A Wolf's Obsession (15 page)

“I left you alone. I didn’t come and find you. I failed you as a mate.”

Her hand rose carefully to his cheek and she cupped the side of his face in an instinctive gesture. Wyatt was hurting and the pain he was feeling was unbearable. She didn’t know how he’d lived so long with the burden of his grief and she had a feeling he wasn’t even sharing its true intensity with her. Even in his despair his mind instinctively shielded her. “Emily was dead, you didn’t know that I even existed,” she said softly, leaning into his body and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“And I should have been too. If there really was no way that you would ever come back to me I shouldn’t have been able to go on. I should have found a way to end my life. I should have found a way to be with you in the after life. If you’d really been gone nothing Erica or Dylan said should have been able to convince me that there was a reason for me to stay on this earth. You should never have been alone. Mates stay together no matter what. I carried on living, I should have known something was wrong. I should have tried to find you.”

“Wyatt, you can’t blame yourself for this. You didn’t know that Emily was a phoenix, you didn’t know that I’d come back in her place.”

“I should have known.”

“How? How should you have known something that I’m damn sure she would have kept a secret from everyone around her? It’s not exactly something you go around shouting from the rooftops. ‘Hey everyone, I’m a magical creature that can grant you an extra hundred years of life, nice to meet you.’ I don’t think so.”

“I watched over her, I should have known everything about her. I should have known that you would be coming back. I should have been able to prevent these scars.” He fell to his knees and eased her feet out of the flimsy shoes that she’d chosen to wear. His hands wandered up the exposed length of her calves, gently playing with the hem of her shorts as though he might try to explore even higher up. Sucking in a breath as heat of a different sort flooded through her body, Kass couldn’t stop her body from shaking. His fingers on her skin were pure magic and she had to force herself to remember that they were outside where anyone could see them.

“Wyatt, it wasn’t your fault, don’t blame yourself. I’m fine and these scars….I don’t even notice them anymore. They’re just a part of me now.” She took a deep breath unsure if she should breathe the words that her mind had conjured. His broken expression made the choice for her.
Just like you are now.

His eyes flew from her scarred skin to meet her eyes in a flash.
Kass?
He wouldn’t believe what he’d just heard unless she said it again. It was too much to hope for.

You heard me,
she replied.
It’s not just in my head that I feel you. I can feel you in my heart too.
She stopped him before he could get started.
No, it’s not love. I don’t know you well enough to love you but there is a connection….it might even be unbreakable.

It is unbreakable,
he corrected, getting to his feet.
Nothing comes between us and lives.

“Whoa,” she breathed, sidling away from the tree. “Slow down big boy. There’s no need to go annihilating anything that happens to come between us.”

“I’ve lost you once before, I’m not going to let it happen again.” He pounced, grabbing her and swinging her into his arms. Without any word of warning he started to run, the landscape passing in a blur of colour as Kass struggled to get her bearings.

“Wyatt!” she screamed, struggling to be heard over the wind that was blowing in her face. “What are you doing?” With how fast they were going she suspected that her heart would give up at any minute now but when the smooth sound of his voice met her ears, her erratic heart calmed.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to drop you and remember, you like it when I run with you like this. You told me so yourself.”

Damn him for being right,
she swore softly to herself.

Though he could hear her every word Wyatt kept silent. He didn’t need to remind her at every turn that he was in her head. Women needed privacy and he’d try to give his mate some semblance of it even when he craved the intimacy that being in her thoughts brought. He silently thanked the fact that she wasn’t as aware of his presence as he was of hers. Every time she slipped into his thoughts he felt her like the cool glide of silk against heated skin, it was all he could do not to rumble his pleasure whenever she did it. Luckily she was too busy fighting what was meant to be between them to notice that he was lingering like a shadow in the back of her mind at all times. His broken mind needed the normalcy of hers if he was ever to recover but he definitely wasn’t going to be the one to tell her that he never left her. He smiled gently to himself. Having a mate was definitely an experience and he for one was glad that he shared such an amazing connection with his fiery mate. His smile widened as he thought about the endless possibilities that were laid before him.

“Where are you taking me Wyatt?” Kass managed to get out.

“It’s a surprise. You’ll like it.”

She bristled at his confident tone. They barely knew each other, he couldn't just presume to know what she would and wouldn’t like. “And how do you know that?”

His brown creased in confusion. He’d never thought about that and he wasn’t about to start now. Choosing to stay silent, Wyatt continued his run more determined than ever to reach their destination.
If she doesn’t like it, then I’ll just get her something different.
Decision reached his speed increased, the ground flying beneath his feet. Unwilling to discuss the potential for Kass disliking his gift any further Wyatt pursed his lips, effectively ending their conversation. Running as though the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels, Wyatt kept his eyes on the horizon only slowing when he could see the edge of a glistening lake. The crystal clear water called to him, bringing back unwanted memories of the time that he had spent staring into the blue depths imagining Emily’s face across the surface. The woods around the lake had recovered well since the last time he’d visited, the evidence of the damage he’d caused having almost disappeared. The woods were healing just as he was and he was finally able to bring his mate here. He stopped at the edge of the water, lowering Kass to the ground and taking her hand firmly in his. For long minutes he did nothing but stare at the water’s still surface and stroke the back of her hand but Kass said nothing knowing somewhere within herself that this was an important moment for Wyatt.

