Feral Awakening (The Feral Series-Book 2) (24 page)

 “You okay Kat?” Ethan
quickly accessed the tense situation, taking note of the smashed tree. Not
knowing Ronan that well, he had been concerned when he had carried her into the
woods. Shit, it had taken four of them to subdue him when Ethan had given Kat
the go ahead on her plan to help Ava and Teagan. Hearing the werewolf roar in
anger he decided it was time to intervene.

 Kat cleared her throat
and found the strength to answer him. “Yes, I’m fine.” Ronan and Kat shared a
look as both of their eyes began to lose their Lykan glow. With a deep sigh
Ronan forced himself to drop his hands from her and step back. Turning away he
clenched his fists and looked at the ground.

 “Go with them. I’ll
join you in a few minutes.” Ronan practically snarled while he struggled with
his beast. He didn’t dare even look at her for fear he would grab her and run
so he could finish what he had started. His chest ached with shame at having
lost control with her. Why did he let her get under his skin like that and why
for just once couldn’t she behave like a female Lykan should?

 Kat’s heart clenched
in pain as she watched him once again withdrawing from her. Clearly he was so
disgusted with her he wouldn’t even look at her. Why was she always such a
disappointment to him and dam it why did she have to care?

 Glancing towards Ethan
and his men she could see that they were still positioned as though they
expected a fight from Ronan. Not wanting to cause any more trouble than she
already had, Kat decided not to argue… for once.

 Carefully easing away
from Ronan’s tense form as though he were a ticking time bomb, Kat cautiously
made her way over to Ethan and his men.

 Careful not to touch
her, Ethan quickly accessed her for injuries. “Are your hurt?”

 “No. I’m fine,
really.”

 “We are getting ready
to pull out. Let’s get you back to the rendezvous point.” Holding out his hand,
Ethan gestured for her to walk in front of them while the other men took up
defensive positions behind her. Ethan wasn’t sure what the hell was going on
between the two of them but he was not going to leave her to fend for herself. He
couldn’t decide if she was one of the bravest women he had met or the craziest.
She had already taken on one feral today. She didn’t need to take on Ronan too.

 Ethan stayed by her
side as they began the hike back to the road. “How are Ava and Teagan doing?”

 “They are going to be
fine. They are already on their way back to the vehicles and will meet us at
Claymore.”

 “That’s good. That’s
all that really matters I guess.” With a heavy heart Kat focused on putting one
foot in front of the other as they headed back towards the road.

Ethan escorted Kat to
the door of her room. Ronan was still nowhere in sight but she had been assured
that he was only a few minutes behind them in her old Ford. Ethan had insisted
that she ride with them in one of the SUV’s they had brought. She had been
relived since she had no desire to drive her old truck all the way back to
Claymore. She was exhausted and emotionally spent.

 She was anxious to
spend some time with Ava but knew that her friend needed some time to recover
with her mate. She was worried about the injuries Ava had received but Ethan
had assured her that they were no threat and that she would heal quickly now
that she was a vampire. Kat’s mind was such a mess right now she couldn’t even
process the shock of her best friend now being a vampire.

 With a sigh, Kat sank
down into one of the armchairs that flanked the fireplace. Groaning she bent
down and took her boots off before curling one leg underneath her and slumping
comfortably into the oversized chair. Her body still humming with stress she
closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was on her front porch at home,
watching the sunset from her favorite rocking chair.

 She didn’t know how
long she sat like that when the door of the room eased open. Kat’s semi-relaxed
body tensed in response to the man who entered the room. Ronan’s eyes seemed to
drink her in as he closed the door behind him. Silence stretched between them
as Ronan moved to the dresser and began emptying his pockets. Kat watched the
play of muscles across his back as he removed the sheathed knife at his waist. He
was still distractingly bare chested. He must have removed his shirt at some
point in preparation of shifting.

 Having been miserably unsuccessful
in her attempt to relax, Kat was aware of the Lykan energy in her body
vibrating at a low hum. She had been like this since the fight in the woods and
it seemed to only be getting worse. Great, just great, this was all she needed
right now. She prayed she could get it under control before it got totally out
of hand.

 Determinedly she drug
her eyes away from Ronan. Being in the same room with him was not going to
help. She felt like she needed to say something to him to ease the tension
between the two of them but she didn’t have a clue how to start. He hadn’t said
a word to her since walking in the room and looked like he might just ignore
her for the rest of the night. Well fine, wasn’t that just like a man.

 Kat could feel the
energy build along with her anger. Well, this obviously wasn’t doing her any
good. Unfolding herself from the chair, Kat stood and stretched her tight
muscles oblivious to the golden eyes that watched her every move.

 “I’m going to take a
shower.” Kat mumbled, not really caring if he heard her. Maybe a shower would
help relax her. She assured herself it wasn’t so she could hide from Ronan,
that would be cowardly. No, she just needed a shower, that was all.

 Ronan watched the sway
of her hips as she walked across the room to the luxurious bathroom. Both of
them were wound so tight he wasn’t sure if would be wise to stay in the same
room with her. Leaving her here alone wasn’t an option though. He had tortured
himself with memories of their fight in the woods while he drove back to
Claymore.

 He had never known
fear like he had once he realized that she had gone after Teagan on her own. The
thought of her injured or worse, dead had just about driven him insane. His
beast had almost completely taken control and it took everything he had to keep
it at bay. His only thought had been getting to her as quickly as he could. Even
seeing her unharmed hadn’t been enough to calm him.

