Alek sat forward in his chair, his eyes narrowed. “Why Russia?”
Mrs. Potter thumped her cane before Daisy could answer. “Well that was certainly unexpected. The way you hate the cold, gal I thought for sure you’d pick something tropical like the Caribbean or Tahiti.” She sighed, “Sun loungers and umbrella drinks sound mighty appealing right now, actually. I think I may change my answer.” She let loose one of her signature cackles and thumped the floor again with her cane.
Alek was still looking at her waiting for her answer to his question but she addressed Mrs. Potter, her gaze was much less intimidating right now. She cleared her throat. “I never thought I’d get to travel at all, so I never really thought about destinations I’d like to see until recently. But the other day when Alek was talking about all of the places he’s been to, there was just something about the way he described Russia.” Her eyes went to his slightly bemused look and then skated away. “Especially the birch forests. The way you described it, you made it seem so beautiful I could almost picture it. It was obvious you loved it, and if someone as travelled as you…” She shrugged and ducked her head, embarrassed. “It made me want to see it for real.”
Alek collapsed back in his chair and nodded thoughtfully. “It is beautiful.”
The room fell quiet for a moment as the record player changed albums and Daisy’s embarrassment grew. What was she thinking to mention a location that was obviously his favorite? Why hadn’t she said Paris or London or Milan or any of thousands of popular tourist locations? Could she seem any more pathetic to him? Like she didn’t have her own mind or her own ideas and needed to poach his! She was pathetic. And this on top of her great blunder from earlier. He must think her a deranged stalker. Lock up the knives! Psycho Daisy is on the loose!
The Carpenters began to play and Daisy was relieved when Mrs. Potter broke the tension with one of her stories. “Did I ever tell you about the time…” Daisy tried to pay attention but it was difficult when she could feel Alek’s gaze on her. She knew her cheeks had to be scarlet. She thought of this morning, how excited she’d been and now she just wanted to go back to her little cabin and bury herself under her comforter and forget today ever happened.
Once Mrs. Potter had finished her story, Daisy let loose a nervous laugh and stood up. “I really should be going. I forgot I told Lily I’d meet her for lunch today.” It was a lie, but it worked as an excuse to escape. Grabbing her coat she headed for the door. “I’ll see you soon!” She called over her shoulder. Daisy managed to keep from breaking into a run, but she didn’t feel like she could truly breathe until she was well within the territory markers of Malsum Pass.
Alek considered the female who had just left. Her embarrassment had been obvious, but he hadn’t any idea how to alleviate it. She had had no reason to be embarrassed, unlike him. First she had noticed his eyes and then he had unknowingly exposed himself in his description of his homeland. Such tells were unacceptable. He had spent too much time here; had focused too much on one tiny female instead of the mission. Attachments were forming that were dangerous – for the both of them. He needed to finish this job and get the hell away from this area. Daisy Munroe was dangerous.
Chapter Eight
It was several days before Daisy felt comfortable returning to Mrs. Potter’s house. She had spent most of the time sketching though she would usually find herself absently sketching bits that reminded her of Alek before she would become disgusted with herself and put the pad away. She took long walks whenever she could, though she stayed well within the territory. She even made friends with the female bobcat. Unfortunately that bobcat had decided to follow Daisy home much to Lily’s dismay.
“You’re going to ruin that animal.” Lily said pointedly one evening when there was a scratching at the door. “She’ll become dependent on you. She’s not a pet.”
Daisy shrugged as she got up to open the door. “I’m not trying to make her into a pet. We just like each other.”
Lily let out a soft huff as the bobcat padded into the cabin and laid down near the woodstove. “Well don’t get too attached.” She eyed the wild feline who was licking one of her paws. “And don’t feed her. It’s all over once you feed her.”
Daisy settled back on the couch with her sketch pad and opened to a fresh page. “At least she gives me new material to sketch.”
Lily put her hand out to reach for the pad. “Let me see what you’ve got.” She said.
