The Wolf's Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna

by R. E. Butler

  He heard voices outside and scooped her up in his arms, sitting down on the chair and arranging her in his lap. Jason and Bo walked into the house, along with Trick and an EMT.

  Bo said, “I called Reika and she’s on her way. She can heal your wound, Jenna.”

  Logan frowned. “I don’t want Jenna to be bitten. She’s already been through enough.”

  “She won’t have to bite for this kind of wound, she’ll just shift into her wolf form and lick the slash marks. It will aid Jenna’s natural healing ability.”

  Trick looked confused. “Why would Reika bite Jenna in the first place?”

  Bo smiled. “She’s a healing wolf. If someone is seriously injured, she sometimes needs to bite them to inject her healing venom into their blood stream. She did it for me, which is why I don’t limp anymore. Hurts like a bitch, though.”

  “I’ll bet,” Trick said. “When I was young and stupid, I wrestled with my mate, Mia, and she accidentally caught my arm in her jaws. Split me open like a loaf of bread. She still feels guilty, and it’s been twenty years.”

  The EMT was human, but clearly had been around wolves and their mates before, because he approached slowly. “Can I check out your mate?”

  Jenna didn’t say anything, so he nodded, mentally leashing his wolf as the EMT knelt in front of them with a red medic bag and unzipped it. With a tiny pair of scissors, he cut away the sleeve completely and then cleaned the blood from her arm. The four slashes were still bleeding, but not as bad as they had been.

  “If you have a healer wolf coming, then I won’t recommend stitches. Hold this pad on the wound until it stops bleeding.”

  Logan asked, “Is Douglas awake yet?”

  The EMT answered, “He’s starting to come out of whatever they drugged him with. We’re taking him to the hospital for observation.”

  Jason said, “Let him know that I’ll be at the hospital as soon as I can, and I’ve called his mate.”

  The EMT nodded and walked out of the house.

  Jenna lifted her head and looked at her arm and the gauze pad that Logan held to it. Then she saw the blood on her shirt and made a small sound of pain. “Can I change?” Her right hand trembled as she held it over the shirt without touching the material.

  Trick cleared his throat. “Let me get your story, Jenna, and then you can get cleaned up. I’ll need your clothes for evidence,” Trick said.

  Her face paled as she looked up at Trick. “Am I going to jail?”

  Logan bit back his snarl of anger. Trick shook his head quickly. “It’s clear that this was self-defense, Jenna. Don’t worry about anything. Just tell me what happened and I’ll handle the rest.”

  Jenna scrubbed her free hand over her eyes and took in a few deep breaths. Her voice was timid at first, as she spoke of working in the shed to set up a place to make her soaps. She remembered that she hadn’t kept the phone with her, and assumed that Logan had called and would be upset, so she headed towards the house to get the phone and call him.

  “The house was dark, and I saw Jasper standing on the porch. I sent Darlie to find Logan and ran into the shed. I braced the door shut but they got through it.” Her voice trailed off for a long moment and then she explained how he had choked her, she had blinded him with one of her bottles of extracts, and then he tripped her and fell on top of her. The knife was just in the right place to kill him. Once more, Logan was very aware of how lucky his mate truly was. If Jasper had started to partially shift, then he probably would have torn Jenna apart instead of kidnapping her again, if that had even been his original intention.

  Trick said, “The knife slid between his ribs and straight into his heart.” Trick wrote a few more things in a small notepad, asking questions about the other men that were currently still unconscious but in custody.

  A deputy came to the back door. “The coroner is here already, Trick.”

  “I’ll be right out,” Trick said. Looking at Jenna, he said, “Are you sure that the dead fellow is Jasper, the one that kidnapped you?”

  Jenna nodded. “Yes, it’s Jasper. I recognized the other two with him. They were part of his pack and were there when he took me.”

  Logan’s ears picked up the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Bo said, “That’s Reika, I recognize the sound of her engine.” He walked into the front room and opened the door.

  Closing his notebook, Trick said, “If I have any questions, I’ll call in the next couple of days.”

