by Silver James
Oh, he knew how she thought she felt. He hadn’t been oblivious to the side-long glances, the sighs, the lip nibbles. And her scent—which was a dead giveaway to a Wolf. She’d wanted him. At least sexually. Which was good because he wanted her so badly his balls were a permanent shade of indigo blue, even after their marathon session last night. Lauren had convinced herself that she had feelings for him. Hell, he was a moonstruck Wolf and the pheromones tended to work both ways. He’d fucked her, had had a fleeting hope that would be the end of it.
But, as he’d suspected after fucking her, he’d never be able to let her go. And he wouldn’t be able to hide what he was from her. Dammit, if he had any honor at all, he’d tell her now. Before things got any more complicated between them. His chin dropped to his chest and he rubbed the back of his neck. Things couldn’t get more complicated between them. She was under a death sentence from a corporation that hunted his kind for experimentation. And she was the mate of a man who turned into a wolf, the mate of a wolf who turned into a man.
“Yeah, sure, you’re thinking. Mr. Macho Man and Nerd Girl are a match made in rom-com hell. There’s no way a man like him could really be interested in me. We did the deed. Several times. But I truly believe I could have been anybody. And I mean that in two words. Any. Body. Oh, he was diligent.”
As he watched, goosebumps prickled her skin as a fine shiver traced through her. “Whoo, boy was he diligent. And he really seemed to enjoy himself but we’re right back to that whole opposites thing. I know that but still…” She emitted another huge sigh but Chewy’s head swiveled left as his eyes caught movement in the dew-covered grass.
Lauren didn’t notice at first, she was so wrapped up in her feelings of woe. “Are you even listening to me?” The wolfdog rose, head down, feet almost prancing as he stalked something across the yard. “Ha,” she muttered. “I’m so dull I even bored the scary dog.” She studied the animal as he crept along, head down, tail stiff, canines glinting ivory white in the first rays of sun dappling the area in front of Tait’s cabin. The dog was acting weird. She pushed to her feet and shaded her eyes. Was he— The dog sprang at something and she heard a crunching sound.
Chewy returned, head high, tail feathered and wagging, with something in his mouth. Lauren flinched as the wolfdog dropped his “present” at her feet. She recoiled, recognizing the lump of bloody fur—a bunny. She covered her mouth with her hand as she started to retch.
Tait faded back into the interior of his house. He would keep his mouth shut and his hands to himself. No matter what his wolf said, no matter how man and animal both raged to possess her, he had to let her go. She couldn’t be his, because how could she feel anything real for him once she understood he was a beast twice as scary as the half-feral wolfdog that had just presented her with a freshly-killed rabbit?
Chapter 13
Tait’s cell phone rang giving him an excuse to look busy as Lauren came through the front door, her face still tinged a shade green. He wasn’t expecting the harsh voice on the other end.
“Three of our riders were hit last night,” Totem ground out. “I’m calling in my marker.”
Shit. That meant Black Root had gone after the Nightriders. And he owed them. Big time. He glanced up, his gaze colliding with Lauren’s. She looked apprehensive as she edged closer to him. “How bad?”
“Bad enough. I need your skills, soldier boy.”
He bristled at that. He wasn’t a soldier. He was a SEAL. Or had been. Stupid to split hairs at the moment though. Still. “SEAL. Big difference, biker boy. I have to make arrangements then I’ll come your way.”
“Make those arrangements fast. My boys were still breathing according to the message. They won’t be for long.”
Shit. That meant his identity and Lauren’s could be coerced from the Nightriders who’d been taken. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He clicked off the phone.
“Shooter?”
He’d given her his real name in the midst of their love-making last night but evidently, it hadn’t made an impression. Just as well. Even as her forgetfulness stung the man, the wolf smirked. They’d obviously made such excellent love they’d affected her memory. “Do you know how to use a weapon?”
The color drained from her face and she backed up two steps, then shook her head furiously in the negative. He was cursing under his breath as a bright and feminine voice answered the call he’d placed.
“This better be good.”
“Sadie, I need to talk to Hank.”
He could hear her grousing, along with rustling clothes and the scuff of bare feet on a floor. A door creaked and then Sadie yelled at the top of her lungs, “HANK! PHONE!”
Tait winced. “Sorry to be calling so early.”
“This have anything to do with your truck blowing up?”
“Yeah.”
“Then early doesn’t matter. Besides, we live on a ranch. Our days start early. Hang on, he’s coming this way.” Before she passed off the phone, Hank’s movie-star wife added, “You stay safe, Tait McCord. You hear me?”
“What is it?” Hanks gruff question superseded any chance Tait had of reassuring Sadie.
“I need someone to cover Lauren for me. I have to go take care of something.”
“Take care of what?”
“My friends called in their marker. There’s been some blowback for their assistance. I have to go, and I can’t take Lauren with me.”