Daisy held the pad close to her chest suddenly panicking. She had done too many sketches of Alek to release the entire pad into Lily’s keeping and she still hadn’t told her sister about their handsome new neighbor. She knew it was a crazy response, and she still couldn’t truly say why, but she just didn’t want Lily to know about Alek. She cleared her throat and flipped to a page where she had drawn the bobcat in alert position, ears perked and head held high, surrounded by snow and trees. It was one of her best, but she kept hold of the pad as she let Lily look.
Lily raised an eyebrow at Daisy’s protectiveness of the sketchpad. “Are there naked sketches or something in there Daisy Munroe?” She teased. “Or maybe sketches of a particular wolf? Do you have a crush?”
Daisy laughed and dragged the pad back onto her lap. She wiggled her eyebrows. Bringing up a topic guaranteed to distract. “Maybe I have a crush on Conner Pierce. Would that make you jealous?”
Lily looked horrified. “Oh, please tell me you’re joking, Daisy.” She shook her head. “Conner is a decent sparring partner and his sense of humor is amusing but the guy is an asshole.” She held up a hand to forestall Daisy’s next words. “I’m not just saying that because I think all males are assholes. Truly. Most of the time Conner is nice, and funny, and even thoughtful, but every once in a while he’ll say something about females that just…” she cringed. “I know he likes women and is attracted to them and all, but I don’t think he likes women. Do you know what I mean?”
Daisy tucked her sketchpad under her thigh and bit her lower lip. “That makes sense. I mean, I’ve spent a lot of time with Connie since we’ve been here and some of the things she’s told me about Conner, I kind of got the same impression. I just wasn’t sure if it was just directed at her.”
Constance Tully had been in love with Conner Pierce since she had been a little girl and everyone in town knew it. Including Conner. Her crush on him had actually been so obvious that it had bordered on embarrassing. It had all come to a head not long after Daisy and Lily had arrived in Malsum Pass. At the time they had still been under guard since the pack hadn’t trusted them but they had been allowed to attend Conner’s birthday party at The Stag, a local bar that Conner owned and ran. Connie had put the party together, had even worn a shirt that she had designed especially for the event that had her and Conner’s name printed on it inside a heart. But instead of Conner being flattered and spending time with Connie, he chose to spend the evening talking with Lily and tempers had snapped. Conner had finally told Connie that she had no chance and she needed to back off. Later that night, Connie, upset and angry, had come to the cabin and tried to attack Lily. Lily had gotten a swipe in at Connie and the young female wolf had been punished by the pack for her actions. It had been a turning point for Connie.
Since the incident, Connie had apologized to Lily and the two of them may not be great friends but they didn’t snarl or strike out at each other. Daisy, however, had spent quite a bit of time with the blonde hairdresser who often spoke of her unfortunate crush and how silly she’d been. She had confided in Daisy and told her some of her experiences with Conner. Daisy had to admit that quite a bit of Connie’s actions were over the top, but in her opinion Conner wasn’t blameless. He took advantage of Connie’s feelings knowing full well that he didn’t return her regard. Connie would shrug and say “He’s male,” like that was an excuse. Daisy understood the comment – to a point. If it were a male in her pride she would have said the same, but this was Malsum Pass where females had choices. So why was gender an
excuse for bad behavior?
When Lily and Conner had seemed to be spending a rather lot of time together, Daisy had been somewhat concerned. On the one hand, Lily deserved to be happy, and who was Daisy to judge if Conner Pierce was the male who accomplished it. But on the other hand, was Lily only going to be disappointed when Conner cast her aside like he did with Connie? Lily continued to maintain that she wasn’t interested in the wolf, only enjoyed sparring with him. But, was that the truth?
“So you and Conner…” Daisy began and Lily huffed out a laugh and shook her head. “Stop beating that dead dog with a stick, Daisy. I promise, it’s just amusing to kick his ass. We are friends but I absolutely am not interested in Conner Pierce romantically.”
