The Road to Redemption (17 page)

He leaned into
a curve and concentrated on the joy of the ride. He sucked at moral
dilemmas. Best to just do the job he’d been given.

But which
job?
His wolf asked.
Helping Kane save his family life? Or
helping Sam save her home?

They rode in
silence, the noise of the engines preventing conversation. Damien
followed Sam’s lead as they wove through the streets and onto the
open highway. The wind tugged at his clothing and pulled at his
hair. He leaned lower, the engine throbbing beneath him. Scenery
whipped past, mere blurs of green and grey and brown. Speed had
always seemed freeing to him, blowing away his concerns, and that’s
what he needed right now. He gunned his engine and shot past Sam. A
moment later, she was beside him, shooting a look his way, before
inching ahead. For a while they battled against each other before
settling for riding tandem. As they neared their destination, they
slowed and then, as one, swung into the first nature preserve on
their list for the night.

Sam brushed
her hair back from her face and grinned at him. “Good ride.”

He nodded,
taking in the picture of her. For some reason, he found the sight
of such a tiny woman astride a big motorcycle sexy as hell. Her
eyes sparkled, a light flush of excitement stained her cheeks. It
was good to see her like this. Sam was usually all business, which
was odd for someone so young. She needed more fun in her life, he
decided, thinking of his own youth. Did she ever cut loose and do
something crazy for the hell of it?

She swung off
her Harley and hung her helmet on the handles, her features
assuming their usual ‘all business’ expression. “You go left, I’ll
head right. Meet back here in an hour.”

“Sounds like a
plan.” He watched her shift and disappear from sight among the
trees. His own wolf urged him to follow her. “She doesn’t need our
protection, boy.” It was a hard fact to swallow. For most of his
adult life he’d been in the role of protector, saviour even. But
Sam was more of an equal. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about
that.

Giving his
head a shake, he changed forms and padded off into the wooded area.
For all that the nature preserve was considered part of Chicago, it
was easy to forget that a bustling city lay beyond its borders. The
trees where thick, undergrowth abounded and evidence of wildlife
was everywhere. Squirrels chattered in annoyance at his appearance
and the faint rustling of grass let him know that rabbits had
sensed his presence. Not many predators were in the area, though a
fox had passed through recently. Most definitely no signs of a wolf
nor was the telltale scent of lilacs to be found either.

No, Dante
loved his creature comforts too much to spend his time holed up in
a den. Of course, he couldn’t tell Sam that. Instead, he spent his
time exploring, allowing his wolf some freedom before eventually
circling back to the appointed meeting spot.

He arrived
early and took out a water bottle, chugging the contents. The moon
was rising, no longer full as it had been a week ago, but still
large enough to illuminate the small clearing and reflect on the
tiny lake they’d parked beside. It was a hot evening, the air humid
and sticky and he eyed the water longingly. Deciding he had enough
time, he stripped down.

The dry fall
grass pricked at his bare feet only to be replaced by the damp soil
of the shore as he made his way to the water’s edge. Frogs and
insects chirped from the reeds while an owl hooted in a distant
tree. He savoured the moment, allowing it to seep into him and ease
the tension from his body. Slowly, he waded in, the water lapping
about his legs, cool and refreshing. Taking a deep breath, he sank
beneath the surface.

Sam returned
to the clearing and was immediately drawn by the sound of splashing
coming from the water. She approached the edge, noted Damien’s pile
of clothing on the ground and grinned. Her temporary Beta was
skinny-dipping.

The surface of
the water broke and Damien appeared. Moisture glistened on his
broad chest and dripped down his belly, darkening the arrow of body
hair that disappeared intriguingly into the water’s surface. He
raised his hands to sluice the water from his face.

“Naked Lycan
in the moonlight.” She called out the words and he turned to look
at her.

“What?”

“Naked Lycan
in the moonlight. That’s what I’d call a picture of you right
now.”

“Are you
insane?” He brushed the hair from his eyes.

“No more than
usual. Enjoying yourself?”

