Bonded

by Nicky Charles

  Reno nodded and stood up, extending his hand to her. After a moment’s hesitation she took it and he pulled her to her feet. When she would have moved away, he held on, a memory having stirred to life. He waited until she raised her eyes to meet his. “This reminds me of when we met. I helped you up off the floor that first day.” With his thumb, he caressed the back of her hand, enjoying the feel of her delicate bones, then brought her hand up and kissed it. He quirked a smile at her, thinking she’d enjoy the shared memory.

  Instead, her mouth parted on a small gasp and her eyes widened. For a moment her stare was so intense, he was sure she was waiting for him to say something else. He searched his recollection of what had happened that day, wondering what her expectation of him might be. Nothing came to mind. “Um… You looked cute.”

  He tacked on the last bit, hoping it would suffice but the general statement obviously wasn’t what she’d been hoping for.

  “Thanks.” She pulled her hand away, and her shoulders slumped. “Let’s go find that pond. It’ll be good to be clean again.” Her tone belied her words and it sounded to him like cleanliness was the last thing on her mind.

  Hell. Somehow, he’d disappointed her, but how? Why were females so hard to figure out? He furrowed his brow considering the situation, but she must have mistaken his look for confusion.

  “Don’t worry; you’ve done enough tracking for the day. I’ll show you where the pond is.” Brandi took the lead and he let her, despite the fact that the water’s fresh scent was easy to follow.

  They walked in silence and he shot her speculative glances out of the corner of his eye. She felt something for him and it was more than just lust, he was sure of it. But another factor was in the mix too. He reflected on their past encounters, times when he’d caught her eyeing him, when she seemed to be on the verge of saying something only to draw back. The times when he’d make an idle comment and a look of expectancy intermingled with fear would flash across her face…

  “Here we are.” Brandi announced their arrival and sure enough, they rounded a clump of saplings and a small pond stretched out before them. The walk seemed to have returned her to a happier frame of mind for she grinned and twirled a finger at him. “Now turn around while I strip down. I’ll tell you when you can look.”

  “I’ve seen you naked before,” he grumbled while obeying her request.

  “That was different,” she replied primly, though he was sure he heard a hint of underlying laughter.

  The soft sounds of her shimmying out of her clothes stirred his imagination as well as other parts of his body. By the time he heard water splashing, the fit of his pants was decidedly uncomfortable.

  “Okay, I’m in. You can turn around.”

  When he looked, only her shoulders and face were visible and she was staring at him expectantly, a mischievous glint in her eye. He quirked an eyebrow her way, his hands resting on the waistband of his pants. “I had to turn around, so… ”

  She rolled her eyes. “As if males care. You all love to strut your stuff.”

  Reno shrugged. “Fine with me.” He shucked his pants and grinned when he heard her gasp. Apparently, she hadn’t expected him to be aroused.

  “You might have warned me,” she scolded while turning away. Her back now to him, she sluiced water over her arms trying to remove the grime that coated them.

  “But that wouldn’t have been as much fun,” he replied, slipping into the water and wading over to where she was.

  Brandi paused in her ablutions and peeked at him over her shoulder. “True.” She flashed a playful grin at him before taking a deep breath and ducking under the water. She grabbed his ankle, gave a yank and he toppled over with a shout of surprise.

  Bobbing to the surface, she started to laugh, obviously finding the sight of him flailing about trying to regain his footing amusing. The laughter quickly died, however, when he steadied himself and planted his hands on his hips. He glared at her and a look of apprehension appeared on her face.

  She started to back up.

  “That wasn’t very nice of you, Brandi.” He kept his voice low, a hint of threat lacing his words. As he advanced on her, she began to retreat with even greater speed.

  Reno’s wolf stirred, its ears perked with interest. A chase? Yes! We should pursue her. Hunt her down and claim her as our own.

  “Reno?” She tentatively said his name, faint lines of worry appearing on her brow. He sniffed the air and realized she was excited by the idea that he was stalking her.