Daisy was remembering that conversation as she headed through the woods to Mrs. Potter’s house. That morning she had decided she would pull up her big girl panties and face Alek Stevens. She had apologized for her inappropriate behavior and he had apologized for grabbing her – water under the bridge. As for her wish to see Russia and what had driven it, well, surely enough time had passed where he’d forgotten the entire exchange.
She was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice the sentry until she almost walked right into him. He held out a hand to stop her and she looked up to see Conner Pierce. “Speak of the devil,” she mumbled.
“Where are you off to, Daisy?” He asked, arms crossed over his chest and one dark red eyebrow raised. “Or were you just wandering? You need to be careful. You almost left the territory.”
Daisy swallowed. Was he going to turn her back around and tell her she couldn’t leave? Mentally preparing herself for battle, she squared her shoulders. “I was going to see my friend Mrs. Potter.”
She relaxed when Conner grinned. “I haven’t seen Mrs. Potter in ages. How is the old girl?”
“She was hale and hearty the last time I saw her, though she may take her cane to your head if she hears you call her old girl.” Daisy said with a smile resuming her walk but was surprised when Conner fell into step beside her with a chuckle.
“I’ll walk you there,” he said, “and say hello.”
They were silent companions most of the way. The only sounds were their feet crunching through the snow. Was she paranoid to think that she was being escorted to make sure she wasn’t up to something nefarious? Was the pack still leery that they were spies or somehow a danger? The words were out of her mouth before she’d fully thought it through. “We’re not dangerous you know. If anything, we’re grateful. We’d never hurt the pack.”
Conner looked taken aback. They had just cleared the trees before the road. Mrs. Potter’s house in sight on the other side. He stopped walking and turned to face her taking her chin gently in his gloved hand. “I know you’re not dangerous, Daisy. But these woods can be and I don’t want to see anything happen to you.” He bent down and kissed her forehead.
Daisy was deeply touched until Conner ruined it by saying, “Besides, I’ve seen you fight. You need a guard wolf like me when you’re not with your sister.”
Chapter Nine
Alek watched the couple that stood facing each other from his bedroom window. When the male had kissed Daisy, Alek’s claws had extended as he gripped the window casing, the wood splintering under the assault. He couldn’t contain the low growl that erupted from his throat. Jealousy, possessiveness, and anger rolled through his body like a wildfire.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Alek concentrated on his breathing to pull himself back under control. Daisy. Wasn’t. His. He needed to remember that. She was a job, a means to an end, another bread crumb on the path he’d chosen.
Feeling somewhat more centered he saw the couple walking across the road toward the house. Daisy looked like she was frowning, but the male was grinning. Something he had said or done had annoyed her – good. He took a closer look at the male and realized he looked familiar. Alek’s vision had been getting hazy from blood loss the last time he’d seen him from a distance, but he was pretty sure that the redhead had been one of the pack that had found his den the day he’d killed the hunters.
Alek grimaced. He didn’t have any open wounds or cuts right at the moment and his scent was masked with soap and cologne, so even if this male had his blood scent he was probably safe, though he’d rather not take the chance. It would have been nice if the male had simply walked Daisy to the door and then left, but instead, he accompanied her into the house.
With a growl, Alek pulled his tablet out of his bag, pulling up the security feed. Setting up security cameras in and around the house as well as microphones had been a first priority when he had moved in. Needing to be aware of any threats that might come sniffing around. He usually only had it running once he’d retired for the night, but it certainly came in handy at times like this. Pulling up the camera in the living room that gave him the best view of the male he pulled on headphones and turned up the volume to hear the conversation.
Mrs. Potter looked quite enthusiastic as she greeted the male. “Conner Pierce! If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I was looking at your daddy twenty years ago.”
“How have you been, Mrs. Potter? Well, I hope.” The male he now knew as Conner Pierce said. Alek wasn’t surprised; had guessed the male was one of the Pierce sons as they were said to all bear a striking resemblance to their father. Tarvahl Pierce, he had learned while doing reconnaissance of the town, was one of the leading members of the council and the go-to person for most town business. Had this town been run strictly by a single alpha, Tarvahl Pierce would be it.
