by Laina Kenney
Her hands felt good around Aunt Belle, with none of the mysterious tingling that sometimes indicated to her that her patient had a serious illness. But as much as she loved Aunt Belle, her nursing training made it frighteningly clear that a woman of her advanced age didn’t have a lot of years left in her own home.
“Eat your soup, dear. Heavy thoughts will wait, but hot soup won’t stay hot.”
Bliss sighed and called up a smile. She could see from her aunt’s eyes that she was worrying the elderly woman. It wasn’t fair to put her apprehension on another person. They both would miss Maressa, but Aunt Belle was handling the coming change much better than Bliss was at the moment.
“Yes, Aunt Belle.”
She ate her soup.
* * * *
Egan and Balke walked up from the corner just in time to see Bliss walk into the little white house and nudge the door shut with her hip.
The sassy curve of her butt teased him. Every step she took echoed in his hard cock, tormenting him with images of his hands pushing her to her stomach to nibble and squeeze the generous globes, to mount her for a long, slow ride.
Egan’s heart tripped in his chest and the muscles in his gut tightened with need as the jaunty swish of her long blonde ponytail vanished behind the closed door. Her happiness was so beautiful to him, but he wanted to be right beside her.
He wanted to touch her, kiss her, and claim her. He wanted to show her that he meant forever, but he knew she wasn’t ready for that. She would need to know who and what he was first. She deserved that much. He wasn’t a male who was known for his patience, but for her he would try.
Balke sighed beside him and Egan’s wolf lunged at his heavy control.
He turned his head, but Balke wasn’t even looking at Bliss. His attention was on a sports car driving past them.
Egan nudged his brother.
“Why don’t you buy one, then? It’s obvious you’re in love with fast cars, but you own a sport utility.”
Balke grinned. “And how would I carry out my clean-up duties for the Cadre in a sports car? A tiny car like that would only hold a couple of bodies, three tops. My Cadre friends aren’t going to leave members of the Hunting Society alive just because I can’t fit all the dead ones into my car.”
Egan grimaced. He hadn’t thought of that part of Balke’s job. Balke was fast and efficient, and it made him an excellent clean-up man, but he was constantly dealing with bodies.
“Right. Especially on the nights when Matsij is working.”
Balke elbowed him with a faint grin.
“Especially on the nights when my brothers are working,” he emphasized.
Egan nodded after a moment. Yes, when the Hunting Society targeted their females, it was difficult to leave any of them alive for questioning. It went against everything he believed in, everything he stood for as a warrior and protector.
And as the Tracker for their Cadre and their people, Egan was often tasked with hunting the Society members back to whatever squalid little apartment or derelict house reeking of ammo and bloodlust was their headquarters for the month. Sometimes he thought he would never get that smell out of his nostrils, the scent of madness and death.
A week ago, when he had entered one such house and saw the stacks of accumulated weapons, heavy chains, and the plans involving the live capture of a Cadre member’s female, he had gone a little crazy. Even he wasn’t sure just how many men he had eliminated on that night.
And the look on his brother’s face as Balke had entered and walked over to wipe the spattered blood from his muzzle had stayed with him. His brother was worried for his soul, and he couldn’t argue the point.
And when Matsij, the Vulfen Shadow, had entered and seen a picture of his young mate Grace posted with red concentric circles marking her as a target, he had taken down every piece of information available and ordered the electronics loaded into his truck. While his orders were carried out, Matsij had stood in the centre of the main room while furniture and body parts flew around him in a raging, crushing whirlwind. His barely controlled wrath had been a fearsome thing to watch.
With the other magic in their bloodline, Balke and Egan and their brother Miros were conceivably the only Cadre members other than the Alpha himself who could watch such a thing with safety, and it was uncomfortable even for them. When the storm had finally subsided, the little house was no more than a pile of rubble with three hard-faced warriors standing outside it.
They had gained much valuable information from that mission, but Egan didn’t want to bring that memory back for Balke. Such strong memories of blood and death somehow didn’t belong in this quiet neighborhood, so he simply said, “Perhaps.”
Both men looked up when they heard a familiar engine approaching. Ives pulled up and parked his car at the curb across the street. Leaning against the hood, he beckoned the brothers over and, with a quick glance at Balke, Egan went.
The three warriors stood watching the brilliant sun sink lower across the purple sky.
“I need as much information as you can give me about the danger Bliss is in,” Egan said without preamble.
“I have very little information about the Chicago family,” Ives began, “but Bliss’s father was a legitimate businessman. He owned and operated a small chain of hardware stores, and did well for his family. His sister and her family believe that the girls were either murdered or kidnapped on the night their father was killed.”
Egan took hold of his wolf and breathed deep to try to ground some of the useless rage welling up in him. His young mate had escaped murder by seconds. It was years ago, but for him it had just happened.
“A matter of interest is that the detective assigned to the case has never let it go in all these years. He has put in much personal time trying to bring justice to this family and find the missing girls. I admire his tenacity and I have reached out to him, through the police officer in Matsij’s family.”
