From the Ashes (Force of Nature #1)

by Amber Lynn Natusch

  “I'm still here, aren't I?” I whispered, running my hands down his back to his ass. “Whatever it is you feel, something inside me feels it too. I don't want to run.” He pulled away just enough for me to see his pale green eyes searching mine. “I do, however, want these off.” I tugged on the waist of his pants, eliciting a laugh from deep within him. Within seconds, he had them off.

  With the length of him against my belly, I moaned, arching my hips up toward him.

  “I want you for my own, Piper,” he bit out, fighting for control. Then he thrust himself inside me, letting out a howl as he did. An echo of responses rang out through the cool night air. And as we found our rhythm again, working our bodies against each other with perfect harmony, I realized that there was a glimmer of hope left for me. That maybe not all was lost.

  I started to believe that, together, we would find a way out of the mess I was in. That we would defeat those that came for me. And maybe, with Knox and his pack, I would find a family once again.

  20

  “Knox!” a harsh voice called from the hallway outside the alpha's door. I had been in such a deep sleep (something I hadn't had for a long time) that I woke up totally disoriented, searching the room to figure out where I was. Then I saw Knox's naked form stride across the wide plank wood floor and it all came back to me in a hurry.

  I quickly wrapped the sheet around me and jumped up from the bed, searching for the clothes we'd carelessly discarded only hours earlier.

  “What is it?” Knox asked, his voice full of concern. Given the recent string of events, I couldn't blame him. As I scurried around, throwing on my clothes as I located them, I couldn't help but wonder if something had gone wrong in the night. If something or someone had found us.

  “We've got a bit of a situation in the living room.”

  Knox threw open the bedroom door, wearing only his birthday suit, to find Foust on the other side looking flummoxed. The expression was almost comical, especially on the pack's second-in-command.

  Almost.

  “I'll be right there,” Knox replied, closing the door and walking back toward me.

  Lord, was that a sight to see in the full light of day.

  “Party's over, I guess,” I said with a sigh, tying the drawstring on my sweats.

  “The party's only begun, Piper,” Knox countered with a heated stare. If my clothes could have melted off my body, they would have. “Stay here while I go see what the fuck is going on.”

  “Let me come with you,” I pleaded. “You can't shelter me. It doesn't do any good.”

  He stopped by the bedroom door for a second, mulling over the validity of my point. Moments later he gave a sharp nod and walked out the door, expecting me to follow. And follow, I did.

  “Stay behind me, but close behind me.”

  “Knox, it can't be that bad or all hell would be breaking out, which clearly isn't the case.”

  “True, but that doesn't mean it couldn't any second, and if that's the case, I want you nearby. Understood?”

  “Got it.”

  We made our way down the long hallway, my anxiety rising as we approached the end. But that anxiety was for nothing. When we reached the great open area of the lodge, I had to stifle a laugh.

  Not waiting for Knox's approval, I stepped around him, heading toward the center of the living room—and the massive grizzly bear that sat in the middle of it.

  “For fucking out loud,” Knox sighed. “That bear's got a set of balls on him.”

  “Grizz, what are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” I asked, rushing to his side as the pack of wolves inched closer to him. I wasn't sure if they were poised to attack him or just unsure of his proximity to me, but they were on edge. Perhaps the bear had been talking smack before I’d arrived.

  The grizzly's eyes darted away from the perceived threat for a second to glare at me. It was clear that he thought I was the insane one of the two of us. The condescending exhale he released followed by the weary shake of his head only confirmed that thought.

  “Don't give me that look!” I scolded, coming to stand before him. He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. I didn't even know bears could do that. “Are you judging me? You are, aren't you? I'm being judged by a bear!”

  The wolves started snickering, which did little to improve Grizz's mood. He launched up onto his back feet and roared, shaking his head in agitation.

