Broken Bonds by Keri Arthur

Chapter Four

Iwoke to the nagging sensation that something was different. That something had changed, within rather than without.

And I had no idea what that something was.

In truth, I physically felt no different. Other than the faint pulse of a headache, I seemed to have come through the whole merge thing relatively intact.

Of course, relatively was a far cry from absolutely.

I shifted and stretched; cotton rustled as the top sheet slid across bare skin, a sensation that was close to sensual. Light shone into the room from the windows to my left, pressing coldly against closed eyelids. In the distance, thunder rumbled, a promise of an incoming storm, and one I could smell. The thick, heady scent of musk and man filled every breath, but Aiden wasn’t in the bedroom, and I couldn’t hear him moving about downstairs.

I opened my eyes and immediately spotted the note on the bedside table next to my phone. I reached out and grabbed it.

Just in case you wake and discover I’m not here,it said, I’ve gone to the bakery to get some fresh bread. Won’t be long. A.

Sadly, there were no XX substitutes for kisses after his initial. Romantic, he was not. Or maybe he just wasn’t inclined to be so with me. I frowned at the thought, dropped the note back down, and reached out for Belle. You there?

Always, came her response. Glad you’re finally awake. You had me scared for a little while there.

How long was I out?

Three days.

Three! Holy fuck.

Her amusement bubbled through me. Indeed. Aiden didn’t know which way to turn.

I’m guessing family won.There was no bitterness in that statement, although I couldn’t deny hurt lingered deeper down.

Until Dillon came out of his coma, yes. But he did take you home as he promised, and he arranged for Ashworth and Eli to come over and watch you while he was at the hospital.

They’re not here now.

No, they went home yesterday, after Dillon had fully woken and Aiden felt it was safe to leave his side.

My eyebrows rose. Have you been reading his mind from a distance?

Belle hesitated. Didn’t need to. There was a lingering connection between my mind and Dillon’s. It gave me some insight into what he was seeing and hearing.

Alarm slipped through me. Have you severed the connection?

Yes, though it was rather interesting eavesdropping for a while there.

I just bet.

She chuckled. Karleen is a piece of work. I believe you’re right in thinking there’s more behind her hatred of witches than just Gabe helping Katie become one with the wild magic.

I suspect it has something to do with someone close to her dying—someone from her past.One of her parents, perhaps, or maybe even a sibling.

Possibly. I’ll certainly find out if the bitch ever gets within reading range.

A smile twitched my lips. The only reason the bitch would ever get within reading range is if she’s on the attack.

Belle’s surprise flitted through me. What makes you think she’d ever physically attack you? Alphas have far more control than that. Besides, you’re not a pack member, and she’s well aware attacking a civilian could have serious consequences for both the pack and the reservation.

I hesitated. It’s a niggle, nothing more.

Unfortunately, your niggles have a tendency to become fact.

Maybe this will be one that won’t. As you said, she’s well aware of the penalties involved. I took a deep breath and pushed away the inner voice that said she wouldn’t care. What about you, Belle? Aside from that lingering telepathic link, how did you pull up after the immersion?

I was out less than a day. You were the host, so it affected you far more than me.

But you’re okay now?

She hesitated. Yes.

Meaning no.

Honestly, it’s nothing to worry about.

A statement guaranteed to make me worry more.

Her smile ran through me, a bright, warm wave. Seriously, it’s probably just a soon-to-fade consequence of our souls being joined with Katie’s when she forced Dillon to go through the shape shift.

But?

My senses have sharpened.

All of them?

To the point where I was close to telling one customer yesterday she seriously needed to stop bathing in her goddamn perfume.Belle paused. It didn’t happen to you?

My senses have been sharpening for a while.

And yet, until this morning, I’d never been so aware of the sensual caress of the sheets against my skin or known without even looking that Aiden wasn’t downstairs.

It made me wonder what else might have altered or sharpened in our four-way merger, especially given the awareness of change that had hit when I first woke.

Katie might be positive the DNA adaptations caused by the wild magic wouldn’t end with me gaining the ability to shape shift, but what if that was the only thing I couldn’t do? What if I became a wolf in all other ways except that?

