Amanda's Wolves

by Becca Jameson

  “Perhaps I’m not cut out for this,” Amanda mumbled while she changed Miriam’s diaper for the third time, though the child hadn’t done anything to fill the absorbent material.

  Mimi smiled. She hadn’t offered much in the way of assistance, but Amanda got the feeling that was simply because she didn’t want to offend Amanda by implying she didn’t have things under control.

  She sat in the rocking chair and reached out her hands. “Want me to try to rock her for a while?”

  “Sure.” Amanda lifted her tiny wiggling frame off the floor and carried her to her grandmother.

  Instantly she stopped crying and fell asleep.

  Amanda groaned. “Figures.”

  “Not your fault, dear. I’m sure she wore herself out fighting the need to take a nap. It happens.”

  Exhausted, Amanda dropped into a chair across from Mimi. She was glad for the chance to have something to do for the last few hours, actually. It kept her mind off the steady stream of thoughts running through it to torture her. She was worried about Sawyer out there fighting a wildfire. And not a whole lot less worried about Logan snooping around a logging site where someone must have seen him and then threatened him.

  She couldn’t keep her legs from bouncing up and down in nervous agitation. On top of everything else, she was horny. And that was insane. Who thought about sex while so many life-threatening events were going on around them?

  Apparently she did.

  “Whatever you’re thinking or feeling, dear, it’s perfectly normal. I admire the strength you have.”

  “Strength?” Amanda felt anything but strong.

  Mimi nodded. “Of course. Not all humans with no knowledge of our kind could handle everything you’ve been dealt in less than forty-eight hours without having a nervous breakdown. That’s strength.”

  “Do I have a choice?” She meant that. It wasn’t simply rhetorical.

  “You always have choices, child.”

  “I could walk away if I wanted?” Was that possible? She hadn’t considered it.

  “Technically, though I doubt you would have much success with that particular decision. I’m not certain how trying to break a mating feels for a human, but when Laurie tried it last year, it was unbearable and lasted about two days.”

  “Laurie left her mates?” Amanda hadn’t heard that story.

  “Yes. She convinced herself that instead of being essential to the cause, she was a liability. She was wrong, but more importantly, all three of them suffered from the separation.”

  “So, leaving isn’t actually an option,” Amanda added.

  “Doubtful, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have choices. You could choose to break down in tears and hide under the covers under the burden of stress placed on your shoulders.”

  “True.”

  “You didn’t have to step up to the plate and offer to keep Miriam while your mate went traipsing off to face the unknown.”

  Amanda chewed on her lower lip. Where were they anyway? They were taking so long. She knew she could try to contact either man through telepathy, but she also knew either of them could be in danger, and she didn’t want to risk distracting them.

  So, she waited. In fact, she leaned back in the comfortable chair and closed her eyes, trying to settle her nerves.

  What seemed like moments later, she heard Sawyer’s voice, felt his hand on her shoulder. “Amanda.”

  She blinked her eyes and then bolted to sitting. “I fell asleep.”

  He smiled. “You did. You were exhausted.”

  “The baby.” She glanced around.

  “Mimi put her in her crib. And she went home when I got here.”

  “Logan?”

  “He and Laurie and Melinda are on their way back.”

  “How long was I asleep?”

  “An hour maybe.”

  She looked up and down his frame. He must have showered. He was clean, giving no indication he’d been surrounded by smoke all day.

  “I went by the condo and changed.”

  “Are you a mind reader?” She realized how silly that question was as soon as it left her mouth. “Right. Of course you are.”

  The front door opened, and the other three walked in.

  Sawyer stood from his perch in front of her. “How’d it go?”

  Melinda winced. “It was weird. I’ve never experienced anything like that nor heard of anyone else who has.”

  “What happened?” Amanda stood and turned to face the others.

