by Anne Marsh
I probably should be pissed off because my dick is iron hard and it isn’t getting any satisfaction tonight that doesn’t come from my palm. Instead, I grin like an idiot and scoop her up off the floor. I’ll tuck her into bed and then I’ll stay for a few minutes. I can have that much, right? Time enough later to get going, get back on my bike, and start kicking pack ass. I stop to swipe her torn-up panties from the living room floor on my way to put her in bed because I deserve a souvenir.
I’m not going to lie. Best moment of my life. Ever.
KEELIE SUE
When I wake up the next morning, my head is fuzzy from too much wine and I’m alone. The headache is only proof that last night was a mistake. Dear God. Jace had gone down on me again, and I’d loved every wicked minute of his attention—right up until I’d fallen asleep on him. On the floor. Naked from the waist down, my memory supplies oh-so-helpfully, because the humiliation and embarrassment aren’t complete until I remember that particular detail.
Shoot. Me.
I have a bad feeling I didn’t drunk-walk my way to bed either. I’m completely naked underneath the sheets when I take inventory. I hadn’t been that drunk, I remind myself. Just slightly incapacitated. So we had sort-of sex, I came, and then I passed out. I can probably make it up to Jace, if he’s still talking to me.
My phone buzzes with an incoming text on the nightstand, and when I automatically grab it, I discover Jace left me a bottle of water, two Advils, and a note. I fed the pussies.
Not touching that one.
The text on my phone doesn’t improve my morning either. My dad has sent an address and a terse order to Get your ass over there. Fang’s got something for you.
Great. I don’t want to run around with any other wolves, and Fang tops my own personal no-fly list. The man is mean as hell, and he’s ambitious. The combination doesn’t bode well for what’s left of my morning.
Sure enough, when I pull into the warehouse’s parking lot, the GPS cheerfully announcing that I’ve reached my destination, Fang leers at me and swings off his bike.
“Got something for you, baby girl.”
Oh joy. I roll down my window and look at him expectantly. Naturally he laughs and pats his thigh.
“I’m not gonna make it that easy. You come over here and ask me nicely for your present.”
As opposed to staying in the car—with the engine running? I know which option I prefer. When I don’t budge, Fang smiles. God, he’s a toothy bastard. He also knows he has me, because whatever my father has sent, I need to collect it. Reluctantly I get out of the car and trudge over to him. When I try to stop a good two feet away, he reaches out and wraps his hand around my upper arm hard enough to bruise.
“You listen, and things don’t have to be so hard.” He gives my arm a little pinch, then lets go. I fight the urge to turn and run. My wolf wants to duck, tuck us low against the ground.
Fang reaches a hand under his shirt, and for a moment my breath catches. I can’t do this again. When he pulls his hand out, he’s holding a gun. I don’t know my firearms, but this one is small, compact, and downright lethal-looking.
“For Saturday night,” he tells me. “In case shit gets out of control. You know how to shoot?”
I swallow hard. “My dad okay this?”
Fang shakes his head. “Told him I had a present for you. Kind of like a courting gift. Shit’s gonna get crazy on Saturday, and I can’t stick by your side the whole time.”
I have no idea when he got the idea that I’d welcome his company, but this is a side of Fang I’ve never seen before. I nod slowly, and take the gun from Fang. He won’t let me leave without it, and besides… I can always shoot him with it. That idea appeals to me more than it should.
While I try to figure out what to do with the gun—my purse is on the front seat of my car and I absolutely am not shoving a loaded weapon down the back of my pants—Fang pats his arm. “You notice anything different, baby girl?”
In general, I try to avoid Fang and my father’s wolves. No point in borrowing trouble. Still, I look instinctively, and that’s when I realize that he’s wearing a leather cut. A cut with the Breed’s colors on it—my father must have patched him in. My day is now complete.
“Congratulations,” I say. Pissing him off by not acknowledging his promotion would be stupid.
“Gonna throw down for you at the ball,” he announces, his fingers tightening on my arm. “Make you my old lady and my mate.”
Over my dead body.
