by Jasmin Quinn
Gideon nodded at her cooperation. “We’ll meet Lucien and Raff in town tonight. Do you have much to pack?”
“No.” And she didn’t. She shared a small cabin with two other unmated females. She had a bag of clothes, a few belongings, her bottle of tequila and a couple of cans of formerly frozen limeade.
Her mother died as she was born and her father died when she was five. The pack raised her and packs weren’t all that nurturing. At least not Gideon’s pack. Well, not his pack when Trist’s father died and not now, not really. Packs were led by male shifters. Male shifters are well, male. Unless there was a strong female in the pack mated to the Alpha, there wasn’t a whole lot of touchy-feely shit going on.
He was quiet as his eyes settled on Trist’s face. “Say what’s on your mind, Trist.”
She was a little surprised that he read her. She wouldn’t have given him credit for being in touch with his sensitive side. “Could I have the weekend please? Our heat cycle starts just after midnight and I don’t want to leave in this state. I’ll be off-cycle with Lucien’s pack and they won’t be expecting me.” She was a little embarrassed that she was talking of the heat cycle with her Alpha. Former-Alpha, she amended. Shifters were the species between repressed, stick-up-their-asses humans and real wolves. They embraced instinct, didn’t fight it, but still, a lot of what they did was more human than wolf.
Gideon understood. Nodded. “Go home, Trist. Pack. I’ll arrange for the meeting on Monday in town. Lucien will understand.”
Trist jumped to her feet and left, no backward glance, no awkward goodbye. No one in the pack except maybe Leah was sentimental, would cry over her departure. Not even her housemates. However, they would be more than happy to help her drink the shitty, too-sweet margheritas over the weekend. And hopefully, they’d picked up a couple of their own bottles in town. They could spend their heat-cycle drunk, hungover, repeat.
On her way back to her cabin, she encountered Leah, who appeared to be waiting for her. The Omega stepped into Trist’s stride, side-by-side as they walked. “So what’s the verdict?”
Trist didn’t stop, didn’t slow. The limeade in her backpack was melting and she wanted to get it home before it leaked out of the shitty cans they were in. “I’m being traded for land. Full stop. I have until Monday to pack.”
Leah skipped beside Trist. “So what’re you going to do until Monday?”
Trist stopped, eyed the waif. She was mischief and someone should look after her during the cycle or she might wander out on her own. “You got a bottle?”
She nodded. “Some of the good scotch. I pinched it from Gideon.”
“He’s gonna know it was you.”
Leah grinned, her smile lighting up her face. “Yeah. And what the fuck’s he gonna do about it? He can’t approach us during our heat cycle.”
Trist laughed. She was going to miss Leah. “Go get it and it bring it over. Bring pajamas. We’re going to fucking rock this weekend.”
Chapter 2
Raff had not yet been updated on the outcome of the council meeting when Lucien’s brother, Gideon, called him because Lucien was not picking up his phone. He told Raff that it was his pack’s heat cycle, so he couldn’t hand off Trist until Monday.
Raff blanked. “Who?”
“Trist,” Gideon repeated like the asshole alpha he was. “The trade for the land.”
Lucien and he had been out of town on business, leaving Rusty, an obsequious little sleaze ball who was more dingo than wolf, to represent the pack at the meeting. Lucien had given the fuck permission to bargain the small useless tract of land that Gideon wanted, but only if they could get something worthwhile.
Raff froze, his brain catching up. He covered by saying, “I’ll let Lucien know.” He hung up on Gideon, then went looking for Rusty, found him outside the smoke shed talking with Lucien, but that didn’t stop Raff from grabbing the prick by his T-shirt and slamming him up against a wall.
Lucien swore at Raff, shoved him off Rusty, who had the good sense not to say a fucking word.
“Do you know what he’s done?” Raff was keenly aware that he was shouting at his Alpha in front of a pack member, but he couldn’t contain his wolf. He wanted to savage Rusty.
Lucien nodded, kept his voice quiet. “I know. I asked him to find out what Gideon would be open to, including an unmated female.”
Raff was in shock. He was a shit, a savage, a bad loser who rarely lost. But trading for a woman… that was fucked up and he said so.
