Coveted by Stacey Brutger Page A

handlebars of the ATV creaked under his grip as they halted
in front of the entrance hall. His wolf stilled, ready to spill out of his skin
at the thought of being trapped behind another set of walls.
    “Are you all right?” She
ran her fingertips lightly down his arm, the hesitant touch making the world
slide away until there was only her.
    He inhaled sharply,
her citrus scent washing over him, and the tightness in his chest slowly
dissipated. “I will be.”
    He dismounted and studied
her, his heartbeat slowed to normal as he met her blue eyes. Panic receded
under her calm, and some of his composure returned. Those sharp eyes of hers
passed over the castle, and pride puffed up his chest when he saw them widen
appreciatively, ridiculously pleased that he could impress her. Once he was
back on his feet, she’d see him as a different man.
    Someone worthy of
her.
    “You grew up here.”
    “Yes.” It wasn’t a
question, but he answered anyway. He gripped his hands behind his back to keep
from stepping to her side and tucking her back up against him. Shayla turned,
her attention finally coming to rest on his men.
    “Those men are like
you.”
    When she continued to
gawk at them, Aiden narrowed his eyes, battling the raging jealously that
prickled along his skin. “Like me?”
    Then he noticed her gaze
had landed on only a specific few.
    His Firsts , the
strongest of his wolves, warriors who could shift into the fabled two-legged
werewolves.
    Her focus couldn’t be
an accident.
    The world narrowed
down to her. Sounds faded. His heart thumped twice in denial before the alpha
in him took control. All his concern for her feelings shredded as ugly
suspicions rose. Could he have been wrong and invited his worst enemy into his home?
    * * *
    As silence descended,
Shayla quickly replayed what she said and wanted to curse her overly
superstitious mind. She turned to find Aiden dissecting her. The chill around
her intensified, and it was all she could do not to redden at her slip. It was
one thing to listen to fairy tales as a child, it was another to actually
believe them.
    This was not a
fortress, but a modern residence.
    There were no such
things as werewolves.
    “Yes, you know,
security.” She waited expectantly for him to confirm her guess so she could put
this nonsense behind her. “That is what you said, right?”
    “You might say we’re
more like private security.”
    Shayla listened hard.
He didn’t lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth, either. A huff of frustration
escaped at the purposefully vague answer. It left her exactly where she’d
started…with no clue who Aiden really was. She was in the middle of nowhere,
her whereabouts known only to Aiden and his men, and no way to communicate with
the outside world.
    Shayla refused to be
a victim, not again. She just had to be smart and play her cards very
carefully. Though getting back to town was her first priority, she couldn’t
help admire what Aiden had built.
    The castle was hauntingly
beautiful, but an underlying sadness clung to the gray walls like a ghost she
could almost see. There was definitely something strange here beyond the
decided lack of females. She just couldn’t pinpoint why she was so sure.
    “Come.” Aiden held a
hand out for her.
    She didn’t want to
touch him, abruptly convinced that his touch would seal her fate. “Uh, maybe I
could catch a ride into town?”
    Aiden dropped his
hand. “That will be impossible.”
    He lied.
    Shayla swallowed hard,
not liking that he so easily backed her into a corner one bit. “I have an
appointment with my employer in a few hours. If I miss—”
    “Employed to do
what?”
    She clamped her mouth
shut, unwilling to reveal the true nature of her business. “I find things.”
    “Things?” Aiden
narrowed his eyes, his intensity ratcheting up her suspicion level to
supernova.
    “You know…” she waved
her arms “…things that have been lost.” Shayla narrowed her eyes, not caring
for the