by RJ Blain
“Sounds like a plan. Lead the way, Rob.”
Rob’s office was larger than my entire apartment and contained two couches, a pair of armchairs, and a conference table. A corner desk dominated an entire quarter of the room. “The best investment I made in this room was the soundproofing and the speaker system connected to the secure line.” Vegas’s Alpha paused, pointing at one of the couches. “That one is probably the best for sound quality. There are microphones at each arm.”
Desmond settled me on the end of the couch, and with a grunt, Rob dumped my mate beside me. The pair of them arranged Sanders with his legs stretched out and his head nestled on my lap.
“I’ll just sit here with you,” Wendy said, settling at my feet and rested her head against my knee. “There’s a trashcan right in reach if you feel sick again.”
“Mind if I lead the call?” Desmond asked.
“If that makes you happy, by all means,” Rob replied, sitting at the desk. “Remember, ladies and gentlemen, every sound you make in here will be picked up by the microphones, so if you don’t want someone on the other end hearing you, write a note.”
Desmond sat on the other end of the couch, picked up my mate’s feet, and settled them on his lap. “Sara, don’t say anything unless you’re asked, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Fire it up, Rob.”
The call connected on the second ring. A robotic voice asked, “How may I direct your call?”
“Topside, please. It’s Desmond with Vegas’s Alpha, Seattle’s Alpha, his mate, and my mate.”
“Connecting, please hold.”
Several minutes later, someone sighed on the other end of the line. “Should I just fly to Vegas? I might get more work done that way, Desmond. What happened?”
Despite the annoyance in the man’s tone, his voice was soothing and pleasant to listen to. I yawned, tangling my fingers in my mate’s hair.
“Miss Madison is a very popular young lady, sir,” Desmond replied. “Her former boss grabbed her several hours ago and drugged her with a substantial amount of Ketamine and wolfsbane. She may have been overdosed, but so far, so good. We recovered her, and some of Rob’s Fenerec and a witch are currently interrogating those responsible.”
“She’s with you?” the man asked.
“Sara, say hello to the Shadow Pope of the Inquisition.”
“Hello,” I mumbled.
“You said Sanders is there?”
Desmond snorted. “At this point, we may never get him to leave the room she’s in ever again. Part them for more than an hour and someone grabs her. He’s present in body, but I’m afraid he’s clocked out for a little while, sir. He was acting up, and his mate is still learning the ropes. She nipped him pretty hard. He needed the time-out anyway; he punched my car.”
“He punched your car?” Choking back a laugh, the Shadow Pope cleared his throat. “I see. It seems you are having a very interesting afternoon. All right. You wouldn’t call me unless you needed something. What is it?”
“First, to let you know about the incident this morning with Sanders’s mate. Second, we’re feeling a little bloodthirsty this afternoon. We may wish to make some people disappear, and at this point, I don’t give a fuck if they’re Normal or not. The club owner is selling women to the highest bidder, and if he’s kidnapped one girl, he’s taken others. We found Sara in what I can only describe as a sex dungeon, shackled to the wall. She’s so drugged I don’t think she knows which end is up at this point, sir.”
I pointed at the ceiling.
Rob snickered. “Hello, sir. It’s Rob. Sanders’s little hellcat is pointing at the ceiling.”
“Hellcat?”
Chuckling, Desmond reached over and patted my shoulder. “She’s got a bit of fight in her, sir. She’s the one who landed the hit on the sorcerer who killed Mary and the other nurses in Seattle.”
“Give me her bank account details. I’ll have the bounty deposited today.”
“That’s one of the problems, sir.”
“You’ve lost me, Desmond. How is this a problem?”
“While Miss Madison has a bank account, it’s not suitable for such a transfer of funds. Sanders had a bank card for his account issued for her, but her situation is a little delicate at present.”
“So take her to one of our banks and open her an account. Establish a credit line while you’re at it, Desmond. Drop my name. Get her set up, and when you have the details, I will transfer the money. I trust you’ll call me in private with the details of your difficulties with this situation?”
