Savage Instinct (11 page)

She did not need to lose her head.  She had to remind
herself she was stronger than an achy and neglected little pussy.

The phone rang as she pasted the last strip of tape on his
chest, vibrating on the counter where she’d left it earlier.  Nydia jumped at
the abrupt sound, giving a nervous laugh.

Reaching for the phone, she saw on the screen that it was
Richard.  She rolled her eyes and slid her thumb across the screen to answer
it.  She reckoned she’d avoided him long enough.

“Hello?” she said.

Richard’s voice came through loud enough it made her
eardrum spasm.  “Why have you not answered any of my phone calls, Nydia? 
You’ve been acting like a spoiled brat!”

Nydia leaned a hip against the counter, turning her back to
Aiden.  “Did you just call to insult me?”

Richard sighed.  “I thought you’d want to apologize for
what happened earlier this week.  Are you still sulking?”

“Look, it sounds like you’re not ready to see the error of
your ways.  When you do, give me a call.”

“I’ll do better than that, Nydia.  I’m coming over and you
can’t stop me.”

Chapter
Ten

“What was that all about?” Aiden asked Nydia as she set
their breakfast on the table.

She sat across from him and picked at her eggs.  “Richard
said he’s coming over.  I’m not sure how much to believe, but he sounds like
he’s in a rage.  I’d like to think he wants to work things out, but it isn’t
going to happen if he comes here with an attitude.”

Aiden munched on his back, appearing thoughtful.  “I should
leave.  It’s going to be worse if he catches me here.”

Nydia looked at him, surprised.  “Really?  I thought you
were holding out until you felt 100%?”

He shrugged.  “My buddies should be back tonight anyway. 
Can I borrow your phone after breakfast?  I thought I’d try them again and see
if I remember the number.”

She nodded.  “I’m not looking forward to Richard coming
over.”

“Did he say what time?”

“No.  I imagine he’ll want to surprise me at the worst time
rather than come straight over after he made his announcement.  That’d be too
convenient.  I’m sure he wants me to suffer over it for a little while.”

“Hmmm.”  Aiden drained his coffee mug.  “Well, don’t
worry.  If he’s here while I am, I can pound him into the ground if he gets
frisky with you.”

Nydia snorted when she laughed then covered her mouth
quickly.  She dropped her hands back to the table and drummed her fingers on
the surface.  “I hardly think that’ll be necessary.  Besides, you’re still
getting over your injuries, and Richard isn’t exactly the type to get physical
without being provoked.  I don’t intend on starting a fight.  He’s just miffed
I didn’t come crawling back to him all weekend and let him stew in his own
juices.  He’s used to me making the first move to apologize.  And, I’m tired of
it.”

Aiden smacked his right fist into his other palm.  “You
sure?  It’d feel good.”

She gave him a look.  “For you or for him?  That’s just
what I need is for you to get hurt again on my watch.”

He frowned and looked outraged with his brows raised on his
forehead.  “I’m insulted you think I’m such a poor fighter.  Or that Richard
would be that much better than me.”

She tapped her forefinger on the table.  “Well, he does MMA
training at his gym.”

Aiden’s face went stony.  “So that means he can whip my
ass?”

“He won’t while I’m here!” she said, standing suddenly to
clear the dishes away and rinsing them off in the sink before putting them in
the dishwasher.

“I don’t need a woman fighting for me,” he said quietly.

“And I don’t need a man fighting for
me
,” she said
over her shoulder as she finished up.  She turned around and looked at him.  “Number
one, this isn’t any of your business.  You act just like this is going to end
in a fight with you and Richard.  I hope you’ll behave yourself!  Number two, I
don’t need anyone defending me because it isn’t going to get that far.  Here,
use the phone and talk to your friends.  I’m going to watch some TV and get my
mind off this imaginary battle that’s going to take place between you two.”

She handed him her cell phone and walked away.

“Just because you say something won’t happen doesn’t mean
it will happen like you thing.”

