Song of Midnight Embers

by Dana Marie Bell

  “Good.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Now get some rest. I’ll check on you again in the morning.”

  He started to get off the bed, but Mollie put out her hand. “Wait.”

  “Hmm?” He turned around, his movements as graceful as always, despite his obvious exhaustion.

  Mollie picked at the comforter. “You could stay.”

  Silence greeted her statement. He didn’t move, didn’t even blink, just stared at her like he couldn’t understand what she’d said.

  “In here, I mean.”

  His head tilted to the side. “It is my bed.”

  She nodded, aware of the heat suffusing her cheeks, like barely visible embers of the fire that was growing inside her. “It is, isn’t it?”

  He slowly climbed back on to the bed and rested his hand over hers. “From now on, we share a bed.” When she opened her mouth to agree, he put his finger over her lips. “No arguments.”

  Pfft. Like she wouldn’t give her left arm to share his bed for the rest of her life. “No arguments,” she agreed, her tone soft. Her eyelids were beginning to fall closed, despite her desire to remain awake. She needed to make sure Greer rested, because he looked like hammered shit. “Sleep now, argue later.”

  He grunted, but she could tell he was amused. “You think we’re going to argue a lot, hmm?”

  She stared at him for a moment before she began laughing.

  “No, really.” He looked so innocent, his head on the pillow, his puppy-dog eyes totally earnest. “Our life together will be nothing but rainbows and puppies and puppies farting rainbows.”

  He was so full of shit.

  She was laughing so hard she started wheezing. Who the hell did he think he was fooling?

  “And rainbows farting puppies.”

  She smacked him on the arm. “Stop it!”

  “See?” He huffed out a breath, looking like a sad panda. “I’m not the one who started arguing.” He squinted, his expression becoming suspicious. “What do you have against puppies?”

  “Hey now.” She giggled. “I’m not the one with puppy problems. You are.”

  “Just because I want to take Carter to the vet for a little snip and a cone of shame?” He put his hand over his heart. “You wound me.”

  “You wound him, and we really will argue.” The laughter was dying, but the warm feeling it left behind lingered. “He’s been a good friend and had my back at a bad time, but nothing more. If anything, I want him to find his mate just so I can tease the hell out of him.” Mollie tugged on the blanket. “Climb in.”

  He grunted, and shifted, and wiggled a lot until both of them were warm and toasty under the blankets. “We should always fight like this, cuddled in bed where you can’t maim me.”

  She eyed him for a moment. “Nah. I think I could...” Now it was her turn to wiggle, until her knee was at his groin. “Yeah, I think I could still manage it.”

  He put his hand on her knee, and she damn near melted. He was stroking a spot just behind her knee, one she never told anyone about. One that made her whimper and turn into a puddle of goo.

  That smirk on his face almost snapped her out of her gooeyness, but he kept stroking that spot, damn it, and she couldn’t find it in her to give him hell for it. How had he found out about her sweet spot? If she was one of Noah’s wolves, she’d be doing the doggie-thump with her back leg.

  He pulled her leg over his hip and edged closer until, if they’d been naked, she would have been doggie humping as well as thumping. His lips closed over hers, his tongue dipping into her mouth, tasting her. His hard cock pressed against her, but he didn’t push, didn’t try anything else.

  She figured she’d be grateful for his restraint in the morning, but right now she was ready to beg for his touch on her breasts and his mouth between her legs. She wanted, desperately, to know what it was like to make love with Greer, to finally have the man she’d dreamed of since high school. She couldn’t imagine he’d be anything less than perfection.

  But Greer pulled back from the kiss. “Sleep, remember?”

  “Then argument.”

  He smiled sweetly, and she cuddled in close, listening to the strong beat of his heart. “Then argument.”

  “Good.” She yawned, silently damning the fact that even if he had pushed it, she might not have been able to respond as well as she would have liked. “Then sex.”

  Oh, thank the gods, she wasn’t the only one who tended to choke on air.

