Authors: Aliyah Burke
He moved away from her window and went to watch the door. Sure enough, ten minutes later, she walked outside. The bow she held in her hand grabbed his attention. She limped past him, adjusting the music in her ears.
He trailed her, noticing the limp as she walked. It didn’t fade but it definitely lessened. When they came to an archery set up, he backed off even more and headed for his hotel, not wanting—or needing—to be naked in public when the sun came up.
He showered and dressed in swift fashion. The morning was cooler and he remembered she’d been without a jacket. Casimir went to his car and drove to her place, the convertible still there. He could sense no movement inside.
He took the trail, he’d done once today already as a wolf and came upon her as she yanked arrows from a target. She wasn’t pleased with herself, he knew that much.
“Morning, Dyana.”
She whirled toward him, eyes wide. He caught a whiff of fear before anger took over.
“You! What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I told you we need to talk.”
Had he blinked, he would have missed it. She had an arrow notched and aimed at him. Unerringly at his head.
Impressive.
“What part of I’m not going with you didn’t you understand?” Her gaze unwavering.
“Do you think that will stop me?”
Her grin, feral. “Come closer and find out.”
His wolf perked up again. “Talk,” he said. “That’s it.”
“So talk.” Her posture didn’t relax any.
“I know this is a lot for you.”
“A stalker? Yes, it’s a bit new for me.”
“I. Am. Not. A. Stalker.”
“Of course not. I gave you my address. Oh, wait…no I didn’t.”
He clenched his jaw. “Listen to me. I don’t know”—he gestured at her—“can you lower that?”
“Sure can.”
He waited and she didn’t move. “Well?”
“I said I could, not that I would.”
He ground his teeth and dug for the patience he wasn’t known for. “Would you?”
She mulled it over. “You stay over there.”
“Fine.” He breathed easier when she lowered it. Casimir knew he could always use wolf speed to get to her.
Dyana finished gathering her arrows, and making a wide berth around him, went back to the position he’d left her at. He took a step toward her only to pause when she flexed her fingers on the bow and reached for an arrow in the quiver on her leg. He held still and she breathed easier.
His wolf showed he was impressed with her not willing to back down.
“We were married twenty-five years ago.” She rolled her eyes. “We were, our grandparents did this.” He sensed the change in her attention.
Having gone through all he did to become his pack’s Alpha, Casimir had gone through quite a bit. Her response wasn’t what he’d expected. Not in any way.
The arrow she loosed at his head took him by complete surprise. Only because of his supernatural speed did the razor-sharp point sink into the tree bark trunk behind him. Refocusing his attention back on her, he saw another in the bow, ready to be released.
At my head.
“What the fuck?” He forced himself to remain still.
“You have two minutes. Don’t mention my grandparents again.”
His wolf bared its teeth and rumbled as he paced within.
“You want me to explain without using an integral part of my explanation?”
“One-thirty and counting.” She lowered the bow from shooting position but he wasn’t fooled. She was wicked fast.
“Ours was an arranged marriage.” No word from her. “Between my grandparents and yours.”
Again, she barely even blinked. His wolf growled again, this time because of danger. Casimir scented and bared his teeth. The same odor from before in town. The air was still and he stared at her.
Dyana watched him through narrowed eyes. Her mistrust and suspicion positively blatant.
“Go home.”
“Fuck you. You go. This is my home.”
“Go!” He snapped the order, expecting to be obeyed.
She yawned and walked toward him. Distracted by her disobedience and her nearness he almost missed the glint. Almost. Even as he moved, Casimir was pissed. Who the fuck was shooting at them? Slugs burrowed into the trees around them.
“What the fuck! Get off me!”
“Shh!”
She stiffened beneath him but he stayed focused on their surroundings. Whomever it was had vanished. Casimir rolled to his feet and offered a hand—one she ignored—to Dyana. He watched her get to her own feet. Twigs and a few leaves dangled from her hair and shirt.
“Are you alright?” He had this overwhelming need to inspect her from head to toe and ensure her complete wellness.
“Don’t ever do that again,” she snapped.
He snarled. “You’re welcome. I saved your life.”
