The Burning Claw

by Quinn Loftis

  Decebel looked at Jennifer from where he knelt holding Costin upright with one hand and holding Titus with the other. He motioned his head toward Titus. “Take him to meet Jacque and Fane. He would probably like to see the new baby as well.”

  Jennifer stared in complete shock at the male before her. Decebel knew that she hadn’t realized that Costin might have thought that they had news of Sally. All she had been thinking about was the need to tell him that Fane and Jacque, two of Costin’s closest friends, had not died. She didn’t think about the fact that screaming his name in such urgency might cause him to come to the wrong conclusion. She wasn’t aware of just how far Costin had already slipped into the darkness. Decebel had been careful to keep that information hidden from her. His mate was already dealing with enough stress, adding more wouldn’t help their situation.

  After another gentle nudge from her mate, Jennifer looked up at him, dragging her eyes slowly from Costin. “I didn’t, I didn’t realize,” she whispered, though Decebel’s sensitive wolf hearing had no trouble picking up her words. The joy had been leached from her face, replaced by remorse and shame.

  “It’s alright, baby. It’s alright. He will not hold it against you. I know it must be hard for you to see him this way. This is a part of what makes us who we are. The Great Luna designed us to love our mate so deeply, so completely, that death is a better option than life without them. When Reyaz took you and the other females, I—”

  “Wanted to destroy everything and everyone in sight,” Jen finished for him.

  He nodded. “That is how I would deal with the anguish. This” —he motioned to Costin— “is how he is dealing with it. Let me talk to him. We will be along in a bit to see the others.”

  Jen hurried forward and took Titus from her mate. She started backing into the house and sent Decebel a thought through their bond. “Please, tell him I’m sorry.”

  Decebel nodded and then watched as she left him kneeling there, unsure of exactly what to say to Costin. Decebel’s wolf wanted to howl out a long bellow of pain for their fellow pack member. Costin was hurting; he was scared, and he felt helpless. But Costin was also a threat to the pack, and Decebel’s wolf wanted to neutralize that threat.

  Decebel laid a hand on Costin’s head, offering the only comfort he knew—his presence. The Alpha wouldn’t tell him that everything was going to be okay. He wouldn’t lie to his pack mate like that. More than likely, Decebel was going to have to subdue Costin until they found his mate, or he’d have to kill him. He didn’t relish that thought, but he would do it. He wanted so badly for it not to come to that. Decebel knew that they would do everything they could to find Sally, but sometimes even your best wasn’t enough. Sometimes life just kicked your ass and death finished it.

  Decebel bowed his head and felt his chest tighten as his own tears filled his eyes. Not many things could make the huge wolf cry, but seeing Costin so inconsolable and knowing that he would have to be the one to destroy him, was enough to cause physical pain to the Alpha. It brought back memories of the emotions he felt when he lost is sister so long ago—the feeling of being helpless and unable to fix it. After fifteen minutes, Decebel sat completely on the ground, keeping his hand on his friend’s head. Costin’s shoulders shook as he seemed to mourn her loss all over again.

  “It’s my fault,” Costin finally said after another fifteen minutes. “I should have been with her. I belong by her side, always, and I wasn’t there. I left her unprotected.”

  Decebel knew exactly how he felt. The level of responsibility he felt for Jennifer was exactly the same. Yes, his pack would help protect her, but ultimately it was his job. She was his—his to love, his to provide for, and his to protect. What did you say to a male who felt he’d let his mate down, knowing that you would feel exactly the same way if the roles were reversed?

  “I shouldn’t have listened to the damn prophecy. I should have gone with my gut, which is always to be with her. But I didn’t, and now she’s gone.” Costin sat up and looked at Decebel.

  The emptiness and darkness that filled his eyes was shocking to Decebel. It was as if something had crawled into Costin’s head and was now staring back at him. He shuttered at the sight and his wolf perked up even more, paying close attention to the Beta’s scent and body language. Costin didn’t need another lecture on dealing with the darkness. All he needed was a friend. He needed someone to listen to him and simply let him know that he wasn’t alone. And if that wasn’t enough to keep the darkness at bay, then Costin would need someone to deal with him.

