Chapter 23

A fter doing his last rep lifting weights with his left arm—without the prosthetic on—Archer slipped his shoulder out of the modified band attached to the machine. It felt good having his equipment again even though he had to make adjustments. He'd also bought an elliptical, treadmills, and weights for everyone to use.

The gym was an addition to the right side of the garage, and one built primarily for him. Tak understood his specific needs as a tripod, so Archer put in extra hours of work. He'd designed the gym the way he had always dreamed: wood floors, mirrors on the left wall, air-conditioning, no windows, and room to grow. The men were so impressed they wanted to use it. After giving them a demonstration on correctly using and cleaning his equipment, Archer invited them to work out anytime. The one thing he lacked was a bathroom. Tak didn't want to run plumbing out there since it would cost him. Maybe later.

He wiped his face on a towel as the door opened.

Lucian swaggered in, his golden eyes scanning the room. He had on a black tank top and jeans, and Archer thought he could use a little work on his core muscles, which seemed out of balance with his broad shoulders and sculpted arms. Lucian had sinewy muscles—lean but hard. Chitahs who used their running abilities usually did, and he was always running all over the property.

"Thinking about bulking up?" Archer asked.

Lucian scoffed and ran his hand over his stubbly scalp. "Just trying to get a little peace and quiet." He put his hands on his hips and looked around, then drew in a deep breath. "What troubles you?"

Archer picked up his prosthesis and set it on the weight bench. "Your wardrobe. How many black tank tops do you own?"

"As many as I do dress shirts, but I don't like ruining my good clothes while working." Lucian stepped onto the treadmill and stared at the buttons. "Quite a storm we had last night."

"I slept through most of it."

Lucian threw him a cocksure grin over his shoulder. "Normally I don't look at the camera footage of the backyard, but after that prick showed up last night, I monitored the silent alarm."

Archer knew where this conversation might be heading.

Looking back at the treadmill controls, Lucian said, "I couldn't help but notice how you went into the heat house at around eleven."

"So?"

"And didn't come out until three. Naked." He tapped the controls. "That's some visit."

Archer didn't like people in his business, but he had a feeling it might be hard to slip past Lucian for all kinds of reasons. "I wanted to keep an eye on her and make sure she felt safe."

Lucian drew in a breath and slowly nodded. "She likes you."

Feeling uncertain about having this conversation so soon, Archer walked to the other side of the treadmill, by the door. "She just feels safe around me because I'm not a threat." He rotated his left shoulder to make a point .

"I'm a Chitah, and I can smell pity. That's not what she feels. She admires you. I don't know how you people can walk around with those weak olfactory receptors." Lucian rested his elbow on the display.

The treadmill suddenly activated at top speed, and the fast-moving belt sent Lucian flying.

"Later," Archer said, striding out the door before Lucian caught him laughing.

Serves him right for getting in my business.

While strolling toward the house, he noticed the sun evaporating every drop of water from the canopy of leaves. The flowers around the porch were limp, their leaves yellow from too much water. Butterflies circled blooming lantanas, yet all Archer could think about was the unshakable connection he'd felt with Cecilia when they locked eyes last night. How everything shifted from sex into a deeper emotion—something so untapped that even he didn't know what the hell it was.

It freaked him out.

Archer had never felt tethered to anyone in that way. When he first met Cecilia, the connection was sexual and intensified by her heat cycle. With his being intoxicated, it had been difficult to process everything in the aftermath. But now that he'd gotten to know her, now that they had been intimate again, that pull he felt was even stronger.

Sweet. My wolf has fallen in love with a horse. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?

It was bad enough the L word had entered his mind, but Archer had never been in a real relationship. Ever since moving to Austin, he'd felt a pull toward settling down. Not just with his life but also with his heart. Maybe seeing those around him fall in love had made him envious of that bond.

But he figured if any girl was willing to settle with him, she'd have to be crazy. Cecilia was too fragile—too perfect. He would burn down the world for that woman, and yet he couldn't bring himself to ask her out. It hadn't occurred to him why until that morning.

His thoughts fused into one crystalline realization: to pursue her meant to tell her the truth.

When women asked about his arm, he would either blow them off or fabricate a story. But he didn't want to lie to Cecilia, which meant exposing himself for the deplorable man he once was.

