Things That Go Hump In The Night (67 page)

“Not much?” The last word came out a little high pitched. “Not much? Is that supposed to be comforting?”

“Please, Lia. I didn’t want to overwhelm you on your first day here. I wanted you to get some food first. Some rest.”

“Could you maybe just not bite me?”

Kane snorted. “You’re going to be our mate. You must be Bitten.”

“Mate? I’ve never even kissed anyone. What makes you think I would want to be your mate? I don’t even know you.”

Kane stared at her. His eyes were bright gold. She hadn’t noticed before.

“You’ve never been with a man?” he asked. “How old are you?”

She shifted in her seat. “Twenty-one.”

“Are you serious?”

“Why, how old are you?”

“Twenty-five,” he said with a tone of lofty superiority. “And much more experienced, it seems.”

“Thanks for rubbing it in.”

He waved her away. “Your inexperience is no matter. We will teach you.”

“What if I don’t want to be taught?” Lia asked.

Kane rested his cheek in his palm. “This human is testing my patience.”

Maybe it was the lack of food and sleep. Maybe she still felt wounded over being cast out of the coven. Maybe she was just tired of his attitude. Either way, Lia had had enough.

“Could a human do
this
?” She shoved a hand at him, palm out.

Kane sat up, wide eyed. He looked down at his chest, patting to test for damage. Blinking, he looked up, then laughed. “Was something supposed to happen there? Should I be worried I’ll turn into a frog?”

Lia growled and lashed out again. This time sparks flew, catching Kane’s clothes. He shouted as his shirt began to smoke, then burn. Shouting, he beat at the flames.

“You can’t defy me. I am your Alpha!”

“You’ll never be anything to me!”

Kane had put the fire out, but his clothes still smoldered. “That’s it.” Launching himself over the table, he picked up Lia under one arm. She kicked and screamed, but it was like fighting a mountain. He took her down a narrow hall, stopping before a dark doorway.

“Stay here until you learn some manners.”

He tossed her into the darkness. Lia landed on something soft, but still had the wind knocked out of her. Before she could get to her feet, she heard the scraping of stone on stone. She looked up in time to see Kane moving a massive boulder across the doorway, his muscles straining. Lia got one last look of the satisfaction on his face before the boulder slid into place, blocking all light and plunging her into blackness.

Chapter Three

Great.

Ronan watched Kane drag Lia away. It was so good to see them getting along.

Kane returned to the mess hall, breathing heavily. “What?” he asked. “Why are you all staring at me?”

The others looked down. They knew better than to answer.

“So you’ve locked our future mate away,” Ronan said. “Good plan. What’s next? A forced slumber party? Going to paint your nails together?”

Kane snarled. “She just needs some time alone to learn respect. And I need some time alone so I don’t rip her apart.”

“Oh, right. Homicide is a completely reasonable reaction.”

“She just tried to kill me, in case you’ve forgotten. She threw fire at me!”

Ronan picked up the remains of Lia’s meat, tearing off the part Sequoia had touched. “Maybe you could be nicer.”

“Tell that to the person throwing fire!” Kane growled, pacing the hall. “I need to go. Before I rip you apart, too.”

Ronan let him go. Kane was no use when he flew into one of his tempers. He’d better check on Lia, though. He knew from experience that Kane’s ire could be… traumatizing.

He walked out of the mess and into the corridor. Oh, no. Kane hadn’t actually taken the boulder off its track, had he? How had he even been able to lift the damn thing? Kane must have really been livid.

With a resigned sigh, Ronan leaned against the boulder. Here he was, as always, cleaning up after Kane’s messes. He put all his frustration into heaving the boulder. It groaned in protest, but sullenly slid back into place.

Ronan could smell her inside, the taste of her fear rising out to slap him. He clenched his fists. He could kill Kane for this.

“Leave me alone!” Lia shouted.

“Hey.” He lifted his arms to show he didn’t want to hurt her. “It’s Ronan.”

“Oh.” There was a sniffle in the darkness.

“Can I come in?”

“Do I have a choice?”

He loved that, the spirit in her that couldn’t be crushed by fear or doubt. “You always have a choice with me.”

“All right, then.”

He sidled in, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. Where was she? He wished he could see her face. It was pitch black in this cursed hidey hole.

Fumbling in the blackness, he finally found the ledge, and the oil lamp that sat there. The matches were right beside it. He struck one, lighting the lamp. It filled the room with a warm glow. It felt much better than blackness.