And would it matter in the long run? Would it make any damn difference to my relationship with Aiden?

Probably not.

Frustration stirred, and I wished—not for the first damn time—that there was someone we could ask about it all. But unless Monty’s book on the earth magic came through with some sort of information, we were very much in the dark as to where all this might end.

It’s entirely possible that only time will answer any of your questions,Belle commented.

And time is taking entirely too damn long to do so, I grouched. I may well lose him before she motivates herself.

According to Katie, that’ll happen anyway. The question that lingers, however, is whether the break will be permanent. Right now, I’ve a feeling fate is undecided.

I don’t feel inclined to trust my future to the whims of fate, thank you very much.

She laughed. It’s not like you’ve any other choice.

That’s a truth I have no desire to acknowledge right now. I scrubbed a hand through my hair, snagging several knots in the process. I need to grab a shower and some food, so I might be a little late getting into the café—

There’s no need for you to be here today, she cut in. Rest up and come in tomorrow. We’ve been slow all week anyway. Besides, given the shit that happened yesterday, the rangers will probably need you at full strength.

I groaned. I take it we have another murder?

Yes, but Aiden will no doubt fill you in. After you ride that man senseless, of course.

I grinned. Sounds like the perfect plan to me. Catch you tomorrow.

Indeed.

I tossed off the sheet and climbed to my feet. Aside from the slight pinching of skin across my shoulder blade where the silver shard had dug in, there were no lingering aches or pain from the caravan blast. The bruising—which had promised to be spectacular—was also very absent. I might not be able to shift shape, but my healing capacity was almost wolf strong these days.

I padded into the shower and washed the days of grime and sweat away. My hair was a mess, and it took a fair bit of conditioner and a whole lot of swearing to detangle it. By the time I’d finished and stepped out, the soft whistle of a kettle and the sizzle of frying bacon told me Aiden had returned and was now making breakfast.

I pulled on a T-shirt but didn’t bother with anything else, and padded barefoot down the stairs. The warmth in the air sharpened as I neared the ground floor, and the rich scents of frying bacon and musky male filled every breath. Hunger flicked through me, and I wasn’t entirely sure which scent it was responding to more.

Aiden was busy flipping eggs, but glanced up as I jumped down the last couple of steps and strode toward him. His gaze skimmed me and came up hot and heavy. Hunger strengthened, and this time there was no doubt as to its cause.

“Morning,” I said cheerfully. “Hope there’s plenty of that bacon cooking, because I’m famished.”

His grin was decidedly wicked. “And not just for bacon, from the smell of things.”

“Well, no, but I do have my priorities, and you, Ranger, sadly come second to bacon and eggs.”

He shook his head, though his woebegone expression was somewhat spoiled by the sexy glint in his eyes. “And a sad state of affairs that is, too. I’m not sure how I’ll ever get over it.”

I laughed, wrapped a hand around his neck, and pulled him into a kiss that was as hot and needy as I felt. A low rumble rose up his throat, and desire surged—a warm and delicious wave that had tiny beads of sweat dancing delightedly across my skin. I briefly—and seriously—reconsidered my priorities, but a loud grumble from my stomach soon put paid to the idea.

“That,” Aiden murmured, his breath warm against my lips, “sounds like I’d better put on more bacon.”

I laughed and moved around him to make the coffee. “How’s your brother?”

“Not fully out of the woods just yet, but at least recovering, thanks to you.” His amusement fell away. “Honestly, Liz, my family—”

“Owes me nothing.” I shrugged as I reached for a coffee filter. “It was Katie’s doing, not mine or Belle’s. We were just her conduits.”

“Maybe, but we both know the toll it takes on you and Belle.” He hesitated. “I also owe you a personal and very deep apology.”

I frowned at him. “What for?”

“For all but dragging you into the ICU. For giving you little choice when you’d just survived a dangerous rollover and were wet, tired, and undoubtedly sore.”

“It’s fine, Aiden.”

“No, it’s not. At the very least, I should have asked.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “Do you honestly think Katie would have allowed me to walk out of that hospital without helping Dillon?”

