Tomi coaxed and pleaded with Grace, and Isi began to wonder if her friend would ever consent to leave with them. They talked for a while before Grace finally relented.
“I suppose….” Grace still looked uncertain.
One of the new guys stepped out onto the porch, gave the ladies a nod, then leaned against the wall with his arms folded and surveyed the area. Isi sighed as she realized Garren had stuck her with a bodyguard again. It was the porch for god’s sake! Not to mention it was still daylight. Did he really think someone would come snatch her out from under his nose? Besides, they were bonded now. He’d be able to track her if someone did manage to abduct her.
Tomi scowled at the new addition. “I guess our visiting time is over since he stuck you with rover.”
The guard glanced her way, his lips kicking up a little. “Not a wolf.”
“Pussy cat?” Tomi asked. “Yogi? Oh! I know! Tweety!”
He laughed outright and winked at her. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Tomi snorted and turned to face Isi again. “Look, I appreciate that your mate wants to take care of you, but call me when we can have a private conversation again. Your mate seems to have eyes and ears everywhere and there are some things that should remain between girls, if you know what I mean.”
Yes, Isi knew exactly what she meant, and she couldn’t agree more. Getting Garren to understand that was another matter though. He was determined to suffocate her.
Everyone made their goodbyes and Isi approached the new male.
“So, you’re on guard duty?” she asked.
He nodded. “Name’s Colton. Colton Ford.”
“And you’re here with two other teammates?”
“And the pilot.”
So there were now eight men wandering around the house. Just great. She gave a long-suffering sigh and went back in the house, despite the testosterone that was going to smother her. Maybe she could talk Garren into leaving sooner rather than later. The last thing she wanted to do was aimlessly roam this house while under surveillance, with a bunch of overgrown men breathing down her neck too. Did it really matter if they figured out who sold her out if she wasn’t staying?
She found Garren in what looked like an office, a map of the area spread out before him and a pencil in his hand.
“What are you doing?” she asked, coming to stand beside him.
“Can you show me on this map where you were snatched? I’m trying to figure out where they came from.”
She pointed to the wooded area near her parents’ home. “I was running through the woods when someone came up behind me, put some sort of nasty cloth over my nose, and then it was lights out. I woke in the box you rescued me from.”
“We already know who took you, but it’s the why that bothers me.”
“Maybe I was convenient. Do we really have to do this, Garren? Why can’t you just take me home?”
He scowled at her. “You’re not moving back into that duplex.”
“I meant your home,” she said softly. “I kind of figured it was my home now too.”
His features smoothed. “Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘oh’ is right.” She punched him in the arm. “I may not be thrilled with the way you claimed me, but I can no longer deny we’re mates.”
“What if we leave and the person responsible comes after you again? It’s safer to ferret them out now rather than wait for them to strike again later.”
Isi sighed and rested her head on his bicep. Part of her liked the alpha side of him that wanted to watch over her and the other part of her wanted to smack him upside the head. She figured as his mate she’d probably get away with it, but wasn’t certain she wanted to test the theory just yet.
She chewed on her lower lip. “I sort of invited the girls along.”
“Invited them where?” he asked, staring at the map again.
“Home with us.”
His head slowly turned in her direction, the green depths of his gaze focused on her. “You did what?”
“Well, I thought it might be nice to have my friends around when I move back home with you, and they really don’t like it here under Alpha Henry’s rule. I thought it might be a fresh start for all of us. There’s no reason they can’t join us, is there?”
“We don’t have a pack at home, Isi. It’s just the guys and me, with a leap of jaguars nearby. They will be isolated. My home is nothing like your small town here. We’re integrated with humans. Can they handle something like that? Not all humans are thrilled they share the world with shifters.”
“Well, Grace may need a little support from all of us, but Hailey and Tomi are both strong. Grace is gentle, like her animal.”
He frowned. “She isn’t a wolf? I thought everyone here was a wolf but you.”
Isi shook her head. “Grace is a black swan. Tomi is a wolf. Hailey is human. There are non-wolf shifters mixed within the town as mates and children. So don’t attack this thing thinking everyone is a canine and will think like a canine. There are some cats and birds. No bears though.”
He seemed to mull that over.
“Garren.” She nibbled on her lip. “What if you find out the person who set me up was the alpha?”
His eyes flared gold. “You think Alpha Henry is behind your abduction?”
“I think anyone in town could be behind it, but wouldn’t it make sense for an alpha to want to do the best thing for his pack? As much as everyone here hates me, the alpha included, it wouldn’t be a far stretch for him to have orchestrated the whole thing.”
Garren shook his head. “I don’t think a ransom note would have been sent to him if he’d set it up. I think we’re looking for someone else. I’m not willing to discount your friends just yet. Jealousy is a powerful motivator.”
Isi threw back her head and laughed. “Jealousy? Why would anyone ever be jealous of the pack pariah? If anything, I should be jealous of my friends.”
“I told you, Isi. Everyone is a suspect. I trust no one but my team and our reinforcements. These men put their lives on the line to make sure this country stays safe and to ensure you have the freedoms you’ve been given. They would die for you, and they know that there’s a chance that could happen, depending on what we discover.”
