Chapter Two
Frost
Consciousness sucked. The intense fire that scorched her from the inside out spread slowly through her body. The worst of the burning, and what had woken her, was the scorching sensation on the soles of her feet and it had continued upward. It was now at her thighs, licking up to her hips, and she wondered whether she were truly on fire. She rolled her eyes under her closed lids at her dumbass thought. She had been unable to pry them open no matter how hard she’d tried.
Panic sounded like a solid plan, but whenever she tensed her body, her throat would clog and the fire would only intensify, so she cursed her reflexes as she unlocked her muscles, one area at a time. When she was able to breathe normally, or as normal as her situation allowed her to, she had a chance to take stock of the situation.
She concentrated on the pain first. Her wounded shoulder, the surge of pain that she remembered before she blacked out into nothingness, was there, but the throb was minor compared to the burning sensations that were getting closer to her navel. In addition to the burning, there was an underlying ache that encompassed her entire being. It compared to the flu, but only by a little. This time, the pain brought tears to her eyes.
Her high tolerance for pain deserted her at this moment, and she sought relief in any form she could get it. She couldn’t open her eyes, so she tried swallowing to check whether her throat worked, but she couldn’t move to even do that. She tried to groan or shout, any vocalization that she could think of, to beg for any pain medication that would get rid of this torture she was going through, but no sound escaped.
Xander.
Once she thought of the beautiful, muscular man with bright-white hair and penetrating blue eyes, she forced herself to take slow, deep breaths, relaxing her muscles to at least unclench her jaw. It did nothing but add more pain to her already strained body, and she didn’t know whether she was grateful or mad at herself as she let the blackness overwhelm her.
***
The next time she awoke, she immediately thought of the throbbing fire that had struck her body so fiercely that last time. For a split second, she thought they might have passed, but the fire still licked her body and her bones ached even worse than before. And on top of that, she had a splitting headache that made her feel sick to her stomach.
She thought that she heard her name, but she couldn’t be certain because the voice sounded distant. She couldn’t identify the gender of the speaker. Once again, she tried to open her eyes, but found herself unable. With force and concentration, she was able to open her chapped lips a fraction, but as she tried to push words through her throat, the only thing that sounded in her ears was a whimper.
Her body locked down when she heard the rustle of sheets next to her head, and she relaxed as she thought about Xander. Was he okay? She remembered the pain etched on his face as he laid her down on his bed. She was able to fight consciousness long enough to see the guilt reflected in his eyes, but for the life of her, she couldn’t reassure him. She did feel the press of his lips against hers, but that memory might have been a dream because she had wanted it so badly. But she wanted to ask him why he had that look on his face, and she wanted to figure out why it bothered her so much to see him in pain.
The first time she heard his clear voice inside her head, she felt a sense of peace wash over her that she’d never experienced before. Although any other time, hearing a stranger’s voice so intimately would have freaked her out. But with Xander, it felt natural. And when he came into view, she couldn’t look away from his gaze. Only when he turned to confront the mercenaries did her eyes move to the exposed olive skin on his arms, his huge stature, and beautiful white hair that added to his attractiveness, if that was even possible. He was powerful and massive, compared to most other men she’d seen. And the sheer power that he exuded had her shiver with a need she’d never thought herself capable of.
Frost had no idea with their connection meant, but logic bullied its way to the forefront of her mind. He must’ve been nice to her because she’d been hurt. No man who looked like Xander, and who radiated power and control, would ever fall for a curvy woman who had found herself comfortable with animals, not humans.
And then she had to be snarky to the tall blond Xander had indicated was Kane, the vampire. Then she didn’t shut up the entire time in the woods, talking about fuck only knows what. She had felt so out of control of the situation that her mouth ran without forming a single thought in her mind. She had tried to avoid thinking about it, but the violent way she reacted to the redhead Xander had called Jade made her feel worse than the pains that throbbed throughout her body. She had almost attacked an innocent woman with no other cause than she walked into the bathroom.
Frost’s thought paused for a moment when her body was doused in cold. The heat dissipated and with it, the extreme ache of her bones lessened slightly, and she blew out a relieved breath. Again, she tried to open her eyes or at least thank whoever had relieved the pain, but her body sank into the mattress and she found herself being pulled into the darkness of sleep.
