The send alert whooshed again. “I’m going to make dinner now,” he said pocketing her phone. “Make sure Oliver doesn’t go out again before he’s dry. Otherwise, he’ll need another bath.”
With that, Yogi left the room.
She sat there looking at the space he had occupied. That was either the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her…or the most devious.
“It won’t work,” she called, deciding on devious. With his superior werewolf hearing, he’d be able to catch every word.
“Even if we broke up, Max and the rest of my team will come looking for me!”
She didn’t bother to add that it would be because the others ran out of money to keep their operation going.
With that depressing thought, she picked up Oliver and cuddled him to her chest.
“If they do find me dead in a ditch, smartass over there just incriminated himself and gave the police a way to identity him, so that’s some consolation,” she told him.
Chapter 13
You do not want Denise Hammond.
Yogi had repeated that mantra multiple times since last night. Unfortunately, all those attempts to convince himself only seemed to reinforce his desire.
It was as if Denise’s scent was a living thing, like one of those tangible teasing vapors from old cartoons—the kind that wrapped around, tweaking his senses and lifting him up until he was panting and drooling.
The universe was asking for a lot if it wanted him to keep his hands off her.
Too many times, he’d pictured himself biting her sarcastic tongue at dinner the night before. By the time the meal was over, he could barely concentrate on her actual words. He was too focused on her lips to even notice she was conversationally tearing him a new one in novel and snarky ways.
After locking her in the bedroom for the night, he’d gone on a quick run, followed by a very cold shower. He promised himself that by the time the sun rose, his affliction would be gone. That it was merely an aberration.
Yogi’s willpower around the opposite sex was better developed than that of his peers. He wasn’t a monk, but he’d been selective in his choice of partners, so much so that it had become a game for some of the women in the pack. They pursued him so often that wagers had been made over whether he’d succumb. Usually the winning side was the one laying odds on his restraint.
Except this time, he was rooting for himself to lose.
Yogi didn’t know why that scrawny idiot Max wanted to see other people, but he had been around humans long enough to know they were frequently shortsighted and unappreciative of atypical women. If a woman had curves, then she wasn’t skinny enough. If she was slim, she was too thin and needed implants to give an idealized hourglass figure.
Humans didn’t even put real women on magazines anymore. Everyone was airbrushed and altered to the point that they didn’t even look human. Models ended up looking like the fae, with their too-perfect faces and proportions that didn’t exist in nature. Sometimes, even bits that should be there weren’t, just like a failed glamour. It was unnerving.
Yogi knew a few of his kind who appreciated a svelte figure. But most werewolves were attracted to women with lush curves. Just like Denise’s.
The idea of handing her over to the Averys on a silver platter was swiftly becoming an anathema.
It has to be done. Even if he somehow managed to convince Denise there were better things to do with her whiplash tongue, Yogi wasn’t ready to settle down.
Stop thinking about her damn mouth!
After serving Oliver and Denise a big breakfast, he bundled them into the Jeep and headed for the Colorado border.
A little voice nagged him to drive in the opposite direction and head for the Canadian border instead.
Shut the f-up little voice.
To his surprise, Denise was going along quietly. She even offered to hold Oliver in her lap—although the pup didn’t leave her much choice.
“Have a change of heart?” he asked after a few miles had passed. “Does this mean you finally believe me that being our guest won’t be so bad?”
She picked at the fur on Oliver’s ears. “No, not really. I think it’s going to be a huge inconvenience. I have things to do, plans in motion. An extended stay in one place will put everything on hold. But…I guess I do believe that they’re not going to bump me off or anything like that.”
She turned and narrowed her eyes at him. “If I’m wrong, you’re the first person I’m coming back to haunt.”
It wasn’t exactly enthusiasm, but he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. “Everything will be fine. I’m sure you’ll even be able to take care of some of your business interests from Colorado after a while,” he promised before lapsing into a reverie of his own.
He was quiet so long even Oliver noticed. The pup barked at him repeatedly from Denise’s lap.
“What’s eating you?” she asked him, an adorable pucker between her brows.
“Nothing.”
“Do you think they’ll be trouble?”
He frowned at her. Had she guessed he was growing reluctant to give her up? “Trouble?”
“One of the first things you said to me was that there was history between Oliver’s family and your own. I assume you meant the bad kind.”
He was surprised she remembered that. Most women would only be able to recall seeing their first werewolf shift.
“Yeah, it’s the bad kind, but don’t worry. That won’t affect their reception of you.”
Denise stiffened. “Right,” she muttered. “Something tells me they won’t be rolling out the welcome wagon for me either.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Most of them will love you.” Or at least, the single males would.
That was the problem.
Chapter 14
Denise felt as if Judgement day had come.
“Would you like something to drink?” Jessup Avery asked, looking down his nose at her.
The local alpha was tall and lean with a leathery face that bore multiple scars. Despite his lip service to the social niceties, his drawing-room manners did nothing to soften the impression his appearance made.