Lia was in the corner, on a straw mattress. She’d found a blanket to draw around her. Strewn around her were piles of knick knacks. Papers, bottles, jars and cans, lengths of twine and rope. Odder items, like a bust of Caesar and an armored helm. All found or stolen by past and present pack members, though there were a few things that Bitten members had legitimately owned in their former lives. Ronan picked up the set of car keys that had to be Cage’s or Duke’s, shaking his head. Did they really think they’d ever drive again?

“What do you want?” Lia asked.

“Oh. Sorry.” He set the keys down and picked up the plate he had brought. “I thought you might want this.” Ronan put the plate in front of her. “You really should eat something.”

“I would if I could.” She looked around the room. “Don’t you have any forks? Knives?”

“I hadn’t thought of that. There should be something in here you could use.” Ronan riffled through a box of metal objects. He didn’t know what half of them were, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him.

“Ah. This could work. And maybe… that’ll do.” Triumphant, he emerged with his spoils and laid them before Lia.

She turned them over in her hand. One was a huge knife that might have been a machete, and the other was a child’s fork. Her shoulders slumped, but she slowly cut into the meat. It looked like she was too tired to protest. Ronan made a mental note to ask for a set of silverware the next time a trader passed through.

Lia’s eyelids drooped as she chewed her food. He wondered if she’d fall asleep before she swallowed. Hopefully she wouldn’t smack her head on anything if she passed out. Her forehead looked bad enough as it was.

He crouched beside her. It hurt when she tensed, gazing up at him suspiciously. As gently as he could, he reached out and touched a thumb to the graze on her forehead.

She flinched away. “That hurts.”

“Let me call Ivy to tend to it. She’s our healer.”

“Maybe later,” Lia mumbled.

“I’ll let you rest now, but you need to get it cleaned today. Wounds are serious business out here. I don’t know what you witches did, but we can’t simply wave infections away.”

“Fine.” She hacked off another hunk of meat, holding his gaze as she chewed.

If she was to be his mate, he wanted to do right by her. To be completely honest, he wanted to take her in his arms and feel her skin against his, the softness of her curves… He wanted to kiss away her troubles. But she didn’t know him well enough yet, and judging by her wary expression, his caresses wouldn’t be welcomed right now. Still, he wanted to make sure her first day wasn’t entirely terrible. This, after all, was going to be her home.

Lia glanced toward the doorway. It looked like she was deep in thought.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

She drew her knees into her chest. “I don’t have to stay here, do I?”

Pain went through him like a knife. She didn’t want to stay here? With him?

“No,” he lied. “But stay a few more days, for me. At least until your head heals.”

She sagged, lying down as if accepting defeat. “Do I have to see Kane again?”

“I think he’ll steer clear of you for a bit. Just as a warning, don’t expect an apology from him.”

“I won’t.”

“Lia…” He hesitated. He really wanted to take her hand, but he resisted the urge. “I’m sorry. For him. I hope I can make it better.”

Lia stretched across the mattress. “Thanks, Ronan. You won’t hurt me, will you?”

“I won’t. I promise.” This time, he couldn’t resist reaching out to tuck some stray strands of hair behind her ear. “And if Kane has, I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

Ronan couldn’t explain it. He had known this girl for less than a day, yet suddenly he was filled with the urge to protect her, to fight for her. He’d face down anyone for her, even Kane.

The thought jerked him to his feet. He couldn’t allow himself to think that way. He and Kane were a team. They had promised each other that they’d always be a team. Ronan never would have survived those long winter nights without him, when their bellies rumbled and everything seemed bleak, and the only thing that kept him alive was the knowledge that Kane needed him, and he needed Kane.

He couldn’t let anything ruin that, not even Lia.

Walking to the doorway, Ronan started to babble. “This is in case of emergencies.” He patted the boulder. “I don’t know why Kane felt the need to move it, it’s on a track. If you press a button here, it’ll block the doorway.” He demonstrated. “Press it again, and you’re free.” The boulder swung back.

“You should know about all of this, just in case.” He walked back into the room, talking feverishly. “All of the other rooms have openings in the walls or ceilings for light, but this one only has a lamp. That’s because this is our safe room, our bolt-hole. I mean, we’re obviously using it for storage right now, because no enemies have ever reached our den, but it’s here for emergencies. See this rock here? It moves, too. No switch for that one, though.” He shoved part of the wall, and light crept in through the cracks. “It’d be a tight squeeze for me, but you could get through easily. Again, for emergencies.”

Lia’s eyes closed. “Okay.”

Suddenly, it seemed very important that she remember this. He couldn’t bear to think of anything happening to her. Pulling her up by the shoulders, he rubbed them so she’d wake up.

“What do you want?” she asked irritably. “Why can’t I sleep?”

