12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Ava suffocated, pressure pushing down against her chest while she resisted the urge to move. Her hands scrapped against the heavy pelt atop her, itchy and thick. Choking, her lungs burned for clean air, constricting painfully as they tried to draw in the precious resource.

The sound of blood splattering on the ground was chorused by joyful shouts. And he was just watching: passive, aloof, indifferent. He was her enemy. Her ghost. Ciru, the Raeth.

A whine erupted from her throat. If she'd been human, it would've been a scream, but the wolf's vocal cords were unable to make the sound. Curled in a ball on her own pillow, Ava shook off the remnants of her dream. Her painful past often transferred into her subconscious dreamland; a bloody history she could never fully escape.

She trotted into her bathroom where she shifted and showered. As the steam clouded the mirrors, she allowed herself the time to think.

Last night had been a mistake. Why had she kissed him? She'd allowed the Raeth to get too close and now she had … feelings. While she'd enjoyed his company, she couldn't afford to lose herself in him. Her past simply wouldn't allow it.

Remmus' expertise was needed for the good of her immortal breed and helping her overcome her fear was an important benefit. Eventually—once she trusted him—she would ask him to look at her sketches and see if he recognized them.

Flipping off the light in her steamy bathroom, she padded quietly through her quarters, still lost in thought. When she walked through her empty kitchen, the echoes of passion still resounded in her heart. Ava hesitated, staring at the stool he'd sat in.

She wasn't someone who let her feelings rule her actions. Or impulsively decided to let Raeths get close enough to bite.

The crimson-soaked ground she'd plodded over as a youngling had made sure of that. The last time she'd let a Raeth get close, she'd lost everything.

Why did Remmus seem different from all the rest? Every time he smiled or drew near, her wolf perked to attention. Even more concerning was the fact that when she thought about the kiss they shared last night, those confounded butterflies fluttered around in her stomach.

Three clanless Raeths had killed her mortal family. Remmus was her chance to check whether she'd gotten close to finding them and she had to stay on track.

Swiftly stomping any lingering flutterbies in her core, Ava stalked out of her quarters and to the offices. The night was young. Everything in her, wily wolf included, begged her to sniff out the Raeth that'd stolen far more than his fair share of cupcakes.

Her fingertips tickled over the sensitive flesh of her lips, remembering the all-too-sweet kiss they'd shared.

Before long, she found herself elbow deep in work at her desk, scribbling notes over pack transfer requests and vaccination reports. Several pack members came in to chat with her, but she quickly shooed them out in lieu of completing Riaz's perpetually late paperwork.

A low whistle broke her concentration.

She instinctually knew it was Remmus. Lazily standing with a shoulder propped on the doorframe, the massive Raeth male was looking at her intently.

"You know what they say, Blondie?"

The escaping sigh that was meant to signal her contempt somehow sounded breathy. "What do they say, Raeth?"

"All work and no play make Ava a stressed girl."

She pulled on her creativity. "Slowly run over by a steamroller, feet first."

Remmus had the good sense to cringe. "Morbid. Did a Raeth invite you to prom, crown you Prom Queen, and then dump a bucket of pig blood on your head? Sorry, Carrie."

"Perhaps I simply hate Raeths."

Leaning back in her chair, Ava kicked up booted heels on top of her desk and threw him a devil-may-care look.

"You're gutting me, Prom Queen."

Abandoning the doorframe, Remmus had the audacity to walk behind her desk and get into her personal space. He grabbed her feet off the desk and sat in their place, pulling them into his lap.

"I'm of the mind to get into some trouble. You game, Blondie?"

"Do I look like I get into a lot of trouble to you?"

Ava gestured wildly around her pristine office, every paper in its proper place, every pen in its assigned spot. Contrary to her messy male alpha, she was the epitome of organization, something she happily shared with Cortana.

"You look like a lotta trouble to me."

Remmus' fingers curled around her right boot, massaging her feet through the supple leather. Instantly, she dissolved, shuddering at the simple ecstasy of his skillful fingers.

Closing her eyes, she let the Raeth work his magic for the next minute. All of her cares seemed to vanish as she became an Ava-shaped puddle in his hands. As his fingers gradually worked up her calf, she was convinced she'd never experienced anything quite as magical. To her complete and utter dismay, a satisfied moan rumbled in her throat.

