Harlequin Nocturne March 2014 Bundle: ShadowmasterRunning with Wolves

by Susan Krinard

  The Abatu thrashed his head back and forth, trying to pull free from the wolf’s brutal grasp. Blood flew everywhere, in every direction, and still the monster wouldn’t stop. He continued to fight, but he wasn’t nearly as strong as he had been, and not nearly as fast.

  The wolf pulled back and barked at her, staring deeply at her with those pale blue eyes. Surprisingly, she was almost certain she knew what he was thinking, what he wanted. Leaving the knife where it was, she ran past them both as quickly as her swimming vision and the pain in her head would allow and hurried over to Buddy. He was sitting up, licking his wound in his side.

  “You okay, boy?” Gingerly she ran her fingers over his wound. He would be sore, but it didn’t look too bad. He licked her fingers then stood up. The two of them continued up the hill, toward safety, toward the cave. But neither one of them was moving as quickly or as steady as they had before.

  Piercing pain arced through her head with each pounding step. Blood trickled down her forehead, running into her eyes and stinging them. And on the back of her head, where she’d hit the tree, the skin had split. There was more than a trickle of blood running down the back of her neck. Her wounds would make her scent stronger, make it a lot easier for the other two Abatu to find them. She had to make it to the top of the mountain, to the cave before they did, or before her legs finally gave out from under her.

  * * *

  Jason hurt everywhere. He tried to stay in his wolf form as long as he could, but there was no way Shay could keep up with him and he kept having to circle back to her. Worse, the other two Abatu were close. Every now and then, when the wind shifted, he could smell them. Somehow he had to get Shay up to the cave before the demons reached them.

  Fighting off two or more of them, especially if they were together would be problematic, if not impossible. Especially the way he was feeling. Shay stopped and leaned against a large tree to try to catch her breath. She was hurt, he could see it in the way she moved, could smell it on her skin. She needed to rest and heal, but they still had too far to go. He needed her to transform.

  But to do that he’d have to make love to her.

  He wanted to make love to her. He hadn’t been able to think about anything else since their kiss earlier that morning. The kiss that still burned on his lips and coiled tightly in his gut. But to think of her that way... He stopped himself.

  He couldn’t not think of her that way. He had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Shay right then. Not even Maggie had heated his blood with such an unquenchable desire. Guilt seared through him at the thought.

  He’d loved Maggie. She’d consumed his life from the time they were both eight years old in Ms. McKenzie’s class. But his love for her had been as steady and strong as the river that fed their lake in The Colony. It was never turbulent or filled with unpredictability. With Shay, he wasn’t sure what he would do, how he felt or if he could stick to his convictions. All he did know was that he wanted to hold her, to keep her safe and to make love to her all night long.

  How could he let Shay be with Malcolm? Especially given the way he felt about her now. Even knowing what it would mean for the pack. How a relationship with Malcolm would help smooth the building tensions and ensure Malcolm’s leadership. Perhaps, Malcolm could find a new way. A different way.

  They forged ahead. He continued his wide arc around her, making sure no one got close to them, but she kept dropping farther behind as her pace slowed to a crawl. Finally he walked up alongside her, pushing into her legs, letting her lean on him as he pulled her up the steep incline toward the peak.

  When at last they crested the top, she stopped and leaned against a tree then slumped to the ground. She wasn’t going to make it any farther without him. Not wanting to scare her, he walked behind the tree and reluctantly changed back, shifting easily from wolf into man.

  “Come on, Shay,” he whispered softly, holding out his hand to her. “It’s not far to the cave now.”

  She opened her beautiful blue-violet eyes and stared at him, her gaze sweeping him from head to toe, a crimson blush filling her pretty cheeks. And yet, she liked what she saw. He could read it in the quick intake of her breath and the slight puckering of her lips. Her pupils dilated as she looked shyly up at him.