Egan knew John Commander, the cop brother of Matsij’s fox shifter mate. He and Balke had shared a cutthroat game of basketball with John and his partner after the formal mating ceremony, and had since met for coffee and shop talk a few times. And John had escorted his elderly grandmother on her visits to the newly pregnant vulfen Queen, while Balke and Egan had stood with the Queen’s Guard.
“And does John think the girls should come out of hiding, at least to this dedicated detective from Chicago?” Egan asked.
Ives nodded.
“He does. If nothing else, it would bring some peace to the family and to this policeman who has tried for years to find some trace of them.” His tone hardened. “John also thinks their sudden appearance would bring the murderer forward if the motive was a financial one, since Bliss would inherit a substantial and thriving retail empire.”
“Use Bliss as bait?” Egan’s voice came out as a thick growl around his fangs and Ives raised a hand.
“Do not growl at me yet. John thinks that the threat is over after all these years, but I have not agreed to his plan. And it is unlikely in the extreme that Maressa will allow Bliss to be used to lure a killer.”
“But if she were protected by vulfen warriors,” Balke said, “what chance would a lone human have to get to her? He would not get anywhere near to her before losing his life.”
Egan snarled in anger, but Ives curled a restraining hand around his arm.
Egan said, “My control is good.”
“Normally, it is. But this is your unclaimed mate. Tell me that your wolf isn’t clawing to get out, and I’ll believe you.”
Egan bared his teeth but said nothing. He couldn’t utter such a blatant lie. His wolf was on the edge of fury and wanted blood.
Ives nodded.
“Yes, I thought as much. Baiting the killer is the cornerstone of John’s plan,” he admitted. “But, as I said, I have not agreed to it. We must talk it through first and then present the idea to my mate.”
“You keep talking. I will protect my mate to the last drop of blood in my body
,” Egan vowed. His anger held such destructive strength he wondered if the other warriors could see it hanging in the air.
Ives bared his teeth and Balke stepped between them quickly.
“We are all on the same side,” Balke stated. “Stand down.”
Egan pushed forward and Balke smacked a hand on his brother’s chest.
“I said stand down. Thoughts before claws.” He repeated the maxim taught to all their young in a slow clear voice. “Do not challenge until there is no other choice.”
Egan stopped.
Ives nodded and rolled his shoulders to release the tension.
“I apologize,” Egan said, gripping his wolf in an unbreakable hold. “My unclaimed mate is a fragile human, and it is driving my protective instincts insane. I reacted, and I cannot promise it will be the last time.”
Ives smiled ruefully. “I am mated to her sister. I understand more than you know. They are fully human, but they are not fragile. They may not have claws, but they do not back down from an argument. They have overcome much. Both girls have a strength of will that strikes fear in my heart.” His eyes were clear and hard. “If they decide something together, they will stand united together against all opposition come what may.”
Egan and his wolf considered. Was Ives worried that the girls would decide it was time to try to draw out the murderer on their own? He felt fur and claws ripple down his arms at the thought.
“They are loyal and they protect each other,” Balke said. “They are a family.”
Ives nodded. “And each will take the other’s part against anyone who speaks, in any argument, no matter if they were fighting about the same topic between themselves only moments before. It can be frustrating, but there is much to admire. Though they are only two, they have made a strong family with Todd and his Aunt Belle.”
The tone held humor but Egan heard the warning underneath. He shook his head, but he was smiling. It sounded exactly like his brothers, actually, and it told him a lot about his new mate.
In their work, he killed and she healed. It was as basic to him as that, two sides of a coin, with hers the more worthy. But perhaps they would be able to find some common ground after all. It gave him a glimmer of hope in a life that had begun to seem dark.
“I think we should meet and discuss this with John,” Egan said. It was a major concession.
After a moment, Ives held out a hand and they shook in the manner of humans.
Ives pulled out his phone and sent a brief message. The response was almost instant.
“Todd’s pub, tomorrow tonight. John and his grandmother are at the Alpha’s estate tonight visiting with the Queen. John’s grandmother is a midwife, and very skilled.”
Egan nodded once, though his wolf wanted to snarl and pace. The man was still in control, but he didn’t want to take chances. He embraced civilization and all it offered, but his truest self was an animal that placed a mate’s protection above all else. His wolf was close and if it perceived a threat to its mate, blood would spill.
Chapter 5
Bliss dragged herself out of bed and into a hot shower before dressing in her favorite yoga pants and hoodie. The sun was no more than a glow on the horizon, only a promise of light to come.
She grabbed a banana and her camera and headed out for her morning walk. She was having a hard time waking up because of the wild dreams she had been having all night long.
She shivered and tugged her hood up when the morning breeze chilled the back of her neck through her damp hair. No matter how warm and gorgeous the afternoons had been, November had begun and snow was right around the corner.
It was probably inevitable, but Egan had featured as the hero in the storyline of her subconscious mind, a knight in shining armor who had wild wolves for pets. She didn’t quite know where the wolves had come from or what they represented in her mind, but she loved nature in all its wildest forms, and the wolves had been beautiful.
