by Olivia Arran
You’d have to be an idiot to miss the threat in his words, and I wasn’t an idiot. “I’ll be there.” Yeah … hopefully not, I added silently. Fingers crossed we could dig up the evidence today, then I was outta here. Now, where the hell was—
“Look what I found wandering around outside.” Eyes turned to the doorway, in which stood a large man, wide and thick set. His delivery was deadpan, as though he didn’t really give a shit, but had forced himself to get off his ass and come tell us. He moved to the side, revealing an even bigger man, this one dressed in scruffy jeans and a tight black tee, his hair covered by a baseball cap and sunglasses shading his eyes.
Greg!
Removing the shades slowly, Greg eyed the small group, dismissing each one until his gaze came to rest on me.
“Who are you?” It was Rocky that spoke, but Greg took his time in answering, his eyes traveling up my body in a lazy sweep.
“Greg. I’m here for work.”
Rocky heaved himself to his feet, stretching out his arms and displaying thick biceps like a peacock preening for a crowd. “Bro, you’re here for a body bag if you don’t stop eyeing her like that.”
“I can’t help it if I think she’s prettier than the rest of you.”
Silence reigned. I snuck a glance at Tomas. His attention was on the newspaper, Greg not important enough to warrant a glance.
A deep chuckle rumbled up through Rocky’s chest, his body shaking as he slapped the table. “You’re going to fit in here just fine, Greg. You a hard worker?”
“If the money’s good enough.”
“You a brawler?”
“If the money’s good enough.”
The two men grinned at each other, reaching some kind of an understanding.
“Keenan, take the man outside and explain what we do around here,” Rocky barked out. “I’ll give you a day’s trial, paid. If you’re good, you can stay. Room and board is included.”
“Sounds good.”
Another chuckle from Rocky. “Yeah, we’ll see if you’re still saying that after a day on the mountain.” He narrowed his eyes in a thoughtful expression, stroking his beard. “Say, have we met before, you look really—”
“I’ve got one of those faces.”
“You sure?”
“Yup … I’m pretty sure I’d remember kicking your ass.” With that Greg threw me a wink and sauntered out of the kitchen.
“Watch him.” Tomas had finally looked up from his newspaper.
With a nod, Keenan followed Greg outside.
Rocky frowned. “We need the extra guy.”
A rustle of paper as Tomas turned the page. “I know.”
And that was it. The end of the exchange. It was a bit puzzling, the power dynamics between the two—alpha and paid worker. Rocky was obviously an alpha in his own right, the leader of his motley crew, but he hadn’t shown the least bit of interest in taking over the pack. As I’d heard him joke many a time before—he filled his pockets, his stomach, and his bed, not necessarily in that order.
Whatever. It had absolutely nothing to do with me. I’d mentally left the pack long before my body had finally gone and done it. I’d only stuck around for my parents, and now, with the whole Greg situation … I couldn’t imagine coming back here for good. Even if Greg didn’t want me, there was a whole wide world out there waiting for me to explore.
“Scar—”
“I’m going to see my parents,” I blurted out, cutting Jimmy off. If I was quick, I might be able to speak to Greg alone. Before he went off to work. Smothering a giggle at the thought of him pulling a hard day’s labor, it fast turned into a sigh at the thought of him straining all day, working his muscles until they gleamed with sweat.
“But—” A frown creased Jimmy’s brow, and if we’d been alone, I would have teased him mercilessly for being a worrywart. But we weren’t alone—Tomas was watching us intently.
“I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”
Blowing out a stream of air, Jimmy flashed me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. A tug on my arm and I was in his arms, his head lowering to a chorus of whooping and whistles.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I hissed as his lips hovered over mine.
“Following the plan.”
“The plan didn’t involve you mauling me.”
“They can’t see what we’re doing.”
A quick glance confirmed it. From this angle my face was hidden by Jimmy’s bulk, but … still.
“At least look like you enjoyed it,” he muttered under his breath, before releasing me.
