Chapter 15
Watching him leave hurt. That was her doing, though. Savon wanted Nate badly, but she needed to be sure that love was still there. Too terrified to analyze what she felt, she pushed emotions aside and got ready for the day.
By the time she was showered and downstairs, Nate came back in jeans and a T-shirt. Since being back, she’d only seen him once in casual clothes. Usually he dressed as if he was coming or going to work. Slacks, dress shirt, all of which he filled out well, but she liked the more casual look.
“No knocking?” she asked, her brow arched.
“Didn’t think you’d mind me making you breakfast, especially since Bran invited himself over.”
Her arms crossed over her chest. “You two are planning my day without me?”
Nate moved to her and took her face in his hands. “No, but maybe this morning. You want answers, and well, Bran can help with that. Besides, he could have told you at any time you two didn’t share a father.”
She dropped her head. “It’s a wonder why my brother doesn’t hate me. He probably should.”
“No one who knows you can ever truly hate you.”
“That’s not true. A lot has changed, Nate. You need to know about the last twelve years.”
“One important fact about mate bonds—it wouldn’t happen if we weren’t meant for each other.”
“Bullshit, Nate. I’ve seen them go badly. It’s rare, but things change.” She pulled away, moving to the kitchen, unprepared to deal with messy emotions. Besides, Jay believed they could share one. She believed it, but she was losing the battle to resist Nate.
Cooking it was. She needed to focus on something else.
“I’ve never seen one go wrong,” Nate answered.
She rubbed at her head. “It’s rare, but it does happen.” She opened the fridge and started to pull stuff out for a sausage and pepper scramble.
“I was going to do that, since you hadn’t planned on having us.”
“It’s my house, Nate. You don’t get to come in and take over.”
“Don’t want to. Thought I’d help.”
“You were going to make breakfast without me.”
“You were sleeping. Didn’t want to wake you.” He moved closer. “Let me help, please.”
“Since you asked so nicely, sure.” She nodded to the cabinet. “Grab a frying pan.”
“Got it.”
The heat of his body closed in and she spun. His hands landed on either side of her against the counter. She was lost in his eyes.
“Relax,” he murmured. “You’re nervous, and I don’t know why. This is me. You can’t tell me you don’t know me.”
She let out a sad laugh. “People change. It’s been twelve years. You’re a surgeon now. I remember a geeky jock with a soft spot for the space cadet.”
“Not just a soft spot. And sure, we grew up. You’re still you with a few new facets. I know you feel our connection every time I get close.”
She did, and it scared the hell out of her. What if it was reflexive memory? Or maybe chemical attraction?
Nate let out a soft, frustrated growl. “Sorry, shit. It’s hard to resist being close to you. Even my beast calms in your presence. I don’t think I’ve ever been so relaxed since the change. But he’s not pushing for more. He just wants to curl up at your feet.”
Wrapping her arms around him, she leaned into him. His heat chased away some of the fear, same way it always did. Her arguments dried up.
He enveloped her in his embrace, laying his cheek against hers. A sigh left his lips. “Just need your body against mine. Give me this and I’ll be content to wait forever.”
The dam broke and tears flowed down her face. What was she holding onto? Why did she need to put distance between them? He was every fucking thing she’d ever wanted and was torn away from her.
“Missed you,” she whispered.
“Stop running, then.”
“First, tell me something. Why didn’t you tell me no Jay?”
He chuckled. “I can’t imagine you ever putting up with him.”
“You knew I’d choose you?”
He looked into her eyes, and she felt his emotion through the words. “No, but I wasn’t going to stop chasing you until you convinced me you felt nothing. And I know you feel something for me.”
“Breakfast,” she whispered, desperate to clear her head.
“I should have told your brother to stay home.” He pushed away and smiled as he dropped his head. “I need to get through to you, Savon.”
“You are.” She couldn’t stop her wall from crumbling.
Turning back, she went to work.
* * * *
Bastard stayed the night and didn’t sleep with her? The same jackass he caught fucking his sister a dozen times when they were kids. Shit, the things he’d seen.
A shudder rocked through Bran as he picked up his ringing phone.
“I take it they’re working things out?” Evangeline asked.
“Nate and Savon? Shit, I don’t know. He slept with her, but didn’t sleep with her.”
“Why the hell not?”
Bran snorted. “My sister’s idea, I’m sure. Nate would never push if she said no. I don’t envy his blue balls. No one is as stubborn as my sister.”
“That so?”