Lucien frowned. “Let’s take this inside.” Lucien entered the smoke shed followed by Rusty then Raff, who thought Rusty was a fucking idiot for turning his back on him, but Raff didn’t rip him limb from limb. Not yet anyway.
Once they were seated, Rusty said, “I had no choice. Gideon wanted a decision before the end of the meeting.”
Raff was beyond furious, pushing the edges of Lucien’s patience, but he couldn’t seem to bring the anger back inside. His wolf’s hackles were up and he was seconds away from shifting and savaging the fuck sprawled in the chair next to Lucien. “You gave Rusty permission to seal the deal?” Rusty was a prick, always working on an angle, not someone Raff thought should be trusted making a sandwich let alone negotiating for a piece of land.
Lucien looked pained. “He misunderstood my direction.”
Rusty nodded as Raff turned to the sonofabitch. “Who is she, Rusty? The girl you bargained for? Someone you’ve been fucking on the sly?”
Lucien growled but said nothing. Waited to hear what Rusty had to say.
“Gideon offered her up.” Usually Raff could scent when someone was lying but he’d never been able to do that with Rusty. Another reason not to like the fuck. Raff thought he was a psychopath.
“Then what’s wrong with her?” Raff tried to think what the girl looked like. Gideon had maybe a dozen unmated females in his pack including the latent, but her name wasn’t Trist. He’d seen them in town, here or there, but never approached because it wasn’t his fucking pack. And the thought made him pissed again.
Rusty shrugged. “Nothing’s wrong with her. She’ll be perfect for us.”
Raff looked to Lucien. “What the fuck does that mean? It’s not that fucking hard to get a woman if we want one. Since when did we start buying them?”
Lucien’s lips thinned at Raff’s ongoing disrespect. “We can’t just walk into Gideon’s pack and help ourselves even if there’s a potential mate. They’re too strong for us to take on.”
“So we’re in the shifter-trafficking business now, are we? You’re talking about force-mating.”
Raff watched as Lucien glanced over to Rusty then back to Raff. “We won’t force-mate her, Raff. She can choose.”
Raff stood, stared hard at Lucien and Rusty. “She can choose. How very benevolent of you, Lucien. You’re still forcing her to choose. You’re forcing her to mate even if she’s not ready.”
Lucien nodded his concession though he didn’t look happy about any of it. “We need to grow our pack or Gideon’s going to steamroll us. One more for us, one less for him. We have six unmated shifters that should be mated by now including you and me.”
Raff understood this, survival instinct, so prevalent in shifters. Lucien was good at recruiting pack members, two from the mountain shifters, a couple of independents and one from Ascena’s pack in the past year. But this was a new low. “Five. Lucien. I want nothing to do with this. Right now, I don’t even want to fucking be here.”
By Monday, Raff was less of a beast. He and Lucien had spent a good portion of Saturday night drinking off Raff’s mad. Raff loved Lucien like a brother. He was a strong Alpha for their pack. His only weakness was Gideon, which sometimes messed him up. Gideon was a bastard, the older brother, hard, arrogant, resentful that Lucien didn’t fold the two packs together. But why the fuck would he? There’s only one Alpha in every pack and Lucien would have had to give up his Alpha status and then fight to keep his beta status.
Raff didn’t mind
being the beta, was the beta of the pack when Lucien challenged Otsoa, the previous Alpha. Stayed beta to Lucien after Otsoa died. He knew he could challenge Lucien and probably win. Lucien knew it too. But it wasn’t going to happen. Raff didn’t want to be the fucking Alpha. Half the time, Raff didn’t even want to be tied to a pack. But his sisters were here, one mated, one not. He couldn’t walk away from them and they couldn’t come with him.
As they got ready to head into town, Rusty walked up, looking like he was about to join them. “You’re not fucking coming,” Raff said to the prick.
Lucky for Rusty, Lucien sided with Raff. “Think this needs to be handled by just the two of us, Rusty. We’ll see you when we’re back.”
As they got into the truck, Raff said, “Is he your bastard son or something? The shit needs a good beating and all you’ve done is grounded him.”
Raff could see that the words pissed off Lucien. Good. Lucien didn’t get mad often enough, needed to be more of a prick. “Fuck off, Raff,” he said as he started the truck.