Nydia refused to be baited into an argument.  She knew how
to handle a man.  When talking didn’t work, the silent treatment always did. 
Never had she seen any other technique infuriate and frustrate a man like being
quiet.  It was strange, because so often, they wanted a woman to be
quiet—unless it was her idea.  Then she had some nerve not answering questions
or demands.

When she made no response to him after he repeated himself,
she watched him clap his mouth closed and furiously punch numbers into her
phone.

From her position on the couch, she could see a frustrated
look cross over his face.  She felt bad for him, but he’d aggravated her and
what pity she possessed had dissipated.  She was ready for him to leave.

“No luck?” she asked when he stomped into the living room
and settled on the couch.  “You look like you’re feeling better since eating.”

“Yeah.  Must’ve been low blood sugar,” he grumbled.  “Can’t
get an answer.  I’m leaving tonight, come hell or high water.”

“Think you’ll need a ride?”

He looked at her.  “I can make do on my own.  I’ve taken
enough of your help as it is.  I know you want me gone, you’re just too polite
to kick my ass out on the curb.”

Nydia didn’t say anything, just stared straight ahead at
the television, confirming his suspicions.

Yeah, she did want him gone.  And she wanted her
well-ordered life back in place.

***

Malik rubbed his bald head in a gesture he did whenever
trying to relax.  Abel and Hudson followed him back to the hotel room.

“We need to do this again,” Abel said, kicking gravel with
his boots, thumbs hooked in his front jeans pockets.

Malik grinned, his elongated teeth flashing against his
swarthy skin.  “Maybe next time I’ll get myself and Aiden a girl.”

“That stick in the mud?” Hudson grunted.  “Ain’t no woman
ever gonna chain him down.”

Malik laughed.  “You right about that.  Think he’s called
us by now wondering what’s taken so long?”

Abel shrugged and shook his nutty brown hair out of his
eyes.  “I think he probably spent the whole week hunting like the wolf.  That’s
what he said he wanted.  For us to get out from under his ass so he could relax
for once.”

They reached the car they’d driven up the mountain pass and
left parked in a visitor’s center all week.  The festival had taken place deep
in the woods, where no cars could reach, away from the prying eyes of humans,
hikers, and anyone else nosy enough to come snooping around where they didn’t
belong.  Most of the time, someone had kept watch to make sure the shifters
could party in peace.  Some had selected mates fairly quickly.  Others had just
been there to see old friends and make new acquaintances.

None of the three had managed to find anyone they wanted to
settle down with the rest of their lives, but that didn’t mean everyone had
struck out.  Malik knew he’d seen Ollie with two different women on two
different nights, and if that ugly son of a bitch could find someone, it meant
some of the others in their pack had too.  It just might take them a while to
get back to Misty Springs.

Malik unlocked the doors and slid into the driver’s seat. 
While Hudson and Abel got in, he reached in the center console between the
front seats and retrieved his phone.

“Any missed calls?” Hudson asked, settling into the front
passenger seat and locking his seatbelt across his lap and chest.

“Naw,” Malik said.  He tucked a wayward black strand of
hair behind his ear and punched in Aiden’s number from his contacts.  The phone
rang a few times, then someone picked up on the other line and hung up.

“That was weird,” Malik said, frowning.

Abel spoke up from the back seat.  “What?”

“Someone just hung up on me.”

“Think he’s sleeping?” Hudson asked.

Malik gave him a look.  “At this hour?  It’s too early for
bed and too late for an afternoon nap.”

“Maybe he’s got a lady friend over and didn’t want to be
interrupted,” Hudson said.

Malik dialed the number again.  It went to voicemail this
time.  He dialed it again.  Same thing.  “Aiden isn’t picking up.”

“That’s not like him.  He knows the festival is over
today.  He’d want for us to check in,” Abel said.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Malik muttered.

“It’s gonna take a few hours before we can get there.  We
better head out.  No more fiddle farting around,” Hudson said.

