EnemyMine (10 page)

Chapter Five

If living with insane people had taught Mary anything, it
was that a person carefully planned their escape. It wasn’t as simple as
packing a bag and hitting the road. Every single decision had consequences, and
some of them were more dangerous than others. More importantly, it was
essential that the person running for her life didn’t hesitate. Once done, an
action couldn’t be undone.

There were no second chances.

Minutes after Emory had left, she’d started thinking about
what he’d told her. And every time she came up with a reason they could be
together, she’d find another one to discredit the notion. He might think she
was his mate but he had to be wrong. They were no longer living a bright and
shiny lie while discussing their aspirations over coffee. She wasn’t a
wide-eyed girl with hopes and dreams. Stark clarity was the only thing she had
left keeping her feet planted firmly on the ground.

Shepherds had destroyed so many of his kind—had nearly
destroyed him—and wouldn’t stop as long as they continued breeding more
Shepherds. Their lifestyle was a disgustingly macabre form of tradition passed
down from one generation to the next. Because of that she’d never be free. She
would always be hunted or in danger. If she stayed, it would only bring Emory
misery.

After she’d climbed from the bed and tiptoed around, she
formulated a plan. The bedroom’s bathroom had an enormous clawed tub. Running
water would drown out any noises she made when she scavenged through the
dresser and closet. She wasn’t sure where she was going but she knew it would
be cold. Everywhere was cold in November. Due to that she’d need to find
clothing to protect her from the weather until she could get to a safe hotel.
Then she could take the time to sort things out.

She froze, repeating her thoughts, and stifled a groan.

A hotel. Damn!

Rotating in a circle, she searched for her bag, saying a
silent prayer. Emory had mentioned the money and map so her duffel had to be
somewhere. She inspected the closet, the dresser, the floor—and stopped on the
large armoire across from the bed. Even though she knew her bag wouldn’t be
there, she checked anyway, hoping that for once she was wrong. A large
flat-screen television was inside, along with a remote. Other than that the
shelves were empty. Releasing a steady sigh, she tried to think of a new plan,
having a good idea of where the bag was.

“The other bedroom,” she muttered.

Damn, damn, damn!

Footsteps sounded outside the bedroom door and Mary quickly
closed the cabinet and rushed for the bathroom. She didn’t make it in time,
interrupted halfway to her destination, caught in the act by the very owner of
the home she was attempting to escape.

“Uh…” Mary tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t
make her look guilty.

Ava waved a hand and closed the door. “Don’t even. You could
make up the best lie in the world and I’d know.” She lifted her hand and tapped
her temple. “I can hear what you’re thinking, remember?”

Talk about an invasion of privacy. Fear of discovery faded,
replaced by annoyance. Mary walked toward Ava and stopped a foot or so away
from the small woman. She stood at least five or six inches over her—possibly
more.

“Don’t you think that’s a little rude?” she asked, placing
her hands on her hips.

“Definitely,” Ava said, unperturbed, folding her arms across
her chest. “And if Emory hadn’t interrupted Diskant and me to make sure you
were okay when he heard you shuffling around in here, I wouldn’t have
considered it.”

Mary looked at Ava—
really
looked at her. Her short
blonde and pink hair was a mess, the strands sticking out in multiple
directions. Her jeans were zipped but not buttoned and her sweater was inside
out. Since Ava had a fair complexion, Mary could see whisker burn around her
swollen lips and the vivid red love bite on her neck.

Oh God.

Emory had interrupted Ava and Diskant while they were having
sex.

She’d never been so embarrassed, not even when her mother
had decided it was time to talk about the birds and the bees when she turned
fourteen. Mary wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

Ava’s countenance changed from frustrated to understanding.
“Don’t worry about it. Diskant is the Alpha and Omega of New York. It’s not the
first or the last time that we’ve been interrupted. In fact…” Ava grinned and
snickered. “It’s nice being the one to put a stop to the action for a change.
He needs a taste of what it’s like to be left hanging. If you know what I
mean.”

