Afflicted by Ava Novak

playful nudge. Kaden chuckled as they walked side by side.
    Damn, I can’t even remember the reasons why I was against her being my mate.
    “Okay enough. So tell me what do you for a living?”
    “Ah, you are going to flip this on me. Okay, nothing fancy,” Kaden said as he shrugged his shoulders. “I work on an oil rig from time to time up in Alaska.”
    “What? You aren’t an underwear model,” Victoria said in a feigned surprised tone.
    Kaden let out a throaty laugh as he shook his head.
    “Come on slow pokes,” Adam said from over his shoulder.
    “We are right behind you,” Kaden replied.
    Adam waved at them, urging them to pick up their pace, and yelled at them to hurry up. Victoria and Kaden walked a bit faster to catch up, their hands still connected.
    “Come on. Tell me, what made you come here of all places?”
    Victoria shrugged her shoulders.
    “Nothing, I just came.”
    “You just came, to Collins of all places, a town in the middle of nowhere,” Kaden said as he shook his hand from side to side. He wanted to know why she came here. “Come on spill the beans.”
    “I needed it.”
    “Sorry I don’t follow.”
    Victoria sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “It’s a long story.”
    “I get it.  You don’t have to tell me about your life as an assassin.”
    “Yes, because I don’t want to have to kill you after telling you about my double life,” Victoria said through fits of laughter.  Kaden was beginning to enjoy the sound of her laugh.
    Hmmm, okay Rick might have been right. Damn it, the old man was fucking right.
    A content like smile formed on Kaden’s lips as they continued to walk along the hiking trail. His smile quickly disappeared as he remembered Victoria was no longer going to stay in Collins.
    Why didn’t I fully think about this? Shit!
    Hell, he was going to be leaving before the summer was over. He was fucked from the start. No, the moment he decided to walk into that bank. If he knew his mate was going to be there, he probably would have got the fuck out of Collins like a bat out of hell.
    Still can’t believe I have a human who is my mate.
    Is she worth the sacrifice? Could I really convince her to stay by my side?  So many questions ran through his mind at once.
    Damn this is not the time to start being indecisive. I either try to make her mine or I don’t!
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Ten
     
     
     
    S he found the untamed elements of the green wooded area to be enchanting. Victoria was happy Kaden had taken her on this hiking trip. She was never going to forget this experience. It made her want to do it again sometime soon. Victoria couldn’t believe she’d stayed cooped up in that cabin all this time.
    “Water,” Kaden said as he handed over the bottle he’d retrieved from the backpack.
    She muttered a thank you as she took the bottle he offered.  Kaden pulled another water bottle from the backpack. She smiled at him as she put a little distance between them. Victoria had to get away from the heat radiating from him. She was thankful they weren’t alone. Victoria was certain if he’d kissed her by now she would have encouraged it to go beyond that. She strolled over to a tree stump and sat down.
    Damn my feet are killing me. They’d only been hiking for twenty minutes. She wasn’t expecting to get a workout in the process or having to cross over huge tree limbs, walking up and down as if she was walking up a mountain and then going down one. Her thighs were burning. And according to Kaden there wasn’t much left but a good ten minutes to go to get to a certain area he and Adam were keeping a secret. 
    “So, how long have you known Kaden?
    Victoria turned her head to the right and looked up at Melody.
    “Not long. How about you,” she asked.
    “I just met him today. It was good to meet someone else that Adam knows.”
    Melody hesitated to speak as she glanced over in Adam