  “Sorry,” he said. “But I lost my clothes somewhere on the mountain. I have an extra set in the pack, but we need to get you into the cave as quickly as possible.”

  “All right,” she murmured, standing, then gasped a quick breath.

  “What is it?”

  Panic-stricken, her eyes met his. Her sweet mouth opened then closed. That’s when he noticed she wasn’t wearing the pack.

  “The pack. I, uh, it was too heavy. I left it on the mountain.” She turned and looked back down the steep slope into the thicket of trees below. “I’m so sorry. I meant to tell you....”

  “It’s all right,” he assured her while quietly thinking of the phone and the extra food inside the pack.

  “But you can’t...” She stared at him, her eyes widened with dismay.

  “What? Walk around naked?”

  “Well. Yeah.” She was trying to look everywhere except at him.

  He couldn’t help the grin pulling at the sides of his mouth. “Why not?” he teased. “Afraid you won’t be able to keep your eyes off me?”

  He didn’t think she could turn any pinker, but she did.

  “I’m really sorry,” she gushed, but even as she said the words, her gaze slipped down his body.

  He quickly turned before she could see the physical effect she was having on him. “You’re still bleeding pretty heavily. We best get into the cave as soon as possible,” he said, and hurried forward. And not just to escape the demons.

  * * *

  Shay tried not to stare at Jason’s well-defined muscular behind, but she couldn’t help herself. She was so intent on not watching his very appealing backside that she barely noticed as he vanished into the side of the mountain. One moment he was in front of her and the next he wasn’t. If she hadn’t watched Buddy disappear into the rocks right after him, melting into the darkness, she never would have known the entrance was there.

  She followed behind them, stepping cautiously through the small, barely noticeable opening. She stood still for a moment, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She couldn’t see a thing and hoped there wasn’t anything big inside waiting for her. But then, after fighting demons, a bear really didn’t seem all that scary.

  She hovered around the opening, reluctant to step too far inside. There was something heavy and confining about the utter darkness. She stretched her hands out in front of her and moved slowly forward, blindly scraping her fingers along the rough stone wall. She shuffled along, straining her ears to hear Jason or Buddy, but she heard nothing. She saw nothing as the utter darkness stretched forward without an end. An eternity of nothing but cold, damp air.

  After a few minutes, her senses adjusted and she heard drops of water hitting stone. Light wavered in the distance layering the deep blackness with various shades of gray. “Jason?” she called. She didn’t have to wait long and he was standing before her, a flashlight in his hand and wearing a pair of jeans, shoes and a fresh shirt.

  “You have clothes?”

  “Disappointed?”

  “Not in the least,” she said, thankful that the light wasn’t on her face.

  “Are you sure? I can take them off again if you like.”

  Now she wished she could see his face. Was he flirting with her? She felt as if she’d been pulverized by a semi then picked over by vultures. Not to mention that she needed a hot bath. Bad.

  “Come on, the chamber is this way.” He and his light turned and walked away from her, descending deeper into the cave.

  Chamber? She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. “Are you sure it’s safe in her
e?” she asked, her voice trembling a little. No one knew where she was, and worse, in here no one would ever find her.

  “There are no Abatu in the caves—of that I am sure.”

  “What about anything else?”

  He turned back to her and laughed. It bubbled forth and rebounded off the rocks in the cavern.

  Buddy looked up at him, his tail wagging and springing against the wall. Apparently he was feeling better. How he could have the energy to wag his tail, Shay didn’t know. She felt as if she could collapse at any second. And she hurt...everywhere.

  “It’s just a bit farther up ahead,” Jason said, as if sensing her need to drop where she stood.

  “What is this chamber?” she asked as they meandered deeper into the cave, turning this way and that. She realized she had no idea where she was or if she’d be able to find her way back out. She only hoped she wouldn’t need to. Wherever he was taking her it had a flashlight and it had extra clothes. Maybe it would have water and something to eat other than jerky, too. But honestly, right then, she was too tired to care if there was nothing.

