“John doesn’t know you are here?” She followed Margo out the door, and then turned to set the house alarm.
“Well he knows I am rounding up some of our rural pack members.” She’d rounded the car by the time Trudy reached it, and winked over the hood. “And if memory serves, John views you as a member of our pack.”
Trudy wanted to know how Margo knew where Adam lived, but wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer. She didn’t say much during their drive back to Fargo, letting Margo chat on about pack business. Several times her cell phone rang, and then Trudy stared out the window while Margo reassured a pack member that all was fine.
“There have just been a few disturbances. John wants us to keep a low profile for the time being.”
She had to admit, Margo was good. With a sickening feeling in her stomach she accepted the fact that Margo was probably good at everything. She refused to allow an image of Adam fucking Margo surface in her brain, instead turning when Margo said something.
“Thinking about him?” Margo asked, dropping her cell phone between them.
“Yeah.” It wasn’t a lie.
“I told you before. He hasn’t had any women around since he came to Fargo.” She reached for Trudy, taking her hand and squeezing it. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was thinking about you right now, too.”
Margo’s touch was warm, soft, her words reassuring. Trudy licked her lips, wondering what it would be like to love one werewolf, but have sex with another werewolf.
You had three mates and fucked all of them. But this was different. There hadn’t been any other women involved. At least none that joined them for sex when she was around.
“I’m not sure what to think about him. Or what he thinks.”
Margo didn’t answer, but pulled her hand away, leaving Trudy’s skin tingling where she’d touched her. They entered Fargo, and Margo drove straight to where Trudy had a room, and everything she owned was.
“I can see why he wanted to keep you naked.” Margo walked behind Trudy when they were alone in her room. She ran her fingers up her back, immediately making Trudy’s nipples harden from the touch.
Trudy cupped her own breasts, wanting to cover her aroused nipples, and play with them at the same time.
“Margo,” she whispered. “This isn’t right.”
Margo turned her around, and Trudy immediately noticed her intense expression. Everything about Margo showed how turned on she was. Her caramel skin glowed with a sensual flush. Margo ran her tongue over her full lips, giving them a glossy hue.
“You don’t want me to,” Margo guessed, although she didn’t take her hands off of Trudy’s shoulders.
“No. Well. I don’t know.” She didn’t know what to think at the moment. “We are all alone.”
Margo laughed, pulling Trudy to her and hugging her.
“John doesn’t mind.” She let Trudy go and moved to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. “He loves hearing all of the details. But I agree. If he were here we could fuck him after playing with each other.”
She remembered telling Adam about her last encounter with Margo. She had lain in his bed, fingering her pussy, listening to his breathing grow raspy over the phone while she shared the details of how Margo had almost seduced her.
But what would Adam say if she told him she had fucked John? Would that turn him on, too? She couldn’t imagine that it would. More like piss him off.
Her fingers shook when she pulled her shirt over her head. “I guess all of this is new to me.”
“You had three mates but you’ve never been with a woman?”
Margo’s question surprised her. She pulled her jeans on, fidgeting with the buttons with shaking fingers.
“I didn’t ask to have three mates; it was the law of our pack.” She didn’t see any reason to go into the atrocities of her past. “But no. I’ve never been with another woman.”
“To have three werewolves who you could fuck anytime you wanted. I love doing more than one werewolf at a time.”
Her words bit at Trudy, and she looked at Margo in time to see her nibble at her lower lip, a faraway look in her eyes. John didn’t mind sharing his mate with another werewolf. And apparently Margo wouldn’t mind sharing John with her.
Did Margo seduce Adam into joining them for a romp in their bed?
She wouldn’t let Margo smell her jealousy. Sighing, she gathered her few possessions together. “I guess I’m ready.”
Margo looked up at her quickly, as if being pulled from her thoughts.
“Okay. I’ll take you over to the house for now.” She stood, looking for a minute like she was trying to decide something. Her soft brown eyes searched the room briefly before her expression relaxed.
“I hope I haven’t offended you.” Trudy didn’t know why she was apologizing. Shy of being queen bitch, Margo had no right over her. If she didn’t want a bisexual encounter, she didn’t need to give her reasons why. Still, something in Margo’s expression made her press the issue. “When I’m around you…when you touch me…it makes me think of Adam.”
“If it bothers you, maybe you should talk to Adam.” Margo spoke softly, like a mother soothing her cub.
“No. I’m not worried about his feelings on the matter.” She focused on her toes, drawing an imaginary line on the floor. She was muddling this whole matter, when the truth was plain and simple. She took a deep breath, unable to look up, or she would lose her nerve. “It’s my feelings. I think I’m bothered by the fact that you have fucked him.”
“Oh.”
The silence that followed lingered so heavily in the room, Trudy could hardly stand it. Finally she looked up, knowing from the heat on her cheeks that she was blushing furiously. Margo had her lips pursed together, her mouth making a perfect heart shape. But her eyes had that faraway look in them again.
“I’ve never fucked Adam when John wasn’t there. Nor would I want to.” She almost sounded hurt.
Just great. Now Trudy had offended her. She hadn’t expected to suddenly feel the role of the defensive.