The worst part was that deep in her subconscious, Ava wanted nothing more than for him to continue exploring her skin and dissolve the tension he found beneath it.

"Massage a plus. Noted."

Remmus' whisper, spoken more to himself than her, had Ava opening her eyes to regard him severely.

"Are you cataloging ways to earn my affections?"

"Below your icy layer of spite and sarcasm, I'd venture there's a baby bunny just waiting to be cuddled." He nodded to where her leg was still being massaged by his talented hands. "Proof positive. Also, I'm seventy-four percent certain that death threats are your love language."

The wolf kicked her legs free of his hands. "Tied to railroad tracks and run over by a train going less than one mile per hour. Again, feet first."

"Bondage?" The seductive smirk had his dimple creasing his cheek. "Kinky."

The heel of Ava's boot gave him a hearty shove off her desk. As he pinwheeled his arms to catch his balance, she laughed at his expense. "You were saying something about trouble?"

"Come with me."

When Remmus held out his hand, she eyed it warily. "And if I say no?"

"Then I guess you'll just have to read about it later in the papers."

Remmus sauntered nonchalantly from the room. There was no way she was going to let the Raeth go on his own.

Shutting her laptop, Ava trailed him into the hall. To her surprise and instant annoyance of her wolf, he had already disappeared. Using her keen sense of smell, she tracked Remmus down the hallway and into the garage. The Raeth was already running a hand over Riaz's pride and joy: his motorcycle.

She froze. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ava couldn't keep the indignation from her voice, and it had Remmus cackling. "Stealing."

"You can't be serious. Why would I ever let you steal my alpha's bike?"

She moved closer, her steps cautious as though at any moment, Remmus would take out a sword and cut the bike in half.

"Oh wolfy, live a bit on the wild side. Or are you just gonna huff and puff all day?"

"Are you calling yourself a little pig?"

"Well, I do like my food. Come along if you don't trust me."

A challenge. Reluctance knitted her brows together, the stubborn will pushing her to resist his every attempt at courtship. But as she thought through the situation, it was better to follow where this path led.

In two steps, she'd arrived at his side with a sickly-sweet smile curving her lips. "And how do you intend on starting a vehicle without the key?"

On his cue—a wink to Ava—the motorcycle roared to life.

"As I've said, turning things on is a gift."

He swung his leg over the bike and patted the seat behind him. Checking the gauges, he quirked a brow at her disbelieving face.

"I'm a technopath, Blondie. Come along, I'm dying to ride something dangerous."

"Fine. But you get one scratch on this, and there won't be any safe place you can hide that Riaz won't find you."

"Scout's honor: no scratching."

As she settled behind Remmus, her entire body flared with sensation. Her hands linked delicately around him, and the heat of his presence flushed warm against her. Through the leather jacket he wore, she felt every subtle shift of movement. When his spearmint scent invaded her senses, she nearly lost the battle to remain detached. It was like holding a live stick of dynamite and expecting it not to blow up.

Anticipation roared through her blood, and when he kicked off the ground and revved the engine into a sprint, Ava's grip tightened. Gravel pinged beneath the twin tires, the slosh of icy wetness spitting behind them.

Through the communication system in their helmets, she asked, "Do you commonly steal things that aren't yours?"

"Do you commonly steal things that belong to you?" Remmus retorted, calling her to the carpet for her admittedly ridiculous question. "Spoiler: that's kind of the definition of stealing. And yes … thievery is a favorite pastime of mine, though I prefer the term ‘borrowing.'"

"Borrowing without permission?"

"Would you have climbed aboard if you'd suspected I'd never return you to the den?" Remmus turned left when they got to the main road, the bike roaring into the uncharted area north of the den. "Tempting as that may be, I only steal things to rile their owners … and only if I know them well. Nina tends to frown on me being behind bars."

Silence stretched between them as the bike sped by wooded thickets. Howls rang out in the distance, echoed across the snow-covered mountains and the cracking concrete that stretched before them.

"Where are we going?"

"No idea. I just saw the opportunity to snatch you away and I took it."

Sucking in a breath, Ava tried to bat away the sudden shot of adrenaline that made her mind haze. "Why would you want to do that?"

