Rogue Shifter [High-Country Shifters 3] (16 page)

She’d told herself that, too. “Then why can’t I dislodge this dagger that’s stabbing my heart? Cavon, I love you. I want to be with you, but I also love your brother.” She pulled her hands out of his grasp. “I don’t expect you to feel the same since we haven’t know each other for long, but I wanted you to know.”

Her whole life, she’d always told what was on her mind. Perhaps she shouldn’t have.

Cavon bit his bottom lip then exhaled. “Amy. How can you not think we feel the same? You are everything to us. I know my brother can be a rogue at times, but he’ll come around. If he doesn’t get his act together soon, I might have to beat some sense into him.” His laugh sounded fake, but she appreciated his attempt at levity.

She stood. “I know you have to go to work. If you hear from him, let me know.”

He nodded. “If Malik’s in Anterra, we can’t communicate.”

Her stomach flipped and heart dropped. “You really think he left?”

He shrugged. “I have the note upstairs, but it doesn’t say much.”

She choked back the tears. “Okay.” She turned around and rushed to hide in her office.

All relationships had problems, but if something was worthwhile, the parties worked it out. The three of them were highly compatible in bed, so that couldn’t be why he left. Damn, Malik. The three of them belonged together.

As soon as she closed the door to her office and locked the door, she was unable to hold back the tears she’d forced to keep at bay all this time. She never thought he’d leave, but now he was gone. The least he could have done was say good-bye and tell her how much she meant to him. Not only would she miss him terribly, but it appeared as if Cavon liked it here on Earth and planned to stay. Malik’s brother had ethics. He’d said he’d take a group hunting in October and would honor his commitment.

Malik never made any promises. All he did was break her heart. The tears streamed down her cheek, and she dropped her head onto the desk.

If she could figure out a way to go to Anterra and contact Malik, she would. At least she had Cavon, and as much as she wanted both men, she’d have to turn all her love toward him. Not wanting anyone to see her with red eyes, she wiped dry her eyes. She made it to the bathroom unnoticed and splashed water on her face. She might be able to pull herself together on the outside, but on the inside, she’d grieve for a long time.

For the rest of her shift, she kept herself busy. As soon as her time was up, she rushed home to change. While today wasn’t her day to volunteer at the animal shelter, she needed to connect with the animals. They seemed to understand her needs and love her unconditionally.

Because other volunteers were doing the job she usually did, she decided just to enjoy the animals. For some reason she was drawn to the doggie yard where one of the volunteers was standing on the outside of the fence letting the dogs run free. If one of the dogs attacked another, the volunteer would have to intervene.

So far the animals were playing nice, but there were a few randy ones that were constantly trying to hump another dog. The image of Malik standing in the middle of the pen would forever be burned in her brain. He had the dogs running around in an organized fashion. She bet they weren’t even sure why they’d behaved so well.

Even at 6:00 p.m., the sun was warm, so she headed back inside to the cages. There were a lot of little fellows that needed some loving, and today she happened to have some extra love inside that needed to get out. One of the dogs had given birth a short while ago, and she picked up one puppy and stroked its little head. He was so sweet and innocent and deserved to have a loving home.

“I thought I might find you here.”

She turned around and her breath caught. “Cavon. What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “I needed some Amy time.”

He looked almost as forlorn as the animals in the cages. She held up the puppy. “You want to hold him?”

He smiled and took the wee thing from her. Immediately, the animal gave a small yelp and tried to jump on Cavon’s chest. “Aren’t you a cute fellow?”

“Animals seem to take to you naturally.”

“That’s because I love them unconditionally.”

“It shows.”

Cavon spent a few minutes petting the animal and then returned him to his mother. “I stopped by to see if you wanted to get a bite to eat. When you weren’t at your house, I guessed you might be here.”

“That would be wonderful. You’re worried about Malik, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

She said good-bye to a few of the other volunteers as she left. As much as she loved being with Cavon, it wasn’t the same when she knew Malik might never join them ever again. She wouldn’t bring up his name again until they were seated in the restaurant. She’d purposefully avoided going back in to the High-Country Inn for fear of running into Will, Gage, or Sella. Having to explain why Malik wasn’t with them anymore would be too painful.

“How about going to the Spirit Café?” It was closer to the animal shelter and only a few blocks from Gardners, where their love affair began to bloom.

“I haven’t been in a long time, but I’m game.”

Once they stepped inside, she was surprised at how crowded it was. The tourist season had a different clientele during the summer months, but it was almost as busy now as in the winter.

The waitress showed them to one of the few empty tables. “Not that I’m not thrilled, but why did you stop by?” Amy reached out and placed a palm on his hand to show him she was happy he’d shown the initiative.

“I’m sure you can guess. I could go back to Anterra and try to talk some sense into my brother, but I wanted to know what you want.”

She blew out a breath trying to find the words. “I want you both, but if all Malik wants to do is hang out, then maybe I won’t be having two men in my life.” She’d let Cavon decide how he wanted to handle things.

“I wish he’d given me warning.” He stabbed a hand through his thick, light-brown hair.

From the way it curled up at the end, it didn’t look like he’d had it cut since he’d come here. “Does he do this sulking thing often?”

“Never.” He leaned forward. “You don’t understand. Sure, my brother loves to joke, but he was totally dedicated to protecting the citizens of Anterra. If anyone died, he often took it personally.”

“Maybe the stress finally got to him.”

“Maybe, but we’re bred to fight. I could see if we fought as humans, the stress of always being on guard might tire us, but when we’re in lion form, our natural instinct takes over.”

