Midnight Touch

by L Ann

  She frowned as a thought occurred to her.

  “Why me?”

  “What?” He cocked a brow in query.

  “You could spend time with anyone, someone who has way less baggage. Why are you wasting your time with me?”

  “Wasting my time?” He cupped her cheek, tipped her head back. “Cassie, look at me.” When she lifted her eyes to meet his, he lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers. “Do you feel that?” he whispered against her mouth.

  She knew exactly what he meant – that frisson of electricity which ran through her at his touch. His lips moved against hers again, teasing her into a kiss which ended all too quickly when he raised his head and pressed his forehead to hers.

  “That is why you. That makes everything worth it, Cassie. Sam, whatever other baggage you may have – if that’s the price I have to pay for this.” His lips found hers again. “Then I’ll pay it a thousand times over.”

  The coffee cup dropped from her hand forgotten as she lifted it to sink her fingers into his hair and drag him closer. Shaun rolled until they lay side by side on the bed, and with every touch, every sweep of her tongue against his, he could feel his wolf drawing closer to the surface. The need to tell her they were mated was strong and, with a groan, he pulled away to bury his face into her throat and mask the fact his eyes were glowing yellow.

  “Shaun?”

  Her throaty voice pulled at him, tempted him to throw caution to the wind and when he felt her hand press against his stomach and slide down beneath the waistband of his jeans, he almost … almost lost that final thread of control. With a strength of will he hadn’t realised he owned, he caught her wrist, stopping her downward progress.

  “We can’t.” His voice was thick, rough to his own ears and he sucked in a breath. “God knows I want to, but we can’t.”

  “But –”

  “No. You might feel okay right now. The pain meds Chase gave you are going to be messing with your head, with your emotions. I want to make sure your head is clear of them before you decide to move forward with me.” He rubbed his cheek against her throat, marking her with his scent and his wolf growled its approval in his head. “A couple of days … I promised you a couple of days.”

  “It’s been nearly two weeks.”

  “You were mostly unconscious, they don’t count.” But his words didn’t stop his hand from finding the hem of her t-shirt and sliding underneath it, skimming lightly across the bruises he couldn’t see but knew were there. His thumb found the underside of her breast and stroked across the soft skin. “Tell me to stop,” he whispered against her throat, even as he pulled her t-shirt further up.

  “But I don’t want you to stop,” Cassie told him, letting her head drop back against the pillow as Shaun moved until he was angled above her, his weight propped on one arm. His other hand curved the rest the way of over her breast, thumb and forefinger finding the pebbled tip and tugging gently.

  “I need you to say no, Cass. Tell me to stop.”

  In response, Cassie let the fingers of one hand tangle in his hair and pulled his unresisting head down to meet hers.

  “What if I don’t want to say no?”

  Her words made his wolf surge forward in approval and he growled, fighting it down.

  “It’s not about want, Cassie.” His lips traced a burning path from her mouth to her throat, his tongue flicking out to taste her skin and his hand dropped from her breast to wrap around her thigh, pulling her leg up and around his waist. He couldn’t stop a groan when the movement brought the centre of her snug against the hard length of his arousal.

  “It’s about need,” he forced himself to continue. “You need to heal. You need to get the painkillers out of your system. You need me to be gentle and, baby, I can’t. I think about what happened, I think about Sam leaning over you the other night, I see the bruises marking your skin, and all I can feel is anger.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t want you to feel anger in my touch.”

  He rolled away and sat up, swinging his legs off the side of the bed.

  How could he tell her when she had first arrived at the hospital her body had been broken inside? The doctor had informed them that they should say their goodbyes because they thought she wouldn’t make it through the night.

  How could he tell her that he’d demanded Chase drop everything and fly down immediately? And once he’d arrived, Shaun had spent hours arguing with himself and Chase about taking the final step to mate her to him in the hopes it would save her life. How Chase had told him to wait, let the partial bond repair the damage enough to wake her up so she could agree.

