“Are
we
immortal?”
Although the idea of spending the rest of eternity with Adrik appealed to her, could she really stand back and watch everyone she knew die? Again, Kaleb didn’t answer right away.
“Answer me!”
He looked over at her, his jaw clenched tightly and his eyes full of emotion. “We are.”
“Un-fucking-believable! When the hell were you going to tell me?” Kayla didn’t bother hiding her anger. “What if I don’t want this life?” She was on the verge of tears, and she didn’t care. The truck lurched to a stop off the side of the road, and Kaleb put it in park.
“Look at me, Kayla.”
She turned and looked at her twin. He stared at her for a second before unbuckling his seat belt and moving next to her. He wrapped his big arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. That was when she broke down, cried because of everything that had been revealed, cried because of her anger and fear, cried because she didn’t know what else to do.
“I don’t know if I can do this.”
He ran his hand over her hair. “All I’m asking is that you try. If you are too uncomfortable with the life, then you are free. I will not force you into something you aren’t ready to handle.”
She leaned back, eyeing him speculatively, not sure if she should really try this whole thing out. She looked into his face, knowing that even though life didn’t seem real anymore, she had to try for Kaleb and Adrik. He wiped a tear away and kissed her forehead. He was her twin, her brother, and had always been there for her when she needed him. Looking down at her, his expression was one of understanding and love. She had to try, even if it was the hardest thing for her to do.
Chapter 12
A week had already passed, and Kayla was filled with anxiousness and a little bit of fear. Although she spoke with Adrik every day, she hadn’t been able to see him. Along with her busy schedule at the hospital, and his at the club, there didn’t seem to be enough time in the day for them to be together.
The bruise on the side of her face had healed nicely, and now there was only the faintest hint of discoloration. If she was a male Lyken, the bruise would have been gone within an hour, but because she was a female of the species, she healed no different than a human.
Today was the day she was going into the mountains with Kaleb to meet the rest of the clan. She had agreed to stay the night in the compound, but she made no guarantees after that. He tried to talk her into spending the whole weekend up there, but with a stern look and a shake of her head, that subject was quickly dropped. She was taking a big step in this new life, and she thought that spending one night up there was a big sacrifice on her part, given the fact all of this was new to her.
When she told Adrik of her plans, the line had gone silent, and she knew he wasn’t happy. Frankly, she was getting sick of all of the testosterone being thrown around by her brother and Adrik. She was pulled in two different directions. On one side, she wanted to be with the only man she had ever loved, yet on the other side she felt it was her duty to stay by her twin’s side. It didn’t help matters that Adrik and Kaleb were of two different species, creatures that weren’t enemies, but had very different views on what they expected.
She wanted desperately to talk to Adrik, to find out more about his life, one that she really had no idea about. She wanted to know why he had lied to her for all those years, why he had listened to her brother and stayed away if she was his Chosen. Questions bounced around in her head, questions she was damn sure going to get answers to.
She hadn’t spoken much to Lana, just a few times here and there. She wanted to tell her friend she knew everything, wanted to tell her about what Adrik was, although as she thought back to how Lana had acted when she found out she was seeing Adrik, it was almost as though her best friend had already known.
Checking her overnight bag once more, Kayla made sure she had everything she needed. It was still fairly early, but they had a two-hour drive ahead of them. Kaleb had said the Lyken clan’s compound was beautiful and that the scenery was breathtaking. She would be the judge of that, although she had no doubts that the mountain compound was a picture-perfect place. She was more worried about the people who lived within that mountain retreat. How would they react toward her? Would they like her? Accept her?
She threw a couple other things in her duffel bag and headed downstairs. The sound of Kaleb banging around in the kitchen was loud enough she had heard it upstairs. Not being able to stop the smile that broke over her face, Kayla thought of the old times. She tossed the bag toward the front door and walked into the kitchen. Kaleb was throwing food into a bag in between taking long gulps out of his coffee mug.