So he spent his time that morning trying to decide if it would be easier to back off or pursue a woman who would never return his love. Either way, it was a lose-lose situation.

Dammit. There I go, thinking about that L word again.

Once inside the house, he ducked into the kitchen and guzzled a glass of water. Tak's laughter from out back penetrated the walls. Striding out of the kitchen, Archer spotted Hope poking her head out of the bathroom in the back hall, her long hair swinging as she looked around with uncertainty.

He chuckled. "Out of toilet paper?"

Hope was a stunning woman with full lips, dark eyes, straight hair, and a smile that could warm the blackest of hearts. But she wasn't smiling now, and that frown line between her eyes was deeper than usual.

He approached, concerned that something was wrong. "Everything okay?"

"Melody talked me into testing out her new swimwear samples for next season." Hope emerged from the bathroom in a purple bikini.

Not what he expected.

Archer had barely ever seen her in anything less than a cropped shirt, and she always covered up from the waist down. He'd gotten used to not looking at his female packmates after a shift .

The halter top was dark purple and went around the back of her neck and then crisscrossed over her ample chest. He glimpsed the back, which faded from purple to pink.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this," she confessed.

Archer laughed and stared out the back door at Krys branching away from Tak. "I don't know how you feel, but I can sure bet I know how your mate will feel."

"How do I look?"

"You look great, Hope. And that's all I'm gonna say." He pushed through the center seam of the magnetic screen and crossed the deck.

Virgil was sitting in a lawn chair, his teal robe untied, round purple sunglasses on his face, and otherwise naked except for a pair of black bikini briefs. He sipped on an orange juice. "What are you grinning about?"

Archer walked to the railing and turned around, facing the house. "I think the next five minutes of my life might be the most entertaining yet."

After gulping down the rest of his juice, Virgil said, "If I had a nickel for every time someone said that to me, I'd be sitting on the deck of my mansion in Hawaii." He followed Archer's expectant gaze to the back door.

Melody flew out in a tie-dye bikini, her pink hair pulled up in a ponytail, pink mirrored shades on her eyes. "Come on, Hope!"

Tak chuckled and put a stick of beef jerky into his mouth. The sun had glazed his brown skin a deeper shade of gold, his braid tightly woven as he crossed the deck to where Archer was standing.

"The stream is flooded," he informed her. "You shouldn't swim today."

Melody jogged down the steps with towels under her arm. "We're not going to the stream. It's too wet, and I'm not ruining my shoes. We're just going to enjoy the sun and test out the material. After that, turn the hose on and see how they wear in the water. I have to make sure they don't expand and fall off or turn see-through." She did a twirl in the yard. "My new bikini line is coming out next year. Well… maybe. Come on, Hope!"

Tak gnawed on his stick. "Those two are always up to something. I thought Mel was sewing a new line of baby clothes. Now that would be a good venture for her. Babies grow fast. They're always needing a new outfit and?—"

Tak's words cut off when Hope emerged from the house in Melody's purple-and-pink creation. Her curvy hips swung as she padded barefoot across the deck and stopped. The sun illuminated her warm skin, her stunning features marred with uncertainty.

"What do you think?" She did a slow turn, revealing how the backside of her suit didn't cover half as much as Archer had first thought.

Tak's beef jerky fell out of his mouth.

"Give us a runway walk." Virgil whistled at her.

If the sun hadn't warmed Tak's face, the sight of his mate did. Dark desire twirled in his eyes as he scanned her voluptuous curves and nervous smile.

"You should dress like that more often, sugarplum," Virgil suggested. "You're the cat's meow."

It was clear Hope was embarrassed to be so underdressed. Melody, on the other hand, was doing cartwheels in the yard.

She smiled at Tak. "Could you bring me a glass of tea? Mel and I need to run around and exercise to make sure they don't fall off and nothing pops out."

Archer sputtered with laughter.

"Yes, that would be a shame," Virgil remarked. "Might I suggest a Hula-Hoop?"

"Forget what I said about baby clothes," Tak muttered to Archer before prowling toward his mate. "I have a better idea." At a height of around six-seven, Tak had no trouble bending over and tossing Hope over his shoulder.

She swung her arms. "Tak, put me down! I have to test this out and get it wet."

He parted the magnetic screen on the oversized back door. "Don't worry about that, Duckie. I'll help you get it wet."

