September 9 | Before Daybreak
The lights were out, although we had fallen asleep with them on. For a second, I was disoriented until I heard Mys' quiet snores. It surprised me that I hadn't already left; I wanted to stay. Not least of all because the cozy flat could have been ripped from the pages of a design magazine. It was trendy, immaculate, comfortable.
I tried to move, and my body ached in a friendly reminder of what we had done. I had flashbacks of Aurie and Mys together. Why that had been such a turn-on, I would probably never know.
I tugged the cool white sheet over my naked body and lay there. A drowsy smile touched my lips until reality set in. Darcy Cyprian had given Aurie mere days to decide whether or not she would be his sex slave. He had talked such a good game that she had considered it.
We had to find a safehouse he didn't know, and we had to transport her without rousing his suspicions. Because Cyprian wouldn't take no for an answer. He had already been more patient than I had ever seen him. I didn't want to think of what would happen when that patience ran out.
He doesn't know about the cabin on the North Shore. Pondering that, I turned over and tried to get back to sleep before one worry snowballed into another. But my mother came to mind, and the thought left an empty hole inside. I couldn't think of my family without being reminded I was alone.
Alone and destined to destroy myself if Cyprian had his way. I tried to picture how lunacy would affect me. I had struggled to remain sane ever since renouncing the title of Alpha.
Some days had been harder than others. (There was a tightly capped bottle of mood stabilizers back at my townhouse.) But I knew the normal loose handle on control I battled would be ten times worse as a rogue with an idle mind.
Would I turn on the humans and draw the ire of Hunters? Or would I clash with other werewolves and get sentenced to death by the Council? Perhaps I would run the forests with the wolves that had never been men.
My greatest fear was hurting someone I cared about. I had kept everyone at arm's length, even my partner. Now? Now, a serious mistake had been made. Regardless of the careless fantasies voiced half in jest, I had never intended to take things this far. Up to the last minute, I had hoped I could avoid sex with Aurie and Mys and play voyeur. Crazy.
Pondering this, I sat up in bed and glanced at them laying in a wonderful jumble. The notion to stay faded. I had to put distance—emotional distance— between us to keep them safe.
My throat tightened, burning as I slipped from the bed and grabbed my jeans. Aurie wasn't asleep. She turned to watch me. Her yawn and stretch managed to trigger my libido, even after the satisfying night we'd had. "What time is it?" she asked.
I caressed her cheek. "It's not morning."
She sat up. "Sneaking off?"
"Shh..." I pointed my chin at Mys and put a finger to her lips.
Aurie shimmied out of bed. She grabbed a throw, wrapping it around her nubile form, and she beckoned me to follow. In the cool, white light of the bathroom, she sat on the edge of the tub while I leaned against the closed door.
"What's the problem?" she asked.
"Nothing. I'm heading home to plan how to move you. I have a cabin—"
"No, I'm done running from Darcy Cyprian," she said as she crossed her arms.
"Humor me. I need to keep busy," I replied.
"You 'need' to keep busy?" By her face, I could tell the phrasing meant something to her. "Darcy mentioned rogues deteriorate without work. Was he telling the truth?"
"Depends on what he said," I hedged.
She wrapped the throw tighter and studied me with worried brown eyes. "That it was touch-and-go for wolves to be on their own, especially without keeping busy. The way he described it, the Council watches rogues so closely because they tend to go feral and...kill."
"Hmm. Well, we have a solid team now. I'll coordinate with Kittie and Tegan about talking to the other victims. In the meantime, I want to get you out of the city. If I become a threat to anyone, I'll take myself out of the equation."
Aurie rose from the tub and approached me. "After everything you guys have done to keep me safe and sound, I know we can help you. Don't shut us out," she murmured, lacing our hands together.
"I wish it was that simple, but there's no escaping my nature. Wolves need a pack to stay in check...and, unfortunately, I don't have one."
"Mys and I can be your pack."
I couldn't hide the smile that crept to my lips, but I shook my head. "If you run with me as I deteriorate, you'll suffer from my bad decisions. I think I've already messed up by sleeping with you two."
"Are you kidding me?" She yipped with a grin. I covered her mouth and glanced out the door at Mys, undisturbed. Aurie tugged my hand down and rolled her eyes playfully. "What happened between us wasn't a mistake. It was enthusiastically consented to sex.'"
"I...accept that. Long as it doesn't happen again."
She pulled a face. "So, you're sneaking off in the night like a Tinder date gone wrong?"
"I don't want to send the wrong message."
"Which is?" She arched a brow.
I leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. "That I'm a Tinder date gone right. See you in the morning. We'll talk about that cabin in the woods."
Dragging her feet in facetious reluctance, she led me from the bathroom. I finished dressing and headed out of the flat. I knew it was the smart move, irrespective of her disappointment. Lurking in the shadows was someone reporting to Cyprian—I could all but smell them—and the last thing the vampire needed to hear was that I had stayed the night.