  “An unprovoked attack on an Enforcer deserves punishment, don’t you think?”

  “P-p-punishment?” A shiver ran over her. “What kind?”

  He growled and her eyes widened. Suddenly she twirled around and began to swim away.

  With a shout, Reno launched himself forward, his long strokes rapidly eliminating the distance between them. In a matter of moments, he was able to grab her ankle and tug her back towards him.

  Lashing out, she struggled to be free, but Reno merely wrapped his arms around her, stilling her actions.

  “Caught you, you minx!”

  “No!” She made a half-hearted attempt to escape but laughter was bubbling beneath her supposed protests. He shifted one arm lower and brought them into intimate contact and her struggles stilled completely as a gasp came from her parted lips. Despite the coolness of the water, his erection hadn’t completely disappeared and her movements were making him grow even harder.

  As their gazes met, he could see the desire burning within her eyes and knew his own was equally hot. Slowly, he allowed her to slide down the length of his body until her feet touched the ground. Her nipples, already peaked from the cold, rubbed against his chest in an erotic caress.

  She nudged her hips against him. “Is this the punishment?” She exhaled the words softly.

  He gave a gentle thrust, the length of him brushing against her heated flesh, a stark contrast to the cool water. “Maybe.” He reached up and tucked her curls behind her ears. A hint of doubt passed over him as he recalled the words she’d spoken in the town hall. “Is that how you would see it? As a punishment?”

  Brandi shook her head, her look solemn. “No. Never.” Reaching up, she brushed his hair from his forehead before trailing her fingers down his cheek in a gentle caress. “Being with you would be wonderful.”

  “I’m glad.” He closed his eyes for a moment as relief flooded him. While he’d been sure her cutting comments at the town hall had just been a show, it was good to hear her refuting them. Opening his eyes, he gave her a crooked smile and then turned his head to lightly nip her wrist. She inhaled sharply and he soothed the small hurt with a slow lick over the tender skin.

  “Mmm… You’re all clean now,” he murmured, dipping his head further and pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

  “Are you sure?” She breathed out the question, clutching his shoulders.

  He licked her collar bone. “Perhaps I should keep checking?”

  “Um… I suppose. After all, I might have missed a spot.” She dropped her head back exposing her throat. Her eyes were heavy lidded, her teeth slowly raking over her lower lip. Reno slid his mouth up the side of her neck to nuzzle her ear.

  Desire pooled in his belly. Brandi rubbed against him sensuously, caressing his shoulders, sliding her hands down to the small of his back and then lower still.

  The feel of her clutching his butt sent shivers up his spine. He pulled her tightly against his body, nibbling her jaw, before moving to her mouth and sucking her lower lip.

  “Yes… ” She hissed the word and then captured his mouth with hers. Her kiss was frantic; hot and wet and passionate. She seemed intent on consuming him as if some inner hunger was driving her onward.

  Reno lifted her and she responded without hesitation, wrapping her legs around his waist. The tip of his erection brushed her core. He could feel her heat and slickness. The need to bury himself inside her, to claim her as his own, grew exponentially and he shuddered trying
to hold back.

  Always before, their coupling had seemed rushed, driven by desire alone, but not this time. This time he needed to know that there was more between them than lust. Perhaps it was the sting of her earlier comments that drove him, for he suddenly had to know they’d see each other again, that this moment wouldn’t end in yet another fight, another misunderstanding.

  “Brandi, I want—”

  “I want you too.” She slid her hands through his hair and tried to lower herself onto his waiting shaft.

  He gripped her hips tightly, holding her in place even as his body screamed his need to plunge into her waiting warmth. “No, I—”

  An insistent sound, completely out of sync with their natural surroundings, unexpectedly caught his attention and he groaned in frustration. It was his cell phone.

  Brandi took advantage of his distraction, wiggling from his grip and partially impaling herself. He staggered at the sensation of heat and tightness, barely keeping them upright.

