by Anna Lowe
She didn’t reply, but she didn’t move away. In fact, her hands clutched at his shirt, keeping him close. He nestled closer, sliding his arms over her shoulders, drawn by that body-to-body gravity that set in every time they got too close.
Ella moved her lips, but no sound came out. Or maybe he’d gone deaf, because all he heard was a roaring in his ears. Her arms slid around his waist, and her eyes shone with an inner battle he felt too.
Kiss her, a little voice urged from the back of his mind.
God, he wanted to. Bad.
The roaring grew louder, like a tsunami rushing toward the shore.
She wants it too, the voice insisted. Bad.
Ella eased back, pulling him with her until he had her pinned against the wall. Her move, not his, like she wanted to surrender but didn’t know how.
His pulse revved up into overdrive, and his nerves reported everything at once, drowning him in sensations. The tight grip of her arms. The heat of her chest. The desert rose scent of her hair. The burning need to hold her, countered by the fear of getting in way over his head.
Gradually, every input disappeared except one, and all he felt was the soft pillow of her lips as she kissed him. The second she did, the whirlwind in his soul vanished, leaving him with a sense of peace.
Ella threaded her fingers through his hair and guided him to exactly the angle she sought, moving her lips over his. Kissing. Touching. Barely breathing, like him.
He caught her lower lip between his and pressed it gently before letting her taste him.
It felt so good. Like coming home should have felt after all that time away. Like getting everything he ever wanted all delivered on the same day. He pulled her closer and kissed harder, cursing his own weakness for her even as he hungered for more. No woman had ever done to him what Ella could do with a single kiss.
“We shouldn’t do this,” she mumbled without pulling away.
“I agree,” he said between kisses, then dove in for another. His hands traced her sides as her body surged toward his.
But a minute later, Ella pulled away, chest heaving, holding him close. She rested her forehead on his chest and spoke into his shirt.
“We can’t let this happen,” Ella whispered, though she made no move to let go.
Jake gave up asking why. He just held on to her.
“Jake…”
He looked at her, wishing he knew what he wanted to say. Stop resisting this, Ella? Or should he say, You’re right. We can’t let this happen? Whatever power was at work between them — destiny? Raw desire? — was beyond addictive, and he hated how it had overrode all his self-control.
“Maybe we should—” Ella started.
But damn it, he’d left his phone atop the puzzle on the porch table earlier, and its ring cut through the air.
You want to answer that? Ella’s look asked.
Jake shook his head. Not really, not now. “Listen—”
But the phone rang with urgency, and Ella nudged him. “Maybe you should get that.”
Jake reached for the damn thing, eyeing the surrounding bushes for a boulder he could smash it against. Who the hell was calling him now?
“Damn it, Hoover,” he barked, picking up after a glance at the number. It was always good to touch base with his army buddies, but Hoover was constantly calling to share outrageous theories or to rant against civilian life. “Not now—”
“Manny is dead.” The voice that came across the line was rattled and spooked.
Jake stopped cold. “What?”
Ella looked up.
He turned away as the blood drained from his face. “Fuck, man. What happened?”
“Single shot to the head,” Hoover said. “Forty-five caliber.”
Jake stared into the distance, tempted to shove the table sideways and roar. Another good friend dead. Worse — that made Manny the third member of their unit to have died in the past few weeks. How could that be possible? They’d served together for years and survived too many tight situations to count — and now this.
He clutched the phone so hard, he was surprised it didn’t shatter in his hand. “Why? Who?”
“The cops are calling it a robbery gone wrong, but I’m not buying that shit,” Hoover half whispered, half shouted over the crackly connection. “I’m telling you, man. Someone is taking us out, one by one.”
Jake froze, picturing the white sedan roaring toward him. Maybe that hadn’t been a prank or a moment of inattention. Maybe it had been the real thing. And, shit — if Hoover wasn’t imagining things, then that could be connected to Junger’s climbing accident and Chalsmith’s car wreck. Or was Hoover making him paranoid, too?