Good on him. Not often Lucien told him to do anything. He’d take it and run with it. Hopefully it would keep Lucien in a temper until they were done with Gideon. The ride to town was quiet, interspersed by a few exchanges here or there. If they were human, they’d be best friends, but running a pack, there was a rank. Raff understood his role, his position and generally didn’t push Lucien. But trading for a woman, fuck!
Lucien pulled the truck into the parking lot of the Tim Horton’s but Gideon wasn’t yet there. Raff knew the score as Lucien headed inside to get coffee. Gideon and Lucien were going to want to talk without a hysterical weeping female who would be all tied up in knots over what happened, which meant that Raff got to play nursemaid.
As he leaned against the truck with his hands in his pocket, he wondered what the fuck he did to deserve this. He expected that the woman, this Trist would be upset, even understood it. Who the fuck trades pack members? He had to concede that he knew it happened. Lots of shit happened in shifter communities. But Raff thought his pack, his alpha was above that.
He watched as a red Mustang pulled into the parking lot. Ascena. Alpha of the all-woman pack. Little piece of territory, shelter for female shifters who couldn’t handle the big bad wolves. Ascena was a beauty and occasionally she and Raff forgot that they weren’t from the same pack. Sometimes they hung around in places where no one could see them, have a little fuck here and there. But they were never going to mate. Ascena would never give up her alpha status and Raff would be fucked if he was beta to a woman.
She got out of the car wearing a tight short skirt that showed off her perfect legs. Looked across the parking lot at Raff, smiled and Raff threw her a crooked grin, but she didn’t approach and his feelings weren’t hurt. They liked to keep it cool and as long as neither of them were mated, there was no harm in fucking around.
Raff’s attention was drawn to the truck pulling into the space next Lucien’s. The almighty Gideon had finally blessed them with his appearance. He was alone though. Well not alone. He had the female, but not Varg, his beta. Raff was fine with that. Last time Varg and he crossed paths, they both came away a little beat up. Hadn’t yet settled their differences. Not likely to do so in the near future.
Raff watched as Gideon said something to the female and she nodded. Raff was keenly aware that the minute she stepped out of the truck, she was no longer part of Gideon’s pack. She was an unmated female belonging to Lucien’s pack and the fuck had better respect that or there’d be fur flying.
Gideon opened his door and stepped out, then looked back. The female, Trist, was still sitting, not moving and he barked something at her. Pissed Raff off. Get out the truck, Trist, he thought, so I can kick this savage’s ass. Gideon’s aggression or maybe Raff’s thoughts got her to open her door. She stepped out, feet dropping lightly to the pavement, then she looked around like she was a little lost orphan.
Her eyes landed on Raff and he saw the instant recognition in them. Not a surprise to Raff that she knew who he was. What did surprise him was that he didn’t know her. She was beautiful. Green eyes, brown hair that curled down her back in thick waves, curves in all the right places. She was wearing a faded pair of jeans with a few rips in them, a washed-out old T-shirt that stretched across her perfect breasts, ratty old runners and no socks. And she smelled like she’d been sleeping in a field of angelwing jasmine. She had no fucking idea how sexy she was.
Raff could tell that she was shy and so was her wolf. It was hard to get a read on her, but Raff’s wolf was fucking around trying to get a better look anyway. Down boy, Raff said mentally. It had been a long time since Raff’s wolf perked up at a female’s scent. Even Ascena didn’t get his wolf howling like this. Raff knew what his wolf knew. This female could be his mate. They’d be a good match. Raff groaned. This was so going to fuck him up.
Gideon approached Raff. “Where’s Lucien?”
Raff pointed to the coffee shop with his head, his eyes still on Trist and she shrank under his gaze. She knew too, her wolf was curious. Gideon walked off without so much of a goodbye and Raff watched as Trist followed him with her eyes. Hurt, angry. Raff picked up on it even if most of the time he was an insensitive fuck. Still, Gideon did the right thing. She was an unmated female and she belonged to Raff’s pack now. Better that there weren’t any long goodbyes.
Raff decided he should say something. “Trist?” Seemed like a good start.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Gideon’s a fucking prick.”