“Why are you packing food? You said it’s only a two-hour drive.” She smiled as he threw in a full-sized bag of chips, some fruit, and, of course, cans of beer.
He looked up at her as he took another sip of his coffee. “We might get hungry.”
“You mean
you
might get hungry? You’re packing enough food to feed a football team.”
He shrugged and zipped up the bag before he finished the rest of the coffee.
“Are you about ready?” Secretly, she kind of wanted to get this over with. She didn’t know how things were going to work out up there, but she hoped she could handle whatever was thrown at her.
Two hours later, Kaleb and Kayla reached their destination. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, her heart beat quickly, and her palms were so sweaty she had to wipe them on her jeans. Anxiousness and fear waged war inside of her. She was about to meet a compound full of werewolves.
“Calm down. I said you have nothing to worry about.”
She threw a dirty look Kaleb’s way but didn’t respond. How would he like it if he were just introduced to this new and crazy world? How would he feel if he were about to be introduced to Lykens?
Soon they were greeted with a huge stone wall and wrought iron gate. Kaleb rolled down the window and pressed some numbers into the small keypad nestled into the stone. The gates opened soundlessly moments later, and the truck moved forward. She gripped the handle of the door, her whole body tingling with anticipation. Could she possibly be feeling excitement?
“I can sense how anxious you are, Kayla. I can smell your excitement. I know you can feel the pull. Maybe it just took you coming here to awaken that part of you?”
“Don’t talk like that.”
“Like what?” He gave her a confused look as he continued to drive down the twisting dirt road.
“Like you can
sense
how I feel. It’s weird.”
He gave a throaty laugh but didn’t respond. She looked out the window at the bright green trees that surrounded them. She rolled down her window and breathed in the intoxicating scent of freshness.
They drove for another ten minutes before the trees thinned out and a monstrous wooden compound was revealed. Children ran around in the front lawn. The grass that grew beneath their feet looked vibrant and plush. The children stopped playing and ran inside as the truck approached. Kaleb brought the truck around to the side of the house, where several other expensive-looking vehicles sat.
“Are you ready?”
No.
She looked at him, took a deep breath, and nodded. She probably wasn’t ever going to be ready, but it was a little late to turn back now. They both got out, and she followed Kaleb around to the front and up to the massive wraparound porch. Thick wooden pillars supported the large structure, the scent of wilderness saturating everything. She felt so…
at home
. It was unnerving.
They stopped in front of the stained-glass double doors. Kaleb turned around and took hold of her hand. When he pushed open one of the doors and led her into the foyer, Kayla felt her eyes widen as she took in the extravagant interior. A large staircase was directly across from the front doors, the dark hardwood flooring covered in a thick red carpet. A grand crystal chandelier hung from the cathedral-style ceiling, skylights placed on each side of the chandelier so that the light would reflect off the crystals.
“I was wondering when you would show. Is this the lass?”
Kayla turned her head as an extremely large man walked into the room. His hair was dark and short, the strands disheveled. Her heart started to beat against her ribs. It was clear this man was much more than he appeared.
His forest-green eyes gazed over her body as he smiled. “Ye’re early. We dinna expect you for another few hours.”
“You didn’t?”
“No, but no harm. I am still verra happy to see you.”
Kayla took a step back as Kaleb and the other man slapped each other on the back, huge grins on their faces. It was as if the two had known each other for years, although they probably had, given the fact Kaleb had lied about his whereabouts for so long.
“Kayla, this is Callum McGregor. Callum, this is my sister, Kayla.”
Callum took a step forward, and Kayla had to crane her neck back just to look into his face.
What is it with all the men in this town? They’re all giants.
“I am verra happy to finally meet you, lass.”
She took a deep breath, his strong evergreen scent filling up her senses and making her light-headed. He had a thick Scottish accent that seemed to fit his persona perfectly. He grabbed her hand and, like a gentleman, bowed at the waist and kissed the top of her hand.
