by R. J. Blain
“She’s still in the house, I promise. When I last saw her, she was about ready to jump out of her skin because there were so many people in her space. She’s fine. She found herself a nice little place to hide. I’m sure she’ll come out when the pack leaves.”
The doorbell rang again.
“If the pack ever leaves,” Mason muttered. “I swear, everyone’s worse than gossiping hens. Don’t y’all have something better to do than make nuisances of yourselves and invade other people’s homes?”
“No,” a chorus of voices, all male, replied.
“Where’s Karma?” Jake growled.
I picked up my next victim and munched on it. The kitchen fell quiet except for my crunching.
“She’s in the pantry, isn’t she?” I couldn’t tell whether he was trying not to laugh or if disbelief altered his voice. Either way, he sounded startled.
“I keep putting food in there, and several minutes later, an empty plate appears on the floor, so I’m assuming someone is in there. Since all of the wolves are accounted for, I’m assuming I’ve been feeding your vixen.” Mason chuckled, and plastic crumpled, followed by the distinctive sound of lettuce ripping. “Here, take these. Eat. I’ll finish feeding your mate. When she’s ready to come out, she’ll come out. If everyone really wants to see her, come back in pairs so she’s not overwhelmed.”
Jake sighed. “Damn it, Mason.”
Chomping on my tacos as loudly as possible counted as an asshole move, and to drive home the point I was right under his nose, I smacked my lips together.
“Now you’re just being a bitch, Karma.”
I opened the door and set my empty plate on the floor. “I think I’ve had enough for now.”
“For now?” Mason laughed. “You had twenty tacos.”
“They were good.”
“That’s what I do. I make good tacos to keep the ravenous hordes happy. But since most of this ravenous horde wasn’t invited, they don’t get any. There, Jake. She’s had her fill, so you can eat the rest.”
Jake peeked into the pantry, frowned, and crouched down to peer into my section. “You really had twenty tacos?”
“I wasn’t counting.”
“Why are you hiding in there, anyway? Actually, how did you even fit?”
“It’s mostly empty in here. Surprisingly spacious. Maybe if you were keeping food in here like you’re supposed to, I wouldn’t have room to fit.”
“She makes a good point, Jake.”
“There are too many people in the house. Make them go away. The taco guy can stay, though.”
“Stay,” Jake growled to Mason before storming out of the kitchen. Several moments later, the snarling started. Answering growls heralded a thump and more snarls. The brawl in the living room resumed, and I sighed, shook my head, and poked my head out of the pantry.
Since only Mason was in the kitchen, I crawled out of hiding. “What are they doing?”
“Jake tried to pick a fight with the pack’s Second, and he’s getting trounced. Gary, just use a sleeper hold. That’ll quiet him down until the Alphas get here.”
“They’re not coming here, are they?”
“I give it twenty minutes, maybe. They would’ve left New York the instant Jake brought you into the pack, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they hunted down a helicopter to get here faster. Even if they drove, they’d push the speed limit to get here.”
I almost made it to the back door before Mason caught me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and lifted me off my feet. “No. No. Put me down, damn it!”
“If you run, we’ll all chase after you, Karma. You wouldn’t like that.”
I used every last dirty trick I’d learned over the years in the field, but knowledge and technique did nothing against Mason’s physical strength and endurance. When I couldn’t break free, I panted to catch my breath.
Mason hauled me into the living room, keeping my arms pinned to my sides. “I caught this female attempting to escape.”
Three FBI agents were sitting on Jake’s back, and he sighed. “You all right, Karma?”
“Fucker wouldn’t let me run out the back door.”
“This is the worst sort of hostage situation,” he grumbled.
Several of the men in the room sucked in a breath, their eyes widened, and they stared at each other. All of them were attached to various offices in the Washington area, so while I recognized them as agents, I didn’t know any of them well.
A problem with Fenerec was their relative agelessness, and one of the older ones—in their terms—gave a wicked chuckle. “Hey, little fox. Want some payback?”
I blinked. “Pardon?”
“If you want to get some of your own back from the Alphas, I know exactly how to do it.”
Jake groaned. “Don’t do it, Karma.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Will Jake hate it?”
“Definitely.”
“I’m sure you have a name, but I don’t remember what it is. So, Agent Hey, You. Will it piss his parents off a lot?”
“I’m Ned. Gary’s our pack’s Second, and he’s the one sitting on your mate’s shoulders. The other one is Adrien, and he’s middle of the pack in the rankings, but one of the older wolves, almost as elderly and decrepit as old man Mason.”
Adrien waved at me, and I bet he got carded if he even thought about looking at a liquor store. “Hi, Karma.”
“Hello.”
“As for your question, yes, it probably will piss them off a lot.”
“What’s the downside?”
“If you don’t view either of those as downsides, you’ll probably miss work on Monday. We’ll make a good excuse for you. It can be part of the accident you two were in. I’ll even have Mason call your boss, as even Normals have difficulty giving Mason a hard time.”
“Okay. What’s the plan?”
