“We’re the unwilling guinea pigs in the Grey Wolves war, and the Pact continues to turn a blind eye.” His voice was low. “I won’t sit by as they kill another of mine. Help me, and I’ll help you and your pack.”
It was crazy. He made it sound so easy.
“And that’s all you expect in return? For the antidote to be given to the rogues as well?” she asked.
“I told you I deal in secrets, favors.” He smiled. “I’ll collect further payment when it’s due,” he answered cryptically.
She sucked in a harsh breath.
“Time is what you need, Mae,” he said. His voice was coaxing, an alluring velvety growl. “I can buy you time.”
Deep down, she knew he was right. This would be new information for Maverick. It would take weeks to find the right intel to move forward, but the Rogue likely already had leads and plans for how to find the scientist, and the clock was ticking. Each moment that passed without the antidote endangered the lives of her pack members, her family.
“I’ll find the bloodsucker that can create the antidote from your blood sample to save your pack, and in the meantime, you’ll have the ability to disappear, to remain safe under my protection, and whatever else you wish. It’s a generous offer.” The Rogue leaned in toward her. He was so close she saw flecks of gray in the deep blue of his irises, like ice floating in a freezing ocean. The warmth of his breath brushed her ear, sending a delicious chill down her spine. “There’re things I can give you that others can’t,” he whispered.
She wasn’t so certain he was talking about the vampires anymore.
“Tell me what you want, Princess, and it’s yours.” His words vibrated through her like a gentle, thrumming purr.
“I just want to save my pack,” she murmured. “I want the antidote for them. That’s all.” Without her, they wouldn’t be in their current position. Not if she hadn’t been taken captive by the vampires. Sure, if not her, it could have easily been someone else in the pack, but that failed to matter. She was the sister of the packmaster, the pure-blooded wolf whose blood had been pivotal to the vampires’ plans. She couldn’t let her pack down.
Rogue’s hand fell away from her cheek, and she was suddenly all too aware of the loss of his touch. “Done.” He stepped away from her. His absence left a void of heat in its wake. “You shouldn’t have agreed.”
Mae’s mouth went dry. “Why not?” she asked.
A dark grin crossed his lips. It was part warning, part amusement. “Because nothing good ever comes from deals with a devil like me.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but in the lull of silence, she heard the quiet snick of the lock on her door turning. The noise broke the spell between them. Had her wolf senses not been attuned due to Rogue’s presence, she wouldn’t have even heard it. Mae froze. Fear gripped her. She glanced toward the Rogue.
The mischief in his eyes was gone, replaced instead with intense focus. “Do as I say,” he hissed. Without warning, he was beside her again. He gripped her by the waist and lifted her, throwing her over his shoulder as if she weighed little more than a bale of hay.
Sweeping her into her pantry, he lowered her from his shoulder, pinning her against the shelving as her legs dangled over his hips. He drew the door against him until they were wedged in the corner. Anyone looking inside would see only canned goods and other nonperishables, but if one of the vamps were to actually come in or look behind the door…
Silently, they waited, their ears pricked to the slightest movement. Several minutes passed as he and Mae lingered there, their bodies pressed together. When no further sound came, the tension in her body eased.
“Maybe it was just my brother or one of my packmates?” she suggested. More than one of them had a key to her place, for safety protocol.
Rogue shook his head, drawing her attention toward him as he silently raised a finger to his lips again. His message was clear.
They could still be out there, waiting, watching. She and the Rogue weren’t in the clear just yet.
She nodded as she stared up into his face.
In the darkness, her wolf eyes traced his features. He was all sharp angles and hollows. With the threat of the vampires lessened, she was suddenly aware of how close they were. The heavy bulk of his muscled frame pressed into her, and the spiced scent of his aftershave filled her nose.
