14. Ava

FOURTEEN

AVA

Dad nodded to the receptionist as we left. The big, broad smile he sported showed his confidence and strength. The second we got in the car, though, he sagged and rested his head against the back of the seat.

"Good lord, I'm tired," he said, wiping at sweat that had started beading on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" Worry speared into me. He looked clammy and more tired than I'd seen him since the last chemo session.

Reaching over to pat my hand, he nodded. "Yeah, that took a lot out of me. Trying to act like my old self. I didn't want those boys to see me as a weakling. I need a nap. I can tell you that right now."

"Okay. That's not a problem." I started the car and pointed us toward home.

Less than twenty minutes later—I'd speeded a little—I was helping Dad into bed. He'd kicked off his shoes but remained clothed. I fluffed the pillows behind him and sat on the chair beside the bed while he tried to get comfortable.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you want to get involved in all this?"

His brow furrowed and he looked confused. "You mean helping those boys?"

"Well, yes. All the shifter business. It'll be dangerous for everyone."

"Honey, I'm serious. I meant what I said about Liam. He was like a son to me, and he would've become my son had he lived long enough to marry you. If there's anything this family can do to help Blayne, I consider that a simple payment compared to what he gave up. Whether Blayne's stubborn ass believes me or not, it's the God's honest truth. I'm going to look out for him. I've never broken a promise in my life, and I am not gonna start with breaking the promise to Liam. That's that."

His words were pretty emphatic. I was happy to hear he was serious. I'd spent my whole life being conflicted about my father's business. He was not brutal or evil like most leaders of crime families, and he always made sure his people were taken care of. That they were as safe as possible, and that the business was as lucrative as possible. I knew there was violence involved, but I always tried to forget about those aspects of the job. Being able to do something that was inherently good was a nice change of pace, and I could totally get behind that.

I leaned forward and covered his hand with mine. "Thanks, Dad. I know it would mean a lot to Liam."

Dad's eyes twinkled with mischief and he gave me a knowing grin. "Is there anything going on between you two? You and Blayne?"

Blinking in surprise, I tried to answer too quickly and stumbled over my words. "Uh…we…what? Hang on, what?"

"You heard me. You think I didn't see that little hand-holding thing earlier?"

"No, Dad. There's nothing going on. There can't be anything between us."

"And why the hell is that?"

"Ugh, come on. It would be…I don't know…weird. Wrong. On, like, a million different levels." Even the thought of it filled me with a weird sense of betrayal to Liam—dead these last ten years and still such a huge presence in my and Blayne's lives.

Dad chuckled and gave a faint shake of the head. "You two will figure it out."

"What does that mean?"

Instead of answering, he simply rolled over, nestled his head on the pillow, and started snoring ten seconds later. I sat there with him, watching him sleep. What was he talking about? We'd figure what out? It had been like biting through steel to get Blayne to accept me as an acquaintance and friend. Anything more than that was a no-go in my opinion.

Leaving my father to rest, I went downstairs. The house was surprisingly quiet. Most of my family was probably out.

I heard some commotion in the kitchen. Heading that way, I found Uncle Sam's girlfriend, Giana, in the kitchen with Marissa. They were packing up food from what looked to have been a massive lunch.

"Hey, guys," I said.

Marissa's lined face broke into a smile as came to wrap me in a hug. "Miss Francis. My little Ava girl. How are you today?"

Grinning like an idiot, I squeezed her. "I'm good. I brought Dad home to sleep. Where is everyone?"

Giana sighed. "Out canvassing the town. Sam wouldn't tell me what was going on, but I have a feeling something big is happening." She finished packing a giant Tupperware container with some kind of pasta dish, salad, and bread and slid it across the table to me. "Here you go. A little snack for later."

It was enough food to keep me fed for at least three days. Since we were Italian, this was normal. It amazed me that none of us had had a heart attack yet.

I pulled the container over and smiled. "Thanks."

There was enough food that I could probably share it with Blayne. Maybe I'd take it over to his place later. Was that a good idea? I assumed so. I had told him I'd see him later. Hopefully, he'd be up for it. I really didn't want him to start back-sliding and make me feel like I was smothering him or something. It could play out a dozen different ways, but it was worth a shot. That way, I'd find out if he was really ready for me to be his friend or not.

