Page 90 of Hayden's Haven
Beautiful green eyes were staring up at him. “Hi, sunshine,” he said, trying to keep his voice from cracking as he lightly caressed her bruised cheek. He had so much to tell her, and he wouldn’t have a chance. This plan of Callen’s, for as bad as it was, was all they had and they had to do it soon, before Drake returned for him.
“All those things you said back there, Hayden. . .”
“I was trying to protect you, Mila. I wish you hadn’t heard any of it. God, Mila, I thought you were dead. I was scared, really scared. I’m so sorry.”
Her smile was tentative. She didn’t believe him, not that he expected her to. He had already destroyed her trust by pushed her away when she had needed him to listen.
Mila sat up, spotted Callen, and smiled. A real smile this time, for a shifter who she understood, who hadn’t let her down, who hadn’t given her cause to question his sincerity. It took her a moment longer to orient herself as she rose and swayed a bit. Hayden and Callen both reached out to steady her. She grabbed Callen’s forearm even though Hayden had been closer.
Hayden turned away from her and walked the cabin, taking a closer look at the filth and rotting wood, but not really seeing anything. She needed space and he needed to focus on the plan.
“I heard some of what you said earlier,” Mila said. “It was Vance who kidnapped me.”
Apparently, she had been awake longer than he had realized. Which meant she had heard most of what he and Callen had discussed. And yet she pulled away from him. One look at her face told him what he needed to know. Mila didn’t hate or blame him for this situation, but she didn’t love him either. They were little more than allies now.
“Vance?” Callen asked. “Then how did you get here.”
Her lip trembled until she bit it—hard. It took her a moment to compose herself. “Vance brought me here. Loaned me to a shifter.”
Delicate hands clenched in rage as her beautiful face tightened. Hayden couldn’t help himself. He approached, and despite the fact that she backed up, he pulled her in tight. Whatever happened to her, she wasn’t alone. She’d always have him, even if he had to keep watch over her from twenty feet away. For now, at this moment, she needed to be held, and he needed to hold her.
* * *
MILA
This tension between her and Hayden was making her anxious to the point of not being able to think straight. She hated that she had listened in on the men talking, but she had to know how Hayden felt and she had her answers.
He had said all those horrible things back in the woods to save her from Drake. It was smart, and something she would have done herself had she been in his position and thought of it. But it brought up a disturbing realization. She had believed Hayden. Worse than that, she had never questioned what he had said, not for a split second had she even doubted his words, as if she was ready to believe the worst about him.
Hayden reached for her as the dizziness returned. Without thinking, Mila grabbed hold of Callen’s arm, not Hayden’s. Neither shifter missed that detail, and it showed on Hayden’s face. Surprise for one, and another emotion that was taking over, one she didn’t recognize.
Hayden had been closer, but Callen had been in the direction she had been teetering. To explain herself would seem odd, as if she owed Hayden an explanation. She didn’t. She didn’t owe him anything, and he didn’t owe her. They’d parted ways, he had been quite clear about that. Despite how much she loved him, she couldn’t make him love her. His face betrayed nothing now. He had a habit of doing that, hiding his emotions behind a mask. It was another sign that they weren’t meant to be. Mated pairs shared everything, they didn’t hide from one another.
“You said Vanceloanedyou to a shifter,” Hayden said, clearly having trouble with the concept. From what she had seen since arriving, the way women were treated here was horrific. She couldn’t imagine how Hayden had even come from such a dark place and turned out so good, so caring, but she was thankful he had. For all that went wrong between them, she was still glad he had been in her life. Hopefully, he wouldn’t push her completely away when they returned to Damien’s pack.Ifthey returned.
“Vance was heading back home, to kill Truman and take over as alpha.”
“I don’t give a shit about Vance or Truman right now,” Hayden said, moving to her in two long strides, unintentionally forcing Callen to step away from her. “I want to know who touched you here.” She had never seen Hayden this mad, except when that shifter had attacked her outside the bakery in Wyoming.
She could still feel the touch of the shifter Vance hadloanedher to, along with Vance’s words, but she couldn’t remember his name. She didn’twantto remember his name.
Hayden took her hand in his and inspected her smallest finger. “What’s wrong with your hand?”
She’d been playing with her pinkie again. “He was missing a pinkie,” she said softly. “I’d rather not talk about this.”
“Chitman,” Callen said.
“I’m going to kill him,” Hayden said, rushing to the door.
Mila rushed after Hayden and grabbed him from behind. He spun around so fast she could see, she couldfeel,the raw emotion in him. If he ran out there in this state, Drake’s men would cut him down. Callen’s plan might not be the best, but it was better than Hayden running out there full of rage.
“I told you,” she said, trying to calm her voice and hopefully calm him at the same time. “Vance already left, heading north.”
“I’ll take care of him later. First, I’m going to kill Chitman.”
“I’m confused,” she said.
“You said Chitman held you in here. The shifter without a pinkie.”
