Ashwood Falls Volume Two (24 page)

He was so mesmerized by her grace that he forgot his annoyance.

Christa stood, went over to a small table in the corner of the room, and picked up a hand towel. After a moment she turned to him, hot desire in her eyes. Yeah, she was still denying the fact that they were mates. “Are you going to stand there or say what you came to say?”

Oh hell. They couldn’t keep avoiding each other. That was why he’d sought her out just now. They also couldn’t keep the wall of mistrust up between them. They had to work it out. He wasn’t going to go through Jared’s hell. He’d found his mate and bounded with her, but after discovering she was the enemy’s daughter, he’d broken the bond. With his mate still alive, Jared was unable to search for another. The male was so on edge most the time that Hayden didn’t know how Jared kept it together in public.

He definitely had a control made of steel.

Taking a deep breath, he swallowed his pride to make the first step. “I’ve come in peace.”

She bit her lower lip, which Brenna had told him was one of Christa’s tells. The teen said Christa bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling when she wanted to be firm. It was the only piece of intel he’d been able to get out of Brenna before Christa came looking for her.

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the table. “I’m listening.”

He fisted his hands by his sides to keep from reaching out to her and pulling her to his body. “Have dinner with me.”

She raised her brows. “In case you’ve forgotten, we’re in an abandoned den with little food and no restaurants around.”

He counted to ten, trying to rein in his annoyance. Why couldn’t she just accept what he offered? Stubborn, proud female. “Then a picnic. Meet me in the courtyard in twenty minutes.”

He turned on his heels and left before she could argue and he’d be forced to kiss her into submission. The latter would get them nowhere except giving their bodies what they wanted. Sex between them right now would be meaningless.

When Hayden took Christa, he wanted her to know he was playing for keeps and not just releasing his aggression and need on her. To do that, he had to gain her trust and make her see that he was playing on the good side of the war. Which meant he had to be charming and patient.

He entered the house that he temporarily shared with Tanner and went straight to the kitchen. Tanner had gotten up shortly after the sun rose that morning and found the main power supply for the den. Why Travis had left the power on and hadn’t just leveled the whole den, Hayden didn’t know.

Hayden heard Tanner before he saw him come in and lean against the counter. He ignored his brother’s smirk and raised eyebrow and proceed to make a few sandwiches.

“Cameron’s going to stop by later.”

Hayden snapped his gaze to his brother’s. “Why?”

Hayden didn’t have a problem with Cameron. In fact, he highly respected her, and not only because she was his best friend’s mate. She was a strong, level-headed female, even in the heat of a fight. She was the first to charge in, and he could always count on her for backup. Yet, he couldn’t help, but think she was coming to Hunter Ridge to check up on them, for his mother.

Tanner shrugged. “Ana’s coming with her. It seems Blaine wants his sister to get to know everyone in the pack and shadow Cam for a while. Plus, I think they are bringing more food and blankets and stuff.”

Hayden packed up the sandwiches, some fruit, and picked up a bottle of wine from the counter. “Where did this come from?”

“From the basement. This whole den was built into the side of the mountain. Did you know there are escape tunnels under us?”

Hayden put the bottle in the basket. “Yeah, Travis mentioned it.”

“So...are you starting the mating dance?”

Hayden sighed. “Yes. She’s my mate.”

“What about Shield? She could still go back to them and betray us all.”

Similar thoughts already plagued Hayden. She could easily return to her life with the humans and hunt down shifters. Yet, he sensed her hesitation, her leeriness of both sides. She’d said she wanted out of Shield. Until he’d met the twins and saw how close Christa was to them, he hadn’t understood her motivations.

He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but he guessed the twins were no longer safe if she continued working for the rebel group. That made more sense to him, considering Vance was now pulling the strings and slowly infecting the humans with the mutant virus.

Meeting his brother’s stare, Hayden smiled. “I’ll seduce her into believing the truth.”