“I don’t want anyone to die for me,” she said softly. “They have families. Friends. People who would miss them. Who would miss me?”
“I would.”
She leaned closer and rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
Garren drew away and then pulled her into his arms. Before she could ask what he was up to, his lips slanted across hers. The warmth of his mouth sent a shiver of awareness through her. Had it really been that morning that he’d claimed her? When he kissed her, she felt like she’d known him forever, that they’d been two halves of a whole for their entire lives. His tongue stroked hers and her fingers curled into his shoulders, holding onto him as her legs threatened to give out. Garren shifted and Isi let out a squeak as he lifted her into his arms and began striding from the room.
When he reached the top floor and the master suite, he kicked the door shut behind them and settled her on the bed. His eyes burned bright with his passion and she licked her lips in anticipation.
She knew she should fight, not give in so easily, but her body yearned for his touch. The tender side of Garren was what she craved, and in that moment, she saw a vulnerability in his eyes as he gazed at her, a look that gave her hope that their future held a world of possibility.
“Take off your clothes,” he rumbled, his teeth lengthening. “I want to see my sexy mate.”
Goose bumps popped up on her arms as she reached for the hem of her shirt. She paused only a moment before lifting the garment over her head and tossing it aside. He gave a low, rumbling purr that made her warm from the inside out.
Chapter Five
Garren watched. Hungry and hurting. His mate undressed slowly, tormenting him as each garment fell away, revealing more and more of her t
antalizing body. If ever there was a woman meant for loving, it was Isi. As she pulled away the last item of clothing, her sweet curves beckoned to him. With a growl, he practically tore his clothes from his body, needing to feel her softness pressed against him, have her scent surrounding him, have the taste of her on his tongue.
He settled over her body, hip to hip, his aching cock nestled against her soft belly. Garren smoothed her hair back from her face as he stared down into her hazel eyes. A soft smile curved her lips as she slid her hands up his biceps to settle on his shoulders. His dog tags pooled between her breasts as he leaned forward to press a kiss against her jaw then moved up to claim her lips.
Isi shifted beneath him and he felt her legs hook around his thighs as she held him to her. The heat of her body pressed against him, her heart pounded against his chest, the staccato rhythm driving his need higher. The scent of her arousal filled the air, teasing him. A shift of his hips and he could feel the moisture gathering between her legs.
He traced her jaw with his nose before pressing kisses along the column of her throat. “What do you want my sexy, sweet mate?”
“I want you, Garren.” Her nails bit into his shoulders.
He growled softly. “Roll over.”
Garren lifted his body enough for Isi to turn onto her stomach and then he slid a hand under her belly and lifted her onto her knees. With his chest pressed to her back, and his hands braced on either side of her, he buried his nose in her hair as his cock gently pressed inside of her body. He felt sweat break out on his skin as he fought for control. The beast inside wanted him to bite down, to hold her in place as he fucked her long and hard, but the human half of Garren told him that Isi needed something more from him.
After their discussion about mates and love, he knew that in order to truly please her, he would have to slow down from time to time, make sure she knew how precious she was to him.
Her silken walls closed around him as he buried himself to the hilt inside of her, the wet heat of her pussy wrapping around him. His heart thundered in his chest and his hands fisted the covers as he battled his beast. The lion roared in his head. Mate! Claim! Ours! He snarled, his canines pressing against his lower lip. His vision shifted to that of his cat, the world flowing from multi-hued to blues and greens.
Garren kept most of his weight off Isi as he slowly began thrusting inside of her. She whimpered beneath him and cast him a glance over her shoulder. She may not be able to shift, but her eyes turned to slits, like cat’s eyes, their hazel depths shifting from gray to green to blue. He stared into that mesmerizing gaze as his cock powered in and out of her, the sounds of their heavy breathing and flesh slapping against flesh filling the room.
A low purr rumbled from her and Garren chuffed back at her in response, beast speaking to beast. The harder he thrust, the tighter she clamped down on him, her walls squeezing him as he glided in and out of her. Her body trembled and he watched her eyes dilate as her lips parted. A low keening built in her throat and slipped past her lips as her climax built, and built, then exploded. A gush of warmth coated his cock as her channel spasmed around him.
Having brought his mate pleasure, he allowed himself to let go. His beast roared to the surface. A snarl tore from him as he leaned forward and clamped down on her shoulder, the tang of her blood hitting his tongue. Faster. Harder. Garren took her like a man possessed, his lion not only seeking to claim their mate once more, but to fill her with their cubs. Despite her insane thoughts of having defective children, Garren knew he’d love nothing more than to have a daughter as beautiful as Isi, or a son as troublesome as he was.
A tingling built in his spine and then heat shot through his balls as they drew up tight against his body. His cock jerked as he buried himself inside of Isi, hot cum filling her spurt after spurt, until Garren felt drained. He eased from his mate’s body and tugged her into his arms as he collapsed on his side. She panted in his embrace, her hands curling over the arm he had around her waist.
