“Who else knows?”
“Apart from Jabir, you’re the only one. He saw it firsthand when we bunked together at the base in Marsda.”
Neither of us speaks for a short while. I gaze out into the horizon, watching a strong gust of wind stroke the valley of lush pines below. Overhead, an eagle’s call ripples across the wispy sky. The moment hangs as the two of us watch her glide through the wind and perch on a lush pine off in the distance.
A tremor of anxiety ripples through me.Here goes nothing.“You should hate me. I know I partially hate myself, even though everything I’ve done to deceive you has been for self-preservation. I swear, I never meant to hurt you. Any of you.”
He glances over his shoulder. “If I keep you around, you’re bound to start an avalanche. That alone should make a man wary, even setting aside the fact that up until five days ago, I couldn’t trust a damned thing you say.”
He’s not wrong there.
“Paul seemed convinced that it isn’t possible. For the two of us to be mates. He made it sound like I’ve got you under my spell.”
“Do you believe him?”
“No. But you can’t deny that a giant omen has been placed in your lap. That I pose a real threat to your people and that violence will be inevitable. Even if there’s something between us . . . I don’t know if I can just sit back idly, knowing that I am responsible for what’s coming.”
His jaw clenches. I can’t tell if it’s anger or fear that prompts his silence. Dismissing the thought, Axe moves close enough to fully block out the sun. “We will protect you. With training and proper counsel, you can have a future here.”
A future with Bleeding Sun, not an execution. Relief washes over me.
“Lycans kill for thousands of reasons, Vessa. I will always bear the stains of the souls I’ve taken. The blood I’ve spilled. But for you, I can think of no better cause.”
“Axe . . .”
His eyes blaze with incinerating conviction. “He doesn’t own you. Hunting you down and murdering the people you care about to force your hand . . . that doesn’t make you cursed. That’s coercion. He wants you to live in fear. All I want is to free you from it.”
Warmth collects along my face. My throbbing heart.
He laces our fingers together. “If I have to bend this world in half, if it means that I have to face an army of demons on my own and cut down everything in my path to keep you, then I will. So long as the moon watches over us, I will always want you, Vespera.”
I grip his arm, tugging eagerly. “Can you show me more?”
Axeand I spend the next few hours roaming the forest along the mountain. He explains how to keep track of our surroundings, how to spot prey in hiding, or where they may be heading. Another mile ahead, I locate a set of footprints that belong to an elk. Squatting, he confirms with his augment, noting how disappointed Demi would be that we didn’t pursue it further. A male of his size could have fed the entire pack.
With only a couple hours of daylight remaining, we head back to the truck and cruise leisurely, gradually making our descent along rockier terrain. Two different hordes of caribou scatter ahead of us, along with rabbits that blend in seamlessly with the icy ground cover. As we make our final approach, the sound of rushing water grows louder.
My jaw drops. “A waterfall. Are you serious?”
He tosses back his last swig of coffee. “Just you wait.”
Together, we step through an entrance concealed by bushy balsams. The foliage reveals another clearing with a slick ledge that looks over a sixty-foot drop where water crashes against the jagged rocks below. A stream swiftly carries the glacier runoff beyond our view. Not a single part of me wishes to know how frigid that water is.
Axe clears his throat. “Would you be an angel and hold onto this for me?”
“Huh?”
He places the rugged cattleman hat in my hands. With a wink, he takes two steps close to the ledge, peeling off his jacket and shirt. The black ink that spans his muscled back is almost vibrant against the wispy grey sky.
“Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Axe chuckles, kicking off his boots next. “Lovely day for a swim, wouldn’t you say?”
Finally, I hear the jingling of his belt coming undone. “I would say that you’re out of your mind!”
“Suit yourself.”
I raise his hat over my face just in time for those pants to hit the ground. Howling, Axe flings himself over the edge, simultaneously shifting into an enormous furry beast. I race to the edge, watching the wolf plunge into the water.