  Laurie headed for the fridge and grabbed a water. “Normally the spirits hover near a location for several seconds, putting off their vibe of distress, and then disappear. This one came up behind us and then turned around and glided away from the logging site as if the site was of no interest to it.”

  “That makes no sense,” Sawyer said.

  Logan blew out a breath. “You aren’t kidding. We followed it.”

  “You followed it?” Amanda tensed. That sounded like a scene out of a horror film.

  “We did. For almost a mile. It took it’s time.”

  “Where did it end up?” Sawyer asked.

  “The main road, not far from here.” Logan came closer to Amanda and then leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

  “And then what?” she asked.

  “Poof. Gone.”

  Melinda threw up her hands. “I’ve got nothing. I mean what the hell are we supposed to do with that?”

  »»•««

  “You have anything new?” Roger asked Mike. He’d spoken to him several times in the last few days, and he didn’t give a fuck if Mike was tired of hearing from him. Roger was paying Mike a hefty sum to investigate the shifters, and he expected regular updates.

  “Not yet. I’m trying to hack into the safety manager’s computer to see if he has you scheduled for a visit.”

  “Oh, good idea.” Roger flopped down on his couch in his small, temporary apartment and tipped his head back to look at the ceiling.

  “No success yet, though. The logging association is bolted down like Fort Knox.” Mike laughed at his own joke.

  “Why is that funny?”

  “Fort Knox? I don’t think they had computers, let alone scheduling programs.”

  “Right. Whatever. Listen, I have more pictures.”

  “Someone else was out there? When?”

  “Yesterday and today. Glad you set up that surveillance camera. I just checked it.” It made Roger very nervous that so many of those damn shifters were suddenly hovering around his site. It couldn’t possibly mean anything good. “Several someones were there actually. I think Masters was one of them, and another two were with him, maybe female. They were smaller. And those two were there by themselves yesterday as well.”

  “Shit. You sure they weren’t just regular wolves?”

  Roger rolled his eyes even though Mike couldn’t see him. “Dude, you have me well trained. I can spot a shifter by now. Two of them might have been smaller, but they were still larger than regular wolves. And besides, I’m not an idiot. Even when they shift, they maintain some human characteristics. It’s eerie watching them clearly communicate with each other, even nodding their heads.

  “I might not be able to identify specific individuals as well as you yet, but I can spot a shifter.”

  “Right. Of course.”

  “Anyway, I don’t know what they could possibly want unless they consider themselves good civil servants or something and simply want to take me down.”

  “You never know. I’ll swing by later and look at the pics.”

  Roger stood and began pacing. “Do you suppose one of them could be those guys’ mate?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s human.” Mike chuckled. “I already looked into her.”

  “Right. I don’t think you mentioned that. I saw her yesterday morning. Too bad we humans can’t tell that sort of thing. It would come in helpful.”

  “Trust me, it’s a burde
n to that woman. When a human mates with a shifter, it leaves her vulnerable. We can scent that she’s mated to a shifter, and she can’t even discern if we’re human or not. Bonus for me. Possible disaster for her.”

  “Interesting. Never thought of that.” Roger tapped his chin and stopped pacing to stare out the window.

  “Anyway, I spoke to my friend at the sheriff’s office. He wasn’t much help yet.”

  “Did he even know anything?”

  “Sure. He verified that Masters and Hamilton did indeed mate a human woman. But I already knew that. He’ll call me back if he learns more.”

  “Great.” Roger ended the call and gritted his teeth in frustration.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Stop touching me,” Amanda pleaded.

  Logan chuckled. “Never.” He flattened his palm on her belly and stroked his thumb on the underside of her breast, making it impossible for her to think.

  They’d been lying in bed for two hours. It was late. After returning home, clothes had been nearly ripped off and tossed all over the place as if they hadn’t seen each other in months and couldn’t go another second without fucking.

  Before they could make it down the hall, Amanda had found herself bent over the back of the couch while first Sawyer and then Logan took turns making her see stars. Quick hot sex one at a time in which they both came inside her, and she had about four orgasms total.

