Adam drove by her home on the way and dreaded bringing her back. He knew she’d insist on seeing the destruction for herself, and it would devastate her. His inner wolf growled, a low menacing sound, and paced in its agitated state. It demanded release, ready to seek justice on behalf of its mate.
“Down boy. We’ll get the bastards.” If he let his beast off leash, he’d surely find the sons-of-bitches if they were anywhere nearby. There wouldn’t be anything but a bloody mess left once he finished with them. No. He needed his mind clear and capable of rational thought instead of running on pure animal instinct. He’d be sure these guys fried for what they’d done to Evangeline.
He pulled up to the house and was greeted by a very anxious Lightning. As soon as Adam jumped from the car, the wolf cocked his ear and took off. Adam didn’t think twice and just ran after him.
Storm was underneath the big elm that they had decided to build in and was looking up into the branches. Evangeline sat on a thick branch, with her knees to her chest, her back to the trunk and appeared to be having a total breakdown. Adam felt her agonizing emotional pain, and it nearly staggered him.
She knew. Somehow, she’d discovered what had happened. Then Adam realized the tree was on a small hill that overlooked part of the town. Sure enough, her street was visible…along with the empty space where her house used to be.
As he approached the tree, Adam sent the two canines to the house and climbed up to bring Eva down.
“It’s really gone, isn’t it?” Her red, swollen eyes were desolate, just begging him to tell her that she was wrong, but Adam couldn’t lie to her. “I have nothing now. I’m completely alone.” Her voice sounded so empty, almost hollow, and his wolf howled.
Adam swallowed past the lump in his throat. “You have me, Eva. I know that this is rather quick, since we haven’t known each other long at all, but I want you to stay here, with me. You know I care, and I’ll be here for you in whatever way you need me to be. Let me take care of you. Just don’t let this bring you too far down, baby.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out. “You have your love and your memories, and that’s something they can never take.”
“Until they kill me.”
“
That won’t happen!
” He hadn’t meant to raise his voice, but her eyes widened, and she scooted farther down the branch she was perched on. “I’m sorry, but the thought of you being hurt makes me crazy. I care about you…a lot.”
“Uh, thank you? I’m not really sure what I feel right now. I just want to go to bed. God, I’m so tired.”
Adam could tell she was exhausted. She hadn’t slept much, if any, the night before and had cried so much he’d worried about her becoming ill.
“Don’t worry about it. Just let me take care of you. We’ll go back to the house, and I’ll make you some soup, something light so you can rest.”
When she didn’t immediately slide toward him, he climbed up onto the branch and scooted toward her. The shaking jostled her, and she looked down. It was about a twenty-foot drop. Eva gasped, and Adam watched as she overcorrected when she straightened. She pitched backward with a shriek. As he saw her flip, Adam dove, landing a spit second before her and catching her in his arms.
“How did you do that?” she breathed, visibly shaking.
“I’m very fast when I need to be. Are you all right?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head on his broad shoulder. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you, again,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go up to the house.”
* * * *
Being held by a pair of big, strong arms felt so nice. If she wasn’t careful, Eva knew she’d fall for Adam, hard and fast. He claimed to be drawn to her, and a selfish part of her hoped that he was. She was very attracted to this wonderful man but was still wary of trusting someone again.
True, she was staying with him and he’d been the perfect gentleman, but she planned to play it safe. Well, as safe as she could when she was at the mercy of a man she’d known less than two days.
Before she knew it, they were entering the house, and he carried her all the way into her room. Eva never uttered a protest as he slid her shoes off and placed the blanket on top of her.
“How do you feel?”
“Like crawling into a hole.” She gave a weak laugh. “Actually, I’m torn between curling up and crying or hitting something…
repeatedly
.”
“I’ve got a punching bag if you want to have a go at it. But seriously, I know how you feel. You’re emotions are swinging between depression and anger.” He smiled and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. It was such a sweet gesture. “Go with the anger. It’s easier to work out and will keep you focused versus withdrawing into yourself.”