 He knew in his rage he
had gone too far, knew that he had hurt her but didn’t have a clue how to make
things right between them. It was just further proof of what a bad mate he
would be. Dam it, she had a way of pushing him to his limit. She could both
soothe him with a touch and yet make him loose control like one else ever had. She
was like a drug. He wanted her more than anything he had wanted his whole life
but at the same time he needed to push her away. The instinct to protect her
was strong, stronger even than his desire to keep her for himself. It was why
he had to give her up. Why couldn’t she see that?

 He knew he had hurt
her but he could never let her know the truth of his feelings. If he was honest,
he was thrilled that she was unlike any other female he had ever met.  He loved
that she didn’t cower and faint at the first sign of trouble. He admired her
strength and courage.  Any male would be proud to call her his mate.  He had
never met anyone like her… and that was his problem.  He had no idea how to
handle her. 

 It had been easier
when she had been afraid of him. The problem was though that she no longer feared
him at all. Not even when he was towering over her in a full blown rage. Even
then he had sensed no fear in her. As a matter of fact she had given it right
back to him. Not even grown men would dare to stand up to him like that, but
she did.

 He wondered if it was
just him she was unafraid of or if she would be that fearless with all the
males in the pack. Their females learned to be submissive out of a strong sense
of self preservation. The pure-blooded females knew their worth to the pack and
did their part in staying safe. They quickly learned how to soothe the males
and avoid dangerous confrontations.

 He was worried about
her finding her place with the pack. Lykan males could be dangerous when pushed
too far. Kat could easily come to harm if she didn’t adapt to living with the
pack. She would need a male like his brother Teagan as a mate. She needed a
male who would be patient with her and protect her, even if that meant
protecting her from herself. Teagan was mated though. He wondered who his
father would choose for her. What would happen to her if she wasn’t paired with
the right male? What if she attacked her mate like she had attacked him in the
woods today?

 Ronan’s eyes began to
glow at the turn his thoughts had taken. He couldn’t think of her with another
male. Not even his brother. Maybe he would stay a few days with the pack to
make sure she was safe. Tonight would be their last night together like this. By
tomorrow she would be with his pack and he would no longer have her to himself.
Why the hell did his chest ache with that thought?

 Kat stepped under the
hot water of the beautifully tiled shower stall. It was large enough for three
of her to fit inside and the water rained down out of a fancy shower head
mounted in the ceiling. She could feel her emotional walls washing down the
drain with the water. No longer protected, the events of the day crashed over
her, leaving her feeling raw and exposed, overwhelming her.

 Teagan and Ava in the
woods, her fight with Ronan. On top of everything the dam energy that plagued
her was beginning to build instead of easing like she had hoped, the flood of
her untamed emotions giving it fuel. Leaning her head against the shower wall,
tears began to run down her cheeks unchecked. She had been forced to be strong
in front of the others but in here, alone, she finally broke.

 As her tears ran down
the drain the energy continued to build as though taking advantage of her
weakened state. Dam it! She didn’t need this right now! It was too much! Unfortunately,
thanks to Ronan, she now knew what she needed to sooth the burn of the energy
pulsing through her veins. Freaking Lykan heat! Well, that wasn’t going to
happen. He could just stay the hell away from her. She didn’t care how painful
it became. Her emotions were too raw to protect herself from him right now. She
needed to just stay away from him.

 Ronan began to pace in
the room. He had noticed the change in Kat’s scent when he had entered the room
but he had hoped she would settle down again with as exhausted as she must be. Unfortunately
it seemed to be intensifying. Leave it to Kat to once again do the opposite of
what he expected.

 Ronan ran his hand
through his hair in frustration as he paced and continued to cast heated
glances at the bathroom door.  What the hell should he do? His pulse surged as
Kat’s scent began to fill the room. He hated that they were surrounded by male
vampires here at Claymore. Her scent affected male Lykan’s the strongest but it
would also attract the other males in the building. Not only that, without a
Lykan male she was also going to be in a lot of pain before the night was over.
Maybe he should grab her and get her the hell out of Claymore before she caused
any more trouble.

 Kat tensed but
remained where she was with her forehead leaning against the shower wall as she
heard Ronan open the door to the bathroom. She hadn’t bothered locking it since
he could clearly break into the room if he truly wanted to. She just didn’t
expect him to actually do it.

 She tensed in
surprised when the glass door to the shower opened behind her but didn’t dare
to turn around. She desperately didn’t want him to see her like this, didn’t
want him to know she had been crying.

 Ronan’s heart clenched
as he took in her defeated form slumped against the shower wall. She looked
like she had probably been in that position since entering the shower. Opening
his senses to their bond he could feel her pain and confusion. Pain he had
caused. Remorse flooded his conscience. He had finally broken her. Him, he had
done this to her. Not the feral she had stood so bravely against but him. His
carefully erected walls began to crumble at the thought.

 Kat flinched as his
warm callused hands glided across her shoulders and began to rub body wash
across her heated skin. Dam the man. God  how she loved to be touched. Had he
figured it out and thought to use it against her? Against her will her muscles
began to relax beneath his circling thumbs. What was he up to now? Did it
really matter when this felt so good? A groan gasp escaped her lips as he
continued his careful ministrations for several more minutes, rubbing out her
tension and easing her aches and pains. His gentle touch was surprising but
pure heaven.

 Stopping to put more
soap in his palm, Kat held her breath and waited to see what he would do next. She
knew she should push him away from her but right now her traitorous body didn’t
want to cooperate with her.

 “Ronan, wait.” Ronan
stopped as Kat’s words echoed in the shower stall.

 Kat kept her head down
so she wouldn’t have to look at him as she gathered her courage and the ragged
edges of her dignity.  She had better get this out before he had her completely
mindless beneath his skilled hands.