by Michelle Fox
She wasn’t just warm, didn’t just smell perfect, she was HIS.
Oh shit.
Chapter Six
~Gretchen~
Gretchen tried to push the sheriff away, but he was immovable. His lips crushed hers, his tongue stroking and tickling the inside of her mouth. A masculine smell filled her senses, one of woods and open air mixed with the sugar of donuts and the bitterness of coffee.
Her wolf woke up and rushed through her blood, ready to come to her defense and then…she stopped short. Sniffing the air, her other half sat back on her haunches and watched with a smug, tongue-lolling smile on her snout. Hey, how about a little help here? Her wolf just blinked and began to clean her coat, preening for some reason Gretchen didn’t understand.
Fine. She would take care of herself then.
“Let me go,” she growled against his mouth.
He bit her bottom lip in response, making it impossible for her to talk. His teeth pricked her skin and sucked all the strength out of her knees. She strained against his hands which were holding her arms overhead, intensely aware that the struggle just pushed her breasts into his chest. More alarming, her nipples were hard and she felt a wetness between her legs.
It’s just a kiss, she told herself. This is ridiculous.
Apparently, Talon didn’t feel the same way as now his free hand was roaming over her body. His tongue was so deep in her mouth, she expected him to reach her stomach any second.
“Get off me,” she attempted to say around the thickness of his tongue. Her wolf was alternating between smiling and preening as if she had not a care in the world. Well, some help you are. Now’s not the time to go daft on me. I’m in danger. Bring your beast! The wolf inside her remained unimpressed.
Talon ignored her as well, seemingly incapable of listening, so she considered her options. Her wolf had wimped out. Her hands were out of the game. His grip around her wrists was tight as handcuffs, which meant all she had to work with were her legs and her teeth.
She hated to do it, but the sheriff had left her no choice. Taking in a deep breath, she struck, wincing on his behalf as she did so. In less than a second, her knee had connected with his groin and she clamped down on his tongue until she tasted blood.
Talon instantly released her and dropped to the floor with a yowl, hands cradling his crotch. The sound of his pain brought everyone running and soon his office was filled with shifters, all of them looking at her like she was the one who’d done something wrong.
“What did you do?” asked Keira, advancing on Gretchen, her eyes glittering with suspicion.
“Just helping him get his wolf under control,” said Gretchen, forcing a friendly smile and holding up her hands in an attempt to look harmless. The group remained wary, their gazes zeroing in on her with the intensity of predators trying to decide where to strike. Funnily enough, her wolf was staring her down much the same way.
A couple of burly guys helped the sheriff up into a chair, where he sat, slumped over, hands still guarding his crotch.
“Everything okay, boss?” asked one of the guys.
Talon growled and then said, “Get out. All of you. You stay, you’ll pay for it.”
Everyone spun around and filed out of the room, moving like it was on fire. Gretchen went to follow them, her purse tucked under her arm, but Talon snagged her hand and held her back. “Not you.”
Keira stopped short and turned back. “Are you sure you want to be alone with her, sir?”
“Yes,” Talon barked. “Shut the door.”
The woman didn’t move, her expression full of concern.
Talon didn’t growl, he roared, a wordless sound full of rage. Back arched, he lifted his head as his jaw dropped to make room for pure fury to blare from his throat. Keira jumped and then scurried off, slamming the office door behind her.
Frightened, Gretchen tried to pull back, but he just held her tighter. Once he heard the door shut, he fell silent, save for the sound of his heavy breathing.
“I’m sorry,” Gretchen said, hoping an apology would help. Her other half was pacing now, full of agitation.
“You didn’t feel it?” He raised his head and his dark eyes pinned her in place.
“Feel what exactly? Your tongue trying to spelunk its way through my digestive system? In which case, yeah, I felt that. For the record, I told you no.” She tried again to free her hand, but it was like trying to break a steel cable. Talon was way stronger than she was and determined to hold on to her for some warped reason she failed to understand.