“Are they in jail now?”
“Unfortunately, no. When I met with Gus today, he informed me that they’re MIA. His landlady thinks Shane’s visiting his mother, but I think the little bastard has gone to ground. The plan is for you to stay here until they surface then we’ll parade around town like we don’t have a care in the world.”
Evangeline cut in, “And then he’ll be enraged that his plans to either run me off or emotionally cripple me didn’t work, and he’ll mess up big time.”
Adam nodded. “That’s the idea.”
“Well, it’s not like I have a choice unless I want to continue to deal with him.” And boy, was she tired of dealing with him!
“Did you know he has a gambling problem?”
Eva shook her head. “I suspected there were drugs involved, because his behavior changed so drastically, but gambling? There’s nowhere around here for him to…” She trailed off, realization dawning.
“What is it?”
“All those ‘business’ trips. He must have been gambling the whole time. I’m sure he was cheating on me, too, because I got an email that was obviously not meant for me. He said it was just a joke and that I should lighten up, but I don’t consider a message on my answering machine from a woman, detailing all the different sexual acts she was looking forward to, a joke. Not when you’re supposed to be getting married.” Evangeline ended that sentence with a wide yawn before smiling sheepishly up at Adam. “Sorry, all this crying is really wearing me out. I promise I’m not usually this weepy.”
Adam gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. You have every right to be upset, and if you feel the need to cry, go ahead and let it out. If you want to hit something, you’re welcome to the punching bag in the garage. If you want something a little warmer, I could always call up one of my brothers.” He gave her a little wink. “I’ll even hold him still for you.”
She laughed and his smile only grew.
“I’ll go fix that soup now, and bring it to you when it’s ready.”
Evangeline watched as Adam strode from the bedroom and silently closed the door. A hot tear slid down her cheek. She was surprised she had any left at all. Between the break-in, the destruction of her keepsakes and the burning of her home, she’d cried a river. Her head ached, her eyes were swollen and heavy and now, she was utterly exhausted.
The noises from the kitchen were faint. It sounded as if he was cutting something. Eva hoped it was veggies for a homemade soup. After eating canned versions for so long she craved the fresh taste of a warm vegetable soup. Maybe even with a grilled cheese sandwich.
Thoughts of homemade soup brought back memories of her parents taking care of her when she was sick, and then of her grandmother preparing some on a frosty winter day. Those thoughts led her back to the cold truth: she had nothing left of any of her loved ones, except for these memories. But Adam was right, Shane could never take those from her. In fact, he and his friends had done as much damage as they could. They’d destroyed everything she cared for…except Adam.
Adam
.
Suddenly, the plan he and Gus had come up with didn’t sit so well with her. If Shane believed she cared for Adam, then Adam would become a target. Eva would have to carefully disguise her growing feelings while in public. Not to mention cage her raging hormones. The damn things went off like the Fourth of July whenever he was around.
Eva sighed. She refused to allow her sexual urges to place him in harm’s way. He’d said Shane had drug and gambling problems, so her ex must need money. Well, if that was all it took to get him off her back, she’d do it. She’d pay whatever he wanted.
God, if only she’d known about this sooner, she might have been able to save herself a lot of grief. But Adam was right. Anger would serve her better than crying. Grandma had always said Eva was a “tough cookie” and would do well in life. Now, she was determined to do just that.
Feeling a little better as a somewhat rough plan formed, she curled up and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Six
Adam stood at the kitchen island with a knife in one hand and a stalk of celery in the other. He tried to focus on the task of chopping vegetables, but his damn dick had other plans.
Evangeline’s near accident had shaken him, but his wolf was bound and determined to bond with its mate. To connect them in a way that would forever let him know her feelings and wellbeing were secure. Problem was he could tell she wasn’t ready. He’d scented her interest and arousal at dinner the other night, but she wasn’t ready to take that step just yet. Hell, she didn’t even know what he was!
She definitely didn’t need
that
shock yet.
