Chapter 4 - Rand

I kept my eyes glued on Astrid, barely able to register the fact she was here. She'd cut her hair, but beyond that, she might as well not have aged a day. Her slender frame complemented her shorter size and her heart-shaped face, though her figure still had soft curves. Even bruised and battered, she held her shoulders back, her blue eyes simmering with an almost fiery defiance that had always turned me on.

I wasn't going to lie. I was thrilled to see her again, more so than I'd expected. So was my wolf. It had been years since I had smelled that scent—an enticing citrus and mint—but having it in the same room again brought up all sorts of old memories I hadn't realized I still had. My wolf pressed at me, wanting to get closer to her, to rub against the shifter he had once thought might be his mate. It had been years, but that didn't matter to him. He still wanted her with that same urgency. The more I looked at her, the more I realized that I did, too.

She, on the other hand, didn't look particularly excited to see me. I couldn't blame her after the way things had ended. She had every right to be mad, even if it had been the right choice.

But all of that ran through the back of my mind, pushed aside by her story. The Gray Wolf knew we were looking into him. He'd somehow found out about Astrid and gone after her, even though I hadn't seen her in years. I'd tried to keep my old life private, to make sure any enemies I had couldn't go after anyone I cared about. I'd cut almost all ties to them, and he'd still gone after her. Had still thought she was a good bargaining chip.

I could infer a lot of things from that knowledge, the least of all being that we were now enough of a threat that the Gray Wolf and his men were going after old flames. It also meant that he was well-connected enough and smart enough to find ties between me and her, even if they were older. Besides her, I didn't really have any weak points. My parents were dead, and I didn't have siblings or kids. The only connection—one I hadn't realized was actually something I needed to worry about after all the trouble I'd gone through to bury it—was Astrid.

The worst part was that he'd been right. If I'd found out Astrid was in trouble, I would have run straight for her. It didn't matter how long it had been. I didn't know if I'd ever fully gotten over her. I thought I had, but looking at her now, it was clear that all those old feelings had reignited. Old sparks I hadn't thought were still there had rekindled. I was struggling to wrap my head around it.

She stood, wincing as her hand went to her injured arm. "I need to get going," she said. But she must have stood too quickly because she wobbled and collapsed back in her seat.

I raced forward. "Are you all right?" I asked. Had she gotten concussed while escaping?

"Give her some space, Rand," Klyte said. I snarled at him, but he met my gaze. "Doctor trumps ex," he said, half joking, half serious.

"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy," she said. "I haven't had much to eat or drink in a few days."

"Someone can grab you some food and water while I get started," Klyte said.

"I'll do it," Tannen said.

He reappeared a few minutes later with water and a massive sandwich. She took both and scarfed them down greedily, practically inhaling them while Klyte pulled out some gauze.

"You need to be careful," I said. "Those guys did a number on you."

She glowered at me, the death glare only slightly diminished by the fact that Klyte was currently wrapping bandages around her injured arm.

"Don't start telling me what I can and can't do," she said.

"You're the one who came here," I pointed out.

"Believe me, if I'd known you lived here, I would have kept walking and taken my chances," she said. She closed her eyes as if forcing herself to count to ten and calm down. "It won't matter, anyway. Once I'm patched up, I'll be out of your hair."

I snorted, folding my arms. "You're joking, right? There's no way in hell you can go off wandering on your own. Not right now."

Her eyes narrowed to slits, a low growl rising from her throat. "You don't have much of a say in what I do," she said. "Last I checked, I haven't seen you in years."

"It doesn't mean I have to keep my mouth shut when I see you're about to do something stupid," I shot back.

"You—"

"Rand does have a point," Jameson cut in, leaning against his desk. "We don't know if those guys will come after you. You should lay low for a bit until we figure this out."

She shook her head. "I've got to get back to Thea," she said.

Jameson's brow furrowed. "Thea?"

"Her sister," I answered for her. "She's—" I was about to say she was an absent, but at the quick head shake from Astrid, I cut myself off. Jameson looked at me inquisitively, but I just shrugged, silently telling him I couldn't give a better explanation. Not at the moment, at least.

"I understand you want to see her," Jameson said to Astrid. "But you wandering off isn't a great idea."

"You can say that again," Klyte said. "Rand was right. Those assholes did a number on you. I'd rather you stay in town a couple days, at least until the worst of the injuries clear up. This isn't something you can just put some bandages on and be fine."

"I—" she began, but I cut her off.

"Doctor's orders," I said. "And believe me when I say I'll enforce them if necessary."

She rolled her eyes. "Where am I supposed to stay?" she asked. "Here?"

"I don't think this is the best place to rest," Klyte said. "We've got people in and out at all hours. It'd be better somewhere quieter."

"She'll stay with me," I announced.

Astrid's eyes darkened until they were the dark blue of the ocean in a storm. I never would have thought a glare could be attractive, but something about the look made an old familiar urge stir inside me.

"No way." She shook her head. "Anywhere but his place."

"Stop being dramatic," I said. "I've got plenty of room, and it's a bit out of the way. If someone is after you, we'll know they're coming long before they get to my place."

"You calling me dramatic isn't endearing me to your plan," she said.

I raised my eyebrow. "Does it look like I care?"

"You really haven't changed," she grumbled.

"Do I need to carry you over my shoulder and haul you there myself?"

"I'd like to see you try," she dared.

I grinned, that old spark igniting. I'd always liked when she argued with me. "Yes, I'm so frightened of fighting the girl a third my size."

She opened her mouth, but Jameson held up a hand, and she fell quiet. Jameson pulled me over to the side.

"It really doesn't seem like she wants to stay at your place," he said. "Maybe it'd be better if we find somewhere else. Maybe Malcolm or Oliver. Or I could talk to Georgia and see about her staying here."

"She's staying with me where I can keep an eye out for her," I growled, loud enough for the rest of the room to hear. "And if that means I have to camp out in someone's living room, so be it. But wherever she goes, I'm following. At least until we know what we're dealing with."

Astrid grumbled, fuming at the declaration. Finally, she threw her hands in the air, wincing as the motion jostled her injury.

"Fine," she said. "You win."