Kane (7 page)

Two giant balloons were attached to a long,
high-walled basket, with two fires that kept the air hot enough to
keep them airborne under the openings of the balloons. A raised
area in the back gave the pilot a view of the whole thing, and
levers stuck up from the floor around his feet to steer the rudders
attached to the outside of the basket. Hopefully, the steering
system worked as advertised. They reached an altitude that made him
gulp and sped toward their destination.

He looked over at Calista again and grunted
when she scowled at him. He’d expected her anger. Hell, she was
angry with him at least half the time. What he hadn’t expected was
her silence. She’d gone quiet earlier when Mathias stopped her from
leaving and brought her back into the house, and had stayed quiet
except the few words before they boarded. She hadn’t yelled or
screamed or cried. Well, he didn’t really expect her to cry, did
he?

Except he couldn’t get the image of her tears
when he’d made love to her earlier out of his mind. He’d never seen
her cry, never seen her soft and delicate. And then the way she’d
settled across his chest and slept…well, a man could get used to
that real fast.

But there was no sign of that woman now. He
found himself torn between pride and anger. Pride that she was
strong enough to pull it together under one hell of a lot of
stress--finding her sister, getting in the air, and dealing with
his true identity. Angry because she had so totally, completely
tuned him out. Her behavior made it clear she thought she’d be
walking away from him when this was over.
Like hell she
will
.

He was surprised at how complicated she’d
turned out to be. The image she’d always shown him was simple and
straightforward. That was obviously a charade, a shell she showed
the world. He watched her now, sitting near the side of the ship,
her back ramrod straight. She radiated tension and anger, but every
now and then she glanced over and he saw something else in her
eyes. Maybe a little fear but he suspected she’d quickly conquered
it. Uncertainty for sure. Another new twist to the woman he was
learning he couldn’t live without.

Another new twist to his own personality too,
because he wanted to smooth away her confusion, wanted to offer his
body up in sacrifice to work off her anger. He’d never felt such an
urge before, never needed to offer comfort before.
Do not fall
in love with this woman, Kane. Take her as a mate but keep your
damned heart out of it.
He had a sinking feeling in is gut it
was too late for that.

When he couldn’t take her silence any longer,
he walked over and sat down beside her. She glanced over at him,
her expression closed and quickly turned her gaze back to the wall
before her. He sighed. Mathias and Sebastian hovered nearby and he
grinned, wondering if they still believed they needed to protect
him from her.

“You got an estimate on how long the silent
treatment is going to last?”

She shrugged, not responding.

“I’m trying to figure out what you’re so
irate about. I mean, there are so many things to pick from,” he
said half sarcastic, half joking, trying to draw her out.

Her lips curled up in a small tight smile. It
was some progress at least.

“I joined the Branch ten years ago,” he
admitted, deciding to do the unthinkable and open himself up
completely, though he cursed himself all the while. “Twenty-three
years old and thought I knew everything. Thought I was
indestructible.” He sighed. No response, not even a flicker of her
eyelids. “My father…I thought he was ruining the pack, letting it
slide into decline, and I made myself not care, found something
else to put my energy into.”

She looked over at him, but stayed silent. At
least she was listening. He heaved a deep breath.

“He died five years ago, but I was so wrapped
up in my own shit, so convinced by then that I didn’t care about
the pack, I was no better than him.”

She looked back to the road. “The bounty
hunting was a cover?”

His heart sped up, but he kept his face
still. She was finally talking. “Yes.”

She nodded. “Makes sense.”

He was irritated when she fell silent. This
was the first real conversation they’d ever had, and it was all
one-sided.

“What about your father?” he prodded.

She sighed then frowned at him. “He had
wanderlust. A perfect candidate for the Branch.”

