by Amanda LeMay
“I am so, so sorry I had to put you through that,” Neeta said. “I wish I wasn’t forced to resort to that kind of underhanded crap. Bad enough that sonofabitch kidnapped you, and now you think I betrayed you.”
I shook my head. “Betrayed is not how I feel. I feel...” Sad. Lonely. Confused.
She grabbed my right hand with her left. It took everything in me not to jerk my hand away.
“Look at me, Simone.”
I did. Her soft gray eyes, filled with tears, stared back into mine.
“You have to understand, if Rule had an inkling I cared anything, anything for you, there is no way he would’ve let you go.”
Every word she’d spoken in that hotel suite played back through my head, and every one of them rang true. “You told the truth. Every single word. I can tell now.”
Neeta nodded her head and sniffled. “Yes, I told the truth. I was very, very careful. I changed the tone—made it sound as if...well...you know what it sounded like. Rule would’ve heard the lie, too. I couldn’t take the chance that he’d use my...joy...against me. Against you. Against Gunner.” Neeta stared into her lap, the fingers of her right hand absently swiping over her phone’s blank screen. “Remember I told you I lost my sakana in a challenge?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Luka and I had set a date to mate. We went to San Francisco to celebrate. Rule challenged him...for me. Luka wasn’t a Breeder. Since he didn’t have a chance in hell of walking away from an Alpha challenge, I made a deal. With Rule. I’d stay and join his pack, breed with him willingly if he’d withdraw his challenge. Rule agreed, but Luka...” She wiped her tears on the back of her wrist. “Rule killed him. Didn’t even think about it. Just shifted into his Breeder form and Luka was dead within a minute. It happened so fast. I didn’t even...”
And that was where her anger sprang from. All the anger she felt in seeing Rule again, the male who’d taken what she loved most in the world, all that fury, she had purposely focused away from Rule, to fool him into thinking I had taken her mate from her. That anger and sadness slammed into me again in the truck cab that suddenly seemed way too small.
“Oh, Neeta.”
She’d walked in there, knowing she would face the male who had taken her reason for living all those years ago. How she stood in front of him and put up an act, without ripping his throat out, I didn’t know. What I did know was what she had done for Gunner, for me, was to give us what she had lost—a future.
Neeta’s head came up. Her back straightened and her gaze met mine. She seemed to swallow back her tears. “Since it was my right to walk away, that’s exactly what I did.”
“I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“No, don’t apologize. Like I said back in the hotel, I don’t want your apology. That’s the truth. You did nothing wrong. Unfortunately, for all this to work, you needed to believe I was jealous...bitter...resentful to the point I was willing to take up a new life in Rule’s pack.”
“She was ready to trade herself for you,” Brenin mumbled next to me.
Stunned, I stared at Neeta. “What? No! I wouldn’t have let you do that.”
Neeta’s face held the sad truth. She would’ve done it, traded herself for me. “Then Brenin would’ve dragged you out, kicking and screaming.” She held up her phone, swiped her thumb across the face, and handed it to me. “He’s waiting.”
I held the phone to my ear, then pulled it away when Gunner answered with a shout, “Is she outta there?” The desperate edge in Gunner’s voice squeezed my heart, but in a good way.
“I’m here, Gun, I’m here.”
“Oh, baby! Simone! Ah fuck, you okay?”
I tried to speak over him. “I’m fine. I’m fine.”
Gunner didn’t speak for the longest time. I was afraid the call had dropped.
“Gun?”
“Did he hurt you?” His voice sounded strained, thick. “I swear to fuck if he touched you, if he even breathed on you, I’m gonna fucking kill him.”
“Gun, I’m fine.”
Brenin tapped my arm, then pointed to his throat, mouthing silently, “Tell him!”
“Not now. Later,” I mouthed back.
Now, over the phone, was not the time to tell Gunner what Rule had done to me. I’d wait until we got back to the ranch before giving out that information. The last thing I wanted was Gun running off to fucking kill Rule.
Brenin turned right onto a street that took us parallel to the freeway. The sign for Interstate 10 was up ahead.