He strokes my forearm, and my stomach lurches.
“Thanks for the gun,” I say, wondering how fast I can get out of there—and if it’s going to be fast enough. Fang makes me nervous.
“Boom.” He laughs, throwing a leg over his bike. “We’re gonna have fireworks on Saturday.”
JACE
Feels like I’ve spent a fucking eternity waiting for Saturday night. After I ate out Keelie Sue and put her to bed—which turned out to be a pretty awesome way to spend the night—Big Red kept me busy with club business. And when he wasn’t trying to run my ass ragged, Cruz gave it a shot.
Two of the Breed wolves are in custody, and Cruz is understandably concerned about those brothers showing their true colors. It’s not like we suddenly go furry at full moon, but being locked up doesn’t sit well with a wolf, any more than being cut off from shifting does. Since neither of the two incarcerated Breed members are known for their ethics, I figure it’s only a matter of time before they decide to shift anyhow.
So it’s been a long, shit week when I pull up in front of Keelie Sue’s place, the roar of the bike’s pipes bouncing off the walls. A couple of the neighbors stick their heads out, get a good look at me, and then think better of whatever it is they were planning to say. Keelie Sue rents half of a ramshackle duplex. The outside hasn’t been painted in longer than she’s been alive, and the front porch sags to the right. But the morning glory and honeysuckle eating up the railings is real pretty, and the place smells like her.
I wait a minute and then, when she doesn’t pop out, swing off the bike to go fetch her. There are plenty of things I don’t know about her yet. Like if she’s always on time, always late, or somewhere in between. After tonight we’ll be mates, and then I’ll have all the time in the world to learn things about her. I’m looking forward to it, truth be told. Almost more than I am to getting inside her sweet, tight hole.
Almost.
I’m no fucking saint.
When she opens the door and steps out, I about short-circuit. She wears those skinny jeans that look painted on, except the denim is soft, like maybe they’re her favorites. I like the black halter top even better, especially as I’m pretty certain she’s skipped a bra. She’s put her hair up in a ponytail and a pair of long, sparkly earrings brush her bare shoulders. If we weren’t expected, I’d scoop her up and carry her back inside. I didn’t want to press my luck after she let me have a taste earlier in the week, but damn… she looks good. I should have brought flowers or something.
I mean, I’ve brought her a present, but I hadn’t planned on whipping it out at her front door. I finger the teeny, black velvet box I’d shoved inside the front pocket of my jeans. Stupid to be sentimental, but I’m hoping our mating means more to her than pack politics, and so I’ve picked out a little something for her. I’m not sure if I should give it to her now, or wait until later when we’re alone. Since I like the thought of her naked and wearing nothing but my ring, waiting it is.
“I guess you’re ready to get going,” she says, her purse bumping against her hip as she starts down the steps. I sniff, but can’t quite figure out her scent. She smells anxious and more than a little nervous, and I have no idea how to fix that. Gotta give it a shot though.
“You ever drive a bike?” I pat the seat.
She gives me a look, but she comes over. “I know how to ride.”
I’ve never let anyone else drive my bike. I don’t give up control. Ever.
“We’re gon
na be late,” I warn her. “So we should get going. If you wanna drive, you drive.”
“And my driving would be a pity,” she says dryly.
I don’t want to force her into anything, but I’m not the worse deal out there. I’ll take care of her, and I damned certain won’t hurt her. She enjoys my kisses, and I have plenty more of those. I’m not sure what it would take to banish the hesitation from her eyes, but I want to be the man who does it. Keelie Sue is all kinds of special.
I back off so she can swing onto the bike, then as soon as she’s seated, I get on behind her. The seat isn’t really built for two, even if she’s a tiny thing. As soon as I get back on, my legs hug her hips. This is good, because my legs protect hers from the pipes and anything the tires might kick up.
I hand her the helmet, and she twists back to look at me.
“You’re really going to let me be in charge?”
Feels like she’s asking a dozen other questions, but what am I supposed to say? “I’m all yours.”
