by Tate, Sennah
“I’ll see if Dez can take you. How about I come over later and we continue this?”
Gemma didn’t know which ‘this’ he was talking about, but she nodded in spite of herself She couldn’t resist the excitement that Carson gave her. The connection they had, physical and otherwise, thrilled her and she was dying to see how far it would go.
At the same time, Gemma knew that the danger they faced was very real. This wasn’t just a fun little adventure. It was real life and bad things could actually happen to them if they let their guard down.
Still, she tried not to let that get to her. She thanked Desmond for the escort back to her car; she drove herself home and decided to move into her shower.
Slowly the hot water relaxed her stiff muscles. They unfurled and stretched from their tightly coiled positions. She hadn’t realized just how sore and tired her body was. Helping Carson ‘cross-over’ — as he liked to say — took a lot out of her. She only just realized how long she must have been running on fumes with him.
Her body thanked her for the shower, but screamed in protest the moment she tried to lift her leg out of the bathtub. She felt like she’d just had back-to-back crossfit classes and her body was just going to crumble from the effort of trying to stay together.
She made herself a cup of decaf before crawling into her inviting bed for a well-deserved sleep.
A few hours later, the doorbell woke her.
Gemma crawled out of bed, groaning and muttering to herself as she trudged towards the door.
She opened it without looking to see who it was — or how she looked.
For a moment she thought she was still dreaming. Why else would such a sexy man be at her doorstep? But she knew that man…
“Carson!” She frantically moved to smooth her hair down.
“Were you sleeping?” He asked with a smirk.
Gemma’s cheeks flushed with color as she realized she was only wearing an over-sized t-shirt and boy shorts.
“Uh… yeah,” she said, pulling the shirt down to cover her thighs.
“Should I come back later?”
Gemma’s eyes widened and she took a step back from the door, “Don’t be silly, come in, I’ll get changed really quick.”
“Don’t bother on my account,” he joked, admiring her bare legs.
Gemma’s blush deepened and she tried to hide behind her bedroom door.
“Nice try! I’m not falling for it,” she teased back.
“Damn,” he said with a snap of his fingers, making her giggle.
She came back a few moments later in a pair of denim shorts and a tank top. She probably wasn’t actually any less exposed, but it somehow felt more appropriate.
“So, what did you and Aaron do today?”
Carson’s shoulders tensed and Gemma regretted asking the question.
“Things have been mostly cleaned up. The Chief reported there was a gas leak at the station that caused the damage. I don’t know what changed, but whatever is going on with people seems to be under control. It’s not gone… I can still… smell it,” he said, diverting his gaze from hers. He didn’t want her to think that he was a crazy person for thinking that he could smell bad people.
But she didn’t judge him at all. She just nodded and plopped onto the couch next to him.
“So, someone’s working really hard to cover it all up…”
“Which makes me think that it wasn’t an accident…”
“But they may have lost control of it prematurely,” she said.
Carson nodded and slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her up against his side. He inhaled deeply, letting her subtle perfume wrap him in a psychological blanket of comfort. He didn’t realize how much he missed her until he had her at his side again.
“Until Ty cleans up that video, we don’t really have anything to go on,” he said.
“I know,” Gemma said with a frown, “I don’t know what we should do.”
“I have an idea.”
She knew by the way he said it that she wouldn’t like his idea. The subtle tone of apprehension in his voice told her that he was dreading bringing the subject up.
She raised her eyebrows without a word, letting him explain.
“I told you I can smell it? Well, I think I might be able to track Izzy. My sense of smell is crazy when I’m the wolf.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but his lips covered hers before a word escaped. Her head swam with the earthy scent of him. Kissing Carson made time speed up and slow down all at once. Everything happened too fast for her to react to it, but every sensual movement of his lips against hers felt like sweet ever-lasting agony. She wanted more from him and thought she would never be able to have enough.
His hands settled on her hips and pulled her into his lap without ever breaking the kiss. Gemma’s squeal of laughter sent his blood rushing southward.
It didn’t take long for kissing to turn to exploration of other kinds. Carson reveled in the feel of Gemma’s delicate fingers on his heated flesh. She gave him shivers when she raked her fingernails over the tops of his thighs. He ached to tear his jeans off, to press himself against her skin to skin, to hear her cry his name…
She didn’t know what came over her; he was intoxicating. Her fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt, flesh against finely muscled flesh. She explored every ridge of his abdomen, slowly pulling his shirt up as she did.
Carson’s hands roved her thighs, sliding around to cup her bottom. He pulled her tightly against him before letting one of his hands wander up her silky smooth back.
Gemma arched into him; her plaintive moans driving him onward as his tongue explored her mouth.
His hands brought her shirt up just as hers did his. They undressed each other, Carson’s eyes drinking in every inch of Gemma’s porcelain skin.
There was a knock at the door.
Gemma turned her head as the doorbell rang. Carson’s grip on her hips tightened, holding her in place.
“Ignore them,” he breathed, placing hot kisses down her neck and shoulders.
She shivered as the rush of cool air against her skin was countered with his warmth; goose bumps rose up on her arms and Gemma wanted very much to just ignore whoever was at the door.