Confusion touched his expression. “How on earth would she stop you? She’s a spirit.”

“One who controls wild magic … and wild magic resides in my soul.”

“Does that mean she could control you if she wanted?”

“In all honesty, I don’t know. Nor do I honestly believe she’d have forced me, but …” I shrugged. “Spirit or not, she is a wolf, and family is absolutely everything to a wolf, is it not?”

It was a barb, even if a very gentle one, and he grimaced. “That doesn’t excuse our behavior. At all.”

“I’m fine, Aiden.” I paused and frowned. “Why isn’t Dillon out of the woods? By forcing his shape shift, shouldn’t his body have healed all his wounds?”

“Normally, yes, but his legs were so badly smashed that the shift—while it saved his life—only partially reset his legs.” His eyes were clouded with worry. “He’s already had one surgery to reset his right leg in the hope that another shift will knit the bone in the correct position, but they can’t guarantee it’ll work. He may be left with a permanent limp.”

“Better a limp than death.”

“I guess.”

My eyebrows rose. “What the hell does that mean?”

He hesitated. “To a wolf, running with the pack is everything. It’s a time of deep bonding—a reaffirmation, if you wish, to family and pack. To be unable to participate—” He sucked in a breath and released it slowly. “It will affect his future when it comes to mate possibilities.”

I snorted. “Any woman who discounts a man because he has a limp isn’t fucking worth the time of day.”

“Yes, but that does not alter the fact that there are some who will always judge him—and treat him as less—because of it. But enough of Dillon.” His gaze skimmed me again, this time more critically. “Are you truly okay?”

“More than okay, to be honest.”

He raised an eyebrow, seeming to sense there was something more to that answer. “Does that include the silver wound you forgot to tell me about?”

I gave him the look. The one that said “don’t be dumb.” He raised his hands. “Okay, stupid comment. But that doesn’t negate the question.”

“Yes, it does. And before you ask, I can’t tell you why I’m suddenly reacting to silver—especially when it isn’t all encompassing. I can still handle both my knife and my athame without problems.” I hesitated. “What I can say is that not only are my senses sharpening, but I’m now healing far faster than I should. For example, I should be sporting a colorful array of fading bruises right now, and I’m not.”

“Bruises? From the explosion?”

I nodded and glanced at him. “Jaz did tell you about that, didn’t she?”

“Yes, but she didn’t say you’d been hurt.”

“I guess she figured it wasn’t her place, especially given everything else you had going on.” I shrugged again and decided to change the subject. If we continued down that particular path, we’d end up at the whole “I’m not a wolf and will never be pack” discussion and I wasn’t quite ready for that yet. “When I was talking to Belle just before, she mentioned there’d been another murder.”

He nodded, though the brief flicker of relief that crossed his expression suggested he also wasn’t ready for the confrontation we both knew was coming. “Hale Letts. At least this time it wasn’t accompanied by an explosive attempt to get rid of evidence.”

“Maybe because, in the process of trying to defuse that first bomb, I think I exposed my presence to the killer.” I shrugged. “Maybe they’ve decided not to waste magical energy on a spell that could be used to trace them.”

His gaze cut sharply to mine. “Why would you think the killer is aware of your presence?”

“My rollover wasn’t an accident. I was forced off the road by a bolt of magical energy that appeared to come from the same entity I sensed up near the caravan.”

“What?”

“Yeah.” The coffee machine started spluttering. I concentrated on it rather than the man whose concerned anger washed over me in waves.

“Why on earth would it be targeting you? And why didn’t you mention it to Jaz?”

“Because I don’t believe the explosion was aimed at me. And it’s not like you and I have had any time to talk.”

“No.” He drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. It was a somewhat frustrated sound. “If the rollover was an attempt to get rid of you, it might be wise if you stayed out of the investigation.”

I snorted and switched cups to fill the second. “And how will that help? This thing is clearly aware of my presence and is intent on nullifying me. What makes you think I’ll be any safer on the sidelines?”

“Misplaced hope?”

I grinned. “At least you recognize it as such.”

He started plating up our meal. I picked up both cups, walked around the counter, and sat on one of the stools. “Have you made an ID on the van victim?”