“Oh, it’s so. Think you can skip testing her? It’s my fault she was so pissed off when she first came back. I hoped she’d see him and remember how good it was. There’s a piece of the puzzle I’m missing, though. I don’t know what, but I plan to find out.”
Evangeline huffed. “I don’t blame her. Twelve years of having him in her head, not knowing he was really there, would fuck with anyone. Besides, Savon and I share a few old friends. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“What old friends?”
Evangeline laughed. “The Fae who awakened her. Don’t ask, trust me, you don’t want to know. And some Others.”
Bran blinked slowly, thinking through the few hints. “Why are you sharing this with me?”
She sighed. “Because you clearly don’t understand how a woman’s head works.”
“She’s not just any woman.” Neither was Evangeline. Evangeline was an intelligent, beautiful woman. And he felt like a bastard because he’d wanted her since the first time he laid eyes on her. He never acted because he was already with Margaret, the love of his life.
Evangeline spent most of her time in New York where her parents lived, making ignoring the attraction easy. That all changed when she moved back the previous year, a year after Killian turned him to save his life.
Bran leaned against the wall. He needed to talk to Savon, close the gap between them. Too many damned secrets, and he had no reason to keep them now. Shit, he never should have.
He smiled then. “Maybe I can work something out. I’ll bring her to the shop if I can convince her to leave the house.”
“Think she will if she’s with Nate?”
“Nate needs to fix the bastard I broke. I found Clay outside her house and beat the shit out of him. The words that came out of his mouth—he’s lucky I let him live. Right now he’s stewing in his own blood in a silver lined cell.”
Evangeline hissed, “That beast follows Jay’s lead, but I find it hard to believe he’d suggest the bastard harm her. Something more is going on.”
Bran paused. He knew there was history between Jay and Evangeline, though she wouldn’t speak of it. She hated him, so Bran did. Besides, the bastard was always pushing buttons and boundaries. So far he stayed on the right side of the line, but he was a strong breeze from slipping over.
One day, he hoped to get the story out of her, but she avoided Bran most of the time. Though, get them in a room together and she gravitated toward him no matter how hard she fought.
Which gave him an idea. “Think you’d come to dinner over here one night soon? I’ll invite Nate and Savon. You can get to know her, see if you think they’re a good match when she’s not in the dark and pissed off.” He’d have to figure out catering because he hadn’t lied when he told Savon he was a disaster in the kitchen.
“Yeah, I would. I get it. Her pain was so damned strong the smell alone nearly floored me. She has a right to hurt. And Nate’s smart. If she’s not ready, he’s not going to push, but he isn’t giving up. I drove past her house last night. He was sitting on the porch, waiting for her to come home.”
“Yeah, she disappeared for a night. I want to know where the hell she went.”
“She’s a grown woman, Bran. She lived away from here for over a decade. I don’t think she needs a father figure.”
“She doesn’t, but I want to know the woman my sister became. She’s not the little girl who found beauty in everything. There’s more to her than the artist, though that’s still fully intact.”
“I’ll be there. Maybe she can give me a new perspective on your kind.” She hung up.
His kind. Like being a Sylvan Fae was a fucking curse. Nate clearly didn’t see it that way.
A groan left his lips. He’d hidden the attraction to Evangeline for a long ass time. And yeah, he felt guilty while Margaret was alive, and for a couple years after she passed, but he’d been a damned good husband. He still missed Margaret every day, but she wouldn’t want him to wallow in depression because she was gone. And it wasn’t like she didn’t have her own fantasies.
Didn’t matter, though. Evangeline didn’t want anything to do with him.
* * * *
Every instinct urged Nate to claim Savon, but he knew how her head worked. She needed to come to the conclusion that nothing had changed for him. Didn’t matter what changed for her, she was still the same girl who showed him how to love when his childhood was a shit storm.
Her smile brightened his dark beginnings. His father was a raging monster, but he could live with that as long as their love won in the end.
No more fuck-ups.
No more secrets.
And no more damned distance.
He wanted to eradicate any space between them until she was forced to admit she felt it too.
Savon had a handle on breakfast, so when Bran knocked, he tipped his head toward the door. “Mind if I get that?”
She looked over her shoulder and smirked. “Go for it.”
Nate greeted Bran, “Hey, about time.”
“Got an interesting call. Evangeline noticed your ass was parked on the porch last night.”
“Needed to talk to Savon. I wasn’t willing to miss the first chance I had.”
Savon shot her brother a dark look. “Be nice, Bran. I’m still pissed at you for a few reasons.”
