Pack

by Cassandra Chandler

  She wished he would stop. He reminded her of Brock even more when he looked at her that way. Then again, holding on to that thought might help her sleep next to him.

  She drew her new knife and felt its weight, slashing at nothing. It was balanced perfectly. She tossed it in the air and caught it a few times, then put it back in its sheath and slid it under her pillow.

  “Feel better?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  She took the stingray out of her pocket and set it on the bedside table, then crawled into bed and turned so her back was to him. She’d rather give him her back than open her eyes and see him sitting there, watching her.

  “No one will hurt you while you’re here,” Porter said. “I promise you.”

  “I hear that a lot from you Blades. Marcus said the same thing.”

  Porter chuckled. “If he said it, he meant it. And as a hunter, you should know how safe it makes you when a werewolf offers their protection.”

  “Lucky me.”

  The lights clicked off. Porter was silent for a few moments, then he spoke in a gentle voice.

  “Tessa…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m glad we found you.”

  So weird.

  She did her best to turn it into a joke. Her eyes were burning.

  “Me, too. This bed sure as hell beats my van.”

  Porter laughed softly and shifted in his chair. Listening to his steady breath—knowing Marcus was right outside her door—she managed a minor miracle. She fell asleep.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Two hours of sleep was barely enough to keep Vaughn on his feet, but there was data to parse, algorithms to tweak, and enhancements to add to the vehicles. Thanks to Tessa’s information about Redcaps, and after thoroughly studying her bug repellers, everything housed in the garage could now emit a sound that would paralyze Redcaps.

  Vaughn had added a sound on top of the noise they would broadcast that was within the range of human hearing. Even though he didn’t make it into the field…well, ever…he imagined what it must be like quite often. Being able to hear the emitter would sure as hell reassure him if he was walking into a Redcap nest.

  He could have slept more, but Tessa had wounded his pride when she talked about his cooking. The table was set with a vegan feast that would show her what he was made of in the kitchen. He was glad she’d at least been impressed by his knife.

  She was more impressed with Marcus.

  That way lies madness.

  But it was impossible not to think about.

  Vaughn and Marcus had been partners for years. Friends. And even though nothing romantic had ever developed between them, Vaughn had always wondered if it might. Marcus had never shown interest in anyone—or anything—before. Until Tessa.

  Whatever was building between them was fast and intense. And probably not safe. Vaughn was afraid for both of them. For everyone, really. There was no telling how forming a bond like this would affect Marcus’s control, especially given the challenges he was already dealing with.

  Vaughn was the only person Marcus had confided in. For the moment, anyway. He’d probably tell Tessa all about it.

  “Ugh. Stop.” Vaughn dragged out the last word, a huge yawn stretching his face.

  He turned the corner on the way to Tessa’s room and saw Marcus pacing in front of her door. He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. The pants still had dirt from the Redcaps’ nest on their cuffs.

  “Have you been out here all day?” Vaughn said.

  Marcus glared at him. “Yes.”

  “You should have slept.”

  “I don’t need to sleep.”

  “You don’t need as much sleep. There’s a difference.” Vaughn let out a sigh. “You don’t want your reflexes to be slow for the big fight tonight.”

  “My reflexes are fine.”

  Before he could stop himself, Vaughn said, “What the hell is it about this hunter that has you so worked up?”

  Marcus shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “Yeah, well, she’ll be a great partner for you in the field.” Vaughn turned to leave, but Marcus grabbed his elbow to stop him.

  “You’re still my partner.”

  “Until she signs up—and she’d be crazy not to. Then you’ll be doing your super-awesome team thing, while I’m stuck here crunching numbers and making gadgets.”

  “Vaughn—”

  “Not that I want to be in the field, but at least working with you I felt like I was having a real-time impact.”

  “You do. Your tech—”

  “Records your amazing feats of bravery and fighting…ness.” Vaughn shook his head. “I didn’t get much sleep. I shouldn’t be talking right now.”

  “Tessa and I working together… It isn’t the same.”