  “My phone… ”

  “Forget it.” Brandi rocked against him and he slipped even deeper inside her, eliciting a groan from each of them. “Who’d call you anyway?” She latched onto his neck and sucked firmly.

  “Um… ” He couldn’t think, sensation clouding his mind and he gave a hard thrust.

  “Oh… ” Brandi gasped her approval. In the distance, he heard the phone quit ringing only to begin again.

  Ignoring its summons, he set up a rhythm, the water lapping about them. Tension built. Brandi raked her nails over his skin…

  For a second time, the phone stopped and then started up again. This time Brandi groaned and stilled her movements. She pressed her forehead to his, breathing heavily. “Someone really wants to talk to you… ”

  “Yeah.” He closed his eyes and sighed. A moment ago, he hadn’t been sure they should do this, at least not until they talked but now… “Maybe it’s not important.” Yet even as he spoke, he was loosening his hold.

  Brandi slipped from him. “And maybe it is. Go check. We shouldn’t really be doing this right now anyway. Klaus and the others… ” She let her voice trail off as they both recalled the reality of their situation.

  Reno pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and then waded over to his phone. A quick check revealed it was Damien. “What’s up?”

  “Dammit Reno, I’ve been trying to get hold of you for hours! What the hell have you been up to? ”

  “Just now?” He smiled over at Brandi who scowled at him. “Or—”

  “Never mind. Listen, you’ve got to get your ass out of Kolding’s Pass.”

  “Why?” Something about Damien’s tone had all his senses on high alert.

  “The captain is leading the ACS squad in—”

  He grunted in approval. “Good. The place is crawling with Purists.”

  “—and Brandi’s name is on the list of those to be apprehended.”

  “What? That’s crazy!” Reno growled down the line not believing what he was hearing.

  “They’re going to arrest her. She’s the leak.”

  “No fucking way!” Reno shot a glance at Brandi. She was watching him with a puzzled expression, while squeezing water from her hair. He gave her a tight smile and walked further away, keeping his voice low. “Is this some weird joke? Because if it is, it’s not funny.”

  “Sorry. I wish it was. Beth and I were already at the airport, ready to fly out when Jenny phoned me with the scoop. The captain was recalling everyone. Apparently, all evidence points to Brandi.”

  He jutted his chin. “Well, the evidence is wrong.”

  “You’ll have a hard time convincing anyone of that. Brad Owen is the one who found out. Apparently, she’s been hacking into computer accounts, reading private memos and forwarding the information to the Purists.”

  “And they only found this out now?”

  “I guess she was doing a great job of covering her tracks. Brad’s been working on this for ages but she finally made a mistake. He was able to track it back to her computer and password.”

  Reno was silent, digesting the information. Brandi, a Purist? He couldn’t believe it. He clenched his fists as he forced himself to view the idea dispassionately.

  It was her computer and her password. And, if he recalled correctly, her file at Lycan Link had something about her taking computer courses at the Academy. He ran his hand through his hair and frowned. Hadn’t she once claimed to have graduated at the top of her class?

  And then there was the fact that she had an amazing success rate working with the Purist Alphas. Was she really that good? Or did they fall in line because she was one of them? No, she wouldn’t have called him to come to Kolding’s Pass if she was a Purist… Unless it was some sort of set up or a trap.

  He thought about how easily she created elaborate yet believable lies. Was this just another one? And if it was, had her recent passion been a lie, too?

  “Reno… ?” Damien’s voice caught his attention. “I hate to tell you this, but it gets worse.”

  “How?” Reno couldn’t imagine how things could deteriorate even more. His stomach was already in knots.

  “You’re under suspicion now, too.”

  “Me?” He felt his brows shoot up in surprise.

  “The captain has been trying to get hold of you but you didn’t answer your phone. He even texted you. Your lack of communication has been deemed suspicious.”

  “I’m on vacation. I don’t have to be on call 24/7.”