Through her nightgown, the rough fly of his jeans rubbed her center. Whether from their nearness or the adrenaline of battle she wasn’t certain, but she could feel the rock-hard length of him, pressing against her. She bit her lower lip, trying to hide her desire as damp heat pooled between her legs. Her clit was still sensitive from where she’d pleasured herself, and every slight movement he made massaged her, teased her.
He glanced down at her again as his eyes flashed to the gold of his wolf’s eyes. A dark emotion she couldn’t place reflected there, and a wicked grin crossed his lips. He smelled her desire, her arousal. He had to, which meant he knew exactly what this was doing to her. He leaned in until they were nearly nose to nose. Even in the darkness, she could see the hunger in his eyes.
“You’re playing with fire,” he warned. His whisper shivered through her. His lips were so close they almost brushed against hers.
She wasn’t certain what he meant by that. But for a moment, it didn’t matter that they were strangers. She inched closer, pure instinct taking over. “I’ve never been afraid of fire,” she whispered back.
Something dark flared in his eyes, and her breath caught. If he drew any closer, his mouth would be on hers. Her lips parted, anticipating. Mae wasn’t certain who leaned toward whom. All she knew was that his lips were on hers, his mouth claiming hers in a kiss that was as dark and tempting as the man himself.
She melted into him.
Being kissed by the Rogue was like being kissed by sin. Temptation. Desire. Need. Those words held meaning now. And she couldn’t get enough.
His mouth pressed against hers, opening the seam of her lips with ease as his tongue stroked against hers in fierce, powerful swipes. He tasted like Tennessee whiskey, a delicious mixture of malt and rye. He was everywhere, one of his hands massaging through her hair. The other gripped her waist as he pulled her closer.
He ground his length against her. She felt herself slicken, and a familiar pressure built between her legs. As if her body had a mind of its own, she rocked her hips against him, bucking and moving until she moaned against his mouth. His cock stiffened.
Just when she thought he might take her right there against the pantry wall, he froze. He broke the kiss between them, though his lips lingered near hers. If she didn’t know any better, she would have said there was pain in his eyes when he looked at her.
His whole body tensed in a way that cut the tension between them.
At his alert, she sensed the presence too. There was movement in her living room.
Lowering her to the floor, he turned toward the door, using his large frame to shield her. His hand fell to his blade.
From where they stood behind the pantry door, through the thin space between the door and frame, she had a sliver of view across her kitchen and living room. The light from her bedside lamp cast shadows of movement on the kitchen floor. Gnarled tree branches and another form. A chill ran down her spine as a shadow approached. She gripped Rogue’s arm, pointing toward the movement.
A deep, guttural grunt sounded. Mae’s heart kicked into overdrive as she realized the source of the noise. It wasn’t the vampires that had found them.
It was a teacup pig.
She caught Rogue’s arm just as he drew his dagger. “It’s only Tucker,” she whispered. “My pig.”
Rogue quirked a brow. “You keep a pig in your house?” He looked at her as if she’d grown two heads. She supposed a cowboy like him would think that was insane. Her brother certainly did.
“He’s
a pet,” she shot back.
At the sound of Mae’s whispers, Tucker wandered into the pantry with a pleased grunt.
Rogue glanced down toward the offending piglet. Tucker grunted again, his beady black eyes gazing up at Rogue as if to say I found you, before he wandered back out of the pantry, likely back toward his fluffy, pink dog bed.
In response, Rogue’s lip curled into a snarl. “Damn pig.”
Mae frowned. She was about to tell him, Rogue or not, that no one snarled at Tucker…
But that was when she heard her front door slowly creak open.
“Tuck—!”
Rogue clapped a hand over her mouth, muffling her shriek of terror in the nick of time. “Scream and you’ll be dead before sunrise,” he hissed against her ear.
The sickly sweet smell of death wafted beneath the door of the pantry. Instantly, she stilled. Her wolf had only choked on that scent once before.
Inside the vampires’ coven.
Her eyes widened in realization. He’d told the truth. The vampires were after her. Silently, he lifted a single finger to his lips.
