SHIVER (18 page)

“All right.” He looked around the area. “Stay in my footsteps. Whatever you do, don’t venture from my tracks.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice.”

Aidan turned and treaded carefully, stopping every few feet to glance at the map and his surroundings before continuing. The trek was slow, but they arrived at the back door of the cabin without mishap. Aidan released a deep breath as he opened the door with the key he’d found where Fox had said it would be. Inside the skull of a wolf sitting on the stoop.

She really needed to have a long talk with Fox.

Aidan opened the door, walked in and held the door for her. The smell hit her first, a mixture of stove oil, tanned fur, and age. The place smelled old and dusty. It looked old, dusty, and…wrecked.

Aidan pulled the gun from his waistband and held it in front of him. He reached a hand behind him and grabbed her, pulling her up against his back. “Stay close.”

He turned a full circle in the one room that made up the living space, kitchen, and small dining area. “Earl was never the cleanest sort, but this is beyond anything he would have lived with.”

Cushions had been torn off the couch and ripped through with a knife. Drawers in the apartment-sized kitchen were turned over, dumping their contents. Books had been thrown from the bookcases that lined the far log wall. Raven followed Aidan into the two bedrooms off to the left. They’d also been shredded. Mattresses pitched from the bed, their innards pulled out like wild animals had feasted on them.

Aidan stumbled as he stepped on something with his bad leg. He went down on his knee.

She reached out and helped him to his feet. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He bent down, his fingers touching a dark spot. “I think this is blood.”

She bent to take a look. A dried reddish-brown spot pooled on the pine floor. She kicked clothes and bedding out of her way and found what looked like a trail of sorts. Aidan motioned for her to be quiet as he once again pushed her behind him and followed the trail that lead to the bathroom. There they found more blood. On the floor, around the sink, and wiped on towels.

“I’m willing to bet someone else got caught in one of Earl’s booby traps,” Aidan said.

Raven looked at him. “Why would anyone be
here
?”

“By the looks of the place, someone was looking for something. Did Fox say anything about the condition of the cabin?”

“No, but why would he?” Her brows furrowed.

“The night I was injured, he came into the cabin and grabbed blankets. He didn’t say anything then, but things were hectic. He might not have noticed.”

“How could he have missed this?”

“Whoever went through my SUV went through the cabin too. But why now?”

“You mean, why not go through the place before you showed up?”

“Yeah. Earl’s been dead since the middle of July. The cabin’s been empty all this time.”

“You’re forgetting that nobody
knew
Earl was dead until you showed up.” Her gaze flew to his as the reality of what she’d just said sank in.

“You think someone in town did this?”

“I don’t want to, but it makes sense.”

He nodded, his expression solemn. “It does.” He walked to the window where the blood trail ended. “Whoever was in here was scared off.” He indicated the blood trail and the window left open. “By the looks of this place, I’d say they didn’t find what they were looking for.”

“Which means, they’ll be back.”

A chill raced up Aidan’s spine. Raven was right. Whoever had done this hadn’t left happy. They hadn’t found whatever they’d come for.

He tucked the gun back into the waistband of his jeans and walked out of the bathroom. The space was too small and Raven too close. He could smell her. That sweet, beguiling brand of pheromones that reached out and grabbed his heart and caused it to pump faster whenever she was near. He needed some space, and he wasn’t going to find it here in Earl’s cabin.

He walked into the main room, stepping over things as he paced around the room. “Something’s not right.”

“Something besides someone breaking into the place and tossing it?” Raven asked, coming up behind him.

She really needed to move away from him. All he’d wanted to do since the last time he had her in his arms was to get her right back there. “I swear the room seems smaller.”

“You’ve grown. You’re much bigger than the last time you where here.”

“Maybe.” He rubbed the back of his neck. But something was different about the place. He couldn’t put his finger on it. At least memories weren’t slamming at him liked he’d feared. “Where do I start?”

“You could call the village council. Or the troopers.”

“I’ve had enough of troopers. Besides, Earl had so many enemies. Everyone in town probably has a motive.” He shook his head. “No point in involving the law. I’ll get this cleaned up and then clear out. If you want to torch the place in celebration of the winter solstice, you have my blessing.”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea. It would put Earl to bed for good, and then we wouldn’t have his place as a reminder.”

“Consider it done then.” If he could do anything to wipe out the awful things Earl had done in his lifetime, to the woman Aidan had loved, he’d do it. “I also want to make sure the gold claim is deeded over to your family.”

“No.” Raven shook her head adamantly. “I don’t want anything to do with that.”

“It rightfully belongs to you and your family. Earl never should have—”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She put her hands over her ears.

“That’s a bit childish, don’t you think?” He quirked his lips.

“I don’t care.”

She looked adorable. More like the teenage Raven he’d remembered. “All right, I won’t talk about it.” At least not now. He wouldn’t put the subject to Raven. Instead, he’d have a talk with Fiona and Pike.

“Are you going to be okay staying here?” Raven asked looking around the place.

“I guess that would depend on if I can get the wood stove started.” He walked over to the black potbelly stove, knelt down, and opened it. “Oh, shit.” He slammed the door shut and put an arm out to keep her back.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s something dead in there.”

