“Matthias,” she gasped in protest. “Please, be careful.”
He grinned at her as he twisted onto his belly and carefully slid farther down, bracing himself on the edge. “Anyone would think you cared,” he said, winking.
She gaped, then snapped her mouth shut. “I don’t actually want you hurt,” she finally muttered, and his wolf inside howled in pleasure. She wasn’t happy about it, and it might take her a while to calm down, to fully accept what was happening between them, but something was definitely there. He glanced over his shoulder, and thoughts of the boy took his focus. He scaled down the rock face, digging the toes of his boots into any crack or crevice he could find before moving his hands down. He braced himself for a moment, eyeing the terrain. The lower he went, the gloomier it became. The sun had already dipped below the top of the mountain behind them, and a purple dusk was beginning to settle.
There were a number of roots and branches that he could grab onto. The earthquake had upended a few trees on this ledge. His muscles tightened for a moment, then he sprang, catching hold of a thick root. He heard Trinity’s soft wail from above, but didn’t look up, his concentration purely on the brave little boy who clung to an exposed root that even now was shifting under his weight.
He worked his way down the root, hand over hand. There was a ledge about four feet below them. He winked at Jax as he came closer.
“Hey, Jax, you’re doing great. See that ledge? That’s where we’re going, okay?”
Jax looked down, and his eyes widened.
“Hey, Jax, it’s okay, look at me.” He waited until the boy’s blue gaze met his, and he smiled in encouragement. “Good boy. Can you reach out to me?”
He stretched his arm out, and Jax did the same. There was a gap of about four inches between their fingertips. Matthias gritted his teeth, sweat trickling down his side. He needed to bridge the gap.
He nodded. “No problem, Jax.”
He’d need to climb down just a little farther. He braced his feet against the rock face and looked for something, a bump, a ridge, a crack—anywhere he could find purchase with his feet.
There was a soft creak, and Jax cried out. Matthias whipped his head around. The root was giving way. Jax screamed. Matthias dived, catching the boy around the waist and holding him high as they fell to the ledge below. Jax landed on top of him, and his breath wheezed out of his lungs.
Jax clung to him, crying softly, and Matthias rubbed the boy’s back. “It’s okay, Jax, I’ve got you.” He looked up, and Trinity was peering down at them, a worried look on her face. He gave her a thumbs-up, and she closed her eyes in relief. He continued to make soothing, nonsensical noises as he inhaled, held his breath for a moment, then exhaled, slowly patting the pup. After a while, Jax started doing the same, and eventually his tears died down to faint hiccups.
Matthias winced as he sat up, hugging the boy, and looked around. They were on a ledge, but he could see an indentation in the rock, almost like a half-pipe. He glanced about, seeing the waterfall that roared not too far from their position, and the bird’s-eye view of Woodland. He frowned. There was something about the view, magnificent though it was, that bothered him, although he couldn’t quite put his finger on what.
Whatever it was, it was secondary to his need to get him and Jax off the mountain.
“Any ideas how to get out of here?” he called up to Trinity.
She pointed to the half-pipe. “If you can climb down there, you’ll be able to make your way down to the valley. I’ll meet you down there.”
“Don’t climb down the cliff,” he shouted.
“No, I figure I’ll take the trail,” came her sassy reply, and he grinned. He leaned back to look down at Jax, placing a finger under his chin to meet the boy’s gaze. “You all right?”
Jax nodded, then hugged him again. Something tight unfurled inside him as the little arms stole around his neck, and the boy pressed his face against his chest.
Over his heart.
Matthias raised a hand to smooth the boy’s tangled hair, the movement triggering memories that were both painful and poignant, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he hugged the boy back.
“I’m glad you’re all right,” he whispered against Jax’s head.
Jax hugged him tighter. “Thank you for saving me, Matt.” His voice sounded so young, so vulnerable. That tight, dark place cracked open, letting in the light, the warmth that was threatening to burst from his chest, and he took a deep, shuddering breath.
