by Katie Reus
“Will Jayce be joining us?” The note of hope in the male’s voice took Connor by surprise.
“Not likely.”
If he was disappointed, the male masked it well. “Thank you for allowing me onto your property. Once we’re done here, I’ll be heading back to Winston-Salem, but if I come to Fontana again I’ll alert you of my presence.”
“Thank you.”
He stepped back and allowed the male to drive onto the property. Liam moved up next to Connor and they wordlessly headed toward the parking structure. Just because they were allowing him brief access didn’t mean they were letting this male out of their sight.
Connor, get to December’s now. Erin’s on the news. Ana’s voice rang loudly in his head.
What the hell? He started to tell Liam when his brother tensed next to him, likely hearing the same thing from his own mate.
“Did Ana contact you?” Liam asked.
“Yeah,” he said as his cell phone buzzed. It was Erin. “Hey.”
“Alpha, we have a huge fucking problem.”
* * *
“She’ll be okay,” Ryan murmured, pulling Teresa close to his chest in a tight hug. To his utter relief, she melted against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest. He leaned against the kitchen counter, pulling her with him and spreading his legs wider so she fit more snugly against him.
Natalia had locked herself in her room and refused to talk to either of them. He could hear water running and guessed she was showering or taking a bath.
“I know,” Teresa whispered, tightening her grip.
He could get used to this. Too easily. Holding her this way was heaven and hell. Her compact body fit perfectly against his, even with the difference in their sizes. Like most of the Cordona women, she was petite with the perfect amount of curves. Curves he’d been fantasizing about for too damn long.
“Once she gets some rest, tomorrow everything won’t seem as bad to her. Trust me. Maybe you should take a bath too.” He knew Teresa took baths when she needed to relax. He shoved that thought away, however, because imagining her in any state of undress wasn’t smart right now. Not when he needed to keep a level head.
Teresa leaned back to look up at him. “You want to stay for a bit?”
Throat tight, he nodded because he didn’t trust his voice. Almost against his will his gaze zeroed in on her full lips. Now that he knew what she tasted like, the urge to taste her again built up inside him with a ferocious hunger.
One he couldn’t let off the leash. Not if he wanted to keep Teresa protected. He refused to fuck things up with her. “You feel like talking?”
“Not particularly,” she murmured, her gaze tracking to his mouth as she licked her lips in a way he couldn’t mistake for anything other than an invitation. “But we should because I want to know what’s been holding you back from courting me.” The note of determination in her voice made him smile.
He’d put this off long enough. It was time to stop being such a pussy and just tell her. If she rejected him . . . he’d deal. He’d have no choice.
Taking him by the hand, she led him to her living room, which had a warm country feel to it. Every house on the ranch had a distinctive stamp on it from whichever females lived there, and Teresa and her sister’s imprint was vivid. It reminded him of how he’d grown up; slow, country living. Without giving him a chance to decide, she tugged him down on the long leather couch nearest the unlit fireplace and sat right next to him.
“Talk,” she demanded, still holding his hand.
Meeting her dark, intense gaze, he started, knowing he needed to get everything out at once or he never would. “You are my mate. I felt it from the moment we met.”
Her eyebrows rose, but she didn’t respond, just squeezed his hand tighter. The pure spring scent of hope rolled off her, but not one ounce of surprise. Which told him she’d felt the same magnetic pull he did.
“I . . .” He tried to just come out and say it, but couldn’t find the right words so he tried a different angle. “When I’m in wolf form, I can communicate with others, regardless of who they are.”
Her pretty lips pulled into a thin line. “That’s impossible unless you’re related and even then, not all family members can.”
His jaw tightened. “I can. Ask Connor and Liam if you want confirmation.” The brothers had never asked him about the root of his ability and for that he was grateful.
She paused a long moment. “Okay, so you can communicate with other shifters in animal form and I’m apparently your mate?” The emotions that bounced off her when she said the last part were too many for him to sift through.
“Not apparently.” She was. No doubt in his mind. “The reason I can communicate with others is because I’m an empath. I sense emotions on a higher level than normal shifters do and it’s not always linked to scent. I feel emotions. I try to lock down that side of myself as much as possible because I don’t want to intrude, but it’s not always possible. Especially with you. I know it must have seemed like I was a fucking asshole with you, but I could sense your lust and hunger for me and it was making my wolf insane. I wasn’t trying to be all hot and cold with you. I was just trying to survive. But I know I hurt you more than once and I’m sorry. Words are lame—I know that—but I’m still so fucking sorry for ever causing you pain.”
She swallowed hard, holding his gaze. “When you yelled at me about my dress you made me feel insecure. That has nothing to do with you being an empath.”
Even as shame filled him, he loved that she called him on his shit. “Yeah, I was a dick. You looked hot and I didn’t want any other males to see you.”
She blinked once, as if she was surprised that he’d admitted it. “Okay. I’ve heard of vampires and even humans with that ability. You’re saying it like it’s a bad thing. Are my emotions too much or something?”
He scrubbed his free hand over his face. He wasn’t explaining this well at all. “I mate differently than other shifters. I don’t have to take you from behind, to sink my canines into your neck as I’m buried deep inside you under the full moon.”
