Vixen waved, saying her goodbyes to him and Leif.
The nervousness returned the moment they were alone again. His gaze slid back to Leif. He was still there and just as sexy as ever. Goddamn. A real Viking was hard as hell to resist. Leif had the whole hardened body with long blond hair shaved to the scalp on both sides, making his hair like a Mohawk that fell to the center of his back. Today, Leif had it tied back, but Aspen had felt that silky smooth hair slip over his skin as Leif kissed his way down Aspen’s body. Damn. Seeing him really hurt.
Aspen motioned to his cart. “Well, I guess I need to finish this up so I can get that fridge running. It was nice seeing you.”
Aspen pushed his cart a step farther.
Leif stepped backwards, staying with him. “See me again tonight.”
The demand was a knife to the center of Aspen’s chest. “I actually have a date tonight.” Aspen nearly choked on the words, but Leif needed to know.
Leif didn’t flinch or back down. “Then see me tomorrow night.”
Leif looked hopeful.
Aspen felt sick. “I know it’s my fault.” The words came out sounding quiet. He couldn’t make his voice go any louder. Too many emotions were stuck in his throat. “But you’ve already made it abundantly clear you don’t want me. You don’t want us. I have to move on before this ends me—like for real. Likedead, dead.”
“Just see me. I swear you won’t get hurt in any way.”
“You can’t swear that.” Aspen didn’t know if Leif had intended to say more, but he had to stop things there. If they got back together, they still might not be true mates. They still might get hurt. Aspen had been more than willing to take that chance when he came to town, but Leif’s rejection had cut him to the bone. Aspen would freely admit he deserved that rebuff. However, he had to stop setting himself on fire in the name of hope.
Leif grabbed Aspen’s shopping cart so he couldn’t get away. “I won’t let you get hurt.”
Aspen drew a slow breath in through his nose. “Can I think about it?”
He felt Leif poking around inside his brain, searching for any lie in Aspen’s request. Aspen knew Leif well enough to know he wouldn’t let Aspen walk away until he was satisfied Aspen truly intended to do just as he claimed he would.
Leif let go of the cart. “Just let me know.”
With a sharp nod, Aspen walked away and wrapped himself in his broken heart. He would think about seeing Leif again. Odin knew that was all Aspen could think about now. But for real, he didn’t think he could survive losing Leif again. He had ripped out his own soul when he ended things. Aspen desperately wanted that missing piece back. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure that living without that piece of himself had already killed him.
As much as Leif desperately wanted to hide and follow Aspen around all day, he needed to figure out where Frost was. As he had told Aspen, Frost was the reason this town’s population was growing. Without him, a lot of pregnant Weres were in danger, and they would turn on Frost in a second once all these women started dying. That was a battle even the nephew of Celeste didn’t want.
While Leif had been too angry last night to truly hear Celeste out, he had heard her. Every word she said just didn’t sink in until later, and she had said a lot. As far as Leif knew, Celeste had only one sibling: Lucifer. How was it even possible that Lucifer had spawned a child, and no one knew? It had to have been a cataclysmic event. Frost wasn’t that old. He didn’t understand.
Next, was being Lucifer’s child the reason Frost could hide from someone as powerful as Celeste? Seriously, why couldn’t she find him? It was possible Frost was in terrible danger. Leif knew nothing about the circumstances of his disappearance. He felt woefully unprepared to even know where to start.
Additionally, Celeste had called Odin her love. Was that how and why Weres were suddenly capable of having vampire mates? Everything about this entire situation, from the first day he had been sent to Wulfe until now, was nothing short of baffling.
Leif knew the best place to start was with Audor. Audor and he had been best friends for as far back as he could recall. Since Leif had skipped out with only a note left behind, he didn’t know how Audor would react to seeing him again.
As he strolled out of the grocery store and into the street, he caught sight of something that stumped him beyond words. Wulfe was very much one of those small towns where the diner and grocery store were on Main Street alongside the freshly kept lawns of medium-income homes. Everyone knew everyone, and most places were within walking distance if a person lived on one of the many streets in what was considered “town.” People who lived in or around the forest were a different matter. But when the weather was nice, it wasn’t uncommon to see people milling around outside, doing yard work or walking and jogging. That was why it shouldn’t have caught his eye to see a lone man walking from home to home, except it was Frost.
Leif jogged across the street. “Frost!”
Frost froze and turned his way, looking confused. “You can see me?”
Leif’s forehead furrowed. “Of course I can see you. I thought you were missing and had everyone looking for you, most especially Celeste.”
“No. Seriously. How can you see me?”
It hit Leif. Frost was cloaked in magic. Strong druid magic wiped his existence from the map, making him impossible to find… unless someone had druid blood—like Leif.
“Oh.” He didn’t know why the realization shocked him so much. He had known—as a healer—Frost would possess powerful abilities. Leif just hadn’t known Frost knew how to use them.
Frost looked slightly panicked. His gaze shot around, openly searching for the edges of his spellwork.
Leif rushed to reassure him. “You’re safe. I have druid blood as well. Plus, you have wards up only meant to hide from everything else in existence. You have to add a separate ward to be invisible to me.”
