“Can I take you to lunch?” he asked.
“Let me check with my secretary.”
“She already went to lunch and came back. She brought me this tea.” Mischa held up his cup.
“Oh. I guess I didn’t even hear her.”
“You’ve kind of been busy. What have you been researching?”
“I tried to find a connection between the government buildings we contract with and the break in at the Alpha’s lodge. It doesn’t make sense. Neither one of the buildings has anything worth stealing. If they wanted government secrets they should have used a cyber-attack. The computers themselves are valuable, but there are easier places to steal them. I don’t get it.”
“Maybe the culprit said that to the police to throw off what they were really doing,” Mischa suggested.
“A red herring, so to speak?” Gwen pondered the thought. “Maybe. But why try to break into my apartment. Oh, which reminds me. I have to pop over to Scotland Yard and see Lewis. The camera caught someone outside my building and he wants me to look at the picture. I also wanted to get some items together if we’re staying at the Alpha’s over the weekend. I don’t mind using the extra items they keep for emergencies, but I’d be more comfortable in my own clothing.”
“We better get moving then if we want to get everything done and still get back for dinner.” Mischa tossed the paper cup into the trash and waited for her.
Gwen shut down her computer, made a couple of notes in her files, and prepared to leave for the day.
§
“I don’t recognize the man, Officer Lewis.” Gwen peered at the photo but the man dressed in black with the black baseball cap knew how to avoid getting his face on camera.
“There’s nothing to point to who he might be, not a tattoo or scar,” Mischa pointed out.
Gwen wasn’t even sure of the burglar’s hair color since he wore the cap pulled low on his head. She shook her head. “Nope, no clue. Sorry.”
“Well, you tried, that’s all we can ask,” Lewis said. “If you discover anything else at your apartment, let us know. Sorry to make you come in over this. I wish we had a better photo.” Officer Lewis walked with them toward the elevator. “It does seem strange, someone trying to break into your apartment after Solovyov’s place is attacked. It’s not like a random burglary attempt. Still, we don’t know at this point. Have a good evening.”
The door to the elevator opened. Gwen and Mischa stepped inside. Lewis waved as the doors shut.
“He seems like a nice man,” Gwen said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming here. My stomach is tied up in knots. I wish I hadn’t eaten the fried fish for lunch.”
“Grigori thinks of him as a friend. You can trust him. He smelled sincere.”
“Smelled? Right. I forget to use my lycan senses, unless of course, the smell is so strong I can’t ignore it.”
“It’s an excellent tool for sniffing out the truth. I’ll give you some pointers if you like.” Mischa put his arm around her and ushered her out of the elevator. The sun lowered in the sky making shadows across the ground. Gwen glanced at her watch.
“If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss dinner and be in trouble with Rosie. I still need to stop at my apartment and pack a bag.”
Mischa held the door open for her and she strode onto the sidewalk. She quickly spied a shadow near a side street and pointed it out to Mischa.
Gwen opened a portal and quickly moved them from Scotland Yard to her apartment. She opened the exit by her door and entered the electronic number into the keypad. She frowned at the scratches that showed someone had tried to jimmy the lock open like reported to Grigori.
The ding of the alarm when she opened the door made her rush to enter the security code. She didn’t want the company calling or a false alarm because she didn’t get the system reset properly. In her haste, she stepped on a white envelope lying on the floor. Mischa picked it up while he waited. The alarm showed them to be clear and Gwen smiled in relief.
“Grigori insisted on upgrading the security system when I moved to London. What’s that?”
“I don’t know. You stepped on it when you came in.” Mischa put the envelope up to his nose. “Interesting. The person who held this in his hand was fearful. Do you think it’s from your burglar?”
“Let’s open it and find out.” Gwen reached for the item.
Mischa held it out of reach. “Maybe I should open it. We don’t know what might be inside.”
“Are you suggesting it might be dangerous? It’s an envelope. If we open it, chances are it has a letter inside.”
“It has no address or return label. Someone slipped it under your door. Anthrax has no odor.”
