21. Willow

TWENTY-ONE

Willow

Caleb had been generous in his estimation of how long I’d be asleep for. I lay in the back, curled into a ball, trying to ignore the pains in my legs from not being stretched out, but I was content to lie as I was for as long as possible.

The sky was still dark, a deep indigo that blurred against the horizon. The faintest hint of dawn lingered beneath the clouds, and the world felt still. From my position, my view was limited, but I imagined the landscape was much different for Caleb, who was silent as he drove.

“I’ll pull over,” he spoke suddenly, causing me to jump. “You need to stretch and a bathroom break.”

How long had he known I was awake? I could ask him, but I doubted he’d tell me because he would think it irrelevant.

When I was finished, I emerged from a clump of bushes on the side of the road and found Caleb standing with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes on the mountain range now much closer than it had been.

“It doesn’t get easier peeing in nature,” I joked, even though I was deadly serious. I saw his lips twitch and dutifully held out my hands when he offered me hand sanitizer. “It also doesn’t get easier knowing you’re on the other side.”

“This is a human hang-up,” he told me smoothly, capping the bottle and fighting the smile as I vigorously sanitized my hands. “Shifters don’t care.”

“So, what, you’re all nudists squatting to pee here, there, and everywhere?”

The look I got was one of astonishment, confusion, and general bewilderment.

“Yeah, okay, I’d ignore that too,” I muttered, climbing into the passenger seat. “Let’s forget I woke up?”

“But you’re so delightful in the morning,” he murmured as he got in the car.

“Ha.” Looking pointedly at the still-dark sky, I settled back in my seat. “It’s not morning yet.”

“Then go back to sleep.”

It was a command, not a suggestion, and I decided it was too early in the morning to argue with him. The headlights of the car lit up the gloom, illuminating the road ahead as it curved through the open landscape. The Rockies’ jagged silhouette beckoned us forward, and I worried about how in the heck I was going to climb a mountain.

Again.

Caleb flicked the heater on for me, and I murmured my thanks as warm air fell on my feet.

Leaning against the window, I felt the cold of the outside air as I watched the passing landscape. Pine trees that had been sparse were growing denser, their towering height blocking the view at times .

Caleb was silent, focused on the road, his hands firm on the steering wheel, and I felt the weight of all the things we hadn’t said yet. I couldn’t help but wonder what waited for me, for us, in the mountains. We rounded another curve in the road, and the Rockies rose in front of us, like a promise, an untold truth waiting to be told.

Dawn broke through from the cloud cover, the first light touching the mountain peaks, casting a faint purple glow over snow-capped summits.

“Snow?” I squinted at the top of the peaks.

Caleb leaned forward and gave a non-committal grunt.

“It’s still only October.”

“Down here, it is.” He pointed out the window. “Snow hit the peaks a couple of weeks ago.”

“Is it snowing where you are? I haven’t drawn anything with snow.”

Caleb glanced at me, and his smirk was bitter. “Well, that must make it right,” he muttered, “if you haven’t drawn it.”

“Don’t be testy,” I scolded. “How much further?” I asked, forcing myself to shake free the sleep that lingered in my brain.

“A few hours. Sleep some more,” he encouraged. When he saw me sitting up straighter, I saw his jaw clench, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

“Do you have any idea who broke into my house?” I asked him suddenly. It wasn’t something we had spoken about. Actually, most of what we spoke about wasn’t about anything at all. Who would have thought Caleb was so good at small talk without actually being good at small talk?

He looked over at me, his look questioning. “Diversion tactics? ”

His bemusement made me laugh out loud. “What? Hardly.” The look he gave me made me lose my smile. “I thought you may have found something out by now.” His frown deepened and I looked away. “Or not, it’s okay, sorry I asked.”

“Hey.” His hand landed on my thigh. “Don’t do that. I thought perhaps Cannon or Ned would have told you, that’s all.”

“Told me what?”

Caleb shrugged. “I killed two of the ones who ran you off the road. I left the bodies behind. Ned and whoever—I don’t keep count of the names.” His eyes flicked to mine, almost apologetically. “There’s always another one,” he added slightly defensively, and I hid my smile before he saw it and stopped talking.

“You killed two men, right?” I suddenly realized the seriousness of it, and I lost any humor I had.

Caleb sniffed derisively. “Shifters. I killed two shifters who would have killed me.” His look was hard when he glanced at me. “Who tried to kill you.”