  Up ahead, the light dimmed as Jason squeezed through a small opening in the rock wall and disappeared out of sight. Not wanting to be left alone in the dark, she hurried after him into a small room. A chamber.

  A battery-powered lantern lit up the small space. There was a trunk against the wall and inside was a jug of water, another bag of jerky, clothes and a large blanket.

  “Wow, what is all this here for?”

  “We’ve used this cave for shelter and protection for a long time. We’ve always kept fresh clothing and water in here, just in case anyone ever needed it.” He laid out the blanket next to a small fire pit then lit a fire from the stack of wood standing in the corner.

  “Won’t those men or whatever they are out there smell it?” she asked.

  “Maybe, but they won’t know where it’s coming from. The smoke will go out the very top.” He gestured toward the ceiling and she saw a thin sliver of light bleeding through the rocks.

  “Feel free to use the water to wash up. There are some towels in the trunk.”

  Thankful, she reached inside the trunk and picked up a small cotton cloth, doused it with the cool water and ran it over her face and arms. After suffering the dust and dirt sticking to her skin while climbing up that hill, the cool damp cloth felt heavenly.

  After a moment, Jason took the towel from her. He washed her forehead, her arms and the various cuts and scrapes where the demon had torn her skin. Then he inspected the wound on the back of her head.

  “You need stitches. There’s quite a gash.”

  “Will it get infected?” she asked as he tried to clean out her wounds.

  “It looks pretty bad.” He kissed her forehead gently. “If you transform, you will heal.”

  “I’m not sure...” she said hesitantly as apprehension stole into her, tightening her insides. She wavered as another wave of dizziness stole over her.

  “You’ve lost a lot of blood, Shay. I’m just not sure we’ll be able to make it out of here if you don’t.”

  She stilled, barely breathing as his nimble fingers unbuttoned the top button of her blouse then the next before he slipped her shirt away from the bloody wound on her shoulder where the demon had bitten her. His face darkened as he ran the cloth over the bite wound on her shoulder slowly and gently until it was clean. Then he kissed her skin around the wound and warmth, slow and languid, crept through her. She should step away. Stop him. This cave, this time—it wasn’t right. Not for what she was thinking of and hoping for. Not for what she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about ever since she’d seen him standing in front of her at the store.

  She’d wanted so much to touch him, to run her hands down his smooth skin, to feel and touch and kiss every part of him. Her heart thudded and her breath caught in a net of expectation that expanded in her chest.

  They couldn’t. Not here. Not now.

  I’m just not sure we’ll be able to make it out of here if you don’t.

  His lips found a soft spot on her neck and lingered, his tongue gently caressing. Her knees weakened and she grabbed on to his shoulders, holding tight. His mouth fell over hers and then she was lost. A blast of heat blazed through her skin, moving downward. Every nerve ending sensitized to the point that she quickened at the slightest touch; even his hot breath on her neck felt like a gentle caress.

  She inhaled deeply, breathing hard and fast, and ran her hands down his beautiful chest, slipping her fingers beneath his T-shirt and across his hot skin. She knew what his body looked like. His exquisite, perfectly sculptured form would be forever emblazoned in her mind. Now she wanted to feel him, to touch him with her fingers, her lips.

  Deepening their kiss, she swept her tongue inside his mouth, sparring with his, moving, dancing, tasting. She pushed her fingers farther beneath his shirt, scraping across the ripples in his abdomen, exploring the surge of his strong pecs, slowly, thoroughly, eliciting a gasp from between his lips. He kissed her even deeper, stronger and with more force, shooting fire down to her core.

  She threw her head back and gasped a deep ragged desire-laden breath. He yanked off his clean shirt and unbuttoned his trousers. And then her arms were around him again, holding tight, holding her balance. She needed to be close to him, skin against skin, heartbeat against heartbeat, with an intensity she couldn’t explain or even understand.