"Tak!" She sounded embarrassed by his sexual innuendo but then giggled.

Virgil reclined his head and waggled his eyebrows. "Someone's feeling frisky."

Tak's sonorous laugh grew distant in the back hall toward their bedroom, which jutted out from the house.

"They'll be a while," Krys remarked before heading inside.

Virgil stood and set his glass on the railing. "I'll never understand modesty. The body is a beautiful thing." He let his robe drop to the ground. "If the fates wanted us clothed, we would have been born with fur." He descended the steps and raised his hand. "I'll model your swimwear line."

"Are you kidding me?" Melody exclaimed around a laugh. "It was custom-made for Hope. You'll stretch the material in all the wrong ways."

"That's what product testing is all about. You gotta stretch it to the limits."

"You'll just have to hold out for the men's line. I'll give yours a skunk tail."

"Don't be a hater." Virgil sat on the steps. "If you want my professional opinion, fill a small swimming pool with water and mud. Wrestle around in there for a little while."

"What for?"

Virgil leaned back on his elbows. "To see if the fabric slips off."

She chortled. "No one wears bikinis just to get them muddy. "

"Oh really? Let me tell you about this little club I used to visit back in 1984…"

Archer noticed Cecilia walking to the well. A white butterfly was flitting behind her as if trying to keep up. Her brown ponytail swished back and forth. The girls must have given her the pretty white skirt, and Archer liked seeing her legs. Peering down the well, she drew up the bucket. Before drinking from the cup, she sniffed the water and stared at it for a moment. He wanted to yell to her that it was safe, but Cecilia would make that decision for herself.

Mercy and Bear had already gone to work, and so the rest of them were working on small projects since the big ones were complete. Obviously Melody's project involved swimwear.

Archer picked up the beef jerky and whistled. Catcher's wolf poked his head out from beneath the deck where he liked to sleep in the daytime.

"Barely been chewed. You want it?" Waving the stick, he dropped it.

Catcher caught it in his mouth, groaned, and crawled back into the shade.

"Cecilia!" Melody shouted. "How would you like to try out a new clothing line?"

Archer pivoted on his heel and headed back to the gym. He wasn't sure how Cecilia felt after what had happened between them last night, but he sure as hell knew how he would feel if he saw her parading around the yard in a bikini.

And there would be no disguising his feelings in his loose track shorts.

That morning, I'd slept in. The storm eased up during the night, shortly before I fell asleep next to Archer. When I awoke, he was gone. He'd left no trace that he was ever there except for one thing: I noticed he'd taped a picture of storm clouds over a farmhouse to my vision board.

Hope had offered me clothes that were more my style. I put on a white summer skirt that fell to my knees and a pink cami.

Archer and I hadn't discussed the future or whether we would continue to see each other. Neither of us was ready for that talk so soon. I needed to process Noah officially exiting my life.

When Melody asked me to put on a bikini, I made a fast getaway. After grabbing an apple from the kitchen, I blushed at the intimate noises coming from Tak and Hope's room as I hurried through the house in search of Archer. I wanted to get a sense of what he was feeling after last night.

Chewing on my apple, I peered into the game room and library before walking onto the front porch.

Krys was relaxing in a chair, his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. He startled me at first, because for a nanosecond I thought it was Noah. They didn't look alike, but the long hair gave me a shock.

"I guess you're glad to get rid of the asshole," he said, eyes forward.

I approached the rail. "Yeah."

Krys played with a silver pendant around his neck. "Maybe you need to be on your own for a while. Being alone is good for the soul."

I wasn't sure if he meant alone as in relationship status or leaving the house, so I took another bite of my apple.

He stroked his goatee while staring straight ahead. "I'm going to save you a whole lot of wondering. Archer isn't a guy who settles down. So erase any notion in your head that he might be next. He'll hurt you." Krys stood and faced me. "Not the way that other asshole did, but Archer doesn't know how to relationship. I'm not saying that to be a dick. He's my cousin, and I'd lay down my life for him. But I'm just telling you what he's afraid to. As long as I've known him, he's never been capable of love. And he's gone through some shit." Krys averted his gaze. "His emotions aren't right, so don't fuck with him."

"Where is he?"

Krys gestured to the garage. "In there." The door slammed after he went inside.