She didn’t protest. Faced with vampires, even a criminal shifter like him was an ally, and at the very least, he’d offered to save her, to help her save her pack.
She stiffened as the nearly silent footfalls continued. With her on alert like this, her wolf senses came alive. Even from inside the pantry, she heard every creak of the floorboards. Each second stretched for hours as the vampires circled the inside of her home like sharks hunting for a single drop of blood. Mae watched in horror as adrenaline pumped through her veins. More than one vamp was tearing her home apart, searching for something.
Searching for me…
A chill ran down her spine as the truth of the Rogue’s warning sank in.
He’d been right. The vampires were after her, and with their keen sense of smell, they would find them, sniff them out. It was only a matter of time.
Rogue eased a blade from his belt as he turned so she was positioned behind his back as they lay in wait. The element of surprise might be his only advantage.
“She’s not here,” a deep voice sounded from inside her bedroom. “They must have been tipped off and moved her.”
“No,” another answered. This voice even more chilling than the first. “We’ll find her. She’s here. I can smell it.”
At that dark promise, Mae shivered, gulping down her urge to cry out, but Rogue gripped her hand—hard. The feel of his large palm engulfing hers caused her to calm instantly. As he released her, his grip on his blade tightened. From the intense look in his gaze, all he needed was for one of the vamps to draw near the pantry, and then he planned to attack.
The sound of boots shuffling over her carpet followed as one of the vampires emerged from her bedroom. Through the crack of the doorframe, she watched as the vampire sniffed the air. Its brow furrowed as its glowing red eyes fell on the pantry door. Slowly, its dark silhouette approached. Rogue’s eyes flashed to his wolf. Only a few more feet and the vampire would be on the wrong end of his blade.
“Hey, what’s this?” the other vamp in her bedroom called out, laughing darkly. The bloodsucker approaching the pantry paused, his attention drawn toward his comrade. He was only a few steps out of Rogue’s reach.
Rogue mouthed a silent curse.
The vamp inside her bedroom stepped out, bending down to the floor outside her line of vision. Several grunts sounded as Tucker started to oink. Mae’s eyes widened in horror.
No, Tucker, she silently pleaded.
Suddenly, a second shadow blocked the bedroom light, followed by a screaming pig squeal that pierced her ears.
“Tucker!” Mae shouted.
“Shit!” Rogue kicked open the pantry door. The wooden frame smashed as he charged through with all the power of a bull. Both vamps were on Rogue within seconds, meeting him in hand-to-hand combat.
Mae didn’t think. Scrambling from the closet, she searched for Tucker. As she dashed toward the bedroom, the grunts and thumps of Rogue fighting off the vampires mixed with the unmistakable sound of gunshots in the distance. Violence erupted throughout the compound. The howls of the Grey Wolf warriors sounded in a chilling chorus, alerting the pack. A shiver ran down Mae’s spine. This wasn’t just an assault on her—it was a full-on attack against her pack.
Tucker was huddled in the corner of her bedroom, trembling like a terrified, abused animal. Scooping the piglet into her arms, she ran for the front door.
She needed to get out of here, to the underground bunker with the other women and children.
She wrenched open her front door, only to find herself face-to-face with her enemies. Red eyes stared at her. So many glowing red eyes. Mae stumbled back inside with a shriek, dropping Tucker, who darted through the open door into the melee with a terrified squeal.
Instinct took over. She had no choice but to fight.
Shifting into her wolf, Mae lunged for the vampire closest to her and sank her teeth into the flesh of its arm. The taste of iron and death coated her tongue, disgusting and foul, but she was no match for several at once. A second vamp ripped her from its friend. Mae’s head bashed against the drywall. Pain split through her skull and a yelp tore from her throat before she fell to the floor, her temple throbbing.
She tried to stand, but the second vampire gripped her by her scruff, lifting her until her neck was exposed. She winced, bracing herself for the pain of its bite.
But it never came.