“I can’t help but get a bad feeling about this,” Abel said
from the back.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Malik said, trying not
to give in to the pessimistic voice inside his head that said they all needed
to be worried.

***

“What the hell did you just do?” Lee Riker asked, snatching
the phone away from his baby brother, Joey.

Joey gaped at him.  “I thought maybe it was him calling.  I
hung it up right away.  I didn’t answer it none.”

Riker dropped the cell phone on the kitchen floor and
smashed it beneath Aiden’s shoes, which now encased his own feet.  They’d all
made use of Aiden’s clothing, since they’d been camping out at his place for
the past few days.  Riker hadn’t exactly wanted to look at everyone’s dongs
while they waited for Aiden to return.

“What’d you do that for?” Joey asked, looking at the bits
of plastic all over the tile.

“So you can’t do anything else stupid.  It’s one thing to
let it go to voice mail.  Now anyone lookin’ for Aiden’s gonna know he had his
phone and hung it up.”

“Oh.  Don’t we want them to come see us?”

“Yeah,” Riker said, going to the pantry to rifle through
what remained inside for something to eat.

“I don’t get it,” Joey said.

Riker looked at him and resisted scowling.  “It’s over your
head.”

“Well it wouldn’t be if you’d tell me,” Joey muttered under
his breath.

“I think his gang is on the way back from wherever they
went.  And you just gave them something to be suspicious about.  Especially
since Aiden ain’t gonna be answering the phone anytime soon.”

Jesse walked into the kitchen.  “I think we need to sniff
him out afore he can meet up with them.  Find out where he’s been hiding.  He
might even be dead.  You stuck him real good, Lee.”

Riker rubbed his jaw after setting some canned food on the
counter.  “You probably right, Jesse.  We been holed up here too long, getting
too comfortable.  Lazy.  We’ll go check out his lieutenant’s and everyone
else’s place.  See what’s up.  I’m tired a sittin on my ass here.  ‘Specially
since we ain’t got no beer and no pussy either.”

Chapter
Eleven

Just as their movie popcorn on the stovetop finished
popping, someone pulled up in the yard.  Her cellphone rang, and whoever was in
the yard honked the horn.

Nydia cringed.

They weren’t just honking the horn, they were laying on the
horn.

“That is so rude to the neighbors,” she said, pulling her
pot off the oven and hurrying to the door to see who was making that racket. 
She had a pretty good idea who it was anyway.

As she opened the door, she saw she’d been right.  Richard
pulled up the drive in his classic restored mustang.  Even at the distance, she
could see his face frowning.

Inside, Nydia’s mind raced.

If he was there to apologize and he saw Aiden, he was
likely to get the wrong impression. Nydia didn’t want him telling his family
that he’d found her shacked up with another man and they’d been right about her
all along.

Just thinking about their smarmy faces made her hackles
raise.

She quickly closed the door and went out on the stoop.  He
skidded to a stop in front of her house behind her sedan, blocking her in
should she have the thought of escaping.

She crossed her arms over her chest.  She’d thought they’d
had enough fighting, but from the way he’d honked at her, she knew she wasn’t
going to be that lucky.  Much as she’d like to bring this inside, she
couldn’t.  Not with Aiden inside.

Nydia knew from the way Richard was acting he wasn’t going
to be easy to deal with.  In fact, she’d have to be an idiot to think they
weren’t about the have a fight in her front yard.

She inhaled a deep breath, exhaling slowly, trying to keep
her cool before she could get herself too riled up.

Walking slowly down the steps, she willed herself to remain
calm as Richard got out of the car and slammed the door shut.

“Where the hell have you been?” Richard shouted.  “Just
what do you mean, not answering my phone calls?”  He crossed his arms over his
chest and waited like a parent would wait for an unruly child to explain their
behavior to them.  The way he looked down on Nydia made her realize the way he
truly felt about her.

Nydia stopped in her tracks.  She didn’t like his tone or
his attitude.  “I’ve been right here. This is my home.  Where have you been?  You
haven’t been by here to see me, or to collect your things.  I wasn’t certain
what was going on.”