That guy's a ray of sunshine. But he wouldn't say all that if he didn't love Archer. He's not trying to protect me, because he doesn't even know me. He's protecting him. From what?

The wind offered no relief from the scorching sun that burned my shoulders as I walked to the garage. I found the entrance to the gym inside.

Though it seemed like a silly thing to do, I knocked. It wasn't like he was naked in there.

When no one answered, I opened the door.

Lying on his back, Archer lifted a long bar with weights on both ends. It was the first time I'd seen him wearing the artificial limb, and it was a strange sight. He seemed more normal to me without it. Watching him lifting that heavy weight blew me away.

Not wanting to startle him, I stood noiselessly by the door.

Archer blew out a sharp breath and then set the bar on the rack. I watched him detach the claw that was clamped to the bar. When he sat up and caught sight of me, he grabbed the towel by his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Spying." I took another bite of the apple. "You're strong. I can barely lift a cast-iron skillet."

Archer wiped his face and laughed. "I could help you with that, you know. Lifting isn't just for men."

"I ran into Krys just now."

"What did he have to say?"

I strolled across the room. When I reached the bench he was straddling, I sat down. "He loves you. "

Archer cocked his eyebrow. "Does he, now?" He laughed and tapped his fingers on his prosthesis.

"Your cousin looks out for you."

"He's been there for me—I'll give him that."

I lowered my apple to my lap. "It's a gift to have someone who loves you for who you are, flaws and all. Someone who looks out for you."

After taking the apple from my hand, Archer took the last bite and then pitched the core into a nearby wastebasket. "Now you really have me curious what he said."

I wiped my hands together, feeling the sticky juice drying on my fingers. "What are your thoughts about us? I'm not trying to push anything on you, just so you know. I'm only trying to figure out if you have any intentions or are just living in the moment."

He scratched his bare chest, eyes downcast. "I think after what you've been through, you need time to figure stuff out. And that's not something I have any say over. That guy put you through hell, and I don't want to get in the way of your healing."

I scooted closer. "Thank you for saying that."

His eyes flicked up.

Not wanting to leave him confused, I put my hand on his leg. "I'm into you, Archer. I don't know a better way to say it. It's only been two weeks since we met for the second time, but whenever I'm with you, I feel more like myself again. You make me laugh and feel good about my dreams. You remind me of who I used to be."

Archer put his hand over mine, and I felt that instant connection again.

I gathered my courage to open myself up in a way I never had with Noah. "I'm not really sure who you are, but I know enough that I want to learn. Maybe it's sex. Maybe it's friendship. Maybe it's more. But there's a feeling that comes over me whenever I'm near you—whenever I think about you. Last night was the first time in a long while that I felt like my mare wanted to come out."

He chuckled and leaned in, nuzzling my neck. "That would have been awkward."

I laughed. "That's not what I mean."

He peppered sweet kisses on my neck, tickling me with affection. Archer wrapped his arm around me, and I leaned into him. "Are you going back to work soon?"

"I'm ready," I said decidedly. "The sooner I sell those books the better. I need the money if I want to get a place."

"You know you can stay here as long as you need."

"Thanks. It's just that I'd rather stay where I belong, and this isn't my home. I love it here, though. You're lucky to have a pack."

Resting his chin on my shoulder, he asked, "Have you ever thought about joining a group of horses?"

"I don't know. Obviously I'd be safer, but I can barely talk to people in public. How do I join a group of strangers?"

"You just be yourself, Cici. That's all you've got to do."

"So I should sing my way into their hearts with a musical number from The King and I ?"

He chuckled.

To which I responded by singing the opening lyrics to "Shall We Dance?" Then I stood and offered my hand.

Archer shook his head. "I told you I don't dance."

I twirled, still singing, seeing my reflection in the mirror as a free woman unshackled from fear or embarrassment for being my silly self.

When Archer laughed again, I gripped his hand and yanked him up. He stumbled over the bench, tripped, and slammed into me. I gripped the clamps on his prosthetic arm and hummed the tune as he did a twirl.

"Ow!" Archer hissed when I stepped on his foot.

Then he bumped into me awkwardly as we kept turning in circles. When I stepped on his foot again and then he stepped on mine, I started laughing.