  Logan stuck out his hand and shook Trick’s, watching as the sheriff walked into the backyard. Floodlights lit up the yard while the coroner took pictures and then prepared to take Jasper’s body.

  Bo walked into the kitchen with Reika. Logan pulled the gauze away from the wound and Jenna tensed but didn’t make a sound. Reika bent slightly and peered at the wound.

  Straightening, she said, “I’d be happy to heal this wound, Jenna. What will happen is that I’ll shift into my form and then gather the healing venom on my tongue. When I lick the wounds, it will deposit the venom into your skin. It will burn and ache, and your arm will likely be numb for a few hours. It will aid your natural healing abilities, and the marks should be gone fairly quickly.”

  Logan looked at Jenna. She worried her bottom lip. He used his thumb to ease her lip from her teeth and said, “You don’t have to do this, Jenna. With our blood bond, the wound will heal eventually.”

  He saw determination flash in her eyes and she straightened slightly. “No, it’s fine. I want the marks gone as soon as possible.”

  Reika smiled and Logan told them that Reika could shift in the spare bedroom. Teller and Michael came into the kitchen and stopped next to Jason. Michael put his hands in his front pockets and said, “The coroner just left. The unconscious wolves were loaded into an ambulance and escorted to the hospital. Trick said his deputies will stay with them until they’re released and can be taken to jail.”

  Logan didn’t think he could really articulate how much it meant to him that his pack had been there for him. They’d not only found and dealt with the two wolves, but they kept an eye on things outside. He’d been so consumed with Jenna’s well-being that it never occurred to him to even deal with those things.

  Jason said, “Trick’s going to keep me posted on the prisoners and I’ll update you. Teller scented the van and said there were only the three wolves’ scents inside, so there aren’t any others that came with them. Regardless, Trick is going to open an investigation into their leader’s background and see if he can locate the others. I have a feeling that they’re going to scatter once they hear that their boss is dead.”

  Teller added, “If they’re smart they will.”

  Logan heard the click of claws on the linoleum and then Reika appeared, her black fur so dark it was blue-hued. Jason said, “We’re going to make sure everything is cleaned up outside and then take off when Trick and his people are done. You take care of your mate and don’t worry about anything else.”

  Overwhelmed once more, he thanked his friends, painfully aware of how inadequate those two words were when he felt such sincere gratitude. His friends left, closing the sliding door behind them.

  Bo asked Logan to bring Jenna into the front room and have her sit on the floor so that she would be closer to Reika. Logan sat on the floor in front of the couch and settled Jenna on his lap so her right side was against him.

  Bo sat on the coffee table. “Are you sure, Jenna? Once her tongue touches you, there’s no going back.”

  “I’m sure.”

  Logan didn’t like the lack of emotion in her voice. He hoped she wasn’t going into shock.

  Reika whined softly and moved close. Jenna tensed and buried her face in his neck. Reaching for her left hand, Logan clasped it and squeezed.

  “I’m here, baby,” he assured her as Reika opened her mouth. She stroked her tongue, glistening with a thick coating of the healing venom, across the wound on Jenna’s arm. Once. Twice. Three times. Then she moved back to Bo and
sat down on her haunches, laying her head on his knee.

  Jenna’s right arm, which was around his neck, tightened. Her hand dug into his shoulder as her heart rate spiked and she began to pant.

  Logan could feel her struggling not to cry. He looked at Bo and could tell that Bo understood. “I rode in with Michael so I’m going to drive Reika’s car home. Call if you need anything.”

  When they were alone, Jenna broke down. “It hurts so much.” She tried to move her arm but couldn’t, and her hand, which had been squeezing his tightly, loosened. The numbness had spread down her arm.

  “I know baby. Let it out, okay? Cry, scream, whatever.”

  She hugged herself closer with her good arm, her tears soaking his shirt. She sobbed hard, her body trembling violently. Rocking back and forth, he said, “I wish I could bear this for you, Jenna. You don’t deserve any more pain.”