“You’re being overly cautious. It could be from the landlord or a neighbor. Does the envelope feel gritty or like a powder coats the surface?” Mischa shook his head. “Then give it to me.” Gwen held out her hand. Mischa was cute when he got all-protective, but now he was being ridiculous.
“At least let me open it. I don’t want to take a chance on you getting hurt.”
Gwen sighed and threw her hands into the air. “Fine. You open it. I’m going to pack some clothes for this weekend.” She stomped to her room and grabbed a suitcase from under the bed. It didn’t take her long to pack for only a couple days.
She walked into the sitting room and frowned when she found Mischa on the phone. He hung up and turned to look at her.
“What is it? What’s the matter?”
“It’s a warning, Gwen. Someone wants you to leave London for good.” Mischa held up the paper. In big letters cut from a newspaper it read, Go back to America or you will get hurt.
Chapter Five
“Using newspapers to cut out the letters is a good way to disguise the message writer, but sometimes they get their fingerprints on the paper while placing them. I’m concerned over the threat to your safety. I’ll take this back and have it analyzed,” Detective Inspector Lewis said. He arrived about an hour after they had called.
“We appreciate you coming over,” Gwen said. She felt numb. At least she didn’t have to go back to Scotland Yard tonight. Why was this happening to her? Mischa squeezed her hand as they sat at the small table in her apartment. She wasn’t alone.
“No problem. It’s my job, after all. Do you have any idea why someone might want you to go back to America?”
Gwen shook her head. What was going on? All of this couldn’t be a coincidence. What was she missing?
“Gwen must know something she doesn’t realize is important,” Mischa suggested.
“Important to whom?” Gwen asked.
“That’s what we need to find out,” Lewis said. “Call me if you think of anything.”
“Okay.” Gwen meant to say more, but nothing came out.
“We’ll be at Grigori’s over the weekend,” Mischa said. “He’s having a house party.”
Lewis nodded and glanced at his watch. “My shift is almost over. I better run if I want to get this letter to the lab. I’m glad Mischa called me, Gwen. You need to be careful while we’re trying to figure this out.”
“I’ve got her,” Mischa said, glancing at her. Lewis nodded and walked to the door.
“I hope you have a pleasant weekend. Try and get some rest.” Lewis let himself out.
Gwen frowned and stared at the table. “I wish I knew what this is about. What do these people want?”
“Whatever it is, I’m not letting you out of my sight. That warning was pretty explicit about what would happen if you didn’t leave London. I want you safe, Gwen.”
“I’m not going to run off on my own. I’m not stupid.” Gwen glared at Mischa. Sometimes he made her so mad.
“I know you aren’t, milaya.” His finger caressed her cheek. “I just worry. You mean everything to me.”
Gwen blinked, her eyes watering. How could she be mad when he said that to her? Just then, her stomach decided to growl reminding her they missed dinner. Mischa chuckled.
“
Come on, Rosie always has leftovers. Let’s get going so we can eat something.” Mischa picked up her leather satchel.
Gwen locked the door and set the alarm for away before she opened an entrance into the Shadow Dimension. In moments, they stood looking out at the kitchen in the Alpha’s lodge. When Gwen went to open a portal so they could exit, Mischa stopped her, placing one hand on her arm and motioning to himself.
Gwen reached for her telepathy to question him and realized once more she locked her shields down so no one could enter, not even Mischa. She relaxed her defenses and saw Mischa shudder. Somehow, she needed to learn not to lock him out. She hurt him.
“Sorry, Mischa.”
“You were stressed. It was natural to protect yourself. Show me how to work Shadow.”
“To exit or enter, you find a Shadow that wavers. Inside the Shadow Dimension, most of the shadows waver, while outside you need to look hard to find one. Place your hands palm to palm, push them into the wavering shadow and then pull them apart to make your opening. You should feel a difference in temperature on your fingers. Shadow is cold, Earth is warm.”
