The Wolf’s Pregnant Rejected Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #2)

Chapter 6 - Ryder

Tess eventually made herself a nest out of the clothes and laid down. Ryder didn’t think that she actually slept, but he was relieved that she at least allowed herself to rest… and stop looking at him. He was a man comfortable with silence. But somehow, there always seemed to be a pressing weight on him when there was silence between him and Tess.

Maybe he could have taken advantage of the situation to help the two of them reach an agreement about their personal issues. Or that could have made an already tense situation even worse.

Morning dawned grey and drizzly. The roof started to leak, dripping down to the exact spot where the radio had been housed. Ryder made a mental note to check on all the safehouses scattered up and down Bluebell Valley for similar damage.

Tess yawned as she staggered to her feet. She started to stretch but grabbed the top of her blanket quickly, as though she was afraid it was going to drop off her. Why was she so self-conscious about being naked in front of him? Ryder tried not to dwell on the possible reasons—there were too many to sort through.

“Do you know how to make your way back to town?” Ryder asked her.

“I…” Tess chewed her lower lip and looked away.

That was a no. Ryder nodded, his forehead creased. “All right. Then I’ll need you to stick close to me, and if we’re attacked, you come back here. It’ll be safer than you getting lost trying to get back to town.”

Tess glanced at his face doubtfully. “You mean if we’re attacked, we’ll come back here.”

“No. You’ll break away and get back here,” Ryder said, his voice firm. “I’m protected against possession. You aren’t. So you have to prioritize your safety. By now, Hayden and Mica will be concerned that we aren’t back. They’ll send people for us if we’re out too long.”

They stripped down—Tess reluctantly—and headed out. It was necessary to keep their human forms as they clambered down the rocky foundation, but they took wolf form once they were at the base. Ryder led the way, sniffing the air and watching closely. They hadn’t gone far before the scent of brimstone caught his attention.

He wheeled about, snarling as he sprang at a thick bush. His body cut through the branches, and he landed hard on a wolf hiding on the other side. It yelped as he tore at it. From downwind, two more wolves bolted forward. One of them nipped at Tess while the other turned to block Ryder. Tess howled as she jumped aside.

Run! Ryder thought as he batted his front paws into the face of the wolf he fought. He tore out a chunk of fur as the second wolf tried to get onto his back. He body-slammed it off him and ripped off the ear of the first wolf.

But Tess didn’t run.

Instead, she flattened herself on the ground. Her tail was tucked in under her legs, and her ears pressed back. She whined. The demon lunged, nipping at her shoulder. Not trying to hurt her—once more, trying to herd her.

As the demon went for her a third time, she suddenly sprang up. Her jaws snapped around the demon’s throat, and she shook her whole body rapidly. Ryder’s eyes widened as the demon flopped this way and that as it tried to free itself.

Pain shot through his back as a heavy weight dropped on him. The two demons he fought both pressed down on his shoulders, ripping at the back of his neck. Ryder howled in frustration as he threw them off.

Tess jumped over the back of the demon she’d been fighting and grabbed hold of the back leg of one of the ones attacking Ryder. He used his weight to throw the other one down the mountain. He slammed the last demon, sending it tumbling away. Tess wheeled about and dashed back toward the cabin. Ryder went after her, though she quickly outpaced him.

She was halfway up the rocky outcrop, not needing his help this time by the time he caught up. He scrambled up after her. When they reached the protective circle of salt around the cabin, a dozen more possessed wolves had come from the forest. They circled around the base of the stone foundation, then, one by one, sat and stared up at the two of them with silent gazes.

“Inside,” Ryder said tersely.

Tess slipped into the cabin. Her hands shook, and her breath came in quick gasps.

Ryder shut the door and closed the windows. It blocked out most of their light but hopefully would prevent the demons from listening to their conversation. He rounded on Tess. “Why are they targeting you?”

She jumped, her eyes wide. She even forgot to cover herself. “What?”

“They’re clearly coming after you specifically,” Ryder snarled. “Why?”

Her mouth opened and closed, and her shoulders hunched. Oh, no. She was going to start crying again. But then her eyes lit with anger, and she threw back her shoulders.

“How am I supposed to know?” she snapped. “I don’t subscribe to Demon Weekly . You’re the one who knows more about demons and the like. If anyone knows why they’re coming after me, it’s you!”

