Blood Bond (34 page)

“Funny how even the stuff we hate about
home, we can still miss.”

“Are you thinking about anywhere specific?”
I asked, straightening and drying my hands on my shorts.

“Monroe, North Carolina. It’s a small town
near Fort Bragg,” he said.

“Like the military base?”

“My dad’s family was army. Five
generations.”

“As in human army? But I thought they were
Hunters.”

“They are. They were. Doesn’t mean you can’t
kill the old-fashioned way. Human war is just as good as Werewolf
war. And when Werewolf war time is slow …” He smiled wryly. “I told
you before, I’m a soldier.” Despite the smile, shadows framed his
expression.

“You’re whoever you want to be, Alex. You’re
not your father.”

His eyes clouded. “Yeah, I know that.”

“Is that why you think you’re like them? You
want war?”

“Don’t you?” he asked. Fire laced his words,
not just passion, but anger.

“No. I don’t know.”

“Something in you wants to fight. I can see
it. It’s one of the things I first noticed about you.”

“The question is, what are we fighting
for?”

“No, that’s
your
question. You’re
bent on protecting the innocent, taking up a cause. Some of us
don’t care nearly as much about the reason behind the
bloodshed.”

“Are you referring to Steppe or yourself?”
My temper flared, heating my neck and rising into my cheeks. He was
purposely baiting me and I couldn’t figure out why.

“Do you remember what I asked you in
Nevada?” he asked.

“What?” The question threw me off
balance.

He strode up, his long legs eating up the
ground between us. He leaned down, his breath a warm puff against
my face. “When you told us about your metal immunity, do you
remember what I said?” His tone was impatient.

“You asked me what I was going to do about
it.”

“I know you don’t want to be involved,” he
said quietly, “but sooner or later, you’re going to have to pick a
side.”

“So will you,” I shot back.

“I thought my presence here made that
clear.” All I could do was stare back at him. He was right, of
course, but I couldn’t help but feel this entire conversation had
gone completely askew. “My choice surprises you?”

“Well … yeah.”

“My purpose is to protect humans from
Werewolves. Steppe kills innocent people for the fun of it. There’s
a difference. I’m not completely evil, Tara.”

“I know that,” I said. Of course there was a
difference. A huge one. “Damn, you make me angry on purpose, and
then I can’t think straight, and you win the argument.”

He grinned, setting me further off balance
with the abruptness of the gesture and the butterflies it caused. I
hated that grin—because I loved it.

“Why are you smiling?” I snapped. He was
still standing way too close and I couldn’t breathe.

“Because you’re half-naked and angry and
your boyfriend would kill me if he could see us right now. I’m
enjoying the look on his face while I imagine it.”

I punched him in the stomach, hard enough to
let him know he wasn’t funny. Then I stomped up the trail. “Time to
go,” I called over my shoulder. When I was far enough ahead that he
couldn’t see it, I smiled.

Alex gave me at least a quarter of a mile
head start before he yelled, “Race you!”

“You’re on!” I yelled back—only because I
was hoping if I left him far enough behind, he’d get lost and I’d
win by default.

No such luck.

Somewhere around the two-mile mark, he
passed me. By that point, I was too winded to talk smack. He knew
it too, because he winked as he passed. The irritation propelled
me, but it wasn’t enough. He was waiting in the gazebo when I broke
through the trees.

“You cheated,” I said.

“How did I cheat?” he asked. He stepped off
the gazebo and followed me across the yard.

“I don’t know.” I hung my head between my
knees, sucking air and staring at the toes of his shoes. “You just
did.”

He laughed. “You’re out of shape. Two weeks
out of school and you’re worthless. You know what this means,
right?”

I groaned. “No, we are not doing this every
day.”

“Yup. Every single one until you can at
least keep up.”

“Alex … I’m warning you. I will kick you if
you make me run.”

His brow went up, but he didn’t look nearly
worried enough. “You’d have to catch me first, chief.”

That did it. I charged.

We hit the grass at the same time, him on
his back and me on my stomach. I tried holding him still with my
arm but he wriggled away. Like a snake. I caught his ankle when he
wasn’t expecting it. He flopped back on the ground and I threw
myself over him, trying desperately to get a grip on him before he
escaped.