  * * *

  Greer woke the following morning to the best feeling in the world. Mollie was curled up against his side, her head pillowed on his chest, one arm thrown over his stomach, their legs tangled together. They were both covered in sweat and stank to high heaven.

  Perfect.

  He carefully eased his way out from underneath her and reached for the fireplace remote, turning it off. He didn’t usually fall asleep with it on, but last night had been an exception. He’d wanted Mollie as warm as could be for as long as she needed. Now that she was sweating to release some of the excess, he felt free to turn off the fireplace and take off the blankets.

  He stood, stretching out his muscles and yawning wide. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so well, and it had nothing to do with the warmth of the room. It had everything to do with the warmth of the female at his side, her soft breaths on his neck, her skin touching his.

  But he reeked, and he didn’t want his first morning with his mate to end up with her running screaming from the Throne because he smelled like twice-baked armadillo ass. He headed for the bathroom, started the shower and took care of his morning business. He scrubbed under the hot spray until his skin was raw, only getting out when he sensed Mollie moving around in the bedroom.

  As much as he wanted to invite her into the shower with him, they weren’t ready for that step yet. He wrapped a towel around himself and entered the bedroom, still dripping water. “Shower’s free for you.”

  She blinked up at him, her jaw dropping as her gaze roamed over his bare chest. He watched, fascinated, as she licked her lips, his cock twitching with interest at the sound she made in the back of her throat. Full of sheer, raw want, Greer reacted, stepping toward the bed with the intent of taking off his towel and finally making love to his mate. He was aching, his cock so hard he could bash bricks in half with it. There was nothing more he wanted than to sink into her tight heat and make love to her.

  Which, of course, was why his goddamn phone rang on what had been the best goddamn morning of his life. He stifled a groan of disappointment as Mollie dashed for the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

  He picked up the cell phone and answered. “This had better be good.”

  “Mollie’s officially clear of Lily’s murder and will soon be clear of Bernadette’s as well.” Lore’s tired, gravelly voice spoke with as much of a greeting as Greer had. “Bree’s been a very naughty girl, and we finally have proof.”

  “Oh?” Lore now had Greer’s undivided attention. “What did you find?”

  “Besides one of Mollie’s T-shirts behind a Dumpster, giving off her scent?”

  “You’re kidding me? How the fuck did they manage that?”

  “We don’t know yet, but we know that Bree planted it there. It had her scent on it too. She must have known all along Mollie was looking into her activities and figured out the best way to get Mollie off her tail.”

  “And you would have bought it, especially when Carter and Roxanne claimed they’d caught her scent at the murder scene.” If Mollie hadn’t been following Bernadette, she wouldn’t have had an alibi. She’d be sitting in jail, or worse, murdered by Arlene the psycho psychic. “What did she do, rub the shirt over the walls? The body?”

  “We aren’t certain how she did it, but it was there all right. If Roxanne hadn’t g
one back and done some sniffing around, we might never have figured it out. That shirt would have been lost the next time the trash truck came by. Whoever did this planned on Mollie taking the fall.” Lore grunted, and Greer heard papers being shuffled. “There’s more.”

  “Oh, goody, because Mollie hasn’t been through enough already.” Greer wanted to dig Bernadette up and kill her all over again. Lying, traitorous bitch.

  “Down, boy. This is good stuff, not bad.”

  “Then lay it on me.”

  “Bernadette left a paper trail that could have led Lewis and Clark through the Rockies with ease.”

  Shit. “That’s too good to be true.”

  “You’d think, right? But she’d deleted all of it off her computer, or so she thought. Lucky for us, she didn’t remember to empty her trash, so we were able to reclaim the files that way.”

  “Either that or she wanted someone to find the files and lead us on a wild goose chase.” Greer didn’t like it when things were tied up neatly with a bow. His life didn’t tend to go that way. It tended to untie the bow and bite him on the ass. “Keep looking. There’s something hinky going on, and I don’t like it.” Greer grabbed some underwear, a pair of jeans and a T-shirt out of his dresser and began throwing on his clothes.

