Page 5 of Shadow Boxed (Shadow Warriors #2)

Chapter four

O’Neill followed Wolf and Aiden back down the isolation corridors, through the glass doors, and over to the parking slots in front of the clinic.

Two women were climbing out of a utility cart as he arrived.

He stopped dead at the sight of them. The shorter, curvier one in the driver’s seat was Olivia Holden, Samuel’s heartmate.

But it was the second woman, the tall, slender one with the thick hair, that sucked the strength from his legs.

Muriel Ravensblood. Samuel’s sister. Daniel’s mother.

And the only woman in O’Neill’s thirty-seven years of existence who’d ever affected his brain and his breathing.

His muscles stiffened and froze. Twenty years of life stretched between them, yet he still wasn’t ready for a reunion. Or that painful slog down memory lane.

Aiden offered the two women a polite chin lift before climbing into the passenger seat of the vehicle he’d arrived in.

But Wolf greeted Olivia, then paused to help Muriel down from the cart.

His head bent, he spoke quietly to her. Muriel tilted her face up, her body leaning toward him.

Her posture reminded him of how she’d looked at Wolf in high school, with complete hero worship.

Like Wolf was some kind of fucking elder God.

A familiar, rancid burn spread through his chest. Unfuckingbelievable. Two decades after he’d last seen her, and the sight of them together still gave him heartburn.

Muriel and Wolf had always been close. That closeness had gnawed at him back in the day.

Even after she’d turned to him, jealousy had wicked away his control, snapped at his temper.

And that was before he’d seen inside her mind and realized that even as she lay spread beneath him, as he surged inside of her.

..even as he gave Muriel her first taste of physical pleasure, she’d been thinking of Wolf—wishing it was Wolf pounding into her.

Twenty years later, and that knowledge still ate at him. Which was ridiculous. He’d gotten over that betrayal eons ago.

She was facing Wolf, so only her profile faced him.

But even from that angle she looked the same, yet.

..different. Same tall, lean frame—but with more curves through the hips, breasts, and ass.

Same thick black hair flowing past her shoulders and over her breasts, but the gleam of youth had faded, or perhaps grief over Daniel’s death had dulled its shine.

Did that thick swath of black still sparkle with a bluish tint beneath the sun?

Was the texture still soft and thick, and sleek as satin?

Even now...even here...his fingers itched to bury themselves in that silken cloud.

..to twine the cool strands around his fingers, to breathe in the sweet, flowery fragrance of her shampoo and feel the cool silk against his lips. ..

Some habits died hard. Or not at all. And he’d loved her hair...loved the feel of it against his skin...the fragrant scent of it surrounding their heated bodies.

Wolf broke away and headed to his utility vehicle, swinging up in the driver’s seat. Muriel turned, joining Olivia at the front of their vehicle. She was facing him now. But her head was down, that long swath of hair obscuring her face.

During their youth, she’d been the prettiest girl in high school. Popular too. As the twin of one of the biggest hotshots on the Brenahiilo, and honorary kin to another, she’d been embedded in Wolf and Samuel’s sphere. Unlike O’Neill, who existed on the periphery.

She’d been off-limits to him back then. Forbidden even. Not that he’d let that stop him.

“O’Neill.” Aiden raised his voice. “You coming?”

The question surprised him. He hadn’t expected an invitation to their upcoming meeting with the Taounaha . He’d intended to crash the party instead. Her shoulders twitched as his name hit the air.

Her head lifted, her coffee-colored gaze latching onto his eyes. Recognition flashed across her face. Shock followed. But then her expression emptied, her eyes turning dark and vacant.

Hadn’t she known he was on base? Hadn’t Wolf or Samuel bothered to tell her? But then, why would they? No one knew what had happened between them. Not back then. Not now.

He forced his legs to take a step forward.

And then a second. From the front, the signs of maturity were even more apparent.

The lush breasts and hips. The laugh lines around her eyes and mouth.

But the evidence of grief was even stronger.

Pain rode her like a leech. There was flat emptiness in her eyes.

Her skin looked dull, even gray. Deep crevices bracketed her nose and dug into her forehead.

Her eyelids were red and puffy—either from crying or insomnia.

Even her blouse and slacks hung loose and lank, as though she’d lost weight.

But the real clue was her bottom lip. The chapped, raw look of it.

Muriel had always chewed on her bottom lip to soothe herself.

The more anxious she was, the more cracked and swollen her bottom lip became.

The sight of it used to drive him crazy.

He hated seeing her hurt herself like that.

He forced his hand to his side, ignoring the urge to soothe the raw, swollen flesh.

To reach Wolf’s utility truck, he had to pass by her.

He hesitated as he drew closer, aware of her stillness.

..her aura of deafening loss. If she hadn’t reacted when she’d first heard his name, he’d think she was unaware of his presence.

But then, she had other things on her mind.

Painful things. The death of a child was emotionally rending.

And she’d lost her son only days ago. Plus, she still faced the potential loss of her twin.

Something held his feet when he reached her. Rooted him to the ground. He was speaking before he thought better of it.

“Muriel...” Uncertain of what to say, his voice trailed off. A decade of memories, followed by two decades of separation, stretched between them. They were strangers now. Yet his chest tightened and ached at the pain he saw on her face. The emptiness in her eyes.

“I’m sorry about Samuel. But his spirit is strong.

..The Shadow Warrior favors him. Hokalita will not let him go so easily.

” He hesitated again. “And Daniel…I didn’t know him well.

” Or at all, really. “But your ancestors’ campfire has gained a strong spirit, one of pride and strength.

” The traditional Kalikoia condolence felt—hell, sounded—woefully inadequate. A tired, empty platitude.

He didn’t expect a response, beyond politeness.

She’d obviously moved on after he’d left the reservation.

Daniel’s existence proved that. When he arrived at Shadow Mountain and realized Samuel was the youngling’s anisbecco , making him Muriel’s son, he’d thought Wolf must be the young warrior’s father.

He’d thought the two had hooked up after O’Neill fled the Brenahiilo .

Except Wolf hadn’t acknowledged Daniel as his son.

There were many things O’Neill despised about Wolf—his favor among the elder gods, his favor among the Kalikoia, his favored status with the Taounaha.

And Shadow knew Muriel’s love for the bastard had burned like acid.

But he knew Wolf well enough to realize the bastard wouldn’t abandon his son.

If Wolf had sired the youngling, he would have acknowledged it.

He would have raised and trained the young warrior as his own.

Instead, Samuel had taught the youngling the warrior ways.

“Anyway.” He edged around her. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

He stopped when her face convulsed, surprised by her expression. It wasn’t pain... or grief. It looked more like rage...pure, unadulterated fury.

“Not just my loss, Angus.” Her voice sharpened over his old nickname, turning it from a joke into a curse.

“Your loss too, since Daniel was your son. Not that you ever bothered to check to see if that night brought consequences.” Her eyes were scathing as she stalked past him and through the ER doors.

Her words slammed into him, buckling the pavement beneath his feet. He wavered where he stood. Off balance.

What?

My son?

The whoosh of the glass doors opening and closing behind her echoed in his ears. Whoosh…whoosh… Blood rushed from his jackhammering heart into his head, until his pulse pounded in his ears, joining the whooshing in his head.

My son?

No. No.

That couldn’t be right.