Mischa immediately followed her instructions and they stepped into the kitchen at the Alpha’s lodge.
“Always close the opening by pushing it back together. We wouldn’t want someone to wander into another dimension by accident.” Gwen showed him while she explained. She pushed the opening together until the cold of Shadow disappeared.
“I understand. Thank you for showing me. Your sister said I should learn.”
“Lindy is right. As my . . . er . . . mate, you will be able to Shadow Walk like I do. Just be careful. Never go into Shadow alone. It’s easy to get lost.” Mischa nodded.
“You’re here!” Rosie bustled into the kitchen. “Mr. Grigori told us what happened. Are you all right?”
“Mr. Grigori?” Gwen looked at Mischa.
“I informed him telepathically after I called Lewis. Did I forget to tell you? I didn’t want Rosie to worry.” Mischa blushed.
Of course, he informed the Alpha. Gwen should have thought to call to him telepathically. If for no other reason than to keep him informed. Gwen lowered her eyes. She shut down when Mischa told her about the note. She felt hunted, like when Chuck came after her.
“Well, I worried anyway, but I did save you each a plate of food. Sit, sit. I’ll get it for you now. You must be starving.”
“We should report to Grigori. Tell him everything . . .”
“I imagine he’ll be in shortly. He’s upstairs with the young ones.” Rosie put a plate on the table. “Sit down, dear. You look pale.”
Gwen nodded and complied. She was hungry and the food smelled delicious. Mischa sat next to her. He smiled and passed her the salt.
“I’ll brew some tea, a nice chamomile. You’ve had a shock. It will help you relax.” Rosie handed a plate to Mischa before picking up the teakettle and filling it with water.
“Eat, Gwen. You’re safe here.” Mischa waited until she picked up her fork to take a bite of his own dinner.
The fact he had to tell her to eat was a huge red flag to Gwen. She was disassociating. She had to stop. Life continued even when things got stressful. She wasn’t going to check out, she needed to get her act together. Food would help. She took a bite of the prime rib and wanted to moan in appreciation. Mischa smiled picking up on her enjoyment.
§
Mischa followed Gwen up the stairs. It worried him how part of her shut down tonight. Dr. Jamison had said disassociation was a normal response to trauma. She’d appeared okay on the outside, but she’d closed her mind, forgot to use her telepathic abilities, and almost didn’t eat. A slow process she didn’t notice at first taking her over. With her shields in place, Mischa couldn’t reach her mind. He couldn’t bring her back.
She opened the door to the guestroom and headed straight to the bathroom. She didn’t even look at him.
“Gwen. We should talk,” Mischa called after her. She shut the door without responding.
Instead of disrobing and shifting, Mischa sat on the bed. Somehow, he needed to get the mating bond cemented into place so he could reach Gwen at any time.
The bathroom door opened and Gwen stepped out wearing her robe. She clutched it close to her chest.
“You haven’t shifted.”
“I thought we should talk first. I’m worried about you.”
“I know. I started to shut down tonight. It happens sometimes when I’m stressed.” Gwen sat in the chair by the window.
“But I couldn’t reach you. You locked your defenses tightly around your mind. We need to seal the mating bond in place, for both our sakes.”
“I can’t, Mischa.”
“Do you find me attractive at all?” Mischa asked, afraid of her answer.
“Of course. You’re gorgeous; all lycans seem to be.”
“We’re not talking about all lycans, Gwen. Do you want me?” Mischa hated to push, but this was important. If Gwen couldn’t respond to him, he might as well give up on mating her.
“My wolf wants you. She gets excited every time you come near.”
“What about Gwen the woman. Does she feel anything?”
Gwen nodded. “Safe,” she said. “I feel safe with you. You give me hope that I will overcome my fear.”
“Safe? Well, that’s good, but I’m not your father, Gwen. I hoped you might feel some desire.”
Gwen blushed. “I know.”
“Okay, instead of me shifting tonight, you should shift.”
“But why?”