"Do you know what's going on?" Giana asked me.

I wasn't sure how much she knew. She and Sam had been together for years and years. It was a little confusing that they hadn't gotten married yet. Until I found out how much she knew, it was better to play dumb.

"Not sure. Dad didn't want to get into it. I'm sure it's no big deal." I raised the container. "I need to head out. Thanks for dinner."

"Okay, sweetie. See you later," Giana said with a wave.

"See you soon, Miss Francis," Marissa said from the sink.

Blayne's car wasn't at his house, so I'd have to wait until he was back to bring him dinner. I put the container in the fridge, then grabbed my laptop. I'd fallen behind on my work stuff and needed to check my emails.

After everything that had happened to Liam, I couldn't stand living in Lilly Valley anymore. I'd left a few weeks after his burial to go to cosmetology school, which led to me opening my own business. I'd been lucky to find a spot at a high-end studio near DC. It helped me get some high-end clients, and now I was usually booked up seven or eight months in advance. It was a good problem to have, but when Dad got sick, I had to put a hold on all my appointments. Thankfully, some of my friends in the industry were able to fill in for me, but I was sure I'd have a dozen or more requests in my inbox.

I pulled up my calendar and noted when Dad's last day of chemo was, and then started combing through my emails to start booking appointments. Once Dad's treatments were over, I'd be safe to head back to the real world. The cancer was caught very early, and the treatments wouldn't be too aggressive, but getting him to start the treatments had been the most important thing. Now that he was on the road, he wouldn't stop. He was too stubborn to give up once he began something. I'd probably return every few weeks to check up on him unless there was some kind of setback.

I had well over a dozen emails to sort through. Most were from clients asking for appointments. Others were junk. After an hour of replying, scheduling, deleting, and other administrative tasks, my eyes were getting heavy. I tried to blink away the tiredness, but soon the screen started to blur and I rubbed at my eyes, exhaustion overwhelming me.

Before I even realized it, I was asleep on the couch. A knock at the door startled me from my sleep. I glanced around the room in confusion, unsure of my surroundings at first. A wet line of drool trickled down my chin. I wiped it away with my sleeve. Very sexy, Ava. Really fucking hot .

The knock sounded again, and I stumbled to the door. I glanced through the peep hole and saw Blayne standing out on my porch. I lifted the chain and opened the door.

"Hey? What's up?"

Blayne stared down at his shoes, his hands fidgeting at his sides. He looked nervous.

"Blayne? Is something the matter?"

He looked up quickly, like he'd made a decision. His words tumbled out breathlessly. "Can you come with me for a minute?"

I stopped, unsure what he meant. "Come with you where?"

Blayne looked like he was mad at himself, wincing and shrugging. "Sorry. It's nothing bad. I want to test something out. Can we go back behind my house?"

Not sure what else to do, I nodded and stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind me. Blayne looked relieved when I followed him. The sun had slipped over the mountains and the sky had a purplish glow that threw long shadows across the grass. Blayne kept walking until we were about twenty yards into the forest behind his house.

"All right," he said. "I guess I should tell you now. I haven't been able to shift since you rejected me."

"What?" My eyes must have looked like saucers in the darkness. I hadn't known that. "You never told me that." Irritation and sorrow fought within me. Irritation that he hadn't mentioned all the side effects he'd be experiencing, and sorrow that I'd caused it.

"I know. I've tried, but it just won't happen. My panther's been so depressed that he wouldn't come forward when I called on him. He's been better the last couple of days, though. I wanted to try again. I thought…uh…you know…if you were here it might make it easier for him to come out."

"Wow. Okay. Sure. What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Nothing. Stand there, and I'll see if I can make it happen."

Blayne stepped back a few feet and closed his eyes. Not wanting to break whatever conversation he was trying to have with the panther inside him, I tried to be as quiet as possible. Blayne's forehead was lined in concentration. Then, like a light switch flicked on, his features softened and a happy grin spread across his face. My heart jolted for an instant. Ever since I'd come home, he'd looked so angry and depressed. That smile showed me that he could still be happy. He wasn't totally broken.

"Hey, buddy," Blayne whispered. "Long time no see."