“Nobody was after me until you showed.”
She readjusted her bow. Her words gave him pause and he frowned. What reason would someone be after him for? A twig snapped and he thrust her behind him, again, a nearly overwhelming need to protect her coursed through him. Nothing was there. He reached behind for her only to grasp air.
Dyana stood off to his left, head raised to the south. A breeze blew, ruffling her hair and carrying with it the scent—one he couldn’t identify—of hers. The sun gleamed off the gold streaks in her hair. Her bow prepped to be drawn.
For a moment, he stood there and ogled her. Despising his attraction, he stepped toward her when the entire area rocked with an explosion.
“Shyla! Regina!” She ran toward her house, bow discarded on the ground.
Casimir ran before her, still needing to protect. The destruction that they came upon—hideous. The corvette convertible smoldered in pieces and the house burned.
“No!” Dyana moved by him and he snagged an arm around her waist. Her curves pressed tight to him. “I have to—”
“Stay put. I will go. You stay here.” No room for argument in his mind.
Without waiting to see if she obeyed he ran toward the burning home. Kicking aside the remnants of the charred door, he utilized all his senses to find her friends. His wolf—alert—snarled low as they searched.
“No!”
The cry spurred him to an immediate sprint. He bolted into the sunlight searching for Dyana. By the vehicle, she knelt on the ground by the bloody body of Regina. The woman was dead, he could see that from his distance. Dyana still placed her fingers on the neck, checking for a pulse. He knew she wouldn’t locate one.
Sirens screamed and he went back in to find her other friend. Also deceased. He bent and carried her out. When Dyana saw him, she pushed up and made her way to his side. Her limp distinguishable but her face unreadable.
She searched his face and he shook his head. Her brows converged and he knew she fought tears. The cop car led the way up her drive and he placed Shyla on the ground as Dyana was wrapped up by Markus’ arms.
Unsettled, he made his way to her side. Markus glared at him over her head.
“You. What are you doing here?”
Up and down Markus ran his hands along her back. Casimir didn’t care to even explain his feelings. “I came to talk to my wife.” He reached out and removed her from the familiar embrace. Her resistance was negligible as he pressed her face to his chest.
“Wife?” Markus growled.
“Mine.” His wolf rumbled in agreement.
αβ
What the fuck happened?
Dyana struggled to breath. Dead. Explosions. Dead. Regina and Shyla taken from her. Their bodies mangled and limp. Had he not shown up, she would be lying there as well. Guilt assuaged her and her belly heaved. Her legs trembled and she tightened her fingers on the coat of the man holding her. Leather? Markus didn’t have a leather jacket on.
Nor did he smell so good.
The scent of burning materials and charred flesh were no longer prevalent in her nose. Instead it had been replaced by a compilation of crisp clean air and pungent pine. Wilderness. Freedom. And masculinity.
She jerked away and stared up at him. His bold blue eyes waited for her. Was it her imagination or did she witness compassion in their depths. Past him, men put out the flames and the EMT’s zipped up the body bags. A sight which spurred her into action. Ignoring her screaming leg, she ran to the only two she trusted with all of her secrets and fears, her best friends in the entire world.
Her
entire world.
“Wait!”
Susie paused and motioned for James to do the same. Biting her lower lip, Dyana touched each one, silently willing them to open their eyes and tell her it was all joke. A horrible nasty joke.
“Yana?”
Markus stood before her, hand on the small of her back. “Take ’em,” he said, drawing her close as the stretchers moved by. “I need to talk to you.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.” He led her to the back of his patrol car and pressed her to the seat. “Care to explain this?”
“I would love to,” she snapped. “I can’t. I was out shooting when this happened. Someone also took a shot at me.”
“He shot at you?”
She gazed in Casimir’s direction, calm covering her at his gaze. “No, he was with me out there.”
“Why?”
She frowned. “Why what?”
“Was he there with you?”
“We were talking?” Why does it matter?
“About?”
The doors slammed on the ambulance and her belly heaved. Her friends were in there without her. They’d never again share a beer, go dancing, cry together, or laugh.
“Yana?”