Suddenly, she fell to the floor, free of the vampire’s grasp. When Mae opened her eyes again, Rogue was standing over the vampire’s corpse, a lacquered stake clutched in his hand. Vampire blood was spattered across his face. Mixed with his scars and the golden glow of his wolf eyes, he looked lethal, feral. She’d expected Rogue to leave her for dead like the criminal he was, to abandon her. But he hadn’t.
For a fleeting moment, it didn’t matter that he was a criminal. The dark emotion in his gaze told her everything she needed to know.
I’ll protect you. You have my word.
Two more vampires burst in through the door, drawing Rogue’s attention back to the fight. A roaring battle cry ripped from his throat as he met the oncoming bloodsuckers blow for blow. Though it was two against one, he held his own. He shifted into his wolf—a massive grey alpha, at least twice her size. He was gorgeous and wild, fighting as if he regularly faced danger and death. Considering his reputation, she had no doubt that was true, but this wasn’t for his own interests.
This was for her.
When the last bloodsucker fell, Rogue stood over them in wolf form. His chest heaved in and out as his haunches lowered. Black tufts peppered his steely-gray fur, and a gnarled scar marred his left eye, mirroring his human form.
Fighting still raged in the distance, the echo of automatic weapons carrying loudly in the still night air. But here, inside her home, for the moment, all was calm.
Slowly, the air around him bent and twisted as he shifted. Mae shifted into human form again and lowered her gaze. She retrieved her nightgown and tugged it on. When she turned around, he was clothed, the only signs of the fight a few small spatters of blood on his face and hands.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “That was”—she searched for the right word—“heroic,” she breathed.
“Make no mistake, Princess. I’m no hero.”
She wasn’t sure she believed him. He was every bit her savior, as much as the devil darkening her doorstep.
Another round of shouts sounded from outside her house.
“More will come,” he snarled. “Run.”
Mae fled for the door, Rogue right at her heels. Outside, the sounds of clashing metal weapons and gunfire rang in the distance. The damp night grass moistened her bare feet.
As she turned to run, Rogue’s sharp whistle drew her attention, and seconds
later, a large, brown mustang galloped into sight. Rogue vaulted into the saddle. The horse’s brutal black eyes flared as the horse let out a furious whinny. But the dark cowboy who rode the beast was the true intimidator.
The sounds of the Grey Wolf warriors’ howls echoed again. A chill ran down Mae’s spine. Her friends, her family.
“I have to help them,” she murmured.
She started to run toward the main compound. She had to help, to try to save them. But Rogue and his horse blocked her path. “Easy,” he warned. “If you value your life, you’ll come with me.” He extended a hand toward her. His dark gaze pierced hers. “This is the only way you can save them.”
Another round of gunfire rang out, confirming her worst fears. Each shot shook her as if the bullet had landed in her own chest. Everything in her called out to go to them, to find some way to protect them. But if what he’d said about the antidote was true—and she doubted many things about the Rogue, but not what he’d said about that—then he was right.
This was the only way.
Her eyes darted to where the sounds of the melee originated. “And what about Tuck—?”
“Get on the damn horse, woman,” he growled.
Her heart thumped hard against her chest as adrenaline coursed through her. She glanced between him and the expanse of pasture where the sounds of battle raged in the distance. What was the word of a criminal worth? She wasn’t sure she knew the answer, but as she stared into his ice-blue eyes, some instinct told her this wolf’s word was worth more than most.
Tentatively, she placed her hand in his.
He tugged her up into the saddle in front of him before he gave the horse a sharp kick. The mustang raced toward the surrounding forest.
As they rode into the darkness, uncertainty shook her and the hairs on the back of her neck rose on end. Mae would go to any length to save her pack. Leaning forward, she gripped the saddle horn. She didn’t allow herself to look back as the last sight of Wolf Pack Run and the vampires faded into the distance. She only glanced over her shoulder toward the wicked wolf at her back.
Wicked Cowboy Wolf Page 4