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Jaz sat quietly, waiting for Adrian to make up his mind to stay or leave. She had some concern about him losing control of his wolf if he had a nightmare, but she believed her wolf capable of handling that red wolf once hers had healed.
Even as she sat here, she felt bones mending and pain receding in her leg. Her nose had stopped throbbing.
Adrian clearly struggled to make up his mind.
Now that she had a chance to take him in from head to toe, his tired eyes were sunken. In better light now, his skin appeared gray compared to the robust healthy color she remembered.
Adrian looked rough. Not from fighting the shifters so much as ... being weary.
A bond-deep fatigue from internal battles.
She couldn’t imagine battling her wolf. Maybe, just maybe, if she helped him rest he’d be reasonable about walking away.
She urged him toward a decision. “I’m not your enemy, Adrian. Not tonight.”
Tension pouring from him dissipated and his whole body seemed to relax. “Okay, thanks. I’ll clean up and grab a power nap, then I’ll leave.”
Unlike her, he hurried through his bath and came out of the bathroom towel-drying his hair. He wore a second towel wrapped around his waist.
The skimpy towel barely covered all that male.
No barrier stopped her wayward mind from painting a mental picture of him underneath.
She hadn’t been with a man since leaving Alaska and that had been a temporary arrangement which they’d both wanted. She’d never been mate material and wasted no energy bemoaning it.
But she had this unexplainable urge to be with Adrian.
“Stop looking at me like that, Jaz,” he warned.
She flicked her gaze up from where the towel covering his lower part began tenting.
Hell. That was her fault. “You’re safe, big boy,” she teased. “I’ll always look, but it means nothing more.”
He arched an eyebrow at that.
“Are you calling that a lie?” she asked.
“No. Just wondering if you have someone back home, wherever that is, in Kodiak.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Truth.” He smiled, clearly happy with her answer.
Finished with the towel he’d used on his hair, he dropped it on top of the one she’d left on the bathroom floor. He stood there a minute, looking over his shoulder into the bathroom, then back at her. “Hope you don’t mind. I rinsed my clothes and they’re drying, but I’ll wear them damp.”
“Sit down, Adrian. You’re so uncomfortable, you’re making me uncomfortable.”
He chuckled and sat in the only empty chair. “You’re not like any other female, that’s for sure.”
“Oh? Why do you say that?”
“You show no fear no matter what you face. You and your wolf are tough.” He stretched his legs out.
She commended herself on not looking down. “Yes, I’m not exactly a female that fantasies are built around. You call it as you see it.”
He put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. That heady masculine aroma poured off him and rocked her senses. He said, “That’s where you’re wrong. Your confidence, your ability, your attitude ... it’s all sexy as hell. Even that scar. It’s the mark of a warrior.” Then he sat back in his chair.
She had no words for that.
The men from her Kodiak family found her attractive, but those men admired strength. They couldn’t mate a fragile female. Even so, they preferred their women to not have scars on their faces. And to not be a wolf shifter.
Many of the men she’d met in this part of the country gave much more merit to cosmetic appearance.
She’d had plenty of disgusted looks once they saw the long scar down the side of her face.
Not one man had ever said he found that flaw attractive.
Adrian yawned. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re supposed to be catching some sleep.”
He scratched his head. “I can’t risk my wolf hurting you, Jaz.”
“Here’s the deal.” She waited for him to turn to her then said, “I’m sitting next to the door if I need to leave. Worst case, if you start shifting, I’ll wake you up. Have you had anyone wake you?”
Blinking slowly, he seemed to consider that. “No. Still ... let me talk to my wolf. If he agrees not to attack you, I can do this.”
“You don’t have control, but you trust your wolf’s word?”
“Yes.” He glanced at her then away. “At one time, we were very close. The one thing we still have is truth. If he tells me he will or will not do something, he means it.”
Fascinating. She waited as Adrian stared straight ahead.
His brow wrinkled at something then he shook it off and turned to her. “He says he won’t harm the golden wolf. I asked him to clarify if that extended to you or just your wolf. He said he would not attack the golden wolf’s human. Mad Red has never separated out a shifter that way. Until now, the shifter human and animal side were one in his book.”