“Yeah, I know, you told me before, but I don’t think they wanted to kill me.” I spoke without thinking and should have been prepared for the sharp jerk of the car as Caleb pulled over. “Caleb!” Trying to soothe my rapidly beating heart, I glared at him. “I was just in a car crash.”

“I’m not Doc.” He shrugged off my concerns easily, his tone dismissive but his eyes sharp, focusing on me with that penetrating gaze of his, making me feel like there was nowhere to hide. “What do you mean you don’t think they wanted to kill you? What have you seen?”

There was so much I wanted to say to him, but his hard, demanding, expectant stare made me blurt out the truth. “Nothing.”

He waited and when it was clear I wasn’t going to say anything else, he widened his eyes slightly, urging me to speak.

I hesitated, my mind replaying the images that had haunted me since the break-in. “It’s kind of hard to explain.” I saw his carry-on motion and wanted to kick him. “They came in when they knew I wasn’t there—I mean the store—they did that in the time it took me to walk home and see what they’d done to the house.”

“It’s not something to praise them for,” he growled.

“Will you quit it?” I snipped at him. “What I mean is they had the chance to hurt me, if they wanted. Probably more than once, if you think about it. And they didn’t. So…”

“So?” His voice was gruff and hard, and I felt like I did when I used to go to confession. Guilty but no idea why.

“So…doesn’t it feel more like a test?”

“A test?” His voice was flat. Unimpressed.

“Yeah, like they did what they did, the break-ins and that, and then kind of sat back to see what would happen. Like they were testing the waters.”

His brow furrowed, his teeth grinding as he stared off into the distance. “Testing?” His hands tightened on the steering wheel, although we were stationary. “That’s a hell of a jump to make, Willow. People like that don’t waste their time testing . They go in, get what they need, and leave.”

“But they didn’t get what they needed,” I said, ignoring his piercing stare. I pressed on, desperate to get it out now without any more interruptions. “I don’t know how to describe how I know, but…but I don’t think it was me they were trying to get th e attention of.” Clearing my throat, I looked away. “It felt too…”

“Calculated.”

We shared a look, and Caleb ran his tongue over his bottom lip as he considered my argument. “They broke into your home, they wrecked your store, they basically destroyed your life, and you’re telling me that it wasn’t about you?” I nodded. He sucked his teeth. “So what then? They didn’t run you off the road to kill you? Is that what you’re saying?”

His presence could be very overwhelming in a small space, and I pressed the switch to lower the power window so I could breathe, ignoring the chill from the morning air.

But I’d never been a quitter, so I met his gaze, refusing to be silent. He asked, I was talking. “I’m saying, I don’t think they came to kill me specifically. I don’t know what they wanted, but I don’t think it was my life. I think—I feel ,” I corrected myself quickly, “I feel like it was a test to see what happened.”

“Are you serious?”

Could he sound any flatter? “Yes.”

His eyes flashed with something I couldn’t place—fear, anger, maybe both, maybe neither.

“ Why are you only telling me this now?” His hands were curled into fists, his jawline tight, his eyes narrow and fierce, and I felt a thin sliver of anxiety that suddenly this car wasn’t big enough for his anger.

“Caleb—”

“Are you out of your mind?” he growled at me. “I’m genuinely curious.” His tone suggested the complete opposite.

I held his gaze, refusing to back down. “I didn’t have a lot of time to tell you anything. I was in a hospital bed and then you left!”

Caleb let out an explosive breath, running his hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body as he watched me, his expression closed off. “This changes things,” he mumbled under his breath, his fingers tapping the steering wheel as he thought about things. “If they weren’t after you, if they were testing , who the hell was their target? Cannon?”

“You.” I looked at him like he was an idiot. “Isn’t that obvious?”

“No. It isn’t obvious at all.” He shook his head. “I left Whispering Pines months ago. You may have left with me, but you didn’t come back with me. I’ve not been near you in weeks.” He turned his head towards me. “Cannon ever come back in those weeks I was gone?”

“No. Only Royce, Ned, or Doc.”

“Still, they see you with shifters,” he mused, returning his attention to the mountains in front of us. “Right?”

“I guess. I don’t know. You think that matters?” My voice was small as the weight of the mess of my life pressed down on me.

He locked eyes with me again, the look more intense than before, and I hadn’t thought that possible. “What have you seen? What else, Willow? What else haven’t you told me?”

