SWNOVELS Chapter 96
Chapter Ninety-Six
I sway on my feet, but Eric's grip keeps me from face-planting on the asphalt.
"It's Cam's, not mine," he says.
That's little comfort.
"Are you sure?"
He nods once.
"Didn't you and Mia..."
I really don't want to finish the sentence.
"We were intimate, yes. I'm not going to apologize for that."
It's more snarl than words. He's guessed, correctly, that the news of Mia's pregnancy upset me. But he's wrong about the reason. I need Eric focused on my child, not his.
"I'm not asking for an apology. I'm asking if there's a chance the baby is yours."
"I only ever came inside her throat and her ass. Is that enough detail for you, or do you need a complete recap?"
My cheeks flame. It's enough detail to inspire an image of Eric standing naked over me, muscles rippling, hard and ready for me. There's a hungry look in his eyes that I recognize and when his nostrils flare I know my arousal hasn't escaped his notice. It's involuntary, the way our bodies react to each other. Involuntary, and unwanted.
I'm all too aware of how close we're standing. Of his scent-dimmer now that I've lost my wolf, Isis, but still there. Of the heat of his body against mine. The intensity of those eyes on me.
It's overwhelming.
"Cam could bring Merilee on his own if Mia can't make the journey," I say, redirecting the conversation to safer territory.
"They'll only be a day or two behind, Ash. Cam just thought you ought to know."
"Hey, are you two coming? I want to land before nightfall," Bill calls from the plane.
I break out of Eric's grasp and rush to the plane.
Keep moving forward. Don't dwell on the past.
I repeat those two sentences to myself, like a mantra.
There's no room for regret and guilt and what-ifs.
Thinking like that is a waste of time-time I don't have to spare.
I got myself into this mess, then dragged my daughter in with me. It's my responsibility to get her out. Once she's safe, then I can deal with my own pain. Until then, it doesn't matter how I feel.
Bill's plane is barely big enough for Eric and I to squeeze into the passenger area. He straps us into seatbelts that are more like harnesses, and then gets into the cockpit.
I'm no stranger to bush planes or to this land, but without my wolf, I'm unsettled and weak.
"You two comfortable back there?" Bill calls over the rumble of the plane's engine.
Eric has to drape his arm across my shoulders to fit on the seat next to me. He gives the pilot a thumbs up.
"I'd appreciate it if you could pretend to be okay with this. We're supposed to be newlyweds," he whispers, bending his head so close to mine that his lips brush my hair. "He's suspicious enough without you flinching away from me."
I force a grin as the plane rattles out onto the runway.
The truth is, it doesn't matter who the father of Mia's baby is. This baby is one more example of the differences between my life and my sister's. She's got two healthy children already, and now a third one on the way.
Her family grows and expands, surrounding her with love. All mine does is die.
The plane takes off with a lurch. The engine is too loud for anyone to talk, and I'm grateful for that. It takes all of my energy to push down the ache in my throat.
I don't want to give Eric the satisfaction of crying in front of him. He already thinks I'm weak and pathetic.
By the time the plane lands, I've got a better handle on my emotions. I thank Bill for flying so smoothly, and it's convincing enough that he hands over our baggage without any further suspicion. Eric stretches, scanning the landscape around us.
We're just outside the city. Mountains rise up ahead of us, looming over the scattered buildings, illuminated by streetlights and the headlights of passing cars. In the gathering dusk, it's easy to spot the edge of town.
"I secured a truck for us," Eric says. "The rest of the supplies are en route. They'll meet us tomorrow. We'll drive as far as we can tonight, but—"
"Vampires. I know," I answer.
A lone vampire won't bother a pack of wolves, just like a lone wolf won't dive headfirst into a vampire nest.
But in an even fight, all bets are off.
Without my wolf, I'm only as threatening as the average human being. Eric and I need to find somewhere secure to rest before darkness falls, or we're sitting ducks.
I squint at the horizon, gauging where the sun hangs in the sky.
"We've got about an hour before we're in any real trouble," I tell him.
"So we'll travel as far as "
He stops, suddenly. I smile my first real smile in days.
Eric has no idea how far we can travel. His territory is massive, extending along the west coast for miles, but there's no substitution for living in a place. Conquering another pack's land doesn't put the knowledge of that land in your bones.
This place is mine in a way that it will never be his.
It's a scrap of comfort, but I cling to it.
"I know a place we can stop outside of town. It's not fancy, but it's shelter. We'd be safe," I say.
Eric assesses me, jaw tight.
"And is your brother going to be waiting for us there?"
My second real smile is bigger than the first.
"I guess you'll have to wait and see."