“Neeta and Brenin? They okay?” Gunner’s voice had lost its frantic edge, downgraded to worry.
“Yes, we’re all fine.”
Brenin took the onramp to I-10 heading north, and accelerated quickly.
“We’re on our way back to Comfort now. Where are you?”
“Just outside of San Antonio. I’ll meet up with you here.” He paused, then went on. “I’m so sorry, baby, I wanted to be there, but—”
“Brenin told me why you didn’t come for me. I get it. I understand. I wouldn’t want you to—”
“Sakana,” he interrupted me. “I was dyin’ out here without you. Just fucking dyin’.” His voice dropped down low. “I love you. So. Damn. Much.”
My heart did that wondrous, little flip. “I love you, too, Gun.”
“Did that sonofabitch see my mark?” A dark, possessive growl colored his words.
“He did, but he didn’t know it was yours. He didn’t ask and I didn’t tell. Thanks to my mother, he was under the impression that I was sleeping around. Blaze said...”
I looked over at Neeta. She blinked slowly and let out a long, miserable sigh.
“Blaze said what, baby?” Gunner asked in an almost calm voice.
Neeta’s hand reached out for the phone.
“Gun, Neeta has something to tell you.” I handed the phone to her and watched as she took in a deep breath before tapping the speaker icon.
“Hey, Gunner.”
“You did it. Fuckin’ A, you did it. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, Neeta, thank you.”
Neeta’s lips turned up in a sad smile. “You were right.” Neeta closed her eyes for a moment, waiting for Gunner’s reply, but the line stayed silent. “Listen, Gunner, Blaze...he’s not...he’s not Rule’s son.”
The blasting air conditioner and big tires traveling over the asphalt were the only sounds filling the truck cab until Gunner’s voice came over the phone. “How do you know that?” he asked suspiciously.
“He told me.”
Brenin’s hand slammed down on the steering wheel as he shouted, “And you believe him?”
“Yes. I would know if he lied.”
I pinched my brows together. “But what if he did what you did, worked his words so you’d think he was telling the truth?”
“He can’t.” She slowly shook her head back and forth. “He can’t lie to me.”
“Neeta?” I could hear the concern in Gunner’s voice. “Why would Rule bring an outsider into his pack and set him up as his Second?”
“Rule’s true sons are sterile.”
“Are you shittin’ me?” Brenin laughed.
“No fucking way,” Gunner said. “That means none of his sons are Breeders, either. And that’s a damn good thing.”
Yes. Rule’s incestuous line couldn’t be allowed to continue. But what did that mean for all the females in his pack? Obviously, the sterility didn’t affect them, since Rule was siring at least one offspring a year. I’d already settled with my decision not to have offspring, but what would the other females do?
Gunner’s voice filled the truck again. “And Rule will expect Blaze to challenge me. Will he do it?”
“No. He won’t,” Neeta said quietly. “Gunner, he should’ve come with us.”
“Who? Blaze?”
“The second he walks back into that hotel room, they’ll smell the change. They won’t trust him. Rule said there would be collateral damage. At the time he meant you, Gunner, but n
ow...even if Blaze challenges you and...survives...after what I promised, Rule will kill him.” Tears painted Neeta’s cheeks again. “He should’ve come with us.”
Oh dear ancient gods. Neeta and Blaze. No wonder Blaze was so anxious, and followed us down into the lobby. It was that fast. Gunner told me how fast it happened to him, how his scent had changed within a few minutes.
Brenin shook his head. “Is this love-at-first-sight crap contagious, or something?”
“Brenin,” I scolded softly. “It’s not something we can control.”
“Ah, fuck, Neeta,” Gunner muttered. “One way or another, that male loses. You lose.”
The realization of what was going to happen at midnight that night sat like a hard lump in my stomach.
“Neeta, we’ll get him away from them. We’ll find some way to keep him safe. If he challenges me, I won’t kill him. I swear to you, Neeta. But I can’t let him take me down, either. He’s gonna get hurt, and better it comes from me than from a pack of animals set out to punish him to death. I’ll do what I can. I promise you. I won’t let you lose another sakana.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“HOW DID YOU KNOW TO where to find me?”