Remmus spoke with such sincerity that it hurt. "I'll never hurt you, Ava. You have nothing to fear from me. I don't know what happened to you, and I'm not asking, but you need to know that I'll never intentionally harm you. You can trust me."

You can trust me.

Echoes of her past swarmed her vision, blurring her line with reality. Shivers skated up her arms and lodged in her spine, making her teeth chatter. Hadn't her ghost spoken the exact same words to her and then torn her heart out? Yet Remmus was speaking the truth.

"I know, Remmus."

The soft words barely left her lips, but he heard her. Warm fingers settled over hers the contact so slight it was almost imperceptible, but his touch seared through her soul.

Clearing her throat of wayward tears, Ava said, "Turn right up here on the gravel road."

Following her instruction, Remmus navigated the motorcycle down the pathway. Loose rock grit beneath their tires, and Ava cringed to think what Riaz would say when he realized they'd taken his prized possession down the rough trail.

As if hearing her thoughts, Remmus remarked, "I'll clean it."

"What a considerate thief you are."

"I try," came the laughing reply.

Up ahead, the road dissolved into a shoddy parking lot, devoid of cars but full of potholes. It had weathered logs for parking stops and a sign that looked like it wouldn't make it through the winter. Remmus pulled alongside a log and rolled back onto the kickstand.

"Okay, Tour Guide, you're up."

Residual heat clung to her from her cuddle with Remmus. For a moment, she was lost in the seafoam green of his eyes. They reminded her of the ghost that haunted her, the stain on her memories. But the boy in her dreams had vanished as surely as she had.

"This way, tourist."

She jerked her chin toward the shadowed walking path just ahead. Wide at the start, it narrowed considerably to where Ava led, and he followed behind. Darkened trees reached overhead, blocking out their view of the stars and any mountains that might've silhouetted against the horizon.

"It's beautiful up here. Just wait."

"Oh, I was already appreciating something beautiful."

His suggestive tone had her instantly glancing back at him, unsurprised to see him appreciating her. When he caught her scowl, the dimple made another appearance.

"Just being honest, Ava."

The way he said her name was like a stolen caress. Responding to his overture would only incite him further, but the thought of shutting him down sent a strange melancholy pinging through her mind. She didn't truly want to be rid of his attempts at affection. In fact, the wolf prowling below her skin had never been more adamant about wanting her to encourage it.

"We're here."

The narrowed path opened up to strangely soundless clearing. A pond, fed by a small stream, had iced over, though it wouldn't be thick enough to walk on yet.

"I come here after the tourist season ends. After October, the crowds drop off and the wildlife comes back out to play."

Like the wild wolves currently circling them. "We're about to have company."

Loosening a howl from her throat, her wolf beckoned the wild ones closer. Eagerly, they trailed out of the darkness, directly toward where she stood with Remmus. When he stiffened beside her, Ava's fingers reached out to curl around his wrist.

"Stay with me, Remmus."

That was a command, a dominant she-wolf demanding the man behind her do as she bid. If there was one thing she didn't want to have to do tonight, it was scraping Raeth off the gravel.

"I have no intention of running, Blondie."

Ava was very familiar with the wild charcoal-grey creature leading the rest of the wolves and was happy to see him. When she went to her knees and opened her arms, his tongue dragged up the side of her face, slobbering her with kisses she smiled through.

"Remmus, this is Remington." Ava ran her hands through the wolf's thick coat. Lifting her gaze, she asked, "Would you like to meet him?"

Remmus' brow furrowed before glancing around at the additional wolves that circled. He was shifting on his feet. Was the big, bad Raeth scared of the wild wolf?

Ava's hand rose to his, gently tugging him down beside her while she maintained her dominance over Remmington. "Let him scent you." His fingers slid against hers as she extended it toward the animal. "He'll accept you if you accept him."

For once, the cocky exterior Remmus so proudly wore had dissolved, revealing the childlike joy beneath. Everything about him was innocence and hope, an innate youthfulness that'd been hidden under years of trial. While his go-to smirk highlighted his stunning features, the smile the Raeth wore when Remmington licked his hand in acceptance was absolutely devastating.

It made her wonder what was usually hindering such joy. Only something deeply rooted and troubling would have Remmus lock up this side of himself so tightly that she'd never seen it before.