“I don’t know. Probably a rock or a stick—I’d always had an affinity for the outdoors. Tracking was the first Lycan skill I mastered. And I liked to find her strange things. Some kids brought home dandelions; I gave her a handful of owl pellets. Which is why…that’s a skull.”
“You’re right, it’s a skull,” she said it quickly so he’d know she was humoring him. That always annoyed Dane.
Sure enough, Jordan narrowed his eyes.
And the phone rang.
He strode past her.
She stared at the ceramic in her hand and took it with her. She wouldn’t break it, but the idea of carrying around Jordan’s heart…
When she reached his library, he was pacing back and forth with the phone pressed to his ear.
“You’re sure?” Jordan asked into the phone, somewhat alarmed.
After setting the sculpture on the hearth, she dropped down onto the leather couch and curled her feet underneath her. He was still not wearing a shirt, and she would have enjoyed the view of him prowling back and forth with the phone if he didn’t sound so genuinely concerned.
“Travis, I can’t imagine. There are thirty-one of you and…okay, yeah, thirty, but you’re too strong to be a target. My pack would make even more sense at this point. Are you sure this murder wasn’t a copycat?”
Her stomach lurched at the word “murder.” Dane had been at the heart of some sort of serial killer murder investigation two years ago, but he’d kept a lot from them. The guy had been killed, though; the serial killer…he’d been found and killed by… Oh, right, a wolf. She swallowed thickly. Everything read a little differently when you knew a wolf.
“Colby has a black pelt, doesn’t he? He looks a bit like me, size-wise? No, I know. He wasn’t as big in stature, but he was larger than, say, Liam.” He rubbed a hand down his neck, pinching the tautly stretched tendon at the base. “Uhh. It’s nothing. An odd suspicion.”
It was hard to believe any other wolf could be as huge as Jordan.
“I know I’m the only one who’s caught one, but…” His eyes flicked up to hers. “This isn’t the best time, and you were my acting Alpha—and you took all the rest of the…” He sighed. “No, wait, I have someone. I’ll have to ask him before he tries to kill me, but I can be up there in…” He glanced at a clock on the wall. “If there isn’t traffic and enough come for a majority vote, I can be there in four hours. I’ll let you know if it’s not going to work.”
He hung up, but held up a hand when she opened her mouth. “Just a second, I need to send out a few messages and make a few calls.”
She was seeing a different Jordan—a more complicated Jordan. His voice was more firm and strong, his stance prouder. This was the Jordan who could command respect from a cat who barely tolerated most people. He was…intimidating. Odds were she wouldn’t have thrown a shoe at this version of him. Odds were she wouldn’t have thought she had a chance with this Jordan.
He walked over to his computer and typed as he dialed again. “Hey, I don’t know who doesn’t have access to a phone, but I need a majority there for a vote in an hour.” He paused. “Yeah, I need an acting Alpha, and Travis was the last one accepted.” He laughed shortly. “No, I have an idea.” He listened and glanced at her again. “No, I was expecting a guest last night, but let’s just keep that between us at this point.”
Guest. He wasn’t even referring to her by name; she was this secret he was keeping. Thoughts and feelings and a scent-match seemed magical in a dim room with them both breathing heavily and her heart pounding. Today, in the bright light spreading across the library, with her legs still shaky and weak, it was all too much to believe, even for someone who wasn’t in the habit of questioning what was possible.
And Jordan was Alpha. That probably meant the best, the strongest, and the fastest.
And she was…her.
“Yes, one hour.” He hung up, and she opened her mouth again. He held up a hand.
Christa narrowed her eyes. She felt like he was using the same training techniques on her as he was on Lucifer…and she was a lot less willing than her cat. Then again, maybe she was just another pathetic dependent in his life. She exhaled slowly. False bravado usually carried her through most days. So what if he was Alpha? He wanted her. He’d said that. They’d kissed for like…four minutes. That probably meant something. And there was that scent-match thing.
