Coveted (19 page)

“Are you sure? Things
didn’t go so well with the last woman you brought home.”

Aiden wasn’t sure who
threw the first punch. In seconds, the room erupted into an all-out brawl.
Aiden grappled with Mac, exchanging blows.

They would not take
Shayla from him.

He hammered at Mac,
cursing the lack of his normal strength. His wolf snarled as if in agreement,
and a rush of adrenaline coursed through his system. His teeth elongated, his nails
lengthened. His torso, legs and arms bulked up. Aiden embraced the change and charged
Mac. He gathered him in a bear hug, lifting him clear off the floor and slammed
him down onto the stone, flat on his back, trying to knock the stupid out of
him.

“Yield.” Aiden
flashed his canines as he spoke.

Mac bared his teeth
but subsided, offering his throat in surrender.

Then he noticed the
hem of a skirt in his peripheral vision.

Shayla!

Aiden ducked his head,
shielding his face. His teeth retracted, his body melting back into his human
form. The rage dissipated as panic surged up and took root in its place.

How much had she
seen?

He heard no
screaming.

She hadn’t fallen to
the floor in a dead faint.

All good signs. He
might be able to talk himself out of it yet.

He straightened and surveyed
the room. Some of the men were in partial transition. Others had completely
turned wolf. As if noticing his regard, his men came to attention.

Almost all.

A body flew across
the room, crashing into a table with a resounding thud. The table rocked, then
ever so slowly tipped, spilling the man and the supper across the floor.

There was no way she
could’ve missed that.

“Enough!” Everyone
instantly froze.

Dread compressed his chest,
threatening to strangle him. Bracing himself to face a hysterical female, Aiden
slowly turned.

And stopped short,
completely dumbfounded to see Shayla calmly watching the scene.

That’s when he
understood.

She knew.

Had known all along.

Mac’s accusation came
back to haunt him. Aiden had shit luck in choosing woman in the past. He’d convinced
himself that Shayla was different. Everything inside him rebelled at the idea
that she would betray him, but the proof stood wide-eyed before him.

The future he’d been
painstakingly constructing for them crumbled, tasting like ash in his mouth.
Emotions tangled in his chest, where they withered and died. Pain riddled his
chest, and he wanted to carve out his heart, anything to relieve the ache deep that
invaded his soul.

So caught up in his
own turmoil, it took him a few seconds to recognize the chain she clutched
between her fingers. The ancient emerald shimmered with magic of the curse,
ready to devour any female who touched it.

Sudden fear pumped him,
twisting his guts up in knots. It no longer mattered if she’d lied to him. He
didn’t care if she was one of the Beloved or not. He just wanted her alive and
well.

Only the true of
heart could pass the test.

He had to get it away
from her before she triggered the curse.

“Where did you get
that?” He barely recognized his hoarse voice. The sense of fate closing in on
him increased. When he would’ve charged forward and ripped the pendant from her
hands, Mac stepped in his way.

“Let her answer.”

Shayla hung back,
carefully keeping out of reach. “It was in the basement.”

A growl rumbled up
his chest. Aiden knew she was special, but he had never guessed the extent of
her power. “It was behind a locked door, buried in centuries of junk, stored in
a sealed box.”

She should’ve been
safe.

Shayla stiffened at
his accusations, red flagging her cheeks. “I can assure you that I was not
attempting to steal from you. I would do a better job of hiding my ill-gotten
gains than carrying it around with me.”

She’d leapt to the
wrong conclusion. Aiden didn’t care if she wanted to rob him blind. She could
have whatever she wanted.

Anything and
everything except that necklace.

No one deserved to die
a slow, agonizing death when the curse found them lacking. The magic in the
necklace would infected them, their human bodies too fragile to hold the power,
slowly burning them from the inside out.

Aiden shrugged off
Mac’s hold, already moving when Mac’s awed whisper reached his ears. “The wolf
has chosen.”

Fear curdled through
Aiden’s soul, and his eyes dropped to the emerald. Or, more importantly, the
wolf so prominently displayed. He half-expected her to vanish into thin air.
Even though he let his men believe that she was Beloved to keep her near, he never
hadn’t actually believed it.

They were myths.

The necklace put a
lie to everything he’d told himself.

He looked her over
critically for any sign of injury. An adorable smudge of dirt stained her face.
Her clothes and hair were disheveled, but her eyes glittered, reminding him of
the afternoon they’d just spent together. The steady rhythm at the base of her
neck reassured him. If he had any strength in his legs and thought she’d permit
it, he’d march over there and pat her down.

She’d survived.

She never intended to
betray him.

Relief nearly dropped
him to his knees. It also meant that she was one of the Beloved, elevated to
royalty in the pack, and their brightest hope for the future. His canines
lengthened, his body hardened, demanding that he claim her before anyone dared
take her from him.

