Wild Hunts (9 page)

“Bro, get out of here before you do something I’ll be pissed about,”
Slade groaned. Micah’s shoulders stiffened. He cast Slade a sharp look, snarled, then stormed out of the room. A moment later, the front door slammed shut, rattling the windows and shaking the entire cabin. Slade shrugged and drew closer to Kasa. Jordan shifted slightly, edging one leg to block her from Slade’s view. He could almost sense the man’s hackles rise. His upper lip quivered on the brink of a sneer. He straightened to his full, imposing height. Well, imposing to some weak fool. Slade wasn’t that fool, and he sure as hell wasn’t weak.

“I suggest you follow in your brother’s wise footsteps,” Jordan growled. Slade arched a brow. He slipped his hands into his pockets and craned his neck. Kasa’s face was tucked in her arms and knees. Her bath towel was carelessly draped over her, barely covering her body from Jordan. She trembled, her hands wrung tightly around her wrists.

“The only reason my brother retreated was because he’d rip open your throat if he stayed. I’m a bit more calm and collected.” Slade took another step closer. Jordan’s fingers flexed and his nails lengthened. The tips of his wolf’s fur pulsed along his hands. “And he would never hurt her, so I think there’s something you need to share with us to prevent this from happening again.”

His chest swelled with a heavy ache as the scent of salty tears infiltrated the dense musk and predatory tension. His woman was in distress, crying, and this brute wouldn’t let him near her. His arms twitched, empty, wanting to draw her into his embrace and ease her pain. On a chance decision, he allowed his wolf to reach out to hers, smooth a caress over the defensive creature’s spirit. He was pleased when Kasa responded, reluctant as she was. A stiff press against his spirit assured him she hadn’t withdrawn completely.

“Had you even bothered to acquaint yourselves with her before indulging your desires?” Jordan shook his head, his disgust evident in his scowl. Slade’s smile grew.

“What happens between your sister and her mates will remain between us alone. I’ll offer you this. We’d never force ourselves on a woman, especially our mate.” Another step brought him to the foot of the bed. Jordan stiffened. With Kasa just out of reach, Slade’s farce humor dissipated. His smile faded. Something tightened in his throat. He needed to get to her. She needed
him
. The soft nudge of her spirit against his told him so.

“I only know you from what Micah’s said. And that wasn’t much.”

“Well, then. Why don’t you say I help settle my mate and we’ll have some cookies and milk in the living room, eh?” Slade lowered to his haunches and rested his elbows on his knees. Kasa tipped her head slightly, enough to expose the puffy pink of one eye that glittered with moisture. Slade frowned. Jordan groaned. He spun away from Slade only to mirror his stance on the opposite side of Kasa.

And much closer.

“Your humor is severely misplaced,” Jordan grumbled before pulling Kasa into his arms. Slade swallowed a growl. He should be the one comforting his mate, not her brother.

“Most believe that, but it tends to break the tension,” Slade offered, slightly more sharp than he intended. Jordan’s eyes lifted to him. His brows arched. Slade tipped forward to his knees and shuffled closer to them. He offered his open arms. “May I?”

“Don’t try to ravish her. Your play time’s up for the evening.”

Yes, his play time was up. He wasn’t entirely stripped of arousal, but his desires lay in a different hand. He wanted to hold her and rock her. He wanted to help wash away those tears and ease whatever fear he could smell hovering around her. Perhaps he should’ve waited before testing her passion earlier. He had plenty more control over himself than that.

Kasa shifted, pressing off Jordan. She shrugged her shoulders and wiped her eyes on her bare skin. A soft breath fled her lips. Slade continued to hold his arms out, patiently waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do.

At last, the thud of his anxious heart was answered. Kasa ducked her head to his chest, and he embraced her with all the protective strength he could muster.

* * * *

“You really should tell them what happened, Kasa.”

Jordan’s soft sigh filled her mind, but it was Slade’s warmth, the hint of suppressed strength, the gentle man encasing her in his protective embrace, that soothed her. For the first time, Kasa began to realize she might be able to find in Slade and Micah what she’d found in her brother all these years--a sturdy promise of love and affection.
A grounded support beam in her rather chaotic life.

“What if they think I’m broken?”
she murmured.

After Tom, her only saving grace was hunting down the holding cells and helping those who hadn’t been tainted by torture. She hid behind her fortified walls, her whip of a tongue, and her forged pride.

She stifled a shudder, but Slade recognized the shift in her body and quickly tightened his hold on her. His big hands, so strong and powerful, splayed over her back and hip, keeping her close to him. The deft pump of his heart worked miracles to steady her nerves and soothe her scarred spirit. Even the burn in her wrists subsided.

“I can’t bear that rejection, Jordan. I can’t.”

“They’re your mates, sweetheart. They’ll never reject you. One way or another, I have a feeling these two will dig up your past. It’s best for it to come from your mouth.”
Jordan’s gaze softened on her. He raked a hand through his hair and shook his head. “Slade, you and Micah will have to come to terms with what happened to her. If you can’t accept the mar on her soul, then I’d suggest you take leave.”

Slade tensed against her. The tips of his fingers pressed into her flesh. His wolf had yet to leave hers, but it shifted, curling around her.