“Huh?”
“Talking about what?”
She stood, wobbling slightly and wincing in pain. “My grandparents.” With that she hobbled over to where Casimir stood by two officers. Almost like they were keeping him contained. Casimir wasn’t paying them any mind, his gaze was on her. Watching. Waiting.
She swallowed back her nausea before making her way to his side. “We need to talk.”
He began to step forward when the two men stopped him. She narrowed her gaze at them.
“What are you two doing?”
“Orders, Dyana. Markus said to keep an eye on him.”
With a scoff she said, “So watch him. We need to talk in private.”
“You’re not his attorney.”
Her irritation had grown swiftly. “No, but I am his wife, Jerimiah, so if you don’t mind. We are allowed privacy.”
It was the officer’s turn to scowl but he eventually shuffled aside. Casimir flowed with his movements and she couldn’t help compare the two. Predatory versus prey. Lethally muscular to portly.
She made it, barely, to a stump and sat. He stood before her legs, braced feet shoulder width apart and arms crossed.
“Did you have anything to do with this?” She despised how shaky and weak her voice sounded.
“No.” His response fell quickly.
“You better not be lying to me.” She covered her face and wiped the tears gathering.
“What reason would I have to do so?”
She didn’t lift her head. When he moved her hands, she found him on his knees. Eye to eye he waited for a response. His hands were strong and warm. Instead of thinking and dwelling on how little she knew this man she allowed herself to succumb to the tears.
Casimir didn’t speak when Markus came back to her side, however, neither did he leave her side. On autopilot she answered more questions about the shooting and explosions. Her silent companion accompanied her to the place they’d been fired upon. To her mind, Casimir seemed to be searching for something.
At the end of the questioning, Dyana had zero energy remaining. The hour shortly past noon. And yet to her it were as if she was coming off a twenty-four hour shift.
The news crews began streaming in and both Markus and Casimir sheltered her. Wrapped in a blanket in the back of Markus’ car, she rocked as the tears flowed from her eyes. When Casimir opened the door and stuck out his hand, she took it. The men shared a look but to her amazement they didn’t say a word to each other about her departing with Casimir.
He held the door for her and she sank into the buttery soft leather. The vehicle type not registering. Right now all she craved was some peace and quiet. And a drink. She closed her eyes and didn’t bother asking where he was taking her.
Casimir parked before the hotel and assisted her out. More reporters—from where she hadn’t a clue—rushed them. He settled his strong arm around her and she turned her face to his jacket, trusting him to guide her to safety. The sound of a door clicking had her leaving the comfort he offered. His room had no bags she could see. One king-sized bed which dominated the space. She gulped and bolted for the bathroom where she lost the little amounts she’d been carrying in her body.
The dry heaving continued. Her limbs trembled as she knelt on the cold tile floor. Movement from behind wasn’t enough to shatter through the wall she was erecting.
He sat along the edge of the tub and stared at her. His bold, blue eyes boring into her, seeing way more than she would have liked. Thankfully he didn’t speak, although she sensed his disapproval.
Not that I give a damn. What the fuck do I need his approval for?
Pushing unsteadily to her feet, she made her way to the sink after flushing the commode. She braced her hands along the porcelain before turning on the cold water and rinsing out her mouth.
“There some reason you keep staring at me, hoss?” She stared at him in the cracked mirror.
“Your friends just died.”
Pain lanced her. “Point?”
“You are in danger.”
“Ain’t no reason for anyone to want me dead. I was fine before you showed up.”
“I did not harm your friends.”
She narrowed her gaze, anger zipping along her skin. “You better hope if you’re lying I
never
find out.”
His gaze darkened dangerously. She wasn’t scared, though. Breaking eye contact, she splashed some more water on her face before making her way to the bed. However, once there she hesitated.
She shook from the exhaustion that owned her. His bed seemed so inviting and she took a step toward it before changing direction and sinking into the straight backed chair. The urge to vomit came again and she struggled not to give in.
Eyes closed, she retreated into herself as she’d done the day she lost her grandparents. Not even the warm tears leaking free brought movement from her. She let them fall.