One of the guys—Aiden, I think—whistled between his teeth, his eyes crossing as if in pain. “You’ve got a lot to learn, bro. I could give you a few pointers, if you like?” With a white blond buzz cut, smoky dark eyes that touched on violet, and tattoos stretching over thick biceps, he was traffic stopping handsome.
Jimmy stammered, his face flushing.
Feeling sorry for my friend, I shot Aiden a brief smile. “No thanks, you’re not my type.”
Rocky slammed a hand down on the table, sending coffee cups jumping into the air. “Damn! She just cut you down, bro!”
Aiden muttered something under his breath, but he was still smiling. Not bothered in the slightest.
“You know where to find me,” I murmured to Jimmy, setting off out of the house at a clip, Tomas’s eyes burning into my back.
The front door banged shut behind me and the two men out front looked up, Keenan’s hand coming up to shield his eyes from the morning sun. Greg, on the other hand, had his sunglasses firmly back in place, shielding his eyes from the sun, and from me.
Greg murmured something in a low voice and Keenan chuckled. Then his eyes widened. “Fuck, man, you weren’t joking?” Shaking his head, he strolled off up the street to lean against a wall.
Six steps later and I was at Greg’s side. My fingers tingled with the need to touch him, to cling to him, so I shoved them in my pockets. Scuffing the gravel with my toe, I drew a circle, shaping it around into a lazy figure of eight.
“I’m going to see how much the guys know about what’s going on here. You need to stay safe today. I’m not going to have eyes on you.” He flashed me a lazy grin, the kind a guy gave a girl that he thought was pretty. It looked plain wrong on Greg’s face. Too smooth and practiced. My mate thrilled me with dark, heated smirks, guaranteed to set my panties on fire.
“I’m going to see what I can—”
“No. Wait for me.”
“Jimmy can—”
Leaning into me, he cut me off with a look that promised a whole lot of retribution if I didn’t obey. “I’ll be having words with Jimmy later. Visit your parents, stay safe. Trust no one.”
“Not even you?”
“Aw, sweetheart, am I really no one?” It was back, the smooth smile that promised sweet kisses and orgasms under a moonlit sky.
Okay. Maybe I’d take this Greg for a spin sometime. Simple. Uncomplicated… My mind filled in the blank. Boring.
“Fine.” Making sure he didn’t miss my glare, I turned away.
Catching my arm, he stoked a finger down my bare skin. “Giggle for me, sweetheart.”
I snorted. “Giggle?”
“Yeah, I know you can if you put your mind to it.”
“Why—? Oh. Right. Keenan.”
“Can’t have him thinking I’m a slouch in the ladies department, otherwise how will I get them to accept me?”
A mischievous urge to slap him and storm off raced through my mind. Or dismiss him in a really loud voice? Berate him? Choices, choices.
“Fuck, you’re hot when you’re devious.” His voice was low and strained.
I snuck a glance at his crotch, my lips parting at the prominent bulge straining his zipper. A low moan caught in my throat at the thought of him bending me over the fence and using that weapon on me.
“That’ll do nicely.” Blowing me a kiss, he sauntered back over to Keenan, the other man’s face a
picture as he stared at me, then Greg, then back again.
So, I did what any mature woman in my situation would do.
I flipped him off.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Greg
The day passed quickly due to the unrelenting grind of hard manual labor, minutes turning to hours, until the sun had risen to it’s zenith, bathing this side of the mountain in glorious rays. Sweat streamed off me, rivers of the damn stuff, dripping down onto my ax as I drove it into the stone face for what must be the millionth time. Though what the fuck we were digging for, who knew?
Scarlett’s voice chattered in my ear, her low murmur coming in fits and starts as she went about her day. She was still at her parent’s house; still following instructions. I was calling it a goddamned miracle.
“Hey, Greg, lunch!”