“Think about it, man,” Hoover went on in his hoarse, conspiracy theory tone. “That patrol that went down. The ambush last June.”
Jake’s stomach lurched as it always did when he thought of that awful day. But what did that ambush have to do with anything?
Boom! He’d never forget the force or the sound of that explosion. Six men had been lost that day.
It should have been us, man, Hoover had said in the aftermath.
Jake hadn’t been able to do anything but stare at his feet, because Hoover was right. Their vehicle had switched places with another in the convoy at the last minute, so it ought to have been them who’d been blown to bits.
Truthfully, I’m happy to be alive, Manny had said.
That somber evening had led to the discussion that put each man on a new course. Every member of the unit vowed to make the most of their second chance when their tour of duty was up. Junger was determined to climb Denali. Manny had opened an auto body shop with his dad. Chalsmith had been negotiating with his ex for more time with his kids, and Jake…
Jake had made up some shit about visiting all fifty states, though, really, he’d been secretly fighting the urge to find Ella and see if what they had was more than a one-night thing.
Destiny, she’d whispered.
Was there really such a thing?
“I’m telling you, man. Someone is after us,” Hoover said.
Jake gripped the porch railing. Could it be true?
Ella touched his shoulder and mouthed, Everything okay?
He pursed his lips as images of Manny flooded his mind. He saw Manny laughing wildly, making another joke. Manny reading and rereading letters from back home. Jake dropped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes. Nothing was okay. Manny had been a good guy. A really good guy.
Ella put her hand on his shoulder. A second later, he put his hand over hers, and somehow, that helped. Two against all the crap in the world were definitely better than one.
“One of us is next, man,” Hoover hissed. “And I swear, it ain’t gonna be me.”
Jake looked down at his scraped-up legs and scowled into the phone. “You want it to be me?”
“Sorry, man,” Hoover backtracked. “That came out wrong. I don’t want it to be you or me. I want to figure out who the bastard is, but it will take a while to track things down. If it’s that asshole LeBonn like I think it is…”
Jake’s mouth twisted into a grimace. He had no clue who LeBonn might be, but he knew Hoover all too well. A great guy at heart, but like a Doberman who never got walked, Hoover was overexcitable and quick to bark. Borderline paranoid maniac. How seriously should his words be taken?
He heard the screech of tires, the deafening horn as he replayed the memory of the white sedan racing toward him.
Ella squeezed his shoulder, and a little bit of his uneasiness crumbled away.
“We’ll talk soon,” Hoover said.
Jake nodded. At that moment, it didn’t matter how Manny had died, only that another friend was gone. He needed time to digest the news before figuring out whether to follow Hoover into another crazy crusade — or to talk some sense into the man. “We’ll talk soon. Take care, man.”
“Yeah. You too.”
Jake dropped the phone onto the puzzle and stared at it. Would someone else be dead the next time Hoover call
ed? Who would want to wipe out an entire unit that hadn’t done anything wrong?
A car beeped on the distant highway, and his head jerked up.
Ella’s eyes followed his. “It’s that blind turn. Lots of drivers underestimate it.”
Jake frowned. Was it possible to underestimate it so badly as to zip across two lanes and nearly mow down a runner on the opposite side?
The hand he ran through his hair came out damp with sweat. Manny was dead. Hoover was paranoid. And he was a mess. Too flighty. Too on edge. Ready to believe Hoover’s crazy ideas. Maybe he ought to keep away from Ella, who could do a lot better than a guy like him.
“You okay?” she whispered, running her arm over his shoulders.
“Fine.” He cleared his throat and made a show of checking his watch. “Nearly time for that meeting. We’d better get moving.”
“Jake,” Ella whispered. Now she was the one holding on, and he was the one pulling away.
But it was better that way, and he knew it, so he strode down the porch toward his end of the big, empty house, determined not to look back.