“No. That’s not what I meant.” He stood up and yanked her close with such a rough movement she lost her footing and crashed into his chest. “We’re mates.”
Gretchen snorted. “Mates at first kiss is bullshit.”
“More like first smell,” he said, sniffing the nape of her neck. “The kiss just confirmed it.”
“Stop that.” She jerked her head back, trying to escape his persistent invasion into her personal space.
“Why?” He lifted his head and looked at her. “You’re mine, Gretchen. My wolf knew it as soon as I caught your scent.”
“I’m not yours. I’m never going to be yours. There is no such thing as fated mates. Now let me go, or I’m going to start kicking again.” She lifted her knee to show she was serious. In response, Talon shoved her against his desk, pinning her there with his hips. Then with undeniable strength, he forced her back until she was lying on top of his desk. Gretchen squeaked in panic and tried to put her purse between them. Talon brushed her purse aside and gave a smile that was all alpha wolf.
“Are you crazy? Let me go!” Gretchen was screaming now. The wolf in her head started howling, but not in solidarity. She wanted to jump through Gretchen’s skin and lick the sheriff. What the hell is wrong with you? You’re supposed to be on my side. Out loud she said, “I’m not here to be mauled by you.”
She scratched at his face as he bent down for another kiss, managing to draw blood, but he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes locked with hers, he covered her mouth with his. This time, his kiss was gentle and slower. He nibbled at her lips, and just like before, he took her breath away. A pleasant heat flushed her body and her heart pounded in her ears. Something deep inside her began to ache and tremble.
“Sheriff,” she said when he paused to catch his breath. “What about my dad?”
“I’ll take care of Axel. He’ll never bother you again.” He ground his hips into hers, his bulge hard and prominent. “No one touches what’s mine. No one.”
“I’m not yours. We’re not mates.” She managed to sit up and hauled her hand back to slap it across his face. “Wake up and smell the clue. You should be helping me because you’re the sheriff and that’s what you do, not because you want to fuck me.”
He stood, straight and stiff, a hand over his cheek and a dazed expression on his face. Gretchen took the opportunity to slide out from under him and edge toward the door, but he recovered, and in two quick steps, he was in front of her, blocking her exit.
Stretching out his arms, he used his massive bulk to completely seal off the little hallway that led in and out of his office. “If we’re not mates, then you must be playing some kind of sick game. You smell like you’re mine, you taste like you’re mine.” He glowered at her. “So what’s the truth? Are you gaming me or not?”
***
~Talon~
“I’m not gaming you,” his mate said, her voice prickly with irritation. She picked up her purse and reached inside to pull out her phone. “Here are pics of my father last night.”
Talon balled his hands into fists as he stared down his wolf. The beast wanted out, demanded he claim this woman as his. It took everything he had not to just bend her over and plunge into her whether she wanted it or not. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the screen as Hank appeared, his face dripping with blood. She swiped with her finger, clearing the image and then went into her call record.
“Maybe my alpha didn’t call you, bu
t I called him. You must know his number, right?”
At Talon’s curt nod, she showed him the screen. He fished his phone out of his pocket and compared the numbers. “They match.”
She sagged with relief as he backed off a bit. Not too far, though. He didn’t want her to think he was that easy to appease. He knew he had to earn his respect just like any other alpha, and dealing with strays had taught him to maintain his dominance no matter what. The second he relaxed, they would test him, so he never gave an inch. Besides, until things were settled between them, he wanted her to know who was on top: Him.
“All right, I’ll look into the situation with Axel on two conditions.” He waggled two fingers at her. His wolf had receded a bit now giving him room to think clearly and he’d come up with what he thought was a workable solution.
“Anything,” she said, licking her lips nervously.
“One, your story had better check out, and two, you’re going to help me.” He counted his demands on his fingers.
“Help you with what?”