  How could he tell her he’d waited for Chase to go outside to speak to Cormac and he’d locked the door? How he’d unhooked the medication they’d been pumping into her to keep her unconscious, so he could whisper his need for her to say yes to him, without explaining what he needed her to agree to?

  How could he tell her that there was a high chance she had been run off the road by a Hunter? By someone who had discovered what he was and attacked her to draw him out?

  How could he tell her any of that before he told her the truth about himself?

  And that was the thing, wasn’t it? How did he tell the woman lying on the bed behind him, her scent weaving around him like a siren’s song, that he wasn’t human … not in the way she understood it, anyway?

  He scrubbed a hand down his face and turned slightly so he could see her.

  “Cass,” he began.

  The door flew open and he was on his feet, a growl building in his throat before he could stop it, ready to defend his mate. And didn’t that freeze him in his tracks … his mate. His wolf huffed a laugh inside his mind, the feeling of smug amusement washing through him.

  Cassie’s sister, Gemma, stood framed in the doorway.

  “I swear to god, Shaun, you need to tell your asshole brother to get the fuck out of my house!” she snapped, a slight frown pulling her brows together as she took in his protective stance.

  Shaun mentally shook himself – get a grip – and smiled. “I was about to leave, anyway. I’ll take him with me. I just wanted to check in and make sure Cassie was okay.”

  “You know,” Gemma leaned against the door-frame. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and, honestly, I’m not really sure I want to.” She stepped into the room. “But you need to stop acting like it’s nothing.”

  Shaun shrugged. What could he say? Turning, he met Cassie’s gaze with his own. He could see the questions lingering there and knew he had to find a way to explain things and soon. He bent over her and stroked a finger down her cheek.

  “I’ll swing by tomorrow. Make sure you take those painkillers Chase prescribed and get some rest.”

  Her fingers came up to grasp his. “You were about to tell me something. Stay. Talk to me.”

  Shaun shook his head. “It’ll keep. Now isn’t the time.” He squeezed her fingers lifted her hand to his lips and kissed each fingertip before releasing her hand and stepping away. He paused as he neared Gemma.

  “Keep Sam out of here. If you need me, you have my number. If you can’t get me, call Deacon.”

  Gemma nodded, and Shaun continued out of the door.

  She touches me,

  With violet eyes.

  She tempts me,

  With tears of lies.

  She torments me,

  Until I die inside.

  My beautiful lady,

  My belladonna.

  She will always be,

  My drug of choice.

  Shaun leaned into the microphone, eyes closed, long fingers curled around the stand as he sang.

  When she moves,

  I feel the motion.

  I’m lost at sea,

  And she’s the ocean.

  But she will let me drown,

  Until I die inside.

  My beautiful lady,

  My belladonna.

  She will always be,

  My drug of choi
ce.

  His voice soared through the notes before dropping to a whisper and then into silence as he bowed his head and took a step backwards.

  “Dude,” Deacon breathed into the silence. “How long have you been working on that one?”

  Shaun glanced at where his brother leaned against the door. “A couple of weeks. I had the music and the title. The words … well, those I got down over the weekend.”

  “Who are you thinking about sending it to?”

  “Probably Gabe Mercer. It’d suit Forgotten Legacy’s style and he’s been bugging me to write with him.”

  Gabe Mercer was the notoriously unpredictable lead singer of Forgotten Legacy – a rock band based in LA, close to where the pack’s Sanctuary was. Shaun, Deacon and Gabe had grown up together. When Shaun and Deacon had shown interest in breaking into the music industry, Gabe had used his contacts to organise some local shows for them. In return, Shaun had written songs for Gabe’s band.

  “You sure you don’t want to record it and release it yourself?”

  Shaun chuckled. “No. I had my taste of the shit Gabe and Seth deal with. I have no interest in all that.” He twisted the lid off a bottle of water and took a long swallow. “It’s not like we need the money, anyway. And we sure as hell don’t need the attention.”