“Unfair,” I grumbled as I faltered under the intensity of his stare. I hesitated, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I could lie and say I hadn’t had more visions, scenes of things that made no sense, things that I couldn’t explain, but I knew Caleb wouldn’t let this go. Not now.

“I’ve had a few dreams,” I admitted, avoiding looking at him. “Visions, I guess. Maybe. Of the ones…” I cleared my throat. “Of them.”

Caleb’s stare was punishing, his face a tight mask of control. “And did you mention this to any of your babysitters?”

I winced at the term but shook my head. “You told me you killed them! I didn’t think they were relevant!” I snapped back, feeling frustration rise in me too.

“You need to tell me everything you see,” he ground out, and I was sure he was speaking through clenched teeth.

“Do you think I was right? Was it a test?” I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words and my own reality. He gave a sharp nod of his head, and it didn’t soothe me like I hoped it would. “What does this mean, Caleb? Am I right that it’s not me they want?”

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted. “But something isn’t adding up, and we need to know what we’re missing.”

“Okay.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in our own thoughts. “Do we do that before or after we climb the unclimbable mountain?”

His huff of amusement eased the tension in his shoulders. “Not unclimbable, just difficult.”

“Like you.” It popped out, and I felt my eyes widen at what I’d said and saw his humor fade, his eyes darkening as he watched me. “Which I like,” I rambled on stupidly, wishing I could shut up. “You. I like you. No, wait, you know…the tall, dark, mysterious, and difficult type, it’s fine, it’s all good. Um, why can’t I stop talking?” I took a deep breath. “Shut up , Willow.”

Caleb’s eyebrow quirked and I cursed under my breath. He leaned over, his hand slipping around to cup the back of my neck. His lips covered mine briefly, a hint of a taste of what I hadn’t asked for yet. But I knew I would soon. One of us, both of us, would lose control soon.

Or now.

He pulled back, and I felt a stab of disappointment when he did, but I acted without thinking, and my hand caught him and pulled him back down to my lips. My mouth opened under his, tasting him, learning the feel of his mouth on mine. I felt Caleb grip me tighter, and then his hand was moving down, unclipping my seat belt, lifting me out of my seat. Our lips parted briefly as he maneuvered me into position, and I settled over his hips, aware of the feeling of the steering wheel at my back.

Caleb’s hands rested on my thighs, digging in slightly, his grip tightening, and in one swift motion, he pulled me closer, pressing me firmly against him. My breath hitched, my heart pounding as I felt his strength and heat radiate through my body. Caleb’s hand slid upward, his fingers slipping under my sweater, his touch rough but deliberate as his fingers skimmed my skin, sending shivers down my spine as he traced a path slowly up my back. My hips moved, and my thighs parted wider, causing me to settle over him better, aligning with him, and I began to rock in a slow grind against him as our bodies fit together.

The tautness between us was thickening, and I could feel his body responding to mine as he took control of the kiss. There was something raw and undeniable between us, and I moaned into his mouth as his hands began to move over my body with confidence and precision. He knew exactly where to touch me to get me to respond.

I couldn’t breathe. The air between us was heavy, and I pulled away to catch my breath. Looking down at him, I saw his eyes dark with desire as he looked up at me, his control teetering on the edge.

I knew exactly how he felt.

Studying me, as if expecting me to stop him, he moved one hand to cup my breast, his thumb circling my nipple, and his other hand moved to my waist, guiding my movements as my hips rolled against him again, slower this time, more deliberate. Caleb groaned softly, his eyes tightening with restraint as he watched me, but he didn’t stop me. Instead, he pulled me closer, his breath hot against my skin as his lips brushed against me. I felt his tongue slick over the pulse in my neck, and my thighs clenched against him.

My hands curled into his shoulders, fisting his shirt, clutching him desperately for support as I moved against him. The car was loud with our breathing, thick and ragged as we gave into our desire. I felt my wetness between my legs, and I chased the release only he could give me. His hands dug into my ass, gripping me possessively, pulling me down harder as his hips rose to meet mine.

We were unraveling, and I knew my control was gone when it came to this man. His touch was everywhere, he was everywhere, and I needed him there . “Caleb.” My moan was pleading, desperate with want. “Please.”

“Tell me what you want.” His voice was low and rough, his lips barely touching mine, ghosting over my lips, teasing me. “Say it, Willow.”

“You. I want you.”