“This part of training doesn’t start until
tomorrow,” he said between blocks.

His torso shook with silent laughter until
he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Hearing it made me struggle
harder. I landed a fist in his gut and he growled. His movements
changed from defensive to offensive. Within seconds, he had me
pinned underneath him. His hands held mine above my head and he
straddled my torso.

“Get off me,” I said.

Alex grinned.

“Tara? The others are …” My mother’s voice
went from neutral, to confused, to decidedly pissed before it
trailed off. I stilled. Alex rose and dusted his hands off, looking
completely at ease and innocent. I, on the other hand …

“Just finishing some offensive moves,” Alex
said.

I got to my feet, thankful the flush from my
run covered the heat rising in my cheeks.

“Riiight,” she said. She didn’t sound
convinced but she didn’t argue. Her lips pressed together in a
tight line, and I realized why she’d let it go.

George stood behind her—with Wes.

My mother looked from Wes to Alex and back
to me with a smirk. “I’ll be inside if you need me,” she said, way
too cheerfully.

No one said anything as she walked inside.
Alex wandered away to retrieve his bottle of water, as if the
tension weren’t thick enough to cut with a knife.

I watched Wes. “When did you get back?” I
asked.

“Just now.” His eyes flickered to Alex and
then back. “Are you going to hug me or what?” I hurried forward. At
first, he held me stiffly, his posture rod straight, but then his
arms relaxed and the embrace turned familiar. “Missed you,” he
whispered in my ear.

“Missed you too,” I whispered back. “Oh.” I
pulled away. “But I’m sweaty. Alex and I just got back from a
run.”

Wes gave Alex a sharp look. Tension—it took
me a moment to realize it came from George, from the bond—pulled
taut. I held my breath, waiting, and Wes broke into a smile and
swooped down, planting a kiss on my mouth.

“Didn’t bother you last time,” he said, his
words full of innuendo, and I knew none of it was for my benefit. I
sighed and let it go.

“George,” I said, turning to him. The
tension in the bond dissolved into happiness.

“Hi, Tay.” He pulled me into his arms and
lifted me off the ground. I laughed, enjoying the uninterrupted
relief at seeing him whole again. No twitching, no feet tapping, no
yellow eyes. He was more himself than I’d seen him in weeks. It
made our entire trip worth it, all of the fear and lying and
sneaking—none of it mattered, seeing him like this.

“I’m glad you’re back,” I said. “I was
worried.”

“You couldn’t feel that I was all right?” he
asked. “I felt you the whole time.”

“I could, I just … it’s not the same as
seeing you.” Something in my gut twisted when I tried putting my
paranoia into words. Ever since the bond had formed, worry hovered
like a cloud, threatening to consume me. Astor’s story haunted me.
If something ever happened to him, especially now … I couldn’t live
with that. “Some of it is still hard to read.”

He frowned. “Are you sure you’re not still
fighting it? Because I read you loud and clear.” His eyes flickered
to Alex, then Wes. I didn’t bother checking to see if they’d seen
it. I knew they had from the way George stiffened, how the
connection between us filled with tension.

“I’ll work on it,” I mumbled. I grabbed
Wes’s hand and pulled him away.

“Where are you going?” Alex called.
“Training isn’t over.”

“Lunch break,” I called back. “I have my
rights. There are labor laws, you know.”

I felt, rather than heard, George’s
laughter. Maybe he was right; maybe I had been fighting it.

I chose a path that led back toward the
creek where Alex and I had run. I could’ve gone inside, probably
could’ve used a shower, but I wasn’t so sure my mom would’ve
approved of my break from training any more than Alex had. The
woods were easier. Calmer. Quieter.

“Where are we going?” Wes asked.

“Away,” I said. I slowed our pace but kept
his hand. He didn’t resist, but his hand felt stiff. “I thought you
weren’t getting back until tonight.”

“George has a lead foot. It was all I could
do to keep up.”

“And Cord and Logan?”

“Logan and Victoria stayed behind to hang
with Astor. We decided it’s the best place to hide Victoria for
now. Cord’s driving to DC to check on her friend.”