“There was nothing left of him to hang an ID onto—not even teeth. But Jason Martin owned the caravan, and we believe the body was his. According to his parents, he’d been living there for the last two months after losing his job and his rental.”

“Did he have any connection to the second victim?”

“Initial forensics suggests Hale might actually be the first victim.” Aiden slid a filled plate across the counter, then handed me a knife and fork. “But no connection that’s immediately obvious.”

He moved around to sit on the stool beside me. His leg brushed mine and sent my pulse rate skittering again. The small smile that tugged at his lips suggested he was well aware of my current state of hypersensitivity where he was concerned.

I pulled my leg away a fraction to allow concentration on the food rather than the man.

“Any theories?” I asked in between mouthfuls. To say I was famished would be the understatement of the year. It was probably just as well he’d also readied a stack of toast.

“Not at this point. Jason wasn’t local—his parents live in Bendigo. The second victim was born and raised here.”

“Either of them wolf?”

“No.” He shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time something nasty has stepped into this reservation to hunt for the hell of it.”

“No, but if it was here to do nothing more than hunt, why go after me? Why bring attention to itself like that?”

“You ask that like you expect me to have an answer.”

His voice was wry, and a smile tugged my lips. “Well, you usually do.”

“Maybe they’re as attracted to your luscious body as I am.”

“Attracting evil’s attention isn’t something I want, thanks very much.”

And we both know there’s more between us than mere attraction. But I kept that thought well and truly to myself. He’d admitted he cared for me—deeply cared—but that was all he was willing to admit, now or probably ever. I had to accept that, like it or not.

And I certainly didn’t.

With a little more force than necessary, I swished my bacon through the yolk then shoved it into my mouth. “Has Monty come up with any theories as to what we might be dealing with?”

He eyed me for a moment, perhaps sensing the brief flicker of anger. “Other than some sort of vampire? No. I believe he and Belle have been searching through her books to see if they can find anything.”

I grunted. “Hopefully that’ll work.”

“It has in the past.”

Which didn’t mean it would continue to do so. The library was extensive, but I suspected there were far more evil entities out there than anyone knew. “What about our SUV? Has it been found yet?”

He grimaced. “Yes, and it’s a write-off.”

“I suspected it would be.” I reached for a bit of toast and slathered it with butter. “That’s not going to make the council happy.”

“They’ve nevertheless ordered you a new one.” He shrugged. “You could write off a hundred vehicles, and it wouldn’t make the slightest impact on the reservation’s finances.”

“How full the reservation’s coffers might be has no relation to how pissed off they become over constantly having to replace my vehicles.”

He waved his fork at my plate. “How about you concentrate on the rest of that rather than talking. You haven’t eaten anything for three days—I’m amazed you even had the strength to bounce down the stairs so damn energetically.”

“Oh, I have the strength to do much more than just bounce down stairs,” I teased. “And if you hand over that piece of bacon sitting all uneaten and forlorn on your plate, I might just prove it later on.”

He laughed and immediately handed over the bacon. He finished relatively quickly after that, but I had several more slices of toast. Maybe I was changing into a Hobbit rather than a werewolf. I seemed to have gained a stomach that required more than one breakfast.

Eventually, I did push my plate away with a contented sigh. “That was lovely, thank you.”

“No problem at all.” He caught my hands, then tugged me off the stool and into his arms. His teeth grazed my earlobe and sent a delighted shiver through my entire body.

“And now,” he murmured, “I do believe the time has come for you to confirm your earlier statement.”

“Shall we retreat to the bedroom?”

It came out husky, and he chuckled, his breath so warm against my skin. “Why waste precious time climbing stairs when we have a luxurious rug in front of the fire?”

I raised an eyebrow, even though the rapid cadence of my heart was so damn loud it seemed to echo all around us. “The floor is hard.”

“The rug is not.”

“You’re fully dressed.”

He rose and quickly stripped off.

I let my gaze dawdle down his long, lean length and sighed in appreciation. “It’s still not the bed.”

He laughed and pulled me close. His body was warm and hard against mine, his erection fierce. “No, and that’s the whole point.”