“Hide and Go Seek, as played by Fenerec. In this variant, we have hostages. In this case, you and your mate. We’ll lock you up somewhere, and we’ll spend the next few days yanking our Alpha’s chains until they figure out where you’re at. And as we’re playing by Fenerec rules, we’ll move you around so you’re harder to find. It’ll be fun.”
“Please don’t,” Jake begged.
“Okay. I don’t have a travel bag.” That had been one of the first things I’d removed from my life. If it was a bag I might have used as one, I got rid of it to eliminate any reminders of the woman I’d once been.
“We’ll take care of everything you need.”
“Do we have to play as hostages, or can we help with the moving around and hiding?”
“We tend to make the rules up as we go,” Ned confessed.
“If we’re going, we have maybe ten minutes to clear out,” Mason warned, letting me go and giving my shoulder a pat before retreating towards the kitchen. “I’ll grab your dinner for the road, Jake.”
Jake growled, then he sighed. “This is a terrible idea.”
Gary hopped off Jake’s back, snagged him by the collar, and once the other Fenerec moved, hauled him to his feet. “We don’t care. Shut up and come along quietly, or I’ll tie you up. I’ve been looking for an excuse to do just that for years. Go ahead. Make my day.”
Sighing, Jake hung his head and slumped his shoulders. “This is not how I wanted my night to go.”
Since everyone else seemed to be ribbing Jake, I decided to join in. “If I can deal with it, you can deal with it. Don’t be such a whiner.”
If looks could kill, I’d be a smoldering pile of ash on the floor. “Now you’re just being spiteful, Karma.”
“Poor baby.”
It never ceased to amaze me how fast Fenerec could move when motivated, and within five minutes of deciding to make a run for it, they cleared out of the house, leaving it as though a tornado had torn through it. A team of five had cleaned the kitchen, loading and starting the dishwasher before turning their attention to the living room.
I wondered how Jake’s parents would react to the s
hredded couch and smashed coffee table. I viewed the busted television as a necessary sacrifice, helpfully ridding the world of a monstrous relic I could replace with something a lot bigger and with a flat screen.
“You should start a maid service.” I crossed my arms over my chest while I waited for the last of them to dart out the front door. “You have obviously missed your calling.”
Gary had Jake in a neck lock, dragging him towards one of the FBI-marked SUVs parked on the grass. “Mason, grab his vixen and let’s get out of here.”
Before anyone could grab me, I followed Gary. When Jake put up a fight getting into the vehicle, I helped shove my unwilling husband inside. “You’re being a child about this.”
“This is not funny, Karma.”
“It’s hilarious. Get in before we’re caught.” I shoved with all my strength, which did absolutely nothing to force the Fenerec inside. “Come on, Jake. Don’t be a mule about this.”
“Will you sit on my lap if I cooperate?”
I glared at him.
Gary smacked his hand to the top of Jake’s head and pushed him into the SUV. “No, she won’t, but only because she will be wearing her seatbelt properly. Our first stop is my house, and my basement guest bedroom has a twin bed. Do the math.”
That got him into the SUV, and I wrinkled my nose, sliding into the vehicle beside him. “That’s pathetic, Jake. Can you even fit on a twin? Your feet are going to dangle off the end of the bed.”
“Wise men don’t say a word in this situation,” the pack’s Second advised before closing the door and circling the car. We were among the last to leave the house, leaving the lawn a disaster of tire tracks. Later, I’d have to ask how they managed to scatter so well, the vehicles splitting up at the nearest intersections and dispersing as though there’d never been a crowd present in the first place.
“Why are you all ganging up on me?”
“Opportunity. The tiny terror in the back with you might decide she’s really had enough of our shit. After seeing what she did to your couch, I really don’t want her to use me as a chew toy.”
I scowled. “You wolves are freaks with all the biting you do. I only bite when provoked.”
With a smirk, Jake leaned towards me, and his gaze locked on my throat. Licking his lips, he brushed my hair away from my neck and shoulders. “This could be a good time to educate you on just how we Fenerec put our teeth to good use. You have to learn eventually anyway.”
I tensed. “That’s seriously creeping me out.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt a bit.”
“No sex in the back of my work car,” Gary chided.
My face blushed. “I wouldn’t!”
“You say that now, but it would not be the first or the last time a mated pair took an SUV out into the woods because one got the idea to inappropriately nip the other. No shenanigans in my backseat. Despoil your own vehicle.”
“I’m bringing disinfectant wipes with me wherever I go from now on. That’s disgusting.”
“You’d like it a lot,” Jake promised, leaning towards me. “But don’t worry. There is no way I’d let Gary see you in all your glory.”
I plucked at my blouse. “Glory? You need your head examined, Jake. I can count my ribs without effort.”
Jake brushed his lips to the side of my neck. “You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, even when skinny. I intend on taking feeding you very seriously so you regain some of the weight you’ve lost, however. I’ll enjoy it more than I should.”
After so long of a complete lack of intimacy on any level, a full-body shiver coursed through me, and I stilled in a mix of anticipation and embarrassment someone else was in the car with us. “You’re being absurd, Jake.”
He dropped warm little kisses on my throat instead of replying, and after the first couple, I found his attention so relaxing I closed my eyes and decided to enjoy it while it lasted.