She blushed prettily at his words and his cock jumped to attention at the visual he’d just evoked. What he wouldn’t give to be buried deep inside her right now. To see her eyes heavy-lidded with pleasure as he dragged climax after climax from her.
“How do you mate then?” she whispered.
Reaching out, he tucked strands of her dark hair behind her ear, letting his knuckles graze her cheek before his hand dropped. He wasn’t sure if she’d want to let him touch her after this so he wanted to take advantage. “When my parents mated, it was not exactly my mother’s choice.”
Teresa gasped, horror on her face. “He took her by force?”
He shook his head sharply. “No. They’d been courting for a few short weeks and were having sex when his empath side took over and bonded them for life. There was no ritual, no biting, he bonded them with the force of his hunger for her. It wasn’t intentional, but he took the choice from her and she never forgave him for it. They were linked and had never even discussed long-term plans. Their mating was not a happy one.” That being an understatement.
Ryan had lived with the bitterness of his parents’ unhappy union his entire childhood. Most days he’d felt as if his mother had hated him too. He’d been able to sense her emotions and she’d known it. Though she’d tried to cover her feelings, it had been impossible and he’d always known that he was unwanted. A by-product of her unhappy bonding.
Teresa’s expression was thoughtful as she watched him, but she didn’t drop his hand. That had to be a good thing. “So what does that mean for us?”
Us. Okay, that was definitely a good sign. “It means I’m going to court you very slowly, but we can’t have sex until you’re sure you want to be with me long-term—permanently. I won’t risk taking
the choice from you and I already know what I want. You. Not just as a mate, I want the whole package, Teresa.”
“That’s why you’ve been a jackass the past few months?” She sounded incredulous.
He nodded. “I see you, breathe you in, and I want to cover you in my scent. Everything about you makes me want to claim you on the most primal level.” And some deep part of him had been terrified that he’d somehow bond them together even without having sex. Though he’d known that to be an impossibility, it hadn’t stopped him from pushing her away. The misery of his parents’ mating had been a horrible thing, something he never wished to force on someone else. Especially not someone as wonderful as Teresa.
Smiling, she placed her hands lightly on his shoulders and leaned forward until her lips barely brushed over his. “You should have told me,” she whispered.
“I was scared.” Words he would never say to anyone but her. But the thought of losing her or inadvertently hurting her sliced him up inside. He’d felt like he was between that proverbial rock and a hard place with nowhere to go. “When I thought I could have lost you in that club—”
She covered her mouth with his, softly at first, but the emotions he felt raging under the surface were like nothing he’d ever experienced. Her need and hunger were like a wildfire, hot and out of control. His inner wolf clawed at him, telling him to assert his dominance. They might not be able to take things as far as he wanted, but he could still taste her pleasure on his tongue.
Relief and joy that she still wanted him punched through him, eating up all his former doubt. Hunger for her overwhelmed him, her own emotions battering against his. This time he didn’t fight it. He opened himself up, savoring the way her warm, loving feelings wrapped around him. She wanted him, yes, but she cared for him. He could feel it bone deep.
On a growl he feathered kisses along her jaw as he pressed her back against the couch, covering her body with his. “I want to taste you coming against my tongue, Teresa.”
A shudder trembled through her as she wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled her hips against him. Even through their clothes he could feel her heat. Very soon he was going to taste everything she had to offer.
As he started to kiss his way down her throat, a loud bang at the front door cut through the air. Before he could move, Connor strode inside, stalking from the entryway to the living room with a grim expression. “I hate to do this, but pack a bag, Ryan. There’s trouble in Winston-Salem and we’re heading out now.”
Chapter 19
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Two hours later
Connor calmly pushed his chair back from the detective’s desk, showing more control than he felt at the moment. Something told him this detective was trying to push his buttons. Maybe the asshole wanted him to lash out. As he stood, so did Erin, Noah, and his pack’s attorney, Reginald Baynor. The man cost a fortune but was worth every penny. Connor still couldn’t believe the man had beat him to Winston-Salem, and he wasn’t about to ask how he’d done it.
Baynor adjusted his silver tie out of habit. The human had a thing for the color. Maybe because of his dark silver hair and grayish eyes. “My clients are here as a courtesy. They’ve done nothing wrong and in fact are being hailed as heroes for eliminating the monsters who attacked those in the bank. You know as well as I do that you have no jurisdiction over how supernatural problems are handled.”
“I sure as hell do when it spills over into my town and affects humans,” Detective Cranford snapped as he shoved up from his desk.
“Are you charging my clients with anything?”
Instead of answering Baynor, the detective looked at Connor, his expression pleading. “What were those vamps doing in that bank? Why did they attack so brazenly? This type of thing has happened more than once in the past few weeks and it’s only getting worse.”
Baynor loudly cleared his throat. “If you’re not charging—”
Connor held up a hand. “Detective, we have no clue why those vampires did what they did. My packmates were just here for pleasure and saw what was happening. As any good citizens, they did what was necessary to stop any more bloodshed. The wrongdoers are no longer a threat. What more do you want from us?”