“I’ll always be there for you, Jax,” he whispered softly, his vow an unshakable force, an unbreakable promise from guardian to pup. He cleared his throat. “Come on, let’s beat Trinity down to the bottom.”
Trinity pushed past the branches, stumbling into the clearing. Zane, Nate and Warwick followed her. They’d come racing through trees, and had sagged in relief when they realized Jax was safe. They’d heard his cries and had come bolting, and Trinity was grateful for their action. They’d insisted on following her down to meet their guardian prime, and to check on the little pup. The rest of the guardians were waiting back at the top. Nate had ordered them to set up a camp.
Zane whistled as he entered the clearing. “This is beautiful,” he breathed. She nodded as she turned around. She hadn’t been here for years, had almost forgotten the illusion of tranquillity the setting offered. The sky above was bathed in rich oranges and purples as dusk began to give way to evening, and the clearing took on an ethereal look, darkening the grass and trees, yet not quite casting it in dark shadows. At the base of the waterfall was a pool that eventually formed the mouth of the river that flowed along the western boundary between Woodland and River Pack. Right now it looked a grayish purple, slithering through the darkening fields, each ripple reflecting the golden orange of the sunset. She didn’t care about the picturesque view, though. She spied Matthias sitting on a rock, Jax sitting on his lap, as he pointed to something in the water.
“Jax,” she called, her heart swelling with relief when she realized the boy was fine.
Jax jolted, then peered over Matthias’s shoulder. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and he wriggled down from Matthias’s lap and started running toward her.
She jogged, her arms open, and swept the pup up into a tight embrace, his little body so warm and precious, heart thumping against her own. “Oh, I’m so happy you’re okay,” she said, trying to hold back her tears. She’d felt a real and palpable fear when first she’d heard his panicked cry, which had only increased when she’d seen him clinging to the tree root. She couldn’t lose him. She couldn’t lose Jax. “I was so worried about you,” she admitted to the little boy, tugging at his hair playfully. “You took years off my life. Don’t do it again.” She tilted her head back. “What were you doing?”
“I was playing hide-and-seek,” Jax responded, as though it was obvious. Warwick came up to her, his face pale.
“He was playing with me. It was my turn to look.” The big guardian looked like he was about to cry. Or throw up.
She reached out and touched him on the arm. “He’s okay,” she said, trying to reassure him.
Warwick nodded, then pointed at the pup. “Found you. Your turn.”
Jax giggled and thrashed, trying to get to the ground. Trinity placed him carefully on his feet, then tried to hide her trembling fingers behind her back as she turned to Matthias.
He was sauntering toward her, a smile on his lips. She took a deep, steadying breath. Just the sight of him had those unfamiliar feelings rushing to overwhelm her, and she battled for control. She couldn’t give in to this, couldn’t give in to the wild longing, the craving he’d created in her.
“You had me worried there for a moment,” she told him, frowning. She could understand Warwick’s need to cry or puke. When Matthias had leaped like that, her heart had jumped to her throat. She’d been so scar
ed for him. Terrified. She lifted her chin. And he’d had the audacity to prevent her from climbing down. Arrogant bastard. He had a glint in his eye as he stood in front of her, silent.
“How is it not safe for me, but you think it’s all right fo—”
He bent forward and kissed her. His mouth opened, pressing her lips open in return, and she gasped as his tongue flicked against hers. That heat, that desire swamped her again and drove out thoughts of everything but him. His arm stole around her waist, and he tugged her to him, his hand cradling her face as he kissed her thoroughly, sensually. Her heart rate flared, and that hidden place between her thighs grew warm and damp. This man had an unnatural ability in demanding sensual responses from her body, to the extent that his scent, and now his lips, could drive out all thought and protest from her mind.
Eventually Jax’s giggles broke into her consciousness, and she braced a hand against that broad, golden chest.