The doorbell rang again and again in rapid succession.
Gemma looked conflicted again and Carson distracted her by drawing a lace-clad nipple into his mouth.
“That’s not fair,” she panted, squirming in his lap.
He groaned and tried to hold her hips still against him as the visitor knocked on the door repeatedly.
“Don’t go,” he whispered as she reached to pull her shirt down.
“It’ll only take a minute,” she said.
Carson sighed, the ache in his groin a painful reminder of what he’d almost had. He let her go and she skipped over to the door, clueless as to how irresistible he found her with swollen lips and crumpled clothes. Those things were his doing and he took a great deal of masculine pride in giving her that freshly ravished look.
Gemma peered out the peephole before turning back to him.
“It’s just my neighbor. Don’t worry,” she said, opening the door.
“Hi Mrs. Kruft! How are—”
“What did you do to him?!” The old woman shrieked.
Gemma stammered and took a step back from the door.
“I… I don’t know what you’re… to who?” She asked.
“EUSTIS! He’s gone missing! I saw you eying him the other day. You’re planning to rob me and got rid of Eustis because he was in the way! Well, you’re not fooling me. I’ve already alerted the authorities about you.”
Gemma didn’t even know what to say to the woman. She had no idea what she was talking about.
“Missing? Mrs. Kruft, I didn’t know… I’m not sure what you’re —”
“Don’t you DARE try to play that innocent act with ME!” Mrs. Kruft said, swatting at Gemma with the newspaper she held in her hand.
>
Gemma held her arms up to protect her from the barrage of newspaper swipes and Carson stepped in with a hand on her waist and another blocking the old woman’s blows.
“Whoa, now. There’s no need to come attacking people in their homes,” he said, trying to make peace.
Mrs. Kruft narrowed her wrinkled eyes, malice sparkling beneath their icy blue surface.
“I know you…” she rasped, “You’re Ricky Sanchez’s bastard, aren’t you?”
Carson set his jaw in a firm line, his fingers digging into Gemma’s waist in an attempt to keep his cool. He could sense her fear and the wolf inside of him didn’t like the threat. She was just a little old lady, but she was a little old lady that was coming after Gemma.
“I don’t see how—”
“Yeah! You are! Well it all makes sense now, doesn’t it? If I knew you associated with this kind of trash I would have expected it,” Mrs. Kruft spat at Gemma.
Gemma didn’t know what to say or do. When she first met her, Mrs. Kruft seemed perfectly nice. A bit over-bearing maybe, but nice. Now she was just downright nasty.
Carson took a deep breath, trying to clear the fog of rage that threatened to compromise his good judgment. He smelled something odd on the old woman: vinegar.
He tried to catch Gemma’s attention. He didn’t know how to convey this to her without saying anything. He didn’t want to alert the shadow within Mrs. Kruft that he was onto it.
Carson reached for her hand and the wolf snarled at the old lady. He smelled the tell-tale scent and was ready to protect his mate.
…His mate? Is that how he thought of Gemma? The wolf inside him did, at least. Even if Carson wasn’t sure himself about the commitment.
The wolf struggled to take control and Carson saw the faint haze of a shadow inside the old lady. Spotting the threat, the wolf wouldn’t be held back any more, he sprang into action.
The intimacy that he and Gemma shared seemed to make it easier for Carson to cross over. Becoming the wolf was effortless, like shedding a coat.
Gemma stared at him in shock as she saw the wolf take shape before her. Mrs. Kruft didn’t notice the shaggy beast in front of her or the blank stare that Carson now gave her.
The shadow inside Mrs. Kruft swirled and pulsated within her; whip-like tendrils shot out like a solar flare and Wolf-Carson took the opportunity to swipe at it.
Gemma watched in horror as Carson-the-wolf seemed to be attacking the old woman. She appreciated the protection, but she couldn’t let him hurt an elderly lady on her behalf!
Carson latched onto one of the shadow tendrils and pulled it away from the woman. It stretched like a rubber band as he pulled it further away from her and finally its grasp on Mrs. Kruft slipped and the shade snapped free from her.
Gemma shrieked as the old woman’s knees buckled, but Carson couldn’t do anything about that now. The shade that he freed from her now danced around him merrily, tendrils reaching out to snap against his skin painfully. The shadow’s touch burned him and made his skin blister beneath the singed fur.
He pounced on the shade, tackling it before he ripped it to shreds with his teeth. The shadow dissipated into nothing and Carson limped his way back into his body where he crumpled on the floor.
Gemma jumped up from tending the elderly woman on the couch.
“What the hell what that?” Gemma asked, her eyes burning with fury.
Mrs. Kruft moaned and her eyes fluttered, Gemma brushed her silver hair away from her face before hurrying to the kitchen to get her some water.
“That’s the shadow thing I mentioned…” Carson said, not understanding why Gemma was angry with him.
“What shadow? All I saw—” Mrs. Kruft moaned again and Gemma realized she was nearly shouting at him.
“All I saw was that giant scary wolf attacking a helpless old lady,” she whispered tersely before returning to the other woman’s side.
Carson scrambled to come up with an explanation.
“You couldn’t… you mean…?”
