Authors: Stacey Kennedy
“Gosh, Valor, what type of horses are these? I’ve never seen anything like them.” I asked.
He whistled, and they all came charging toward us. “They’re Gypsy Vanners. Quite beautiful are they not?”
Kyden reached up and ran his hand along a strong face. “Very.” He was smitten over the white stallion. Tough guy has a soft spot.
Rynn released my hand and walked over to one of the smaller horses. She was a lovely chocolate bay color. The horse neighed a little and snuggled into Rynn’s face, sending her into giggles.
“You have made a friend there,” Briggs remarked as he made his way toward her.
Valor followed close behind. Rynn had better get used to having everyone close to her because I was sure these two wolves would stay glued to her for the next little while.
Once they were a safe distance away, I snatched up the opportunity needed. I quickly glanced at Kyden. “What the heck is with Briggs? He seems bitten by the love bug.”
Kyden laughed. “She’s his mate.”
The stunned shock on my face only made Kyden laughed harder. “Wolves are different than us. Their mates are not chosen as such. Their souls search out their desired mate and when they find it, it’s immediately known to them.”
I glanced back at Briggs and Rynn who stood together petting the filly. “Well, that makes things less complicated. No need to get into the dating scene then.”
“They still date,” Kyden smiled, “and such, but they usually will not bond with someone who is not their destined mate. That is the way of the wolves.” Then, he pulled me into a tight embrace. “You did wonderful in helping her, Álainn.”
Álainn, Kyden’s pet name for me, means beautiful in Gaelic. It was just a whole pile of sweet, wrapped in a little blanket of love. “I like her a lot. I only wish I could do more for her. Sad, isn’t it?”
“Indeed it is very sad. Briggs will make it right.”
When I looked back at Briggs, I saw the truth in that. The way he positioned himself around Rynn was obviously protective. He would guard her with his life and do his best to heal her. “Does she know that he is her mate?” I asked, meeting Kyden’s gaze.
He shrugged. “I am sure she feels it, but she wouldn’t understand what it is exactly. Briggs will likely explain all this to her when she is ready.”
The message was loud and clear. This wasn’t something I was supposed to tell her. Mum’s the word.
A little while later, they came back to join us and Rynn surprised me by saying. “Do you all mind if I have a minute alone with Nexi?”
Briggs smiled softly. “No problem, darlin’. We’ll go start lunch. Come in when you’re ready.”
Kyden lowered his arms and began to back away. I quickly grabbed onto his forearms and squeezed ever so slightly. His grin was devilish, reading my intention. Slowly, he lowered his head and I leaned up to kiss him. To observant eyes, it would be appropriate, but the touch against my lips was anything but. It was filled with heat and the pressure wasn’t a soft kiss good-bye, but a statement of pure lust.
Lord, how I missed those lips.
Since finding one another, we’d never been apart from each other. Right now, I was suffering Kyden withdrawal. As he walked away, he glanced at me over his shoulder. With the heated look he shot my way, his thoughts were definitely in sync with mine.
“How did you know about what happened to me?” Rynn asked, bringing my attention back to her.
“It is an ability I have,” I stated, before sighing away the longing and focusing on non-Kyden related things. “I can read into people. I am sorry I did that without asking.”
She shook her head quickly. “I’m actually glad you did. It feels better to have someone know.”
As much as I didn’t want to go where I was about to, it was the best choice. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. I. Don’t.” She said firmly. “But I think I have to.”
That I could understand. She sat down next to the fence, so I took a seat in front of her as the horses went galloping off, bucking and chasing each other. “Whatever you tell me stays between us, Rynn,” I told her.
Rynn smiled, but there was no happiness in it. “I figured it would.” She reached down, plucked a piece of grass and then looked back to me. “I was working that night.” The color of her eyes faded a bit as she relived that terrible night. “A man came in and there was something about him—something dark. I had no choice but to serve him. It was really creepy. His eyes followed me the entire time he was there. It was just scary, you know?”
I nodded, my voice as soft as my nod. “I bet it was.”
“When my shift ended I began to walk home. I can’t afford a car and my place really isn’t that far so I wasn’t really worried about it. Now looking back, I realize I should have been.” She drew in a deep wavering breath. “I was halfway home, walking past a school when I heard loud footsteps behind me.”
This wasn’t something she had to tell me, I’d seen it in her mind, but I couldn’t stop her. She needed to get this off her chest.
