Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

28

VANESSA

I’m a summer girl. While I appreciate tha we get the full range of seasons here in Colorado, summer is my absolute favorite; long days filled with soaking up the heat of the sun, deepening my tan, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.

Not even my favorite season can lift me out of this funk, though. Summer is at its peak, and I haven’t set foot outside of the packhouse in days. I’ve been avoiding the outside world, drowning myself in my own sorrow and Vienna’s experimental cocktails, always delivered with a kind word and a smile.

You’d think she’d be a decent mixologist since she worked at the lodge bar for months. She’s not. She dumps grenadine into everything she makes for me since she knows I like cherries, but completely fails to consider how the flavor will blend with the other ingredients. Gin and grenadine?

Absolutely foul. Tequila and grenadine?

Even worse. I don’t have the heart to tell her though, so I’ve either choked them down of secretly dumped them out in the bathroom sink. I know she’s trying to be there for me, trying to distract me from my heartache, and I appreciate her efforts, however misguided.

I know I can’t hole up in here forever. At the very least, I should go for a walk or something. It’s a beautiful day, and spending time outside in the fresh air is bound to lift my spirits. With that in mind, I force myself to shower and get dressed, throwing on a white cotton sundress that may just be the most comfortable thing I own. It’s t-shirt material, so damn soft that

I want to live in it. I don’t bother with makeup or doing my hair. It can air-dry in the sun. All I grab on my way out of my room is a pair of sandals, slipping them on my feet before stepping into the hallway.

I can hear Chase and Vee chatting in low voices somewhere past the end of the hall, and I strain my ears to try to discern whether anyone else is with them. The last thing I want to do is walk out there just to run into one of the guys I’m currently avoiding- though Vee has been pretty strict on enforcing my request for space, turning away any unwelcome visitors. She’s just as pissed about the bet as I am, if not more.

I emerge from the hallway to see Chase and Vienna lounging on the sectional, him sitting upright and her lying sideways with her legs thrown over his lap. They’re embroiled in their own hushed conversation, so they don’t notice me right away; not until I step further into the living room and clear my throat.

“I’m going for a walk,” I announce.

Vee’s brows lift in surprise. She props herself up on an elbow, giving me a concerned once-over. “Want me to come with you?”

I shake my head. I appreciate the offer, but I need to be alone right now, and I know I’m not good company.

“You sure?” Vee challenges.

“I’m good,” I say, forcing a reassuring smile. “I just need to get out of here for a bit, clear my head. Get some fresh air.”

She nods, seemingly satisfied, and flops back down, her hair fanning the couch. cushion. Chase gives me a nod as well, offering his silent support. He’s caught in a tough place right now, considering I’m his mate’s best friend and the two guys responsible for my current state are his own best friends, but he hasn’t picked sides or made me feel awkward about it. There was a time when I wasn’t his biggest fan, but he’s been there for me over the past few months in his own way. Plus, he treats my bestie like a queen, so the guy’s solid in my book.

I exit the packhouse through the sliding glass door in the back, heading straight for the treeline at the rear of the property. The forest is a lush green, brimming with life, and I set out on a familiar path with no real destination in mind. It feels good just to be out here. The change in scenery improves my mood almost instantly, and the peaceful tranquility of the forest is like a balm to my battered heart. The deeper I wander, the more relaxed and serene I feel. It almost makes me forget my burdens.

Almost. I may be able to push it aside for a few minutes, but the gut-wrenching reality of the truth is always simmering just beneath the surface, waiting to rear its ugly head and remind me why my heart is in tatters. I honestly thought I was numb to pain at this point after going through so much after Cal left, but when that bet came to light, something in me just snapped. What was left of my misplaced hope was shattered.

the better part of an hour when the old hunting cabin at the edge of the territory comes into view. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, but I guess it figures that I’d wind up here. I came here a lot after the night of the full moon- not to torture myself with the memories, but to try to understand. Like returning to this

somehow return from the mission just in time to explain his absence, seal the

in between. I couldn’t stay away, couldn’t stop trying to find some sort of answer within these walls. This is the place where I experienced the best night

I swear I can still smell him- leather and smoke,

so I step up to

against a page. It’s a familiar position, one that I’ve seen him in dozens of times, but never here. His forearm muscles constrict and flex as

moment. I don’t move, don’t breathe. I just watch him, rooted to

A bright mix of blue and green, like the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean sea, pulling me in and threatening

voice is raspy, the deep timbre of it scratching open a wound deep inside my chest. He flips his sketchbook closed and rises from the

but my feet refuse to move. I’m frozen in

toward me, and suddenly my feet become unglued. I back away, nearly tripping over the threshold of the doorway.

“Don’t go.”

Instead, he snuck away like a thief in the night, leaving me to wonder why. To wonder if I’d done

leave

face, heaving an agonized

trust it. I thought I knew him, but the Cal I knew wouldn’t have abandoned me. He wouldn’t

hardest to keep my voice even. “I wanted to talk to you after that night. You didn’t give me the chance, didn’t answer my calls. So why should I talk to you now? Why should I give you

shoulders sagging dejectedly. “I fucked up,” he rasps. “I thought I was

my voice wavering. “Was any of it real?” I ask, forcing back the tears stinging behind my eyes

and he shakes his head, stabbing his fingers through his disheveled hair. Then he returns his gaze to mine, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he brings his hands together in front of him and his thumb glides over his inner wrist. The one I tattooed. “What you and I had… it was the most real thing in

his admission, I lose the battle in holding my tears back. I feel one slip from my eye, sliding down my cheek. Then another. Then why’d you run away, Callum?” I choke. “Why’d you

the room to me in two long strides, reaching out to cup my face in his hands. I don’t step back or brush them off. Instead, I melt into his touch, allowing him to thumb my tears away. “I was trying to protect

off and his throat works with a hard swallow.

I haven’t allowed anyone this close since he left. Haven’t let anyone touch me like this. Every touch felt wrong, but despite our

a deep breath, reaching up to take his wrists and lift his hands off my face. I can’t think straight while his hands are on me. I let go and they fall limply to his sides as

thought I was doing the right thing,” Cal mumbles. “I thought you’d moved on. That you were

what you did?” I scoff, unable to keep the bite of accusation from my

for me again, but I flinch

why, Callum.”

head, his gaze

The nail in the coffin

into me and pushing its way to the surface. “You didn’t give me a chance. Didn’t give me a choice,” I spit. “And now you can’t even give me a real explanation.” My eyes blur with tears, obscuring