Enemies in Love [High-Country Shifters 4] (9 page)

“Fine.” He turned his back to her. He thought that if he didn’t see her, the pain in his groin would disappear. It didn’t work. Her scent was driving him crazy. Her delicate fingers pressed here and there, and images of having her hands on his body for real jolted him. He growled and turned around. “Enough.”

Instead of pulling away, she leaned in closer. “What’s wrong, wolf man?” She giggled.

That was the endearment she used when she was six. He wanted to pick her up and toss her in the river, like he’d done so many times that one wonderful summer.

A hand waved in front of his face. “Where did you go?”

Her look of concern convinced him this woman was a witch. “To bed. Excuse me.” He pushed back on his chair and stood. His legs gave way, and he immediately returned to the seat.

Henla’s hand clamped down on his bicep. “Are you all right?”

He would not be treated like a weak woman. Drawing on all his strength, he stood again. Concentrating, he placed one foot in front of the other until he was out of their sight. His palms plastered against the wall for support. He made it to his bedroom, closed the door, and then shifted. At least when in animal form, he could be more immune to the only woman who’d ever gotten under his skin.

Henla paced the kitchen. “I’m worried.” Jude rubbed her shoulder and the familiar tingles chased one another down her body.

“He’ll be fine. I know him. He gets this way when he’s healing. Give him two days, and you won’t even know he’d been injured.”

She was glad that wolves healed as quickly as lions. If the current state of his wounds were any indication, he did. “Do wolves ever come and bother you two?”

He stepped closer and her pulse raced. “Sometimes, but let’s talk about something more pleasant, like your willingness to stay here for a while. We could really use your expertise in helping us grow food.”

Her heart plummeted. If he’d stopped after his first comment, she might have given it some thought. She tried to laugh off his statement, but the air got stuck in her throat. “Hoeing and planting two days a week at home are enough for me.”

He pulled her into a big hug, and she almost gave in. Having someone as wonderful as Jude in her life would be a dream come true, but since Sella moved to Spirit, she and Rein had taken turns running the shoe store. Who would run it if she left?

She leaned back. “Maybe I should leave. Kranor is getting better.”

He nuzzled her neck. It was almost as if he could sense her hesitation and wanted to sway her. “Don’t go.” He clasped both of her hands in his and stood back up. “There’s no telling what he’ll do with you gone. He’ll probably go out and try to pick a fight.”

She laughed. “I might not read minds, but I know you’re fibbing.”

“Only partially.”

Okay, that was the truth.
Damn
. “Two days, you said?”

He grinned. “Two days, tops. Kranor wants to escort you home. He’ll want to stop by and see Taryn and Kellum anyway and say hi to your mom.”

Her body stiffened. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea to go underground with thousands of lion shifters roaming about.”

“Even with you there?”

She shook her head. “But if my brothers join us, it might be all right. People seeing you all together would know you’re not a threat.”

“I thought we were heroes.”

She’d forgotten about that. “That’s true. Okay.” She smiled and the tension in her body disappeared. Sitting around for two days wasn’t her style, and being out of practice like she was, her pussy could only take so much sex. “Do you think you could show me around town?”

While there were no outward signs of his body tensing, the internal turmoil slammed into her like she’d ran into a wall.

“You felt that?” His brows pinched.

He led her backward and she sat on the bench lining the wall. “Yes.” If an animal was injured, she could sense its distress, but with shifters, most of her psychic ability disappeared.

He swiped a hand over his mouth. “I know this sounds weird, but I’ve never had any female read me like you have. It’s almost like our thoughts are connected.”

“I know. I swear I hear bits and pieces of your thoughts, too, but I can’t hear sentences. Sometimes it’s like you’re trying to send me words that are in a different language.”

Heavy footsteps sounded. When she looked up, Kranor was fully dressed. His shoulders were slightly forward, and from the fact he winced every few seconds, he was anything but fine.

Jude glared at him. Next thing she knew, he went out the door. She’d been about to ask what that was about but stopped. She knew. “He’s going for a walk?”

Jude grinned. “Come here, my little interpreter.” He pulled her onto his lap, and she’d never felt happier.

* * * *

Over the next two days while Kranor’s strength returned, she and Jude had worked in the garden, prepared meals, and made love. It was as if she was in some kind of fantasyland where she got to live in a world where everything was wonderful. She knew full well that both men would have to go about their business once she left, but even getting away from the constant demands put on her by family, friends, and her business made being here nice.

Loneliness would be an issue, as would living here with Kranor since she wanted both men. Every time Kranor walked into the room, the sexual tension nearly strangled her. On the few occasions she dared to glance at his crotch, she could almost see his cock get hard. However, if she pretended to check his wounds, he put up a wall so tight no one could breach it. She wanted a man like Jude, who was open and easy.

“You ready?” The icy two words from Kranor convinced her he was good to go.

“Yes.”

Kranor picked up her pack and slung it over his shoulder. If she hadn’t seen the wounds herself, no one would have been able to tell that he’d nearly died. Had it not been for the doctor, he might have.

Jude came in from outside. “It looks good.”

She didn’t ask what that was about. She knew. Jude wanted to make sure there weren’t any pack wolves nearby waiting to pounce. Jude had said they’d like nothing better than to get back at Kranor by hurting someone he cared about. There was no use trying to tell him that it would be Jude who would be crushed if she was injured, not Kranor.

Jude had already packed water and some food for the ten-mile hike back into lion territory. While she did have a portable phone, she’d foolishly left it sitting on her dresser at home. They’d have to stop by Taryn and Kellum’s place first anyway if they wanted to go underground. Lara and the baby would be there if her brothers weren’t. She bet Jude would love to see the infant.