  “How am I going to find her?” Costin growled. “How the hell am I going to find her in this vast world? She could be anywhere.”

  “You aren’t going to be looking alone,” Decebel reminded him. “We will be helping you in any way we can.”

  “We don’t even know where to start,” Costin said, his voice saturated with defeat. “What if we never find her?”

  “We will never stop looking. I would never stop looking for Jennifer and we will never, not ever, stop looking for Sally. I don’t know if this helps or not, but Sally isn’t just a pack mate. She is our healer. She is more important than any other pack member, even me. We will not rest until she is back where she belongs.”

  Costin continued to growl and the sound was growing louder instead of softer. His body was shaking as he wrestled with his wolf, who was nearly completely consumed with darkness. The man was the only thing holding them together. When hair started to sprout on his arms, Decebel jumped to his feet pulling Costin up with him by the back of his shirt. He shifted his other hand up to his Beta’s throat and then slammed him down onto the ground. Decebel followed, landing on his knees, bending over Costin. His hand was still around the younger wolf’s throat, but Costin’s body seemed to have relaxed and the hair had disappeared. That was a good sign. If his wolf had been a hundred percent feral, he would have phased and fought Decebel. But instead Costin submitted, again.

  “You will hold it together,” Decebel snarled into his face. “You didn’t live sixty years waiting on your true mate, only to give up now. Fight dammit! Fight the darkness, fight your wolf, fight the demons you’ve created by your grief and anger and fear. Fight so that you can live to see her again.”

  “What. If. I. Can’t? Costin asked through the hand wrapped tightly around his neck.

  “Then you’d better run, run far and fast.” Decebel gave his neck one more shake to drive home his dominance over Costin’s wolf and then released him. He climbed to his feet and offered a hand to the younger wolf. Costin took it and let himself be pulled up.

  “Decebel,” Costin began but Decebel cut him off with a raised hand.

  “You’re not gone yet so don’t talk as though you’ve already succumbed.”

  “Thank you,” Costin said the two simple words filled with so many meanings.

  “You’re welcome. Now, please don’t make me kill you.”

  Sally woke with a start. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and it ached. There was a deep sadness in her that she didn’t understand. It was as though something inside of her was tearing apart. At first, she thought the feeling must be for her parents, and though she was definitely still sad over their loss, but she knew that the pain she felt in that moment had nothing to do with them. This pain was something much deeper. It was as though she’d lost a part of herself.

  She reached up and wiped away the tears that she’d been shedding even in her sleep. Sally didn’t understand it. She didn’t know where the feelings were coming from. Sometimes they didn’t even feel like they were her own.

  She glanced over at the clock and saw that she’d slept until nearly two in the afternoon. She had to be at work by four. She pushed away the remnants of the emotions and focused instead on the things she needed to do in order to get ready for her day.

  An hour and forty minutes later, after showering, changing, and getting dressed in the shirt that was her uniform, she stepped out of her front door. She tried to
focus on the beautiful weather and not the turmoil that was still churning her gut. There was no sense in dwelling on it since she didn’t even know what it was.

  “Look!” Jericho called out as he entered the bar. “She returns.” His grin was contagious and she was thankful that she did have to work. Otherwise, she would be sitting at home wallowing.

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Sally asked as she stashed her purse under the counter and grabbed her small apron. She started to wrap it around her but Jericho grabbed it and took it from her hands, tossing it onto the counter. “Jericho,” she huffed, but quickly snapped her mouth closed when he snagged the edge of her jeans and pulled her toward him. His masculine scent hit her and she had to admit, he smelled good.

  “Just one second. We need to sexify you up a little, not that you aren’t already sexy as hell with that whole innocent wholesome thing you got going on. It’s like the librarian effect.”

  “What?” Sally’s eyes widened and she felt her face warm up.