  After a few minutes, her sobbing eased. Either she was too tired to cry or the pain was lessening enough that she could tolerate it. “Will you help me clean up?”

  “Yeah, love, of course.”

  He stood and set her on the coffee table, retrieving a pair of scissors from the kitchen drawer. Swiftly he cut her shirt off, and then helped her take off her jeans. He left her for only one more moment, dropping the bloody clothes into a bag and placing them onto the back patio, calling for Trick to come and pick them up.

  With long strides, he closed the distance to his mate, picked her up, and carried her back to the master bedroom.

  “Bath or shower?” he asked, kicking off his shoes.

  “Shower.” Her voice was strained.

  He turned on the shower and stripped them both, supporting her as she stepped under the spray. She tilted her face up and closed her eyes, still holding onto him with her good arm. He pulled a puffy scrubber thing from the caddy under the showerhead and squeezed some of her homemade body wash onto it. As he lathered it with his hand first before touching her skin, a sweet scent filled the air.

  He stroked the sponge from her neck down, avoiding her left arm, which she kept out of the water by turning slightly to the left. Blood had colored her skin, and his beast snarled at the sight, another reminder of just how close things had been.

  “I’m okay now,” she said, her throat working as she swallowed hard. Her eyes were still glazed with pain.

  “I know, baby. It just kills me that you were in danger in the first place. And you’re still in pain. I can see it on your face.”

  “I’m trying not to keep being such a mess,” she said in a thick voice.

  “You don’t have to put on a show for me. I’m your mate, Jenna. If you want to cry, then cry. Just don’t shut me out.”

  She went quiet as he continued to clean her skin, paying careful attention to her fingers and hands, washing away any physical trace of the blood that had been spilled. When the soap was rinsed away, he turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing her towel from the hook.

  He began to pat her skin dry. She was staring down at her left arm and he followed her gaze. The wound was healing quickly now. Where it had been four angry, gaping slashes before, it was now partially healed, the bleeding stopped and only pink scars remaining.

  “The scars will fade away completely with time. Can you move your arm?”

  Her features tensed as she concentrated, but nothing happened. She lifted her face and he thought she might cry, but instead she threw her good arm around his neck and pulled him down to her lips. “Distract me, Logan. Make me forget everything for just a little while. I can’t handle breaking down again, I just can’t.”

  Dropping the towel, he lifted her up with his hands on her hips. Her legs wound around his waist, and his cock, which had been shamelessly erect since he stripped her naked and washed her, nudged her pussy. Her lips found his as her fingers slid through his hair and her nails scraped his scalp. She moaned into his mouth as he pulled her down onto his cock, sliding into the hot, wet heaven of her body until they were completely joined.

  Holding her against him with one arm, he felt his way out of the bathroom and to the bed, where he laid her down but remained standing. She stretched out on the comforter like a siren, her body glistening with droplets of water, her eyes bright silver like coins. Gripping her hips, he pounded into her, giving her the distraction she needed so she could settle her mind. She wanted to forget for a while; he would give her however much time she needed. Holding tight to his control, he thrust into her, holding her gaze.

  He latched his thumb onto her clit, rubbing the sensitive hood with the tip of his thumb in fast, light movements. Her body began to clutch his and he braced himself for her climax, grinding his teeth together and forcing his body to resist the urge to follow her. It was too soon. She cried out when she came and he leaned over her and licked the drops of water off her skin, tasting the sweet, natural scent of her skin and the soap that he had used. When her pussy stopped pulsing, he began to thrust into her again, lifting her legs up from his hips and resting her ankles on his shoulders. He smiled inwardly when her toes curled as one arm moved across her calves and he leaned forward slightly, bracing on the bed. The shift in position made his cock go deeper with each stroke and she began to gasp for breath, clutching the comforter with her good hand.

  Her body was flushed with passion, the sweet scent of her arousal like a beacon for his wolf. His fangs erupted from his gums as he pounded into her. She was his woman. His to love. To pleasure. To protect. Forever.