“I’m short-staffed and I need a female for a sting tonight.” What he really wanted was to keep her close until he could sort out why he thought they were mates and she didn’t. Mates were made for each other. She should be naked and holding onto his desk, screaming with pleasure as he plowed into her, not fighting him tooth and nail. It didn’t make sense and until it did, he had no plans on letting Gretchen Halbmond leave his sight. If she was doing some crooked shit in an attempt to manipulate him, she would pay for it.
“A-a-a sting? I don’t think that’s such a great idea.” She pressed forward, aiming for the door again, but he didn’t budge.
“It’s a fabulous idea.” He gestured to the chair she’d occupied earlier. “Sit. I’ll explain what I need.”
She grudgingly settled back into the chair while he perched on the edge of the desk. His nose was full of her scent and it still wasn’t enough. An insatiable hunger for this woman gnawed at his gut. Crossing his arms he forced himself to focus. “Really, this is a concern for all of us, not just strays. A human’s got footage of one of the strays in mid shift. He’s planning on a big unveiling tonight at his house. If that happens, shifters will go public in a big way, which, as you know, none of us want.”
Her eyes went wide with concern. Good, at least she had a conscience. “Wow. What do you want me to do?”
“We’ve worked for the last week to head him off. Everything’s all set. Tonight is going according to our plan, not his. Are you in?”
“Is it dangerous?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
“And after this, will there be time to deal with Axel before his deadline passes?”
He raised his hand. “Yes, sheriff’s honor.” His wolf gave him a wide grin, pleased as punch laced with Viagra. Easy boy. She might not be ours to claim.
Chapter Seven
~Gretchen~
Gretchen fidgeted on a bar stool as she waited for the sheriff. He’d said to come back at five thirty, but she was early. She’d spent the afternoon trying to find a way to weasel out of doing anything Sheriff Garde wanted her to do, but nothing had panned out. Her calls to Chief Mueller —trying to follow up on this paperwork her alpha needed—ended in voicemail. When she called the station, the dispatcher told her Mueller was in a meeting and refused to interrupt him. So she drove down to the station only to discover his cruiser was gone. He was out on a call, they said.
Her alpha also appeared to be M.I.A. No one she needed to talk to was taking calls or otherwise available. Apparently, she was the only one who felt the situation with Axel was a priority.
Resigned to following through with Garde’s plans for her, she’d packed up her father and taken him to one of his friend’s houses so someone could keep an eye on him. While she didn’t know her dad’s buddies all that well, she did know pack stood with pack. If that bastard, Axel Sharpe, came looking for blood while she was gone, he would be sorely disappointed. She wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
Unfortunately, that meant it wasn’t easy for her, either. With a sigh, she recalled her interview with Lucas DeSanto. She’d be working at that restaurant right now if not for Axel Sharpe.
“This sucks,” she muttered under her breath.
“What sucks?” came a woman’s voice behind her.
Gretchen swiveled around on her stool until the bar was at her back. It was the tall, lithe woman Talon treated as his second. She walked toward Gretchen, a cardboard box in her arms.
“Pretty much everything,” Gretchen said, morose.
The woman’s mouth thinned with disapproval. “You have no idea what sucks. None, and you should watch the whining around us. Strays know a hard you’ll never see.”
Gretchen sniffed as the faint odor of sour disapproval hit her nose. “Sorry. Just wondering when this will all be over.”
She shrugged. “If I figure it out, I’ll let you know. Here.” She shoved a box at Gretchen. “Talon said to give this to you. By the way, I’m Keira, Talon’s deputy.”
“I’m Gretchen.” She flashed a smile.
“I know,” Keira said, unimpressed.
Her smile slipping, Gretchen hopped off the barstool and took the box. Despite Keira’s cool reception, she was glad she didn’t have to deal with Talon’s brooding presence. Yet, at the same time, she felt oddly empty without him around and her wolf had been moping like a moody teenager. The loss had struck her on the drive home after…whatever it was that went on in his office. It rankled to admit he’d gotten to her. But they still weren’t fated mates. That was a bullshit fairytale alphas fed their shifters in the interests of pack preservation. Just ask her dad.