So who was her complaint with? Her father for
dying on her or Special Branch for giving him the opportunity?
Probably both. He thought he knew her well enough she’d consider it
a co-conspiracy. He slanted a look at her, the pinched look around
her eyes, the white-knuckled grip on her knees. And maybe an
abandonment? Did she expect the same from him? He should tell her
he was leaving the Branch, but it felt like bribery. He wanted her
to come to him no matter what he was doing with his life. Was that
too much to ask? Under the circumstances, maybe. And that was a
dilemma, wasn’t it? Because even after he left the Branch, life
wasn’t going to be easy or safe. Not for him or her or anyone they
cared about.

The silence stretched several minutes. “I was
seventeen when they died. Father had taught us, Rheana and I, how
to shoot, how to fight. He thought we should know how to defend
ourselves when he was gone.”

He had a hard time containing his relief when
she spoke. Her voice trembled at the end. He resisted the urge to
reach over and offer comfort afraid she’d go quiet again.

“Phin was the one who told us. He tried to
recruit us right on the spot. No words of comfort, no words of
sympathy or remorse. Just join the cause.” She paused, her face
twisting in the parody of smile when she met his gaze. “We told him
no, of course. But we had to find a way to bring in some money.
Izzy was much too young and Rheana’s too soft.”

He laughed. He couldn’t help himself. Rheana,
soft? She had the sharpest tongue he’d ever encountered.

Calista shook her head and this time her
smile was real. “We’ve both toughened up quite a bit over the
years, but she’s still too soft to do what I do.”

He kept his opinion to himself. She was
wearing blinders where her sister was concerned.

“Anyway, I took my first bounty. Kyle
Frampton.” She grinned at the memory.

He fought the bile rising in his throat. He’d
known she was the one who brought in Frampton, a cold-blooded
killer and rapist, but he hadn’t realized she was only seventeen
when she did it. He wondered how he was going to get her to
quit.

“Have you ever thought about doing something
else?”

She snorted. “Like what? Can you see me as a
maid or secretary? The only alternative is to marry a rich man and
be idle. And in that case I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with
myself all day.”

He had an idea or two, but kept them to
himself. She probably wouldn’t appreciate them right now. But
continuing to work as a bounty hunter after becoming the Alpha’s
mate was out of the question. How to work around to that?
Thankfully, she saved him the trouble.

“You’re thinking you can make me quit, aren’t
you?”

He heaved a sigh, one-part relief and
one-part exasperation. Her tone made it clear she was determined to
fight him. He decided to go at the problem sideways.

“Under the circumstances, don’t you think
it’s better if you stay close to home? What if this happened while
you were gone?”

Pressing her lips together, she groaned, the
sound so low human ears wouldn’t have picked it up.

“Oh, hell,” she muttered. “I’ll come up with
something. I can’t not work.”

“You won’t have to work, and believe me I
have plenty to keep you busy.”

She turned and glared at him. “I told you I
wouldn’t agree to this mate thing.”

He shrugged. “You’re going to give in
eventually, Calista. We’ve been building up to this for a long
time.” He lowered his voice and brushed up against her, knowing
Mathias and Sebastian would hear anyway, but not caring.

“After last night, you really think you can
hold out? Wouldn’t it be better just to give in? I, for one, will
be damned glad not to get pushed out of your bed in the middle of
the night.”

She paled, ground her teeth together and
stared straight ahead. He leaned over and kissed her temple. Soft,
gentle, just enough contact to feel the racing of her heart, the
sharp inhalation of breath.

“I liked you sleeping in my arms,” he
whispered, curious when her heart stuttered and then resumed a
rapid thumping. Her scent was not one of desire, but fear. Why did
sleeping with him scare her? The sex sure as hell didn’t. Did she
think it made her vulnerable? “Why does that scare you?”

She didn’t answer, just shook her head and
kept her gaze forward.

“I’ll get it out of you eventually,” he
added.

She remained silent, and he didn’t push her.
They flew for several hours eventually landing at dusk near New
Town. Phin had telegraphed ahead to make arrangements. They had
rooms for the night and horses. They left before sun up the next
morning and entered the Outlaw Territories before noon, a place
that rode a fine line between law and renegade, and everyone’s
guard went up. They found a secluded spot on the side of the road
and stopped long enough for Sebastian to dismount and strip.
Calista’s eyes widened when he shifted, wonder filled her gaze when
the huge weretiger disappeared into the woods. He’d scout out ahead
of them and warn them of any trouble further down the road.