He lifted his head, then rubbed his nose against hers, and she trembled. He smiled, a wicked, sensual curl of his lips. Someone cleared his throat, and Trinity blinked. She glanced over her shoulder. Warwick had covered Jax’s eyes, and stared at them both in stunned shock. Nate was trying to look anywhere else but at them, and Zane crossed to cover Warwick’s eyes with the palm of his hand. Warwick slapped his hand away, frowning at his pack mate.
“You shouldn’t do that—”
Matthias kissed her again, and she heard Nate groan and Jax giggled some more. She clung to him, swept away yet again with a desire to press herself against him, and try to drive him as crazy as he so easily drove her.
“Ew, that’s disgusting,” the boy cried out, and she finally had the strength to push against Matthias’s chest. He lifted his head, his eyes twinkling.
She tried to frown at him. “Stop it.” She managed to take a step back, but that was all the distance he was allowing her to put between them.
Matthias looked over at his men. “Where are the others?” he asked, and his voice sounded serious, despite the goofy smile on his face. Then Trinity realized she wore a similar goofy smile, and frowned.
Nate gestured to the top of the mountain. “We’ve told them to set up camp. Any idea what happened?”
Matthias shrugged, and Trinity realized that she still had her hand on his chest, could feel the ripple of muscle beneath her skin. She couldn’t quite convince her hand to move. “It could have been an earthquake, but I’m not sure.”
He stiffened, and she looked up, twisting to follow his gaze. Sadness filled her when she realized what he saw.
“What is that?” he asked quietly.
Chapter 13
The woman in his arms stiffened, and it was incredible, the change in her body temperature, from captivating heat to a controlled coldness.
“It’s nothing,” she said.
He shook his head. “No, it’s pretty clear it’s something.” The sun glinting off glass was what had initially caught his eye, but now upon a second look, there appeared to be a roof, some windows. “Who lives up here?”
“Nobody.”
The way Trinity shut down, her cool expression, even the languid sensuality in her limbs just moments before had leeched out to be replaced by a tightness in her muscles, a rigidity in her spine. Could this be Rafe’s safe haven?
“Show me.”
“I’d rather not.” Her tone was cool, emphatic, yet reservedly polite.
“Yeah, well, I’d rather be doing other things right now, namely with you, but we don’t always get what we want. Come on.” He urged her forward, and it was like moving a mummy, so stiff were her movements. He cast a look over at Zane and Nate, who both shrugged, yet grew wary, eyeing the surrounds as they approached the cabin tucked in tightly against the valley wall.
Matthias glanced around. This place was so picturesque, with the waterfall and its pool, the meadow with the river running through it and a log cabin that was almost perfectly camouflaged against the stone wall, ringed by trees. He couldn’t believe that nobody lived in this little slice of heaven.
“What is this place?” he asked quietly.
Trinity swallowed. “It’s cursed.”
Matthias eyed her. “You’re a curse, this place is cursed. Your pack really love their curses, don’t they?”
She didn’t answer, her eyes glued to the cabin.
They walked through the trees, and it was almost as though Trinity’s feet grew heavier with each step as they got closer. She dragged her boots through the dirt, and as they entered the shadow cast by the towering pines, she untied her jacket from around her waist and slid her arms into the sleeves.
He gestured to Nate, Zane and Warwick to surround the house, and he looked down at Jax. “Stay with Trin. Promise me.”
Jax nodded at the alpha’s demand, his hand sliding into Trinity’s. Matthias eyed Trinity closely. She looked at the cabin with sadness, and perhaps a tinge of fear. He cocked his head, although he couldn’t hear anything untoward. Was this a trap? Would Trinity allow him to walk into an ambush? She’d done it before, with the vamps, and she was obviously reluctant to be anywhere near this place, but he didn’t sense danger lurking in the shadows...
He stepped quietly up the short flight of stairs from the ground to the deck, his attention on the cabin.
