What she thought would have been a quick, fast romp, just like last night, lasted nearly a half hour. Her orgasm was long and sweet, spreading through her like molten lava. He came shortly after her, moaning her name against the back of her neck.
“You’re very good at this sex thing,” she said when they had caught their breaths.
“That’s because I love to hear your moans when I do it right,” he replied. “Besides, we’re perfect together. That’s why it’s so good.”
He got up from the bed, taking his warmth with him. She pulled the covers over her nakedness and sat up. She bit her lip in disappointment when she realized he was gathering up his clothes.
Connor took his wallet out of his jeans pocket and set a black American Express card on the nightstand. He scribbled something down on a torn envelope. “Here’s my card and the password to the laptop in the kitchen. Order some clothes and whatever else you want.” He wrote down an address. “Have it shipped here overnight.”
Before Antonia could protest, he leaned over and kissed her. “I’m going up the road to take care of some business. I’ll be back in less than an hour.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Connor must have sensed the arrival of his guests because he rose from the chair and placed the reports he’d been reading on the end table. Antonia came out of the small kitchen where she had been applying the finishes touches to supper.
Sure enough, she heard the engines of what sounded like a couple of motorcycles pulling up on the gravel path in front of the ranch.
“They’re here,” Connor said.
Antonia’s nerves were already on edge from earlier this afternoon, but she was grateful that Andrew would arrive at any minute now. The arrival of the Alphas that Connor took orders from sent her nerves into overdrive again. She swallowed and looked at Connor with apprehension.
“Don’t worry. These are my people and you’ll be part of us soon. You can tell them the truth about anything,” he said. “It’s suggested. If you don’t want to reveal something, it’s best not to say anything at all. Both Alphas are very good at scenting lies.”
“Thanks for the heads up. Now I feel a little better,” she said, pushing the sarcasm in her voice.
“I’ll see what I can do about your mood tonight.” He kissed her lips then opened the door.
He led her out onto the porch where Connor’s guests waited.
Both Alphas were parking their bikes and exchanging words when Antonia spotted them.
Her attention swung to the Alpha with the charcoal hair first. The striking emerald eyes drew her in and they sparkled in the light of the dusk that had fallen around them.
The second Alpha was striking as well, with deep mahogany hair and dark, brooding eyes to match. Right away, she noticed the leather and gold belt he wore with a huge ruby stone embedded above what looked like an insignia in the center.
The men ascended the steps one by one and so many wolf pheromones and testosterone filled the atmosphere that she could nearly drown in it.
“Alpha Devin. Alpha Tristan.” Connor greeted them with a handshake and then introduced her. “This is Antonia, my mate.”
Connor’s declaration of her as his mate to the men he looked up to gave her a sense of belonging and pride. She held out her hand, her fingers shaking nervously. “I would say that it’s a pleasure to meet the two of you, but under the circumstances I don’t know how pleasurable the outcome will be. I’ve never been fond of being questioned or interrogated.”
There was complete silence as they took in her words, and for a moment, she wanted to take them back.
Then the first Alpha spoke.
“You’ve got a mate who speaks her mind without a filter,” Devin told Connor. “I like her already.”
Devin smiled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Antonia, you’ve got the information we need, not the other way around. We never have to ask any questions, all you have to do is speak.” He winked.
Tristan took her hand and lifted it to his lips to press a kiss on her knuckles. “And co-signing what Devin just said, you should use the fact that you have information we need to your advantage.” He had a crooked closed-mouth grin that probably lured women, both young and old, to his bed.
Connor stepped aside, took her hand, and gestured for the two Alphas to proceed into the home. They entered the home and observed their surroundings near the foyer. Upon seeing Connor’s boots by the door, they removed their own boots and lined them up accordingly.
Antonia was taken aback by their behaviors from the moment they’d arrived, and she would probably be doing the same thing until they were gone. Under the guise of humans, they were animals—wolves—who fed off of each other’s emotions, and from what she was seeing, mirrored each other’s actions.
“For obvious reasons, my dad has insisted he stay at the Pentagon. If orders are sent, he’ll need to be there to make sure the right things happen. Rodney is on his way with Andrew, Antonia’s twin brother,” Connor said as they moved farther into the home.
“We’ll make sure you and your dad are compensated well for your troubles,” Devin said.
“I can’t speak for my dad, but this is my duty. I won’t accept any other monetary compensation than what was agreed upon when I took up management of the firm,” Connor said.
“You came to me the other night and we made a deal. You intercepted a live raid on the group of individuals who I believe have connections with a rising enemy of ours,” Devin said.
Connor nodded. “I have more reports, and Rodney will bring the rest of his findings when he gets here.”
“Well done. Send me that invoice and I’ll take care of it with interest.”
“Antonia made dinner. Corned beef, cabbage, and cheese pie are the main course. Let’s talk in the kitchen.”
“Excellent idea.” Tristan rubbed his belly. “For a moment there, I thought you’d torture us with the wonderful smells coming from your kitchen without feeding us. I haven’t eaten since sunup. I’m hungry as a wolf.”
