RedKnife (Skin Walkers Book 2) (14 page)

Chapter 25

Cindy woke to an unfamiliar, empty room.  Unsure where she was, or how she’d gotten here, she simply lay in bed and let her memory come filtering back.

The fire!  The little girl!
   Jerking upright, her heart thundered until she remembered throwing the child to safety.  Slowly, she lowered her head and looked at her bandaged arm.  Funny.  She felt…
fine.

Sweeping her eyes back up, they snagged on a small wrapped box sitting next to her pillow.

Picking it up, she studied it.  Was it Christmas already?  Grapefruit-sized, the box was beautifully wrapped with shimmering red wrapping paper and glittery silver ribbon.  One lone blackbird feather was tucked into the ribbon. 
RedKnife.

She looked around the room before deciding to open it.  The paper gave way easily under her fingers once the ribbon was untied, and the box popped open.  She felt her heart clench at what she found inside.

An ornately beaded dream catcher in gold, yellow, red, and orange was nestled in the fur-lined box under a little card that read, “Wishing you sweet dreams.”

Her eyes flooded with tears.  It was the most thoughtful gift she’d ever received, and she was flattered that he’d remembered their conversation and then had gone out of his way to get her such a fitting gift.

She stared at the dream catcher for long minutes before she smiled and tucked it back into the box.  She wanted to thank him.

Climbing from the bed, she didn’t question the hospital gown she wore as she exited the room hoping to find RedKnife and thank him.  Instead, she found an empty cabin. 
Holy shit!

‘Cabin’ didn’t begin to describe it.  She was standing on a second-floor balcony overlooking the most elegantly rustic cabin she’d ever seen.  A hearth settled in a large stone wall took up one side of the sitting room beneath her.  Dotted with expensive-looking plush furniture, a large wooden coffee table with books and candles sat between the furniture atop a red and gold Persian-looking rug.  Looking up, her mouth fell open at the high vaulted ceilings and the elk-horn chandelier that hung down in the center of the room.  A giant mural of teepees hung over the fireplace, making her think of RedKnife.

Is this his home?

Looking to her left, she saw a spiral staircase with a black wrought-iron railing.  Taking the stairs down to the main floor, she saw that beneath the second-floor balcony was a round dining table that seated six.  A deer-antler candelabra sat in the center of the table surrounded by several votive candles in shimmering golden glass.

Beyond the dining table was an immaculate kitchen, complete with stainless steel appliances and marble countertops.

Moving into the kitchen, she was surprised to find a small area nestled on the opposite side of the stone hearth.  A computer desk was set up there with a desktop computer and a printer.  It gave her an idea, and she walked to the computer and jiggled the mouse, hoping it wasn’t locked.  Luck was on her side.

***

RedKnife was eager to get home before Cindy woke.  He didn’t want her growing fearful if she woke in a new place all alone.  He’d been making arrangements for food delivery.  Brooklyn had ordered them a few things that had come earlier in the morning, but it’d only hold them over for a while.

Ascending the front steps, his heart did a double beat when her scent hit him.  She was in his home, and he felt possessiveness punch him in the gut even as excitement shot through him.

Opening the door, he found her seated at the dining table, sipping a glass of orange juice.  As he entered, she rose and smiled tentatively.

“Thank you for my gift.  It’s really great.  Honestly, it’s the most thoughtful thing anyone’s ever given me.”

Too excited to get home to her, he’d forgotten all about the present he’d left.  He was proud that she liked it.

“Here.”  She stepped forward and held something out to him.  It was a piece of paper.  “I wanted to get you something too.”  She shrugged and looked away. “It’s the best I could do…under the circumstances.”

Stepping toward her, he eyed her arm as he took the paper.  “How are you feeling?”

“Good, actually.”  She rolled her shoulder to show him.  “It doesn’t hurt at all, which is odd.”

His eyes dipped to the paper and his heart stilled.  It was a picture of her, sitting on the front steps of StoneCrow Manor.  It was summer, and the sun shone brightly down on her.  Glints of red and gold were highlighted in her hair, and her eyes were crinkled in in delight as she smiled broadly at the camera.