  She should be sated. She was not.

  Her skin heated as Logan continued to fondle her. Sawyer set a hand on her thigh again and tugged her leg closer to him so he could toss one of his into the V between hers.

  “I mean it. This is serious. We need to talk.”

  “About what?” Sawyer asked as he leaned over and then sucked a nipple into his mouth.

  She shoved at his head, but her arousal shot through the roof again, making it difficult to find the strength. “Anything. Something. I know, how about my job prospects? I got an email from Dr. Burnhart today. She wants me to come in for another interview. Sounds like a sure thing. She mentioned discussing salary options and benefits.”

  “At the junior college? That’s great.” Logan beamed. “Although we do need to discuss the ramifications of you taking that job.”

  “What ramifications?”

  “Doing research to close the racial divide in this area won’t be well received.”

  “She mentioned that. I get it.”

  Sawyer cleared his throat as he lifted his face from her chest. “It’s pretty serious, hon. Not to be taken lightly.”

  “I’m a tough girl. I can handle the heat.”

  Logan frowned. “Maybe. But this could be a lot of heat.”

  She pointed at the bedside table. “More than whatever’s in that envelope you haven’t bothered to open yet?”

  They’d found another note stuffed under the front door when they got home. They’d chosen not to open it yet, but it had the same handwriting on the front of the envelope.

  Logan groaned as he reached behind him to snag it off the bedside table. “She’s right. We need to face reality for a minute.” He ripped it open and shook out the page inside.

  Sawyer cringed. “Do you think maybe we should have avoided touching it. Fingerprints might be on it.”

  Logan seemed to ignore Sawyer’s wise words and jumped off the bed to stand beside it. “Shit.”

  “What?” Amanda asked, sitting up, her skin tingling with concern.

  “Fuck,” he yelled a bit louder before lifting his gaze to first Sawyer and then her.

  She froze.

  Logan handed the paper to Sawyer, but kept his gaze on her. “Maybe the notes aren’t for me. Maybe they’re intended for you.”

  “What?” Her voice squeaked. “Why? What have I done?”

  “Applied for the wrong job,” Sawyer muttered.

  “At the junior college?”

  “Yep.” Logan stepped closer and lowered himself onto the bed, slouching his shoulders. “Dammit. Why didn’t I think of that possibility?”

  Amanda snatched the paper from Sawyer.

  Nobody wants you meddling in their affairs.

  She shuddered. Her hand shook as she handed the paper back to Logan. “We can’t know that for sure. This could refer to anything. It’s ambiguous. Why would someone go to this much trouble to threaten me? There can’t be that many people who even know I applied for the job.”

  “Because the people of both Sojourn and Cambridge do not want to be integrated, at least most of them,” Sawyer said. He set a hand on her shoulder and stroked his fingers down her arm until he grasped her palm.

  She lifted her brows. “I’m not that easily swayed. I would never back down from doing what’s right because someone tried to intimidate me.”

  Logan grinned. “I’m glad you have thick skin, baby, but this is a bit more serious. There are people in town who wouldn’t hesitate to ensure you can’t take that job.”

  “What good would that do? The college would simply hire someone else.”

  Logan shook his head. “I doubt they have another qualified applicant. You said the process was more of a formality yourself.”

  “I’m worried about your safety,” Sawyer said.

  “Mine?” She twisted to face him more fully. “What about yours? There’s still the logging thing. We can’t be sure that note was directed at me. You’re hardly minding your own business when it comes to the logging site.”

  Logan wiped a hand down his face as she turned to face him again. “Perhaps the problems with the logging site don’t exist. I always was perplexed about how they knew I’d been there. No one is even a shifter. Maybe the entire operation is on the up and up after all. I just don’t see how anyone knows I was there.”

  “And I don’t see how anyone knows I interviewed for a job,” Amanda added.

