AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Body heat,” he said with a sly smile, knowing damn well it was his ploy to keep her close. “It will take Mateo and Kade a moment to get across the river, and we need to get a fire going. Until then I am going to carry you or hold you to keep us both warm.”
“That isn’t a thing.” She rolled her eyes and scoffed. Usually it would annoy the shit out of him, but he loved seeing her fire. He needed her to keep it.
“It is because I say it is, and I promised not to let you die. Now go back to being a good girl and let me take care of you.”
Flora looked up at him with a fire in her eyes that told him he could fuck right off and if he didn’t she was ready to go to war against him. Her tiny nails dug into his chest, and she raked them down his exposed skin, leaving welts in their wake. It was a cute flex, but the moment she stopped, he started to heal, and Flora left out a frustrated huff and balled her fists against him.
Draven sighed. He might have won the battle, but if he continued, he wouldn’t win the war. He lowered her gently, and the second her feet touched the ground, their fight entered round two.
Flora stumbled back from him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Just who the hell do you think you are, demanding my compliance? Do you think that just because you pair the words good and girl together and make my tummy flutter that you can say and do whatever you want?”
Draven opened his mouth to make a snide comment about how he could do more than make her tummy flutter with those words, but he thought better of it and kept the retort behind pressed lips.
Her eyes narrowed into a pointed glare, and she raged on. “I asked you to protect me. Not own me. That honor will be reserved for my mate or husband or whoever I deem worthy of the task. Which, newsflash, Draven, isn’t you.
“You made your choice. You chose pack first. And that's fine. Am I upset? Yeah, but it’s on me for not protecting my heart better when presented with the first dick that took interest in me. We have a mission to complete to help not only your pack but wolves across the world, and additionally, I’d like to ensure Emery’s safety moving forward. So if you don’t mind, keep your protective shit to yourself unless I’m about to die. And even then, just turn me and I’ll save myself.”
Draven kept his face a stone wall, unwilling to let her see the rage that simmered beneath his skin. He had no one to blame but himself. He knew he was playing with fire continuing to force his way into her presence. Into her life. But there was just something about her. It was easy to choose pack when she wasn’t around, when she wasn’t an option. He’d agreed to marry Darcy when propositioned by his father, thinking he could stomach watching Flora walk away, but the moment he was faced with Flora’s scent, her captivating presence, and her mortality, he’d yearned to take back every word he’d promised his father. Hell, if she asked, he’d probably give up his claim to his rightful place as Alpha.
Draven stilled. Shit. The thought filtered through his mind on repeat.
He’d give up his claim to Alpha for her.
The weight of that truth balled in his throat until he looked up and saw Flora studying him. Her piercing blue gaze gave him the ability to breathe again. He sucked in a steadying breath and forced himself to think clearly.
He could never utter those words out loud. It didn’t matter that they were true. His claim to lead Moon Ridge was about more than himself. It was about Mateo and Kade. It was about Donna and his parents. It was about the pups who deserved to be raised under tradition with hope for change. It was about the hybrids in hiding.
Draven couldn’t utter the truth because it would mean letting them down.
He opened his mouth to apologize, but Flora threw her hand up stopping him. “Don’t apologize. I don’t need your words. I just need to know if you can do this. Can you stand beside me so that we can ensure the future the supernatural world deserves?”
Draven nodded silently, and his heart swelled in his chest as Flora turned on her heel and stomped toward the edge of the forest. She may think she needed to be a vampire to protect herself, but she was already doing a damn fine job against him.
He kept his distance, allowing her the space to lead even though she had no idea what she was doing or where she was going. She needed the distance to cool down, and Draven didn’t mind letting her have it. Off in the distance, he could hear Mateo and Kade making their way down the river bank. He’d let her wander around a bit more before edging her back toward where they’d make camp.
At least that was the plan until Flora stopped suddenly, her body unnaturally still. The forest around her echoed her stillness with an eerie silence, one that didn’t sit well with him. She tilted her head to the side, staring at something directly in front of her.
“This is it,” she whispered.
“What is it?” he asked, stopping a fair distance behind her to continue giving her space, but concern grew in his gut.
Flora didn’t answer, and when he started toward her, her hand raised to her chest. Though he couldn’t see it from his angle, he knew she was grasping the cloth-covered stone. The hair at the nape of his neck rose and unease rolled through him. He didn’t have a good feeling about any of it. Not after what just happened with that damn stone.
Flora took a step forward, and then another until she was running toward whatever she saw.
He took off after her, running at full human speed until he saw what she was running toward. It was a cave exactly as the bartender and Callum described. Through the large opening, he could see a single moon beam that shone in the darkness of the cave. It called to him, beckoning him to bask in its glow.
His wolf howled in his chest with an excitement that was uncharacteristic for the grumpy asshole.
Draven used his vampire abilities to rush ahead of Flora and stopped in front of her, but when he searched her face he found she was no longer herself.
Her eyes had gone completely white, and she was moving at an inhumane speed straight toward him, with no intention of stopping. There was a chance he could stop her, but it wouldn’t be painless and the last thing he wanted to do was physically hurt her after all the emotional bullshit he’d put her through in the last twenty-four hours.
At the last moment, he jumped out of the way and spun to see Flora disappear into the depths of the cave.
“Fuck.” He looked over his shoulder and opened his senses to see if there was any sign of Mateo or Kade coming up behind them.
There wasn’t. They’d have no idea where they went, but he’d have to hope they were smart enough to follow the clues and find them.
