struggle over the job? Her ego could only hope.
“Darien?” she called out hesitantly. Nerves had her walking on tiptoe around the cabin. She stuck her head out the front door but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. A horrible thought hit her like a sledgehammer to the gut. What if Daniel got him? What if he found her out here?
Quickly, she pulled on her jeans and ran barefoot out the front door. She spun around in a circle but didn’t see anything. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest it was the only sound she could hear. She stopped turning and opened her senses. She found Darien’s scent and locked on to it. Her eyes snapped open and she took off after the smell of raw, lykaen man.
She would fight for him. She would sacrifice herself for him. Just don’t let Daniel find him.
The further she ran, the closer the smell became. She thanked God she didn’t smell blood. She broke past a tree and came to a cold stop.
Several emotions flitted through her: surprise, relief, sadness. Darien knelt before a gravestone with a beautiful, incredibly full bouquet of flowers. She realized then that when she’d run to him in town, he’d had them in his hand when he came out of the florist shop, but she hadn’t even noticed. Now she realized, and she felt horribly rude and intrusive.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...I—” she fumbled for the right words. Something that wouldn’t involve her spilling her secret about Daniel. Thinking of none she finally settled with, “You were gone when I woke up, and I was worried.”
He nodded at her and motioned with his head for her to come closer. She didn’t want to. This place was filled with sadness, the same deep sadness that he held so closely wrapped around him. And this gravestone, this place, was the reason for it all.
But what about helping him? If she wanted to help him, and she wanted to so very much, then she must be strong for him. A part of her longed to see this lykaen whole. It would be an amazing sight.
She sat next to him and looked at the gravestone. The gravestone was smooth marble. The front had a glossy finish and not one but two names were on it. A lump formed in her throat as she read the words: Dana Carrow and Renee Carrow. Below the names were the years. Her brow furrowed as she read the date under Renee’s name. It said simply: 2008.
The stone was cleared off any leaves or twigs that might have fallen on it. It looked almost brand new. She looked over at Darien, unsure what she would see in his face because this place obviously meant so much to him.
She stifled a cry at what she saw there. Raw pain. Agony. This man had suffered something terrible and had never gotten past it. The pain looked as fresh as if he’d just buried whoever laid here.
She stayed quietly as his side, hoping, waiting, for him to say something.
He pulled the plastic wrap away from the flowers and gently spread them across the front of the stone like an offering. Cassie’s heart was breaking watching the gentle reverence with which he touched the white flowers and then the headstone. Finally he rested his forehead to the marble as if in prayer.
Cassie swallowed hard at witnessing this strong, lykaen man in such pain. Who could have cause this much grief in him? His mate? His child? She wanted to cry out for him.
The sound of his voice startled her. “I met Dana at a bar. That night the bar was packed full and everyone was into their drinks. Except her. I remember the song playing on the jukebox was Behind Blue Eyes . When I first saw her I thought she looked so lonely, not even a smile on her face, sitting all by herself. I had to talk to her.”
He laughed a little; the sound raw in his throat. “I asked her out to dinner and she kept refusing me. She always said I was too this and too that. It took a few weeks but I finally convinced her. That night on our first date she admitted she was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s baby. I didn’t care. I still don’t.
“Darien?” she called out hesitantly. Nerves had her walking on tiptoe around the cabin. She stuck her head out the front door but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. A horrible thought hit her like a sledgehammer to the gut. What if Daniel got him? What if he found her out here?
Quickly, she pulled on her jeans and ran barefoot out the front door. She spun around in a circle but didn’t see anything. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest it was the only sound she could hear. She stopped turning and opened her senses. She found Darien’s scent and locked on to it. Her eyes snapped open and she took off after the smell of raw, lykaen man.
She would fight for him. She would sacrifice herself for him. Just don’t let Daniel find him.
The further she ran, the closer the smell became. She thanked God she didn’t smell blood. She broke past a tree and came to a cold stop.
Several emotions flitted through her: surprise, relief, sadness. Darien knelt before a gravestone with a beautiful, incredibly full bouquet of flowers. She realized then that when she’d run to him in town, he’d had them in his hand when he came out of the florist shop, but she hadn’t even noticed. Now she realized, and she felt horribly rude and intrusive.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...I—” she fumbled for the right words. Something that wouldn’t involve her spilling her secret about Daniel. Thinking of none she finally settled with, “You were gone when I woke up, and I was worried.”
He nodded at her and motioned with his head for her to come closer. She didn’t want to. This place was filled with sadness, the same deep sadness that he held so closely wrapped around him. And this gravestone, this place, was the reason for it all.
But what about helping him? If she wanted to help him, and she wanted to so very much, then she must be strong for him. A part of her longed to see this lykaen whole. It would be an amazing sight.
She sat next to him and looked at the gravestone. The gravestone was smooth marble. The front had a glossy finish and not one but two names were on it. A lump formed in her throat as she read the words: Dana Carrow and Renee Carrow. Below the names were the years. Her brow furrowed as she read the date under Renee’s name. It said simply: 2008.
The stone was cleared off any leaves or twigs that might have fallen on it. It looked almost brand new. She looked over at Darien, unsure what she would see in his face because this place obviously meant so much to him.
She stifled a cry at what she saw there. Raw pain. Agony. This man had suffered something terrible and had never gotten past it. The pain looked as fresh as if he’d just buried whoever laid here.
She stayed quietly as his side, hoping, waiting, for him to say something.
He pulled the plastic wrap away from the flowers and gently spread them across the front of the stone like an offering. Cassie’s heart was breaking watching the gentle reverence with which he touched the white flowers and then the headstone. Finally he rested his forehead to the marble as if in prayer.
Cassie swallowed hard at witnessing this strong, lykaen man in such pain. Who could have cause this much grief in him? His mate? His child? She wanted to cry out for him.
The sound of his voice startled her. “I met Dana at a bar. That night the bar was packed full and everyone was into their drinks. Except her. I remember the song playing on the jukebox was Behind Blue Eyes . When I first saw her I thought she looked so lonely, not even a smile on her face, sitting all by herself. I had to talk to her.”
He laughed a little; the sound raw in his throat. “I asked her out to dinner and she kept refusing me. She always said I was too this and too that. It took a few weeks but I finally convinced her. That night on our first date she admitted she was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s baby. I didn’t care. I still don’t.
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