The moment she stepped outside, the warm day greeted her, but her heart turned heavy. Jude, who seemed to know every feeling she had, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leaned down, and kissed the top of her head. She was going to miss them. They might only live a short distance away, but the dangers that separated them were vast.

Kranor kept up a fast pace. It was almost like he was trying to either run from the demons coursing through his body, or he couldn’t wait to get rid of her. She didn’t like either scenario. Sure, it was dangerous to be traveling here, but that couldn’t be helped. Going during the daylight made it easier to spot other wolves.

Hell, wolves showed up even when she was in lion territory. She just wished they all could have gotten along. Surprisingly, the trip back seemed to go by quickly. Maybe it was because she didn’t want her time with them to end.

When they passed the communal garden, Taryn and Kellum appeared. They both rushed over to them, and each gave Kranor a friendly hug.

“Knew you were too tough to kill.”

He laughed, a sound that nearly weakened her knees. It was something she hadn’t heard in days. With her brothers, the chip on his shoulder seemed to disappear. What she wouldn’t give to have him be so free with her again.

“It’ll take a couple of lions to finish me off.” Kranor puffed out his chest.

She stepped in between them. “Okay. Enough of the testosterone-laden bragging.” She faced her brothers. “Kranor wants to see Mom and Dad again. Do you think you could act as an escort?”

Kellum cocked a brow. The silent conversation only lasted seconds. “Sure.”

Even though she was with two of the most powerful men in lion territory, she feared she’d be stared at. While her men were every bit as handsome as her brothers, and looked rather similar, except for their darker hair, everyone would know they were enemies, or at least think they were.

Thank goodness her brothers didn’t seem to care they were about to take two wolves into a hostile environment. Kranor at least had been to the underground as a kid. He was probably one of the few wolves who even know how to access the outer door. If he let that information slip, there would be trouble.

Cool air met them as soon as they descended to the tram platform. There were three people waiting to get on. The two women kept their gazes averted, but the tension rolling off the male’s shoulders was significant. She glanced at Jude, who seemed oblivious to what was going on. He was looking at everything, from the walls to the tracks on the ground.

“This is really cool—literally and figuratively. I wish we had something like this.”

She had to pull on his arm to get him to stop looking around and get in the tram. She thought one of her brothers would have insisted they sit at the end of the car, but neither one did. Instead, he motioned she sit across from the door. It was almost as if he was daring someone to challenge Kranor’s and Jude’s presence in the lions’ sacred underground.

With each stop, the tram became more crowded. If they’d had more time, she would have loved to show them the shop, but that would only prolong the pain of separation. More people glanced their way. The expression of concern on each of their faces pained her. She wanted to shout at all the lions and tell them to mind their own business. At least no one dared to make a scene. While she’d never heard of a fight breaking out on the tram, there always was a first time. Despite Kranor still not back to one-hundred-percent strength, if any of the lion shifters took on these four, someone would die.

Mercifully, their stop appeared, and she couldn’t wait to get off and into her home. The reception would be a good one, she was sure.

“Wow. This is amazing.” Jude wasn’t able to walk in a straight line for all his gazing.

She tugged on his arm again. “Can’t you feel the need to hurry?” He couldn’t be oblivious to the fact this was hostile territory for him.

He smiled down at her. “The only time to worry is when there is cause. Look for trouble and it will find you.”

“Like in that wolf bar? Were you looking for trouble then?”

Kranor must have been listening for he looked back and lowered his gaze. She figured that was a yes.

They rushed up the steps to her house and went in.

“Mom? Dad?” Taryn tore through the house.

Noise came from the living room. They had company. A loud roar reverberated off the walls.
Skelak
. One of her two brothers must have silenced the person because when they stepped into the room, all were in their human form.

She recognized two men from the government who most certainly wouldn’t understand that these men were friends. The silence that greeted them chilled her. Fortunately, her experienced mother strode over to Kranor and gave him a hug.

She then held him out at arm’s length. “Let me take a good look at you, boy.” Somehow he let her mother examine him. “I’d say my daughter patched you up real good.”

She was about to say it was the doctor’s medicine that had done the trick, but Jude warned her to keep quiet. How he’d warned her had scared her even more. She’d read his mind.

The two elders stood. “We need to go.”

A low sound came out of her father’s chest as a warning to the men. “Stay and share a drink. These men saved Cavon and Malik from certain death.”

The two men stood and pulled back their shoulders, but even with the added inch that caused, they were a good five inches shorter than either her brothers or Kranor and Jude. Saying nothing, they stomped out and left, their disgust clear. The dismissal hurt. The testimony of how her men had saved two lions should have swayed them, as well as the fact that her two brothers had brought them here, but clearly their hatred ran too deep. To them, all wolves were bad.

“I’m sorry.” She would have given each a hug, but right now they didn’t seem receptive.

Kranor slipped off her pack, and his face softened for a moment. “Thank you.”

Then as if he and Jude had already made the decision to leave right away, he nodded to her brothers who seemed to understand.

Her mother stepped forward. “Don’t be a stranger, boys. Not all lions are full of distrust.”

Even a three-year-old could have detected that lie. Henla stepped forward to give the man she’d fallen in love with a hug. When she crossed that line, she didn’t know, but she and Jude were so much alike it was almost frightening. He was a wonderful man, one she would surely miss. She loved Kranor, too, but in a different way. Unless he could give of himself and open his heart, her love could never bloom.