I trailed my tongue across his chest until I found a nipple and then gently pulled it into my mouth. He shuddered, and the scent of desire—both his and mine—became so thick it was almost liquid.

“And what if someone walks by?” I murmured. “There’s a public path around the lake, after all, and you don’t believe in window coverings.”

“If there’s one truth about werewolves none of us can deny,” he said, kissing his way toward my ear, “it’s that we are all exhibitionists.”

The sweet heat of his tongue delved inside my lobe, and a helpless sound of pleasure escaped my lips. He chuckled again, a throaty sound as seductive and as arousing as his touch. He slipped his hands under my T-shirt and trailed his fingers up my stomach, setting me alight. Then his big hands cupped my breasts and lightly pushed them together, his thumbs teasing the engorged points. I groaned and squirmed, every inch of me vibrating with the hunger flowing through my veins.

“Okay,” I said breathlessly. “Rug it is.”

He laughed, lifted me up, and carried me over to the rug. Once he’d divested me of my T-shirt, he pressed me back into the thick rug and straddled my body.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down, squashing my breasts hard against his chest. I didn’t care. I simply claimed his lips and kissed him with all the urgency that surged through me. It was an urgency he shared, if the wild beating of his heart was anything to go by.

The kiss went on and on, becoming a deep exploration of heat and desire, fueling the inner flames and making me ache for his touch and his body.

Then, with a low and very sexy growl, he pulled away. “I think we need to pace ourselves. You’ve been unconscious for almost three days, remember.”

“Which also means I haven’t had sex for three days, Ranger.” I slipped a hand between us and caressed the hard length of him. “That’s almost drought territory these days.”

He laughed and pulled away. “No touching the goods just yet, young lady. Let’s explore how well you’ve recovered first.”

I sighed in a very put out sort of way. “If you insist—”

“And I do.”

I airily waved a hand to indicate my body. “Then by all means, have your wicked way with me.”

His blue eyes gleamed with hunger and need, but when his mouth once again met mine, it was little more than a brush of heat—a tingling, tantalizing promise of what was to come. Slowly, ever so slowly, he kissed his way down my neck, then lingered on my breasts, licking and nipping until I was once again shuddering and moaning in pleasure. Then he continued on down my stomach, discovering a pleasure zone I had no idea existed. Which was odd considering this was not the first time he’d explored my body in such a manner.

Then his tongue flicked across my clit, and all thought disappeared. I groaned and thrust my hips toward him, wanting more, needing more, but knowing full well he wasn’t about to fulfill the promise his tongue was making. Not yet.

He chuckled softly, his breath hot and heavy against my skin, and continued on, bringing me to the edge so very quickly. But he offered no release; instead, he claimed my mouth and kissed me until the threatening tremors subsided. Then the slow process started all over again, until desire was all-consuming and all I wanted was him inside. He didn’t comply, but this time, he didn’t withdraw, using tongue and breath to push me over that glorious edge.

The waves of my orgasm had barely eased when he thrust inside. It felt so damn good, so damn right, that I wanted to cry.

He began to move, not slowly, but fiercely, his body hot and needy against mine. The delicious, low-down pressure began to build again, fanning out in thick waves until it was a molten force that would not be denied.

He came with me, his lips capturing mine, kissing me urgently as his warmth spilled into me and his body went rigid against mine.

When I could finally breathe again, I took his face between my palms and kissed him long and slow. “I think we both needed that.”

His grin was that of a man who knew a task had been well done. “Yeah. Though I have to admit, it was a little too fast for my liking.”

I raised an eyebrow. “If that was your definition of fast, I can’t wait to see what you call slow.”

He raised a lazy eyebrow. “Shall we take this upstairs and find out?”

“I’m yours for the entire day, Ranger.”

“Then I shall certainly ensure we use the day wisely.”

And he most certainly did.

Belle was already in the kitchen doing the day’s prep when I walked in the following morning. I glanced at the clock and feigned surprise. “Did Monty kick you out of bed for snoring? It’s barely seven.”

She tossed a carrot stick at me. “As if he’d ever dare.”