Tanner grinned. “Good luck. She seems as hardheaded as you. You’ll have to do something you’ve never done. Compromise.”

Then Tanner left the room, laughing.

Bastard.

But he was right. Hayden would have to be the one to give a little first. He’d just do it while in full mating mode. Human or not, Christa wouldn’t be able to resist the pull to mate. That was one thing he was counting on to get her to see the truth about him and his people.

Christa Baker was his, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

****

C
hrista had tried to avoid Hayden as much as possible until she worked out a plan to leave. She needed to get away from the wolf. There was no way she could mate with him. Besides, every time she was near him, it was impossible to think clearly. The more she was around him, the more she
wanted
to be with him.

She asked the twins about mating, hoping their mother had told them a little about it, but all they said was it was for life. That once bound to a wolf, she’d be linked until one of them died. That was something Christa didn’t really want to hear.

She couldn’t be bound to a wolf. Raising two was one thing. Besides, Brenna and Bryce were her flesh and blood, the only family she had left.

They were also shifters and needed a den to help them develop into adults.

Shit, this was really messed up.

Despite what Vance had said about Ashwood Falls, Hayden might be Christa’s only hope of finding the twins a safe den. That would mean she’d have to put her pride aside and work with the wolf to discover the truth.

Hayden wasn’t like Vance. The wolf heated her from the inside out, made her want things she had no business desiring. Now she wondered if it was the mating thing. She wasn’t sure if humans could be affected by it. She’d never bothered to ask her sister. Mary was just so happy in love with her husband—no,
mate
—that Christa had never considered what it all meant.

When she reached the courtyard and looked up, she stifled a gasp at the sight of Hayden. He wore the same clothes he had when he demanded to go on the picnic, but then she’d been too set on avoiding him to pay attention. Now, she noticed.

He wore a white T-shirt that clung to his muscular chest and trim waist perfectly. His dark stone-washed jeans were loose fitting, adding to the sensuality of the wolf within him.

Her skin tightened and warmed the closer she got to him.

Crap, she was done for.

He lifted a brow at the same time one corner of his lips lifted in a half smirk, making him look even sexier. “You’re late.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “No, you’re early.”

He chuckled as she walked past him and tried to ignore his body heat and the low growl that did things to her libido. “Are you up for a little hike?”

“Sure. Where are we going?”

He moved in closer to her, and she felt his warm breath against her neck as he growled, “You’ll see when we get there.”

She fought the urge to jerk away from him. One thing she knew for sure about shifters, especially the predators, was that they loved the hunt. Jerking away from this wolf when he was already in the hunting mood would only make him chase her down harder. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be chased... yet.

Christa walked in silence for several yards into the forest, and when Hayden didn’t show any indication of slowing down, she started to grow impatient. She was about to ask him again where they were going when he stopped and turned to face her, making her run right into his hard chest. He gripped her elbow, and heat rushed over her cool skin.

She held his gaze for several long moments before he turned her and pointed to a small creek. “Look.”

“Oh,” she breathed. Drinking from the creek was a mother wolf and beside her were three pups wrestling with each other. “They’re adorable.”

Hayden stepped forward, and the mother lifted her head in his direction, scenting the air. Christa grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

Instead of stopping, he took her hand in his and tugged her along with him. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it everywhere. When they got within a couple of yards of the female wolf, she growled. Christa felt a spark of warm energy pass through her and Hayden’s connected hands as he let his wolf come to the surface. It didn’t hurt, or feel as uncomfortable as the rogue she’d hunted several years ago that shifted when she’d grabbed him.

The rogue’s energy had been dark, almost heavy feeling. It had felt as though some kind of residue was left on her skin. Yet, Hayden’s didn’t. The power, or magick, or whatever it was that made him shift, was warm, light, and inviting.

She tugged on his hand to get his attention. “She’ll attack you to protect her babies.”

He shook his head and continued forward. Suddenly a second, larger gray wolf jumped in their path, and bared its teeth. Christa froze, pulse pounding in her ears.