In the meantime, he was stuck walking around with a permanent erection…his own personal divining rod that always pointed to her. No amount of cold showers or jacking off seemed to dull the throbbing need, and Adam knew his control was slipping with every hour spent in her presence. He always found little ways to touch her or make her smile, but if he got another whiff of her arousal, that delicious, sensual perfume, he’d be a dead man, damned to the seventh circle of hell for taking advantage of her in her vulnerable state.
“Fuck!” Adam hissed when he cut his thumb. A chuffing from below had him raising an eyebrow. “So you two found that amusing? Well, see if you get any leftovers,” he teased. Lightning gave a dismissive huff and wandered into the living room while Storm rubbed up against his thigh. “Suck-up.”
Once everything was in the pot, he set it to simmer and made his way through the house, checking the doors and windows. Not that anyone in their right mind would enter a house with two timber wolves inside, but he didn’t think he was dealing with men who were playing with a full deck.
His phone rang, and he raced to answer it before the sound disturbed Evangeline. “Hello?”
“Hi, honey, how is everything going?” His mother was, of course, being a typical mom. She’d no doubt heard about his houseguest from his sisters-in-law and now wanted a full report.
“Not too good.” After relaying the whole sordid tale, he added, “To make things even more complicated, she’s my mate.”
“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful! About the mate part, of course, not the rest. Well, we were planning to come over next weekend, so let’s plan a barbeque. We’ll bring everything, and you just have the grill ready.” Yup, that was his mom, she’d just bulldoze right through and meet Eva as soon as she could.
“Mom, I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea,” Adam interrupted.
“And why wouldn’t it be? She’s your mate. Besides, this will help to take her mind off of her troubles.”
“Yes, but she doesn’t know about us. I don’t want to spook her. She’s too important.” He spoke softly, knowing that Eva was likely asleep and unwilling to possibly wake her.
“It’s not like we’ll show up wearing T-shirts advertising our family secrets. Really, Adam, have a little faith. Your brothers will be there too with their mates. And may I remind you that two of them are human, so don’t worry so much,” she chided. Ironically, her words helped. He did have two sisters-in-law who were human and had no qualms with their husband’s second nature. That fact gave him hope, something to cling to.
A scratching noise drew his gaze to the hall. Lightning stood outside Eva’s door with his hackles raised and a low rumble starting in his chest, while Storm pawed the door as if she could dig her way through. Adam quickly ended the call with his mother and started down the hall to retrieve the wolves, only to growl in unease himself once he reached her room. He tried to focus and faintly felt her emotions. Before he could place them, the scent of her fear reached him.
Throwing open the door, he rushed inside, ready to face whatever frightened his woman. The room was empty, but a glance at the bed showed him she was in the firm grip of a night terror. Eva was curled on her side tucked tightly into herself, as if fending off blows. The thought chilled him, and he wanted her awake.
Now
.
Her back was to him as he approached the bed. A wheeze escaped her, and he reached out, placing his hand on her shoulder. Her skin was cold then suddenly, he was suffocating. Somehow, through the still-forming bond, he felt her nightmare while still awake and looking down at her. Someone was choking her. He felt the ghostly fingers squeezing his throat and noticed her straining breaths had stopped. She flailed now and fought the invisible assailant, all the while not breathing. Her face turned crimson then darkened, her lips growing pale, but no amount of shaking and yelling would wake her as her struggles became weaker.
Adam was in a state of pure panic, his heart pounding in his chest. He’d heard an urban myth once that stated if you died in your dreams, you would die in your sleep. He had no desire to see if it was true. Her eyes flew open, revealing her terror in their emerald depths, and in a moment of desperation, he did the only thing he could think of.
He kissed her.
She grabbed his shoulders and pushed weakly against him. “Come back to me, Eva. It’s Adam. Baby, please come back.” Again, he covered her lips with his and felt her begin to breathe in slow, shallow breaths. Then she folded her arms around his neck and tilted her head to give him better access.
Adam’s only clear thought was,
please be awake.