  “You’re on an unapproved vacation, which is another strike against you. They tracked your flight and car rental through your credit cards. The captain knows you were heading to Kolding’s Pass and thinks you might be Brandi’s accomplice. From what Jenny was able to gather, the captain said something about noticing a connection between the two of you.”

  “Shit.” Immediately, Reno thought back to the night of Brandi’s goodbye party. The captain had commented on the two of them, even noting her lipstick on his mouth. Yeah, if Brandi was under suspicion, it made sense to suspect him too. He couldn’t fault the captain’s logic, even if it did put him in the middle of a messy situation.

  Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to think of what he should do. Real Purists were about to invade the area. A hunting party was after him. Victor and Walt were likely chasing down Klaus and the halves. Now, he had the ACS on his tail and—he looked at Brandi who was trying to get the worst of the dirt out of her clothes—his… companion… might be a traitor. Yep, the day was off to a great start.

  “Damien, where are you now?”

  “At the airport. Beth’s renting us a car and then we’re heading to Renwick. That’s the nearest town to Kolding’s Pass.”

  “I’m surprised the captain let you go.” Reno commented idly while calculating how long it would take Damien to reach Kolding’s Pass and when the ACS would arrive. Damien had a head start but the ACS would be taking a private jet. Frowning, he decided everyone would likely converge on the place at about the same time.

  “The captain didn’t let me go.” There was a hint of laughter in Damien’s voice. “I left a message and then didn’t pick up when he called me back.”

  Reno huffed, thinking of how the captain would have fumed over Damien’s absence. Or, maybe Damien would have been considered a liability on the raid since his partner was under suspicion. Perhaps the plan had been to isolate Damien to keep him from providing a tip-off. It’s what he would have done if he’d been in the captain’s shoes. Reno rubbed his neck, not entirely comfortable with the knowledge that he and the captain were so much alike.

  “Okay, Damien, here’s the scoop on what’s happening on my end.” As succinctly as possible, Reno explained the salient points of the situation.

  “So what’s your next step?”

  “Hell if I know.” Reno glanced over at Brandi who was now dressed and waiting for him. Could he trust her or not? His gut was telling him yes, that somehow she’d been set up, but the Enforcer
in him was urging caution. “I suppose I’ll try to find the mixed families and halves, make sure they’re safe and then find Klaus. He’ll likely need some help dealing with Victor and the visiting Purists until the ACS arrives.”

  “And what about Brandi?”

  “She’ll be with me.” He answered shortly.

  “I’m sure it’s a mistake,” Damien offered but his voice lacked conviction.

  “Yeah.” He sighed and tried to ignore the sick feeling twisting his insides. “Listen, when you get here, give me a call. Hopefully by then I’ll have a better idea of what’s going on. But keep Beth away. She’s a half and you don’t want to chance having her near these Purist bastards.”

  Damien agreed and they ended the call.

  For a moment Reno stood there staring at the phone in his hand, wondering what he should tell Brandi, if anything. Was there any point in upsetting her with the news? Not really. He scowled, questioning his own motives, wondering if he was keeping the information from her to protect her or because he thought there was a chance she really was guilty.

  Chapter 26

  Brandi watched as Reno concluded his phone call. Lines furrowed his brow and she wondered if he’d received bad news and if so, what. That he was talking to his partner, Damien, was no secret; she’d heard the initial bit of the conversation. Then Damien had said something that had made Reno begin to swear and he’d moved away, turning his back and keeping his voice low so she couldn’t overhear.

  It was obviously a private conversation but her curiosity was piqued. Lycan Link business? Or had Damien gotten himself into another romantic pickle? She smiled at the thought. The man’s escapades were legendary and she knew of more than one occasion where he’d become a bone of contention between two females. With his black hair and dark eyes, she knew he’d turned the heads of most of the ladies at Lycan Link. It was likely she was one of the few who hadn’t given him longing glances, but then again, by the time Damien started as an Enforcer she was already bonded to his partner.