“Yeah, like me pulling Jay over when he was going more than twenty miles over the speed limit?”
A snort escaped Savon. “I’m single and can flirt with whoever I want.”
“You had Nate in your house all night last night. That doesn’t sound single,” Bran challenged.
She rolled her eyes. “Stay out of it, Bran. I’m not sleeping with anyone. Remember, I just left one asshole. I need to figure out me before I worry about someone else.”
Nate wanted to say something, but kept his mouth shut.
Bran’s brow arched his way. “You got nothing?”
He shrugged. “I’m not giving up, but I’m not pushing either.”
A growl erupted from Bran. “And if she winds up underneath that piece of shit?”
Savon smirked. “First of all, it’s none of your business. Second, did you miss the part where I said I’m not sleeping with anyone? That includes Nate.”
He threw his hands up. “You afraid you’ll mate him? Shit, what’s wrong with that?”
She fixed her brother with a glare. “It’s been twelve years, Bran. We aren’t kids anymore. Hell, you’re probably going to start wishing you didn’t convince me to move back in another day or two.”
Bran closed the distance and took her shoulders. “Sav, I love you no matter what. You’re my little sister. But you don’t have a damned clue what you’ve walked into out here. Jay is over your head.”
Stepping out of his reach, she crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s in over his head. I’ve tapped into my magic. I understand it. He doesn’t have a clue what I can do. And you, clearly you don’t either. I’m better informed than you think. I don’t need you playing my dad. I’m not worried about a few werewolves.”
“What do you know about wolf packs?”
“Plenty. Now can we not do this? You want breakfast?” She turned back to the cabinet to load plates.
“Sav, what do you think you know?” he demanded. “And what other werewolves do you know?”
“I lived in San Francisco. I know plenty of werewolves. They have a large pack. And I’ve seen what happens when a werewolf wins a challenge and kills the Alpha. There’s a new one, immediately. The wolves feel it. Killian isn’t dead.”
“Yeah, well, there are exceptions to every rule.” Bran dropped into a seat.
“You know you have a werewolf in your pack that is Sylvan? Right? Besides you, of course.”
“Who?”
“Canagan.”
“She keeps to herself. She’s not a problem.”
“I hear she had beef with Killian. Sounds like a problem.”
“Wait, whoa, who did you hear that from?” Nate interjected.
“A friend. The one I went to visit in Edenton.”
“Edenton?” Bran asked. “Where the hell is that?”
“Washington. That’s where I went, to talk to someone I trust.”
“Trust? More than me or Nate?”
“Yes, more than either of you. First, you kept secrets, Bran. Tell me you didn’t.”
Bran growled in frustration. “Fine, fuck, yes, I kept secrets because I know the two of you deserve some happiness and that always meant you two wind up together.”
She scooped two plates up, took one to Bran, and sat one on the table. “I don’t need you telling me what I want or need. I’ll eat mine later.” She started up the stairs.
Nate caught her before she made it halfway. “Savon, give him a break. Please. He’s got it bad for Evangeline, and all either of us knows is Jay did something horrible to her, but we don’t know what.”
“Fine. Can we not discuss who we’re meant to be with? Remember, I need time.”
He offered a smile. “Ignore Bran. Please.”
She glanced away. “I’m trying but he keeps pushing when I’m trying to find my balance.”
Bran stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at Savon. “Sorry, Sav. Look, come back, eat breakfast, we’ll talk without the past interfering. Well, all except where you went for two days.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why does it matter?”
“Because I worried about you, and you wouldn’t answer your damned phone.”
“Because I needed to figure shit out without you two dumping more on me. And Jay isn’t the enemy.”
“Please tell me you aren’t considering Jay as a lover,” Bran admonished.
Rolling her eyes, she marched back to the table. “No. But I don’t think you’ve given him a chance. There’s always two sides to every story. Sometimes more.”
“I don’t trust the fucker. He pushes buttons just to do it.”
She snorted. “Maybe because he’s tired of the sheriff being an asshole.”
Bran rubbed at his forehead. “You don’t get it.”
“I think I do, but don’t worry. He’s not getting in my pants. He wanted Killian dead. Who didn’t?”
Nate sat down at the table and offered a smile. “See, she’s smart.”
Savon’s eyes lit up as they swept his way. At least he hadn’t pissed her off.
Grinning, Bran opened his mouth to say something. Nate kicked him under the table to shut him up. Savon needed to come to her own decision without Bran’s input.
“Anyway, eat. I have someone trying to figure out why Jay isn’t Alpha after challenging the old one, but they agree Killian is probably alive somewhere.”