As his words faded, his body morphed into that of a panther. His entire body faded and transformed into the beast who lived within him. I'd watched Liam shift dozens of times, but it hadn't dampened the awe that filled me from witnessing it. Seeing something that, by all accounts, shouldn't be physically possible always made me feel like I was living in a fairytale or something.

My jaw dropped at how beautiful the creature before me was. I'd expected his panther to look identical to Liam's, but this was a step above what his brother had been. Liam's panther had been at least twenty pounds lighter than Blayne's, with dark black fur. I hadn't thought anything could have been darker, but looking at Blayne now, his coat of fur was as black as onyx. The deep coal color was so complete, I almost believed I could fall into it, like it was a bottomless pit.

Then he turned his bright jewel-like eyes on me. I'd never seen something so amazing.

Blayne padded toward me, circled me, sniffing at me. After a moment's hesitation, he leaned in and nuzzled my leg with his nose. Afraid that I'd do something wrong, I stayed unmoving until the warm and soft muzzle slid under and lifted my hand. It was the universal animal gesture for "pet me." When I caressed his fur, the panther purred and shivered in delight.

I petted him as he wound around me, rubbing his coat against my legs and sliding his head under my hand for more petting. It would have been easy for me to assume this was all Blayne's doing, but I had to remind myself that the panther was mostly in charge here. The panther was the one who wanted me to be in his life. Not Blayne.

It went on like that for over ten minutes, then Blayne shifted back. When he did, he was so close to me, his face inches from mine. He was breathing heavily, a look of happy relief on his face.

"Thank you," he said. His voice was deep and confident. "I needed to see if my panther was just playing hide-and-seek or if he was still mad at me."

He chuckled once, but stopped abruptly. His eyes flicked down to my lips, then back to my eyes. Heat radiated off his body, enveloping me. Our eyes locked for a long moment. Something was happening. I could sense it. Something big was going on between us. It almost made me dizzy, and I placed a hand on his chest to steady myself, then took a step back.

He watched me intently. Like a predator eyeing his prey. He blinked and slowly shook his head. "What are you doing to me?" The question was so soft, I couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or actually addressing me.

The intensity of the moment was too much. I took two steps back. "Uh. I'm glad you can shift again."

Blayne's eyes continued following me with the same fervor. He spoke again, but this time louder. "I said, what are you doing to me?"

"I don't know what you mean. I need to go. Good night." Without another word, I hurried back to my house.

Thankfully, he didn't follow me out of the forest. I didn't think I could face him just then. All I knew was that I had to get home. The power of the moment was too much, and I needed time to decompress. To try and sort out what it meant.

As I walked back to my house, I kept seeing his eyes staring into mine. It sent a not-unpleasant shiver through me.

Halfway up the pathway from my mailbox to my porch, I stopped in my tracks. My front door was ajar. I was almost positive that I'd closed it when I'd gone out with Blayne. That had been almost twenty minutes ago, and a lot had happened, but I was absolutely certain I had closed it.

Taking a few hesitant steps closer, I craned my neck up to see the door frame. The jamb was splintered as though it had been kicked in. A spike of fear jolted through me. Immediately, I backed away from the house, my head swinging back and forth to check my surroundings. I saw and heard nothing. I thought about calling for Blayne, but he'd probably shifted again and had gone running deeper into the forest.

Instead, I backed toward my car. I dug in my pocket and breathed a sigh of relief when I found my key fob still in it. I jumped in and drove away from the house, watching it recede in my rearview mirror. I drove directly to my father's house, not sure where else would feel safer.

Uncle Mike was watching TV in the den when I burst in through the door. He must have seen how freaked out I was because he jumped up and was at my side in two strides. "Ava, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong? What happened?"

"Is Dad around?"

Mike shook his head. "Gio's asleep upstairs. Been asleep since you left." He gently shook my shoulders. "Hey, kid, look at me. What's got you so spooked?"

I gave him a rundown of what I'd found at my house. The door standing half open. The splintered wood. The sense that someone was inside. As I spoke, I could see heat build in my uncle's cheeks. He looked pissed.

He nodded. "Let's check this out. Come on." He took my hand and led me to the kitchen.

LJ stood in front of the fridge eating cold pizza. Mike waved a hand at him. "You got a piece on you?"