Margo stood, straightening her clothes with a gentle brush of her hands. Always the graceful one, she led the way out of the room, without saying anything else.
“I want you to know something.” Margo turned to her after starting the car. “Now that he is with you, I wouldn’t fuck him without your consent. I respect that he is your werewolf, and if you’ll remember, I gave you my blessing.”
“I never said he was my werewolf,” she mumbled.
Margo laughed, pulling away from the curb and heading toward her home. “Well he might as well be. Because I tell you, darling, he has made it quite clear that you belong to him. You may as well admit to claiming him in return.”
Trudy ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly very confused.
Within minutes they were at Margo’s, the extra cars parked in the drive drawing both women’s attention.
“You’ve got company.” Trudy stated the obvious, glancing over to catch Margo’s concerned expression. Her brows narrowed as she looked from one parked car to the next.
“It doesn’t look good,” was all she said.
Trudy followed Margo after they parked on the street in front of the house. Tension weighed heavy in the living room, several men glancing in their direction. Two older werewolves, frustration lingering around them, nodded while Margo closed the front door behind Trudy.
“What we need to know is what will happen after Knight kills this werewolf hunter.” A third werewolf, younger than the rest, had his back to the ladies when he spoke to John Campbell.
“I was worried about you.” John moved around the man, wrapping his arm around Margo, while smiling over her head at Trudy. He turned his attention to the younger werewolf who had just spoken. “And that is the plan we are working on right now.”
Trudy glanced around the room. The two older werewolves, old enough to be her father, if he were still alive, looked grim. The younger werewolf, carrot-top red hair looki
ng a bit too ruffled, appeared more animated. He ignored the women, too wound up into the conversation.
“We need to do something about these humans on a rampage. Knight may be able to kill their leader, but he can’t be everywhere at once.” The young redhead walked around John so that he faced him.
John gave Margo a squeeze, whispering something in her ear. Margo let go of him and took Trudy by the hand, guiding her toward the kitchen. Trudy wanted to hear what they were saying about Adam. He hadn’t told her he was headed out to kill a human. She wanted to know every detail about what he was doing. Her stomach curled into an uncomfortable knot. He wasn’t in any danger, was he?
“John is hungry.” Margo let go of Trudy’s hand once they were alone in the kitchen. “Come to think of it, so am I. Want to help me put lunch together?”
She wasn’t sure she could eat anything. Spending time with Margo had unsettled her, but now thoughts of Adam plagued her, too. She wanted to be with him, not here with a pack she barely knew.
Trudy pulled cold cuts out of the refrigerator, and pointed to one of the counters. “We might as well make enough sandwiches for everyone. Will you get the plates?”
She busied herself doing as Margo asked, while she wondered what Adam was doing now. Where was this human? And why was he a werewolf killer? Try as she would to get answers from the men’s conversation in the other room, nothing they said helped.
“Are you okay?” Margo asked while dumping potato salad into a serving bowl to put on the table. One thing that seemed to stay the same no matter what pack she visited, the queen bitch was always the skilled hostess.
Trudy watched her mound the yellow mush into the ornate bowl. “I can’t help wondering where Adam is, and if he’s okay.”
Margo met her gaze, her expression serious. “You have fallen for a wandering werewolf.”
She left the kitchen, carrying the potato salad to the dining room table. “Grab the meat.” She gestured with a nod to the plate of cold cuts she’d prepared and Trudy helped put the food on the table.
“I would just like to know where he is,” Trudy confessed a few minutes later after the men started to linger around the dining room table.
She’d followed Margo back into the kitchen, knowing she wouldn’t be able to eat a bite of food. Margo turned to her, understanding in her smile.
“I hate to see you worrying.” She caressed Trudy’s face, a light touch with her fingertips over her cheek.
Trudy looked down, not wanting to be consoled, but informed. Margo must have sensed her frustration. She ran her fingers through Trudy’s hair, her grip soft, but enough to make Trudy look at her. The gesture was possessive, controlling, just the way Adam would have touched her. Her insides flip-flopped, although she knew it wasn’t because Margo’s touch turned her on. The only reason she reacted to the intimate caress was because she was thinking of Adam.
“Probably the one werewolf who knows where he is would be his assistant, Raven.” Margo stroked the side of Trudy’s head, another intimate caress that sent tingles down Trudy’s spine.
She ignored the sensation Margo’s touch gave her. Distracting thoughts of Adam’s assistant, and the knock on his motel room door ending their conversation the night before made it hard to concentrate.
She wouldn’t be jealous. If the werewolf wanted his assistant, then she would simply back off and continue on with her life. But she would find out where this human werewolf killer lived. She would know where Adam was, and what he was doing.
Chapter Eighteen
Adam blinked once, then twice, trying to clear his vision. It was still dark. He sat up, the ground beneath him hard and cold. The air smelled stale and dampness clung to him. Where in the hell was he?
He remembered getting shot and a net of some type covering him. But that was it. The more he thought about what might have happened, the more his head began to throb. And that wasn’t all that hurt. He ran his hands over his body, realizing quickly enough that he wasn’t injured, just sore and naked.