  “That's enough!” I shouted at him, and he slammed down to the floor in front of me, the two of us standing nose to nose. “Do you mind telling me why you're so angry?” His eyes darted around the room until they fell upon Knox. Then he let out a low growl, his lips curling to expose his teeth.

  I couldn't believe what I was seeing, or what I thought I was seeing, provided my interpretation of his reaction was correct. He knew what had happened between Knox and me that night. I would have bet money on it.

  And it was pretty clear that he disapproved.

  “Don't be mad, buddy,” I said, rubbing my hand along the side of his face. His growling ceased. “Is it that you don't like him?” The bear didn't move. “Did you think he hurt me?” Silence. I decided to try a different approach. “You know I still need you too, right?” The bear's eyes shot to mine, a sadness in them that was so human that it hurt my heart to see it. “You're not being replaced, Grizz. Not even close.” He nuzzled the side of my face with his nose, then let his head hang down. “Aw, don't be like that. Please. I love you too. You must know that.” Once again, the bear lifted his eyes to mine, pleading for confirmation. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him on his nose. “You're my secret weapon, buddy. I need you. Please don't be angry with me. And don't be angry with them either. They've done nothing but take care of me from the moment I met them. You know that's true. Knox attacked you that day because he thought you were a threat to me. He would do anything to keep me safe...just like you would.”

  Before I could say anything else to help repair whatever damage had been done by what had taken place between Knox and me that night, the bear brushed past me, headed toward the alpha. Knox stood his ground, unfazed by the grizzly's approach. Really, though, why would he be? Grizz was just a bear.

  That was the most surprising thing about it all. This lowly bear—a virtual nothing to the likes of a werewolf—was willing to waltz into the pack's home and stand his ground against them because he thought they had done something untoward to me. Knox really wasn't kidding. That bear had a huge set of balls.

  Grizz came to stand before Knox, rising up on his hind legs again to stare down at the werewolf. With his back to me, I couldn't see his expression, but the gist of what was going on was pretty plain. He was silently reading Knox the riot act.

  “I'll protect her with my life,” the alpha said, using his serious voice. “Just as I expect you will.”

  The bear came down with a thump, then nodded once. With that, he turned his back on Knox and walked over to me, nuzzling my shoulder as he passed. I watched as he strode out the open front door as though nothing in that room could hurt him. That bear was no joke.

  “Well, now that we have that matter settled,” Knox said, shaking his head. “Anything else interesting to report from last night?”

  “No,” Foust replied. “Everything was clear. No signs of anyone or anything.”

  “Good. And just to be clear, nobody is to touch the bear. Got it?” The pack nodded in agreement. “Thanks for leaving him alone until this could be sorted out, Foust,” Knox said, walking into the kitchen.

  “Yeah, well...we knew he kinda had a thing for Piper, so we didn't want to tear him apart and upset her, especially now that you're...” Knox quirked a brow at Foust's insinuation. “Now that you're having midnight meetings?” he said, doing his best to backpedal.

  “It was actually three in the morning, Foust, not midnight,” I added, trying to help him out. “And we weren't having a meeting.” I gave him a wink before I made my way to the fridge. “Who's ready to eat? I k
now I'm starving after last night...”

  Knox burst into laughter at my brazen remark. But really, they all knew what had happened. Their chorus of approving howls hours earlier had told me as much.

  “What am I going to do with you?” Knox asked, coming up behind me to wrap his arms around my waist.

  “Lock me up and throw away the key?”

  “Ha! Hardly,” he scoffed. “Unless I'm locked in with you. That doesn't sound so terrible.”

  “Oh God,” groaned Brunton from behind us. “Can you two go get a room and let me grab some juice? I'm going to need to spike it with a healthy amount of vodka if this is how the day is going to go. You do remember that we have a pissed-off warlock potentially heading our way, right? That hasn't slipped your mind in your post-coital bliss?”

  Knox's expression was murderous when he turned to face Brunton, whom he clearly viewed as out of line.