  It was almost as if all her years alone were preparing her for this moment, for this place, for this man. “Jason,” she whispered as he pulled her down to the blanket next to the fire. How could she explain how she felt, this odd connection between them that had clutched ahold of her with unrelenting tenacity and refused to let go? And if she did, if she tried to explain, would she scare him away?

  On their knees, he slipped his hands under her blouse, his warm touch gliding up her skin, his lips following close behind. “I’m here for you, Shay. Just me. Only me.” His mouth found hers again, and he kissed her until all rational thought slipped from her mind.

  Chapter 10

  Her taste consumed Jason, pushing the heat coiling in his center outward in a fiery explosion of urgent need. Dean had always said that the moment he kissed Lily, he knew she was the one for him and that he’d never be able to let her go. Jason had never understood his friend’s absolute certainty. Until now.

  Until Shay.

  Not even when he was with Maggie. Though his love for her had been strong, the heat of her touch had never consumed him. Not the way he was burning now. How could he let Malcolm have Shay after all they’d been through together? He pushed all thoughts out of his mind and slowly...carefully...finished unbuttoning Shay’s tattered, bloodstained blouse until it fell free of her shoulders and dropped to the ground.

  He gently pressed the wet wash cloth against her bite wound and felt anger surge within him for what that demon had done to her. “You will heal,” he whispered and ran his lips down her neck and gingerly across her collarbone, absorbing the taste of her and the softness of her skin. He felt her quick intake of breath and heard the staccato rhythm of her heart. She was nervous. So was he. He eased her onto the blanket then lay beside her.

  “I want to make love to you,” he whispered in her ear then gently took her sweet lobe into his mouth.

  She looked up at him, her blue-violet eyes wide and vulnerable.

  He trailed his lips down the elegant column of her throat. His fingers played with the lace on her bra, slipping inside to find her pert nipple hardened and waiting for his touch. His blood raced as he caressed it, his body stiffening. Her quick gasp of breath told him she felt the same; she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He smiled, then leaned down, pushed the lacy fabric aside and took her sweet nub in his mouth, rolling it across his tongue, grazing it gently with his teeth until her back was l
ifting up off the blanket.

  “Jason,” she breathed. “You said we couldn’t be together. That it was complicated.” A soft moan escaped her lips.

  He sighed, wishing she would forget, wishing he could make her forget. “Are you sure you want to hear about it now?” he asked, running his tongue along the top of her breast that pillowed above her bra.

  “No,” she said on a sigh. “But something tells me I should.”

  “All right. The quickie version.” He reached around to unclasp her bra. The very quick version. “Our Colony is run by an alpha leader. Your father was once that man.” He paused to clasp his lips over her nipple, not wanting to wait a second longer. He thoroughly kissed them, first one and then the other, leaving her breathless and squirming as heat pulsed through him.

  “After your dad left, as sheriff it was a natural transition for me to step forward, but things...didn’t work out. I had to leave for a while, and Malcolm stepped in for me. He picked up the reins and has led the pack ever since. He was my right-hand man. He knew how to do the job. He knew what needed to be done.”

  Jason touched her again, running his hands down the curve of her hips and around her firm bottom, where he lingered. He was finding it hard to focus, to keep track of what he was saying. He couldn’t help himself, she was just so...enticing, and then his lips were surrounding the soft peaks of her breasts once more, licking, sucking, loving. As fire burned through him.

  And then she was touching him, fingers moving down his arms, across his chest, and lower. He had to get out of his pants. He had to get her out of hers.

  She moaned softly as he fumbled with her buttons. “What else,” she asked on a deep breath, her hand falling over his, stopping him.

  Torture. She was torturing him. “Some people aren’t happy with Malcolm. They say power has gone to his head and he’s too domineering. Your cousin, Scott, has claimed his right to usurp him and take his rightful place as leader.”