“You call him Mad Red?” she asked, horrified.
“Yeah, I know it sounds bad, but he was Red to me for many years when we were close. He prefers Mad Red now. I think he likes the barrier between us before and us now.” Rubbing his hands over his eyes, Adrian said, “You have something I can throw on the floor?”
“No. Get in the bed. It’s just a bed, not a commitment.”
This time, he burst out laughing. “Okay, fine.” He reached over and covered her hand with his, then rubbed his thumb over her skin. “You’re something.”
Her heart wiggled at the compliment in his honest words.
They would be an interesting pair. Too bad for the gulf of differences between them. She ran from the law, and he represented them in some capacity.
Would he believe the truth she’d stated about Kaiser’s death and go back to his people with only that in hand? Not a realistic outcome. Should she tell him everything?
That reminded her to find out his connection to Kaiser’s pack. “How are you involved with Tanza?”
Adrian had stood. “I was in a special military unit with her brother, Leonard. He was my best friend and saved my life. He told her to contact me if they ever needed help.” His eyes were sad. “I want to do right by her, but I also want to hear your side, Jaz. I really was not blindly racing forward to accuse you of murder. I sincerely came here to get the truth. You said you didn’t murder him. I believe you and I want to help clear you.”
She arranged her face into a pleasant expression. “We’ll talk when you wake up. I’d like someone to hear my side.”
That relaxed his shoulders. “Thanks.” He made it to the bed and dropped down, face first then fell asleep in minutes.
She covered her eyes with her hand.
Leonard connected everyone.
She’d been friends with him. Adrian had shared a close bond with Leonard. Tanza idolized her brothers, especially Leonard.
Her heart thumped with hope, though.
Adrian could be the one person who might believe her side. He said he did, but she now realized he had to hear it all.
She watched him as he fell deeper into sleep. His breathing evened out. He stayed like that for a half hour.
Then he began twitching and shaking his head. He muttered garbled words. He howled suddenly.
Jaz jumped up. Her heartbeat raced.
Was that the nightmare?
Still out cold, Adrian started growling.
She considered her options. The door or ... help him.
Tarski came alert at that howl. She warned, If you drain your power and it does not fix those two, we could lose a fight with the red wolf.
Jaz kept her attention on Adrian and silently asked her wolf, What do you think of the red wolf? He told Adrian he would not harm you, then added he would also not harm your human. They sound so divided.
Red wolf is ... intriguing.
In what way, Tarski?
When we first fought days ago beside this shifter, red wolf protected us twice, putting himself at risk. When I gave him a lick of thanks, he ignored me. Rude. I bit his rump.
Jaz thought back and remembered that happening in a matter of seconds. She’d thought the red wolf had pissed off Tarski.
She found this new development intriguing, to use Tarski’s word.
Adrian quieted, but he panted hard. His legs moved as if he ran in his dream.
Her wolf continued, When I bit the red wolf, I felt their energy. I sensed two powerful beings in conflict, but much emotion, too. I believe the human. He said they were close at one time.
Her wolf came up with profound observations and had not been wrong yet.
I want to help them, Jaz said.
I know this. Tarski sighed and said, Go ahead. I will warn you if you go too far.
Jaz smiled, loving her always supportive wolf she’d been gifted to share a body with. Thank you.
As she stepped over to Adrian, he began yelling, “No! Stop it! No!” His head started changing shape.
She dropped down and put two fingers on his head, pushing energy in to seek the problem. “You’re safe. Calm down. Stay with me.”
He snarled.
She pushed more energy. This wasn’t working.
Tarski warned, Slow down.
Adrian twisted around and grabbed her wrist in a death grip. His jaws widened and fangs dropped into place.
Get away from human, Tarski yelled in her head.
She couldn’t, not with that grip he had on her wrist. She kept pushing her energy into him.
When she used her energy, it was to heal. This had to work or she’d have to let Tarski out.
When Tarski drew on the same energy, it was to kill.