  “I’ll drink to that. It also leads me nicely into what I came up here to talk to you about.”

  One eyebrow arched up in question.

  “Being stupid,” Deacon clarified. “Your girl … Cassie. She has no idea what you … what we … are. How long do you think you can hide it from her? We were lucky Chase was able to drop everything and fly down here to take over her care. Especially when you pulled that stunt at the hospital. If we’d had to remove her, something tells me that sister of hers wouldn’t have let it happen quietly.” His lip curled up with something akin to relish when he mentioned Gemma.

  “I know. I need to talk to her. Things just … got out of hand. My wolf … brother, I’ve never felt anything like it. The way the elders describe claiming doesn’t even come close to the reality,” Shaun sighed. “I tried to talk to her today, but we were interrupted, and truthfully? I don’t know how she’s going to react. She’s just come out of a relationship and you’ve heard the stories. He’s a fucking asshole. I know we haven’t seen the last of him. He’s a problem just waiting to happen.”

  “Which leads me onto the next thing.” Deacon ran a hand through the short spiked hair on the top of his head. “This town is a hotbed of gossip. Their favourite topic this week is whether you stole Cassie from under her boyfriend’s nose and ran off to marry her. There’s also a rumour that you’re responsible for putting her in the hospital.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me to find out her ex is behind that one. Anything to make him look less dirty.”

  Deacon grinned. “I did some digging of my own when the marriage rumour surfaced. A couple of the nurses over at Ridge County live here in town. They’ll be the ones who mentioned Cassie being referred to as Mrs Jacobs. Soooo,” he drew out the word. “I spoke to Asher. Considering how little time he had to throw something together, as far as the world is concerned, you’re married. Congratulations. Even I was beginning to think you upped and tied the knot.” He patted the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a silver flask, unscrewed the lid and took a sip. “You should buy her a ring to seal the deal.”

  Shaun shook his head. “Is that everything? Or are you just looking for new ways to irritate me?”

  “Cormac has sent instruction to the rest of the pack to come and help set up the new Sanctuary. I got roped into helping him and Asher clear an area out back for a barbecue tonight.” He sauntered back toward the door, then stopped. “Oh, and Jaden is downstairs. He has news on what might have happened at the accident site. Mac is with him in the study. You should probably come down and listen to what he has to say.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Deke, why didn’t you open with that?” Shaun strode across the room.

  “Because you were making music, and it’s been a while since you did that,” he replied with a smile. He patted Shaun’s shoulder and opened the door. “This girl of yours. Are you sure mating her was the right thing to do?”

  “Yeah.” They left the room together and moved across the landing to the stairs. “I wasn’t paying attention the first time we met, but my wolf did. He knew from the start. But she’s human, Deke, and humans rarely understand how quickly we connect to others.”

  “I think you’re over-thinking it, brother,” Deacon replied. “Don’t you remember her reaction when you were in the hospital?”

  Shaun started to shake his head, then stopped, thinking back to those ten days. She’d woken up more than once after he’d completed their mating bond, wanting him, reaching for him. Shaun knew it was part of the mating process, her body wanting that connection with her new mate and he’d resisted, unwilling to take that step while she was not fully conscious. She didn’t remember any of those times and he’d called Chase who had assured him it was completely normal, that people often lost memories after a traumatic event.

  “She doesn’t remember,” he told Deacon.

  “She will. Give it time. But you want her to know about the mating bond before she remembers the rest.”

  Deacon pushed the door to the study open and stepped inside, Shaun close behind him. Cormac stood behind the desk, with another man beside him. Both were staring down at something on the desk. Cormac raised his head as Deacon closed the door behind him.

  “I was about to send Asher to find you,” he told them.

  “Shaun was working on a new song. I waited until he was done.”