Three words, but I mean each one in every way possible. I’m definitely hers tonight. Hell, I’ve been hers since I saw her, and I don’t anticipate that changing.
Ever.
She nods and opens the bike up. A little tentative, but she knows what she’s doing as she noses us out onto the street. I slide my hands around her waist and hang on. Right then, I’m happy to go wherever she wants.
KEELIE SUE
If we weren’t headed to my dad’s mating ball, the night would be perfect. The full moon lights up the road, and the bayou has never looked prettier. The light spills across the dark surface in bright silver ribbons, the trees forming a lacy canopy overhead. I could drive all night.
Jace wraps his arms around me and holds on. His thumb rubs back and forth over my belly, his legs gripping mine as he leans into the dips and curves with me. His bike is a thing of beauty too, the machine eating up the miles with sleek power. I feel the vibrations through every inch of my body.
Just for fun, I let the throttle out, pushing the bike to see what she can do. There may be only one way to go, just one choice, but Jace lets me make it at my own speed. All too soon we reach the place where my dad has decided to stage his party. We’re miles out of town and deep in the bayou where no one can hear or see what happens, no accidental witnesses to the Breed’s debaucheries. By the time we pull up, the bonfire has reached impressive heights, and the wolves have already tapped the kegs.
I ease back on the throttle, killing the engine and coasting toward the line of bikes where two prospects stand guard and act as valet parkers. Jace is off the bike before I’ve come to a complete stop. Guess our ride is over. He certainly won’t want the others making a big deal of the way he’s arrived.
He takes my hand and leads me toward the bonfire. We’re close to the flames, the heat pinking my face, before I see the other women. My dad wasn’t kidding—he’d rounded up six women from somewhere. I don’t know where he found the old metal cage he stuck them in, but it’s hard to miss. Fear rolls off them in waves, almost drowned out by the lust and pheromones coming off my dad’s wolves. The bastards eat up their captives’ terror.
Those girls are supposed to be long gone. Jace promised to help. No. That wasn’t it. Now that I think about it, he promised to do something—and that covers plenty of territory, and none of it is guaranteed to bust those girls free. Trusting him was probably a mistake.
I look at him.
He looks right back at me, and I fight the urge to drop my gaze. He might be dominant, but some things merit standing up for.
“You promised.” The words fly out of my mouth, even louder than I intended, and heads swing our way. “You were going to take care of them. You said you kept your promises.”
Promises made in bed don’t count. I know that, and yet I trusted Jace. I’m so stupid.
Jace stalks toward me, his long legs eating up the clearing. I can’t interpret his smile. “Working on it,” he snarls, stopping in front of the fire. “In the meantime, why don’t you come over here with me? We’ll announce our happy mating news to the pack.”
The smile he gives me is downright predatory, and then he pats his thigh like I’m some kind of dog. The man should sue whoever taught him his communication skills.
He sucks.
“Keelie Sue Berard,” Jace says, and I just know the whole pack hears him. My world kind of stands still, waiting for the next words out of his mouth. It’s stupid, because this isn’t what I wanted, not really, but my body tenses in anticipation. “I claim you as my mate.”
Behind him, my dad mimes cocking a gun with his thumb and forefinger. He looks pleased, but he should because the bastard is getting the son-in-law he picked out for himself. Jace holds out his hand, waiting for me to place mine in his.
Do it.
Don’t do it.
My dad growls when I hesitate, his gaze skewing toward the group of frightened human women. I wanted to set them free, but I counted on Jace to do it. He failed, but maybe a diversion will work almost as well. Refuse Jace, cause a commotion, and maybe the girls can make a run for it. And maybe nuclear weapons or an entire SEAL team will rain down from the sky. They are every bit as on their own as I am. Jace is just like my dad. He isn’t a white knight riding to the pack’s rescue—or mine.
I shoot him a tight smile, and his eyes narrow. Yeah. That’s romance right there. Not. I have Fang’s present, however, so maybe there is something I can do. I swallow, staring at Jace. Willing him to step up, to do something.
He frowns instead. “Everything okay?”