Rustic, it was built in a conventional style, with a deck running along the front of the house and the sides. It looked charming, yet he sensed a tiredness to it, a slight dilapidation. Cobwebs stretched across the corners of windows that looked like they hadn’t seen a cleaning cloth in years. Dirt and dust coated the railing and deck in a thick layer. His own boots were the only disturbance to the dust. No footprints near the doorway—even the door handle looked coated in years of grime and dirt. He frowned, turning to look at Trinity, and was almost taken aback by her expression.
She looked so pale, so forlorn, so vulnerable, and she gathered Jax closer. Matthias beckoned to her, and she shook her head. She wasn’t coming any closer. Jax watched with wide, curious eyes, and his eyebrows rose as he met Matthias’s stare. Matthias waggled his eyebrows for the benefit of the kid as he reached for the doorknob, and Jax smiled.
Matthias twisted the knob. It creaked, but turned. Matthias frowned. The door wasn’t even locked. He let the door swing inward, and paused on the threshold, peering in.
It was darker inside, but he could still make out some features in the gloom. There was a living room with what might have once been comfy couches, but now looked like critters had made their home in the cushions. He stepped inside. Apart from the occasional animal droppings, the place looked relatively undisturbed. A large patterned rug lay on the wooden floorboards, giving the cabin a homely feel. Red-checked curtains were tied back from the windows, their folds coated with dust.
Beyond the living area was a simple kitchen setup. Sink, cabinets and a large, scarred kitchen table. Movement caught his eye, and he stiffened, only to relax when he realized Nate was peering through the window of the back door. Nate rattled the doorknob, and then there was a similar creak, and the door opened. Nate filled the doorway, eyeing the interior with open curiosity.
Matthias turned his attention to the three doorways that led off from the living area. One was open, and he could see the white-tiled floor and vanity of a bathroom. He opened one door, letting it swing inward.
The master bedroom. A king-size bed stood backed up against the far wall, and he could see Trinity and Jax out the window. The bed was covered in a crocheted blanket, and there were similar homely touches around the room, a lacy doily covering the bedside table, a spare blanket folded over the rocking chair in the corner.
He backed out. He didn’t sense any evil or malevolence here, nothing that would back up Trinity’s claim of a cursed location. He eyed the second door, planted his palm against the timber and pushed.
> The door swung open to reveal a quaint little bedroom. A single bed, wooden frame painted white, a pink crocheted blanket folded neatly across the end of the bed. A little dollhouse sat on the floor against the wall, and he could see tiny figures, whittled from wood, propped up against the hand-carved furniture. A child’s room. A girl’s room at that. His eyebrows rose at the bow leaning against the corner, a quiver full of arrows next to it. Perhaps a tomboy.
“Matt, you should see this,” Nate called from the living area. Matthias left the kid’s room, and walked over to Nate. Zane and Warwick had since entered the cabin, and were prowling around, looking into cupboards. Nate held a photo frame in his hand, and a clear streak on the glass showed where he’d wiped his hand over it to better see the image it held. He handed it to Matthias.
The photo had been taken in the meadow, the waterfall a bright sheath of white water behind the couple. The man and woman hugged a small child, a little girl, with long dark braids and blue eyes that he instantly recognized.
Trinity and her parents.
He looked at her mother for a moment. She was beautiful, and her eyes matched her daughter’s, although her hair was more of a red-brown. Trinity’s father was a handsome man, with dark hair that was echoed in his daughter’s braids, and an easygoing smile. They were the picture of a loving family, literally, and his stomach tightened. It looked like his she-wolf had once had everything—parents who loved and doted on her. He looked around the room. So what the hell had happened?
“Interesting,” he murmured.
“Did you see his ring?”
Matthias searched the photograph. Both of Trinity’s parents carried her on their shoulders, and her father had a protective hand on her knee to ensure the safety of her perch. His eyes widened. The man bore the Woodland crest.
“He was an alpha prime,” Matthias said softly. Trinity was not only a tracker prime, she was also part of the prime family. A Scion, no less. Pack royalty. “I think it’s time my she-wolf and I had a chat.”
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