“Promise me you’ll remember these. Promise.”

“Remember what?”

He made sure her eyes were open. “The boulder on the track. It has a switch in here, only in here, to move it. This rock,” he rapped on it with his knuckles, “in the wall, you can push it out and escape from the den.”

“Escape?” she asked.

“Yes, if there’s danger.”

She closed her eyes again. “But won’t you be here?”

A strange sensation overtook him, as though she’d reached through his chest and claimed his heart. “Yes. Always.”

As carefully as he could, he laid her across the mattress. He felt so warm in her presence, but since she had goose bumps prickling her skin, he draped the blanket over her.

Ronan leaned down, his lips by her ear. “Get some rest.” He tried not to breathe in. Surely her scent would bewitch him.

He got up to leave when her hand shot out, firmly grasping his.

“Don’t go,” she murmured.

He let her pull him down next to her. Lia rolled over, her back to him, his hand still in hers. His heart pounding, Ronan drew her close to him. She was soft, as lovely as he’d imagined. Her hair smelled like mountain laurel. In that moment, he knew he’d never be able to smell the flower again—only her. She had bewitched him easily, and she hadn’t even needed a spell.

Ronan listened as her breathing slowed, then deepened. She was asleep. He could go now, he should go. He couldn’t lie about all day. But he needed one more moment with her, and then just a few minutes more… He felt more calm than he could ever remember, a stillness he had never known. Lia was the right one. She should be his mate.

His and Kane’s, of course.

Minutes stretched into hours, and at last Ronan admitted to himself that it was time to go. Easing away, he managed to rise without waking her. He allowed himself one last look before he slipped away.

***

She was flying high above the mountains, aloft on her very own bough. The trees were no more than green carpets below. It was everything she’d dreamed.

“This is amazing!” she shouted.

Next to her, Lizabeth swerved, knocking into her bough. “It’s not for you.” With that, Lizabeth pushed her. Lia fell, clawing at the air. Lizabeth smiled. It was a long way down.

Lia jerked awake, her heart hammering. She was alone in the dark.

“Ronan?”

She blinked, trying to breathe evenly. First, she wasn’t in the dark. Light trickled in through the doorway. All around her were the pack’s piles of forgotten treasures. Lia rubbed her eyes. Why had she called for Ronan?

He’d wanted her to remember something. Yes, the boulder, and the stone in the wall. She hesitated. She could use it to escape. If she were careful, she could leave the valley without anyone noticing. It might be hours before they started looking for her. But Ronan had asked her to stay a few days so her head could heal. She touched the graze, feeling the dried blood. It was probably fine. But because Ronan had asked, she would stay. For now.

Part of her wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but a more urgent part wanted to use the bathroom. And a quiet, secret part wanted to find Ronan.

She dragged herself out of bed. Why did her legs feel like jelly? She walked into the corridor as quietly as she could, peering into the room with the long table. She wasn’t ready to see Kane again.

“There you are.”

She jumped straight in the air. Somehow, a shifter had appeared silently behind her.

“Did I scare you? Sorry.” The woman ran a hand through her dark hair. “I’ll try to make more noise next time. I’m Lark, by the way.”

“Lia.” Her heart was still beating wildly.

“Yeah, I know. Everyone knows. You’ll get used to it eventually.” Digging in her pocket, Lark brought out something dark and shriveled and popped it in her mouth. “Oh, excuse me,” she said as she chewed. “Do you want one? Dried rabbit kidney. Delicious.”

“I’m good for now.”

“Let me know if you want some. My friends hunt with the pack, so they can always get more. Of course, knowing the Alphas, I don’t think you’ll be wanting for much of anything.”

“Oh.” Lia didn’t know what else to say. “Is Ronan around?”

“He’s not, sorry. But I’m here to look after you! Are you sure you don’t want to sleep longer? It’s only noon. Ronan thought you might sleep until nightfall.”

“I’m all right.”

“If you say so.” Lark didn’t look at all like she trusted Lia’s assessment. “Anyway, since you’re awake, you’re supposed to come with us.” She motioned at one of the rooms off the hall, and two more shifters stepped out. “This is Dove, and Cricket. We’re taking you to get cleaned up.”

Maybe she should go back to sleep. She felt a bit overwhelmed. “I’m fine.”

Lark swept her with a critical gaze. “You have dried blood across your forehead and down the side of your face. You’re covered in dirt. Not to say there’s anything wrong with blood or dirt. They make a rather lovely combination. But these are Ronan’s orders, so we’d rather obey.”

Lia could tell she wasn’t going to win this argument. “All right.”