“Yep. You
should give it a try.” He leaned back and floated in place, a glint
in his eye.

She cocked her
head considering his suggestion. They should continue on with the
patrol but the implicit dare he’d issued stirred something within
her.

He’s
challenging our courage
, her wolf declared, pacing back and
forth as it eyed the male who stood a few feet away.
Backing
down is unacceptable.

Sam grabbed
the lower edge of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Next she
sat down and tugged off her high-heeled boots before standing to
shimmy out of her jeans. Only when she moved her hands to the front
fastening of her bra, did she pause. It was black with a lace edge.
She loved sexy underwear and wondered if it surprised him or not. A
glance at his face showed his eyes were fixed on it. The fact that
she had his attention pleased her. She bit back her smile and
raised a brow instead. “You gonna watch?”

“You want me
to?”

Did she? Her
inner wolf said yes. She shrugged and undid the front fastening
keeping her eyes locked on his face. As her breasts were revealed
to him, his eyes appeared to darken and she was sure the rise and
fall of his chest quickened.

She stepped
close to the shore, all too aware of the gentle sway of her
breasts, the way the humid night air caressed her naked skin.
Knowing he was looking at her caused her own breathing to quicken
and her nipples pebbled with excitement.

Without
warning, Damien dove beneath the water.

For a split
second, she was startled by his move and then laughed. His dare had
left her feeling uncharacteristically light-hearted. Skimming off
her panties, she ran into the water and was decently covered by the
time he resurfaced near her.

“Didn’t think
I’d do it?” She taunted him while pushing her wet hair back from
her face.

“I guess I
should have known better.”

“Uh huh.”

His gaze swept
over her and she resisted the instinctive move to cover herself
with her hands. She knew he couldn’t see anything important.
Without her boots, the difference in their heights was emphasized.
While the water lapped at his ribcage, it covered all but the upper
slopes of her chest. Still, it gave her a curious thrill to think
they were both naked and mere feet away from each other.

He cocked his
head to the side. “Do you accept every challenge that comes your
way?”

“Most. Unless
they’re crack-head stupid.”

“And stripping
in front of me isn’t?”

“No. Not
really.” She looked away, took a deep breath and then stared
directly into his eyes. “I like you, Damien.”

The smile left
his face, but she continued on.

“You’re a lot
like me. You don’t take crap. You’re tough and a good fighter. I
can match wits with you, make a wisecrack and you have a comeback
for it. Plus…” She flicked a glance over his chest and gave a
crooked smile, “you’re hot.”

He huffed a
laugh. “Thanks.”

“Any time.”
She paused and wet her lips before broaching the next hurdle. “I
know you were mated and that she’s dead. It must be difficult.”

“Yeah.” He
looked away. A closed look had come over his face, but she didn’t
let that deter her.

“But you have
to move on. Life doesn’t stop.”

She watched as
his muscles tightened and his jaw jutted. “And what do you know
about that?”

Staring down
at the water’s surface, she moved her hand gently, causing a ripple
to extend out in ever-growing rings. “My father never got along
with my grandfather. They were two very different people. He left
the pack as soon as he was old enough, moved west and married my
mother. When I was four, we returned here.” She made a wry face. “I
was quite a shock to my grandfather.”

“He didn’t
know he had a grandchild?” Damien glanced her way.

“He knew about
me. Just not about my background.” She made another ripple and
watched how it lapped and curved about Damien’s lower ribcage.

“What do you
mean?”

“My eyes.
They’re violet.”

“And…?”

“It’s usually
a sign of having Fae or witch in your background.” She sighed.
“Somewhere in my mother’s pedigree, there was the proverbial ‘black
sheep’ and it showed up in me.”

“My mate was
part Fae.”

“Really?” Sam
looked at him with interest. “Cool. I don’t have enough tainted
blood in my system to qualify me for any extra abilities.”

“It’s not
tainted blood. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that!” Anger laced
his voice and he stepped closer, brushing his hand over her cheek
in a comforting gesture, before resting it on her shoulder.