Mortification swept through her, making Mary wish she could
shrivel up and die. She and Ava were
not
going to discuss or share their
sexcapades. During college a few girls in her classes would brag about their
sex lives without a shred of modesty or decency. She’d always listened in, awed
and slightly repulsed that they took something that was supposed to be intimate
between two people and dumbed it down for the masses.

“Oh girl.” Ava’s smile remained intact but she did give Mary
a knowing look that made her uncomfortable. “You’re going to have to get over
that. Shyness has no meaning to shifters. You’re about to be surrounded by
people who think intimacy is something that should be proudly open for
display.”

“Stop doing that.” Mary lowered her head and pinched the
bridge of her nose. It was bad enough that Ava knew she was embarrassed. “I
don’t like the thought of you in my head.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. It’s just…” Ava sighed. “I know
that you’re thinking about running, so it’s not as easy as turning my ability
off. I have to look out for the best interests of the pack. Contrary to what
you might think, you’re not a danger to us unless you run. Shepherds were a
threat before you came here and they’ll always be a threat. Your absence won’t
change that. Believe me when I say you’re safer here than you could possibly be
anywhere else. You’re Emory’s mate, and by pack law you’re our responsibility.
We take care of our own.”

Their responsibility
? “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means we’re not as different as you think. Not too long
ago I was standing in your shoes. I ran, but it didn’t do any good. Once you
belong to one of them, that’s it. They won’t stop looking until they find you.”

Comprehension dawned and Mary found herself really
inspecting Ava. The woman was so much smaller than any shifter she’d ever seen.
So fragile.

“You’re
human
,” she stated dumbly, finding the fact
hard to grasp.

“For the most part,” Ava replied, her response vague.

“Nuh-uh,” Mary said, meeting Ava’s gaze. “If you expect me
to believe anything you say, you’re going to have to stop reading my mind and
tell me the truth, even if you think I don’t want to hear it. I’ve heard enough
lies from people to last me a lifetime. Honesty would be a refreshing change.”

“If I agree to that, you’re going to have to be honest with
me too.”

“Done.” Right now, there wasn’t a whole lot Mary could
control. She’d take what she was given. If Ava wanted to talk, they’d talk.

Ava walked to the bed, plopped down on the mattress and
motioned toward the area across from her. “Why don’t you take a seat?”

Why not, indeed? Mary padded over to the other side of the
bed and took a seat, dozens of questions racing through her mind. Ava wasn’t a
shifter but Diskant was. What did Ava mean when she said she was human “for the
most part”? And who could forget all of Emory’s talk of mating and bloodbonding?

“Go ahead and ask.”

Mary narrowed her eyes, frowning at Ava. “I told you to stop
reading my mind.”

“I didn’t read your mind,” Ava corrected with a lengthy
exhalation, as though her patience was wearing thin. “I just thought you’d have
a lot of questions.”

“Oh.” Talk about an invisible open-handed slap that made a
person feel like crap. Trying to shake it off, Mary blurted her first question.
“You said you’re human for the most part. What do you mean?”

Ava grimaced. “I was afraid you’d skip the easy questions
and go straight for the throat.” She studied Mary and asked, “You said to tell
you everything, even if I think you don’t want to know, right?”

Mary’s affirming nod was firm but her insides swayed like
Jell-O. “Right.”

“So you know about mating?”

“No.” She cleared her throat, hoping she sounded more
confident than she felt. “Not really.”

“Mating is like marriage in many ways, only there aren’t any
divorces. A couple remains together no matter what happens. It’s one of those
‘you can check out any time you like but you can never leave’ deals. Once done,
it’s done.”

“Sounds…” She internalized the information, trying to wrap
her head around the concept. “Kind of terrifying.”

“It’s not as scary as you think. The connection has to be
there on both sides. I didn’t believe it myself early on but it’s true. Once
the bond forms you will never think about another man. And you sure as hell
won’t want another one. Everything you are—everything you want to be—will
center on how it affects your mate.” Ava watched her closely when she asked,
“Did Emory tell you about bloodbonding? Did he tell you precisely what’s
involved?”

The question of what he told her wasn’t Mary’s primary
concern. It was what he’d said she would inadvertently carry as a consequence.

