Page 26 of Shattered

She looked at him. “What?”

“I said, I don’t want your money.” He took a drink of his coffee. “Abby needs a place to stay, I’m home, anyway. Three days a week isn’t going to break me.”

“But...I can’t—I have to pay you something. I won’t be seen as someone taking advantage of you. You’ve been through enough,” she said.

“You’re not taking advantage of me. Besides I am sure your mate will be understanding as well when you tell him you found a sitter for Abby.”

Aurora tilted her head. “A what, now?”

“A mate.” He pointed to the mark he glimpsed. “You’re wearing his mark or is it a she?”

Aurora covered her neck. “Uh...Mac. You really don’t remember the Halloween party, do you?”

He frowned. “No.”

“Huh, interesting.” She smiled at him. “It’s not what you think it is. I, uh, tried to use a flat iron on my hair this morning and nothing would tame these curls.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I kind of burned myself.”

The smell of her lie burned his nostrils. Yet, when push came to shove, he didn’t force the issue. Maybe she didn’t know who they were. Maybe they’d been little pricks who went after her without her realizing it. The more he thought about it, the more it pissed him off. If someone had marked her and left her to fend for herself, he’d kill them. Aurora and Abigail deserved someone who would care for them. Not fuck ‘em and leave ‘em.

“Gotta be careful with that shit,” Mackenzie groused. “Riley’s done it a couple times, too.”

Aurora winced. “Ouch. Anyway...” She glanced at the stove clock. “It’s almost nine. Abby should have been in bed an hour ago, but they’re having so much fun.”

Mackenzie glanced into the living room. “They are. I’ll help you get her ready.”

“Thanks,” Aurora replied. “I’ve had a good time tonight. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Mackenzie nodded. “We did, too.”

Mackenzie stood at the door and watched as Aurora and Abby drove away. Her scent still clung to everything in the house. It drove him insane. The idea she belonged to someone else, tore at his wolf. With the way he was feeling, he couldn’t stay inside. He needed to clear his head and hopefully, clear Aurora’s scent from his senses. However, he did leave the door open to keep an eye on everything. He glanced over at his children who were shutting down for the evening. When the games were put up and the television was off, Riley entered in the kitchen and loaded the remainder of the dishes into the dishwasher. After she was finished emptying the sink, she kissed his cheek and headed up to her room.

Liam followed shortly after.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, staring out at the night sky, willing the riotous emotions to quiet down, but when he was sure he’d settled down some, he stepped back inside and proceeded to lock up the house. In the last few days, his life had slowly begun to spin out of control. Add in Aurora and Abby, and he worried he was going feral. Fear clogged his throat. What if he already was? It would more fully explain the lost time. He had to tell Kalkin. Mackenzie trusted his brother and knew he would have to put Mackenzie down if it got out of control. Riley and Liam would go to Royce and Charisma, and he’d finally be at peace.

Mackenzie headed to his room. His body felt heavy, and his mind still swirled with so many unanswered questions. He pulled his clothes from his body and fell face-first into bed. Maybe a few hours of sleep would help him gain some perspective.

Or, at least, he hoped it would.

Chapter Four

Aurora let out a weary sigh as she began to wash the last of the dishes she’d left to soak before heading to Mackenzie’s house for dinner. The night had gone well for her and Abby. Her niece loved Riley and liked Liam; of course it might take him a while to warm up to Abby. She chattered longer than was usual for the little girl, making it hard to get her into bed. Mackenzie on the other hand, she worried about him. He was so alone. She saw his despair in his eyes and felt it down to her bones as well. He’d been through a lot in a short time.

Blowing a wayward strand of hair out of her face, Aurora worried about his memory loss. He didn’t remember being a wolf, or licking her, or...or biting her. The lock of hair floated back into its original place and got caught in her eyelashes. She grasped the end and tucked it behind her ear while scrubbing the batter from the bowl. For whatever reason, the plug for the sink didn’t hold the water and it left the utensils caked in the mixture.Just something else to bring up when I pay the rent.

The pie pan she’d brought home from dinner would have to soak. The cooked apples, sugar and cinnamon were stuck on the metal pan like glue, didn’t that figure? After wiping down the countertops with a concoction of lemon oil and a few other things that were safe to handle around Abby, Aurora pulled the trash bag out of the can and tied it up. She hated going out this late at night, without any kind of protection, but she worried about the apple peels and remaining pieces of sugar would cause all kinds of ants to invade the house. Bad enough when her upstairs neighbor didn’t take theirs out, she got fruit flies.

Aurora shuddered in revulsion.

The one thing she detested living there as opposed to living in Washington, was the number of bugs hiding in every nook and cranny. At least in Washington, the cold weather kept the creepy crawlies at bay. Arizona teemed with a variety of six and eight-legged creatures along with scorpions or those dang gila monsters. The damn lizards scared the shit out of her. The fact they were venomous did nothing to endure them to her, either.

She slipped on her shoes then opened the front door to step outside. The night air was cool, not nippy cold like it was back in Ellensburg. She glanced out at the bin area to make sure it was clear before closing the door behind her and heading down the stairs. Because of the late hour, she’d been mindful of the other residents in the small apartment complex, Aurora made her way to the dumpsters located at the back of the lot, in a fenced-off area. Funny how they didn’t seem so far away from the building during the day, but at night, with little to no light illuminating the area, it felt like forever before she was lifting the lid and tossing her trash in.

As the lid came down with a soft thud, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Her skin tingled, and her body vibrated with the distinct sensation of being watched. Aurora licked her bottom lip as she did a quick scan of the area. She strained to hear any noise coming from behind her while also glancing down at the ground for shadows. When she came up empty, she blew out a breath and chided herself for being so paranoid.Got yourself worked up for nothing.

Nevertheless, a prickle of awareness sparked to life once more as she stepped out of the bin area. Now, with the light in front of her, the area was temporarily awash in the glow of the bright safety light, illuminating the parking area. She shielded her eyes then grimaced when the stench of rancid trash hit her nose.Ugh, so gross.

Instead of sticking around to see if someone would magically pop out of the shadows, she double-timed it to the staircase leading to the second floor. As she hit the third step, a stick snapped in the distance, and she tensed, ready to run if need be. She glanced over her shoulder, desperate to calm her erratic emotional state, but she couldn’t see it—whatever it was out there, watching her.

---