My heel backed into a mat I didn't know was there, and I shrieked as we tumbled onto it. The air wheezed from my lungs when Archer fell on top of me.

I stared into his eyes. "Whoopsie-daisy."

Archer rocked with laughter and held a handsome grin. "We suck."

"We just need practice."

"We need an intervention."

I shook with laughter… until Archer's artificial hand slid up my thigh, lifting my skirt.

When the door clicked open, I tensed.

Archer recoiled so fast that he looked like a reverse jack-in-the-box.

Lucian flicked a glance at us when he walked in. "Don't mind me." He got on all fours by the treadmill and pressed his cheek to the floor.

Meanwhile, I lay frozen with Archer between my legs.

"Got it." Lucian stood and rolled a ring between his thumb and index finger.

"It's not what it looks like," Archer said.

"That remains to be seen." His nostrils flared when he drew in a breath.

Realizing he could scent emotions, I jolted up and straightened my skirt. "Archer was showing me self-defense moves."

Lucian abruptly stalked toward us and bent over, hands braced on his knees. After a soft inhale, he tipped his head to the side, his Chitah eyes boring through me. "If you're going to lie to a Chitah, learn how to mask your emotions. The trick is to think of something else when you're telling the lie. It doesn't always work, but it creates a soupy mix that not all Chitahs can parse. Do you want to try lying to me again, female? "

"Will you cut that out?" Archer knocked him over the head with his prosthesis.

Lucian's fangs punched out—all four of them—and it gave me a fright. Yet despite the threatening gesture, his expression seemed the contrary. "If she hasn't spent time around other Breeds, it's reasonable to assume she doesn't know a damn thing about us."

"My father told stories, and I've read a lot of books," I countered. "Your name sounds like the animal's name, but you spell it differently. I also read that you make vocalizations similar to a cheetah."

While rubbing his head, Lucian straightened. "Books aren't the same. Believe me."

Archer rose to his feet and offered me his hand.

"Can I see them?" I asked, curious about Lucian's fangs. He had two on top and two on the bottom, giving him an animalistic appearance.

His dark eyebrows slanted in the middle. Lucian opened his mouth, his eyes steering up to the ceiling as I leaned in close and touched one.

He caught my wrist.

"Is there really venom in there?"

His fangs punched back in. "Ducts carry the venom through the fang."

"But only a Mage can die from a bite," I said, remembering what I'd read.

Though he crossed his arms, Lucian seemed open to answering questions. "It depends on how much venom they receive. We can retract them individually, but if we only want to paralyze our victim, we just sink the top two in like a Vampire. You can always tell if a Mage has crossed a Chitah because the bites leave a scar."

Having never spent time around a Chitah up close, I had a lot of questions.

"Can you make your skin change?" I gestured to his arms.

Shaking his head, he replied, "It's an involuntary reaction triggered by emotions."

"Can you heal anything with your tongue?"

Archer gave a throaty chuckle. "I think show-and-tell is over."

"Why?" Lucian quirked a brow.

Archer gave him a withering look, and something transpired between them in the silence.

Lucian sniffed the air. "On that note, I have to complete my weekly camera inspection." After a slow turn, he crossed the room. "I won't say anything. As usual. "

The door slammed.

Archer pulled me to him and held me in his arms. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Was that wrong?"

"No, Cici. There's nothing wrong with being curious. But he's right: books don't teach you about etiquette and touching a man's fangs."

I smiled against his chest. "It's just that I nicked myself this morning while shaving down there, and?—"

"Oh, did you?" He kissed the crook of my neck madly, and I pealed out a laugh as he dipped me back. Suddenly the air stilled while he held me that way, looking deep into my eyes. "I think I like you too much."

I wrapped my arms around his neck while he pulled me back up. "Then let's see where this goes. I mean… if that's what you want. No pressure."

"No pressure," he agreed. "But after last night with the dickhead, maybe we need to cool down for a minute. You can get back to work, and Tak won't think I'm a rake."

"A rake?" I jerked my head back. "Where did you hear that word? Have you been reading my books?" When he tried to pull out of my grip, I held on even tighter. "You have, haven't you? Admit it—you were reading a romance novel."

"Fine. I confess. I wanted to see what Bear kept going on about."

"And?"

He gave me a crooked smile. "And I think I need the audiobook version for my workouts."