“It’s not much,” she shrugged.  “I hope you don’t mind.  I pulled it up from my Facebook account on your computer and printed it.  I hope that’s okay.”

Still looking down, mesmerized by the photo, he simply nodded once.  He’d so rarely seen her smile since he’d met her, and he decided in that moment that it was his favorite look on her. 
No, it isn’t.
  He thought back to the flush on her cheeks and her hooded, heat-filled eyes as he’d made love to her. 
That
was his favored look on her.  He swallowed hard when the memory had his cock jerking to life.

Watching him stare intently at the picture, Cindy fidgeted nervously.  Had she done something wrong?  Maybe it was an insult to give a Walker a picture?  “Flip it over,” she directed, hoping to give him some insight into why she’d gifted it.

The back read, ‘Friends are family too.  Thank you for being my friend.’

Clearing her throat, she hurried to explain.  “I know you said you wanted family, and I can’t really be that, but I
can
be your friend.”

What she was offering was something he’d never had.  Selfishly he wanted more from her, and the thought had his brows spearing down.

“And it’s been my experience,” she hurried on, “That great friends are just as good as family, if not better sometimes.”

Finally, he lifted his head, pinning her with eyes she couldn’t read.  She was saved from having to gauge his reaction when the front door creaked open.

“Knock, knock!”  Stoney’s head poked around the door, her eyes landing on where Cindy and RedKnife stood facing each other in the living room. “Am I interrupting?  I can come back.”

“Stay.”  RedKnife commanded, then turned without saying anything to Cindy and left the cabin.

“Oo-kay.”  Stoney pulled a face as RedKnife exited.  “Well.”  She turned to Cindy.  “How ya doing?  I’m here to change your bandages.  Is now a good time?”

Returning her smile, Cindy nodded, trying to hide her disappointment at RedKnife’s reaction to her gift.  “Yes.  Please, come in.”  Cindy eyed the door.  “Isn’t there a Sentry with you?”

“No,” Stoney snorted.  “Why would there be?”

“Are you kidding?  After what happened?  Now, I think even RedKnife believes I’m a terrorist.”  It’d explain his behavior.

Stoney’s stalled halfway to the kitchen table, her mouth falling open in a shocked ‘O’.  One assessing look later, and she shook her head.  “I can’t believe he didn’t tell you,” she mumbled.  “Men are so dumb!”  She set her first aid kit on the table and opened it up before snapping on a pair of rubber gloves and opening several bandages.  “You’re not being kept in, Cin.  He’s keeping everyone else out.”

Cindy shook her head in confusion.  “To keep them away from me.  You should have seen that Walker that grabbed me at the bonfire.”  Her brows stabbed down, emotion clogging her throat at the memory.  “They actually thought I was trying to hurt that little girl, but I….”  She swiped at a tear that traced down her cheek.  “You
know
me, Stoney.  I wouldn’t do that, I couldn’t.”

Stoney smiled sadly.  “I know you wouldn’t, Cin.  And no one else believes it either.  Even Ash knows he was a total ass.  Almost as big an ass as RedKnife, apparently.”  She shook her head in disgust. “RedKnife’s not worried about you hurting anyone.  He’s worried about them hurting you.”  She pulled Cindy to a seat at the table and started picking at the tape on the lower part of her arm.  “We’re all in trouble for what happened to you, and no one is above his ire.  Hell, even King’s been giving him a wide berth.”

But that doesn’t make sense.
  “He seems angry.”

“Well, he is.”  Stoney slowly peeled the gauze from Cindy’s arm.  “But he’s not mad at you, that’s for damn sure.”

“You’re…you’re saying he’s upset on
my behalf
and not
at
me?”

“Why in the hell would he be mad at you?  You saved a Walker child, and at great personal cost to yourself.  You’re a hero.  Everyone’s talking about it.”

Cindy heaved a great sigh and slumped back against in the chair.  “I’m not a hero.  I’m an idiot.  My life has become one giant bowl of shit!”