Dropping the ax like it burned, I turned toward the voice, the sandwich flying through the air like a bullet and missing my head by a scant inch. Scooping it off the floor, I made my way over to the rest of the guys, found a flat rock, and sat my ass down. Whether I got up again was anyone’s guess. Tugging my T-shirt out of my back pocket, I used it to wipe my face, stripping the sandwich of it’s wrapper and tearing off a huge bite.
“How’re you finding it?” Rocky asked from his perch over to my right.
Taking the time to chew, I shrugged. “It’s a job.”
“Yup. Not too many of them around at the moment. Especially for people like us.” His eyes zeroed in on my back, on the ink etched into my skin. Ink I hadn’t asked for, but had earned nonetheless.
“Us?” I’d seen their ink, had connected the dots. But I wasn’t one to jump to conclusions….
A nod, encompassing the whole group. “Yup.”
“I never saw you on the circuit.” Not that I would have noticed, back then I was too high and too busy trying to lose myself to pay attention to anything but the next fight. Staying alive by sheer luck, because I was damn sure I hadn’t wanted to live.
“Huh. I could have sworn I knew your face. But, hey, it’s a big world. Lots of people out there with too much money that they don’t mind losing.”
My turn to nod. “That’s for sure.” I took another bite of my sandwich, forcing it down against the bile rising in my throat. It was another time, a different me. One I’d worked hard to forget.
But some things never left you. They haunted your dreams, starred in your nightmares.
Aiden stared at the sky, his face a mask. “How long?”
“In, or out?”
“Both.”
“Eight years in the job, seven out.”
The men around me called out numbers, some similar to mine, some less. But all too much.
“Rocky got us out.”
I glanced at Aiden, taking his measure. He wasn’t bullshitting. “Everyone here?”
“Yup. Every last one of us son-of-a-bitches.”
It made sense now, they’d formed their own pack, Rocky taking the helm. More than a pack, they were family. Probably the only they had left, if they were anything like me. I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know their secrets or shame. It would be the same stories, just different characters.
Swallowing the last bite of my sandwich, I wiped my hands on my dusty jeans, snatching a bottle of water out of the air as it sailed toward me. Downing it in one, long swallow, I splashed the dregs over my face, my hands coming back grimy and streaked with dirt.
“If you’re looking for a place in this world, there’s one here for you,” Rocky said, shaking water from his beard and tidying his rubbish away.
“Thanks, man.”
“No questions asked, no sob stories shared.”
I nodded. If he’d been around seven years ago, I’d have snatched his arm off, but now…? I wasn’t that guy anymore.
I wasn’t that guy anymore…. The words circled in my head, picking up steam.
“You look like you’re having a come to God moment there, bro. Trust me, we’re not that special.”
Ignoring the comment, I lurched to my feet, adrenaline tearing through me and leaving my head spinning. What did it mean? I didn’t know, only knew that it felt big. Like something had realigned inside of me, changing me. But in what way? And would it make a blind bit of difference? Would I be different? Would I be able to—
“Greg?” The voice was mildly exasperated, as though it wasn’t the first time my name had been called.
“What?” I snapped back, wanting to get back to examining this … breakthrough. No, that didn’t sound right. It was a—
“If you’re going to hang around, you need to stay away from Scarlett.”
Aiden now had my full attention. “Why?”
“She’s going to be the next alpha’s mate.”
Pretending confusion, I shrugged, “So?”
“So … it’s a lost cause, man. Don’t break your back trying to land that one, there’s lots of lovely ladies in the local town who’d be happy to…” Aiden’s voice trailed off, his hands doing the talking as they mimed stroking down a woman’s body. A very voluptuous woman’s body. “I don’t have to spell it out, do I?”
“Nope.” Leaving it at that—it wasn’t my fault if he took it to mean I’d back off—I strolled over to where I’d dropped my ax earlier. The sun warmed my back, and in minutes I was drenched in sweat again. The sound of metal hitting stone bounced around the mountain, an occasional grunt, a soft curse drifting on the air.