“Who are these friends?”
Savon smirked. “Mages. They live in a town full of Others. Tremaine and his partner, Liz, own a bookstore.” She looked up at the ceiling a second. “The store was in San Francisco when I moved there. It was my first job outside of here, and Trem is a good guy who helped me figure out some stuff.” She sighed. “Without him, I’d still be a mess.”
Nate wanted to ask more, but bit his tongue. He couldn’t come for her, and he didn’t honestly expect her to wait forever when she didn’t know he was there with her. At least he’d keep telling himself that until it didn’t threaten to shatter him.
“And they know a lot of Others?”
“Shit, they were both Silver Council enforcers for decades. They know far more than you’d think. And Tremaine is a collector of knowledge. I went to him because he would know where to find the answers we need.”
“We?” Bran asked.
She nodded. “Well, you have a pack without an Alpha present. The shit will hit the fan sooner or later. You have to know that’s coming.”
“Help me convince Nate he’s the right man for the job.” Bran smirked. “If anyone can, it’s you.”
“That’s his decision to make. Look, running a pack is a big responsibility. He’s a surgeon with a life. Becoming Alpha means he would take responsibility for everyone under him.” She lifted a shoulder and turned to Nate. “Whereas I do think you have what it takes to lead, no one else can make that decision for you.”
“See, she understands the bigger picture.” Nate stood and paced away. “I didn’t want to be a wolf in the first place. I told my father that a million times growing up. Asshole turned me the second I couldn’t give a rational argument, and supposedly to save me.”
“We need someone who can handle the pack. You’re the only one I know,” Bran pointed out.
“Maybe. But Christ, I don’t want that life. It’s a lonely existence.”
“Doesn’t have to be. There are Alphas who have love and families,” Savon pointed out. “They aren’t all assholes, like your father.”
“How many Alphas do you know?”
“A few. Point is, not all lead like a dictator. I’d imagine you would be one of the better ones. I could introduce you to one.”
“Who?”
“Edgar DeVere. New Alpha in San Francisco.”
Nate’s brow pinched. “I thought he was a lone wolf.”
Nodding, she shrugged. “He was for a very long time, but he knew he could help the pack. So, he stepped up.”
Bran rubbed at his face but didn’t say anything. Which meant he probably recognized the name.
Did Nate want to know why? Probably not. He knew she’d been with others.
Fuck, didn’t matter. Shouldn’t matter. But maybe it did matter. The thought of her with another man…
Later, he’d ask Bran what he knew. He had to know. Had there been many men? Did she still care for any of them?
“What’s the matter?” Savon asked.
“Nothing,” he lied.
Bran cleared his throat. “I suggest you eat, then clean up the mess I made. I caught Clay snooping around here. He’s in a cell, but he needs to be fixed.”
“Fixed?” Savon asked.
“Broke a few bones, probably did some internal damage. We heal fast, but he’ll heal wrong if Nate doesn’t put him back together.”
“He was snooping around here?”
Bran snorted, “Yup, bastard was snooping around outside your home. I’m surprised you didn’t wake up.”
She huffed. “Best sleep I’ve had in a long time.”
“Because you finally stopped running from me,” Nate answered.
“Didn’t know you were really there before,” she quipped. “Remember, all these secrets need to stop.” She turned to Bran. “Like when were you going to tell me your father is Nate’s and not mine?”
“After you two mated. Figured then you couldn’t use that as an excuse not to.”
“It’s none of your business whether or not I mate anyone, so drop it. We have our own issues to work out.”
“You will. Now, Nate has a problem to sort, and it’s my doing, but I didn’t want the bastard anywhere near you.”
Savon ate the rest of her breakfast and started to clean up.
“Will you be available tonight?” Nate asked before taking his last bite.
“I will. Dinner?”
“What did you have in mind?”
A smile stretched across her face. “I’ll surprise you.”
“All right. I should go take care of Clay. Maybe I can find out what the hell he wants with you.” Nate took his plate to the sink. “I’d clean up if Bran hadn’t sprung this on me.”
“Don’t worry about it. Go. You too, Bran. You have work. I’ll talk to you later. Right now, I need to paint.”
“Paint? Now?” he scoffed.
“It’s what I do.” She fluttered her lashes.
Bran lifted his hands. “All right, I’ll leave you be, but you and I need to talk, soon.” He pulled Savon into a hug. “Maybe lunch tomorrow? Just the two of us?”
“Sure. It will be good to catch up.”
He kissed her head. “See you later.”