The Wolf's Surrender

CHAPTER 14



After a surprisingly deep sleep, Mia awakened to a silent house.

Even without checking, she knew Jenner was gone. She didn’t know when he’d left, but she felt his absence as keenly as if she’d watched him walk out the door. It was strange, but Mia guessed it was no stranger than her last few days.

And if nothing else, the quiet gave her an opportunity to brood uninterrupted. She’d wanted to see him this morning, to wake up with his arms around her. What had happened between them last night had been about more than just sex—she’d felt that on a level so deep she couldn’t question it. He had to have felt it, too.

But maybe he hadn’t. Or worse, maybe he had and that was why he was gone.

She showered and got ready for the day, then wandered out of the room and down the stairs, thinking vaguely about finding something to eat. Around her, there wasn’t a sound. She hadn’t quite realized what a vital presence Jenner was until now. She wanted him here.

But then, she’d wanted a lot of things she couldn’t have.

Mia replayed the events of last night over again in her mind, moving without really seeing anything around her. Had she missed something? Had something gone wrong? Or was he just being Nick Jenner, wandering the Hollow and brooding because he’d touched her when he’d sworn he wouldn’t?

She wished she knew.

The sight of one long, lanky female sprawled on the couch stopped Mia dead in her tracks, right in the middle of the stairs. The woman didn’t appear to notice her staring down, though. One leg was draped over the arm of the couch and was bobbing up and down rhythmically. Mia found if she focused, she could faintly hear music. The foot attached to the leg was bare, its toenails painted deep and shimmering purple. The other leg was bent.

Whoever this was, she didn’t seem very worried about not belonging there.

“Um, hello?” Mia said as she descended the rest of the stairs, making the body of the woman disappear from view.

The leg stiffened for an instant, then disappeared back over the arm of the couch. There was a moment of scrambling, and a head popped up to look over the back at her.

“Hey,” the stranger said as she finished pulling a pair of ear buds out of her ears.

“Hey,” Mia replied, eyebrows lifting. This, at least, was a distraction. Whoever this was, she was incredibly cute, in a gothic pixie sort of way. A choppy black bob set off a delicate, pointed little face dominated by a big, luminous pair of heavily lashed eyes such a dark blue they looked almost like polished onyx. As Mia stood staring at her, completely nonplused, the pixie’s rosebud lips parted and gave way to a big, irreverent grin.

“Bet you’re wondering what I’m doing on the couch,” she said cheerily.

“Yeah,” Mia said slowly. “I guess you could say that. I’m Mia.”

“Aislynn. Aislynn O’Doyle.” She got lightly to her feet and came around the couch. The outfit marked her as being a few years younger than Mia herself, skinny black jeans, a T-shirt emblazoned with the name of a band Mia had heard of but didn’t really listen to, and a ragged, oversized flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled. She was lithe, petite, and yet still exuded a tremendous amount of contained energy.

Mia wasn’t sure whether to shake hands or flee.

“Sorry, should have been paying better attention, but I’ve been zoning out with my iPod. Jenner told me no video games while you were sleeping, all he has to read is auto magazines, and his junk food situation is pathetic, so I’m glad you’re up. I was close to throwing myself out of a window.”

Mia couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in her throat. “I’m glad we avoided that, then. Look, I hope you don’t mind my asking, but...who are you? And where’s Jenner?”

Aislynn wrinkled her small, pointy little nose. The effect was one of charming disgust.

“I’m one of the pack’s hunters. And I’m the youngest right now, since they don’t usually take new hunters on until a prospect is out of college. I graduated in May. Hence, I get a disproportionate amount of crap from the older hunters, and I also get picked on when someone wants to stop babysitting and go play.” She winced. “Sorry. Not that you’re a baby. Figure of speech.”

Fascinated by the steady stream of chatter, so different from Jenner’s “pulling teeth” style of conversation, Mia hardly noticed the accidental insult.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’m not your average initiate. I get it.”

That seemed to strike Aislynn funny. “Initiate, huh? I like it. Makes it sound so much more formal than the reality.” She waved her hand, fingernails shimmering in the same shade of purple as her toes, a multitude of silver rings glinting in the light. “Anyway, Jenner got called out to have a look at some stuff in the woods early this morning. And I got tagged to chill here with you.”

Mia tried not to show it as she breathed a sigh of relief. It was the one reason for Jenner’s being gone that made sense, and she was glad to hear that he hadn’t just bolted because of sleeping with her.

Not that she was any clearer on what he did think about that, but it could have been worse. Now that the only thing she’d been able to think about all morning was resolved, curiosity quickly replaced obsessing.

“Thanks for playing babysitter, then,” Mia said with a smile.

“No problem,” Aislynn said easily, shifting her weight from one foot to the other with fluid grace. She seemed to have too much natural energy to stand still.

“I wasn’t actually sure I’d get to meet you this morning. I figured Jenner would be back by now, but nothing about all this is really normal.” She paused, eyes widening. “I mean, not that you’re abnormal. Just the whole feral psycho thing.”

“Got it,” Mia replied, trying to stifle a laugh. It wasn’t until right that moment that she realized just how much she’d missed female companionship.

Aislynn looked around and bounced lightly on the balls of her feet. “Want to go get lunch? I’m starving. I don’t know what Jenner eats, but I have a hard time believing he exists on stale pretzels and beer.”

“I think he used up all his breakfast stuff a couple of—wait, lunch?”

Aislynn tipped her chin down and arched one dark brow. “Yes, sleeping beauty. You slept in. I guess I’ll pretend I have manners and not start teasing you about why. Yet. I usually wait at least an hour before I get really obnoxious.”

Panic had set in too quickly for Mia to find that funny. All she could think of was that she’d slept until lunch. Which was about the time she’d agreed to go to lunch with a guy who was definitely not the one she’d spent the night with.

There was a quick knock at the door. Mia closed her eyes and groaned.

Aislynn looked toward the door and tilted her nose up into the air with a considering look on her face. Whatever she smelled, she seemed to enjoy it.

“Hmm. You don’t like that?”

Mia inhaled and immediately scented him—warm, vital, and very male, an appealing blend of spices. She wondered whether an escape through a bathroom window was plausible.

“He smells good,” Mia admitted.

“Looks good, too,” Aislynn agreed with a smirk. “A little clean-cut for me, but then again, it could be hiding a wild side.” She looked more closely at Mia, and even though they shared no telepathic connection, the feminine one was enough. “Uh-oh. Lunch date?”

“Yeah.”

“He know about you and Jenner?”

Mia fought the urge to massage away the headache that was rapidly brewing at her temples. “There was no me and Jenner when I said I’d go. I’m still not exactly sure about that. But this isn’t—”

Aislynn held up a hand. “Say no more. I’m your babysitter, remember? Where you go, I go. Even if it causes an awkward non-date during which I try really hard to make the cute Silverback blush.”

Mia’s looked at Aislynn in mute gratitude. This was what it meant to be part of a pack, she realized. It was having a big family to look out for you, watch your back. Even run interference with unwanted lunch dates.

Jenner had been right...the Hollow wasn’t Philly, but it had plenty going for it. Maybe more than she’d realized.

“Thank you,” Mia said. “I mean, I don’t even know you...”

Aislynn waved her off. “My pleasure.” Then she winked. “Seriously.”