  Dragging the edge of his fang lightly down the arch of her foot, he watched as she squirmed. He leaned forward further, until her breath hitched and he knew he’d found her sweet spot. Focusing on nothing but bringing her to climax once more, he drove himself into her again and again, until there was nothing but the two of them and their bodies coming together. Her stomach tightened and she made mewling cries of pleasure. Her body clutched his, her pussy flooding with heat, and she screamed his name, her back arching off the bed. He couldn’t have stopped himself from coming for anything. It was too raw. Too amazing. His cock emptied deep inside her as she writhed under him, panting and whispering his name. His knees felt like rubber when he finally stopped coming, and he eased her legs down and lifted her up into his arms, carrying her further up the bed where he rolled onto his back with a groan. She lay next to him, her leg tucked between his and her left arm across his stomach. As their heartbeats returned to normal, he reached for a throw at the side of the bed and pulled it over them, making sure she was covered.

  Silence filled the room that had just minutes before been full of the sounds of their lovemaking. He thought she might have fallen asleep, but she cuddled a bit closer and said, “I killed someone tonight.”

  “He would have killed you, Jenna. There’s nothing wrong with protecting yourself. I wish I’d been here, to save you from having to do that. I would trade places with you in a heartbeat.”

  “Have you ever?”

  He knew what she was asking. Had he ever killed another person. There were parts of his life that he kept locked away in his memories because they were dark times. Angry times. He hadn’t shared this particular memory with anyone since he’d started his life over in Allen, but he wouldn’t keep secrets from Jenna, not when she needed him.

  “Once. When the rank fighting first started, the win-at-all-costs attitude had taken over the pack. We weren’t supposed to use weapons. It was against the rules. Rank was supposed to be about strength and cunning and fighting ability, not a lucky throw with a knife. I grew up with a guy named Vik. We did everything together — hunted, drank, got into bar fights — but he was always low-ranked in the pack because he had a temper and didn’t like to follow the rules. He wanted to get in favor with the new alpha.” He paused, remembering the way that Vik had been determined to get higher in the ranks. Vik had been the definition of a slacker, but he’d been fueled by Yoric’s promise of benefits for those that were high in rank.

  “When we were picked to fight against e
ach other, it was for the second position of rank, in the alpha’s inner circle and with all those ‘benefits’ he kept crowing about. I knew I could beat Vik. We trained together as youngsters and he was a lazy fighter. I expected to knock him out and be done with it. But he came at me like a man possessed. I tried not to hurt him, because he was my friend, but he wouldn’t stay down. The fighting was going on for long enough that Yoric was growing bored. Vik noticed at the same time I did, and he pulled a knife from his shoe. He cut me before I realized what he had in his hand. I could see it in his eyes. He was going to kill me if he had the chance.

  “I warned him. I told him if he didn’t put the knife down that I was going to kill him before he got another chance to use it on me again, but he didn’t care. He launched himself at me, partially shifting so his fangs and claws came out. I got the knife away from him and he continued to shift into his form. No matter how good of a fighter a man may be in his human form, there’s very little you can do when a pissed off wolf is coming at you. Before he shifted completely, I threw the knife and it embedded in his throat. He fell to the ground and bled out quickly.”

  “What were the benefits?”

  “Of killing him?” Logan asked in surprise.

  “No, what Yoric was talking about.”

  “Women,” Logan snorted. “Vik tried to win the fight at any cost because Yoric promised that any wolf in a high rank could have his pick of the unmated females.”

  “I’m sorry you had to kill your friend.” She rubbed her cheek on his shoulder.

  “I was sorry about it, for a long time. Guilt ate at me. I kept thinking I could have done something different so that he would have lived. But hindsight is twenty-twenty, sweetheart. And the truth is that I wouldn’t change anything about my past, because the person I am now, that’s here with you, was made through the hell that I suffered. If letting Vik live, or having a happy childhood, or any other changes would mean I wouldn’t have you in my arms right now, then I wouldn’t change anything. Not a damn thing.”