***
Awareness came slowly this time. At first she had become aware of Xander’s scent, somewhere close. And then, she heard several voices close by. Xander’s voice sounded worried, anxious, and she couldn’t understand why. She must’ve scrunched her brows because as his voice drew closer to her, he carefully touched her forehead with his wonderfully cool fingers, and she blew out a sigh at the sensation. When she felt a brush of a kiss against her mouth, a different throb had overtaken her body and she tilted her head back to get closer to Xander’s lips. She still couldn’t speak; she tried. She wanted to beg Xander to relieve this new ache as it throbbed in her core and steadily spread, but his hand paused on her cheek.
Xander’s voice cut off, not that she could understand a word he spoke. She cursed her body’s reaction to his touch when he pulled his hand away from her skin. She missed him and his touch acutely. For the longest time, she strained to hear anyone who could be near, cursing that she was trapped in the abyss of her mind. When her body tired from the strain of her awareness of those around her and when she almost faded out again, she heard Xander speak to her.
Despite her attention focused on him and the sound of his voice, she couldn’t understand what he tried to convey to her. Her brows drew down, and she was a little surprised by the movement, but most of her craved to know what Xander wanted to say to her.
Xander’s tone became excited after her tiny movement, but she scrunched her eyelids closed and concentrated on the words. Finally, she thought she could hear her name as he spoke. She sighed in relief when Xander slid her hand in his and linked their fingers together. But again, his touch had her body throbbing. Not from pain, but pleasure. She scoffed at herself for her horrendous timing, but she wondered how her shifter would react. Slowly and painstakingly, she forced her eyes open, only to find a concerned Xander staring at her.
His eyes were rimmed in red and his beautiful hair stood on end, as if he’d been constantly running his hands through it.
“Do you know what’s happening?” Xander’s voice sounded low and scratchy.
She managed to shake her head, only small movements, twice.
“You passed out when Liv touched your wound and when I caught you, I pressed a kiss to your lips. I needed to feel close to you and offer you some comfort. But I didn’t expect you to respond.”
It hadn’t been a dream. She forced herself to think back to those moments that were fuzzy from the extreme amount of pain and throbbing from her shoulder, and she distinctly remembered the cool lips that pressed to hers, and the resulting tingle that spread from her lips. She wanted to feel the kiss again, to burrow into Xander until the pain ebbed, but her thoughts became muddled.
“Liv believes that our kiss started your transition from human to shifter. She has tested your blood and found that you already had shifter DNA. Your body recognized my touch and accepted me as your mate when we kissed, which started the transition.”
Thinking that she was too weak to speak, she tried to use their mind link that she shared with him earlier, but her body and her thoughts were too weak to complete it.
“Mate?” She flinched at the sound of her own voice.
“Yes, sweetheart. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”
“Y’ too. Tired.”
“Your transition is almost complete and the next time you wake, you’ll be stronger, with no effects of the gunshot wound or the pain that you had to go through while you changed. Don’t worry, sweetheart, I won’t leave you.”
His reassurance had the tension melting from her body and she smiled against his lips as he gave her a brief kiss. I hope you’re right. Next time I kiss him, I will be completely aware of it.
***
She blinked open her eyes and glanced around to get a sense of her surroundings in the semi-darkness of the room. She took a deep breath, but she didn’t recognize the scents that assailed her. It was oddly comforting—a mix of grapefruit, mint, and vanilla—and she took another cleansing breath, memorizing the scent for future reference.
Tempting fate and hoping there would be no pain, she pointed her toes as she stretched her calves. She blew out a breath when nothing hurt at her movement. She tried her arms next, lifting them above her head and stretching. Again, no pain and her muscles loosened with every movement.
As she moved, she realized that her hair felt limp and greasy and the shirt that clung to her felt stiff and unclean. Ready for a shower, she glanced around the room and noticed details that she’d never before been able to do. But before she could investigate or find a bathroom in order to take a long shower, someone next to her took a deep breath.