Silence through the receiver. Scarlett had been quiet for too long. I straightened, immediately on alert.
“You okay?”
I grunted at Rocky, swiping a hand over my face and sipping at some water.
Where are you, sweetheart? Talk to me.
As if by magic, her voice came over the speaker, calm and soft as she chatted with her Mom, the women involved in some sort of baking from the snippets I managed to catch. Of course. When she’s stressed, she bakes.
“That’s time! Clean up, time for a bath.” Rocky’s holler had everyone packing up and clearing out in record time.
“Bath?” I enquired, falling into step with him.
“At the lake.” At my raised eyebrow, he chuckled. “Otherwise the bathroom back at the house gets hogged, and you’d think we’re all a bunch of girls, bickering about hot water.”
“Makes sense.”
A quick dip, the water freezing despite the sun having warmed it all day, and we were setting off back to the house, everyone in high spirits as they jostled and egged each other on, bragging about conquests and who they had their eye on next.
A real sense of unity hummed through the group, a brotherhood of men who’d had a crap start in life, tied together because of it. But could I trust them? I still hadn’t worked out exactly why they were here, at Blacktooth. Why they put up with Tomas’s bullshit.
I decided to go with instinct, it was all I had left. It had kept me alive over the years.
Besides, some backup might come in handy.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Scarlett
Silk fluttered around my calves, the soft wind catching it and sending ripples over the midnight blue. My Mom had helped me dress, draping the long length around me while I spun in a slow circle, pinning it at shoulder and hip with brooches passed down through the family.
It was my mating dress. Specially selected to enhance the blue of my human eyes, but also to display the glorious silver of my wolf when she made her appearance.
Because, if this was my real mating, she would, her spirit rising and blending with mine more fully than ever before as my mate claimed me, and I him.
Yeah. Not going to happen.
Fiddling with the brooch at my hip, I traced the cool swirls of metal detailing a wolf howling at the sky. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” Jimmy didn’t sound fine, far from it. He didn’t look it either, his back stiffer than a gatepost and finger tugging at his collar.
All around us the pack mingled, the uncharacteristical
ly warm night setting the stage for a party out under the stars.
Where the hell is he? I’d done as Greg asked, stayed put all day. I’d watched the sun set, my frustration growing with every minute that continued to pass without word from him.
Jimmy wasn’t much good either. According to him, he’d spent the day assisting his father with pack business. Learning the ropes like a good son. My eyes slid back to him, as I considered how well I actually knew him.
“Would you like to dance?”
“That’s very formal for you, Jimbo.” My light mocking tone did nothing to hide the edge of panic.
His face screwed up, and he shook his head. “I’m not a child anymore, Scar.”
“I know you’re not.” The way he was looking at me, it was almost a glare.
“Do you? Really?” His hands settled on my waist, his skin hot through the thin fabric. Spreading his fingers, he pulled me closer. “We’re going to be mated, remember?” His voice dripped with sarcasm, barely concealing his panic.
Crushed against his chest, I tried to suck in a breath that wasn’t him. Forcing myself, I laid my hands on his shoulders, nausea rolling through me as the cotton of his shirt dragged against the soft silk covering my breasts. It wasn’t his fault; it was all me. My body telling me this wasn’t the right man, throwing up warning signs left, right, and center. He left me cold, but it wasn’t his fault.
His fingers tightened, flexing into my ass.
“Hey!”
“Sorry,” he muttered, his neck flushing. “The whispers…”
Yeah, I got it. All around us people were whispering, but not maliciously, oh, no. They were joking and laughing, throwing out good natured jibes, the kind humans got teased about before their wedding night. Though these were a little more … graphic, but that was the way of shifters. We were sensual creatures, sexual and loving. And very possessive when we found love.
At least I’d discovered one thing that made the panic a little more bearable: Jimmy wasn’t aroused. Not. One. Bit. In fact, he looked more scared, than happy to see me.