Chapter Four
Ella forced herself to breathe evenly as she followed Jake down the winding path to Koa Point. No asking questions, no touching his arm, no words of comfort, even though it was obvious he needed them. Even after a shower and time to cool off, Jake was as shut off as…as…
As you’ve been to him? her fox grumbled.
Damn. The truth hurt. Make that, burned. If she could take it all back…
So take it back. Say something, her fox said.
What was she supposed to say? I’ve been horrible to you because you’re my mate, and I don’t want you to die as miserably as my mother’s mate did?
Poor Brian. Poor Jake. Ella kicked a fallen branch aside. It killed her to see Jake so tense. So bottled up. So cold. But somehow, she had to stay strong and resist the call of her mate.
No! No! No! He needs us, and we need him, her fox whimpered. Say something!
“You okay?” she asked quietly.
“Fine,” Jake grunted.
If he used fine the way she did…then, shit. The man must really be hurting inside. Of course he was, if a friend had just died. She’d gathered that much. But her chance to say something had passed because they were nearly in earshot of the others.
A long line of tiki torches led to the meeting house on Koa Point — more torches than most nights, even, perhaps as a nod to Silas, the alpha of Koa Point. He stood in the middle of a huddle of friends, not the biggest or burliest of the group, but with an unmistakable undercurrent of dragon power that made the toughest of men step back. Jake, though, stepped right up to Silas, not intimidated in the least.
He’d make a great shifter, Ella’s fox sighed.
“Ella. Jake. So good to have you here,” Silas said as they shook hands.
“Good to be here,” Jake replied.
Ella stared at the sight of Silas smiling — actually smiling. She’d been so focused on Jake, she hadn’t noticed how happy Silas looked. Unabashedly, joyously happy. Almost relaxed, if a dragon could be called that.
“This is Cassandra, my m— Er, fiancée,” Silas said.
Ella jabbed an elbow into Silas’s ribs — alpha or no alpha, he couldn’t afford to slip up. It had been bad enough to have Boone nearly blurting the word mate over the past week. Humans had no idea what that meant, and she sure wasn’t going to explain to Jake.
But Silas barely noticed. He and Cassandra grinned at each other like a couple of love-struck teens, and Ella couldn’t help marveling at the fact that yet another member of her unit had fallen deeply in love.
“Thanks so much for coming, Jake,” Cassandra said.
“Did you have a good trip?” he asked, polite as ever.
Did you find the keystone? Boone asked Cassandra.
Ella nearly shushed him, but then she remembered only shifters could hear each other’s thoughts. Damn it, Jake fit in so perfectly among the group, she kept forgetting he was human.
So, forget, her fox tried.
She couldn’t afford to forget. Ever.
No Spirit Stone, Cassandra sighed. But that didn’t seem to bother her much because a moment later, another knowing smile passed between the lovebirds. “It was a great trip.” Then Cassandra’s smile wavered. “Except we’ve come across one hitch in our plans.”
Silas nodded wearily as everyone leaned in. For a long minute, the only sound was that of crickets chirping in the night.
“You’re not getting married?” Boone, the jokester, asked, breaking the tension.
“Ha. Try stopping us,” Cassandra laughed.
Silas kissed her hand, making Ella blink in disbelief. Wow. The mighty commander, showing emotion — in public?
Ella glanced around, frowning to discover everyone seemed to be wearing the same happily-ever-after look — except her, of course. “So what’s the problem?”
Jake nodded, keeping his focus on Silas. Tuned in, as ever, to his job. The man was a born protector. A team player. A soldier, through and through.
If only he were a shifter too.
“We wanted to keep things small. A little ceremony just for us, here at Koa Point,” Silas explained. “But unfortunately, word of our engagement has gotten out, and the press started hounding us.”
Cassandra’s lips curled in a wry grin. “The public can’t get enough of Silas. Must be his social graces.”
Everyone laughed — even Silas. “It has more to do with my inheritance, I’m afraid.”
“Don’t tell me you’re doing a big celebrity wedding. We’ve had enough of those,” Kai said, making everyone chuckle or groan.
