I was overwhelmed by the torrent of emotion that was vigorously coursing through my body. Disbelief was a top runner. Not that Aidan had killed my parents, but that Reese, Ashton's best friend also believed it to be so. Reese thought the father of his best friend had deliberately killed my parents to gain Alpha status. He hadn't admitted it, but he hadn't denied it either.
I shook in Reese's arms. My brain was so clouded with emotions that I barely noticed Reese had scooped me up and was carrying me away. I didn't care where he took me - I was too exhausted to care. My skin tingled noticeably at Reese's touch, but I was too tired to analyze that as well. The past few minutes had seemed to suck all my energy from my body.
It wasn't until I felt the cool breeze of air conditioning against my overheated skin that I realized I was in a cabin. Not my own, or Connie's so I guessed it to be his. I gave the room a spare glance. I was right, it was his - the clothes he'd worn the night he and Ashton had kidnapped me lay across the back of a chair. At the thought of Ashton, my stomach and heart clenched, and I gave a low, melancholy moan.
Reese sat down on the couch and placed me on his lap, my body angled so I was facing him as much as possible without actually straddling him. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, seeking comfort, something to soothe my ragged nerves. He leaned his face against the top of my head, nestling it in my hair. His warm hands ran up my back, spreading heat there. One stayed there and the other went to my hair, stroking it and running its fingers through the loose strands of my dark black hair.
We stayed there like that for a while, not saying a word. The sounds from outside his cabin seemed hushed, faded, as though they were just outside of a world containing only me and Reese. When I stopped breathing raggedly from my sobbing, our inhales and exhales became synchronized, our bodies moving in harmony against one another. I relaxed into Reese's body, as the room grew dark. This felt right, good. Whether as my mate or not, I knew Reese would always be a part of my life.
After more long moments, Reese spoke. "I'm guessing you talked to Connie." It was a statement.
I nodded against him. "We're related, you know. Through my dad." My voice sounded dead and devoid of life but I was struggling to hold back my tears.
"Yeah, she was your dad's cousin, I think."
Another silence.
I forced myself to push my next question past my lips. "So is it true?"
Yet another silence, this one, heavier than the last. I heard Reese sigh and his hand lifted from my back. I imagined him running his hands through his hair repeatedly before I felt it come to rest once again on my back.
"That's a matter of opinion. Some people don't think the story that went public was what really happened. Some people thought it was a little suspicious."
"Okay, what about you?" I asked him. "What do you think?"
"Ainsley-"
"Don't 'Ainsley' me, Reese. I know you don't want to feel like you're betraying Ash, but these are my parents, Reese. Don't you think I deserve to know the truth?"
I heard him curse under his breath. "Yes, okay? I believe Ashton's father planned to... to kill your parents. Are you happy now?" He sighed heavily.
"No!" I cried, pulling back to look at him. I let him see the weight of the emotions I was experiencing. "Does it look like I'm happy? What am I supposed to do about this? How am I supposed to live by the orders of Damon when I know he never should have been born an heir to the Alpha position? What if I mate with Ashton?" I swung one leg over his thigh and arranged myself so I was straddling him, facing him head on. "What then, Reese? What do I do if I mate with the son of my parents' murderer?!" My last question was punctuated with silence. I could feel the tears snaking down my heated cheeks, leaving a burning trail. "What then?" I asked in a whisper.
Reese's sadness and pain over mine was palpable. It was easily visible in the depths of his eyes, the tense lines of his face. We stared at each other for long moments, my breath harsh in silence of the room. I closed my eyes; I couldn't look into his eyes any longer. In them I saw sadness, pain, confusion - lots of confusion. I felt him rest his forehead against mine, and slide his hands to my lower back.
"I'm sorry." The words were barely a whisper. I felt him speaking more than I heard him, in the soft caress of warm breath that fluttered across my face.
My only warning was the tilt of his forehead against my own before his lips brushed mine once. It was a butterfly kiss, warm and fleeting. Reese's lips stayed lightly brushing mine. "I'm so sorry." The words were a murmur across my lips before he kissed me again, fully this time. A delicious shiver went through my body and I lit up in warmth. I slid my arms to his nape, and held him against my mouth. We kissed forever, it seemed, soft, probing, exploring. When we pulled away, I stalled on opening my eyes.
When I did, Reese was looking into them. "I'm here for you," he told me softly. And I knew he was.
I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder, snuggling into that warm spot between his shoulder and his neck. "I'm tired," I mumbled. And I was. I wanted to sleep; I wanted to escape reality, if only for a few minutes. I wanted to keep myself from comparing this kiss to Cade's.
