Page 57 of Hayden's Haven
“I told you Anna has a treatment for that. I’m surprised you haven’t asked her about it. Is this some doctor pride thing? I mean, is there a rivalry going on here between you two that I haven’t picked up on? It’s been hard to get a read, because quite frankly anytime I go near Anna lately, she heads the other way.”
“We get along great, actually. And she’s going to help me with an idea I have for the vaccine. She agrees it looks promising. We make a great team, and I’m lucky to be working with her.”
Hayden visibly relaxed. Her shifter was very tense, even after what they’d done on the counter.
“That’s good. For a while there I wasn’t sure if she’d snub you because of me.” His eyes shot up. “Not that I think Anna’s the type to snub, far from it. She’s a wonderful woman. I totally admire her. Poor word choice on my part, nothing more. I just meant—”
Mila put her hand over his lips. Hayden was worried how his pack was treating her, because he had never been treated well, except by a few. From what he had been telling her and what she’s seen of late, he was having trouble with them too. First Blade and now Damien.
The one thing she had admired most about Damien and his pack was how he had made Hayden his second, how the two shifters held one another in such high esteem and were so loyal to one another, despite their differences, despite Hayden’s history, a history that caused most of the pack to hate him. Hayden clearly had enough stress right now.
“The virus doesn’t always simply damage the bridge, Hayden. Sometimes it destroys it.” Mila’s stomach turned over at the blatant lie. Better this lie than the truth. He’d change his mind about the blood-bond now.
“Destroys. . .” His face fell, as if she had ripped out his heart.
“I’ll understand if you.. if you don’t want to have anything to do with me. You deserve to be able to blood-bond someone, to let your wolf run with your mate.”
There wasn’t any hesitation in Hayden as he stepped forward. “I’ve seen the mistakes my friends have made in the past few months, pushing the ones they love away for one reason or another when it comes to the damn blood-bond, Mila. And I’ve seen how they’ve suffered, trying to save the one they love instead of working together. That’s not what I want for us. I don’t care if you’ve lost your shifter abilities, that we can’t blood-bond. I don’t need the blood-bond to tell me what is right. I mean to have you in my life, my bed, and for more than a few nights. Years, my Mila, decades, until there’s no life left in my body. Do you understand me?”
Mila couldn’t help the shaking that surged through her body. Hayden pulled her in close, as she cried. He wanted honesty, trust, commitment from her, all of which he was entitled to, yet none of which she could give.
* * *
HAYDEN
Mila had shut down again. Something was bothering her, and it wasn’t sex this time, he was sure of it. Based on their discussion, the best he could figure it was the blood-bond itself. He had to admit, the fact that they wouldn’t be able to blood-bond, that she no longer had a bridge that could be repaired, that was a shock. . . a blow that he hadn’t reacted well to at all. At that moment he had sworn he’d smelled wolf in her too, but it was nothing more than his imagination. There’d be no meeting her wolf, let alone blood-bonding, and that was simply a fact he’d have to accept.
Despite how sincere he had been when he said he wanted her no matter what, she thought she was a disappointment to him, or that she would be. He had meant what he said, every word of it, but how the hell was he going to prove that to her?
“You’re awfully quiet today,” Frank said the moment they shifted to human form and removed their clothes from packs they’d slung over their wolves’ backs. They had a half mile until they reached the heart of Liam’s territory. A patrol should have met them by now. It was as good a place as any to dress so he wouldn’t have to walk into camp naked. Liam tried to keep the nudity to a minimum.
“Why are you even here, Frank?” Hayden shoved his jeans on and pulled his sweater over his head. Damn, it smelled like Mila. He had stopped by Aloe’s to say goodbye. He had woken her. From the look of her, she had been up late, long after he had sat with her by the fireplace. They hadn’t talked much the night before, but she had let him hold her. That’s how he wanted to spend his evening from now on, with her in his arms. Or in his bed. He wouldn’t turn that down. He just wanted to be with her.
“Damien thought you could use the company.”
“Company my ass. He doesn’t trust me.”
Frank put a large hand on his chest, halting him. “Strong words coming from you, Hayden. Especially about Damien. What’s going on with you?”
“I make this trip between our packs all the time and suddenly Damien’s saddling me with a babysitter.”
“Care to rephrase that?” Frank said.
There was no mistaking the bones moving beneath Frank’s skin. He had pissed the guard off, which was rather ironic because it took a lot to piss off Frank.
“I wasn’t ordered here,” Frank added as he crossed his arms over his massive chest.
“Nice to see you had a choice. I was ordered to let you accompany me.”
“I’m starting to see why Damien asked me to. You’re looking for a fight.”
Was he? Probably. Going up against Frank wouldn’t solve anything, though admittedly he could get away with pounding Frank—or getting poundedbyFrank. A fight could go either way and fighting Frank was still preferable to going up against Damien. As distracted as Hayden was at the moment, he would be sure to lose against Damien. Frank probably, too.
“I don’t know what I want,” Hayden admitted. “And if you think it would help me get my head on straight, swing away.”
Frank held up his fist, signaling ‘freeze’. Hayden caught the scent a second later. By the time they shifted and ran it was too late. They’d been surrounded by two dozen, heavily armed U.S. soldiers.
* * *