“One last call.” He met her eyes. “Actually, be absolutely, absolutely silent for this call.”
She frowned. He wasn’t winning any points with her today. Do this. Do that. And holding up a hand to command her to be silent?
He misunderstood her expression completely. “Trust me. Our hearing is that…” He took a deep breath. “Hey, Nessa, how are you?” He listened and then shook his head with a grimace. “Yeah, she’s here. Is Dane there? In the shower? Tell me if he gets out before we finish talking.”
That’s right. He had a cute little short name for her sister-in-law. He’d used it at the hospital. She was getting commands to stay and be silent, and he was all chatty and nicknamey with Vanessa. Maybe he was right when he’d joked about her being part Lycan, because she really wanted to snarl about now.
Jordan threw another glance her way. “No, we didn’t.” He turned his back on her and lowered his voice. “We just kissed, Nessa. That’s it.”
Her mouth dropped open. He did not just tell her sister-in-law that they’d kissed. And they’d just kissed? Just? She was going to just punch him or just throw another shoe at him.
“Yeah, I know she’s not Lycan so she has monthly cycles. No, she’s not fertile right now, but I swear we didn’t do anything.”
Vanessa was talking about her period with Jordan? With Jordan? And he was answering? How the hell did either of them know whether she was ovulating or not? Her cycles weren’t that regular. She probably wasn’t, but they didn’t know that or need to know that or discuss it.
“Nessa! Just listen, I’m having a meeting in an hour, and I need Dane there…and I need him not to know that she was here last night. Not before the meeting, and actually not before I leave town would be great. Yeah, I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Travis’s pack lost one to a poacher a few days ago, and they need me down there for tracking. It was Colby—no, I’d only met him when he stopped through.”
He turned back to face her, but didn’t meet her eyes.
“She can stay in my place while I’m gone. Her cat knows my rules.”
Her cat. And it sounded like she was a house sitter now instead of in a relationship. Great. Wow. Special. This scent-match really wasn’t holding up to the reality of today. What was she even doing here? She ran a hand through her hair, her fingers catching on snarls. She didn’t even have a change of clothes, and her hair was probably sticking up on end.
Jordan was Alpha and a wolf, and she was what? A guest. A secret. A house sitter. He’d even acted like he was drawn to her against his will. Did he even find her attractive, or was it all the scent-match?
He’d enjoyed kissing her, but…that might be the scent-match.
What had he said about her since last night when she’d forced her presence on him?
He’d suggested she was a child in comparison. Had he changed his mind on that? And then she was trouble. And this was all a difficulty. Her MS not being a problem was a long way from acceptance and interest in her, not in this “scent” of hers, but actually her.
Did he want her? The bedhead. The scrawny body. The sarcasm and odd sense of humor. And the moments of weakness—not just from the MS, but this stupid insecurity. All of it was her, and he hadn’t really said much about that.
It was a scent-match. That he’d fought. Until she’d thrown shoes at him and tried to throw a twenty-five-thousand-dollar lamp.
Maybe he’d only wanted an easy score and for her not to throw his lamp.
No. It was more than that. It felt like more than that.
“Yeah. You can come, but you won’t be able to
vote as his mate. Yeah, a vote. No, it’s for that. Yeah. Dane. No, I know it’s insane, but he’s the only other Alpha in the pack, even if he’s human. Besides, maybe he’ll decide it’s too much work to run the pack without me and won’t kill me over his sister.”
How quickly it all went from romantic “you’re my mate” to discussing her fertility and trying to hide her presence in his life from her brother. She’d wanted this, though—sort of. She could do without Jordan and Vanessa having some sort of history together and the discussion about her period.
She pulled her knees up to her chest. Who knew you had to draw lines like that? Hey, how about we don’t just chat casually about whether I’m fertile or not with my sister-in-law…or anyone really? That’d be great. Thanks.