“You must have done something for them to target you,” Ryder insisted.

Tess threw her hands into the air. “Oh, right. It’s my fault. It can’t be the fact that Mica is my best friend. It can’t be that they’re going after her and Hayden any way they can.”

Ryder shook his head. “That’s what I thought first, but this? This was far too targeted. They were still trying to get away from me. If it was just about hurting Mica and Hayden, they’d be more concentrated on killing me rather than targeting you.”

“Oh, and they weren’t trying to kill you?”

Ryder pointed at the door. “You saw how many of them there were. If it was about killing me, they would have all ambushed us, not just three of them.”

“Well, I don’t know what—” Tess’s red cheeks rapidly lost their color. She stepped back, wrapping one arm around her chest while covering her sex with the other hand.

Ryder opened his mouth—to continue trying to stress the importance of figuring it out or snapping at her for suddenly being scared of her nakedness, he wasn’t sure. But even as he did so, Tess’s gaze flickered to the junction of his thighs. Oh. He was half-erect, his loins tight with arousal.

Damn it! Even in an untenable situation, he was still turned on by Tess's fight with the demons. She had been such a sight. It was clear she had no training, yet she’d put every fiber of strength into it. She’d even played ‘dead,’ so to speak, to get the element of surprise.

The tension in the air shifted. No more that anger, it switched to something else. Here they were, both utterly naked. The blood of the fight pounded through them, and clearly, their emotions were high.

Ryder’s wolf snarled in arousal. How would Tess react if he crossed the distance between them? If he captured her perfectly plump lips with his? If he touched her? Is his hands traced over the flare of her hips, the curve of her breasts? What did her skin feel like? What did it look like when she orgasmed?

He wanted so badly to forget propriety. Forget all the reasons why he shouldn’t and just fall to his knees. To bury his face deep into her and taste what it was like to be with such a woman.

He turned away, hiding himself from her. He couldn’t. As much as he wanted her, he couldn’t even ask, let alone accost her. She was hiding herself, for fuck’s sake! She hated him. The last thing she wanted was for him to jump on her while they were out here alone.

It was the gentlemanly thing to dress again. So he pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. The cloth was harsh against this skin. It was stifling to squeeze his body into such an oppressive garment.

Tess retrieved her blanket and wrapped it around herself. She let out a shaky sigh. Ryder’s shoulders tensed. Was she going to call him out on his arousal?

Awkward seconds ticked by, turning into awkward minutes. Eventually, he relaxed again. Of course, that was when Tess decided to speak.

“You’re bleeding through your shirt. Maybe I should take care of that injury.” Her voice was low, meek. Clearly, she was still upset about the whole… thing. Now that she mentioned his injury, though, Ryder felt it throbbing. Tess cleared her throat. “We don’t want it to get infected.”

The thought of her hands on him made his jeans feel far too tight. He glanced down, his bulge becoming more prominent. If she touched him, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. She might be covered, but he had seen her delicious curves. And there was only a blanket, a barrier that was so easily removed it might as well not even be there.

“No,” he said, his voice strangled. “It’s not bad. We should save the supplies in case we need them. Were you injured?”

He didn’t look at her. For the same reason that he couldn’t allow her to touch him.

“No,” Tess said.

Ryder nodded as he stationed himself at the window. He opened a shutter slightly so he could peer out. The demons were still below them, staring at the cabin as though they were just waiting for him to toss Tess down to them.

“We’ll wait here, then,” he decided as he shut the window again. “It won’t be long before Hayden sends someone after us. We just have to wait them out.”

Tess was quiet.

Ryder risked a glance at her. Her gaze was on the floor, her hands tightly clenched into fists. He opened his mouth to say she didn’t have to be afraid. But then closed it again. She knew that, didn’t she?

A soft, ragged sigh escaped her lips. She lifted her head and threw back her shoulders. “So. Do you get turned on by screaming at me?”

The boldness of her question took him by surprise. As Ryder looked into her eyes, he saw a whirl of emotion in them: fear, curiosity, and arousal. His breath cut short as his wolf whimpered hopefully. Was she as aroused as he was?

Her fists shook as she waited for his answer. Ryder licked his lips. What was he supposed to say now?