tried to will her to be happy again, to forgive him.
Paige pushed on his chest and shook her head, wiping her tear-stained cheeks. “No. I will not cry over you again. I’m done with that. I’m done with—” her gaze met his “—you. I have questions for you about what happened the night we met. But not now. Not when Bailey is around.”
“I could remove him from the equation,” Sachin offered.
She stared up at him. “I agreed to marry him. He’s part of my life now, Sachin.”
A View to a Kill: (A Bird Shifter Novella) (King of Prey Book 2) Page 4