Hayden knelt down and offered his palm. The wolf sniffed then eyed Christa with a snarl. Hayden moved between them and growled. The wolf took a step back. Hayden tugged on her hand. Christa tugged back. When he peered back at her, she shook her head.

“It’s fine. They sense my wolf and know you are my mate.”

She frowned. She wasn’t his mate yet.

No, wait. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be his mate.

They moved closer to the water, and Hayden pulled a blanket out of the basket he carried. He sat and patted the place next to him. Christa glanced from him to the wolves then sat.

“The big gray one is a male. Either he’s her mate or the Alpha. I’m not sure.”

Christa nodded and watched the pups yip at each other and bite one another’s ears as they rolled around on the ground. One of them wandered over to her and sniffed the air as he walked closer. The male growled low, but didn’t move. The pup yipped, making Christa jump. Laughing at herself, she peered over at Hayden.

He handed her a sandwich. She unwrapped it, pinched off a small piece, and laid it down on the blanket in front of the pup. He sniffed it then ate it. The other two saw and came over to investigate.

She broke her sandwich into several pieces and laid them on the blanket. The pups instantly started eating. She smiled as she watched them. When they were done, the pups went back to playing.

Hayden handed her another sandwich. “Don’t feed this one to them.”

When she peered at him, she hid a smile at the amusement in his eyes. It was as though he was pleased by her interaction with the wolves. Frowning, she focused on the sandwich in her hand. For a brief moment she’d put her guard down and actually felt comfortable with Hayden.

And enjoyed it.

“Tell me about Ashwood,” she said without looking at him.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him stretch out on the blanket, and damn, it was hard not to turn to him and drink in every yummy inch.

“It’s complicated.”

That made her look at him. His lips twitched, and his eyes still held amusement. She pursed her lips at the realization that he was playing with her, and enjoying it a little too much. Narrowing her eyes, she forced her gaze away from his lean, muscular frame and peered into the stream. The water flowed by with little sound in this area. It was peaceful, and she wondered if that was the reason Hayden had chosen this spot.

“What’s complicated about it?”

“We are two Packs living as one.”

True. Yet, she wanted to know more about it. She’d spent the last eight years working for Shield and chasing rogues as well as raising two shifters on her own. If there was one thing she knew, it was the difference between a rogue and what she believed to be a normal shifter.

Hayden and Tanner, as far as she could tell, were in the normal category. But could she trust them?

“It’s a healthy Pack, right?”

Hayden let out a sigh before speaking. “Yes. At first, there were issues. I mean how often do wolves and the big cats get along long enough to live together?”

“I guess you would be the first.”

He sat up, shoulder-to-shoulder with her, making her heart kick up several beats per second.

Damn female emotions
.

As if sensing her mood shift, and most likely hearing her increased pulse, Hayden chuckled and leaned in to press his shoulder to hers. Heat flooded her system, making her skin tingle all over.

Damn wolf
.

“Yes, Ashwood Falls is the first in our history that we know of to become a merged Pack of two different types of predatory shifters. It’s common for leopards and jaguar Packs to bring in strays or offer sanctuary for other felines, but wolves aren’t so open to outsiders.”

He paused for a brief moment, and she wondered if he was trying to figure out how much he should tell her. She didn’t blame him. After all, they were playing on opposite sides—at least they were until she decided to leave Shield.

Before he spoke again, he turned to her, forcing her to do the same. “The wolves love my mother and would have followed her anywhere.”

“And I bet that love has only grown.”

He raised a hand and gently ran his knuckles down her cheek. “Yes.”

She blinked and moved back a few inches to break the contact. His lips twitched, but to her relief, he didn’t push her further. “I know that Vance is different. I’ve known since the first time I met him. I’ve also questioned his motives for going after Ashwood.”

Hayden drew his brows together. “He’ll be looking for you now.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because you know too much about him and Shield, and from our attack on Shield, he most likely knows that I have you. Or at least that Ashwood has you.”