I grinned and waved a hand at the full containers of cut vegetables on the counter. “You’ve obviously been here for at least an hour, so what happened?”

She grimaced. “He got a damn phone call from an old friend. She’s arriving in Melbourne this afternoon and wanted to arrange a quick catch-up.”

There was a very slight edge in her tone that had my lips twitching. “She?”

“Yes.” The terse response was accompanied by a rather brutal decapitation of a carrot.

“That wouldn’t be a smidge of jealousy in your voice, would it?”

She kept her gaze down and thoughts locked. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You do remember that I can read auras, don’t you? Because yours, right now, is a dead giveaway.”

“Fine,” she muttered. “I won’t deny there might be just a smidge of that odious emotion.”

I smiled. “A serious understatement, if you ask me.”

“And I didn’t.”

My smile grew. “So, what was it about the call that raised the green demon?”

She blew out a breath. “The familiarity. The warmth. The overly friendly natter.”

“So, basically, everything.”

“Basically.”

“Oh, Monty is going to be so pleased to hear—”

“You dare mention it, and I’ll curse your libido for the next year.” She glared at me. “And you know I can.”

I laughed. “So didn’t he suspect anything was wrong by your abrupt departure from his bed?”

“He’s a man. They tend not to notice annoyed snits. Besides, I did warn him I had to get in early today.”

“Are you going down to Melbourne to meet said friend with him?”

“Of course not. It’s not like we’re an item or anything.”

Oh, definitely not.

She glared at me, hearing the thought despite all her barriers being up.

Another laugh escaped. “And would you, if he asked?”

She hesitated, and then smiled somewhat ruefully. “To be honest, probably not. I was just caught by surprise, that’s all. It wasn’t even so much the fact a past lover was ringing him, but rather the warmth in his tone and their obvious closeness. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“Why on earth not? He is an attractive man and a rather good catch.”

“Yes, but he was never serious about anything or anyone—at least when we knew him.”

“He was utterly serious about you.”

She rolled her eyes. “We were only teenagers. But even if he was, his parents would never have allowed him to get deeply involved with a mere Sarr witch.”

While that was undoubtedly true, neither of us could say whether Monty would actually have listened to them. He might have toed the family line back then, but only up to a certain point.

“Enough about me,” Belle said. “What about you and Aiden? Did he apologize for his actions at the hospital?”

“He did, in fact.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Well, that’s encouraging.”

“I don’t see how.” I grabbed a board and a knife and tugged the large tub of peeled potatoes toward me. We had Parmentier potatoes—which were basically mini roasted spuds cooked in butter, garlic, and herbs—on the menu today, and they’d proven extremely popular in the past. “I mean, it wasn’t like Katie gave us a lot of choice either.”

“She didn’t drag you like a wet sack through hospital halls.”

“But she might have, if I’d refused to help.”

Belle shook her head. “She needs you more than you need her, remember.”

Maybe. I swept a pile of cubed potatoes into a tray and started in on the next lot. “Did you find anything in your gran’s books to suggest what we might be dealing with?”

“A couple, but the most likely one is the hone-onna.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Which is?

“A female skeleton that apparently lures men into her lair and seduces them. According to Gran’s notes, her victims often don’t discover her state until after they’ve had sex. She then drains them of their life force, until they become skeletons themselves.”

“That suggests it’s a type of energy vampire.”

She nodded. “One that can either take on or at least project the illusion of humanity.”

“Any notes on how to kill it?”

Belle shook her head. “But Monty seems to think what will kill a vampire should kill this.”

“Then he can be the one holding the stake to finish her off.”

She laughed. “I said the same thing.”

I grinned and got down to the business of finishing the potatoes. The usual breakfast crowd came through, but things quietened down after nine, which at least gave us time for some cake baking. My phone rang just after ten-thirty, the tone telling me it was Monty. My pulse rate immediately skipped into a higher gear. There could be only one reason for him to be calling right now.

I hit the answer button and said, “I thought you were supposed to be heading down to Melbourne to meet an old flame? What’s happened?”

But even as I asked the question, I knew.

“We’ve another murder on our hands,” he said, voice tight. “And this time, the victim’s kid has gone missing.”