  Vaughn snorted. “Yeah. She’s an upgrade. I get it.”

  He started to leave again, but Marcus pulled him back, wheeling Vaughn around and pinning his shoulders to the wall. Marcus stepped in close, eyes glowing bright gold.

  This level of proximity was new. And not nearly as pleasant as Vaughn had imagined it would be.

  “She isn’t an upgrade,” Marcus said. “No matter what happens, she isn’t replacing you. You’re more than my partner. You’re—”

  “Don’t say it.” Vaughn had to be half-asleep or half-crazy, challenging Marcus when he was already so worked up. “I don’t want to hear that I’m your best friend or ‘like a brother’.”

  “That isn’t what I was going to say.”

  Vaughn knew their relationship would be different after this, no matter what Marcus said. They had always been close. Since the moment they met, they’d bonded. Now that Vaughn thought about it, it had been about as quick as Marcus seemed to be bonding with Tessa.

  Communicating with people had never been one of Vaughn’s strengths. Marcus was his first real friend. Vaughn needed that as much as Marcus did.

  “What, then?” Vaughn asked.

  “You’re more than friend. More than family.” Marcus leaned in closer and dropped his voice, his breath warming Vaughn’s neck. “You’re pack.”

  Vaughn felt like his stomach dropped through the floor. If Dexter heard Marcus talking like that, he would kill him.

  Which only made it mean more that Marcus had dared to say it.

  The door opened at that moment and one of the bosses walked out. Porter, maybe? He smiled at them instead of attacking.

  Probably Porter.

  “We’re not interrupting anything, are we?” he said.

  Tessa followed him, in full Blade attire. She was even armed. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun on the back of her head.

  She arched an eyebrow at them. “You guys sure do spend a lot of time pinning each other to walls.”

  Marcus growled at her and she raised her hands as if in surrender.

  “I don’t judge,” she said.

  Vaughn laughed and shook his head. He liked her. He wished he didn’t, but he did.

  “If you’re done here, it’s time to get to work,” Porter said. “Debriefing is in the dining room. We’ll plan while we eat. Vaughn has outdone himself yet again.”

  Dexter must have told Porter about the spread through their earpieces. Vaughn couldn’t remember hearing Dexter say anything while they were talking in the dining room earlier, though. Vaughn was too tired to try to puzzle it out.

  Marcus stepped back and Vaughn straightened his T-shirt.

  “I have,” Vaughn said. “And it’ll taste better warm, so let’s go.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Marcus led the way into the dining room. Tessa fell in step right behind him, almost like she was as eager to be close as he was.

  That was probably his imagination.

  Waiting outside her door had been humiliating. He wasn’t some dog to exile into the back yard when company was over. He wouldn’t hurt her.

  Dexter and Porter… That was starting to feel like another matter.

&nb
sp; If Marcus had demanded to stay in the room with her, there would have been a fight. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t have come out on top. Depending on Dexter’s mood, Marcus might not even have been around afterwards to protect Tessa. Dexter seemed pretty set on keeping them apart.

  So Marcus had stayed outside her door, listening to the rising and falling beat of her heart. Trying to ignore the steadier pace of Porter’s so close to her.

  At least Marcus knew his bosses weren’t attracted to her. Intrigued, yeah. More than Marcus could explain. But there was nothing more to it that he could detect.

  Dexter was already sitting at the far end of the large, rectangular table when they arrived. He locked his gaze with Marcus’s the moment their group entered the room.

  “Good evening.” He gestured to the chair next to him. “Have a seat, Tessa.”

  “Why not?” She headed for Dexter, but didn’t sit. Instead, she pulled out the chair that would be on her left side—the side away from Dexter. “Marcus?”

  Dexter shifted forward in his seat. “Actually—”

  “I need a werewolf nose to make sure there are absolutely no animal products in the food.” Tessa stared Dexter down with a smile. “I’m very serious about my lifestyle choices.”