Desmond sighed. “Yes, sir.”
“So, Miss Madison. How did you kill that sorcerer?” the Inquisition’s Shadow Pope asked.
I swallowed, glancing over at Desmond, who nodded. “His name was Kent, sir.”
“How did you kill him, and why?”
In a way, I was relieved my mate still slept; it was easier to tell the truth without worrying how he would react. It took several deep breaths to steady myself enough to say, “He wanted me for his mate, sir. He… he untied my feet. I hooked one foot behind his head and kicked his chin as hard as I could with the other. I snapped his neck, sir.”
“With your feet.”
I bit my lip until it bled. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. From what I understand, the incident with the flooding in Vegas was a direct result of his death?”
“We haven’t had a chance to actually talk to her about it, sir. They found her in a flooded basement, protected by the witch responsible. From my understanding, Dustin really had to work to undo the witch’s magic. When we haven’t been feeding her, she’s been sleeping. Sara, do you remember what happened after he died?”
I shivered. “The witch kissed me and said that while I would drown, I’d live, sir. The others all died. She left after thanking me for giving her all the power she needed to get her revenge. She doesn’t like the Inquisition, sir. I think she wanted me to die a slow death, sir. To hurt Sanders.”
“All right. Desmond, you’re to take your mate, Sanders, and Miss Madison, and you’re to clean up that unfinished business. I want that witch dead, am I understood? Track her down and put an end to her. You have my authorization to pull in as many of Seattle’s Fenerec as required for the operation. You can also call in your daughters—yes, both of them—if you feel a need. Alternatively, you can request up to three witches, just let me know who you want or what skills you feel will best fit your needs.”
“I think I’ll pass on my daughters, sir. Both of them are rather annoyed with me right now, and I’d like to survive the operation. Can I request Dustin and his Fenerec?”
The Shadow Pope snickered. “If Rob’s okay with you taking them, by all means. Put together a team. I’ll relay all of the information I get on her whereabouts, but I don’t want you back in Seattle until every last one of those associated with Mr. Kent have been dealt with. If you require a witch to help with Sanders, let me know, and I’ll send one of my best to you.”
Desmond smiled at my mate, patting his feet. “I think he’ll settle down once he’s had some quality time with his mate. Newly mated are always troublesome, and it’s doubly worse with Alphas, sir.”
“Good work on finding a suitable bitch for him, Desmond. Now that you’ve found her, please try to keep her out of trouble. I’m going to get gray hairs if I get any more phone calls this week about Sanders and his lady.”
“Should I wait until next week to call you about the difficulties I’ve had?”
“No, you can call my cell on yours once you hang up the secure line. Now sounds like a very good time, actually. It was a pleasure speaking to you, Miss Madison. Have a good afternoon, everyone. Do tell Sanders to take better care of his mate in the future. That’s an order.”
The Shadow Pope hung up. I frowned. “That’s it?”
“For you, yes. For me? Rob, I don’t suppose you have a spare charger, do you? I have a feeling I’m in for a long discussion. Mind if I use your office
?” Desmond sighed.
“By all means, Desmond. Think you can handle a hike up some stairs, Sara? I’ll carry your mate. You can go to bed and sleep off the drugs.”
“I’ll help,” Wendy offered. “I’ll keep an eye on them, Charles.”
It took four or five hours for the nausea to fade, and my mate slept the entire time. My stomach started complaining about being empty, but I didn’t want to leave his side. Working my way under the blanket, I cuddled close to him and breathed in his scent.
My wolf mostly slept, but her presence strengthened with each passing hour.
“I see Sanders and a Sara-sized lump next to him. Is she actually under there, or has she spirited herself away again?”
“Just listen for the growls,” Wendy replied. I felt someone sit on the edge of the bed. “I’m not sure if it’s her growling or if she’s hungry. Still, Sanders needs the sleep, poor thing, and she’s determined to be as close to him as possible. She retreated under the blankets about an hour ago.”