Shaking her head, she pulled back the box flaps, revealing a wad of fake fur. “What is it?” She set the box on the bar to better remove what was inside. Holding up the mass of fur, her mind began to make sense of it. “Is this a costume?”
Keira nodded. “Yeah. A wolf. We’re all wearing them.”
“Why?” She looked askance at the costume. Similar to footie pajamas, it was made of coarse fake fur that had a lot in common with cheap carpet and a helmet-like head covered in the same ‘fur’. The whole ensemble reminded her of sport mascots’ outfits.
“Have you ever heard of furries?”
Gretchen gave the deputy a blank look.
“They’re humans who like to dress up in these costumes, and I don’t know,” Keira waved her hand, “have sex or something. It’s weird.”
“Yeah, that is weird,” Gretchen agreed. “What does this have to do with shifters?”
A man came forward, tall with gangly limbs and gold framed glasses on his nose. “You know how the Pack Council monitors chatter on the internet, right?”
Gretchen nodded. The Pack Council worked to make sure shifters stayed secret and out of the human spotlight. From what she’d heard, they’d piggybacked onto the NSA’s surveillance systems somehow and could monitor the world for any sign that humans had figured out shifters were real. If anything popped up, steps were taken to contain the situation.
The man continued his explanation. “Well, they found this guy on a forum telling all his monster hunting buddies that he’s got evidence werewolves are real. Since he’s in our jurisdiction he’s our problem. So I hacked his computer and found he’d caught someone shifting on tape.”
“Holy crap,” Gretchen said, putting a hand over her heart. “Seriously?” While bigger than Huntsville, Hudson was a small town where almost nothing ever happened. She couldn’t believe such a big threat to shifters was right in her backyard.
The man grinned. “Yep, seriously.”
“How are you going to stop him?” she asked. “Are you guys going to kill him?”
Keira snorted. “No. We don’t run around executing people. That’s the stuff of movies.”
“Right,” said the man. “Here’s our plan. Imagine if, instead of a wolf shifting, his video shows someone in one of these costumes.”
<
br /> “And then we burst out of the woods around his house.” The deputy mimed taking off a mask. “We show him we’re human and he looks like a fool.”
“You think that will work?” It sounded crazy to Gretchen.
The man nodded. “Yes. We’ve already hacked his computer and replaced the original footage with a shoot of furries in action. Luckily, he hadn’t sent it out to anyone. I guess he wanted to save it for his moment of glory.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Dixon by the way. I do all the computer stuff for Talon.”
Gretchen shook his hand, working to keep her grip firm and hide any of the bewilderment she felt. All she’d wanted to do was take care of her dad and now she was sucked into a world where Talon thought they should get hitched, and dressing up as a wolf was the key to protecting shifter secrecy.
“Our job tonight,” added Keira, “is to convince everyone that a group of furries runs their social hour in the woods behind his house.”
Gretchen looked from Keira to Dixon. “But he saw the werewolf shift, right? He knows the truth. This doesn’t change that.”
“No, it doesn’t, but he’ll never have any credibility again. Not after he livestreams our video all over the internet.” Dixon laughed, amused. “You see, this guy wants to be hot shit in the monster hunting world.”
Gretchen frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean by monster hunting. Like someone who hunts us?”
Keira shook her head. “No. He’s one of those humans who thinks Bigfoot is just shy. Strangely enough, he wasn’t looking for us. He didn’t think we were real.”
“He’s counting on his video to put him on the map,” said Dixon with a smirk. “And we’re going to give him exactly what he wants. After tonight, everyone will know exactly who he is…a big, fat liar.”
“And that’ll be the end of that.” Keira moved behind the bar and served up three bottles of beer. “Might as well have one for the road.” She clinked bottles with Dixon. “Never say die.”