“It all happened so fast,” she continued. “One moment I was walking and the next he attacked me, pulled me into a wooded area near the back of the school. I should have screamed, called out for help, but I was too afraid. Too scared he would kill me.” She gulped deeply. “He told me how pretty I was. How he couldn’t help himself.” She began to cry, her breath gasping through a slightly open mouth, her face growing redder as the seconds passed.
I grabbed her hands tightly and squeezed, wanting nothing more than to erase this pain she suffered, but kept quiet to let her shed the horror.
“I’d never been with a guy before and…” She sobbed harder. “It just wasn’t supposed to be like that. I was waiting for, you know, the right guy.”
She held onto my hands as if they were her lifeline. I gripped them tighter in return, wishing I could have been there to help her. My skills as both Guardian and Witch could have stopped this. Unfortunately, what was done was done. Helplessness surrounded me.
“It hurt—really hurt. He was disgusting. I can’t get the image of him inside me, on top of me breathing heavy. I shut my eyes. I couldn’t look at him while he did that to me. When he was finished, he growled or something like it, and then all I felt was fur. That is when he bit me, then he was gone.” She shuddered deeply. “I just feel so…dirty.”
“You’re sweet and lovely, Rynn. Don’t let him take that from you.”
“I think I’m already gone.” She looked up at me only for a moment before she glanced back to the ground. I had to gulp deeply, her distraught emotions mixing with my own as I shared the torment of her ordeal with her. She felt empty, soulless.
“You’re not! You’re still there. You’re just a little lost right now, but you’ll get it back. You deserve it.”
“How do I get it back, Nexi?” she pleaded, meeting my gaze.
“Don’t allow him to win and continue on with your life. Know you deserve to find that one man who adores you and treats your body as it should be treated.” As much as I wanted to tell her the man who would love her like no other was just a few steps away, I couldn’t.
Rynn smiled softly, the emptiest smile I’d ever seen. “What kind of life can I have now?”
Tears fell down my face as I searched for words that would comfort her, but there weren’t any. There wasn’t anything I could say that would make this better or make it right. What happened to her would be everlasting. All I could do was hug her and pray that Briggs had enough in him to heal her tormented soul.
“Here, take this,” Briggs said to Rynn, handing her a pill and a glass of water. Apprehension flashed across her face. He smiled encouraging. “It will help you sleep, darlin’. It has been a rough day.”
She took the pill without hesitation, popped it in her mouth and downed it with the water in a split second. Couldn’t say I blamed her. This had been one hell of a day for her. Briggs took a seat in a chair next to the fireplace in her room. Rynn was tucked into a glorious looking bed, which looked inviting. Thankfully, she opted for a room tonight instead of the gross bear rug.
“You’re going to stay with me?” she asked me, her voice shook and she looked slightly frantic.
I nodded. “When you wake up, I’ll be right beside you.” I avoided telling her the whole truth. I desperately wanted to spend some time with Kyden, and mentally kissed Briggs for giving her the sleeping pill that would allow me to leave her side for a little while. I sat down next to her and held her hand. “Just rest, Rynn.”
She smiled softly, then shut her eyes. Within minutes, she drifted away. I slowly removed my hand from hers and held my breath, hoping the movement didn’t wake her. When I laid her hand back down, I stayed a moment just to make sure she was fast asleep.
Moments later, I knew it was safe—she was dead to the world. I stood and headed over to Briggs, his gaze locked on Rynn. “So, she’s your mate?” I whispered.
He raised his gaze to mine and smiled. “I’d never thought I’d find her, and look, there she is.”
I hugged him and his arms came tight around me. “I’m so happy for you, Briggs. She is such a doll.” I leaned back to meet his eyes, which instantly went straight back to her.
“She is lovely,” he stated. Then, he looked back at me. “I cannot thank you enough for what you have done to help her.”
I laughed softly. “She is not hard to love, Briggs. To be honest, I think you’ll do the most to help her.”
His face darkened, the sound of his teeth grinding together was loud. “It grieves me to know how she has been mistreated.” Then, his expression changed to one of pure possession. “I will make this right—if it is my only job in life.”
I kissed his cheek, a little scruff burned my lips. “I know you will. She is lucky to have you.” He smiled softly at that. “Listen, I’ll be back.”
“Go on,” he said, nodded toward the door. “She’ll be out for a good eight hours.”
