The trip down the hall was the longest in her two hundred twenty-three years of life. The male following her put her cat on edge.
Stopping at the linen closet, she grabbed sheets and a couple of blankets and handed them to him.
She quickly turned into the bedroom to her left. “The shower is across the hall, and there is firewood on the back porch. Would you like me to get you some?”
“No. I think I can manage.” He offered her another gentle smile, and the air in the room grew thick.
“I’ll leave you to clean up. I’m kind of a night creature, so I hope I won’t disturb you.”
He looked around the room before meeting her stare again. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said softly and walked back down the hallway toward the living room. It was her fault he was here, stranded. If she hadn’t darted in front of his car like an irresponsible cub, he’d be on his way to see his family.
An all-too-familiar energy nudged at her psyche, and her mood lifted. She went straight to the front door and opened it before Shayna Andrews could knock. “Why on earth are you here in this weather?”
Laughing, the beautiful blond stomped her snow covered boots on the porch and entered the cabin.
“I was hunting and wondered a little too far out, and then it started snowing, suddenly.”
Danica shook her head. Shay was always testing her adopted brothers’ abilities to track her. She liked to see how far from town she’d get before they caught up to her. “Doesn’t pissing your brothers off get old?”
A mischievous smile lifted the side of her mouth. “Nope. But, this time, I was actually hunting.
You know how focused I can get in cat form.”
“Yeah. That focused curiosity is going to get you in trouble.” Danica motioned to the kitchen and frowned. She’d advised Keegan to allow Shay out of town to learn to use her skills for the Packs. But, no, the Alpha leopard refused to let his princess out of his sight. It was a shame that a twenty-five-year-old tiger shifter had to be under guard 24/7. Keegan was blinded by the fear he’d lose her the way he’d lost his mate during the attacks on the den over two centuries ago.
“Speaking of your brothers…”
“Blaine should be here in about three seconds.”
Danica shook her head again. It always surprised her how much Shay was in tune to her adopted brothers. Then she froze. “Did you say Blaine?”
“Yeah…hey, you have a male here.” Shay walked toward the hall, sniffing the air. “And he’s human. Way to go, Dani!”
Cursing, Danica tugged at her arm. “Please don’t. It’s not what you think. I caused his car to crash.
I’m taking him into town tomorrow to use a phone.”
Shaking her head, Shay locked gazes with her. “You can’t bring a human into Ashwood Falls.
Father will have a wolf.”
Danica dropped her shoulders. “I have no choice.”
“You could’ve left the human alone.” The deep, stern male voice made her wince, but didn’t surprise her. She felt the leopard’s presence about two seconds ago.
“I’m a healer, Blaine.”
Blaine leaned his large frame against the counter, one dark brow raised. “Was he hurt?”
“No.”
“Then he was none of your concern.”
Danica’s patience with the Enforcer was growing very thin. “You’re wrong. He’s none of your concern. This is my house.”
He growled. “I know that. You are family, Pack. It’s my job to ensure everyone is safe. Inviting a human into your home is not safe, for any of us.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “And, I still have the ability to detect the good in people.”
“Damn it, Dani—” Shay pushed by her brother, cutting off his sentence and making him turn toward the entrance of the kitchen. Danica followed his gaze to Nevan.
Shay had her hand out-stretched. “Hi. I’m Shay.”
“Nevan.” He shook her hand, looked from Blaine to Danica. “Is everything okay?”
Danica shoved past the mountain of an Enforcer to stand between the two males. “Blaine was just leaving.”
Blaine studied Nevan for several moments without speaking. Cocking her head to the side, she noticed a faint expression of…acceptance? Surely, she was tired and didn’t just witness the alpha male in front of her dismissing an argument.
Finally, he peered down at her and smiled weakly. He lifted her right hand and pressed her scarred palm to his cheek, a sign of trust and respect among the Pack. “Are you sure you don’t need anything?”
She rested her free hand over his heart. “No. I appreciate your concern.”
That arrogant smile he was famous for made its slow appearance. “Bring your friend over for a late lunch tomorrow to meet father.”
She rolled her eyes and ignored the command in the voice. “Good night, Blaine.”
Chuckling, he moved to the front door. Shay drew her in a tight hug and whispered, “Sorry,” before following her brother outside.
Danica locked the door behind them. She wasn’t sure if Shay was apologizing for Blaine being an ass or for the fact that she would have to put Nevan through a meeting with the Pack Alpha. Knowing her, it was both.
“Your brother?”
Confused, she turned to meet his gray-colored gaze. “What?’
“Blaine. Is he your brother?”
“Oh. I guess you could say that. We grew up together. His family took me in when my parents died.” She thought about it for a moment. Warmth entered her heart, filling it with unconditional love.
The Andrews were her family. “Yeah, I guess he is the brother I never had. Over protective and all.”
He laughed and peered out the window, and the seriousness returned to his handsome features.
“It’s snowing hard. How did they get here?”
She moved to the sink to clean the cups and avoid his curious stare. Damn. She couldn’t tell him the truth, and she didn’t want to lie to him. Blaine was one of the rare shifters who could teleport. The ability was limited to places he’d been before and to follow someone he had a blood bond with, like family or a mate. “Blaine has a truck that can drive through anything.” Which was true, but she doubted he’d driven it tonight.
Suddenly, Nevan was standing beside her, taking a cup to dry it. She jumped. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Move without a sound.”
He shrugged but didn’t look at her. “My brothers have very good hearing. I kind of grew up trying to sneak past them.”
She laughed at the mischief in his tone.
He fell quiet, making her glance his way. His gaze drifted over the scars on her right arm before meeting her eyes. “What happened?”
Setting the cup in the drainer, she pushed her sleeves down and shook her head. “I…I’m tired.
Sorry.” She walked around him and fled to her room. Heart pounding in her chest, she leaned against the closed door.
She was a complete idiot. Damn him for raising hope that any male would find her attractive.
Chapter 2
Nevan woke to the smoky scent of bacon and the rich aroma of fresh coffee. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he cursed. What was he doing? His behavior last night was not only uncalled for but completely out of character.
He’d flirted with Danica and enjoyed it. She hadn’t, however. He should have picked up on her uneasiness before his curiosity had sent her away. The need to know everything about her was strong.
Too strong. He’d never been so intrigued by a woman before. Not even Becca.