“When you didn’t come back to Gunner’s room, he went looking for you,” Neeta answered.
“In every single fucking room in that big house,” Brenin added, shaking his head. “Don’t know if they’ll have it cleaned up by the time we get back, but you can imagine—Alpha wolf looking for his missing mate? Not a pretty sight.”
“They stole a van from the Market.” It was unbelievable how I had so easily fallen into their trap. “They pulled right up in front of me. I warned them not to track mud through the house.”
“Yeah, we found out about the van.” Brenin chuckled. “There’s three of those vans, so no one blinked an eye when one came up missing. Derry’s been having them deliver so much food out to the ranch, they didn’t realize it was stolen. Thought someone was off doing a delivery until it was found in a parking lot, the keys still in it, along with a couple of scents that didn’t belong to anyone in our pack.”
“Seff matched one of the scents up to the one he found on the porch.” Neeta took my hand and squeezed. “Gunner...” She paused as if she wasn’t sure what or how much she should tell me.
“What? What happened?”
“I’ve seen Gunner angry, but I’ve never seen him...distraught.”
“Freaked way the hell out,” Brenin added.
“Yes, that too,” Neeta agreed. “No one heard anything. No one saw anything. Why didn’t you call out for help? What were you doing outside?”
The hail. “I went out to look at the hail. It was so...pretty. Like wet, slushy snow. I didn’t recognize the males in the van, not until it was too late. They pulled up, the side door slid open, and one of them shot me.” Once again, Rule had put me in a situation where I believed I wouldn’t see another day. Damn him. I never thought I was capable of hating someone so much. “I didn’t have the chance to scream. I thought that was it, the end of my life. And then...I woke up.”
Neeta squeezed my hand and let go. “Rule. That stupid sonofabitch. Gunner’s going to just...” She shook her head as she stared out at the road.
“We get it. It wasn’t your fault.” Brenin swung his arm around my shoulders and gave me a brief, comforting hug. “Anyway, there was no way in hell Dad was gonna sit there at the ranch coolin’ his heels while Mom and I drove out to retrieve you. Took on a bunch of those Alphas when Ralph told him he couldn’t leave. They didn’t want to fight him, only keep him from running off to San Antonio, half-cocked and ready to kill.” Brenin rubbed at his jaw with his right hand. A wide grin spread across his face. “Dad hauled off and slugged Uncle Hemming in the mouth when he tried to get in his face about staying at the ranch. Then those two started beatin’ on each other. Ended with Uncle Hemming dislocating Dad’s shoulder.”
I gasped. “Is he okay? His shoulder?” I rubbed at the sudden, phantom pain in my own shoulder.
“Oh yeah, dislocated shoulders are nothing. Not with the way we shift our bones around. It’s a sharp pain that gets your attention real quick, makes you focus. Pops right back into place with a little shove. No big deal. Sorin stepped in, broke up the fight, and made a deal to take Dad to the border, but he’d have to wait for us to bring you out. The tribunal was not about to let Dad start a pack war.”
I swallowed hard, and sighed. Apart from the movies or on television, I’d never seen males fight and I’d certainly never had a male fight for the right to rescue me. The purely animal part of me longed to see my mate, fangs and claws extended, ready to take on the world to protect me. That wolf part of me thirsted to lick the sweat and blood from Gunner’s skin, take him in my mouth and honor him.
“Oh,” I whispered as I wiped my suddenly sweaty palms down my legs.
Where did that come from?
I turned and looked at Neeta. One perfect eyebrow rose over her gray eye as a sly, knowing smile touched her lips. She knew exactly what I felt, deep inside. I could tell by the look on her face that she understood.
Breathe. Just breathe.
“It’s okay, Simone,” Brenin spoke up. “Males fight. Dad and Taber used to get into these knock-down drag-out fights every damn time Taber came around. They don’t do that so much anymore, since Derry monopolizes Taber’s time now, but hell...it was sure fun to watch.”
The buildings and houses thinned out as we sped down the freeway, until there was nothing but short, dry grass covering the ground and clumps of dark green scrub sprinkled in with the rocks.