“No, thank you,” she murmured, silently counting the number of men in the room out of the corner of her eye.
Jessup’s house was a midsized cabin with several additions extending haphazardly off it. The central room was a massive kitchen. It opened directly onto a large dining area littered with a mishmash of tables and benches.
Everyone in Lunar Springs must eat here. That was what Jessup had called this tiny hamlet.
Denise desperately wanted to hold onto the easy bravado she’d had around Yogi, but couldn’t seem to in werewolf central. It might have been easier if there had been less men. Or if they’d been a little shorter.
Maybe the women are at work? The idea of the women bringing home the bacon to these hulking alpha males made her smile. She wiped it off her face when no less than six men smiled back at her.
To her relief, Oliver seemed to recognize many of the people. Yogi had explained in a whisper that cubs learned their pack members’ scents in their first few months—learned them and never forgot them. They could recognize an unfamiliar pack member from their scent even after years of absence.
But Oliver had been taken away, whisked upstairs for a nap after giving her a sticky kiss goodbye. Denise felt exposed without the comfortable warmth of his little body in her lap.
“Are you sure you don’t want to leave now?” Jessup asked Yogi, who was sitting stiffly in the chair next to her.
“I promised the chief I’d stay long enough to see Denise settled,” Yogi repeated. His face could have been carved from stone. His features were set so hard she was surprised he didn’t creak when he spoke.
“I’ll leave when she says it’s okay.”
She could feel the tension between not just Yogi and Jessup, but also Yogi and every other man in the room. Most of them were giving him dirty looks. The contempt in their eyes was chil
ling, but it dissipated when they looked at her.
What the hell had gone down between his family and theirs?
“I still want him to stay…” Denise trailed off as all attention was fixed on her again. “He’s the only person I know here.”
“If it would make you more comfortable,” Jessup offered with grudging grace.
“It would,” she replied quickly. Beside her, Yogi stretched, surreptitiously stroking her hand in reassurance.
Guilt and a flare of something else she didn’t want to name compressed her chest. She was starting to feel a tiny bit bad for insisting that Yogi remain with her.
“What happens now?” she asked, putting her hands flat on her lap. Now that they were finally here, she wanted to move things along.
“I don’t think I need to explain why secrecy is so important to us.”
“No.” After everything, she was crystal clear on the why. What she didn’t get was why they thought anyone would believe her if she ratted them out. Everyone would think she was crazy.
“If your kind found out about us—” Jessup began.
Denise held up a hand. “I said I get it…but this can’t be the first time a human has learned werewolves exist.”
Jessup’s smile was unnerving. “No, it’s not the first time. Each case was handled by the clan whose exposure was in question, which is why the chief has given me leave to decide what we do with you.”
“Only up to a point,” Yogi protested. “You know there are rules to this you have to abide by.”
Jessup’s mouth tightened a fraction, but Denise was starting to get annoyed too. “I already know I’m going to have to stay here until you trust me not to blab. What more is there?”
She gestured to Yogi. “He said there was a quicker way to get you to trust me.”
He turned to flash her a warning look. “Don’t go there, Denise,” he muttered from between set teeth.
Jessup grinned, acting as if she’d just handed him a gift. “I’m glad you asked…you’re unmated, correct?”
“You can’t ask her that,” Yogi protested.
“It’s not a job interview.” Jessup scoffed. “I can ask her whatever I want.”
Okay, she hated to admit it, but Yogi had been right. She didn’t want to go there.
“Nu-uh, no way.” Denise squirmed in her chair, eyeing the men with renewed anxiety.
“The chief was clear on this point.” Yogi’s tone was clipped.
“You asked for the shortcut,” Jessup said, holding his hands out expansively. “It’s a choice many women have made in the past.”
Yogi snorted. “It doesn’t work that way anymore. Forced matings are forbidden.”
“Who says it would be forced?” Jessup raised a brow. He turned to Denise, addressing his comments to her. “A heterosexual woman generally finds our kind irresistible. The average Were is strong, skilled, protective, and a good provider. It’s only the latest age of political correctness and ultramodern feminism that has made those traits less popular—on paper. In reality, a woman’s need for a strong male is ingrained. It’s biological.”
Yogi sighed audibly, but Jessup was just getting started. “You’re young and healthy. You do see yourself settling down and having a family someday, don’t you? Unless you prefer the company of females? Believe it or not, we can also accommodate that.”
Denise held up a hand, part of her unable to believe she was having this conversation. “I have a boyfriend.”
That didn’t faze Jessup. “But not a husband?”
Denise was tempted to laugh at his persistence, but this was too crazy.
“Where are your women?” she finally asked, blowing her hair out of her face with a huff.
“At their homes. But some communities are not blessed with an abundance of them. Were births skew to male. Luckily for us, we can breed with humans should the need arise. The vamps only wish they were so lucky.”
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Did he just tell her vampires existed? “Holy shit,” she breathed.