“Ah, but you are a wolf,” Devin joked.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The men ate like a team of football players. When all the plates and even the pots were empty, Antonia almost wondered if she’d made enough food. Just last week, she had been complaining to Andrew about how much food he ate in a week. Saturday was usually a grocery-shopping day for her, but by Wednesday, the fridge was almost always empty. But the men sitting before her could have easily cleared out a refrigerator in a day at this rate.
“That was very good,” Devin said, running his napkin over his lips a few times. “I think my chef would have a hard time replicating that if I asked him to make it.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I work at the diner in the city. Before we moved out here, I was an assistant to a master chef back in Philly.”
One of Tristan’s brows arched high. “Philly?”
“Yes, Philadelphia. Andrew and I lived there for almost a year before moving here to Virginia.” She nodded and then got up and retrieved the peach pie from the stove. She set it along with a few saucers in the center of the table.
The men were exchanging looks with each other across the table when she looked up, so there was no mistaking that they had questions.
“Oh, I almost forgot the whipped cream. I made it from scratch.” She turned quickly and walked the short distance to the refrigerator to grab the bowl of whipped cream.
The table fell silent as she served the pie.
“Two slices of pita, please,” Tristan told her.
“You men don’t waste food,” she joked. “Connor told me that you require a lot of it to maintain both sides, but boy…”
“We’ll certainly eat whatever you put in front of us, that’s for sure,” Devin commented. “It’s a plus that you know your spices. Connor will be a very lucky man.”
Antonia smiled. “And I’m lucky that Connor came to me when he did.” She couldn’t help but to glance Connor’s way to see that he
shared the same emotion. “So, please don’t…punish him for revealing himself to me.”
Tristan laughed and Connor fidgeted with a fork next to his placemat.
“We’ll never do that,” Devin replied. “I consider Connor one of the privileged for the work he and his family has done for our Pack over the decades.. We don’t punish wolves for finding their mates. We congratulate and honor them.”
“You’ve fought the urge to mark her well. The air is thick with lust, but your wolf will win if she stays under your care,” Tristan said.
“And she will,” Connor responded.
Antonia didn’t understand the exchange between the men. “I’m sorry. Mark me? What do you mean mark me?”
“I keep forgetting you’ve only just met Connor and have barely been introduced to our ways.” Tristan picked up his fork and began to cut into his pie. He pushed a healthy piece of pie in his mouth and chewed with his eyes closed. “Mmmm. You are a beautiful woman and a very good cook and your mate is a very loyal man, but the answer to your question is not as simple as you might imagine.” He tossed a questioning look at Connor across the table. “May I?”
Connor gave his approval by nodding.
“I can scent your auras together already in this home, and the balance is right. Connor is the wolf that will go down on bended knee at your feet for years to come. According to Caedmon tradition, the males are in charge, and only the dominant can rule with an Alpha. In Arnou tradition, that is the same, for the most part. But my elders that advised before me taught me that the moment you meet your match—your mate—she will be the only one who can sway you. And she will most definitely sway you. Ask my friend, Devin, and he’ll tell you all about it.” Tristan gestured to the right of him where Devin sat. “Tamara’s heart is in the right place and that spirit resonates with Devin into his leadership role. I bet it makes for great peace with those who have risen up against the new council. Resonating peace—that’s what a female mate can do for a once-jilted male wolf. A mate can be your greatest contender or your best ally. She’ll either aid your victory or be your downfall. As it is with our kind, our wolf rules our soul and both man and wolf constantly vie for dominance when it comes to choices that will affect both. This struggle for power makes them stronger, gains them unquestioned authority when it comes to subordinates and associates, and leads them to better choices for themselves and their kind. But there is no vying when it comes to the heart of the wolf. The heart is given to a true mate. It is given once the bond is complete. To a wolf, marking is a sign that one has truly accepted that a mate should hold this much power over him.” Tristan smiled sweetly, but his eyes were dark and nothing but sweet. “Do you have any more questions?”
“Um, no. Thanks, that was interesting.” Antonia settled back in her chair, extremely overwhelmed. Tristan had answered enough questions, ones she hadn’t even asked. She sensed that he was the type of man who gave you information you could have easily been better off not knowing.
“I visit Philly quite often,” Tristan said, as he and the other men enjoyed their pie. “I have many businesses there, but my grandfather, who resides here, fell ill a while ago--which is why I’m here. There is this one restaurant…maybe you can recall the name since you’ve been there. They serve this delicious Pita sa sirom, cheese pie, like the one you served here this evening. It is very popular with tourists when they come by. I have them each day when I visit this place.”
Antonia’s breathing slowed as she studied him. “You speak Serbian?”
Connor and Devin looked on with interest their backs stiff in their chairs.
“Da. As a second language. My grandfather spoke to me in this language when I was a child. Things have changed for us over the years. When he lost his son…” His Adam’s apple rose in his throat. “…he stopped speaking the language. Not only does the wolf spirit consume me, but the blood of the Serbs also runs through me. But we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about where you got your pita making skills.”