He hung up and came and sat down beside her. “I don’t have much time. I’ve got to pack. I’ll be down near Mount Rainier for a while.”
“How long?” She suspected Vanessa had asked that question, too, and gotten a vague answer, but maybe he’d give her more information…since they were mates. Being mates meant something. They could build on that. Mates probably meant close to “equal.”
“I don’t know.”
“Why are you going down there?” There’d been something about a murder—at least he’d tell her more about that. He’d mentioned some details to Vanessa—details Christa couldn’t understand out of context. At least now she’d know how worried to be.
“I’d rather not say.”
Or not.
He glanced at the clock again. “Can you come sit in my room while I pack? I’ve got to be in town for a meeting in less than an hour.”
“What about?”
“I probably shouldn’t tell you until you know more.”
“And when will that be?” She held up a hand. “No, I know. You don’t know. You can’t say. Secret society. Handshakes. I don’t know enough to get to know more. I’m glad I waited until you were done with your phone calls to get all my questions answered.”
“Christa, look, I can’t explain how it all works in the amount of time I have. I can explain more when I come back.”
“Well, at least you had time to discuss my fertility with my sister-in-law…so there’s that.”
He swallowed and put a hand on her arm. “Nessa was just worried about you because you can get pregnant during the entire year. Lycans only have a limited window.”
“Nessa?” She couldn’t hold back the annoyance there—not that she’d been doing a spectacular job, but really, a girl had her limits.
“Vanessa…sorry…we’ve known each other a while.”
Puzzle pieces dropped into place. “Vanessa is a Lycan.”
Jordan sighed. “Vanessa will have to confirm that.”
“And they scent-matched! That’s why suddenly my brother and her were…” She did hand-motions that even grossed her out, so she stopped. “But they scent-matched, didn’t they?”
“Vanessa will…”
She threw up her hands and shook her head. He’d told her nothing. Nothing she didn’t already know. This was the craphole of discussions with your supposed eternal mate. He was going to check out a murder surrounded by people she didn’t know, and they were having some sort of emergency meeting that included her own brother, but excluded her, but it would definitely include her sister-in-law whom he had this cute pet name for—which may be appropriate because she may or may not be a pet part of the time. Seriously! Nothing! He’d told her nothing. “I’m going to go let Lucifer in. I’m sure he’s done.”
“I can do it.”
“He’s my cat, and I’m not helpless.” The point was extremely pertinent because he was making her feel helpless. He was doing a more effective job pushing her away without even trying than he had earlier. She got to her feet and stomped over to the front door. At least she was feeling better today. Last night, she’d slept well with Jordan beside her. It looked like that might be it between them for a while, so hopefully, she slept just as well without him nearby. She opened the door…and waited…and waited. She could feel Jordan’s gaze on her—trying to judge her mood and how to react.
Hell, how should she be reacting? She thought they’d have at least today to figure out how they were going to be as a couple. Instead, they’d had like ten minutes and now everything was shifting and changing, and he was acting distant as if she was some stranger dropped into his life—which was so sadly accurate that it stung. She felt like she’d known him much longer and that their relationship was much deeper, but this discussion pretty much said he didn’t feel the same way.
She leaned against the doorway. It was going to be weird and unreal without him around—it was easy to believe in the supernatural when you fell asleep next to it, and every so often, there was the wolf in his eyes. Without him here, she’d be in this big house, by herself, wondering if everyone she knew was a wolf or if no one was and last night had all been one great hallucination.
She wasn’t even sure what sort of time frame they were looking at for him being gone…days, weeks, a month? Rainier wasn’t that far, but she probably shouldn’t drive that distance in the shape she was in. And he hadn’t exactly volunteered to come back and see her and check on her. How pathetic would it sound for her to ask?
Very.