  “The librarian effect,” he repeated as if that would help. “You know, when a girl seems so put together that it just makes you want to get her all kinds of messy.”

  Sally choked back a laugh. “Can’t say that I’ve ever felt that way.”

  He chuckled. “If you ever do, please let me know so I can watch.”

  “Jericho!” she squealed, thoroughly embarrassed.

  He shrugged. “Just speaking the truth, babe. Now, stand still,” he said as he proceeded to rip the bottom of her shirt. He tore it all the way around until she was left with a top that only came to just above her belly button.

  “Really?” she asked dryly.

  Jericho ran a finger softly across the bare skin of her exposed flesh, and Sally sucked in a breath as she stepped back. He followed her and continued to follow her progress backward until she was stopped by the counter. “Are you running from me, little rabbit?” His grin was wicked—and hot.

  “Do I need to run?” she asked as she looked up at his eyes. She sucked in a breath. His eyes…they almost appeared to be glowing.

  “If you run, I’ll just be enticed to chase you,” he whispered as he leaned down toward her. His warm breath caressed her cheeks but she couldn’t focus on that. All she could see was his eyes.

  “Your eyes,” she whispered back.

  “What about them?” Jericho asked absently, as he seemed suddenly very interested in her neck. He was leaning closer and closer still until his nose brushed the tender part of her neck just below her ear. He took a deep breath. “You smell amazing.”

  “Wait.” Sally leaned back. “What?”

  “I said you smell amazing.” He breathed in again. “Makes me want to—”

  “Jericho, Sally, get to work and quit petting each other.” Cross’ voice penetrated the little bubble in which they’d been entranced.

  “You suck the fun out of everything, boss,” Jericho whined as he stepped back again. He winked at Sally as he ran his finger across her midsection again on his way past her to the door leading to the back of the bar.

  Sally stood there attempting to catch her breath. She was in trouble. Cross had told her to be careful about Jericho and now she knew why. Resisting him was going to be challenging. Sally didn’t have much experience with guys, but she wasn’t blind or stupid. Jericho was all kinds of yummy and his confident charm only made him even more irresistible.

  She grabbed the apron her coworker had so casually tossed onto the counter and wrapped it around her. It did nothing to cover the exposed skin. Then she tucked a towel in her back pocket, leaving some hanging out.

  Sally began her assigned opening duties for the day. She had been surprised at how many patrons that had poured in for happy hour as the previous business workday ended. She didn’t expect tonight to be any different. As she began drying some recently washed glasses, she let her mind drift to the glowing eyes, or what she thought were glowing eyes, peering back at her from Jericho’s all too handsome face. They had been glowing, she was sure of it. Or had she just been so enamored with his attention that she was seeing things?

  “No daydreaming, little rabbit,” Jericho said as he smacked her on her rear in passing. She’d noticed the night before that he was a touchy feely type. But today he seemed to be taking it up a notch. Sally didn’t like to play games. She wouldn’t let him jerk her around by her hormones. By the end of the night, she had every intention of knowing where the flirting was going, if anywhere. She’d originally told him that she wasn’t interested in a relationship, but perhaps she hadn’t been totally honest with him or with herself. Though she hated to admit it, she was lonely. Jericho was funny, kind, and made her feel like she mattered. Maybe she would be making a big mistake if she did let anything happened between them. The only way she would know would be to give him a chance.

  It was halfway into the busiest time of the evening when Sally decided she was beginning to get a picture of what exactly Jericho was looking for. Every guy that hit on her received a front row seat view of Jericho doing something outrageous, like blowing seductively on the back of her neck as she poured a drink, and then chuckling along with the other employees and patrons, when she spilled said drink. Not long afterwards, when a guy asked her for her number, Jericho had come up behind her and wrapped a strong arm around her waist. He’d pulled her back against his impressive chest and mock whispered how much he was looking forward to after closing time with her. She’d thought he was just teasing in an effort to keep the male customers from getting too aggressive with her. That all changed when another guy approached the bar. This man had everyone else moving away from him. He was the type of person that commanded the room without ever having to say a word. His shoulders were pulled back, his chin held up in confidence, and the smirk on his face dared any one to confront him at their own peril.