“No way,” Cassandra said quickly. “We want a small, private wedding. But we figure it’s better to give the press something rather than letting them spin lies. So we’ve decided on a big reception at the Kapa’akea Resort a day before a quiet wedding here on the estate. That way, we call the shots instead of having the press snoop around.”
Jake nodded thoughtfully. “Is that the big resort off the main road?”
Ella nodded. “The fancy place with the polo grounds.”
“The penthouse suite is pretty nice.” Boone grinned, looking at Nina.
Hunter rubbed his beard. “What about security?”
“Yeah. What about Moira?” Boone asked.
Ella scowled, as did everyone else. Even Jake, who didn’t know Moira, caught on to the downturn in everyone’s mood. His brow knotted, and he looked grim. Ella wished she could send her thoughts into his mind with the details. Moira is Silas’s vengeful ex. One of the nastiest dragons of them all.
But, hell. How could she even begin to explain the details of all that? Jake’s jaw would drop at dragon, and he would never understand the archaic dynamics of the shifter world.
Cassandra gripped Silas’s hand tightly, and the lines that had appeared on his brow eased.
“I don’t think Moira will enter the equation, but you never know. She’s tried underhanded moves before.”
“Security at Kapa’akea should be straightforward, right?” Ella asked.
Everyone pulled a long face.
“An intruder managed to get in before. It could happen again,” Kai said. “The question is how to prevent it this time.”
“Double the security?” Nina suggested.
Silas shook his head. “That Vanderpelt wedding had all the security in the world, yet it didn’t prevent that last-minute surprise.”
“Are you worried about an inside job?” Tessa asked.
“I want not to be worried about an inside job,” Silas said. “Which is why we came up with a special plan.”
Ella did a double take when Silas’s gaze landed solidly on her before continuing to Jake, who looked just as uncomfortable as she felt. Did they have something to do with that plan?
Jake didn’t ask, though. He couldn’t — not of a ranking officer. Even Ella hesitated. It didn’t matter that they were all out of the s
ervice these days. Rank was rank, and beyond that, each of them owed Silas their lives — several times over, in fact.
“It’s a big favor to ask,” Silas said, looking between them. “But I think it’s the only way.”
Jake nodded the way Ella remembered him doing before setting off on one of the joint missions their units had carried out. Whatever Silas asked, Jake would do. Rappelling in from a chopper? No problem. Going solo behind enemy lines to create a distraction, even if it meant risking his life? Jake would be willing to do that too.
“We need an inside man,” Kai said.
Ella blinked. Inside man suggested something like mingling with a crowd at that fancy resort, and there were two problems with that. One, Jake didn’t seem too comfortable with crowds these days. Two, he was more of a jeans and boots guy, and surely, that wouldn’t work at the ritzy club.
“Someone people around here wouldn’t recognize,” Silas explained.
Ella eyed him warily. “What exactly are you thinking of?”
“You and Jake…” Silas started.
Ella’s fox wagged its tail.
“As insiders in the resort…” Silas went on.
Ella had no idea what Silas had in mind, but whatever it was, she didn’t like it. “What, like catering staff or something?”
Silas grinned. “No, much easier than that. You’ll pose as guests.”
Ella crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, not amused. “Guests? Like who, your cousins?”
Silas’s smile stretched. “No. As far as the public is concerned, your stay will have nothing to do with our reception.”
“Then why would we be there?”
Jake, she sensed, had the same bad feeling about this, but he still gave Silas a firm, Yes, sir nod. Until Kai filled in the rest, that is.
“As honeymooners, of course. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob McBride,” Kai announced, looking awfully pleased with himself.
“Mr. and Mrs. What?” Ella screeched.
“Just think.” Boone waggled his eyebrows. “Room service. Silk sheets. King-size bed.”
Jake looked stunned. Ella couldn’t believe her ears. Didn’t anyone know what that meant?
Apparently not, because Kai just went on like he had everything figured out.