With one last look at Rynn sleeping soundly, I headed for the door, opened it, then shut it quietly behind me. My body pressed up against it as I leaned my head back on it. What a day. I gave myself a second just to take it all in, tried to sort through the millions of emotions filtering through me.
A scuffle down the hall dragged me from my thoughts. I lowered my head to find Kyden striding toward me looking about as damn delicious as I’d ever seen him. He wore his devilish grin that always sent desire flickering through my stomach as I sighed in complete bliss that he was all mine. “Is she alright?”
“She is.” I nodded. “Briggs is with her now.” I stepped away from the door and began to walk toward him.
Halfway down the hall, we collided and he whisked me off my feet, taking me into a kiss of a lifetime. His lips crushed mine in a way that was not appropriate for watchful eyes. My mouth parted as his tongue licked along my bottom lip to ask permission. When I granted his request, our mouths synchronized together in nothing less than a mind-blowing embrace. His body came tight against mine as he held me close to him, pressing his hand into my lower back. A hard, warm body and male musky scent…simply heaven.
When he pulled back, his hunger ruminated off him with such force that I melted into him. My desire matched his. I needed him, craved to touch him and to be stroked in return. To feel adored in the midst of all this misery.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said sheepishly.
My desire plummeted, annoyance heated my blood. “When will you quit with the surprises? You know I hate them.”
His brow arched, his grin playful. “Most enjoy the sense of romance.”
“Romance shomance.” I waved dismissingly. “I just want to hear good old facts before I get dragged off to something.”
He let out a loud sharp bark of laughter and took my hand. “Come on, Álainn.” He dragged me behind him as we headed down the hall.
Just as we passed the sitting room, Isla gave me a little wave. I was very glad she didn’t come after me. Earlier, she’d drilled me relentlessly while we played a thousand questions. When I offered to see her, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Rynn seemed to enjoy it the most—the spotlight was off her. For that reason alone, I played along.
At the front door, Kyden grabbed the handle, pulled it open and dragged me through. The moment we were outside, I froze. “You have got to be out of your mind!”
“Scared are you?” Kyden’s voice was amused.
“Yes. I am scared—very, very scared,” I replied, staring at the white stallion Kyden had been so enthralled with earlier.
“He is gentle.” He dropped my hand, walked toward the horse. “You have nothing to fear from him.” He gave the horse’s face a rub and the horse let out a deep snort at the contact.
“I am not getting up there, Kyden.”
He chuckled under his breath, and in a smooth move, launched himself onto the horse’s back. He leaned back a bit, patting in front of him. “Come on, this spot is yours.”
“What part of,
I am not getting up there
, don’t you understand?” I said with a stomp of my foot. I’d never ridden a horse in my life. It wasn’t the riding part that scared me—it was the falling off part that had my knees shaking.
Kyden reached down, stroked the horse’s neck. “He will not hurt you. Nor will I. Now come on.”
Arguing was useless. Kyden was as determined as I was. He wanted this, therefore if I didn’t give in, we’d stand here until I did. Instead of drawing out the fact that I was eventually going to
let
him win, I focused on the fact that I did trust him. He would never let anything hurt me. I took a few hesitant steps forward and he reached down to me. After his hand closed around mine, he pulled me up to sit in front of him. He moved up closer, cradling his body tight against mine and grabbed the reins.
A second later, the horse was galloping at full speed and I was screaming bloody murder. I gripped the horse’s mane in dire hope that I wouldn’t do a face-plant in the dirt. “Jeessuusss…” I screamed.
Kyden laughed loudly. “Enjoy this. Relax, I’ve got you.”
As if that was going to happen.
We ran and ran. The wind whipped past us quickly. It wasn’t long before I realized just how incredible this was. The strength that came from the horse was marvelous. It was an honor that this magnificent beast would allow us to ride on him—when he could easily squish me into nothing. Resolved, I sank back into Kyden and released the horse’s mane.
The air whipped through my hair as we rushed forward. The further we ran, the more comfortable I began to feel. It was inevitable that I would enjoy this. I laughed like a kid on Halloween examining all their candy.
After some time, he slowed. The gallop was a much easier ride. When he began to trot, I was bouncing around like popcorn being popped. “Oh…God.” I laughed, grabbing the horse’s mane again.
“Whoa.” Kyden’s voice came out deep and smooth. The horse instantly complied and came to a dead halt. He scooted back, swiftly hopped off, then reached up to pull me off.