The phone line stayed silent for several tense moments. “I can send Kujo that way. He’s the only one who even half-way gets along with that monster you call a dog.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll pay standard rates.”
“Forget it, Tait. Brotherhood, remember? We always watch each other’s backs. I’m calling him now. He’ll be there within the hour.”
“Good enough. I have to go. There’s a chance we can get them back alive.”
“Damn, Tait. Yeah. Go. We’ll look after your girl.”
As Tait dressed and loaded up for bear, Lauren trailed around behind him chattering questions like a magpie. She didn’t want to stay alone. She didn’t trust this Kujo guy—who named their child Kujo anyway? When would he be back? Where was he going? Was it because of her?
She marched behind him as he tossed the black duffel bag full of weapons into the passenger seat of his old Jeep Wrangler. The thing looked like a junker but it ran like an Indy car, especially off road. He cussed Black Root to hell and back for destroying his truck. The thing had been almost brand new and had all the bells and whistles. The Jeep? It barely had the basics.
“You can’t go, mouse. It’s too dangerous.”
“And staying here alone isn’t?”
“Kujo will be here before you know it. He’s one of Hank’s best. He and Chewy will keep you safe until I can get back.” Her sudden move took him by surprise as he found his arms full of curvy woman. He instinctively grabbed her ass as her legs wrapped around his waist and her arm around his neck. Then she was kissing him, and his brain went on autopilot. He turned, bracing her against the Jeep, as he took her mouth. He tasted her with the desperation of a starving man—lips and tongue and his hands pulled her core tight against his raging erection.
“You better come home to me, buster,” she finally wheezed out, breaking their kiss. “I’ve never thrown myself at any man so don’t make me regret this.”
He grinned so wide his eyes crinkled, and her heart lurched in her chest. This man was usually so solemn and serious and unreadable, but she could decipher every last one of the emotions on his face in that moment. There was something between them—something wild and intense and she had every intention of fighting for it. Opposites be damned.
Tait touched his forehead to hers. “Stay safe, Lauren.” If anything happened to her, he’d burn down the world. That wasn’t a promise, it was a fact.
****
Lauren stepped out of the shower to the sound of Chewy barking madly. She tossed on jeans and a T-shirt and padded barefoot to
the door to peek out. A SUV was just rolling to a stop as the wolfdog bounced and whirled, still barking. The window glided down and a man stuck his head out.
“At ease, Chewy!” he ordered before aiming his gaze her direction. “Hi, Lauren. I’m Joseph Kuntz but everybody calls me Kujo. I work with Hank at Brotherhood Protectors. I’m here until Shooter gets back.”
He opened the door and stepped out. Before he’d fully cleared the space, Chewy pushed past him, all but knocking him over as the wolfdog leaped into the vehicle. Kujo laughed and backed out of the way. “Bad news, Chewy. I left Six at home. You’ll just have to play with me today.”
The dog reappeared looking decidedly disgruntled. He jumped out and stalked off, ignoring the humans. Kujo looked up in time to catch Lauren’s puzzled expression. “Six is my K-9 partner. He and Chewy are buddies but I left him at home with my wife today.”
Lauren relaxed a bit. He had a wife. That made her feel a bit safer in the presence of this handsome stranger. “There’s coffee made. Would you like some?”
“Sounds good.”
She led him inside and wondered how the heck she could entertain this man until Shooter returned. As if reading her thoughts, he patted her shoulder. “I won’t be standing here watching every move you make, Lauren. And I’ll be going out periodically to run perimeter patrols. You can pretty much ignore me. It won’t hurt my feelings. Just do whatever you’d normally do.”
They chatted over a cup of coffee and she offered to fix him breakfast, which he declined. She wasn’t exactly hungry but figured she needed to eat anyway. She fixed some toast and scrambled eggs while Kujo went to check outside.
“Do whatever I normally do,” she groused as she munched the toast. “I work. Or I read. And my eReader is toast.” She didn’t have a cell phone, nor had she seen a computer laying around—not that she’d used Shooter’s if he had one, at least not without asking. After washing her dishes, she wandered into the living area. There was a bookcase that had some books stacked in it, along with a lot of other stuff. She took her time perusing titles.
The Art of War by Sun Tsu.
American Sniper by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelic.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
Lauren rubbed her nose and squinted at a different pile of books which had some paperbacks mixed in with the hardbacks. She found a compendium of Sherlock Holmes stories, a couple of Clive Cussler paperbacks, and shoved behind them, she found a dog-eared paperback. The first word in the title that caught her eye was “Naked.” Intrigued, she pulled it from the stack and realized it was the first book in a best-selling series that she’d once considered reading. Well, she thought. No time like the present, right?