  Cormac nodded. “Drag a couple of chairs over.” He waited until they were seated, bracing his arms against the desk. “Jaden doesn’t think the crash was an accident. I know, Shaun,” he added as Shaun drew breath to speak. “I know you didn’t think it was an accident, but we had to make certain.”

  “There were footprints at the top of the bank,” the man standing beside Cormac spoke up, traces of an Irish accent evident in his soft voice. “Whoever ran your girl off the road stopped to watch the aftermath.” He slid a photograph across the desk toward Shaun. “By the time I got there, there were far too many scents to be able to pick out anything specific, but I’d put money on it being a Hunter. I don’t think she was supposed to survive. She was simply a means to an end.”

  Shaun tensed further with every word Jaden uttered. “If it was a Hunter, then they must have been watching closely for a while. There’s no way they would have known Cassie was with me otherwise.”

  “It’s not the first time a Hunter has attacked one of our females, especially those viewed as weaker,” Cormac said. “She is weaker, Shaun,” he cut off Shaun’s immediate denial before he could utter it. “She has no awareness of the pack, your connection to her is new and distracting you both, and it hasn’t settled yet. Until your claim is cemented and secure, she is going to be a target.”

  Shaun couldn’t help the growl that bubbled up from his throat and one winged eyebrow arched up above silver-grey eyes. “Are you going to challenge my authority, pup?” Cormac asked him softly.

  “Of course not,” Shaun snapped. “But –”

  “But she is your new mate and your need to protect her is causing you to act without thinking. Get control of yourself otherwise this Hunter wins without needing to do another thing.”

  Jaden tapped the photograph, bringing their attention back to him.

  “If you look at the photo, you’ll see I’ve marked out a specific set of footprints. They’re older than the rest, set back from where the police were milling around. It was also the perfect location to watch and ensure Cassie didn’t get out of that car. This Hunter has done his homework. He knew the road isn’t busy that late at night, that there was a high chance no one would drive past and see him or what happened – not until daylight. Whether he left before Cassie was found is hard to say. He might have stuck around to
see whether she was alive, but it’s unlikely.” He glanced at Cormac. “I’d say he pulled over, watched for a little while, long enough to make sure she didn’t climb out, then left.”

  “With the size of this town, it’s bound to have gotten out that she’s your mate.”

  “Wife. Humans don’t have mates,” Shaun murmured. “And they’re already talking about that.”

  “Wife, then,” Cormac inclined his head. “I assume Asher has made sure the groundwork has been laid for that.”

  Shaun nodded.

  “Then you need to start acting appropriately. We need to bring her into the pack, establish her position.”

  “Mac,” Shaun lifted a hand, pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. “She has no idea …”

  “Yes, I’m aware of how backwards you’ve gone about this. We don’t need to rehash it,” Cormac interrupted impatiently. “This is what I propose. You go into town, pick her up and her pack-mate –”

  “Sister,” Shaun corrected, and Cormac grunted.

  “Fine, her sister and bring them back here. Asher and Jaden are already here. The rest of the pack should be arriving over the next few days. It’s going to take some longer than others. Asher is picking up Isabella, Roxie and Scarlet in about an hour.”

  “Isabella is coming here?” Deacon laughed. “Fuck me … are you resorting to keeping her in a remote location until she agrees to your terms?”

  Cormac’s silver eyes landed on Deacon, who immediately dropped his gaze. “There is a potential threat to the pack. Isabella, whether she agrees to my terms or not, is currently living as a member of our pack, is she not?”

  “Fine … whatever,” Deacon muttered.

  “We are agreed, then? You will go and retrieve your new mate and her … sister and bring them here.” He waited for Shaun’s nod and inclined his own head in return. “You think I don’t understand humans. That’s not the case, Shaun. I simply choose not to pretend to be like them.” He gathered up the photographs on the desk in front of him. “Tonight, we will eat and drink and bring your mate and her sister into the fold, into our pack.”