He’d even said they’d talk when he got back. He might not even be planning on calling her, for however long this trip took. If he was a wolf the whole time, that’d make sense—there wasn’t exactly a spot for a cell phone in his fur, and phone calls would be fairly one-sided. But he was packing to go on this trip, so that implied he wouldn’t be a Lycan the whole time because, clearly, clothing wasn’t necessary in their furry state.
Maybe she could get updates through Vanessa.
She rubbed a hand through her hair. Yeah, great way to start out a relationship. It sounded like he was closer to her sister-in-law than her…he’d at least given Vanessa information.
Maybe this was all a mistake. She was hooking up with the king of the werewolves, for crying out loud. Well, not hooking up…she was house-sitting after a make-out session milder than Vanessa and Dane had in front of their immediate family. Though admittedly, that time with the laundry room and ironing board had been gross enough that she listened when they were around before turning corners. There’d never be that level of making out in front of people between Jordan and her.
Jordan and her—as if they were a couple. She sniffed and shook her head. She was his mate, and she was going to have to beg status updates from Vanessa. Maybe she should ask him to make sure she was informed if he died. Pathetic. Everything she knew was turned upside down, and she was lost and helpless in this new world where people grew fangs and fur.
How was a girl who couldn’t always stand on her own two feet going to hold her own in a pack where they hunted killers on four?
“C’mon, Lucifer,” she muttered. Standing in a cold doorway wasn’t her favorite way of spending the day.
Behind her, Jordan whistled softly.
Lucifer appeared a moment later and went right by her to rub up against Jordan’s legs.
And now she had less authority than she’d arrived with.
She slammed the door closed, walked back to the guest room, and slammed that door closed, too. Then she set the Tiffany lamp carefully on the floor outside the room and slammed the door again and locked it.
…
Well, that had gone poorly. Lucifer had picked a bad time to acknowledge him as Alpha in the house. And okay, he’d handled the whole discussion more like a leader than a mate. But he was still trying to wrap his brain around the fact that the new Rainier pack was dealing with poachers, and his mind was still planning and maneuvering on behalf of the pack. Plus, he wasn’t asked questions very often, and if he was, he never had to answer them if he didn’t care to. He was Alpha.
He pushed to his feet and stepped out into the hallway. The Tiffany lamp was outside the room—that must have been the second door slam. He picked up
the lamp and moved it to the study.
Stopping by the locked door, he considered knocking. He even put his fist up, but then he dropped it. What was he going to say? This was what he was trying to explain when he outlined why they shouldn’t be together. Now there was the added possibility that Colby had been killed in his place—though that didn’t make sense. Anyone familiar with the packs would know the difference. Maybe it was Colby all along, and once again, his arrogance had made him assume things that’d resulted in someone’s death.
He should have notified Travis that someone was gunning for a black Lycan.
But it made so much more sense that it was him they were looking for.
He had to know if it was poachers. He had to see for himself that it wasn’t. That this was all just about Colby from the beginning. It’d mean another death on his hands, but at least his pack would be safe—and Travis’s pack wouldn’t be fighting off poachers.
The door swung open, and they both jumped back.
“Uhh, I was just…” He gestured at the hallway.
“I was going to…” She gestured at him.
They both stopped talking, waiting for the other…waiting out the other.
Finally, she sighed—and it made him feel like a jerk that she was the first to give. It was hard to break the patterns of deference and domination that he’d always enjoyed the upper hand in. “You’re going to track a murderer, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” He should have taken into account what she’d overheard when he didn’t answer her questions. He wasn’t accustomed to giving information that wasn’t necessary, in his opinion, to the person asking for it. And she was still too new to understand things—but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t speculate based on what she’d heard. So in that light, his answers even pissed him off.
“A murderer who kills Lycans?”
“Yes.” Well, that’s what Travis had suggested. It might be an isolated murder…an isolated murder he could have prevented. In that case, he’d almost prefer it to be poachers.
“Why do they kill Lycans?”
This Weakness For You (Entangled Select Otherworld) (Taming the Pack) Page 7