Shadow Walker (5 page)

She closed her eyes a moment. “Look, Dean. Things have been great these last few days. This morning…well…this morning was better than that, and I didn't think it could ever be this way for me. It’s…It’s never been like this.”

He gave her a gentle kiss. “It’s never been like this for me either. I care about you and your feelings. I don't want to pressure you or make things any more difficult than they already are. But I meant what I said, I will be here when you decide this is what you want.”

“I'm afraid it will take me longer to work through my issues than—” She shook her head, unable to finish her sentence.

“Longer than what, my life span? You shouldn't worry about that.”

“Why not? You're mortal…and me, save for silver poisoning or losing my head, I'm not. I don't think I could handle it. I've watched other Weres go through the same thing. Watching their loved ones grow old and die. I’ve seen the pain it causes. Knowing Aquene will leave us soon enough hurts me far worse than I could ever imagine. I don't know if I’m strong enough to handle losing two people I love, Dean.”

The edge of his mouth twitched at that.

“I…I…” Amber tried to pull away from him, but he held onto her.

“I know that was a slip of the tongue. But I understand what you’re saying. I'm guessing you haven't done your research when it comes to the Guardians, have you?”

She furrowed her brows. “You're humans…”

“Not all of us. Most of us have extra abilities—”

“But not extended mortality!”

Dean sighed and leaned over her, looking in her eyes. “Do you think we can just take down Weres and supernatural beings without having a little something on our side, too? My life expectancy may not be quite as long as yours, but it’s far greater than the average human. My mortality should not be an issue. It’s like you're grasping at straws, Amber, looking for reasons why we shouldn't be together. Trying to convince yourself to go back to being the way you were. Alone.”

“I like being alone.” She felt the ire of the Tigress perk a moment but relaxed again when he kissed her.

“But you like this, too.” He looked in her eyes. “I can't force you to do anything. All I ask is that you listen to your heart.”

She scoffed and shook her head.

“What…? Now you're going to laugh at me?”

“No…No.” Amber placed her hands on his face and smiled. “Your sister said the same thing to me this morning.”

“You talked to Casey?”

She nodded and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “She told me to relax and think with my heart, not my head. Making a decision right now was not expected of me and to not be too much of a bitch to you because you really are more
tender-hearted than you look.”

Dean laughed. “I guess we are a lot alike.”

Amber smiled. “You are. Since I'm not expected to make a decision right now, do you think we can go and actually
eat
the breakfast I cooked for us?”

“Then I guess we have to go out and help with the last minute stuff for the wedding tomorrow, huh?”

“Yeah, I was informed I’m wearing a dress whether I like it or not. Casey threatened me.”

Dean laughed, sitting up. “Then she really likes you.” He pulled on his boxer shorts and turned to face her.

Amber smiled, tracing a finger around his belly. She slipped into her robe. “I like Casey too, but I really like her brother.” She watched him smile and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him before sauntering off into the kitchenette.

Dean turned to watch Amber pull out of the driveway. She had dropped him at Casey and Braedyn’s cabin. Rather than come in and risk the good-natured ribbing from his father, she’d left.

“How’re you doing big brother?” Casey asked, stepping outside.

He pursed his lips and let out a deep breath. “That’s a loaded question, with a very complicated answer.”

“From what I’ve heard you’re doing pretty well. She’s just…scared.”

“I know, without going into great detail she told me a little about her life before coming here.” Anger rolled through him and he clenched his fists. “I don’t think I’ve ever been gladder of a mission I’ve handled than the one where we wiped out what was left of that den in Vegas.”

“That anonymous tip came from Braedyn, you know.”

“I know.” He turned and looked at his sister and smiled at the mention of his soon-to-be brother-in-law. “You’re getting married tomorrow.”

She beamed. “I am. I can’t believe you and Amber abandoned me like that, leaving me to deal with all the final details alone. I
begged
Dad and Braedyn to just let us elope. The fight over the dress between Aquene and Zander was insane. And I think the town gossip artist has a thing for Dad, too.” Casey sighed and shook her head. “I’ve always been on the other side, watching this stuff happen and taking all the pictures. I’m not comfortable being on this end of it.”

Laughing, he draped an arm around her. “Please tell me you have some alcohol before we go any further.”

“Seriously? You and Dad own a bar. Where the hell is my present?”

* * * *

Amber noticed Braedyn’s ancient truck wasn’t at the cabin when she dropped Dean off. Rather than deal with the smiles and knowing looks from Casey and their father, Peyton, she’d decided to go and find the Alpha. Even though she’d only been away from her duties for two whole days, it felt like it had been longer.

Pulling out her cell phone, she dialed Braedyn.

“Back to normal yet?”

The laugh exploded from her. She wasn’t accustomed to being greeted in this way from the stoic Alpha. “About as close to normal as I can get, so I felt I should call and see if you needed any help.”

“We’re getting ready to move Elan to the Parrish house, but you need to get over to Zander’s for a gown fitting.”

She growled into the phone. Elan was Braedyn’s brother who had aided their uncle in trying to form a coupe against Walker’s Run. The plan had been to kill Aquene and either kidnap or kill Casey. But the Silver Wolf wound up saving the day, killing Harlan and saving both her and Braedyn before they could succumb to silver poisoning.

Amber could still feel the pain in her chest from her recent encounter with death and almost feel Casey’s lips on hers when she’d brought her back. Brushing her hand across her mouth, she remembered the electric charge…

“You’re sure I can’t give you a hand?” she asked, clearing her throat.

Braedyn laughed. “We’ve got it under control. You head over to Zander’s. Both you and Dean need fittings.”

She groaned. “
Fine
. Call me if you change your mind.”