It no longer mattered
that she’d discovered the truth about werewolves and hidden it. The presence of
the wolf in the necklace meant their fates were forever twined.

 “My apologies for
touching your things. It won’t happen again.” Shayla set the necklace on the
table, her posture stiff.

Aiden felt the
distance stretched between them, stealing the air from his very lungs. His fault.
He was ashamed that he’d doubted her, contemplated risking her life for even a
second to save his men.

Regaining her trust wasn’t
going to be easy.

One thing kept him
sane. He was the best tactician in the pack with decades perfecting his skills.
He just needed to treat her as a battle to be won. The debilitating fear that
had taken root in his mind eased its crippling hold. He’d never lost a war yet,
and he had no intention of losing now.

“Shayla—”

The doors to the
entrance slammed open. One of the younger wolves in training burst into the
hall.

“The walls have been
breached. Trent is down. He’s alive but injured.”

Aiden swung toward
Shayla.

They’d come for her.

For one paralyzing
second, he stood frozen. His wolf took advantage and surged forward, bulking up
his form, demanding freedom to hunt.

They would not give
her up without a fight.

By the time he
wrestled back control, the damage had been done.

Monster.

Aiden could barely
force his head up. Agonizing seconds passed before he final had the courage to
face her.

Shayla’s eyes widened
at his appearance, then narrowed dangerously, her anger not abating one bit.

His change hadn’t
fazed her.

Her anger shouldn’t
have made him cheerful, but she wouldn’t have been mad if she didn’t still
care. He turned to faced his men, almost cheerful at the prospect of a fight. “I
want this place surrounded. Pair yourselves up, one human, one wolf. Sound off
every fifteen minutes. Team one, you’re outside the walls. Bring me that
intruder.”

Everyone moved at
once.

“Where do you want
me?”

The men slowed, bumping
into each other as they turned to watch.

The chit dared to
cross her arms and raised her chin as if she hadn’t just questioned their
ability to keep her safe.

He couldn’t blame
her, but she would learn.

Instead of answering,
he advanced, scooping up the necklace until he stood in front her. He carefully
lifted the chain over her head, the emerald settling between her breasts like a
beacon.

Then, without a word,
he bent and tossed her over his shoulder. Air whooshed out of her lungs and he
swiftly took the stairs three at a time before she could get her breath back to
scream bloody murder. He shoved open her door, tossed her on the bed then lingered
for a few precious seconds, captivated by the sight of her sprawled out for him.
“I’m sorry. I can’t risk you being hurt. I’ll explain everything when I get
back. I promise.”

Shayla tossed her
hair out of her face, her eyes narrowing as she scrambled to get to her feet. “Don’t
you dare lock me in this room!”

Aiden beat a hasty
retreat, her demand a hiss at his back. As he shut and barred the door behind
him, he knew he would pay dearly for it when he returned. Something thudded
against the wood, and he smiled.

“At least you could
leave me with a weapon.”

“And have you use it
against me when I return?” Aiden turned on his heel, stalking down the hallway,
giving his beast the freedom he craved.

His bones stretched
and snapped as they reshaped into his werewolf form. Hair sprouted along his
body. His torso lengthened, his teeth sharpened. Nails burst from the beds of
his fingers, and he welcomed the pain.

There was no need to
hide anymore.

He tossed back his head
and howled.

A chorus of cries joined
with his. He bounded down the steps in two leaps, his legs easily taking the
brunt of the impact.

“McHenry, guard her
with your life.”

The old man nodded, a
gleam of pride in his eyes at being selected to guard the Chosen.

“Good hunting, my
lord.”

Aiden flashed his
teeth, eager to eliminate anyone who’d dare enter his lair. He gazed over to
his men and nodded to the bloodthirsty lot. “Find them and bring them back to
me.”

 Chapter Twenty

S
hayla glared at the door.

Locked.

Again.

It was her own damned
fault. She should’ve seen it coming. Something shifted when she’d located that
blasted necklace. The way Aiden looked at her, so cold and unforgiving, she had
expected to be escorted to the dungeon. After everything that had passed
between them, his lack of trust tasted bitter on her tongue, the loss of what
could’ve been clogging her throat until she couldn’t swallow.

It required all her
strength to give up the stone to Aiden. She couldn’t take her gaze from the
wolf etched on the gem. The instant it left her hand, she wanted to snatch it
back. Her body went cold, frost burrowing beneath her skin, but not enough to
numb the pain he’d inflicted.

Then his whole
demeanor changed when they came under attack. Aiden had given the necklace back
to her, setting it around her neck like a pledge. His distrust still hurt, but
the necklace was obviously important to him and his pack.

The expressions of
such awe on their faces freaked her out a little.

But it gave her hope
that he entrusted it to her.