“There they are.” Brenin lifted his chin toward the southbound lanes of the freeway.
“Where?” I leaned forward in my seat, my hand on the dashboard as I looked for a familiar vehicle.
“The black Navigator.” He pointed to a huge, black SUV that whizzed past us on the other side of the road.
Brenin quickly switched over to the farthest right-hand lane and began to slow. I twisted in my seat to follow the SUV as it carefully crossed the grassy center divider of the freeway, making a U-turn. As Brenin pulled over to the side of the road, Neeta unbuckled her seatbelt and had the door open before the truck came to a full stop.
“Come on, Simone.” Neeta motioned as I unbuckled my seatbelt and scooted across the bench seat.
My bare feet hit the ground and I was off running. The rocks and gravel dug into my soles but I didn’t care. Gunner was out of the SUV before it stopped moving, and sprinted toward me, barefoot, as usual. With several feet still between us, I launched myself at him. His arms opened wide and closed around me like a vise, squeezing hard as my bones cracked and popped. He felt so good. So perfect. Even as the bright sun shone down and the heat rose off the ground, nothing heated my blood like Gunner’s body. His perfect, male scent folded over me like a soft, warm blanket. The scent of love. The scent of home.
“Gun...” I whispered. I’m okay. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
“Simone...”
My name. One word was all he spoke and very likely, the only word he could say as well. It came from his heart and was the only word I needed to hear. My efforts to keep from crying were for nothing. I burst into tears as his face nuzzled my neck.
“Simone...”
“Get her in the Navigator. I’ll ride with Brenin and Neeta.”
I opened my eyes as Hemming walked past us. “Thank you,” I choked out as I sniffled back tears. “For keeping him safe.”
Hemming turned slowly on his heel, smiled, and gave me a short nod before turning away and jogging toward Brenin’s truck.
Gunner walked me to the SUV, helped me inside, then settled in his seat. Sorin drove, merging the Navigator into traffic while Taber turned back and gave me a smile.
“You good?” His black brows bunched together.
Gun pulled me into his side. I wrapped my arms around his waist, holding on for dear life.
“I am now.” I sighed.
&n
bsp; Gunner lifted my chin and covered my face with sweet kisses, starting at my forehead and progressing slowly downward, as if he were memorizing the shape of my face with his mouth. Once he reached my lips, he stopped, looked into my eyes, and whispered.
“You gonna tell me why your neck is bruised, your cheek is red, and why you’re covered in Rule’s scent?”
Apparently, Gunner wasn’t willing to wait until later for the details of my disappearance. I bunched his shirt in my hands, trying to prepare myself if he decided he needed to take a run back to San Antonio and confront Rule sooner rather than later.
“I learned how to duck an open-handed slap.”
Gunner’s green eyes darkened and narrowed as his face went hard. His fangs slowly slipped into place, sharpening the angles of his beautiful mouth. Every nerve in my body tingled as my breasts became heavy and fire kindled in my center. Staring at Gunner’s mouth, I wanted his fangs on my neck, biting me, holding me down while his body slammed into mine. My own fangs descended and all I could think about was lifting my skirt and straddling him right there on the seat.
Gunner’s hand gently gripped my jaw as he shook his head slowly back and forth. “Not that I give a flying fuck what his reasons for striking you were, but I want to know why.”
Every flash of his enormous fangs brought a fresh wave of heat throughout my body.
“He was under the impression I would consider mating with him. I informed him I’d rather be punished to death.”
A loud snort came from the front seat.
Gunner’s eyes flicked to Taber and back to me. “And?”
“He slapped me. Then I called him a...a...” A blush filled my cheeks. “Motherfucking bastard.”
Gunner’s lips curved into a wide grin as twin growls rumbled up from the front seats and traveled over my skin. I caught Sorin’s amber eyes in the rearview mirror for a second as Taber flashed his fangs in a wicked smile.
“When he tried to slap me a second time, I ducked. Then I laughed, mouthed off, and he grabbed me by the throat.”
Gunner glanced up at Taber.
“Rule does not leave the ranch unchallenged.”