The words
natural instinct
made so much sense. “I can see that. Even humans have a natural instinct. Mine, I think is to nurture others. I can’t help myself.”

“And Malik is a born leader and teacher. His need to protect goes deep, which is why I think he’ll come to his senses.”

“If he were still on Earth, I’d say we should stage my kidnapping to make him come to my rescue.”

That got a laugh out of Cavon. “Don’t we wish.”

The waitress came by for their orders, but they had to ask her to give them another few minutes. “So how long are you going to wait before you go back?”

He leaned back in his chair. “If he doesn’t appear in two weeks, I’ll go.”

Knowing there was a plan helped calm her. “Thank you.”

* * * *

Cavon had to be going crazy. While he still hadn’t seen his brother in close to ten days, there was something odd going on in the room. Malik’s suitcase sat on the luggage rack, but every time he came back from work or his class, it seemed someone had moved it. At first he chalked it up to the maids, but the toothpaste appeared to be dwindling, too. Certainly, a maid wouldn’t be brushing her teeth in their room.

Malik, can you hear me? Are you still here?

He felt a little stupid trying to communicate with his brother, knowing full well he was in Anterra, but there were infinitesimal clues that implied Malik had been back to the room. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out why he would return and not let him know. If Malik had changed his mind and stayed in Spirit, why not spend the night in his bed? He surely wasn’t staying at Amy’s house. She would have been the first to let him know.

He had to settle this once and for all. He opened the suitcase and counted Malik’s shirts, briefs, and socks. He planned on doing that each day until he could figure out why he got the sense that Malik was still here. It seemed a futile exercise, but if he couldn’t be sure his brother was in Anterra, he wouldn’t take the time to go back. Hell, maybe he wanted his brother to be around so much that he manifested these insane ideas.

His ability to concentrate had started to deteriorate, and if it continued it would be really bad if he failed his certification test to take customers into the woods. He needed to have his mind clear for at least another few days. It was hard enough being in the same hotel as Amy and not making love to her, but he knew it wouldn’t be fair to her until he was positive he wanted to stay on Earth without his brother, messed up though he might be.

The next day at work his skin prickled as if something was happening, but he couldn’t figure it out. By the time lunch rolled around, he had to get closure.

“Hey, Cal? Do you mind if I take my lunch a little early today? There’s something I have to take care of.”

He nodded to his brother, Jake. “Sure. Since Jake showed up today, I have all the help I need, actually.”

“You got a brother who isn’t always reliable?”

He chuckled. “You don’t know the half of it.”

“Don’t be so sure.” He didn’t want to get into a one-on-one with his boss, but he bet Malik was a more carefree spirit than Jake.

He didn’t know why he headed toward the hotel. He didn’t get the sense that Amy was in danger, but there was something odd going on. The hairs on his neck were doing something funny, but he didn’t sense any shifters around.

As he was about to enter the lobby, he caught sight of Jeremy’s dad coming out of the bookstore next door. That’s who must have caused him to get the sensations. The man waved and came trotting over.

“Hey, Mr. Mitchell.”

“Call me, Jankon, please.”

“Jankon.” From the way the man was shifting side to side something was bothering him. “Something you need to ask me?”

“I just wanted to tell you what a fabulous job Malik is doing in converting the warehouse. The transformation is fantastic.”

He understood all of the words, but none of them were computing. “I don’t get it.”

“You don’t get what?”

“What do you mean Malik is converting your warehouse?”

“It was a surprise to me, too, but he said he wanted to work with the boys and train them. In order to get them into shape, he’d need gym equipment. I couldn’t be happier that my son will have the chance to work with your brother. I was able to get a few investors involved. I’m thrilled that old warehouse will finally be put to good use.”

“So Malik is still in Spirit?”

Jankon quirked a brow. “Yes. I’m not surprised you haven’t seen him. I swear he’s working so hard he must be sleeping there.”

“Can you give me the address of the warehouse?”

“It’s on Woodside Drive, about four miles from here. Just go down High Country Boulevard and hang a left. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks.”

Jankon walked to the corner and crossed the street. Still in a daze, Cavon went inside the inn to see if Amy wanted to take a drive.

“Malik is here? In Spirit?” Amy didn’t know if she should start cheering or be furious. The two emotions collided and she planted her hands on her hips. “How long have you known?”

“I just ran into Mr. Mitchell and he told me.”

“You had no idea?” She had to admit he seemed as confused as she was.

“No. You want to check it out?”

She motioned to the chair in front on her desk and motioned he sit. “Do you think he wants us to know just yet?”

His mouth opened then closed. “I’m not sure I care what he wants. He lied to me about going to Anterra, though I am not my brother’s keeper. He has the right to come and go as he pleases.” He told her about the suitcase being different each day.

That got a smile out of her. “You actually counted his underwear?”

He shrugged and looked away. “Yes. I knew something was up, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.”

“Why do you think he changed his mind about helping the kids?”

“I gave up trying to figure out Malik a long time ago. If you’re free, I say we check out what the hell is going on with him.”

She pushed back her chair. “And us.”

“Come here.”

Cavon opened his arms, and his strong chest never looked better. She stepped into his embrace and inhaled. When he wrapped his strong arms around her, her broken heart began to heal. For the longest time, she held on tight and tried to absorb all of his goodness and hopefully some of his forgiveness.

She leaned back and looked up. From the way his eyelids were half closed, he, too, had craved the closeness. When he leaned down and kissed her, the dam broke and every part of her body rejoiced. She cupped his face and held him near, not ever wanting to let him go. All of the frustration and disappointment of this last week caught up with her, and she poured out her love in that one kiss.