  “He's a bit grumpy,” I informed the insubordinate wolf. “You might want to tread lightly around him. In fact, I think I'll just take him back to his room for a bit.”

  “Good idea,” Knox bit out as I pushed him backward toward the hallway.

  “You guys get breakfast ready. I think he might be hungry too. Probably best if we feed him soon. I'll keep him occupied in the meantime,” I yelled over my shoulder.

  “I'm sure you will,” Foust shouted back, punctuating his statement with a hearty laugh. In fairness, I had kinda walked right into that one.

  I shoved Knox through the door to his room and closed it behind us, immediately locking it.

  “I like your style,” he said with a quirk of his brow, no hint of his earlier anger evident.

  “I'm trying to keep the infighting to a minimum at the moment. You have bigger things to worry about than Brunton being what I can only assume is his surly self.”

  “Yep. That's a pretty fair assessment of him.”

  “But he's right, you know? Canoodling in front of them isn't really what they need to see.”

  “Did you just say 'canoodling'?” he asked, his features scrunched up in a confused expression.

  “Yes. I did. Get over it.”

  “Officially moving on,” he said with a smile, coming to wrap his arms around me again. “You truly do have a way with the animals, don't you? Making them bend to your will?”

  I choked on a laugh.

  “Well, I certainly had my way with you last night.”

  “Is that what you call that?” he asked, dipping his head low to nip my ear. “As I recall it, I seemed to be having my way with you.”

  “Only because that's what I wanted.”

  “Oh really?” he drawled. “Perhaps there's only one way to settle the matter.”

  “Nope, no time for that, remember?”

  “Ugh,” he groaned, falling back onto the bed in an exasperated display. It was all for show, of course, but I didn't care either way. I was too busy trying to pull my eyes away from his naked abs. “Fine. You're right.”

  “We need to tell them about Merc. It's not fair that they don't know who else is hunting me.”

  “Who's running this pack?” he asked, leaning back onto his elbows.

  “You? It was just a suggestion...”

  “And it's a good one,” he said, pushing off of the bed. “Let's go do that now.” He grabbed my hand and led me down the hall to the kitchen, where the boys had started to put together a werewolf-sized buffet. “We need to have a little family meeting. Piper filled me in on some details about her time in NYC. Some of them you need to know about, most specifically that the enforcer coming for her is none other than Mercenary.”

  I scanned the group when Knox mentioned Merc by his real name. The reactions it brought forth were a mix of confusion, recognition, and everything in between.

  “Who the fuck is that?” Brunton asked, looking around at the others.

  Knox looked down at me with a wan smile.

  “Do you want the honor of telling them about your ex or shall I?”

  I considered the question for a moment before deciding that I was bringing them into this mess, so I should be the one briefing them on the enemy. It was apparent that Knox knew enough about Merc to be wary. Maybe even more than he had let on. But what he didn't know—what none of them could know—was the power he possessed and how easily he could turn it on them if he wished to. That was a secret that only a few others and I were privy to, and even though it seemed ridiculous, the thought of disclosing that information felt like a betrayal, not only of Merc, but of Jase and Dean, who’d entrusted it to me in the first place.

  I hadn't realized that my arms were wound tight around my abdomen while I considered my options until Knox gently removed them, placing them down at my sides. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I'm fine,” I replied, taking a deep breath. “I'll do it.”

  “You're sure?”

  “I know things,” I said, turning my gaze to the pack. “Things you all need to know...”

  * * *

  To say that they were all surprised by what I had to say was an understatement. I'd dumped a whole lot of holy shit on them at once, and most were reeling from it, especially the part about Merc's gifts. I’d betrayed the enforcers the second I’d shared that information with the werewolves, but I didn't see any other choice in the matter. If he was coming, they needed to know what he was capable of and do whatever possible to prepare for it.

  What my little speech didn't prepare them for was the next exciting event that would happen that day. One that occurred shortly after the next changing of the guards. Someone I hadn't foreseen showed up, providing another variable in the chaotic equation that was my existence.