Her hands tightened
possessively, the warmth of the stone almost alive as it tingled against her
fingers.

Comforting.

The old wolf connected
her to the necklace somehow.

Her thoughts drifted
to Aiden, and her inability to figure him out frustrated the shit out of her.
One minute he was playful and loving, the next, the caveman beat at his chest
and took control.

Light sparked off the
faceted edges of emerald, drawing her attention. She squinted to see better and
things went black.

She fell into darkness
and found herself outside. Wind buffeted her and she glanced around, noticing the
angles were all wrong. She was standing too tall. Seeing too much in the inky
night sky. Smells inundated her until she could taste them. The gritty musk she
recognized as Aiden surrounded her. “Aiden?”

Movement stopped.

“Shayla?” Her name
was jumbled by a mouth full of teeth.

The necklace had
somehow dropped her into Aiden’s head.

There was an
unquenchable hunger in him that wouldn’t be appeased.

To hunt.

To kill.

All to protect…her.

Though she had yet to
peg the man, she knew this beast would never hurt her. The boundless energy and
curiosity of his wolf charmed her. A warm brush of fur rubbed against her mind,
and she sank her fingers into his thick pelt.

And nearly fell to
her knees at the pure pleasure that vibrated through Aiden. She flexed her fingers,
and a growl of hunger rolled from him. He looked toward the castle, the window of
her room, and she heard him speak directly in her mind. “Careful, little girl,
or the big bad wolf will come knocking.”

Warm lips brushed
against her neck. Then Shayla was snapped back into her body. Her ass landed
hard on the stone floor. It took longer for her heartbeat to stop thundering
against her ribs.

Aiden was the devil, effortlessly
able to manipulate the connection against her. But he failed to remember one
important fact…the connection went both ways.

And she was a fast
learner.

With a laugh of
delight, she relished their next encounter. It was time for a little payback. A
vicious snarl echoed in the hallway, tearing her away from her plotting.

Nails clicked on
stone.

“Halt!”

Fear trampled through
her, and she jumped to her feet. “McHenry?”

Silence had never seemed
so loud.

Knowing she shouldn’t,
that Aiden wouldn’t approve, Shayla went to the passageway between the rooms.
In seconds, she had Aiden’s door open and peered into the hallway.

The glaringly empty
hallway.

“McHenry?”

She sensed more than
heard the pad of wolf’s feet along the cold stone floor. There was a different
flavor to this animal. A lick of wildness. Shayla eyed the stairs, quickly
shoving the emerald down the front of her dress. No one could know she had it.

She cast about, cursing
her lack of a weapon, and she backed toward Aiden’s room. Her eyes were locked on
the darkness as she waited for the beast to burst forth and rip out her throat.

A shaggy brown wolf
padded toward her with a limp. Blood matted his fur. The sight of him stopped
her cold, unable to wrap her mind around what she was seeing. “Lassie?”

Joy shot through her,
and she rushed forward, halting just before she reached him.

Something about the
size of him clicked in her mind.

Too big to be a
regular dog.

“You’re one of them,
aren’t you? You’ve been guarding me since I arrived in Scotland.”

The animal hunched.
Energy from the hallway surged forward, wrapping around the beast. Fur peeled away.
Bones snapped. The figure stretched. Lengthened. The snout melted, reshaping. Five
minutes passed when a male was kneeling in front of her.

A very naked male.

Shayla immediately
tipped her head back to study the ceiling.

“My name is Douglas.”

Shayla turned around
when he spoke, her eyes drawn to the bright splash of blood on stone. A new
fear curled through her. “Where’s McHenry?”

A head full of shaggy
hair lifted, and the rough-hewn face of a warrior looked up at her. “Alive, but
we need to leave before they discover us. I won’t be able to protect you.”

He stood and swayed.

And she saw the
damage to his side. His body had been ravaged by teeth and claws.

“You need a doctor.”
When she went to help him, he brushed away her hands.

“I’ll live.” He staggered
toward the wall and pushed on two stones, and a whole section receded. He
crouched and rummaged through the waiting pack, quickly tugging on a pair of
pants. “We don’t have much time. We have to leave.”

Shayla backed up a
step, her stomach raw at the thought of leaving Aiden.

He’d promised to come
for her.

“But Aiden said—”

“The first priority
is to keep you safe.” He gathered his pack and used his shoulder to push the
opening wider. He dug a light out and gestured her toward the tunnels.

“Of course.” She
wanted to remain and fight by Aiden’s side, but he was right. Lassie’s wounds—she
was unable to call him anything else in her mind—only emphasized that she wouldn’t
be a match in this guerilla-style fighting. He’d saved her life. Protected her
more than once at great cost to him. If he wanted to harm her, he could’ve done
it at any time. She took a deep breath and stepped into the tunnel. The light
narrowed into a ribbon as the door slowly swung shut. Darkness swallowed her. She
resisted the urge to scratch at the wall and insist that she go back to the
safety of her room to wait for Aiden.

