Destined (War of the Covens 2)

“He?” Ryder did not like the sound of that.

“Reuben. He was cute and funny, and I think he’s older than he lets on because he’s very intuitive. He seemed to know there was something wrong with me before I even opened my mouth. He told me that maybe doing something as worthwhile as hunting down killers, and saving a few people, would help.”

“This random guy approaches you and you just, what … move in with him? I’m confused—I thought schools taught ‘stranger danger’ from kindergarten?”

“Reuben is a good guy,” she replied defensively. “I didn’t tell him all that much until we knew each other better, and even then, I didn’t really explain the full scope of my issues.” Her voice lowered. “He was a good friend to me. I feel bad about leaving without saying goodbye.”

“Was that all he was? A friend?”

Oh Artemis, that’s all he better have been.

“Yeah. He wanted more but … to be honest, I wasn’t even a very good friend to him, never mind anything else. It’s weird.”

“What?”

When she didn’t say anything, he pinned an unrelenting narrow-eyed stare on her.

“The road!” She pointed at the windshield, unimpressed.

“Say what you were going to say.”

“You know, Lucien and my dad are going to be so interested to hear that you threatened my life on this little retrieval of yours.”

Ryder shrugged, even though he knew Dimitri would tear him a new one if he learned of Ryder’s interrogation of his only daughter.

“Fine,” she snapped, and he reluctantly pulled his attention away from her and back to the road. “When I was staying with the gang, I didn’t feel anything. I mean, I didn’t allow myself to feel close to them, just as much as I didn’t allow myself to feel anything about the pack. But …”

“Yeah?”

“As soon as we left the city, give or take a few hours of your incessant, terrible singing, I had all these … emotions. Guilt for not being a better friend to Styx, Reuben, all of them. And relief. To be going home.”

He could tease about how that meant he’d somehow opened her up again, melted some of that ice she’d been building as a defense around herself, but he knew this was an important moment for her. She would hate him for teasing, belittling something that, in fact, made him more convinced they might be mates.

He was the truth she couldn’t hide from.

It was kind of overwhelming … but kind of nice.

“That sounds stupid, doesn’t it?” She sounded so young and unsure.

Reaching out, he clasped her small hand in one of his own and watched with pleasure as she blushed at the intimate contact. “Not at all. It sounds just right.”

She smiled shyly at him and got caught in his heated gaze. Abruptly, her eyes dropped, and she pulled away. “Watch the road.”

Ryder laughed and indicated left, pulling into the motel he’d been driving toward. It was dark, he was hungry, and she was probably tired of being cooped up in the truck all day.

“We’re stopping?”

“Yeah, let’s get a couple of rooms and some food out of the vending machines.”

“Oh goody, Ho-Hos and chips. You certainly know how to show a wolf a good time.”

“Shut it, and get out.”

They walked across the barely lit lot to the motel reception, and all the while, he surreptitiously watched her. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. How had this happened?

“Evening, folks,” the young guy at the counter said without even looking up. “How can I help?”

“Two singles,” Jaeden replied.

At the sound of her throaty voice, the guy looked up. His eyes widened along with his smile as he drank her in. “Uh …”

“Two singles,” Ryder echoed and watched with satisfaction as the kid took in his size and determinedly kept his eyes off Jae.

“Uh … we have a slight plumbing issue at the moment. I have one room with two twins.”

“That’ll do.”

“But—” Jaeden’s mouth dropped open in protest.

Ryder sneered, “I’ll try not to give you cooties.”

She huffed at his side while he paid and grabbed the keys. He had to usher her across the lot to their room. It wasn’t so bad. Yeah, it would suck being stuck in the same room with the object of his misguided desire, but he was a Rogue Hunter, for goddess’ sake. He had taken down a pack of three rogues by himself. One little slip of a female couldn’t be that bad.

She threw her bag on the bed nearest the bathroom. “This place is disgusting. You would think with the amount of money the pack has they could’ve financed the journey home.”

“They did.”

“And this was all it paid for?”

“What part of ‘you broke a major coven law’ translates into five-star hotels and room service?”

“So, this is punishment? This room … with you?”

He grabbed his chest. “Baby, you gotta stop with the love, it’s embarrassing.”