He was cocooning her in protection both physically and spiritually. Her body melted into his, soaking up the heat radiating off his skin and the impenetrable degree of comfort.
He won’t think I’m broken. But Micah…

“I would never turn my back on her now. Never. And neither would my brother. In any other circumstance, I’d consider your assumption a blatant insult,” Slade said. His voice had taken on a deep, dangerous tone. “Tell me what happened so we know how to deal with it.”

“Well, the problem’s been dealt with.” Jordan’s lips curled in a scowl. Chills spread over her arms. Slade quickly rubbed them away. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “Permanently.”

“Micah will be disappointed to learn you’ve taken the fun out of the hunt.”

“There’s no fun in a hunt when my sister bears the scars of a madman.”

That did it. Whether Jordan heard or not, Kasa did, and that deep, feral rumble in Slade’s chest shook her. Beneath the charming smile, the lighthearted comments, a deadly wolf lay in wait, prepared to attack.

“What
scars
? What
madman
?” Slade bit out. Kasa sighed, absorbing the last of his warmth before she straightened up. He put up only a slight resistance, the thick muscles in his arms restraining. Eventually, he let her up. She moistened her dry lips and tucked her hair behind her ears. The death grip she had on her wrists earlier left light pink rings around them. For the moment, the blemishes hid the subtle hints of her scars.

Slade’s dark, fathomless eyes narrowed on her. The playful sparkle had been swallowed by his sudden serious demand. One hand lingered on her shoulder lightly enough, but his other hand clenched into a ball on his knee. The severe cuts of his face were taut with simmering anger.

Kasa cast a short glance at Jordan. He gave her a solemn nod.

“I’ll stay right here,”
he promised and settled himself against the side of the bed.

“We never talk about it,” Kasa murmured. She played with the hem of the soft towel.

“No, we don’t, but now’s the time to face whatever fears you have,” Jordan said. He gave her knee an encouraging squeeze. Slade closed in on her right. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her cheek. Energy thrummed just below his surface, energy that seeped into her veins.

“Let us into your secrets, Kasa. We’ll never betray you,” he whispered.

“That’s what Tom said. Then he tried to kill me.”

* * * *

Eva stood outside her hideaway’s entrance and stared up at the sky. The moon cast eerily sharp rays across the deathly still lake. The early morning hours lent a calm to the breeze. The wintry air seemed to grow still and stagnant in this remote area outside of Trout Lake, Washington. Just like her mood.

The wild rage had tempered itself. She indulged in her bloodlust, the painful howls of that pathetic captive still humming in her ears. Her pack mates had wisely left her to her doings. She bathed and ate and felt rejuvenated.

Then, she went to fetch Lilia. For half an hour she searched the private rooms of the underground maze, following her sister’s scent until she came here.

“You foolish little pup. I told you to stay put.”

Eva tilted her head and drew in the mixture of crisp water, rustic wood, and dead leaves.
Damn water.
Damn it indeed. She chose this particular spot for the lake. The small expanse of water helped to hide the scents of her captives. No one could track them here. The entrance was skillfully hidden behind thick brush and two trees that created an ominous archway between two large boulders. Discovering the gem had been a stroke of good luck, and some curious noses sniffing about.

Now, the very body of water that cleansed the foul scents of filth and decay also erased her sister’s tracks. She needed Lilia to create a new strategy. The runt always had a knack for stealth. It was a key to her survival during their younger years when Laela and Eliza used to pick on her. She hid in the smallest crevices until it was safe. Then she’d pounce with more fire and spunk than the three of them combined.

“Lil, where the hell did you go? We have work to do.”

There was no response, even after five minutes and several more attempts to connect with her. Eva stomped her foot with a teeth-vibrating growl. Fuck. Why did she strap herself with their youngest? Because she felt sorry for the unreasonable rebel? Because she thought she could mold the little wench into the perfect sidekick?

“And where am I? Standing on the fucking shore, waiting like an idiot.”

Eva snarled and spun back to her hideaway. She didn’t have time to waste. Her men would be sent out at the first signs of sunrise. A new shipment was coming in, and Lilia wouldn’t be the reason for her delay. A half-dozen broken down wolves had managed to escape earlier. Two months worth of work, deconstruction, and reprogramming lost to a new enemy.

Well, if she had any luck on her side after this latest incident, perhaps those she’d been training to kill the whites would latch onto a scent path and maim her nemesis.

Ducking into the dark pathway between the boulders, she scowled.
None of you should’ve survived. You’ve done nothing but wreak havoc in our lives.

Chapter Six

“Bro, you doing okay?”

Slade’s quiet nudge in his mind stirred him from the dark, unrelenting memories. Cold touched his skin, seeping into his blood mercilessly. Damn, to turn back to the numbing reminder would nurse his stricken pride.

Micah sighed, blinking the haze from his eyes. The stars shimmered overhead, the sky still clear despite the light hues of navy creeping into the horizon. He hooked the wool blanket with the toe of his boot and pulled it up to his chest. The foam pad beneath him cushioned the hard plastic lining in the bed of his truck, but it didn’t pad the shameful reminder of being kicked out of his mate’s bedroom. Had he not left, his wolf would’ve gotten the best of him. Jordan wouldn’t have survived the attack.

“Hey, Micah. She’s coming out to you.”

Micah perked at the news. Jordan had left the cabin almost an hour earlier with little more than a grunt in his direction. He didn’t have much to offer the man in return besides his bitter hide and a few pointed teeth. As the minutes passed, he began to doubt the woman whom the spirits appointed as his mate cared to have him anywhere near her.