“Because I sleep in the nude. Go on, go into the bathroom and shift. I’ll be waiting right here.” Mischa reached for his shirt and started to pull it over his head.
Gwen squeaked and ran into the bathroom. Mischa smiled. She wasn’t totally immune to him. He would have to push this mating forward and he knew just what to do. Dream sex. If he used dream sex to get her used to the idea of having sex with him, then when they made the attempt awake, he’d have more of a chance of Gwen participating without fear.
He folded his clothes and placed them on the chair before pulling down the covers. The bathroom door opened and Gwen came out in her wolf form. Mischa stood, completely naked. He waited for Gwen to get her fill of looking before he sat on the bed.
“Come on, Gwen. Up on the bed.”
She jumped up and circled once before settling on the far side facing away from him. Mischa smiled and turned off the light before rolling to his side and wrapping an arm around the wolf.
“Goodnight, lyubov moya.”
§
Gwen rested her head on her paws. Her wolf nagged at her to turn and rub against Mischa. To lick him and bite him, marking him as her mate. He rolled over and put his arm around her middle, drawing her back against him. She thumped her tail.
Mischa’s scent surrounded her. She relaxed into him. Her wolf wanted to swim in his smell until it permeated her fur. Gwen mentally shook her head. Connecting with her primal self, she felt everything in a simpler way. This side of her recognized Mischa as her mate, wanted to claim him, have pups and live together forever. Maybe she should suggest they mate as wolves. Would that lock the mating bond in place? She sighed and closed her eyes.
Gwen floated, the stress of the day catching up with her. She suddenly noticed the mating bond glowing brightly. She reached for it and fell into the light. The golden glow surrounded her. She opened her eyes and she was in a bedroom. Red rose petals covered the sheets. She was in her human form wearing a white negligee while lying on the bed, pillows propping her up. Mischa stood naked at the end of the bed, watching her.
“What’s going on?” Gwen asked.
“We are sharing a dream. I want to make love to you, but this is only happening in our minds. I’m hoping we can work past some of your fears.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Mischa.” Gwen drank him in. His lost weight made him slimmer and his muscles more pronounced. She followed the hair on his chest past his abs to the V th
at traveled down his belly and lower and couldn’t help but notice his erection.
“Good.” He moved to the bed and lay beside her. His fingers brushed against her erect nipples straining against the silky material. “Stay with me. Know that I am the one here with you, the one giving you pleasure.” Gwen nodded.
Mischa slowly lowered his head and kissed her. Love poured into the mating bond. Gwen moaned and opened her mouth to him. He touched her tentatively, never aggressively, coaxing her to respond. Gwen wrapped her arms around his neck.
Mischa tweaked her nipple and currents of pleasure ran through her body. Goose bumps appeared on her arms. She shivered. Mischa pressed closer, but not on her. He pulled his mouth from hers and kissed her face, jaw, and down her neck. When he got to the spot where her neck met her shoulder, he sucked, leaving a mark.
Her wolf wanted to dance in delight, but Gwen reminded her this was only a dream. Mischa slid the straps of her nightgown down her shoulders and she pulled her arms free. The silky material slipped below her breasts and Mischa quickly followed with his mouth. Licking and sipping at her flesh until he pulled a nipple into his mouth and suckled. Gwen cried out. It felt so good. She buried her hands in his white-blond hair, holding him close.
The mating bond opened even more. Gwen could feel Mischa’s desire and enjoyment as much as her own. It entwined, growing larger, filling her.
Liquid pooled between her thighs as she ached inside. “Mischa!”
“Easy. Stay with me. I’ve got you.”
Mischa worked the nightgown down her stomach and then off completely. He followed his hands with his mouth. Kissing beneath her breast, then down her stomach, then between her legs. Gwen jumped.
“Open for me, Gwen. Let me lick you.”
Gwen knew Mischa left the decision up to her. He continued to kiss her pelvic bones waiting for her to move. Gwen called up her courage and spread her legs.
Lycan's Mate: Book Twelve of the Siberian Volkov Pack Romance Series Page 6