LJ lifted his waistband and showed a gun in a holster. "Yeah. What's going on?"

"Some shitheads might have broken into your cousin's house. Gonna go check it out," Mike growled.

Fury instantly flashed in my cousin's eyes. "Seriously? Ava, you good?"

I nodded. "Fine. I came straight here when I realized something was off."

"Let's go," Mike said.

Mike and LJ followed me in their SUV. I pulled into the driveway a few minutes later, and the door was still ajar. Mike and LJ leaped from their car and pulled their guns before making their way up the steps, moving cautiously as they got closer.

I looked back across the street. Blayne's house was dark and silent. He was either still out in the woods as his panther or he'd gone to sleep. I was betting on the first option. He'd seemed so relieved to be able to shift again, I was positive he'd be out sprinting through the trees for a few hours.

"Son of a bitch," Mike hissed, fingering the splintered wood of my door. "Didn't even try to hide it."

He and LJ stepped inside and started moving through the house. I stayed outside, watching as lights flicked on in every room. After ten minutes, they came out. Mike was shaking his head, holding what looked like a wall outlet cover in his hand.

Holding it up for me to see, he gave me a sardonic grin. "These assholes do not know who they're messing with."

"What is that?"

"A bug. I've got plenty of experience finding these. Nothing has been stolen and no one was inside. After that, I started checking the vents, plugs, and lamps. They half-assed this one. Didn't match the color to the rest of the ones in the house. This is beige, the rest are a different shade of off-white. Look." He turned the outlet cover over to show what he meant.

A tiny, round piece of metal attached to a few small wires was glued to the plastic cover. A second set of wires hung limply.

Mike pointed at the wires. "They had it attached to the wiring of your house. Smart. No batteries to go dead. Fuckers."

Fear trickled down to my stomach like ice chips. "Is it…uh…are the police watching me for something?"

Mike shook his head. "Nah. They wouldn't have been sloppy enough to kick the door down. Whoever did this wanted it to look like an interrupted break-in." He eyed me speculatively and nodded across the street. "You think this might have something to do with those security guys?"

The hunter? Had they really been at my house and bugged it? What were they hoping to learn?

I shook my head. "Not sure. Maybe."

Mike nodded and looked at LJ. "You got a guy that can fix up Ava's door tonight?"

"Now?" I asked. "It's almost eight."

LJ grinned. "Yeah, I know a guy. Bet he can be here in less than an hour. Want me to get a guy to watch the street?"

Mike nodded. "Have one of the boys out here. Just for tonight, I think. Once they realize we found the bug, they'll try something different. After tonight, we'll have some boys cruising around every few hours. If that's cool with you?"

Blayne had told me that his team had guys watching the houses of their friends and families. He'd never had anyone around his place because he had no family or loved ones. It looked like the hunters had either figured out I was his fated mate, or had decided to bug my house since I was the closest neighbor who seemed to have some sort of relationship to him. I didn't want Blayne to freak out by telling him about this and asking his guys to watch out for me.

Instead, I nodded to Uncle Mike. "Yeah. Every now and then would be good. For peace of mind." I looked at LJ. "I appreciate you getting someone out tonight, but it can wait until tomorrow. I'll crash at Dad's house tonight."

"Okay," LJ said. "Let me wedge your door shut. You don't want to get any racoons getting in there. I'll text my guy and see if he can come over first thing in the morning."

My cousin bounded up the steps and worked on getting the door closed. Mike pulled me to him and pressed his lips close to my ear. "Are we telling Gio about this?"

I shook my head. "No. He's got enough going on. He'll probably tell you all more about it tomorrow when he is rested, but something big is coming. I don't want to stress him out too much. All he needs to know is that I didn't want to go home after taking him home from his meeting, so I decided to stay the night. I never even came back here."

"You got it. I'll make sure LJ's on the same page. Head on home while we finish up here."

Nodding, I got into my car. The drive back should have been filled with fear and anger about my home being invaded, but I couldn't think about the hunters. All I could think about were those moments in the forest with Blayne. The way he'd looked at me. The heat in his gaze, and how much I'd liked it.

"What the hell was that about?" I whispered to myself as I pulled into my Dad's driveway.