Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“That’s Rufus, Daddy’s friend. He’s the one who gave me the name of the contact that led me to you.”
Eli didn’t care who the man was. He didn’t trust him. “Stay beside me.”
“It’s good to see you, Kinley.” His smile was sad.
“Sorry it has to be under such trying circumstances. I tried to talk Duke out of this madness, but he never listened to anyone but your daddy, and then only about half the time.” He nudged the wolf’s inert body with the toe of his boot.
“Such a waste.” He dark gaze landed on Eli where his arm wrapped around Kinley. “You okay where you are, girl?”
Eli tensed. If she wanted to walk away from him, she’d never have a better chance. She leaned against him. “I’m very okay where I am, Rufus.”
The older man nodded before turning to address the rest of the pack. “What’s it gonna be? If any of you want vengeance, now is the time.” No one moved. “That’s what I thought. We’ve lost the strongest members of the pack. We have a choice about who and what we want to be going forward.”
Rufus seemed to have a handle on the group.
Maybe they might make it after all. As long as they stayed away from him and his family, he had no problem with them.
“Is this settled?” Eli wasn’t leaving until it was all spelled out.
“This is your one and only warning. If anyone from this pack comes after any of us or Kinley, the Alabama Pack will cease to exist.” Not that he’d harm the women or children.
He’d find a pack to take them in, but they didn’t know that.
Sometimes having a deadly reputation worked in their favor and actually helped them avoid bloodshed. “Is that understood?”
Rufus nodded. “Understood. You’d best be on your way.”
They piled into their two SUVs, Eli in the back seat of the lead car with Kinley beside him. Cyrus drove with Zach riding shotgun. No one said a word. When they hit the main road, Kinley turned her face into his shoulder and wept.
****
After stopping for a meal and switching drivers halfway, they arrived home just before midnight. Exhausted, even though she’d slept most of the way, she’d barely managed to use the bathroom and brush her teeth before falling into bed with Eli beside her.
The next thing she knew, birdsong was filtering in through the open window along with a warm breeze.
Sunlight bounced off the walls. She had no idea what time of day it was and didn’t care.
Lethargy permeated her body and mind. She had no desire or impetus to move, content to simply be in the blissfully peaceful moment.
It was finally over. Mixed with the relief was gut-wrenching grief.
There’d been far too much bloodshed and death, but Eli and his brothers were safe, no one was hunting her, and no one was trying to force her to mate against her will.
On the flipside, she was alone in the world, homeless, and packless.
But against all odds, she was alive, thanks to the Sin brothers.
After a lifetime of nonstop work and heavy expectations, her schedule boringly predictable, she had no idea what to do with herself. It was scary, but it was also exciting.
“I thought you’d sleep longer.” His voice was a deep rumble in her ear. How’re you feeling?” Eli was lying tucked up behind her with one arm around her.
Rather than give him the standard, “I’m fine,” she took stock of herself. “I’m tired, which doesn’t make any sense considering how much I’ve slept.” It was baffling to be this weak after all the rest she’d had.
Lips nuzzled against her neck. “You’ve been on the run, stressed, not to mention seriously injured.” The muscles in his arm flexed, briefly tightening around her before relaxing again. “You need to give yourself time. With rest, fresh air, and good food, you’ll be back to yourself in no time.”
“I’m not sure who that even is anymore.” She bit her bottom lip, surprised she’d blurted out her greatest fear.
Eli had done so much for her. It wasn’t fair to burden him with her insecurities.
He was confident, secure in who he was and his place in the world.
It was difficult to imagine him ever feeling insecure.
“I’ll figure it out.” Not like she had a choice.
He rolled her over until she was on her back staring up at him. “You’re whoever you decide to be.” He smoothed several strands of hair off her forehead, his black eyes as serious as she’d ever seen them. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, and my mama was pretty damn tough.”
The compliment warmed her all the way to the tips of her toes.
“What were they like, your parents?” She admitted she was curious.
There’d been no time to ask until now, what with all the life-and-death situations tossed at them.
Because of the circumstances they’d found themselves in, her past—for better or worse, and it was mostly worse—was an open book while his was largely unknown.
“Jebediah Sin was one tough son of a bitch, and I’m not saying that because I’m his son. Cyrus takes after him the most, likely because he had the longest time with him before he died. He believed in hard work and loyalty and brought us up that way.”
She shivered at the idea of there being a wolf even harder than Cyrus. “And your mama?” It was difficult to imagine any woman wanting to take on such a man.
“He met Sadie Archer when he was in his early twenties.” Propped up on one arm beside Kinley, a smile played over his lips.
“He always said it was like getting hit upside the head with a two-by-four.” His smile faded.
“There were pack issues. Daddy never said what happened, but he bore a hatred for his former pack ‘til the day he died. They bought land and settled here on the mountain.”
“Your mama was okay with being so isolated?” It wasn’t unusual for packs to live in remote places, but they had an entire community. His parents had settled here with just the two of them.
Eli chuckled. “She thrived. Claimed it was the first time she’d had freedom in her entire life.
The old man built this house for her. They were a team, working side-by-side.
Damn near killed him when she died giving birth to Silas.
” His voice roughened as he continued. “He was never the same after.”
It was rare for a wolf to die during childbirth, but it did happen. It had happened to her mama. “I’m so sorry.”