“Enough, Jessup.” Yogi rubbed a hand over his face. “Denise is to be treated as an honored guest. Her discomfort—physical or emotional—is to be avoided at all costs. Those were the chief’s exact words.”
“Yes, but we both know what he didn’t say is what counts. And the quickest way out is in. All the way in. Besides, Denise must stay here regardless, so she may as well stay with one of the unattached males.” Jessup gestured to the men around them.
“You can bunk with me,” a big man in plaid offered with a huge grin.
“Why would she want to stay with your scrawny ass when she can stay with me?” another one said, slapping the man so hard on the back she felt the air shift.
The men continued to rib each other almost playfully. Denise’s stomach soured as she watched them. Her eyes passed over them until she glared at Jessup.
He waved at the men. “All are excellent hunters with good jobs. Pick one.”
Horrified, she shook her head.
Jessup frowned. “They’re really not so bad once you get to know them. I bet you’ll even like one or two of them. But if you’d like to see them in action—get a better sense of their attributes—then we can arrange that.”
“What the hell are you talking about now?” Yogi sneered. “Trial by combat isn’t going to impress a modern woman.”
Denise nodded emphatically in agreement.
“Actually, I was thinking something along the line of the fortitudo.”
Her head was starting to hurt. “What is that?”
“Part race, part obstacle course,” Yogi answered. “The oldest have puzzles and tests to get you from point A to point B. It’s basically like a scavenger hunt on steroids.”
She stared at them, horrified. “And I have to mate with the winner?”
“No,” Jessup assured her. “The winner merely has the privilege of being your host during your stay here. They are not allowed to touch you without your consent. Chief’s orders.”
That was still not great. “And what if this host decides to break your rules?”
“He’ll be beaten and ostracized from the pack or killed outright—it depends on the severity of his transgression.”
Jesus. Denise put a hand on the table to steady herself.
“Of course, we could skip that whole rigmarole if you pick one out now,” Jessup said, gesturing to the preening men.
Two of them edged forward, standing in front of the others as if waiting for her approval.
Denise didn’t move. She was even afraid to blink, lest it be construed as agreement.
“No?” Jessup rubbed his hands. “Then let’s get started.”
Chapter 15
“You’re leaving?”
Denise’s tone could have flayed his skin off.
Yogi was standing at the door of his Jeep, keys in hand. If Denise hadn’t decided to postpone checking in on Oliver after using the restroom, she would have missed him leaving.
He turned to face her, chest tight. “I was going to see the chief. My plan was to come back and see if you were okay with…”
“With whoever wins me?” she asked, a corner of her mouth curling up.
“With how things turn out,” he finished lamely. Yogi didn’t want to leave. He wanted to punch out every Avery who even looked at her. Except that would ruin all the progress he’d just made.
As tense as his reception had been, it had been a lot less ugly, and bloody, than he had been expecting. Jessup had even thanked him for bringing Oliver home. If Yogi played his cards right, he could bury this family feud now…except for one thing, of course. And it was standing in front of him right now.
Yogi put a hand under Denise’s chin so she would meet his eyes. “I need to explain something. For our kind, pack warfare used to be a way of life. Small grievances turned into big arguments. Eventually, those turned into challenges or outright warfare. Grudges got passed down for generations. The closest thing I can think
to explain it would be to compare it to the feuds of the Scottish Highland clans. In fact, that’s our packs’ ancestral home.”
“And this is that big—the thing between your family and the Averys?”
He inhaled and nodded. “Truthfully, it’s not all on them. I can’t claim to be an innocent party.”
She crossed her arms and frowned. “You’ve gotten your hands dirty in this feud?”
“Well, thanks to the chief, no blood has been shed since I was born. However, there were some things—smears and innuendo I just let happen, mainly because I believed them. I don’t anymore. Now that my father’s gone, I just want this stupid thing over with. I have a younger brother and sister to think about. If I challenge the Avery’s claim for their right to ‘host’ you, it won’t be over. But I will if you ask me to.”
She sucked in a shaky breath, but she didn’t say anything.
“Denise…do you want me to race?”
She looked down, blinking rapidly. “Of course not.”
He nodded, half-wishing she had said something else. “What I can do is ask the chief to keep a close eye on the situation. If I tell him you’d be more comfortable being hosted by a female, he’ll ask Jessup to make a change.”
She wrinkled her nose and punched him in the arm. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Yogi’s mouth twisted. “Because I know Jessup. After he moves you into the home of a female, a pipe will burst or the roof in your bedroom will spring a leak. You’ll have to be rehoused. This will go on until you show favor to one of the men. Then you’ll be pushed to move in with him.”
Denise’s lips flattened. “Oh.”
A call went up. Jessup waved at them from in front of a group of men. One had a remote control in his hands. At their feet was a red plastic cross with four propellers.
“Is that a drone?” Denise asked.
Chapter 16
Yogi was gone. He’d just gotten in his car and driven away.
After that happened, it was hard to walk around with a hollowed-out pit where her stomach should be.
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