"You can sleep in my bed." Reese said. I would have protested but I was much too tired to care. He stood up with me still clinging to his neck. I wrapped my legs around his waist and his arms rested underneath my bum. As he walked me to his bedroom, I toed off my moccasins, letting them drop wherever I pleased.
As he set me down on his bed, and tucked the covers around me, I couldn't help but think that I'd been sleeping a lot lately. With a brush of a kiss from Reese across my forehead and a whisper of "Sweet dreams," I melted into a much needed sleep.
***
I woke up unceremoniously to a voice growling, "What the hell is Ainsley doing in your bed?" Oh, please tell me that's not Cade, I moaned to myself. I opened one eye and looked around. The room was dark and I knew night had fallen. Reese stood at the door to the bedroom, his back to me, his stance tense. I could just make out the shape of Cade standing on the other side of the door. I barely resisted groaning out loud.
"What do you think she's doing?" Reese growled back. I couldn't see either of their faces but I knew neither of their expressions would be pleasant.
"Well Reese, she's a female werewolf, in her heat and in your bed - what do you think I think she's going in your bed?" I couldn't believe how Cade was reacting. Actually, scratch that, I really could.
"She's sleeping," Reese spat out.
"So she couldn't sleep in her own bed? I don't care why she was there. I don't want my woman in your bed."
My eyebrows shot up. My woman? He did not just say that.
"Look, Cade-" Reese started to speak but I cut him off.
"Shut up, Cade." I snapped. I really wasn't in a good mood this evening. Did he have to be a jerk all day every day?
I flung off the covers and swung my feet over the edge of the bed. I stood and stalked over to the doorway. "Move," I said, as I came up to Reese. It came out as an order and he stepped out of my way instinctively. "You," I said, directing my words to Cade, my finger pointing to his face, "are pissing me off." I jabbed my finger into his chest. He looked vaguely surprised. "Firstly, it's none of your damned business what I'm doing in Reese's bed." A jab on the words 'none of your damned business' punctuated my seriousness. "Secondly, I am NOT," another jab, "your woman. Okay? Great."
Cade didn't seem to take a liking to my words, however. His jaw was set and his nostrils flared with every poke of my slender finger. I made to pass him but he didn't budge. I really hoped we weren't going through this again.
"In case you hadn't noticed, Cade, you're in my way. Get out of it." He arched an eyebrow. "Now." My voice lowered and I bared my teeth slightly. With an exaggerated sigh, he moved aside.
"Your Highness," he said, sarcastically, gesturing to let me pass.
"Damn straight," I muttered. As I passed him, his hands swung out and caught me on the butt. This evoked a low growl from Reese which, judging by Cade's dark chuckle was the reaction he'd wanted. "Jerk." I said, louder.
I went into the living room and picked up my dropped moccasins. I slipped them on. "They're starting the bonfire," Reese said. He and Cade had entered the living room and were watching me put on the shoes.
"Great. I'm not going."
"It's in your honour. And you have to go. It's tradition."
"Well that's just swell and all, but I'm really not in the mood."
"Ainsley, you can't not go," Cade said.
"Why not?" I asked stubbornly.
"It's like your initiation. It's when the pack officially recognizes you as a pack member."
"Fine, fine. Stupid tradition," I mumbled.
I headed for the door. "Bye."
"You're not even going to wait for us." Cade stated.
"Nope. See you there."
I closed the door to the cabin and stepped into the still humid night.
I walked back to my cabin, thinking. I knew Ashton would be at the bonfire tonight. What would I say to him when I saw him? I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, ruffling it up. I wanted to relax for the night. Maybe the bonfire was a good idea after all. Maybe it would give me a chance to relax. This could be a good thing.
I quickened my pace. Hopefully I could get to my cabin in enough time to freshen up before the bonfire. A smile flitted across my face as the night seemed to take a positive turn. The night was a beautiful one, though hot. The sky was clear and the moon stood out, a stark beauty.
Then I suddenly felt the presence of another. I was not alone. My figurative hackles rose and I slowed my step to a lingering stroll. I kept my eyes and ears alert. The slightest warning could save me.
My breath held as I stood alone in the road. Then out of the shadows stepped Ashton. Relief swept through me but caution joined it.
"Ashton," I said.
"Ainsley," he grinned. "Where are you headed?"
"My cabin," I said. I started walking again.
"Well, can I walk you?"
"No," the word came out before I could stop it. I could see him frown.
"No?" He asked "Why not?" He went to rest his hand on my shoulder.
"Don't." I said.
"What's wrong, Ainsley? Did I do something?"
"Yes. I mean no. No."
"Ainsley," he said my name as a warning.
"I know about your father. The rumors that he killed my dad." The words caused a sharp silence. I could see Ashton's eyes darken and shutter closed, blocking off any emotion.
"We need to talk."