The detective started to respond when his boss, a trim man with lightly graying hair Connor guessed to be in his sixties, stepped into the room, his expression grim but polite as he nodded at Connor, then focused on Erin. “You’re free to go, ma’am. Thank you for assisting our town with the vampire problem. If we have any more questions, I’ll follow up personally with a phone call, but you won’t be dragged down here again.”
The room went silent at the police chief’s unexpected declaration.
Connor wasn’t one to question good fortune, but he glanced at his attorney and raised his eyebrows in a silent question.
Baynor eyed the chief curiously. “Why the sudden change of heart?”
The older man cleared his throat, appearing almost nervous. “I just got off the phone with a member of the Council and . . . the governor, who wanted to convey how appreciative he is of your selfless help with keeping our streets safe.”
The governor? Nice. Jayce had told Connor that the Council would take care of this if his attorney couldn’t, but damn. The Council had strong political relationships all over the country, including with the president of the United States, so it wasn’t a surprise they had enough pull to contact the governor.
Connor shook the police chief’s hand and nodded at his packmates and Baynor. “I’ll meet you guys outside in just a sec. I’d like a word with Detective Cranford alone.”
The chief of police hesitated but nodded. Unsurprisingly his attorney started to argue, but Connor gave a sharp shake of his head. The older man sighed and left with the others.
Connor turned to face the detective, who showed no fear as he faced him down. He got points for that because Connor knew his wolf was in his eyes. Because of this setback, Aiden, Larissa, Angelo, and Brianna were all waiting for the rest of them to infiltrate Magda Petran’s residence. “I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t know what’s going on. But whatever it is, it won’t be a problem for long. We don’t like this shit any more than you do.” Such blatant violence for the world to see was not good for their image and the blood dealing just plain pissed Connor off. No one did that shit in his territory or anywhere close to it. No way in hell.
Gritting his teeth, the detective finally nodded. “Just make sure this type of thing doesn’t happen here again.”
Yeah, like he had any fucking control over what vamps did. He was doing his best to control the situation. Without responding, Connor stalked from the room. Outside he found Erin, Noah, and Baynor standing on the sidewalk in front of a group of reporters. Just fucking great. Someone had caught Erin’s impressive kills of the vamps on their cell phone video and in less than two hours it had already gone viral. The news stations had picked it up and she was being hailed as some sort of superhero badass who protected humans. It was better than her being vilified, but still, they did not need this kind of attention. Connor had a feeling that was the only reason the freaking governor had called.
As he watched Baynor deflect all the reporter’s comments, Connor made the kind of executive decision he hated making. Pulling out his cell, he texted Aiden and told the four of them to make their move on Petran’s house now.
He hated sending his people into any situation where he wasn’t there as backup, but he knew if any of them left now they’d be tailed by reporters. It was likely they’d be able to lose them, but if for some reason they didn’t and shit got even crazier, they couldn’t risk anyone catching the infiltration of Petran’s house on video.
Right now shifters were being held up as heroes because of Erin. But that could change in the span of a heartbeat. Humans were so damn fickle and he wouldn’t risk his pack or anyone else’s safety. Plus they c
ouldn’t wait any damn longer. They’d been sitting on the residence for two hours and that was long enough. The longer they waited, the greater chance they’d lose a solid lead.
Going in now. Going dark. Will contact u as soon as we can. Aiden’s reply was short and not surprising.
Connor didn’t like that they’d all be going dark, but he understood it. They couldn’t have cell phones on during an infiltration op for a multitude of reasons. He reminded himself that all four of them were well trained. While he may not know much about Larissa, she came from a powerful line, one that was feared and respected. And he trusted Aiden’s judgment. So he figured she’d be able to take care of herself too.
Bypassing where Erin, Noah, and Baynor stood off to the side, he made his way to the SUV where Jayce, Kat, and Liam were waiting inside. Ryan and Aldric were in another SUV on the opposite side of the parking lot. Jayce had made it clear he didn’t want to ride with Aldric, and Connor hadn’t wanted to let the guy out of his sight until they exchanged intel—and leaving him at the ranch wasn’t an option. A couple of reporters had looked at Connor and snapped his picture, but everyone was more focused on Erin at the moment.
“I told Aiden and the others to move in,” he said as he slid into his seat.
Jayce cursed, but nodded. “Smart move. We’ll have to drive around forever to lose these fuckers.”
“I can’t believe how crazed everyone is over Erin right now,” Kat said from the backseat, awe in her voice as she watched a video on her cell phone. “Okay, I totally can. Her moves are amazing and she looks so sexy while killing those bastards. Which seems weird to say, but she really does. I bet she gets her own line of action figure dolls or something.”
“They’re action figures. There’s no doll in there.” Liam shook his head as he stared out the window. “It is pretty cool how well people are taking this.”
Jayce snorted. “The Council is eating it up.”
Connor met his gaze in the rearview mirror, sharing a hard, knowing look. They were both old enough and had enough experience that they knew how fucking quickly the tides of public opinion could change. Connor just hoped it lasted. Erin was good at what she did and her actions had been completely justified. But he had no doubt there’d be some asshole groups out there who managed to twist her actions around into something to be feared.