She walked up the little hill to the small neighborhood park, and her heart was in no way surprised to see Egan sitting calmly on the bench as if he waited for her every morning like this.
She raised her camera and snapped his picture without thinking. With the mist curling around his legs and the tall pines on the hill behind him, he looked like a warrior waiting. He looked like a part of her dream still.
“I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful in person,” she said.
“I am not beautiful. Males are not beautiful.”
Bliss snapped another shot to give her time to deal with the happiness bubbling in her soul.
“As the photographer, I say you are.”
He rose to stand and his slow smile made her stomach flutter. He looked even bigger than she remembered, broader and more muscular. His vivid green eyes were bright in the early morning.
“Then I bow to your expertise. Shall I pose?”
She lowered the camera.
“Are you making fun of me?” She couldn’t tell.
“No. I am enjoying you.”
His voice lingered on the word “enjoying,” and a thrill tingled deep in her body. She only wished he was enjoying her in every possible way.
Bliss looked away, then back to his face. He had his head cocked to one side, a half smile curved his lips, but it was the tenderness in his eyes that had the heat rising in her cheeks.
He stepped close and stroked a cool hand down her hot face.
“Bliss, it doesn’t have to happen all at once.”
“But you’re—” She gestured to encompass him, meaning his looks and his maturity, everything about him. “And I’m—” She shrugged when words failed her.
He seemed to follow the winding trail of her thoughts.
“You are young and lovely.” He pulled her hand to his lips for a smooth kiss. “I am years too old and too hard for you, but you stir something in me that I thought was lost.”
She shook her head but he continued.
“I ask only that you give me a chance to be what you need me to be. I want you, make no mistake. Your sweet body makes me hard as a rock.” His eyes gleamed green in the soft dawn light. He really was too beautiful. “I have a desperate need to taste you, to please you. But I will take only what you give me. I have earned my control in battle. I will try to tempt you into my arms at every opportunity, but you can decide our final timetable.”
She grimaced. She wanted to tell him that he was assuming a lot, but what came out was, “That’s not really fair to you.”
Egan laughed and drew her closer. She settled against his warm chest in a wonderful full-body hug, heart thumping with excitement.
“Fair doesn’t enter into it,” he said. His lips nuzzled her temple and she sighed. “You draw me like a magnet. I like the feel of you in my arms and my heart is happy in your presence. Any scraps you offer me are more than I would have. I am not suffering, Bliss.”
“I want to offer you everything. I’m tempted every minute,” she muttered, half-annoyed and half-puzzled. “I even dreamed of you.”
He eased back a little and she laughed at his surprise.
“What? I’m twenty-three an in two more months I’ll be a nurse. I know what you want and I want it, too.”
He took her hand and pressed it to his heart. The deep steady beat lured her.
“But?” His eyes held a tenderness that looked so good on his masculine face.
She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“But I feel shy and I’m not experienced.” There, she had said it. “I know everything there is to know from a medical standpoint. My anatomy book is graphic and detailed. I have all the answers there, but no book in the world could explain what I feel when your eyes run down my body.”
Her hand fluttered over her belly and his expression tightened, focused. Heated. She could feel the heat rising in her face and lower. Her body was melting inside, asking him for something she had no words to describe.
“Is that where you feel it most?” His voice was h
usky.
She licked her lips.
“And here,” she said, touching her fast beating heart. His eyes flared as he followed the movement.
She reached for his hand and brought it up to brush his fingers over her heartbeat. His palm settled naturally over her nipple, warming it. Her lips parted on a ragged breath, but no sound came out.
Pleasure flared bright as his fingers scissored around the tight point, pinching and tugging. Her hand dropped but his stayed, and when his other hand rose up to caress her, she couldn’t stifle a moan at the twin sparks of sensation.
Her hands naturally wound around his neck and her head fell back as his hot mouth found her pulse.
When her knees wobbled, he sat on the bench and pulled her down to perch on his lap while one hand continued to rub and roll her breasts, one and then the other.
His arms pulled her close and his mouth settled on hers with firm possession, stiff tongue driving deep.
Her eyelids fluttered with the sensation and she cried out softly just as a bright flash of light blinded her and she jerked back.
Egan released her with a deep growl and before she could say one word she was swaying on her feet as he raced away after a running man.
Chapter 6
Bliss rocked back on her heels.
She watched as the man ran straight up to a waiting car and wrenched open the door. He threw something inside before jumping in and yelling to the driver. The car sped away a bare second before Egan made an impossible leap and landed where the car had been.
The screech of the tires was loud in the half-dawn silence.
His eyes tracked the car’s path and she thought for an insane moment that he would chase the fleeing car, knowing that even a car wouldn’t have a chance against the look on his face. But his head swiveled back in her direction and he straightened from his crouch.
Still facing her, he pulled out his phone and sent a text. The response was almost immediate and made his shoulders relax. He walked back up the hill toward her.
Bliss was confused.