“Have you seen Aedan?” Kaleb looked around the massive foyer.
“Aye, he is in the game room with the others.” Callum looked down at her one last time, a small smile tilting one side of his mouth.
Kaleb looked over at her and gestured for her to follow him. She looked over her shoulder and said, “It was nice meeting you.”
“The pleasure was all mine.”
Kaleb led the way down a wide hallway. It seemed to go on forever, with doors lined up on either side of her. Finally, Kaleb stopped in front of a set of closed double doors. No sound came from them, but once he pushed them open, noise bombarded her senses. Loud music poured out of the huge room, which she realized, once she got a good look, was a game room.
She followed Kaleb in, no one seeming to pay any attention to them. Two pool tables were on either side of her, the sound of cracking pool balls almost too loud for her ears. A full-sized bar was set up in the corner, with bottles upon bottles of whiskey and other amber-colored liquor lining the shelves behind it. A big-screen television was on one side of her, showing a football game. Leather couches and chairs were everywhere, as well as a modest-sized kitchen area opposite of the television.
The room was filled with oversized men. A few of them gave her the once-over and then slapped backs with Kaleb.
She looked to her left, and her gaze settled on a huge man leaning against the wall, pool stick in hand. His sandy-blond hair hung to his ears, and his bright blue eyes spoke of knowledge and power.
That’s the alpha.
There was a distinct pull toward him, as if her mind knew who the alpha was. It was the strangest feeling, a sensation that she was a positive magnet and he was the opposite.
“That’s Aedan. The alpha.”
Kaleb’s voice was right next to her, and she looked over her shoulder and nodded. “I know.”
“You can feel the pull, can’t you?”
She nodded again. The thing was, even though the sensation was almost calming, she didn’t know if she liked it. Aedan pushed off the wall, his gaze never leaving hers as he walked up to them.
“Kayla, I presume?”
She nodded and swallowed.
“Ye’re just a wee thing, aren’t ye?” His eyes roamed down her body, but it wasn’t anything sexual.
At five foot nine, she had never been called a “wee thing,” but then again, the men in the room neared seven feet tall. She could
feel
, could
sense
, that he was assessing her as a wolf would do with a stranger.
Aedan whistled, and everyone around in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at them. Her heart beat frantically again because she knew everyone’s eyes were on her—the outsider.
“You don’t have to be scared. You’re one of us, Kayla.” Aedan’s voice was low and soothing, and she instantly felt herself relaxing. He smiled down at her and nodded, as if he knew he had helped.
“Come on, let us go somewhere quieter.” His Scottish accent held authority and strength, and she blindly followed him out of the room.
It scared the shit out of her.
Chapter 13
Adrik paced his living room, his thoughts on Kayla. He hadn’t seen her for a week, and it was driving him mad. He had spoken to her during that time, but it wasn’t the same. Now that he had tasted her blood and knew without a doubt that she was his Chosen, the separation was hell. He wanted nothing more than for her to be with him at all times, but times were different than what he was used to, and Kayla was a strong and independent woman. She reveled in her freedom.
The possessive male inside of him didn’t like that.
The sun had set a little over an hour ago, and it took all of his restraint not to call her every five minutes during that time. He knew her emotions must be bombarding her with meeting the Lykens, but his fingers itched to pick up that phone, dial her number, and hear her voice.
For the past week, it had taken all of his willpower not to go to her home, but with Kaleb being there constantly, he had kept his distance. He didn’t want to be the driving force that separated Kayla from her family, but he knew how the Lykens felt about mixing species. If she became fully involved with the clan, would she ultimately choose them over him? He had been asking himself that question every day for the past week.
He looked at his watch again and then over at his cell on the kitchen island.
Fuck it.
He walked over, picked it up, and punched in Kayla’s number.
“Hello?” Loud laughter and noise rang through the receiver and muffled her soft voice.