Having shirked her duties enough the last couple of days, she headed back home to peek around the shop and see if Aquene needed any help sorting, crushing herbs, or making any new ointments or balms. She also wanted to make sure there was enough of the sedation medicine for Elan. No one wanted him to make a break for it just before the wedding.

When she pulled in the driveway, Aquene stepped out onto the porch and pointed back toward the road. Frowning, Amber rolled down the window. “What?”

“Get to Zander’s young lady.”

“Ugh!” With a growl, the enormous SUV was thrown in reverse. “I don’t want to wear no freakin’ dress…” And she continued to grumble accordingly all the way into the tiny business district.

* * * *

Dean listened to Casey grumble about the wedding plans and smiled to himself. His sister had always been the most down-to-earth person he’d ever known. Amazingly she’d remained so after spending more than ten years in Los Angeles photographing the American elite. She was helping Braedyn pack his overnight bag since he was staying at his mother’s the night before their wedding.

“This is ridiculous. You don’t need to go.”

“Yes, I do. While you may not want to recognize this little tradition, my mother does, and I’m nothing if not a good boy.” He winked and zipped his bag up.

“So I’m marrying a momma’s boy?”

“All right, that’s enough of that. Aquene is a fine woman. Tell your soon-to-be husband good night, and I’ll walk him out,” Dean said, raising his brows.

The large Native American walked over to his sister, scooping her into a warm hug. “I love you,” he whispered. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

Leaning over, Dean picked up the bag and led the way out to Braedyn’s old truck.

“Are we going to have the talk about your sister now?” he asked, folding his arms with a smile.

Dean laughed and shook his head. “If I didn’t know you were head over heels for my sister when we came to rescue her in the forest, I’d never have left her in your care.”

Braedyn nodded and squared his shoulders, pointedly looking him in the eye. “Good…so now we can have the talk I need to have with you regarding Amber.” He accepted his bag and tossed it into the passenger seat.

Somewhat surprised, Dean rocked back onto his heels and crossed his arms, guarded. “Okay.”

“Amber is my closest confidant and friend. My mother and I have worked very hard trying to bring her out of her shell. You can’t begin to imagine the feral young woman who showed up here for sanctuary five years ago. The abuse she endured…it has left scars, Dean. Physical, mental, and emotional.”

“Braedyn I—”

He held up a hand. “Let me finish, please,” he said diplomatically, but the muscle in his jaw ticked, and his eyes flashed from pale grey to gold and back again. “Amber may not be a wolf, but she is
my
pack
. You are my mate’s brother, and from what I know and what my wolf can sense, you are a good man. But I am warning you, if you hurt her—”

Dean held his hands up and laughed, relieved. “Relax, I wanted to talk to you about her.” He cleared his throat and leaned against the old truck. “I…really like her, and I know she needs time to figure out her feelings. There’s no denying its mutual, but she’s scared and confused, and I don’t want to make things worse. So I think the best thing I can do is ask for permission to move here. We can’t make things work if the only way to travel back and forth for me is by helicopter.”

His soon-to-be brother-in-law eyed him for a few moments, and then sighed. “You really want to move here?”

“I do.”

Braedyn nodded. “After the wedding we’ll see about finding you lodgings.”

“Thank you.” He watched him slide into his truck.

(The Day of the Alpha Wedding)

Amber laughed when she stepped out onto Aquene’s back porch. Braedyn was drumming his fingers on the banister. Sidling up, she propped next to him. “I’m guessing you didn’t sleep well.”

“Is it that noticeable?”

Smiling, Amber nodded. “It just goes to show how much you do love her, that's all.”

“I do.” He glanced down at her with a small grin. “You’re the last person I thought I'd be having this conversation with.”

“I think it has to do with the Maynards in general to be honest with you.” She sighed. “Of course, I still haven't been able to get my thoughts in order yet. I don't even know if I'll be able to do that any time soon.”

He patted her shoulder. “You don't need to rush it. It isn't something that can be gone into on a whim. You'll know when it’s time.”

“Even if I already know who I want to be with?” She looked up in Braedyn's eyes.

With a sigh, he leaned against the railing next to her. “You already know how you feel, but you just aren't ready to settle down. Dean is willing to be patient and wants to relocate to be closer to you. Take your time. He's not going anywhere.”

She ran a hand down her face. “You're right. I'm getting all out of sorts when all everyone is telling me is to take my time and calm down. I'm just so used to keeping everything locked up so tight, not thinking about stuff like this.”

“Just going through the motions,” Braedyn agreed. “I know, and it’s been one of the reasons I’ve tried to keep you so busy. You needed to numb your mind for a while. Maybe now I should slow down your duties…”

Amber turned to him and shook her head, almost in a panic. “No. I can handle it. I'll come to you when it gets to the point where I can't. But don't take it away from me right now. Please?”

“Okay. I won't change anything for now. I’ll talk to you when or if I plan to, all right?”

She stuffed her hands in her pockets. “I have to go to your place now and help Casey get things squared away so we can meet you at the church later on.”

He grinned and looked over at her. “So I finally get to see you in a dress?”

“Shut up. You know she threatened me, right? I had no choice, other than style and color. She stood firm on the dress.”

“Casey feels the same way about a dress you do and decided she's wearing one. Since she’s going to, you have to as well.”

“Whatever,” Amber growled, pushing away from the railing.

He laughed and shook his head. “You'll be all right, I promise.”

“Hmm…Well if I didn't respect or give half a damn about either of you, I wouldn't be doing this, you know?” She continued grumbling under her breath and made her way back into the house.

* * * *

Eyeing herself in the mirror again, Amber found it difficult to believe the beautiful brunette vixen staring back was indeed herself. Zander had talked her into a beautiful maroon gown that didn’t overshadow the simple beauty of the oyster silver gown he’d made for Casey.