“Thank God, the ground.” Though I enjoyed the ride, I knelt down and touched the ground, happy I survived. The horse neighed something very close to laughter and Kyden chuckled right along with him. After a couple more
thank you Gods
, I finally glanced up. “Where are we?”
Before Kyden answered, the horse shimmied. In a blink of an eye, one hunk of a man, completely clothed in jeans and a cotton t-shirt stood in front of me. He was a large and made Kyden look small—a nearly impossible thing. He had long platinum hair that looked very similar to his mane in horse form. Most definitely, he would be defined as a man’s-man. “Fuck,” I gasped, shocked beyond belief. “You’re a Were?”
He nodded, thoroughly amused. “I am Atticus.”
Once I got over the shock of seeing him shift, I was completely confused. “Why do you choose to stay a horse?” He lived at Valor’s in horse form. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why he would want that.
He shrugged, his long hair danced along his body. “Valor treats me well and I prefer my horse form.”
“Isn’t that odd for Weres?” I asked. Most Weres preferred human form, only shifted to their animal shape if they needed to. Never had I met any who desired this type of lifestyle.
“It is, but we are all different. The life of a horse is simpler and less complicated. It is our desired state.” Guess that made sense, even if it was a little odd.
“Okay…er…that’s good then I guess. Well, thanks for the ride.” I suddenly, felt a bit perverse that I’d been riding on his back.
He nodded in acknowledgment and glanced around us. “As to your question, this is Logan Canyon.”
I followed his gaze and gasped. We were standing in the heart of a canyon—large steep cliffs surrounded trees, lush plants, and thriving wildlife. Breathtaking couldn’t even describe this.
“I’m going to head off now,” Atticus said. “When you wish to return home, whistle for me, and I’ll come.” His expression turned sultry. “I can scent some young mares that are looking for a stallion such as I.” He grinned, then he shifted and galloped off.
“Okay, that is just freaky.”
Kyden chuckled. “Thought you might enjoy that.” He took my hand and started toward one of the cliff. Stepping in behind me, he gave me a little help as we began to climb up. When we found a large ledge, we sat down.
I sighed, surrounded by eons of mountain beauty. “It’s so gorgeous here.”
“It is that,” Kyden responded sounding just as awed.
Time passed as we just sat in silence, enjoying the sound of birds chirping and brushes of wind against the trees. I finally glanced over at Kyden. He stared at me intently, so much so it made me laugh. “Penny for your thoughts?”
He smiled softly, his green eyes alight with joy. “You capture my thoughts.”
How did the man always seem to know just what to say to make me melt? I leaned in and kissed his lips. It was soft and delicate, which was so unlike him. Normally once my lips met his, he ravished me. A bit confused, I backed away. “What is it?”
Lightly, he traced my jaw line with his fingers. “Eternity is not long enough to love you, Álainn.”
“Kyden…” I responded softly.
He smiled sweetly, placing his finger on my lips to hush me. “Before we met…” He hesitated, looking out to the scenery, then met my gaze again. “Before we met, my existence was an endless waste—a life amounting to nothing.” He continued to trace the contours of my face. “The day you arrived, all that changed. It was as if my soul had settled, found its rightful home.”
My eyes glistened with tears. Kyden speaking of emotions—what was this?
His fingers never stopped their dance across my face. “Still to this very day I feel undeserving of you.”
“Kyden…”
He stopped me, touched my lips again. “I will eternally feel overjoyed that I have been granted the right to share in your life.”
“As will I.”
He smiled at that, ran his thumb across my lips. “You are truly a blessing. In every part of you I find joy. Even the stubborn pain in the ass side of you brings me much amusement.”
I laughed through my tears. To be loved, so completely, without any rest
raints¯never had I thought I’d be this lucky.
“I will forever work to be one who deserves you.” He took my hands and held them tight on my lap, his face warm with emotion. “Do you remember when Drake first learned of us?”
I nodded, the memory was hard to forget. My late birth father hadn’t been thrilled about the idea of us becoming a couple. Kyden’s womanizing past left Drake more than unhappy seeing his daughter with the likes of him. After a little scuffle and a talk, Drake’s feelings were appeased.
“Do you remember what he and I talked about?”
I thought back. I didn’t know all the details of what they had talked about that changed Drake’s mind, but responded with the only thing I did know. “Your intentions?”