“Any more vomiting?”
“Thankfully not.”
“Sara, you need to eat,” Desmond said.
“Not going,” I replied, sliding my hand over my mate’s chest. I undid a button so I could touch his skin.
“That doesn’t change the fact you need to eat, dear.”
I growled, and my traitorous stomach echoed me. “So go make me a sandwich.”
I could eat a sandwich in bed without leaving my mate’s side.
“You need more than a sandwich. Rob and his mate are almost done making dinner. Okay, it’ll still be an hour, but I have a feeling you’ll need that long to be mobile and reasonably coherent.”
Wendy chuckled. “I have an idea. Sara, why don’t you wake Sanders up, and you can both come down for dinner. We’ll get out of your hair for an hour. You’ll have time to take a shower. He’ll probably want to reassure himself you’re all right before letting any other Fenerec near you. Come along, Charles. We don’t have to hover. If they need us, we won’t be far, and while she may have given her other guards the slip, she’s not going to get by you.”
“When there’s a will, there’s a way,” Desmond grumbled.
“You all are noisy. Go away, Desmond. Don’t worry, she’s not getting by me,” my mate murmured.
I snuggled closer to him, resting my cheek on his shoulder. “You’re awake.”
“A bunch of pests interrupted a nice dream where my mate was cuddling with me and I didn’t have to get out of bed.” He stretched with a groan before settling in next to me, working an arm beneath me so he could hold me closer. “You bite hard.”
“Sorry,” I whined.
“You needed the sleep, Sanders. Maybe if your growling and snarling hadn’t disturbed your mate, you wouldn’t have gotten nipped,” Desmond stated. “Take an hour and come downstairs for dinner. Sara needs to be fed before she goes for the nearest living thing for sustenance, which happens to be you.”
“Go away, Desmond,” my mate grumbled.
When the two Fenerec were gone, he rolled on top of me, pinning me with his weight. He nibbled on my throat, and I sighed my contentment.
“Are you feeling any better?”
“I’m okay, I think. Still drowsy.”
He kissed me, and I closed my eyes to savor the feel of him. “I can think of a few things we could do to wake you up a bit.”
“In the shower?” I squirmed so I could press my lips to his throat.
“If you nip me now, we won’t make it to the shower, you saucy little bitch,” he warned.
“Maybe I want now and in the shower,” I countered, teasing him with the tip of my tongue.
“We’d need a lot longer than an hour if you want that, Sara.”
I pouted. “I will wait to nip you until we’re in the shower, then.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll more than make up for quantity in quality.”
He cheated. Nipping my throat, he woke all of my desire for him and left me breathless and his for the taking.
“You know, darling, there’s one good thing about wolfsbane,” he murmured in my ear. “Obey me, and I’ll show you.”
Burning with my need for him, I squirmed, wrapping my arms around him so he couldn’t escape. “Don’t tease,” I pleaded.
He nibbled on my neck again, and I trembled as his touch sent pleasuring shivers running through me. “No teasing. I’m going to take you into that shower, and I’m going to make you feel so good you won’t know which end is up by the time I’m finished with you. You’re mine, and I’m never letting anyone else touch you ever again.”
As promised, my mate took his time with me, and I loved every moment of it. If Kent’s threats when he had attempted to rape me held any truth, I didn’t care.
I wanted Sanders, as I had from the beginning. If Kent’s sorcerous magic made me want my mate even more, I would live with the consequences happily, especially if it meant feeling so tranquil whenever he touched me.
“Someone’s happy,” he murmured while toweling my hair dry. I sat still for him and contemplated falling back on the bed and going to sleep. My dress was already rumpled, and nothing short of ironing it would help.
“I’m wrinkled,” I said, staring down at myself, trying to smooth it out as best I could with my hands.
My mate smiled and tossed the towel aside. “No one is going to care if your dress is wrinkled. Feeling better?”
“Mhmm. Sleepy.”
