Page 56 of Blade's Battle
Now, each time he returned to his sanctuary, the silence weighed on him. He spent more time than ever in the main part of camp, eating meals at the cookhouse, helping the shifters in maintenance with odd jobs between scouting missions, and kicking back with the same group of males at Damien’s and Tess’s.
He never lacked for company when he wanted it, but he wanted a family of his own. And the only woman he could see himself with didn’t want him.
Blade pushed the cabin door open, tossed Anna’s backpack onto his bed and pulled out an extra blanket and a pillow from the chest at the foot of the bed. “You can have the bed. The bathroom’s back there.”
“Aren’t we going to talk about it?” she asked, still standing in the doorway.
“Nothing to talk about.” He tossed his pillow onto the sofa, laid down facing inward, and pulled the blanket over his head.
Without another word, Anna shut the door. Blade was too attuned to her every move. Her first few steps—a shuffling of sorts—reminded him of her injured feet. Concern ripped through him, especially when he realized she was only feeling her way through the cabin. He’d forgotten to light a candle or two for her. Despite the moonlight pouring through the windows, she didn’t have enough light by which to see. Human. It was the reason she’d given him for not blood-bonding. It was a bunch of bullshit and he couldn’t call her on it. Frank was right. He needed to give her as much time as she needed, and Anna simply wasn’t ready for him. Blade would have to swallow his pride and his anger and deal.
A crash followed by a grunt told Blade she’d tripped over the area rug by the fireplace and then banged into the small table and chair in the kitchen before turning toward the bedroom.
Blade listened to Anna unzip her pack. A rustling of clothing followed, and he imagined her smooth breasts with their rosy peaks and wondered what she was wearing to bed if anything. Letting his imagination run was only stirring parts of him which wasnothelping him relax.
“You never answered my question,” he said, from across the cabin.
“I’m not sure what the question was. All you said was ‘why?’ Not even a ‘hello’. I guess I deserved that though, given how we parted. I didn’t exactly protest being left behind. Everything happened so fast.”
He hadn’t liked how they’d parted either, but that hadn’t been her fault. He longed to hold her. “Why are you here?” he asked abruptly, still bitter as her words to Tess played over and over in his head. “What do you need from Damien?”And why not come to me?
“I had no place else to go.” She sounded tired, beaten down.
‘Five minutes to pack,’she had said. Her backpack was fairly light. “What happened? Callen said Liam was sending you where Drake wouldn’t find you.”
“That was the plan. Liam made sure Ravirez saw me leave with Griff and Daaven in the opposite direction of you and Callen. He told me to put on a show for Ravirez, to make it clear I wouldn’t be heading toward your territory. I guess he thought it would keep Drake away from your pack. Rosa gave Liam the clippings from when she cut my hair. He had his shifters lay down some false trails using the clippings. I didn’t know he was going to do that. I didn’t even know Rosa would keep the hair.”
“I’m sure she was under orders. Liam tends to think ahead.”
“He’s smart. I never would have thought of that. Anyway, when Griff, Daaven, and I reached my home. . .” Anna released a deep breath. “There wasn’t much left. Someone trashed everything, even tore several walls down to the studs.”
“Drake?”
“I think it was the WSSO.”
“You never did tell me why they’re trying to kill you. You mentioned an activist, but nothing more.”
She didn’t answer. Anna wasn’t a liar, but she could be quite guarded with the truth. “Answer me,” Blade insisted, his tone harsher than he intended. He and his wolf were upset and having her scent in the cabin was too enticing to ignore.
“It’s done, in the past. Besides, I’m jumping to conclusions. That’s not very scientific of me. Anyone could have destroyed my house, including kids.”
Not kids. Even human kids wouldn’t be so inclined to commit that level of destruction for no reason. “You could have gone anywhere, but you came here. Why?”
“Griff and Daaven thought it would be safe to bring me here, considering my initial trail, witnesses, and well, everything, was arranged to point Drake toward Boulder.”
“They’re right.” Drake wouldn’t look for her here. Liam had played it smart, as had Callen.
“I’m sorry, Blade.” The sincerity in her voice pulled at him. “I didn’t mean to hurt you back at Liam’s pack. I wouldn’t have come here, but I need Damien’s help. Then I’ll leave, go as far as I can.”
He hated this awkwardness between them. Hated the fact that he was competing with a dead husband. But most of all, he hated that she was stuck in the past and couldn’t move on. Every now and then, he’d see a glimpse of the sorrow. Her eyes would dull and she’d frown as she pulled away from life. He’d give up everything—his shifter abilities, his position in the pack, hell, even the damn pack—if it would help her.
Her cries, muffled by a pillow, placed Blade further on edge. His wolf growled and clawed from within, setting every nerve on fire. The damn beast would tear him to shreds if he didn’t figure out how to put him in his place. Anna could calm him, but that meant getting near her, touching her, except she didn’t want him. She didn’twanthim.
“Do I scare you, Anna?”
“What?” her voice peaked high, but she quickly followed through with a resounding, “No, you don’t scare me in the least.”
“Repulse you?”