“The girl you went to see? The one who
disappeared?” I asked.

“Yeah. She’s going to ask around, maybe
check with the girl’s family and see if anyone’s seen her. I think
she’s worried about foul play.”

“You don’t sound very bothered by it.”

He stopped walking and turned me to face
him. “I was more concerned with being here. Seeing you. After you
left … I saw what that headache did to you. Are you sure you’re all
right?” he asked.

Concern washed his features, just as deeply
as it had when the pain had been present. I remembered the
terrified look on his face when I’d managed to squint up at him
through the pain, and felt horrible for putting him through it—for
putting myself through it. All because I hadn’t wanted to accept
what was happening.

“I’m fine. George didn’t explain it to you?”
I asked.

“He did, some. I just … I needed to make
sure, to hear it from you. Your phone’s off.”

“My mother killed it.” His brows shot up, so
I went on. “She and Grandma made me explain.”

“Explain what?”

“Everything.”

His expression indicated he caught my full
meaning. “The night in the woods? The hybrids?”

I nodded. “The hybrids.”

“How’d they take it?”

“As expected. My mom cried, then grounded me
for life. They’ve made me a schedule to train with Alex for my
Hunter side and Jack for my wolf. They want me to learn to control
it, I guess. Apparently, he and my mom have been hanging out so she
can catch up on everything she’s missed in the past seventeen
years.”

“I know.”

“What?”

“The day Bailey …” His eyes clouded and he
blinked it away. “I read it in Fee’s mind when I asked her about
Jack. He was here.”

Vaguely, I remembered a silent exchange
between the two of them. “Speaking of Fee, how much trouble are we
in for leaving?”

“Derek told her the basics.” He grimaced. “I
have kitchen duty for a month. You’re welcome.”

“For what?”

“I told her it was all my idea. She’s
punishing me for both of us.”

I smirked. “Well, thanks. Dishwater hands
aren’t really my thing.”

His expression remained serious. “She knows
you’re shifting. They all do.”

My amusement fell away. “What did they
say?”

“Cord said you better not get fleas.”

I glared at him. “Of course she did.”

He shrugged. “They don’t care, Tara. Not in
the way you think. You’re family. Nothing will change that.”

My heart swelled. It was exactly what I
needed to hear. “They’re my family too.”

We shared a smile.

“How are you, really?” he asked.

“Much better now.” To prove it, I pushed up
onto my toes and pressed my lips to his. This was nothing like the
kiss he’d given me earlier. It was heavier, longer, deeper.
Everything I’d wanted to do since Grandma pulled me away. The
stiffness had melted off somewhere during our exchange. This was
us, Wes and me. No one else.

His arms slid around my hips, pulling me
closer. It should’ve been gross, me, sweaty and dirty. But out
here, in the woods, all it did was awaken me. I wrapped my arms
around him so tightly that he stumbled back, but I didn’t care. I
pushed harder until we sprawled on our backs, arms and legs
tangled. He started to pull away, laughing, but I didn’t let him.
Whatever had woken inside me needed this too badly.

“Tara …”

Just the sound of my name on his lips drove
me on. My thoughts were hazy. All I could think about was his mouth
on mine, his skin, his hands. I was vaguely aware of a sound being
made, something like a growl, and then froze when I realized it was
me.

“Tara,” he said again.

I sat up, breathing heavily, trying to
understand what happened. I pulled a leaf from my hair. Wes sat up
and I scrambled back a little as something else floated up from the
back of my mind. Awareness and then … embarrassment. Why did I feel
embarrassed? It was Wes, I had nothing to be—

“Oh, no,” I groaned, covering my face with
my hands.

“What is it?” His hands were instantly
there, against my back, my neck, soothing.

“The bond,” I said. It came out muffled
against my hands.

“What about it?”

“I can feel it.”

“Okayyy,” he said slowly.

He didn’t get it. I raised my head to look
at him, my expression bleak. “I can feel everything George feels,
all of his emotions,” I began. He nodded for me to go on. “Right
now, he feels embarrassed, because he feels everything I feel too.”
I waited.

His eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding
me.” I shook my head. I wished I were. “He knows what we were just
doing?”