He gently placed a kiss over the bite on her shoulder. “Are you all right, mate?”
“Fine.” She turned in his embrace. “More than fine. But I don’t think I can move anytime soon. I hope you didn’t have plans.”
Garren chuckled. “If my mate wants to stay in bed the rest of the day, then that’s what we’ll do.” He kissed her. “I won’t complain.”
Her lips tipped up in a smile. “I’m sure you wouldn’t, but if we do this too many more times today, I won’t be able to walk.”
“Then I guess I’d just have to carry you everywhere.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I can see you doing that. I think I prefer getting from one place to another on my own steam.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to let you rest,” he said, his hand sliding up and down her back, petting her in long strokes. She seemed to like it, snuggling closer to him, burying her face in his chest.
A knock sounded at the door. “Garren, it’s Parker. We’re going to start the night shift patrols. We put you on rotation for the morning so you could have some time with your mate. If you need anything, just yell and someone will come running.”
“You hear that, my sweet Isi?” he whispered in her ear. “You have me all to yourself tonight. Whatever shall we do?”
She groaned. “Sleep.”
Garren laughed and hugged her tight. “How about I feed you first? You’re going to be ravenous when you wake up if you don’t at least have a snack before bed. I’ve watched you pick at your food all day, and after your ordeal this past week, you need your strength and should be eating everything we put in front of you.”
“I’ll make you a deal.” She looked up at him. “If you don’t find the person responsible within one week, we leave here and never look back. And I’ll eat whatever you want me to.”
He frowned. “I can’t just walk away, Isi. This is too important. What if they aren’t satisfied with us taking you away? What if they come after you again?”
“They were perfectly content for me to be taken from the pack before. I’m sure they will be this time, too.”
“It’s not up for discussion.” The thought of someone taking her from him chilled Garren to the bones. He’d just found her and he wasn’t about to lose her. He could understand her need to be away from this place. There was bad energy in the McGraw pack and he wanted to be away from here as soon as possible, but he also knew he had to tie up loose ends first or it might come back to bite him in the ass.
He felt her sigh against his skin and his beast let out a rumbling purr. His lion was very content to have their mate in their arms. Truthfully, Garren had begun to wonder if he would ever find his mate. He’d thought he’d found her once, but the woman had been all wrong for him. He’d realized it, but a little too late. Mary had done a number on him before he wisened up and kicked her to the curb.
He’d never had the best taste in women, which was why he’d preferred one-night stands. They didn’t haunt you the next day like a royally fucked up relationship could.
Garren felt Isi relax against him and knew she’d fallen asleep. He really had wanted to feed her first, but her poor body was still worn out from her ordeal.
When he’d first dropped down into that box, he’d feared that she was dead, but his acute hearing had picked up the faintest hint of a heartbeat and relief had flooded him. Even over the pungent scents coming from that concrete box, he’d still known she was his mate. Seeing her in that condition, knowing someone had harmed her on purpose, had sent him into a rage, but he’d had to hold it together—for her.
He’d do anything for Isi, she just didn’t realize it yet.
Garren closed his eyes and tried to relax. It wasn’t in his nature to not be aware of his surroundings, but he tried to let go of the stress and tension and just enjoy being with his mate. Isi was the greatest gift he could have ever received and he would treasure her every day for the rest of his life.
****
A noise woke Garren. The room w
as pitch-black, but his lion could see just fine. The bed next to him was empty and a faint glow showed beneath the bathroom door. At first, he’d thought Isi had just gotten up to relieve herself, but when he strained and didn’t hear a sound, the hairs on the back of his neck lifted.
Shoving off the covers, he padded across the room, hesitating just outside the bathroom door. There was a shuffling sound, like feet sliding against the tile floor. Garren reached for the knob, but it wouldn’t turn in his hand. He fought the urge to call out to Isi, but something told him all was not as it seemed so that would be a mistake. There was a crash on the other side of the door and Garren knew he couldn’t wait another moment.
Putting his shoulder to the door, he rammed it several times. The first split the door down the middle, but the door didn’t fold. He rammed it a second time and it gave, but not enough. Leaning away, he kicked out, shattering the door on impact. The sight before him stilled his heart before sending it into overdrive.
“Let her go,” he growled at the man who held Isi captive. The man’s arm was banded around her waist, pinning her arms at her sides while he tried to jab her with a needle. One wrong move and Isi could be seriously hurt. He couldn’t just tackle the man to the ground, no matter how much he’d love to do exactly that.
A scar ran down the man’s face from hairline to jaw; his blue eyes glittered in the fluorescent lighting. The man bared his teeth at Garren and tried to jab Isi again, but she fought him, struggling in his grasp, kicking with all her might.
Garren wasn’t sure what chilled him more. The look in the man’s eyes or the fact he hadn’t bothered hiding his face. When a man didn’t care if you could identify him, things turned to shit—fast.
“I’ve been paid top dollar to get rid of this bitch,” the man bit out. “I always finish a job.”
“I told you I would leave,” Isi said, her face turning red from her struggles. “I’ll move far away from here and no one will ever see me again.”
SEALed Embrace Page 9