  He leaned back in his chair, a matching smirk on his face. “We assure you, Vaughn took that into account while making dinner.”

  “Vaughn is also standing right here,” Vaughn said. “And doesn’t like being talked about in the third person while he’s present.”

  Marcus smiled at his beta—best—friend. His best friend. Damn, he had to stop thinking like that, defining people by pack hierarchy. It was only getting worse since Tessa had arrived.

  “Let’s all just sit down,” Porter said.

  Marcus strode to Tessa’s side, hoping to pull out her chair for her. The baleful glare she cast at him made him think twice. He pulled out his own chair and sat, gratified when she shifted her chair closer as she joined him. Vaughn sat on his other side and Porter took the end of the table opposite Dexter.

  “Is that hummus?” Tessa leaned forward, her eyes growing wide as she took in the array of food on the table.

  Vaughn grinned. “Not just hummus. Homemade hummus. Along with fresh pita bread and spaghetti squash pasta with a basil pesto made from Marcus’s garden out back.”

  “You have a garden?” Tessa arched an eyebrow at Marcus.

  “I can have layers,” Marcus said.

  Tessa snorted, but the smile she cast at him seemed genuine and not mocking. She turned her attention back to the table.

  “If this is the way you react any time someone insults your food, I’m going to have to think of more bad things to say about it.” Tessa closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Like, ‘I’ve never smelled anything more disgusting than this in my life’.”

  She picked up the closest dish and started shoveling food onto her plate. Vaughn’s smile widened.

  Dexter passed her another dish, and she repeated the process. Over and over, till her plate was piled high and everything mixed together. She picked up a wedge of pita bread and grabbed a handful of hummus and pasta with it, but paused right before shoving it into her mouth.

  “Shit, I almost forgot.” She dropped the bite back on her mountain of food, then picked up her plate and held it under Marcus’s nose. “Smell this.”

  Vaughn busted out laughing. He didn’t stop, even when Marcus glared at him.

  “Sorry.” Vaughn shook his head.

  “Tessa doesn’t stand much on manners,” Porter said.

  Everyone turned to look at him. Even Dexter.

  Porter cleared his throat. “Or so I’ve noticed. There’s still a half-eaten box of cereal in her room.”

  “I’ve” noticed?

  That was unusual. Tessa’s teasing had renewed Marcus’s awareness of the weird way Porter and Dexter talked about themselves.

  Marcus held Porter’s gaze for a few more moments before turning back to Tessa’s plate and sniffing it. There wasn’t a trace of animal in it. No meat, blood, or even milk products.

  Usually, Vaughn cooked with butter and meats. Those components at least caught Marcus’s attention. But this… It turned his stomach a bit.

  “It’s clean.” Marcus angled away from the plate.

  “Thanks,” Tessa said. The edge that normally laced her voice was muted. “I forgot smelling the wrong kind of food can be unpleasant for dwellers.”

  “Do you have extensive experience with werewolves?” Dexter had already filled a plate and started eating, along with the others.

  “More than I’d like,” she said. “Present company excluded.”

  For some reason, it felt like she was making some kind of inside joke. Marcus was distracted from her words when her knee brushed against his leg.

  His breath hitched. He coughed to try to cover it, which was equally weird for him. He didn’t get sick or have allergies.

  She smirked, then picked up the drenched bite of pita and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes rolled shut and she let out a moan. “Holy shit, Vaughn. This is amazing.”

  The food might not smell good to Marcus, but Tessa…

  “I’m glad you’re…enjoying it.” Vaughn’s eyebrows climbed his forehead as he watched her eat.

  Marcus closed his eyes and covered his face briefly with his hands. If she kept enjoying it this much, he was going to have some issues.

  Her thigh was still pressed against his.

  She knew he was a werewolf now, but she wasn’t giving him crap about it anymore. He wondered what would happen if he kissed her.

  Then again, if he let himself—and she responded in kind—he probably wouldn’t want to stop there. And Dexter would definitely kill Marcus.

  “Maybe we should go over tonight’s mission,” Vaughn said.