“Dead? Like rotting?”

“Too cold to rot. No, just dead.”

“What is it?”

“It’s…a…” Damn, he didn’t want to tell her. “It’s a raven.”

She gasped. “No.”

“I’m afraid so, honey.”

“But…”

“It must have fallen down the stove pipe.”

“It would have been caught in there, starved to death, beating its wings against the cold metal sides.” She dropped her head against his chest, and he pulled her in closer. She had an affinity to her namesake.

He tried to reassure her. “I’m sure the fall killed it.”

She raised her head and looked up at him. “Do you think so?”

“I’m sure of it.” He caressed the side of her face, watching his fingers as they lightly touched her soft skin. She was so beautiful. Exotic almond eyes, honeyed skin that he wanted to run his lips over, mouth too wide and too full, lending her an air of seduction that he couldn’t resist. He wanted to kiss those lips, lose himself in her heat and drink from her mouth. He leaned closer, waiting for her to push him away.

She didn’t.

He lightly touched his lips to hers. She sighed into him. Had she wanted him to do this too? Had she been tormented by the thought of them together like he had? He deepened the kiss, slanting his head, drawing her in closer to his body, loving the feel of her against him. She was perfect. Perfect size as she fit against him, snuggled in his arms, her hips cradling his erection. He unzipped her coat and spread the edges apart, his hands running up and down her sides as he waited for her to slap them way.

She didn’t.

Why was she letting him touch her? One minute she wanted to see the last of him, and the next, she was allowing him to dream. To hope.

This was driving him crazy, and he’d never been far from crazy to begin with.

He lifted his mouth from hers. “What are you doing?”

Her face was flushed, and as the temperature inside the cabin was only a few degrees warmer than the single digits outside, it wasn’t from that. Which meant he’d caused the flush to her skin.

“What do you mean?”

“You let me kiss you. Kissed me back. Why?”

She moved out of his arms. “Curiosity, I guess.” She shrugged her shoulders as though what they had just done hadn’t meant anything.

He turned her around to face him. “Don’t give me that crap. Why did you kiss me back?”

“Why does it matter?” Her eyes turned hot.

He let go of her and stepped back, his bad leg getting caught up in an old, torn flannel shirt thrown on the floor. He shook it free and looked at Raven again, his heart pounding. “Because you matter.” He shook his head. “Don’t fool with me.”

She dropped her gaze from his. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let that happen, but…”

“But what?”

She glanced at him. “It’s hard. Being with you. Remembering what it used to be like.” She turned away.

He grabbed her again, made her face him. “You don’t get to say something like that and then turn away from me. You broke my heart, Raven. Don’t toy with the pieces.”

She sucked in a breath, studied him, her eyes wide, questioning. She reached up and cupped his face. “I wish…” She stopped and bit her lip as if to keep the words from being spoken.

“You wish?” he prompted, very much wanting to know what she had been about to say.

“I wish things could have been different. But they’re not.”

The pain wasn’t any less sharp having heard it from her before. He released her and stepped back. “You’d better go.”

She swallowed and looked around the cabin again. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay out here.” She indicated the mess scattered around them. “Besides, what if the person who did this decides to come back?”

“I hope they do. Then I’ll find out what they were looking for.”

“Aidan—”

“Don’t worry about me, Raven. I’ve always been able to take care of myself.”

Her eyes met his, and he stood his ground.

“What about food?”

“I have groceries in the rental. I’ll be fine for a few days.” He pulled the gun free. “Give this back to Pike for me.”

“You’d better keep it.”

He pointed to the full gun cabinet left untouched near the front door. “I have enough firepower to take on a small country.” He cocked his head. “Surprising that whoever broke in here didn’t help themselves. Which means they were after something specific.”

C
HAPTER
T
WELVE

Raven sat at her wheel, a lump of clay on the bat, water in her bucket, Stevie Nicks singing on the CD player. She anchored an elbow on her hip and used her palm to raise the clay, her other hand she steadied, then pressed the clay back down. She repeated the movement until the clay was a large centered mound on her wheel. She breathed in rhythmically as she moved the clay, coaxed it to her will, and became one with the elements pulled from the earth. Wetting her hands, she opened the body of clay. All the while trying to forget what had happened with Aidan that morning. Not that she was successful.

Why had she let him kiss her? Touch her? Why had she wanted more? Almost pushed him into taking more? As if by doing that, the decision wouldn’t have been hers. If he took, then she didn’t have to face giving of herself. But Aidan hadn’t fallen for that. Instead he’d wanted to know why she wasn’t pushing him away, demanding he leave her alone. She had obviously confused the hell out of him. Fitting since she was confused as well.

She opened the clay further, pulling the walls up into a thick cylinder, wondering what the piece wanted to be. She loved to sit down at the wheel not knowing what she was going to throw, leaving it up to the clay to decide what it wanted to be. She had a feeling this five pounds wanted to be a large pasta or fruit bowl. Something that would stand alone, not part of a set. The glaze would have to be dramatic, she decided as she pulled the walls up with steady pressure while the wheel continued to spin.