That got her smiling just a little bit and Raff felt the heat spark. His fucking wolf was smiling too. “I was just thinking that,” she said.
Raff grinned. Couldn’t help himself, he was impressed. No tears, no hysterics. No bitching. “I’m Raff.”
She nodded her head. She knew. She was holding a bag, a backpack, ratty, old, khaki green and Raff wondered where the rest of her stuff was. He put out his hand. “You want me to take that?”
“Sure,” she said softly as she passed it to Raff. The bag clinked as he took it.
“Breakables?”
She grinned a little wider. “1/2 a bottle of tequila.”
Raff wanted to fucking hug her to him. His wolf was scrabbling to get out and he was thinking about throwing her down in the parking lot and taking her there.
She sensed the aggression he was keeping leashed and took a small bite of her lower lip. Nope, not the right think to do, baby. Not if you’re trying to get me to stand down.
Then a little anger flared in her eyes. She took a couple of steps closer to Raff. “Is that why you asked for me? Because you think I’m your mate?”
Raff stepped back. “Whoa sweetheart, I didn’t ask for you.”
He watched her face, intelligent, thinking it over. “Someone from your pack asked for me.”
Raff shook his head. “No. Gideon offered you up.”
She was mad again, accusing. “That’s bullshit. Gideon said your pack specifically asked for me.”
Raff knew someone was lying, but it sure as hell wasn’t him. “Trist, before this morning, I didn’t even know who the fuck you were.”
Things not to say to a girl who’s driving your wolf wild.
She glared, took a step back, then forward and yanked her bag from Raff’s hands. “I can carry it myself, thanks.”
Raff found himself in the unfamiliar position of having to grovel. He didn’t do that, not often, maybe not ever. Putting aside the fact that they were potential mates, Raff wanted her. Full stop. And his instincts were taking him over, his wolf was slamming against his chest. No one else was going to fucking have her but him. He could see her wolf responding to his aggression, to his desire, but Trist was fighting it, keeping it on a leash, keeping her face from betraying her own hunger.
Raff wondered if she was that innocent that she thought he couldn’t tell she was responding to him. She couldn’t be, could she? It didn’t matter. The thought of her innocence made him all
that much more ravenous.
“Why don’t we get in the truck. I’ll take you to our lodge.” He watched her face as he said this. Watched her hesitation, saw her wolf cower. Had a sudden sense that this woman, maybe middle of Gideon’s pack, would find herself the omega of his pack. It brought out his protective side even as it made him want to savage her.
“What about Lucien?”
It didn’t settle Raff that she was thinking about Lucien. “Lucien’s a big boy. He’ll find his own way back.” Raff was so wound up, he wanted to get the hell out of there before Gideon came out. He couldn’t control his wolf so he needed to be somewhere else, because if the asshole said the wrong fucking thing to him, Raff would rip his head off. And the last fucking thing he wanted was to accidentally inherit Gideon’s fucking high-maintenance pack.
Raff yanked open the passenger door and Trist stepped by him, threw her bag on the seat, then jumped into the truck. He got in the driver’s seat, looked at her. Seared her. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
She nodded, a little smile. Raff thought maybe she’d forgiven him for not knowing who he was.
Basic Instinct: Shifters of Darkness Falls Book 1
Release date: April 26, 2019
Copyright © 2019 by Jasmin Quinn. All Rights Reserved
Excerpt 2: Past Sins
(Running with the Devil Book 8)
Available June 28, 2019
Aleksei had enough of the ‘wait and see’ game he was playing with the pretty Russian woman. She was either Yekaterina Olegovna Botsova or she wasn’t, and he had no way of telling from a distance. He had a picture of her, but it was six years old and while she fit the basic physical description, there were differences. The picture he held was of a young woman of 19 years with short spikey pink-dyed hair and heavy dark-framed glasses. Her lips and her long fingernails were painted black and she was grinning into the camera like a Cheshire cat. She was wearing contacts, he was sure of it because her eyes were unnaturally blue. She was one of seven in the picture, three of whom died in Moscow six years ago, another who had recently “jumped” from a bridge in New York City. The others, including Yekaterina, were on his ‘to-do’ list.