  He slowly turned to the large monitor that hung on the wall opposite them, as if it was hard to look away from the spectacle of Tessa eating. He tapped his watch briefly and the screen flickered to life.

  “The police are done at the site,” Vaughn said. “Aside from the remains of Tessa’s van, they didn’t find anything that set them off.”

  Tessa mumbled something around a mouthful of food. The mess on her plate was already smaller.

  “I’m sorry, what was that?” Vaughn said.

  “She said Redcaps don’t leave meat behind.” Porter paused with his fork halfway to his mouth, taking in the stares of everyone around the table. Even Tessa had stopped shoveling food into her mouth.

  “That’s some impressive translating, boss,” Vaughn said.

  Porter cleared his throat and pointed at the screen. “Get back to the briefing.”

  Something was off about him. Marcus took a deep breath as discretely as he could. There was a subtle shift in Porter’s scent, the musty notes growing more pronounced.

  Porter’s mannerisms had changed, too. And he kept staring at Tessa and smiling. If his expression had been keen, Marcus might have…ripped off his face. Instead, there was a tenderness to it.

  For whatever reason, Porter cared about Tessa. That would go a long way toward keeping her safe. The twins were amazing in battle.

  Marcus tensed as the voice in his head spoke to him. “So are you. It isn’t their place.”

  The hair on his arms stood on end and his shoulders bunched. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  The more people who were determined to protect her, the safer Tessa would be. Dexter and Porter weren’t threats or competitors. They were allies. They were pack.

  His dweller snarled. “What kind of alpha are you?”

  “The kind that doesn’t judge people by their classification in the Blades’ dweller database. I don’t care that my pack is filled with humans.”

  Vaughn was still talking. Marcus pulled his attention outward to listen.

  “Luckily, blowing up the van set off the grenades Marcus dropped.” Vaughn glanced over at Tessa, his expression reverting to its e
arlier shocked fascination. He continued, but his words came out slower than usual. “We’d be skirting more intense scrutiny if the police had found those.”

  Tessa pushed her plate away and leaned back in her chair. She let out a contented sigh. Marcus stifled a rumbling growl of approval. She stretched her legs under the table, leaving one ankle resting on his shin.

  “Dexter, Marcus, and Tessa will head back to the junkyard tonight.” Porter nodded toward Tessa. “Tessa will ride with Dexter.”

  “I know how to drive a motorcycle,” Tessa said.

  Vaughn laughed. “You’d need a pilot’s license for our bikes.”

  “Then I’ll ride with Marcus.” She shrugged.

  “You’ll ride with Dexter.” Porter was insistent. More so than Marcus had ever seen before. Dexter was usually the one giving orders.

  “I thought I made it clear earlier.” Tessa leaned forward and glared at Porter. “Marcus is my ride.”

  She rested her hand on Marcus’s thigh under the table. High up on his thigh. Really close to…

  His knee bounced up from the contact like he’d touched a live wire. He hit the bottom of the table hard enough that everyone’s plates and utensils rattled.

  Tessa arched an eyebrow at Marcus, tightening her grip on his leg.

  “You okay there?” Vaughn said.

  Marcus grabbed Tessa’s hand with as much subtlety as he could, interlacing their fingers. Dexter and Porter both glared at him.

  Marcus didn’t care.

  That had never happened before. He’d always fought for their approval—even while fighting off visions of killing them. Suddenly the only opinions that really mattered to him were Tessa’s and Vaughn’s.

  Vaughn cleared his throat. “Okay, then. Back to the mission. I’ve upgraded all the vehicles so they’ll broadcast the same frequency as Tessa’s bug repellers. I added an overlay sound so that we mere humans know it’s working.”

  “Sweet.” Tessa squeezed Marcus’s hand.

  His heart pounded in his chest. Marcus hadn’t expected her to let him hold her hand. The only reason he’d tried was to get her hand off his thigh. A couple of inches higher, and she’d have been holding a lot more than his leg.