“You’ll have to wait to go back to sleep until after dinner, Sara. You really do need to eat. It’ll help you burn off the wolfsbane faster.”
“It’s not so bad now.” I yawned, leaning towards him.
With a soft laugh, my mate kissed my brow. “You can cuddle with me on the couch after dinner. How does that sound? We shouldn’t be rude to our hosts.”
“We could cuddle in that big tub in the bathroom instead,” I pointed out.
“I love your enthusiasm, but we just finished a very, very nice shower, and we still need to visit with Rob and Marcy.”
I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You’re not mad at me?”
“I’m not mad at you. I’m a stupid idiot for assuming an independent woman like you would just roll over and submit to having a pair of bodyguards. I should have known you would go flip your boss off, and I should have been there to look all menacing while you did it.” He hugged me and kissed where my neck and shoulder met. “I will just have to learn to anticipate what my wild little hellcat will do and make sure I keep one step ahead. Don’t worry, I appreciate a good challenge.”
My curiosity got the better of me. “Was Mary a challenge?”
Sanders sighed. “I loved her, make no mistake, Sara, but she was anything but a challenge. She was sweet. She cared about people. She was brave, but in a different way. All nurses are brave. They have to be. You’re different. Desmond terrified Mary. He liked her well enough, but she never enjoyed being in the same room with him. She found him oppressive. Hell, half the time, she found Wendy oppressive, and Wendy is about as threatening as a newborn kitten. Every day, I wondered when she would finally get tired of me, of what I was, and just leave. We were mates, but she was never bound to me like I was bound to her. She was always just too afraid of what I was, and her fear grew with the years.”
The grief in his voice hurt, and I ran my hand over his cheek to slide my fingers through his hair. “I shouldn’t have asked, I’m sorry.”
“Of course you should have. You deserve to know. You surprise me. Each day you do something that catches me off guard. One minute, you’re frightened of Wendy. The next, you’re ready to claw Desmond’s eyes out. And damn, woman, you can dance.”
“You like when I dance, do you?” I murmured, pleased.
“Every time I saw you, I wanted to kill every other man in the room for looking at you. You’re a wicked little temptress.”
I smiled and kissed his cheek. “For you.”
“If you keep sweet talking
me like that, you’ll make us miss dinner.”
Desmond cleared his throat from the doorway. “You two will simply have to wait. I was sacrificed to interrupt you lovebirds. Sara, you really need to eat. Marcy’s eager to meet you, and with the help of her mate, she has cooked up a feast she claims should defeat all of us. I told her she hasn’t met you and your appetite yet. My honor is at stake.”
My mate laughed, stood, and before I could hop to my feet, he picked me up.
“I can walk,” I protested. “I made it all the way up the stairs without any help.”
“Nonsense. Why walk when I can carry you?”
Chapter Fourteen
Rob’s mate, Marcy, was a short Italian woman with a bright smile. She was old enough to be my grandmother, which startled me so much I gawked at her with my mouth hanging open. Sanders set me on my feet and presented me to the woman. If she noticed my rudeness, she simply didn’t care. With a pleased cry, she caught me in a hug, squeezing me so tight my ribs creaked and she forced a squeak out of me.
She wasn’t a Fenerec, but my nose informed me she wasn’t quite human, either. My wolf didn’t know what to make of the woman.
“Marcy, this is Sara,” my mate announced, shifting his weight back and forth as though he were an excited puppy seeking approval. His scent sweetened with his pleasure, and I wondered who Marcy was and why her opinion meant so much to my mate.
Marcy prowled around me, inspecting me from every angle. My eyes widened at her scrutiny, and unsettled by the intensity of her stare, I stepped closer to Sanders and grabbed hold of his hand.
Desmond chuckled. “She’s remarkably shy for a stripper.”
“You’re absolutely lovely,” Marcy said, and ignoring Desmond’s presence completely, the woman grabbed my other hand and tugged me across the living room. “I see you’ve finally gotten your head out of your ass. She suits you far better than Mary ever did.”