  Sawyer shook his head. “Then why the spirits?”

  Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have me on that one. I can’t explain it. Maybe the spirits want something else entirely.”

  Amanda folded her arms, feeling belligerent. “Well, I’m not backing down. And you shouldn’t either. The note is too cryptic. We can’t possibly jump to any conclusions based on two vague threats.”

  “You’re not leaving our side.”

  She rolled her eyes. “So practical. Forever?”

  “Won’t take that long,” Sawyer added.

  “You can’t know that.”

  “It’s a pattern. The spirits want something. And when they do, they’re relentless. But we will solve it and move on with our lives.” Logan cupped her breast, making her arch into his touch.

  “What makes you think whatever that black aura wants is related to the threatening notes or the logging site or even my job prospect? Couldn’t it be something else?”

  Logan stared at her a moment, no longer caressing her skin, his hand frozen around her breast. “Remotely possible. But so unlikely. Not going to take any chances.”

  Sawyer suddenly bolted off the bed, releasing Amanda and jumping to his feet as if the bed were on fire. “Shit. Fuck.” He scrambled for his jeans as Amanda lifted onto her elbows and watched.

  “What?” She and Logan asked the question at the same time.

  “That guy…” He tugged his cell phone out of his jeans and held it up. “What’s his name? Wolf.”

  “Jackson?” Logan asked.

  Sawyer’s brow furrowed as he scrolled down numbers with a swipe of his thumb and then settled on one and held the phone up to his ear. “Yes. Jackson. We have to stop him. He can’t go to that site tomorrow. We have no way of knowing if that message was from the loggers or the bigots, but we can’t risk Jackson going there if there’s anything illegal happening. He could be in danger if the loggers believe we called him.”

  Logan yanked himself to sitting also, releasing her breast. “Dammit. You’re right. That thought occurred to me earlier, and I ignored it.”

  She jerked her gaze to Sawyer as he spoke into th
e phone. “Melinda. Yeah, it’s Sawyer. You need to call the safety guy, Jackson, and tell him not to come. It’s not safe.” He rubbed his forehead and breathed heavily while silence filled the room.

  Finally, he spoke again. “No. Fuck. Dammit.” He glanced up at Amanda and Logan. “She called him on Trace’s phone. No answer.”

  “Does she know where he lives?” Logan bounced off the bed, grabbed his jeans, and shrugged them on. His voice had been loud enough Melinda surely heard the question without need to repeat it.

  Sure enough, Sawyer shook his head. “No.”

  “Jazmine will,” Amanda offered.

  Logan snapped his fingers. “Right. Call your sister.”

  “What time is it?” Amanda asked as she scooted her butt to the edge of the bed.

  “Nine.” Sawyer ended the call and grabbed his own jeans.

  Amanda reached for her phone on the nightstand and quickly dialed her sister.

  “Hey. You okay?”

  “Yeah. Listen, are you with Jazmine?”

  A slight hesitation before Mary responded. “Yeah.”

  “We need to find her brother. It’s urgent. Ask her for his address.”

  “Her brother? Jackson? Why?”

  “Long story. But it’s important. Can I explain later?” Amanda heard muffled voices for long moments while Mary must have covered the receiver.

  And then Jazmine came on the line. “Amanda? You okay?”

  “I am. Listen, I know this is weird, but trust me. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. Long story short, there may be trouble at the logging site he’s supposed to inspect tomorrow.”

  Jazmine gasped. “God. How do you know? Never mind. I’ll text you the address now. Are you going to tell him about, you know, your men and what they are?”

  “No. I don’t think so. It’s not about that.”

  “Okay. Good. There. Text sent. Let us know more when you have a chance.”

  “Will do. Thanks, Jaz.” Amanda ended the call and opened her text. “Got it.”

  “Brilliant.” Logan leaned down and kissed her lips. “Let’s go.” He grabbed her panties off the floor and handed them to her.