“I was eight, but I missed her so damn much. She brought the joy and fun to our lives. Without her...” He shook his head and drew in a deep breath. “Cyrus took charge of the new baby, and between him, Josiah, and me, we managed to keep him alive and take care of the others.”
“So young.” She wanted to rail at his daddy for not stepping up, but her own had been flawed. So were they all.
“Yeah, anyway, Daddy lasted until the day Cyrus turned eighteen. I think he’d simply been waiting for him to reach adulthood.
When he didn’t show up for the birthday dinner Noah had made, we went looking.
We found him at the lookout. It was his and Mama’s favorite place.
We thought he’d fallen asleep. Then we realized he was gone.
There was no sign of injury, no reason for his death, other than a broken heart. ”
She sniffed back tears. “I’m so damn sorry.” It was easy to imagine all seven of them brokenhearted, angry, and lost.
He shrugged, but shadows of old pain were reflected in his eyes. “He hung on until Cyrus was old enough to take care of us without any legal hassle. I’ll always be grateful for that much.”
“No wonder Cyrus is the way he is,” she murmured. To have so much responsibility thrust on him so young. A weaker wolf would have crumbled under the pressure. It gave her a whole new respect for him.
“He practically raised us all. For the younger ones, he’s more their parent than brother, the only one they really knew. Shit.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to get into something this deep first thing in the morning.”
“I asked because I wanted to know. The past makes us who we are.” And there wasn’t much to recommend in her history.
He shook his head. “It’s the starting point. It helps shape us, but ultimately, we decide who we want to be.” She knew he was remembering her earlier statement of not knowing who she was anymore, confirming it when he added, “Who do you want to be, Kinley?”
“That’s something I need to figure out.” Until she did, she had little to bring to any relationship. She’d already brought enough pain to his life without adding to it. When she started to turn her head away, he cupped her cheek, stopping her.
“Do you think you could figure it out here?”
Her heart began to pound, but she tamped down her excitement. She licked her dry lips. “I can’t take advantage of you any more than I already have.”
“It’s not taking advantage if I want you to stay. If you look at it logically, I’m being selfish by asking you to stay rather than encouraging you to stretch your wings and fly. Any pack would be happy to have a strong female.”
“Do you want me to stay?” A few weeks ago, she’d never have been brave enough to ask. Almost dying and losing her pack had irrevocably changed her.
“Meeting you wasn’t quite like a two-by-four to the head but it was damn near close.”
“Like when your daddy saw your mama for the first time.” She tried not to read too much into it, but it wasn’t easy. Inside, her wolf rubbed against her, sensing her confusion and offering comfort.
“I’m not asking you to commit to mating. I understand it’s too soon after losing your daddy and your pack. You need time to figure out your life before making that big a decision. I can wait.” He traced his thumb over her bottom lip. “You’re worth the wait.”
His words melted any remaining resistance.
No one had ever put her first before. Her heart ached for him.
Everything she’d ever wanted was within her grasp.
But there were other complications to consider.
It wouldn’t be fair for her to grab her chance at happiness without considering what he stood to lose.
“What about your brothers?” She held up her hand before he could reply.
“Cyrus will rightfully have objections, considering what you’ve all been through since I landed in your life.
There’s no telling how the others will react if my staying here becomes permanent.
” They were welcoming when it was temporary.
Eli was suggesting something entirely different.
“They’ll be jealous as hell of my good fortune.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she whispered. “I don’t want to cause strife in your family. I don’t want you to lose them.” Especially not after hearing the sad tale of his childhood. The brothers needed one another. Their bond was too tight to risk fracturing.
“If they don’t want you to stay, or you’re not comfortable living here, we can leave or build a place somewhere else on the mountain. There’s always a way around a problem if something is worth it. And, sweetheart, you’re definitely worth it.”
He truly meant it. Her doubts crumbled under the weight of his certainty.
Unable to hold back any longer, she threw herself into his arms, knocking him backward on the bed.
Then she kissed him. He slid his hand around to the back of her head and held her a willing captive as he deepened the embrace.
He suddenly pulled back. “That’s a yes?”
Slightly breathless, she nodded. “There are so many things I don’t know, like how I’m going to support myself, but the one thing I’m certain about is my feelings for you.
Maybe it’s crazy after knowing each other such a short time, but it feels right.
” She took his hand and pressed it against her heart.
Her wolf jumped happily inside her, confirming she’d made the right decision.
“And how do you feel about me?”
He was such a force of nature—a larger-than-life, strong, confident, dominant male—that the hint of vulnerability caught her by surprise. He was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but he was still a man, a wolf, and he needed the words.
Taking a steadying breath, she took a giant leap of faith.
“I think I’m falling in love with you.” Before he could respond, she pressed her hand over his mouth.
“Don’t say anything back. Not until you’re one hundred percent sure.
” It would break her heart if he gave her the words back and then changed his mind later.
“I’m not using you as a safe harbor in the storm.
I want to be with you. Whether that’s here or somewhere else, I don’t care.
I don’t expect you to support me. I can pull my own weight.
” It was important to her for him to fully understand and accept that.
“I don’t want there to be any doubts. Not for you or your brothers. ”
When he nipped at the flesh at the base of her fingers, she pulled her hand away. “You done?”
“For now.”
“Good.” Dragging her back down, he kissed her as though his life depended on it.