“I know. It’s
just an expression I’ve heard.”

“A filthy
one.”

“Probably.”
She paused to gather her thoughts. Damien’s thumb was stroking her
shoulder ever so lightly, the heat from his palm emphasized by the
coolness of the water lapping against her arm. She doubted he even
realized what he was doing, but it felt good so she made no comment
on his actions in the hope he’d continue. Clearing her throat, she
spoke. “Soon after we got here my father died. He slipped and fell
in front of the train.”

“I’m
sorry.”

She nodded and
stared off into the distance. “I was with him and saw the whole
thing. One minute we were standing there and the next…someone
brushed past us and he fell into the path of the train just as it
was arriving. There was no time for the engineer to stop.”

“What about
your mother? Was she there?”

“No, but she
moved away soon after. I don’t think my grandfather made her feel
very welcome given that she’d contaminated the blood line. I visit
her every few years, but we’ve not much in common. There’s too much
of my grandfather in me, I guess.”

She placed her
hand on his chest. “So, you see? I know about loss and pain and
moving on.”

“Sam, I…”

“It’s okay. I
just want you to know where I stand. I’m interested in you,
Damien.” She reached up and kissed him briefly on the cheek. “And I
might not let you forget it.” Unexpectedly she reached low and
pinched his hip before jumping back.

She laughed at
his expression and then returned to her Alpha mode.

“We’ve wasted
enough time. Five minutes to swim then we’re back on patrol.”

Damien watched
her turn and strike out along the shore. Their conversation had
been unexpected to say the least and had revealed a new side to Sam
Harper. She was interested in him. Not shocking news given the way
she’d kissed him in the cellar. And her life hadn’t been an easy
one. He frowned, thinking they had more in common than he’d
expected.

Kane watched Jacob pedal around the patio on his
tricycle, his little legs pumping as fast as they could go. There
was such a look of determination on the boy’s face that he couldn’t
help but smile with pride.

“He’ll make a
fine Alpha one day.”

“Does being an
Alpha have to be his goal?” Elise frowned at him from the other
side of the table. They were seated on the patio outside the
kitchen supposedly enjoying a ‘family’ breakfast, but Elise was in
a mood for some reason.

“What’s wrong
with wanting him to be an Alpha?”

“Well, he
could be a doctor or an accountant. Something that would allow him
some time with his family.”

That
again. “I’m spending time with the family. We’re eating together.”
Kane gestured at the table between them. It was laden with waffles,
bacon and orange juice. A pot of hot coffee was within arm’s reach
and bowls of cereal for the children were ready.

“Right. You’ve
had two phone calls and answered four text messages since we sat
down.”

“I tried to
keep them brief.”

She ignored
him and continued on with her theme. “And last night, you promised
me you’d get up with Leah if she was teething.”

“She didn’t
cry once all night.” He glanced at his daughter who was seated in
her highchair. Her cheeks were a telltale pink and she drooled as
she chewed on a hard biscuit, but he hadn’t heard her once during
the night. Reaching over, he tapped her nose and she giggled giving
him a still toothless smile.

“Ha! That’s
because you didn’t come to bed until after three in the morning.
She was screaming for hours before I finally got her settled.”

He winced.
With the office door shut and a set of ear buds in, he hadn’t heard
a thing. “Sorry. I got caught up researching legal precedents and
didn’t realize how late it was.”

“And they were
more important than your promise to me and your daughter?”

He clamped his
mouth shut and counted to ten. “Elise, I said I was sorry. I know
you’re tired.” His own eyes were gritty from lack of sleep, but he
wasn’t harping away.

“Damn…er…darned right.” Elise shot a glance at Jacob who had an
annoying habit of picking up every inappropriate word he heard. She
continued in a low voice. “She’s been up almost every night since
we got back from Stump River. I’m exhausted, Kane. I’m at work all
day. The restaurant’s a disaster with half of it under construction
and plaster dust everywhere. Then, when I get home, the children
want all my time and—”