He began slowly as though his mind were far away and when she brushed up against his thoughts she could see that they were firmly in the past reliving painful memories. “When I had to let Emily go I was inconsolable, my wolf didn’t understand why we couldn’t go with her and neither did I but then Dylan came to me and as she normally does she found a way to save me from myself. She told me to buy her a gift something that she’d really like and it soothed me to be thinking about her and to know that I was doing something for her. I bought her a gift every year until the year that I knew she was lost to me forever. I destroyed everything that I had bought for her. When Dylan found out she was so pissed. She was convinced that my mate was out there somewhere.” He squeezed her hand gently. “And she was determined that I have hope. She told me that I should keep getting gifts for her and that one day I’d be able to give them to my true mate. I didn’t believe her but I did what she asked. My sister isn’t one to take no for an answer. But instead of buying gifts for Emily’s birthday I bought them on the anniversary of her loss, the day that I knew she was forever out of my reach. I couldn’t stand the sight of them in the house and so I came here.”

“What did you do?” Kass whispered, tightening her grip on his hand and moving closer to his side.

“I threw them all in the water. Every single one of them.”

Kass turned to look at the still water seeing it in a new light now that she knew the story behind it. She was completely taken by surprise when Wyatt’s mood changed in the space of a single heartbeat. One second he was so entrenched in his painful memories that sadness poured from his skin and the next he was smiling, cheerful and happy.

“What’s going on? Why did you bring me here?” she asked suspiciously.

“Dylan was right. She’s never going to let me live it down but she was right. My true mate was out there waiting for me.” He stepped back and pulled both his shirt and camera over his head throwing them carelessly on the bank of the lake.

It seemed impossible that she could have forgotten the utter perfection of his naked chest and yet every time she saw it Kass found herself temporarily rendered speechless. Nibbling on her lower lip, she resisted the temptation to run her fingers over his skin and snapped herself out of her lust induced daze. “What are you doing?” she demanded. “Put your shirt back on!”

“No.” His hands fell to his shorts and Kass’ heart began to race. “Why would I want to do that when we’re going into the water?”

“You’re going swimming?”

“No,
we’re
going swimming. We’re going to dive to the bottom of the lake, there’s something I want to show you down there.”

“I am not getting into that water. Why would you even think that I’d do something like that?”

His smile widened as he pushed his shorts down his muscled legs leaving him in nothing but his black boxers. “Because you want this and don’t try to deny it. I know all about you Kass. You want excitement and you want adventure, you’ve wanted them your whole life but because of that bastard Ethan and your heart you’ve had to try and be satisfied with living on the sidelines and watching everyone else do things that you want to do yourself.”

Her hands balled into fists. He was right. If it wasn’t for her heart she’d love to dive straight into the cool looking water. “You might be right but that doesn’t change anything. I can’t go with you.”

“Why? Because you don’t have special clothes for swimming?” He lifted his arms away from his body and exposed himself as much as he could. “Neither do I.”

“Even if I agreed with your reasoning, which by the way, I’m not saying that I do. But even if I did people need special equipment to go diving.”

“Aah,” he crowed. “But you and I are not normal people. We’ll be fine.”

“Wolves might not need air or maybe they can breathe under water but the same isn’t true for phoenixes. I need air.”

“And I’ll make sure you get it if you need it.”

His eyes fell to her mouth and he licked his lips temptingly leaving her in no doubt as to how he’d make sure that she got the air that she would need.

“You’re heart isn’t going to be a problem, I’ll take care of you. Just come with me. I want to show you this. I need to show you this.”

Kass watched him for long moments before she sighed heavily in defeat. “Fine.” She pulled her shirt over her head and wriggled out of her shorts leaving both on the bank beside Wyatt’s things. “But if I die then I’ll make sure that when I come back I’m going to throw you into the ocean without a life jacket.”

“Don’t,” he growled, dragging her against his chest. “Don’t even talk about you dying. You don’t know what it does to me to think about the world without you in it.”

“We’ve talked about this before Wyatt.” She sighed, “I’d come back.”

“But you wouldn't be you. You wouldn’t remember me and you wouldn’t look the same. I like my red haired mate just the way she is. I don’t want another one.”

“Not even if she was taller?” Kass joked.

“Why would I want you to be taller?” He lifted her off the ground and walked towards the water. “You’re just right for me and I’ll be keeping you exactly as you are. Now take a deep breath.”

“Wyatt-”

He silenced her with a kiss. “Deep breath,” he instructed again.

When she’d finally done as he asked Wyatt dove straight into the water and used his powerful legs to swim for the bottom. Even though he wanted to show her the treasure trove he’d built in her memory Kass’ words made him nervous. The faster they reached the bottom, the less likely it was that she was going to run out of air.

His eyes locked on the goal at the bottom of the lake, Wyatt pushed himself hard. Time was short, already he could feel Kass’ lungs struggling. Her cheeks were turning blue when he decided on his course of action. Slanting his lips over hers he breathed for both of them, forcing air into her body. Their lips locked tight, Wyatt tried hard to ignore the heat building between them, now wasn’t the time or the place but he’d make sure there were other chances for them.

Kass,
he murmured, hoping to keep her calm. It was hard enough to keep her breathing when her body pressing against his was diverting all his thoughts south. He didn’t want to have to manage her heart when his was beating out of control.
Open your eyes, we’re here.

The world underwater was beautiful even without the shimmering river
bed beneath her and it took all her control not to gasp in stunned surprised.
Wyatt, what is this place?
Jewels littered the riverbed, their shining glow tempting Kass to reach out just to see if the whole visage was a figment of her imagination.

This is my gift to you. Hurry up and take something, you’re going to need air soon.

Eyes stinging from the water and confusion swirling in her mind, Kass shook her head.
No, I can’t accept this
.