“Don’t play dumb with my, Nydia.  I know damn good and well
you check your messages.  You could see I’ve been calling.  Are you avoiding
me?  Are your panties still in a knot because your little feelings got hurt by
my big mean sisters?  I thought you were a grown woman, but you’re acting like
you’re still in junior high.”

Nydia pointed a finger at him.  “Excuse you?  You need to
calm down and take it down a notch.  What do you mean coming here to attack me
like this?”

He crossed his arms over his chest.  His blue eyes regarded
her coldly.  “You’re not my mama.  I don’t need you to tell me to calm down. 
If anything, I’ll get louder if I want to.”

Nydia wanted to avoid name calling, but he was acting more
like a child than she ever was.  “To tell you the truth, yes, I was avoiding
your calls.  I didn’t want to answer your calls until you came to your senses
and were ready to come apologize for the way you, and your family, acted the
other day.  I thought it would be better if we both had time to reflect on what
happened, rather than snapping at each other.  Like this.”

He snickered.  “You were waiting for me to come apologize?  That
is priceless.  You came to my home and you acted like a colossal bitch while
you were there.  You didn’t try and get along with anyone and you acted like
you were better than everyone else.  You are a picky, know-it-all bitch, and my
family did everything they could do in order to get along with you,” Richard
snarled.

Nydia’s mouth gaped.  She snapped it shut, taking another
deep breath to calm the shaking inside her chest.  “Have you been taking that
HGH again?  You’re acting completely irrational and hateful like you’re on
something.  You know I don’t like when you get pumped up like this.  Why would
you even come here if you just wanted to fight?”

“If anyone’s on drugs, it’s you.”

Nydia rolled her eyes and covered her face with her hands. 
She’d only seen him like this one other time, and that was before an amateur
fight.  He’d been working out religiously for weeks in preparation.  The
testosterone had smothered all the kindness from him.  She couldn’t help but
think he’d been doing something similar with his crazy attitude.  Which meant
he was a powder keg waiting to explode in her face.

She forced her voice to remain soft and calming.  “We need
to start acting like the adults we are and just calm down.”

Richard pointed his finger and shook it at her, taking an
aggressive step forward.  “I have given you a few days to come to your senses and
see what you’ve done.  If you don’t come to my mother’s home and apologize to
my family for being the bitch you are then you can forget me ever coming around
here again.”

***

Aiden could hear their argument as clearly as if they’d
been in the room with him.  He’d had just about enough of that asshole calling
her a bitch.  The louder Richard got, the more his anger festered inside of
him, rising to the surface and nearly out of control.

Men didn’t treat women like that in the South.  Not real
men.

Aiden stood and walked to the door and peered out the front
window, pulling the blind open enough so that he could see outside.  He spotted
Richard immediately, making angry gestures and jerking his blond head around
like rooster.

MMA training?  Aiden snickered.  He needed it.  If that underweight
ass in the yard didn’t start showing some respect for Nydia he was going to be
forced to go out there and teach Richard some respect.

Richard was leaned against his car with his hands across
his chest.  Nydia stood just off her front stoop.  Even at the distance, he
could see her tension in the way her shoulders shook, the slight tremble in her
hands.

His ears perked, listening to her quiet responses as she
tried to maintain calm.

Aiden looked back at Richard.  He damned sure couldn’t see
what had attracted her to Richard in the first place.  He was tall, thin, and
gangly looking in Aiden’s eye, a speck of dust that needed to be brushed off.

“I’m not about to apologize to your mother, your sisters,
or you.  You’re being an insufferable ass just like your family.  I don’t know
why you and your family talked to me the way you did, but I know that no one
will ever talk to me that way again!”

Nydia turned around and walked the two feet back to the
stoop.

Richard uncrossed his arms and followed her in large
strides. “Come back here.  I’m not through with you and you aren’t going to
turn your back on me.  You’re going to learn some manners before I leave here
today.”