  “Honestly? Neither do I, but it’s all I’ve got right now, so I’m going to follow up on it until it’s proven that it’s bullshit.” Lore’s sigh over the phone was so loud it was like a gust of wind. “By the way, I had to fire one of my men this morning.”

  “Why?” Greer had a few ideas, but he wanted to hear from Lore rather than jump to conclusions.

  “Because he was Arlene’s mate, and the wolf who turned down the heat in Mollie’s cell.”

  Greer grabbed his canvas sneakers and slid them on. He couldn’t let Mollie see the rage that now flowed through him. How dare the wolf attempt to kill what was Greer’s? “Okay.”

  “Greer.” Lore’s voice was firm and filled with warning.

  “What?” Without hanging up, he tossed the phone on the bed and knocked on the bathroom door, making sure to keep his tone level. He didn’t want Mollie worried about where he was going. She’d been through enough for now. Let her rest and relax. She needed it. He would take care of her from now on. Anyone attempting to harm her would have to go through him first. “I need to go talk to the wolves, sweetheart. Can you make some coffee while I’m topside?”

  “Sure,” Mollie’s voice came through, muffled by wood and water. His mate was showering, and for a second the rage that threatened to engulf him was appeased.

  “You’re under orders to rest and take it easy. Read a book, watch TV, but don’t leave our home tonight. Understand?” He didn’t want her anywhere near the wolves up top until he was certain it was safe. Hell, even then he wanted to lock her up in a safe little bubble world where nothing would touch a single hair on her head.

  “Aye aye, sir!” Gods, she was such a smart-ass. He liked that about her. He picked up the phone again. “Sorry, did you say something? I was talking to Mollie. You know, my mate. The one who almost died.”

  “Shit. Look, don’t do anything until I get there. If you kill one of Noah’s wolves, the repercussions could be massive.”

  “And killing my mate wouldn’t?” Greer was on his way out the door, idly nodding a good morning to Ash. “I’m thinking ‘dire’ would be the understatement of the century.”

  Ash, scowling, followed Greer up the steps and topside. “What’s going on?”

  Greer held up his hand and stalked toward where Noah reclined against Iva’s tree. “Talk to you soon, Lore. I have a tail to pull.” Before Lore could respond, Greer hung up. “Good morning, Noah.”

  Noah glanced up. “Morning, Greer.” Noah patted Iva’s bark. “There’s no change. I’m sorry.”

  Greer stopped, the reminder that Noah was family shocking him still. “The mate of one of your wolves tried to kill Mollie.”

  Noah nodded. “And they will both be dealt with, I swear.” Noah’s tone was grim, but determined. “I did not give that order, nor would I have. I trust Mollie knows that?”

  Damn it. Greer had really wanted a new fur rug for his front parlor, but it looked like he was going to be denied it. “I don’t know if it would even cross her mind.”

  “I’ll speak to her. As the injured party, she gets a say in their punishment.”

  Greer rocked back and forth. “As her mate, can I say for her?”

  Noah laughed. “No.”

  “Aw, come on. It won’t hurt.” Much.

  “No.” Noah stood and clapped a hand on Greer’s shoulder. Greer didn’t even flinch, despite the alpha’s phenomenal strength. “You think I don’t see you, Greer, but I do. I know how badly you want to kill them both. Hell, I would too if it was Iva.”

  “Then gimme.” Greer smiled sweetly. “I’ll give them back only slightly mangled.”

  “Arlene is currently calling the gossips in the pack and telling them what she knows about Mollie and Lily. She’s giving them the proof that Mollie didn’t do anything wrong.” Noah sat back down, looking supremely unconcerned. “As for her mate, he’s currently awaiting my pleasure at Dragos’s mansion.”

  “What kind of punishment is that?” Ash crossed his arms over his chest. “Dragos’s place is nice and comfortable.”