She looked to her left and found Xander sleeping on his stomach, with his hands tucked underneath his head. His beautiful bronzed skin shone from the moonlight that filtered into the room. Unable to keep her hands to herself, she ran her fingers through his soft hair and listened to his sigh at her touch. He turned his head toward her and she could see the dark spots underneath his eyes as he slept soundly, his breathing deep and undisturbed. He must’ve gotten very little sleep during her transition, which, as she thought back on, seemed like weeks to her.
The thoughts of the heat that flashed over her body had her searching the room for the entrance to the bathroom. Taking care not to jostle Xander, she slid herself off the bed and wandered toward the bathroom. At the doorway, she glanced back and took a long look at her mate. Her heart beat hard in her chest at how much she loved the connection she had with Xander.
But would he want her because he believed her to be his mate? She would have never believed in immortals or believed that she was the mate of one before she met Xander, but she had seen the proof for herself. He had even managed to convince her of the truth in his words. But if he had been waiting for someone, his true mate, and he grew tired of waiting, could he have convinced himself that she was his mate because it was convenient?
She had literally brought danger to his doorstep, and even though she might not be his true mate, she could find out why her boss had hired the armed soldiers for rent and prevent him from sending another team. If he hadn’t done so already.
At that last horrifying thought, she hurried through her shower. She loved that she was surrounded by his scent as she used his shampoo and soap, and despite her warnings to herself, she could feel her body responding. Up until now, she had never felt overtly sexual, but Xander’s scent alone could send her into a tailspin of desire.
As she toweled off, she glanced in the mirror and glanced at the spot where a gunshot wound had been. She remembered that it hurt like crazy, but her skin was smooth at the spot, as though it never happened. Then she glanced down and winced.
Fuck, fate couldn’t heal the gouges on my side?
Shaking her head with disgust, she wrapped the towel tightly around her torso and quietly made her way toward Xander’s dresser, hoping that he wouldn’t mind if she borrowed some clothes. She found a pair of sweats and a tee, both making her feel like a child as they dwarfed her, but they smelled like Xander. She breathed a sigh of relief when she glanced around the bedroom and found her bra on the arm of the chair and slipped it on.
Realizing her time with Xander had come to an end, she turned to look at Xander one last time. She hoped that they would cross paths someday.
Pain that she hadn’t been expecting ripped through her chest as she neared the bedroom door. Her breath caught in her throat. But she knew that she had to draw danger away from him, and forced herself to open the door and walked through it.
The house was dark and quiet, and although she could visibly see what she couldn’t as a human, she prevented herself from snooping as she walked through the house, toward the exit. Every part of her being screamed for her to be with Xander and she hesitated right before the front door. That hesitation lasted longer than she would have liked, and she forced herself forward despite the throbbing pain that screamed she was making a mistake. But the moment she touched the doorknob, she heard a low, menacing growl behind her and it stopped her movements.
She turned to face Xander. When she noticed the fierce look on his face, she flinched back against the door.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
She opened her mouth to explain, but when a small squeak escaped, she felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she snapped her mouth closed. Her eyes widened as she realized he stood in front of her naked. Unable to help herself, she allowed her eyes to roam over his naked form. Her core throbbed with need, but she remembered her manners and snapped her eyes back to meet his. She barely bit back a low groan of disgust at herself.
“Sorry.” It sounded like a cross between a question and a statement and she flinched again.
“Are you apologizing for trying to leave or for looking at me naked?”
Instead of answering his question, she explained, “I have to stop my asshole of a boss from sending more mercenaries.”
Her eyes widened as Xander stepped closer to her. “You’re not leaving me, sweetheart. We will pay your boss a visit, but I want to have a chance to get to know you, and you to know me. I can’t stand the thought of you leaving now that I’ve finally found you.”
Frost knew then that his words were the truth. She was his mate that he’d been waiting years, or much longer, for and she was going to walk out on him without an explanation, knowing it would hurt him. Well…fuck.
“I’m sorry, Xander. I just wanted to protect you and the others.”
“Will you give me, us, a chance?”
“Yes. I won’t try to leave again.”
This man was important to her, and now that the panic had left her mind, she realized that the pain in her chest was because she had almost left him. Her body was trying to tell her something that her heart already knew. She couldn’t leave Xander.
She looked up at him when he cupped her cheek gently, and with a silent nod, he captured her lips and proceeded to kiss her breathless.