“Not yet,” I tell him and reach for the gun.
JACE
Keelie Sue opens that ridiculous little orange purse slung over her shoulder. The thing is more fringe than bag. I don’t know what women carry around with them. Don’t really want to know, truth be told. But if I was forced to guess, I’d bet the contents were probably the same as the stuff I carried around. Except maybe for a lipstick or two. I don’t do that shit.
Turns out I’m right. I carry a gun—and so does Keelie Sue.
Of course I don’t point mine at her, and that’s a big fucking difference.
“Sorry, but I’m off the market,” she says to me, stepping closer to the caged women. “You and my dad can console each other.”
She sounds like she means it too, which makes even less sense. She’s never said that she doesn’t want our mating, and then she asked me to fix the problem of the human females. I agreed. I’ve already arranged with Eli to spring them, and one of our other brothers has moored a boat by the water’s edge. We’ll open the cage, lead the girls to the boat, and then they’ll be free and clear. When the fuck did Keelie Sue decide to stop trusting me?
Unlike her old man, I’ve been nothing but nice to her. I’ve had more than one opportunity to hurt her, and I’ve chosen to be nice. My mistake. And if I have all these unfamiliar, warmer emotions for her? Yeah. I’ve got the memo on that too. Apparently, I can keep my feelings to myself. Along with my dick, my hands, and my heart.
“Sorry’s not going to cut it, sweetheart.” I take a step toward her, running options in my head. She’s just disrespected me in front of the entire pack, and that’s going to require some serious damage control.
Fuck.
Honestly, I have no idea what kind of relationship we have, but I know one thing. That relationship had just gone south. Not that I need her to bring me roses, but bullets are hard to misinterpret. She threatened to hurt me when she should have had my back. So I’ll kill the bastard who put her in this position, rescue her damsels in distress, and then she and I will have ourselves a talk. Keelie Sue has a lesson to learn tonight, and I’m just the wolf to teach her.
“Listen to your mate, girl,” Big Red growls behind her. He’s a shitty Alpha. He should call me out in a fight, go head to head with me to settle the animosity brewing between us, but he isn’t that kind of guy. He fights dirty, and he uses others to get what he wants. He tried to
bribe me with Keelie Sue, and I let him.
Sorry, Keelie Sue mouths again, and I kinda am too.
The only part of tonight that’s gonna go as planned for her is the part where she gets fucked.
I shift. She reaches for the latch on the cage, the muzzle of the gun panning the assembled wolves. No fucking clue what she thinks she’s doing or who she intends to threaten, but if I’m gonna be Alpha, that means I have wolves to protect—and that includes Keelie Sue. I go for Big Red.
Bastard either isn’t expecting it, or he’s been too into watching the sideshow he engineered. I crash into him hard, pinning him to the ground. I sink my wolf’s teeth into his throat and tear. Stretching out the kill appeals—his job was to protect Keelie Sue and instead he repeatedly put her in danger—but she’s already flung open the latch on the cage and scrambled away from the ring of wolves closing in to watch our fight. She’ll be deep in the bayou in minutes, and it’s dark. She’s alone, and all kinds of bad shit can happen to her out there.
So I make it quick. I tear into Big Red’s throat like he’s the steak and I’m the carnivore. The bayou’s sandy banks soak up his blood, hungry for more, and I feed it Big Red. I fasten my jaws on his throat, crushing whatever I haven’t ripped to fucking shreds. Big Red groans and almost manages the shift, fur running over his body as he reaches deep for whatever he has left. Isn’t happening. My wolf and I hold him down in the dirt and bite deeper.
KEELIE SUE
I’ve rejected Jace’s mate claim.
My stomach heaves and twists, trying to turn itself inside out. I don’t have to look behind me to know that Jace will be on me before I can blink. I’ve disrespected him and he wants pack leadership—he can’t leave my challenge unanswered.
I run, but something pulls my feet to a stop, something chains me to the spot and makes me look. Like Lot’s stupid, regretful, can’t-leave-it-alone wife, I pause and take in the fight.