“Come.”

Only after some
prodding did Shayla allowed herself to be led away. The air in the tunnel was
stale, dirt coating the back of her tongue with each breath. Cobwebs shivered, the
draft indicating there was another exit. They weren’t trapped. It didn’t make
her feel any better. A chill rose from the rocks, the temperature dropping to
bone-chilling in under a minute.

With each step away
from the castle, away from Aiden, Shayla’s sense of unease increased. “Shouldn’t
we stay to help?”

“You’ll only be a
distraction. Your safety is a priority. The wolves are well trained. They’re
hard to kill.”

His reasoning made
her plea seem silly. The further they descended, the more the wind whipped
around them, almost howling in an eerie echo of the castle’s inhabitants.

The air changed
subtly, a salty tang that made it feel heavier in her lungs. They rounded
another turn, and Shayla stopped. The tunnel opened up into a large cave.
Biting cold stole the last of her warmth and she shivered.

Yeah, that’s why.

She refused to believe
it could be because she was leaving Aiden.

Moonlight shimmered
over open water, waves lapping at the rocks. A set of steep stairs led lower, and
Shayla followed Lassie. The last step revealed a small platform of sorts where a
boat awaited. A fine mist seeped into her dress, chilling her even more if that
was possible. She raised a brow, more than a little reluctant to take the last
step.

“We’ll be able to
reach town faster, without attracting attention from the people after you.”

Everything he said
was logical, so why did she hesitate? He patiently held out his hand, leaving
the choice up to her. With great reluctance, she scrambled aboard, refusing the
assistance. He quickly untied the lead and jumped, landing so lightly the boat
barely quaked. A little grumble of disgust winged through her at his ease.

He set the oars and
began rowing skillfully. Before long, they were out to sea. She glanced back at
Avamoore, unable to stop herself. Light blazed from the castle like days bygones.
She almost expected a dragon to take flight.

She turned to face
Lassie and saw drops of his blood plop to the bottom of the boat in an
ever-widening puddle. Concern tightening her chest. “You’re still bleeding.”

He paused, watching
her, before finally setting the oars aside and reaching for his bag. He produced
a roll of bandages and expertly wrapped his torso, the stretch and pull of his muscles
almost spellbinding. What disturbed her more, he didn’t show any sign of
discomfort.

“I haven’t seen you
at the castle.” It wasn’t a question. He glanced up at her with hard, brown
eyes. Trepidation skated along her skin. Then she recalled his injuries…animal
wounds, not something inflicted by a human. She clenched her fists and
swallowed painfully, realizing how big a fool she’d been. The shore never
looked so far away. “You’re not one of Aiden’s men, are you?”

Lassie ripped the
bandage and tied off the edge. “It’s no longer safe for you to remain there.
I’m trying to rescue you.”

He was telling the
truth, but what he said made no sense. “From whom?”

He gave her a steady
look. “You came here to do a job. You missed our meeting. Within days of your
arrival, your room was vandalized. You disappeared hours later. Then you were
chased, hunted down by a pack of dogs. You had to fight off men intent on
killing you.” He grabbed a shirt, tugging it over his head, repressing a
grimace of pain. “You’re not safe. I’m here to take you back to James. Then we
can discuss the job.”

Shayla tensed,
bracing herself to jump into the water and swim to shore. She
needed
to
find Aiden. She tensed to leap when what he said penetrated, and she slowly
turned to study him. “James is in London.”

Lassie picked up the
oars, effortlessly propelling them still further away from the castle and
temptation. “The staff at the inn became alarmed when you never returned,
especially after the incident with your room. He was the only contact they had
for you, so they called him.”

“You organized this,
didn’t you?”

Lassie stiffened,
clearly offended, pulling harder on the oars. They glided through the water
with amazing speed despite his injury. “You’re nothing more than a means to an
end for men like him.”

Doubts lingered like
an aching tooth. Aiden might want her, but he didn’t trust her. He’d locked her
up. Had that been for her safety or was Lassie right? On more than one
occasion, she caught him looking at her as if trying to figure out what she was
doing in his life. “Aiden wouldn’t do that to me.”

“If he wanted you, he
would’ve marked you.” Lassie inhaled deeply and gave a sad look. “Wolves mate
for life. You’re just a possession.”

“No.” Her reaction
was knee-jerk. That didn’t sound like Aiden. The opposite, in fact. All he did
was argue with her. Half the time he acted as if he didn’t want her there at
all.

“Then tell me, were
there any other humans at the castle?”

Shayla very slowly
shook her head, not sure she wanted to hear more.