  He sat down at the bar and Sally swallowed painfully before walking over to him and asking “What can I get you?” She noticed Jericho stepping closer to her.

  “I’ll take whatever your most popular beer is on tap and I’ll have a side dish of you.”

  Sally had started to grab a cold glass but froze when his words registered in her brain. She looked up at him and, for the second time that night, her breath stuck in her throat as her eyes met a pair of glowing ones. Before she could say anything, Jericho was there pushing her behind him. He was growling, honest to goodness growling, at the other man.

  “Mine,” Jericho rumbled. “I’ll be happy to get that beer for you.” Jericho spoke to her but didn’t turn away from the guy on the other side of the bar. “Beautiful, could you go down and get us more pretzels and chips?” Jericho asked her in a completely different voice.

  “Um, sure,” Sally said, though unsure if she should leave the two guys alone. When she didn’t move, Jericho turned and walked over to her, the other man’s eyes trained on her.

  “Hey,” Jericho said gently as he placed a finger under her chin and turned her head to face him and tilted it back so she could look up at him. “You okay?”

  “His eyes were glowing,” she whispered softly. Jericho’s eyes widened briefly but then he pressed a kiss to her forehead and chuckled. “I think your imagination is getting the best of you. I’ll deal with 007, while you get those things, okay?”

  She nodded before turning away and hurrying to do as he asked. By the time she got back, the other man had moved away from the bar and now sat on the opposite side in the far right corner.

  After the five o’clock rush died down, and before the eight thirty rush began, Sally walked over to where Jericho was refilling salt shakers. “What was up with that, earlier?”

  “Going to have to be a tad more specific, sweetheart.”

  Sally rolled her eyes. He had a thing about nicknames. “The whole mine thing. It sounded as if you were, I don’t know, like, claiming me or something.”

  “I was,” he responded as if it were no big deal.

  “Don’t you think you ought to speak with me ab
out it before you do that?”

  “We’re talking about it now. I want you to be mine.”

  His bluntness threw her off guard. “We’ve only known each other for a few days. How can you possibly know that you want me to be yours?”

  “Sometimes you just know things.”

  She wanted to stomp her foot at his infuriating calmness. Why was he so calm? He was changing the dynamics of their relationship and hadn’t even given her a chance to process it. “So you want to what? Be together?”

  “In the biblical sense?” he asked with a grin. “Definitely, but I can wait for that until we’ve known each other a tad bit longer.”

  “How generous of you,” she huffed. “Did you ever think that I might not want to be with you?”

  Jericho moved faster than a human should be able to. One minute she’d been standing with her hip cocked against the wall just in front of the doors that lead to the back, and the next she was pushed through said doors and up against a wall. Jericho’s body, his very male body, was pressed very closely to hers. Sally had to tilt her head back in order to see him, and that brought her lips in dangerous proximity to his.

  “Do you want to be mine?” he asked and she shuddered as his hands gripped her hips.

  “I don’t know,” Sally admitted.

  “Let me help clear the confusion for you.” He spoke low and his voice rumbled against her chest. Suddenly his lips were on hers. He was kissing her. Holy freaking fairy babies, Sally thought, though where the idea of fairy babies came from was about as clear as the Mississippi river. His firm, yet very soft, lips began moving against her own and she couldn’t help but to reciprocate. His tongue swiped out and brushed her own lips causing her to gasp. He took full advantage of her opened mouth. Wow. Her mind shattered and all she could think was wow. Jericho was kissing her. She shouldn’t be letting it happen, not after only knowing each other a few days. She should be sensible and push him away and declare the need for them to get to know one another—that would be the safe thing to do. But she figured she’d already strayed a little bit too far away from safe when she’d decided to work in a bar.