Fifteen
That sounds like a lot of work, Jake.
I’d been tricked.
Jake’s kisses relaxed me so much I ended up taking a nap, and when I woke up, I was trapped in a windowless bedroom with him, one with a steel and silver door designed to keep Fenerec contained. The silver bothered him a lot more than it did me.
“Bathroom is through that door, and Gary’s holding cell isn’t nice enough to have a kitchenette. You better hope he decides to feed us.” Jake rolled over, draped his arm over my stomach, and rested his chin on my shoulder. “This is your fault.”
“You can’t blame me for what you did. You picked the fight.”
“Now we’re trapped in here with nothing to do until my parents figure out we’re here or they move us to the next hiding spot.”
“Maybe this was a bad idea. We might kill each other.” I stretched, grimacing at the dull ache of healing bruises. “I hope someone is going to call my boss about Monday.”
“Gary promised he’d take care of it. Apparently, we went hiking and took a four wheeler out to a remote location. A deer jumped out in front of us, and we had a nasty fall. So while we are mostly fine, we’re pretty bruised and are on bed rest. The pack’s doctor, once she found out the circumstances, started laughing and said she’d make our story sound sad—and she promised to mention it’s a good chance for us to resolve our separation issues.”
“My boss is going to think we’re crazy for going hiking when I’m this out of shape.”
“Actually, the doctor will explain being active and eating well will help your recovery; she’ll take the blame for it, claiming it was her idea, and as you enjoy the outdoors, you agreed.”
“What else have I agreed to for the sake of tricking my boss?”
“Marriage counseling with one Dr. Sampson. She’s on her way back from London at my father’s request—he asked for her after you collapsed. He claims it was more for my sake than yours, but you like her, so I’m happy to give her to you.”
“Do you think she highlights and underlines things to keep my file consistent?”
“Probably.”
“So, how do we break out of here?”
“You were the one who wanted to play this stupid game. As such, you’re stuck in here with me. I suppose this would be a good time to talk about how I’m not going to fuck things up between us anymore, and how I’m going to be exceptionally patient while you probably make my life miserable for the next few months until you decide to get around to accepting my apologies.”
“That sounds like a lot of work, Jake.”
“Does that mean we can skip straight to the sex marathon? If we’re going to be stuck together in this tiny room, we may as well make the most of it.”
“Basically, you’re saying I can choose between picking a fight with you or sex?”
“That didn’t take you long to figure out.”
Would indulging make anything worse? I could definitely see how it could make a lot of things better temporarily—and fill a great deal of time. “Can we fight while having sex?”
“If you can fight with me while we’re having sex, neither one of us is doing either right.”
The man had a point. I scowled. “We’d have to have the fight before the sex.”
“Yes, but I’d rather not fight.”
Whatever. The bastard would just take off his shirt and flex his muscles and win the war anyway. Surrendering would conserve energy, and I’d need it if Jake decided he had something to prove.
“Can I at least put up a fight first?” I had more than my fair share of issues, but I didn’t mind adding rough foreplay to the endless list of them. I could live with it if anyone thought I was a little bit twisted for liking the way Jake balanced putting his Fenerec strength to good use catching me while I worked to make him earn the rest of our time together.
He chuckled, a deep, sensuous sound. “You just want me to get rough, don’t you? I think I can come up with something.”
When I didn’t think things through, I inevitably got myself in t
rouble. Months of separation had given Jake a hefty dose of enthusiasm, and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t keep up with him. At least failure ended with a great deal of mutual satisfaction and a nap.
If I had gotten my way, I would have slept for a week without budging, but the Fenerec had other ideas, ideas which involved me having to get dressed and move so Jake’s parents wouldn’t rain on our parade. Snapping and snarling at them didn’t help. Gary and the other wolves teamed up and coerced Jake into cooperating under the threat of helping me dress if I refused to do what they wanted.
“My parents caught wind we’re here?” Jake herded me into the back of Gary’s SUV while I cursed over having my nap interrupted.
“They’re just running out of places to check when they aren’t busy working. They want you to do your job, and Mason’s been having far too much fun toying with them. Last I heard, he had suggested you had lost your mind and were considering a job in prostitution.”
I glared at Gary. “No.”
With a smirk, Jake reached out, snagged a lock of my hair, and gave a tug. “She’s the one with the hobby of dressing up as an underage prostitute.”
As always, everything returned right back to the beginning, when our partnership in the FBI had turned into something more—and something less. CARD had broken me in more ways than one. At first, I had thought I had everything I ever needed in Jake, but I had changed.
He hadn’t.
If I’d been wise, I would have noticed his dependency regarding his parents. Maybe I would have been able to find a different—better—way of handling what had torn us apart. Then again, I’d never know. He hadn’t changed until after I had walked away, and I didn’t know what that would mean for us.
‘Us’ remained a dangerous proposition, and everything circled back to the reason I had chosen him in the first place. My trust in him had been broken, but he meant to wait out the storm again. It had taken me four years to accept he could become more to me than just a partner, the rare one who I trusted in the field to watch my back.
He’d waited four years once, and I had no doubt he’d wait that long again.