“He said a part of his wolf would become a part of me.” She
couldn’t mask the tremor in her voice. “He said it would remain a part of me
forever.” Averting her gaze, she posed the most difficult question, the one she
was ashamed to ask. “Was my family telling the truth? Is the wolf really a
demon in disguise?”

“Absolutely not,” Ava snapped and grasped Mary’s hand. When
Mary peered into Ava’s face, her breath caught. Ava’s eyes, normally a
beautiful sapphire blue, were shifting colors—from green to amber to aqua.

“That’s a lie,” Ava said, “an incredibly hateful and
unsubstantiated piece of information that your family has used as a weapon. If
people don’t fully understand something, they’re more likely to fear it. All
shifters have a touch of the wild in them but they are more human than beast
and more man than animal.”

“What does that make you?” With irises that changed color,
Ava wasn’t human. Not even for the
most
part.

“A telepath who’s bloodbonded to the Alpha and Omega of the
city.”

When she didn’t say more, Mary muttered, “And that means
what, exactly?”

“I’m human but I’m not. I won’t age, I’m not easy to kill
and I’m faster than I used to be. I can see, smell and taste things better than
humans. My strength is well above average and I know a hell of a lot more about
the world than I used to. But I’m still me. That part hasn’t changed.”

“How can you say you haven’t changed?” All the things Ava
listed screamed supernatural makeover. “Did you hear what you just said?”

“I’m improved but I’m not different here.” Ava let go of
Mary’s hand and tapped her temple a second time. Then she lowered her hand and
placed it over her heart. “Or here.”

The most important places, Mary noted—where it counted.

“What made you decide to mate a shifter in the first place?”
Mary felt her cheeks heating at the flashbacks of what had transpired between
her and Emory just minutes before. Maybe it was all about the attraction
between a couple, the sexual chemistry.

“It’s not just sex, if that’s what you think. But it’s
definitely a perk.” Ava hesitated for several seconds, playing with a frayed
string on the comforter that had come free. “Do you ever have moments when you
come across something so perfect that you can’t see anything else? Maybe it’s a
flower in a garden, or a sunset that paints the sky red. Whatever that special
thing is, it makes you feel at peace. That’s sort of what mating is like, only
more intense. Humans are always separate when they love, no matter how devoted
a couple is to each other. Their interests and concerns change over time, which
is understandable because they are individuals. A mated couple is one unit—
a
whole
—and everything they do is for each other. It’s an entirely different
emotion and far more powerful than something you can describe with one
syllable.”

“I don’t know what to do.” It was her first attempt to reach
out to another individual aside from Emory and lifted an enormous weight off
her shoulders. “I don’t know what to think.”

“How do you feel about Emory?” Ava asked. “When you’re near
him, how is it different from other men?”

She squirmed, suddenly awkward. “I feel safe, indulged…”
Just
say it! Ava’s not going to judge
. “I feel…uh…turned on.”

“Has anyone else made you feel this way before?”

Did Ava really have to ask? “No,” Mary whispered. “No one.”

“There’s a reason for that. If there was one thing I learned
after I met Diskant, it was that I was right to trust my instincts and
emotions.” Ava smiled, playful despite the gravity of the conversation. “He can
be a Neanderthal, a bully and a crybaby when he doesn’t get his way but he
cares for me on a level that no other person in this world is capable of. The
same goes for Emory when it comes to you. Once a shifter finds his mate, that’s
it. Nothing is more important. And it’s a shared connection. You have to feel
it too. It wouldn’t work otherwise.”

Mary knew the answer to the question she braced herself to
ask, could see the adoration shining in Ava’s eyes. “You really believe that?”

“I don’t have to believe it. It’s my life.”

Nerves made her strive for normalcy, to make a joke in the
middle of something so life changing. “So what you’re telling me is that you’re
no different than Spider-Man?” It was a stupid thing to say, a horrible way to
break the ice, but it fit the situation perfectly. In all her life, Mary never
would have thought she’d have a conversation like this one. Surreal didn’t even
come close. “You have all the special abilities, none of the gnarly side
effects and Diskant is your testosterone-laden version of Mary Jane?”