Gemma held up a hand to cut him off as the old woman’s eyes flitted open.
“Mrs. Kruft? Are you all right?” Gemma asked, offering the cold water to her neighbor.
Her arthritic fingers closed around the glass and brought it to her parched lips.
“Wh-what happened?” she asked.
Gemma frowned, wondering how much she remembered. She decided to take her chance with a lie.
“You came over to ask if we’d seen Eustis lately. I guess you must have been out looking for him all day in the sun because you collapsed in my doorway,” Gemma said.
“C-collapsed?” she asked.
Gemma nodded, directing a glare in Carson’s direction.
“Yes, are you feeling okay?”
A few more minutes of doting on the old woman and Gemma finally sent her home. She hoped that Mrs. Kruft bought her explanation. She didn’t need the police showing up asking why her boyfriend was attacking little old ladies.
… Boyfriend?
She shook her head, turning on Carson with a murderous gleam in her eyes.
“What in the world were you thinking? You could have seriously hurt her!”
Carson frowned, crossing the room to show Gemma the angry red burns on his arms.
“Look, I know this is insane, but I’m not. She had this… shadow attached to her. I thought you could see it, too.”
Gemma’s fingers lightly brushed over Carson’s wounds and he sucked in a breath. She drew in a deep breath, grabbing a hold of their connection. Instead of letting his warmth flood into her, she pushed back on it, forcing her energy into him, helping his cells work overtime to heal the damage.
The blistered skin morphed and faded back to its usual state; Carson lifted her chin to give her a quick kiss.
“I’m sorry you were worried. I assure you I’m still in control of the wolf,” he said.
Gemma nodded. She gave him a thin smile as she tried to push back a wave of dizziness. She didn’t want to admit that there was a correlation. She didn’t want to give him any excuse to push her away now.
“I think we should tell the others about this if you’re going to go out looking for Izzy,” Gemma said.
Carson nodded.
“Okay, tomorrow,” he answered, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“What are your plans for tonight?” She asked, her eyebrow raising with a half-cocked smile.
His hands slipped into her back pockets and brought her forward until they were pressed together.
“Tonight? Oh, I don’t know, I was thinking of heading to bed early.”
“Oh were you?”
Her bashful smile made his heart yearn for her. He felt the raw animalistic need to claim her simmering just beneath the surface. He would give the wolf what it wanted, but he would do it on his own time. No matter how much his other half wanted to dive right in, Carson had every intention of taking his time with Gemma.
He pressed his lips against her throat, trailing kisses across her responsive flesh. Gemma shivered and let out a moan that made Carson growl with unadulterated need.
“What do you think of my plan?” He said, his voice barely a whisper as his lips skirted past her ear.
Gemma closed her eyes on a sigh; liquid heat pooled in her core and burned like nothing ever had before. She had an unbearable thirst and Carson was the only thing that could quench it.
“I think,” she whispered, trying to play into his game, “that early can’t come soon enough.”
Carson’s face split into a wide smile before his mouth descended on hers, dragging her out to sea with him once more. He hefted her into his arms and refused to release her lips for her answering squeal of surprise.
She watched him through her eyelashes in a sultry gaze that set his blood on fire. There was no denying that this woman had a hold on him that rivaled anything he’d ever felt.
He carried her through the threshold of her bedroom, determined to spend the next dozen
or so hours showing her exactly how special she’d become to him.
Chapter 14
He tip-toed out as she slept, knowing the action would likely come back to haunt him. He knew he was on to something though; he was certain that he could track down Izzy.
Carson went to his sister’s house a couple of blocks away and sat in her living room. It seemed unreal that he’d met Gemma only a few days ago. It was ridiculous how naturally she seemed to fit at his side. And the strange abilities that they unlocked together were just the icing on the cake.
Ever since Gemma came into his life, everything had been topsy-turvy.
But now, because of her, he thought he might have the key to finding his sister.
Up until this point, he’d always needed Gemma’s support to push him through the transition. He felt something different this time, though. After he and Gemma’s recent intimacy, Carson’s mind was clearer than ever. She’d suddenly connected wires in his brain that he didn’t even know existed. Their connection was no longer a flimsy tether barely holding them together. It was concrete now; unshakable and indestructible. There was no way it was going to fade out now.
Carson took a deep breath and rested his sweaty palms on trembling knees. Exploring this insanity with Gemma was one thing, but doing it alone made him wonder if he was being reckless.
With Izzy at stake, though, there were worse things he could be than reckless, he thought. Like complacent.
No, he had to try for Isabel’s sake and if it didn’t work, Gemma never had to be any wiser about it.
His eyelids descended and he let his mind wander to the now ever-present bridge between he and Gemma.
As comforting as sliding into a favorite pair of slippers, Carson became the wolf. He took one last look at his human form, hoping that he would be safe in Izzy’s house, before he left to search once more.
His nose carried him across town, the stench of vinegar burning his nostrils as he neared the warehouse district.
An abandoned warehouse became the target of his investigation. Boarded up windows did nothing to disguise the thick shadowy haze surrounding the building. He knew he was close; a concentration of nastiness this large couldn’t be a coincidence.