“Isn’t it unusual to have different types of
shape shifters in one pack? In other cities its wolves or cats or
whatever.”

He shrugged. “New Atlanta is a special case,
you know that. It’s almost a frontier town. People come to us to
escape or hide or start over.”

“Hmm,” she responded, noncommittally.
“Dangerous. Aren’t you afraid someone will try to take it from
you?”

He slanted a questioning gaze at her. Had she
heard the rumors he might be challenged? That the pack was not as
secure in his grasp as it should have been? “Newcomers swear an
oath, and all weres in the city swear an oath when they reach
maturity.”

“So the rumor I heard at O’Malley’s last week
is false?”

He turned his head to see her watching him,
intent, focused. Worry flitted across her face, and he grinned. She
may have been fighting him all the way, but that meant she cared
didn’t it? “Worried about me, darlin’?”

Her eyes narrowed. Maybe at being called out,
but more likely at his evasion of the question. “Are you avoiding
the question?”

“Am I?”

She sighed, and there was a tinge of sadness
to her voice. “You make my point for me about the whole mate thing.
I could never have a husband that kept such important things from
me.”

Damn. He really didn’t want to get into all
this pack stuff now. She had enough to deal with.

“Someone might try.” Determination made his
voice hard, clipped.

Shock lit her eyes at the answer, then a
tentative smile stretched her lips. Her tongue darted out to
moisten them, and he suppressed a groan, his cock hardening at the
sight. Shifting awkwardly in the saddle, he willed the erection
away. That kind of thing could do permanent damage. She noticed his
discomfort and jerked her gaze back to the road.

“Good. I’d hate for something to happen to
you.”

He grinned. “So you’re finally coming
around?”

She shook her head. “The Branch…that’s not
something I can live with. Sorry.”

He should tell her, explain that he was
leaving and staying in the city to straighten out his pack. But he
held back. Why? He wanted her to accept him no matter what he did,
yes. But there was something more, a part of him that was afraid
he’d be giving up too much control. And control was the most
important thing in his life. He needed her to come to him no matter
his circumstances, and he hated that need, hated that his need for
her was already slipping from just physical to something else
entirely. So he said nothing, struggled to shut himself down and
remember Sebastian’s buried mate.

They rode in silence until night fell, when
the weretiger stepped into the road and signaled them to follow. He
led them to a small cave a few yards in the woods and shifted back
into human shape. Kane walked in and looked around. The ceiling was
high enough he could stand, but it wasn’t very big, about twenty
feet wide and thirty feet deep. At least it was uninhabited and
would give them shelter if the gathering rain clouds let loose.

Sebastian and Mathias took the horses,
getting them unsaddled, fed and watered while he and Calista
searched the bags for food. It would be dried beef and biscuits.
They didn’t dare risk a fire for something more palatable this far
south of the city.

After they ate, the other two weres spoke
softly with him before grabbing a couple of bedrolls and heading
outside.

“Where are they going?” Calista asked.

“Keeping guard,” he answered, pausing before
adding, “and giving us privacy.”

She snorted and opened the bedroll with a
flick of her wrist, letting it settle to the ground. “No need for
that.”

Her implication was clear, and he was glad
she couldn’t see his relieved expression in the dark cave. She
spoke with her usual caustic tone, not the rage from this morning.
He picked up the other bedroll and approached her, staying quiet so
as not to alert her and caught her hips in his grip before she
could sit down. A gasp caught in her throat, and she shoved a hand
against his chest.

“Don’t sneak up me like that.”

He pulled her forward, lowering his lips to
her neck. “Yes, ma’am,” he whispered, distracted by her taste, her
tantalizing scent. What was it that drew him to this woman so
strongly?