  And judging by the welcome she received, the werewolves weren't happy to see her.

  21

  “Something's wrong.” Knox said suddenly, looking off through the wall of windows to his right. Then he tore out of the lodge at an inhuman speed, racing toward the woods.

  “Knox!” I screamed, trying to chase after him. By the time I made it to the tree line, I could hear a ruckus headed my way. Instinctively, I stepped backward, wanting to escape whatever was headed my way. But I stopped, steeling myself for the attack. We had planned for this moment. I just prayed that it would play out as we hoped.

  “Piper!” a female voice shouted before she cried out in pain.

  “Oh my God,” I whispered to myself before bolting through the brush into the woods. Kat had found me.

  And that was likely to get her killed.

  “Don't hurt her!” I shrieked, navigating my way through the overgrown forest, looking for the pack. “She's my friend! Don't hurt her!”

  “Piper!” she yelled again. This time her voice held an edge of concern. I think that she, too, realized she was outnumbered and in major shit.

  “Knox!” I called out, finally able to see the horde of werewolves circling something, or someone, as the case most likely was. “Please. Just let me talk to her!”

  I crashed into the outer perimeter, shoving bodies aside until I reached the inner ring. That's where I found Kat lying on the ground, bleeding badly, which spoke volumes about the amount of damage they'd inflicted in a short period of time.

  “Oh my God, Kat,” I said, kneeling down at her side.

  “I'm fine,” she said, spitting out a mouthful of blood at Brunton's feet. She looked up at him with a menacing glare. Kat had his number for sure. “This one has a bit of an attitude problem that I'd love the chance to discuss with him sometime, but other than that, I'm good.”

  “I caught her sneaking around Piper's property.”

  “Yeah,” she said in mocking, “because I was trying to find her, Einstein.”

  “They sent you?” I asked, unable to suppress the sadness in my voice. In retrospect, it made perfect sense. Kat wasn't restricted by the light of day, and she had keen hunting senses. Why wouldn't they send her to track me down?

  She nodded tightly, a look of embarrassment in her eyes.
<
br />   “I'm in a rough position here, Piper. I think you can appreciate that.”

  “You'll be in a rougher one real soon if you don't start telling me exactly what I want to hear,” Knox said, bending down beside Kat. Her eyes shot to him and back to me, quickly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Kat knew how packs worked. She also knew how possessive they were of what they perceived as theirs.

  “Oh, Piper...” she said, the patronizing tone of her voice unmistakable. “Tell me you didn't.”

  “She doesn't have to tell you anything,” Knox said, snatching Kat up off the ground. It was only then that I saw the anatomically impossible angle of her leg. She winced the second she put weight on it, an action that she immediately regretted. To show weakness to your enemy was dangerous in our world and she knew it.

  “We have to set that before it starts to heal,” I pleaded, reaching for the protruding bone in her lower leg.

  “Later,” Knox replied. He started hauling her through the trees, almost dragging her at times when her broken limb gave out under her weight.

  It pained me to watch her struggle, but I knew that now was not the time to argue. Undermining him would only make him more angry and defiant. It would also make Kat appear weaker. Neither were ideal outcomes. I needed to play this situation just right, or my friend would be dead. It was really just that simple.

  Just before we reached the lodge, Knox shoved Kat toward the stairs. She stumbled and fell, catching herself on the bottom step. I raced to her side, lifting her leg to rest it on my lap.

  “Oh no,” Knox said, grabbing the wounded limb from my hands. “We're not doing this one your way, Piper. If she wants this fixed, she's going to tell me what I want to know. If I'm satisfied, I'll set it for her.”

  “I'm not telling you shit,” Kat snarled. “I'm here for her, and she's the one I'll answer to. Not you.”

  Knox quirked his brow at her, feigning amusement.

  “She's feisty, I'll give her that,” he replied, turning his attention to me. “I don't know what it is with your friends and death wishes, but so far, they're two for two.”