Page 41 of In Plain Sight

I headed back to the house, excited to tell Bran all about my evening.

Bran

Chapter 15

When I arrived at Cole’s, as I had for several days now, I was prepared to work hard laying the new flooring. Not only was I getting in good with Cole and Gage, but the last two nights Thomas had come by to help.

I was quickly becoming one of the guys. They trusted me to do my part and I had given them no reason to doubt I would. My plan was steadfast: continue getting close to Thomas, and now Cole too, in the hopes that one of them would someday lead me to the witch Elena so I could fulfill my mission.

With Ruby’s sudden talk of children when we had gone to dinner at her parents, I was in no rush for that “someday” to occur. I wanted as much time with my mate as I could selfishly get, but I knew the blood oath would kick in the moment I was near the witch.

Nothing could have prepared me for that moment to come now.

I received a shock as I walked in to Cole’s place only to be greeted by none other than Kyle Westin. He already knew exactly who I was, too.

“Hey, man, you must be Bran. I’m Kyle. I’m just in town to help out for a few days.”

I didn’t dare ask if his mate was with him. I had no plan of attack prepared. I had assumed if she were to come to Collier that there would be advance notice, but apparently that was not the case.

I kept my head down and listened as the men talked while we worked. I stayed quiet and let them catch up, or at least Cole, Thomas, and Kyle. Turned out Gage had yet to meet the Alpha of Westin before now, either.

With the five of us working, we knocked out more than we had completed in any given night. Kyle did not allow his status to keep him from getting his hands dirty, and by the time we agreed to call it a night, I had already begun to respect him.

If this mission was all I cared about then it was the perfect setup. There was even a chance I could get Kelsey alone, kill her quickly, and no one would ever have to know.

But I would know. That wasn’t something I could just keep from my mate. Ruby and I were bonded and if I lived long enough that bond would someday seal. When that happened, she would be privy to all my deepest, darkest secrets. She would know, and she would never forgive me.

That one thought and the pain it caused deep in my chest was the only reason I said goodbye, walked outside, stripped from my clothes, and shifted. Then I fought against the blood oath that burned through my veins and turned away from the direction it was calling me and ran home to my redheaded goddess.

The witch’s magic was strong, and it hurt, but not as much as the mere thought of destroying Ruby by my actions. I knew that should I ever come in close contact with Kelsey, things would be all the worse and harder to walk away from, but for now I shifted back, changed into my clothes, and walked into my apartment to hold my mate.

“Hey.” She greeted me at the door with a kiss.

I held her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

“You okay?” she asked.

I smiled against her neck where she bore my bond mark. I took a deep breath, inhaling her scent then blowing mine onto her neck, causing her to shiver.

“I am now.”

We didn’t go through her workout that night. Instead, I carried her straight to bed and made love to her, losing myself in my mate until all the pain had disappeared.

The next morning I awoke with a feeling of dread. Kelsey was somewhere in Collier at that very moment. I didn’t know how to avoid her or what would happen if our paths crossed. I was still working with Wyatt and we had two days left out riding the range. I said a prayer that Kelsey did not choose today to go for a horse ride.

When it was time to head back in for lunch, I made up an excuse to Wyatt and stayed out on my own contemplating my options. The oath would only grow stronger and more impatient the closer I got to Kelsey and the longer she stayed in Collier territory.

I stayed out as late as I could on the range, then headed back in with a prayer she wasn’t in the area. My prayers were answered. The blood in my veins told me she wasn’t nearby, but I could feel my mate’s presence. I made a beeline for the apartment, called Cole to apologize for not making it, and surprised Ruby with a night she would not soon forget.

I felt I was on borrowed time now and there were a few fantasies of my own I wanted to fulfill first.

The next morning my muscles ached, but I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face, and all I had to do was look at Ruby to cause a blush to spread across her cheeks, down her neck, and over her chest. It was a beautiful sight.

I went to work as usual and again stayed out when Wyatt went in for lunch. I came back a little earlier in the day, though. As I was cooling down my horse, Austin was preparing two horses for riders. My skin grew cold when I heard him mention they were for Kelsey and Kyle.

I had to get out of there, but an opening came when Austin got called away. My blood boiled and I knew I had to act quickly. I looked down, spotting a few burrs on my pants. I removed them and chose the smaller of the horses as my victim. Something told me that would be the one Kelsey rode. I felt nauseous as I loosened the saddle and placed a few of the burrs just on the underside.

I left the scene and headed straight for the apartment. Looking at the time I knew Ruby wouldn’t be home for a few more hours. Knowing Kelsey was definitely going to be in the area, I began to freak out a little.

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