Whoever had captured him must have used a tranquilizer gun. A strong tranquilizer. One intended to take out a werewolf. They had chained him to the wall as a werewolf. Apparently he’d changed to his human form while knocked out.
Well, he had set out to find Christopher Hordan, and it appeared he’d found him. The human werewolf killer had captured him. He would bet money on it. Except that he didn’t have any money, or clothes.
Running his hands over the metal collar that was clasped around his neck, he fingered the chain attached to it. The chain wasn’t more than two feet long, not long enough to allow him to stand. And it appeared to be linked to a stone wall.
A banging sounded and his body tensed. Sore muscles made their presence known throughout his body. He didn’t doubt he’d been dragged through the forest once knocked out. That and sleeping on the hard floor would explain why he ached.
He stretched his legs, finding he could do so easily enough. His prison allowed him that much space. A feeling of claustrophobia washed over him anyway. He didn’t like being confined, never had. The fact that he couldn’t even stand made it worse.
“Hey!” he yelled at the muffled voices outside. “Remember me?”
He closed his eyes, knowing when that door opened the brightness would blind him anyway. Focusing on the sounds and smells around him, he listened for approaching footsteps.
Silence followed for only a moment. He heard the leaves on the ground crunch outside, small steps, close together. Other footsteps sounded. Someone said something, quietly, possibly under their breath. And then he heard the clink of a key being inserted in a keyhole.
Light flooded the room, its warmth spreading over him. He kept his eyes shut only for a moment, then squinted, allowing them to adjust slowly from the darkness. Dust molecules floated around him, the brightness allowing him to see the stone and mortar prison he’d been confined in. A small square room, no taller than it was wide, hooks on the wall made to hold its prisoners. A werewolf cage.
“So you’re awake.” A woman spoke, and at the same time the cold end of a rifle prodded his shoulder. “Don’t move a muscle, werewolf.”
He obliged while someone else reached around him and messed with the chain, releasing it from the wall. Apparently the collar around his neck was meant to stay. He wondered how much they actually knew about his kind. Changing slightly would give him enough strength to rip the metal off of him.
He eased to his feet, but the room and the door were smaller than he was. Hunching over, he stepped outside glancing around into what appeared to be a backyard surrounded by spruce that offered a severe degree of privacy. Their rich scent wrapped around him, cleansing him from his dark prison.
“This way, werewolf.” The human male tugged on his chain, the metal collar rubbing his skin to the point of irritation.
He glared at the human, getting a perverse pleasure out of watching the man sidestep around him, keeping a tight grip on the chain. The human, a man about his size but with no muscle tone to speak of, glanced at the woman carrying the gun.
Adam allowed them to lead him toward the house, deciding disarming the woman at this point would be futile. He’d come here to speak with Christopher Hordan and he hoped that was who they were taking him to.
The second they opened the door to the house, Adam fought to keep his expression calm. The smell of humans made his stomach twist though, and it growled furiously.
“Cooperate and maybe we’ll feed you.” There was amusement in the woman’s voice.
He hadn’t eaten in a while, but food hadn’t crossed his mind. Glancing at her, he decided her kind might think her pretty. She was athletic-looking, her reddish-blonde hair cropped short, and eyes that looked away from him the second he gave her his attention. But she kept that gun pointed right at him. He guessed it was loaded with another hard tranquilizer.
“Do you have what I like to eat?” he whispered.
Curiosity and fear swarmed around her,
her expression showing neither when she looked up at him. She had a hard time focusing on his face, and not letting her gaze drift down his nude body. “If we don’t, I guess you’ll starve.” She sounded harsh, but her feelings spoke otherwise. She wondered about him, the smell around her was too strong.
The smell of another human, covered by a strong aftershave, grabbed his attention. He looked away from the woman, searching for the third human.
“In here.” The coward yanking on his chain nodded toward the living room, while leading Adam that way.
With a quick glance, he took in the large room that showed all the signs of a big game hunter. A buck’s head with antlers that spread an arm’s length hung over the sunken fireplace. A white bass, with its mouth opened wide, gasping for its last breath, hung on the opposite wall. Displays of a human proud of his kill, but hunting to do just that, for sport instead of food.
Two men stood in the living room, big men, who glared at him. One was human with beady eyes that looked pinched under thick black eyelashes. But he noticed immediately that the other didn’t smell human, not completely. A trace of werewolf lingered around him. But just lingered. He scowled at Adam with dark eyes that looked almost black under waves of dark hair.
“What are you?” he couldn’t help but ask.
The man straightened, his frown increasing. This one was a lot younger than the rest and lacked the skill of controlling his emotions, or his temper. For a second Adam thought he would hit him.
“Bring him in here. This isn’t a social hour.” The loud bark from the other room made everyone in the room grow tense. Either they feared their leader, or they didn’t like him.
The coward tugged on Adam’s chain, leading him past the two men into the room they apparently guarded.
Adam stopped when he reached the middle of the room, aware of the woman next to him holding the rifle, her emotions clouding him. Her nerves, fear, and curiosity saturated the air. He would bet his nudity distracted her, which made it easier for him to stand naked among them. His body was his only weapon.
Lunewulf 5: In Her Soul Page 10