  “And filled with four or five young men who are currently having an epic Nerf battle. His job is to babysi—I mean, keep the young men in line, clean up the darts, order the pizza, and make sure nothing of Dragos’s gets broken or he’s paying for it.”

  Sounded like fun to Greer. “How is that punishment? That’s a goddamn party. All you need are cupcakes and balloons.”

  “I’m heading over there with Dragos as soon as he wakes up. Lore will meet us there as well.” Noah shrugged. “You need to leave his punishment—”

  “No.” Greer squatted next to Noah, his birch tree swaying in a wind that wasn’t there. It agreed with Greer. They needed to deal with the ones who’d tried to kill Mollie, not Noah, not Dragos. “You want to make me a part of this, Noah. You need to. Without me, why, who knows what will happen at the next pack run?”

  Noah sat up, his expression going cold. “Are you threatening me?”

  “I wouldn’t say threaten, exactly.” Greer patted Noah’s knee. “I’d say promise.”

  “Greer.” Mina’s tone was stern.

  He’d been so focused on Noah he hadn’t heard her approach. “My queen.”

  “Stand down.” Mina’s shoulders were back, her dark brown eyes smoldering as she tried to stare him down.

  Greer turned back to Noah, unyielding. On this, he wouldn’t budge, not even for Mina.

  “That’s an order, Singer.”

  Greer fought the pull of his queen, but in the end he had no choice. He stood and bowed to her before stalking back to his home and his mate, silently fuming.

  That anger lasted just long enough to open his front door.

  Mollie was on his sofa, wearing one of his T-shirts and a pair of shorts that were too small to be his. They had to be Mina’s. Her feet, covered in a pair of his black socks, were on his coffee table.

  She was playing an RPG, one of his favorites involving dragons and wardens and magic galore on his PS4. She’d just started the Prologue, the part that taught her how to play the character. Her expression was intent as she listened to the party banter, following the instructions as they were given to her. She was relaxing, just as he’d hoped she would.

  “What class did you pick?” Greer walked into the kitchen and grabbed himself a mug of coffee.

  “Rogue. I like the idea of being an archer.”

  Greer walked around the sofa and sat next to her, fascinated. Her tongue was actually sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she fired on demons from
on high. Her feet wiggled, and her whole body moved as she worked the controller like a pro. “You’ve played this before?”

  “Nope. Usually do driving simulations, though.”

  That explained the moving feet. He sat back and sipped his coffee, utterly enchanted by her. “What platform?”

  “Xbox. Now shush. I have a pride demon to crush.”

  Greer shushed, happy just to watch his woman kick ass.

  Chapter Seven

  “So.” Mollie picked at the chicken Greer had prepared for dinner, wondering why he’d been so quiet all day. “Is everything all right?”

  Greer eyed her quietly before returning to his meal. “Mina forbade me from dealing with the wolf and the psychic who hurt you.”

  She could hear the underlying anger in his voice, despite his best efforts to hide it. “Why not?”

  He shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  Huh. For some reason she wasn’t buying it. “Greer.”

  He coughed into his napkin. “I may have told Noah he’d have some issues in the forest if I wasn’t allowed to be there.”

  “Why wouldn’t he want you there?” She leaned back in her chair, dinner forgotten as she focused on Greer’s enigmatic responses.

  “How’s your chicken?” He pointed toward her plate, those puppy-dog eyes of his begging for reassurance. “Do you like it?”

  “It’s good.” Plain, wholesome food, just the way she liked it. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. Even better, he’d shouted out advice to her while he cooked, helping her overcome some of the obstacles in the game. “But that’s not the point.”

  “Then what is?”

  “Why weren’t you allowed to go with Noah and Dragos to talk to Arlene and her mate?” She tapped her nails on the dining table impatiently.

  “Because I want them dead.” He took a bite of chicken. “Eat up before it gets cold.”

  He said it the same way someone would ask for extra gravy on his potatoes. “I wasn’t happy with Arlene, but what did her mate do that has you so pissed off?”