“Mikan’s Plate. My brother and I worked as kitchen staff, and then I moved up as assistant to the chef. When Andrew got into trouble, we had to bail the state. I’m sure Connor has told you about my criminal past. You’re welcome to be put off by it.”
“I’m not put off by it at all. But when were you going to tell your mate that you were once a member of Cobra.”
She gasped.
Connor’s chair scraped back and shock froze the well-defined features on his face.
“I…I wasn’t. I was never inducted.” How had this man connected her involvement? “We were couriers for a short time, that’s all. And then I stopped and the boss gave me a job in the kitchens. After that, Andrew asked the boss about joining—getting on the payroll. I told him I didn’t want anything to do with it.”
“Is your brother a member?” Connor asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but he wanted to be,” she replied.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Tristan said. “You still have the box you found on her?”
Antonia’s heart dropped into her belly as her guilty conscience grew. She felt like she was between a rock and a hard place. She was again getting pinned for things she should have never been involved in in the first place.
“What do you know?” Devin snarled at Tristan when Connor left to go get the box.
Tristan frowned. “I am under a code of silence. I advise you, at your level, not to get involved.”
Devin’s entire face and neck reddened. “At my level? Your dealings with the devil are getting out of hand.”
Antonia wondered if she should get up from the table. The tension in the room had reached an all-time high as the two Alphas—two wolves—argued across the table with each other.
“I can handle my fucking business just fine,” Tristan replied then straightened his collar. “Not in front of Connor’s woman. We’ll discuss this behind closed doors.”
“I will ki—.”
“Here it is.” Connor came back with the box. It was rather small, but was heavy to carry.
“Courier, eh?” Tristan lifted the box and turned it upside down. He pushed a few mechanisms, making up the latch click open then slid the bottom half off.
Inside was a stack of cash and some type of computer chip.
“Gods,” Devin exclaimed.
Tristan picked up a stack and flipped through it revealing that they were all Benjamins. “No one except for a member of Cobra would be trusted with this type of dough.”
“I’m not a member,” Antonia restated angrily.
“But I bet your brother is.”
“How do you know this?” Connor asked, grabbing the edges of the table.
“You’re talking to the future advisor of the Boss who runs the network.”
“What the fuck?” Devin exclaimed.
“What network?” Connor demanded.
“Tristan and his family have connections to the mob in Serbia. Decades ago, they married into it,” Devin replied.
All three men rose, but the only thing that rose in Antonia was her temperature and the tempo of her heart.
Connor pointed to the box. “If there is any truth to this, all my reports lead to Cobra being responsible for the murders of dozens of our people.”
“The Capo that leads the Cobra crew went into hiding right around the time the bodies began showing up. So, it’s possible the group you’re targeting takes orders from him. There have been rumors that said Capo has a vendetta against me.”
“So, he’s targeting our kind because of you?” Devin questioned him.
“Possibly anybody with connection to me.”
“Then who does this leave for this Capo to take orders from?” Connor asked.
Tristan slowly looked across the table to meet Connor’s gaze. “Well, he isn’t taking orders from me to kill my own kind. You’ve been trained in this and are familiar with the way a mafia works, Connor, so think about it. There are only a few others he
could have taken orders from. I’m not a snitch, but I will clean up.”
“There are men at the local level and in the Feds that I can have move in to clean up.” Connor pushed off the table and started to move away from it.
“No, you don’t want to go there for a multitude of reasons,” Tristan warned.
“That’s because he is part of this mafia,” Devin hissed. “He knows there will be a bloodbath in this country if you were to break this operation open. His money is tied to it.”
“In light of things, Connor has already exposed us to scrutiny,” Tristan said. “It helps that he’s sniffed out a mate who was nearly inducted. Sometimes fate can be a real bitch.”
Devin growled. “Yeah, well, we’re fucking dying out here. How many have been killed on the account of your illegitimate fucking connection, huh? Fuck this Order. You have a Pack to protect.” Devin pounded his fist on the table and the utensils jolted up into the air. “If you can’t keep your ego in check and insist on crawling back to your mob like a stray dog in heat to keep your pockets fat, that bitch named fate will fuck you dry every time. When she’s done, you’ll be so raw you won’t be able to hold your own Pack together.”
The collision of the two male bodies happened in a matter of seconds.
Antonia screamed.
Connor’s strong arm tugged her about the waist and then shoved her out into the main living area, away from the fight.
“Out! Take this shit outside,” Connor hollered over the racket. “Fuck!”
Her jaw dropped as she looked on in shock. She’d seen street fights before, but never had she seen two men as powerful as Devin and Tristan pound and wrestle each other on the ground.
Sparks flew in the air and she witnessed the Alphas in a mid-shift change. Before the change happened, they tumbled onto the porch and out into the front yard. In their wake, a trail of blood was left on the porch and on the steps leading outside.
Antonia swooned and almost fainted when she saw two wolves almost twice the size of Connor’s wolf collide once again. She had never felt so helpless in her life. She didn’t know whether to call the cops or run for cover.
Wolf’s Honor: Caedmon Wolves Book Six Page 10