“The last time I saw Flora for my hair she told me you boys have a fully grown sister. I bet that was exciting." Mrs. Potter was saying and Alek settled on the bed, plumping the pillow behind him. Obviously Eloise was in the mood to gossip, so he may as well get comfortable.
Conner nodded and grinned. “Yeah. Dad was pretty pissed – um, upset, sorry – that Marisol kept Tara from him, but things are good now. Tara got married to Riley Cooper back in November and they’re expecting a baby so we’re all pretty excited.”
Mrs. Potter looked surprised. “Flora didn’t say who the mother was. Marisol Mason? Well I’ll be.” Her eyes looked distant for a moment, as if she was thinking of a fond memory. She shook her head and smiled. “What a spitfire that girl was. I’m surprised I didn’t put it together myself, what with your granddaddy running her out of town and all to keep her and your daddy apart. The timing makes sense.”
Conner looked shocked. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally blurted, “What do you mean?”
Mrs. Potter thumped her cane a few times. “Well, I remember the day I heard about it from my Harold. He never much liked your granddaddy, always thought he was a bully and was telling me what he overheard when he’d gone to town for some supplies. Your granddaddy was talking to Joe Porch and was telling Joe how he gave Marisol money and told her to leave, that she wasn’t good enough for his son. He called her all sorts of nasty names and was bragging about how he scared her.” Mrs. Potter shook her head sadly. “Always thought that girl was a sweetheart.” She scowled. “Evil man. Be thankful you and your brothers took after your daddy in temperament.”
Conner Pierce sat for a moment staring straight ahead before he lurched to his feet. “I have to go.”
Alek pulled off his headphones, not caring about hearing their goodbyes and went to his window. Keeping to the side and out of line of sight he watched as Conner Pierce broke into a run as soon as he cleared the porch. He wasn’t sure of all the players in the conversation he’d just heard, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Conner, and possibly the entire family, hadn’t known about the grandfather’s duplicity. Alek would lay money that Conner was on his way to see his father to fill him in. He sighed and gazed up at the ceiling before scrubbing his hands over his face. Chances were high that Tarvahl Pierce would now be paying a visit to confirm the story. He needed to wrap this up and get the hell out of pack territory. With that in mind, he bagg
ed his tablet, tucked it back under his bed and headed downstairs.
Fleetwood Mac was playing as Daisy stood up from the couch; her intention was to check the word-a-day calendar but her mind on the story Mrs. Potter had just told Conner. She felt bad for him. The stricken look on his face had been hard to see. She may not have a full understanding of pack politics, but had this been her pride, casting out an unacceptable member was common not that long ago. It was probably one of the reasons their numbers were in decline. Weak males had frequently been turned out. Weakness in females wasn’t desirable, but as long as they could breed, they were paired with the stronger males in hopes that the female’s weaknesses wouldn’t be passed on to her cubs.
Daisy had been seen as weak. Her parents had already had a strong mate in mind to ‘handle’ her. The thought of that particular male made her shudder so she pushed the thought away and thought of Marisol Mason. She’d been turned out of the pack but her daughter was a clear indication that the woman had been able to breed so it just didn’t make sense.
A creak on the stairs and Daisy knew Alek had joined them. She kept her attention on the calendar block despite the fact that she couldn’t see the word. Cast out. Unwanted memories crawled through her mind like a spider. She needed a distraction from the memory of one of the worst days of her life. She didn’t want to think about Bryan right now. She vaguely heard Mrs. Potter telling Alek that he missed meeting their visitor.
Not caring if she was interrupting, she pasted a wide smile on her face, turned to Alek and blurted. “Do you want to walk with me to the falls?”
If Alek was surprised by her request he didn’t show it, his eyes moving over her face and she wondered if he could see the near panic settling over her skin. He glanced at Mrs. Potter and then back to Daisy before he nodded. “All right.”
For Her: A Malsum Pass Novel Page 5