“Geez,” Stoney tried to hold back a laugh.  “You need to try to be more optimistic.”

“Fine.”  Cindy gave her a pointed look.  “My bowl’s half-full of shit.  Does that help?”

Stoney couldn’t hold back her laugh this time.  “You’re crazy.”

The laughter was infectious and soon Cindy was laughing along with her friend.

Stoney continued to slowly and carefully peel back the taped gauze on Cindy’s arm.  When it fell free, she stilled.  “Holy shit!”

“What?”  Stoney’s alarm had Cindy leaning forward, trying to get a better look at her injury.

“It’s…gone!”

“Gone?”  Cindy lifted her arm higher to inspect her wounds.  Perfect flesh met her eyes.  “But…”

“Oh my God!  Jenny was right!”

“Right about what?”  Cindy pulled the rest of the gauze free, but no matter how closely she looked, she couldn’t find any wound at all.

“She said RedKnife told her he’d heal you.  He did!”

Cindy rubbed her hand over the smooth skin of her arm.  “But…how?”

Stoney stared at her arm in disbelief.  “I have no idea.  This is unheard of, even with Angels.”

“Angels?  Like, you mean…
miracles
?”

Stoney laughed hard.  “No.  Angels are Walker mates.”  She turned contemplative and tapped her chin.  “But he’d have to be afflicted first.”

“Afflicted?  Angels?  What are you talking about?”

Stoney stood and tossed the gauze in the trash.  “The affliction is a reaction a Walker has when he meets his mate.  It’s impossible to miss.  He’ll be incapacitated, and it’ll hurt until he claims her.”

“
Hurt
?”

Stoney smiled.  “Only the Walker is affected.”

“And this affliction tells him that he’s found his one?”

Stoney nodded.

“What do you mean by claim her?  Sex?”  She tried to appear nonchalant, merely curious.

“Sex is only part of it.  She needs to be bound, too.”

Cindy’s eyes rounded.  “
Bound
!”

“Not like that.”  Stoney laughed, lifting a hand to her throat.  “It means gifting her with his halo.”

Dipping her eyes, Cindy eyed the silver band that she’d noted all Walkers wore.  “His necklace?”

“It’s more than a necklace.  It’s part of who we are.  It is a gifting of part of our very soul.”

“But it all starts with affliction,” Cindy whispered to herself, and then asked more loudly.  “What if…”  Cindy sucked in her bottom lip as she frowned.  “What if there is no affliction?”

“Then there’s no mating.  A Walker can only be affected by his angel.”

Disappointment settled in a leaden weight in Cindy’s belly.  There had been no affliction for RedKnife.  She wasn’t his angel, which fucking sucked because she had fallen for him.  “Has a Walker ever taken a mate that wasn’t his angel?”

Stoney thought on it and then shook her head.  “Not that I’ve heard of.”  She caught Cindy’s look of regret and rushed on.  “But RedKnife is different.  He’s indigenous.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning he’s a direct descendent.  None of us truly knows what he is capable of, but this!”  She stared in awe.  “This is a fucking game changer.  Especially since you’re not his angel.”

The words hurt and Cindy ducked her head.

“Aw, Cin.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t…  Are you two getting close?”

Close?
  They’d slept together, and she was living with him.  It didn’t get much closer in a relationship than that, but Cindy didn’t get a chance to answer.  RedKnife entered with an angry scowl.  “Monroe is coming.”

Stoney shoved her things back in her first aid kit.  “And that’s my cue to leave.”  She bent and hugged Cindy.  “I’ll call you soon.  We’ll do lunch or,” her eyes dipped to Cindy’s healed arm.  “
Something
.”

Stoney exited just as Monroe, accompanied by King, hit the porch and strolled in without bothering to knock.

“What?”  RedKnife snarled by way of greeting, moving to block Cindy from the Dominant’s line of sight.

Monroe smirked.  “And hello to you, too.”

“RedKnife.”  Cindy’s voice was gentle behind him, causing him to relax his aggressive stance and turn to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he stood protectively over her.