The moment Richard snaked a hand around her wrist and
snatched her backward back down the steps, Aiden reacted.

Aiden burst through the door onto the porch.  The moment he
was outside, Richard dropped Nydia’s wrist like a hot potato.  He gaped at
Aiden’s intrusion into their fight.

Aiden cocked a grin, stepping down beside Nydia on the
steps until he stood beside her.

He wanted to make sure Richard got a chance to look him up
and down and size him up as an opponent, since he was into mixed martial arts
training.

Not that that would be a match for Aiden’s shifter
abilities.  Despite pretending to be injured and weakened, he wasn’t about to
let Nydia get hurt, if that was where Richard was taking this.

He’d learned long ago that most fights could be stopped if
you gave the opponent the opportunity to size you up and realize that they were
about to get their butts handed to them on a silver platter.  Aiden was almost
twice the size of the other man and a good six inches taller.

Richard snapped his mouth shut, visibly swallowing as his
adam’s apple bobbed.

“Who the hell is this?” he asked, pointing at Aiden with a
frown on his face.

“I’m Aiden, not that it’s any of your business.  Unless
you’d like to make it your business,” Aiden said, flexing his chest and arms. 
He got the feeling that Richard was used to looking down his nose at others,
and that this is the way he treated the majority of the people he met.

Nydia didn’t look at Aiden, only at Richard.  She was
silent, as if searching for something to say.

Richard’s face reddened.  “You little tramp!  Where did you
pick this joker up at?  Why has he got my pants on?  Is this why you couldn’t
be bothered to answer my calls? You’ve been holed up the past four days fucking
this guy?”

Nydia gasped.  “How dare you talk to me that way?”

“It’s a free country.  I can talk any way I want.”

“See, that’s what’s wrong with this world.  Just cuz you
have the freedom to say it doesn’t mean you should.  I was taught to respect a
woman, not degrade her,” Aiden said, sliding closer to Nydia.  Aiden put his
arm around Nydia’s waist to show Richard that he was with the woman now. He
wanted to make a point of letting this whelp know he was the alpha male on this
property and that the female was his and his alone.

Richard sneered at them, pretending to laugh.  He clapped
his hands like they’d made a joke.  “I suppose it’s better that I find out now
that you are willing to sleep with anything that has a dick, before I married
you.  I guess my family was right and you have been screwing everyone but me.”

Nydia glared at Richard.  “You son of a—”

Before she could finish, Aiden spun her around and planted
his mouth over hers.  A shock of electricity seemed to sizzle between their
mouths.  She tensed at first, then melted against him as he wrapped his hands
around her back and drew her tight against his body.

Everything about her and the moment felt right to Aiden,
like something out of a dream.  For a second, he forgot Richard was standing
there, watching them.

The urge to delve into her mouth was so strong, it nearly
took his breath away.  With an effort, he pulled away from her, looking down at
her face and breathing heavily.

She stared up at him, seeming dazed before she caught
herself and looked at Richard.

Richard turned around without saying a word and walked back
to his car.  He ripped the door open, making it creak on its hinges.

“I’m leaving, and you can bet your sweet ass that I won’t
be back.  Ever.”  He raked his gaze disdainfully down Aiden.  “Have fun with
your new man.”  Richard closed the door to the car and cranked the engine.

The car slammed into reverse and whirled around in the yard
leaving ruts in the grass.  Aiden and Nydia stood there looking at him as he
drove off.

When Aiden returned his eyes to Nydia, he could see anger
on her face.  She spun around and went back inside, slamming the door with a
vengeance.

Aiden stood looking at the door for a moment, feeling a
strange sense of bewilderment.  He wasn’t sure if she was mad at Richard, at
him, or mad at the entire situation.

And he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

Behind him, escape from the turmoil brewing inside beckoned
him to just high-tail it the hell out of there.  His pack would be back any
time now, and he could hang out in the woods until they arrived.

He didn’t need to be here any longer.  Even though,
strangely, he didn’t want to leave.