When Kujo returned, Lauren had her nose so deeply buried in a book she barely looked up to acknowledge him. Chewy padded in after him and immediately climbed up on the couch next to the woman, nosing his way in under her arm so his chin rested on her thigh. Kujo grinned but made sure Lauren wouldn’t see it. He didn’t know Tait well. As far as he knew, no one did. The man was a loner but when Hank tasked him with a job, even as part as a team, Tait was focused and good at his assignment, if not friendly. When a man’s dog accepted a woman in their space, the man might as well throw up his hands in surrender. He’d learned that the hard way. So would Tait. And Kujo planned to enjoy every minute.
A few hours had passed and Kujo was on the phone with Molly, the love of his life, when Chewy came off the couch, ruff standing on end and ears pricked. Fifteen seconds later, the boom of an explosion rattled the windows. He was out the door, instructing Molly to notify Hank before he ended the call. The wolfdog followed him but Kujo ordered him back inside. “Stay with Lauren, Chew. Guard.” He glanced at the woman now standing in the doorway. “Stay inside, keep the door locked. I’ll go check it out.”
Lauren shaded her eyes. A plume of black smoke pointed an ugly finger into the cloudless blue sky from the direction of the highway. “Be careful.” Her caution was swallowed by the sound of the engine of Kujo’s vehicle. She watched him bump along the gravel road headed toward the smoke. Anxious, she debated whether to call Shooter. He could be in the middle of a dangerous situation and her call could distract him. And the explosion was likely something…well, bad, but most likely easily explained like a car accident. If a fuel tanker truck was involved because the smoke filled the sky.
She was still standing at the window watching when the sound of thunder rolled up the road in the form of five motorcycles. Surprised to see the Nightriders there, Lauren froze. Shooter. Something had happened to Shooter and they’d come to tell her. She threw open the door and rushed out, Chewy on her heels. He didn’t bark. He didn’t howl. He launched directly off the porch, leaping for the lead rider and taking him off the bike. That’s when her brain caught up to the information her eyes were sending. Not Nightriders. Other bikers. With a ferocious horned dog on the back of their vests and the words “Hell Dogs.”
Lauren whirled to run but didn’t even get two steps back toward the house before one of the men took her down. She heard a gunshot and Chewy yelped. Then her head was slammed against the solid stone pillar at the top of the steps.
Chapter 14
Tait stared down at the two dead bikers. One had been stripped of his cut and the tattoo on his back sliced off. The other lay where he’d fallen after taking several gunshots, patch on the back of his vest blood-stained but visible. They’d both been human. He gave Totem a telling look.
Totem’s expression was tight. “As you know, not all of us carry the gene. His father was a Wolf. The—” He paused to spit on the other body. “Hell Dogs aren’t choosy in their recruiting and vicious in their retaliation. They desecrated our brother. We’ll repay the offense.” The chapter’s president barely kept his anger in check.
Not wanting to create friction, Tait wondered how to pose his next question. The biker beat him to it. “Helena is Nightrider territory, but we don’t hold the entire state. We’d heard rumors that the Dogs were infiltrating Butte.”
“You know about Black Root. You think they’re behind this or could it be the usual…maneuvering for territory?”
Totem spat again. “We would defend our territory against any enemy but yes. The national chapter in Kansas City had a big run-in when the Dogs kidnapped two of their mates. We found evidence they were under contract to Black Root.”
“Is that why you called me about this?”
“One of the reasons.” Before Totem could continue, Tait’s phone vibrated in his hip pocket. He held up a finger as he fished it out.
Before even reading the caller ID, a sense of dread washed over him. No. Not dread. Abject fear. Cold sweat gathered in the small of his back. Considering anyone who would be calling him would understand that such communication could result in the failure of his current assignment, something had to be… His hand shook slightly as he answered, “Yeah?”
“I’m so damn sorry, man.” Hank.
“What happened?” He asked, his gut clenching in bowel-watering terror.
“There was an explosion out on the road. Kujo went to check it out.”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know. I brought Six out to your place. Kujo is using him to try and track her in case she escaped into the woods.” Hank stopped talking. Inhaled deeply. “There’s blood on the porch, Shooter. A lot of it.”
“Fuck!” Tait’s gaze found Totem’s and they both understood. The attack on the Nightriders had been a diversion, a way to get him away from the ranch so they could take Lauren. His mate.
Totem, his sense of self-preservation fully operational, stepped back as Tait’s wolf surged to the surface. “Keep searching and let me know what you find. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Tait shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Find out if the Hell Dogs are involved. If they have her I’ll burn their fucking world down around their ears. If they don’t, I’ll still help you kill them.”
“You’ll have to sta
nd in line, brother. The national chapter is sending some riders. And I’ve heard that there’s another contingent of Wolves coming from West Virginia.”
Tait nodded. “Find out where those fuckers are hiding in Butte.”
“Scorched earth,” Totem promised.
****
Hank jogged up to stand next to Kujo. He shaded his eyes from the bright sunlight flooding the clearing. “No sign of Shooter. I’m pretty sure this is where he said to meet him.”
Kujo shuffled from foot to foot. “There was something here when Six and I arrived. It ran into the woods.”
The other man sounded…off-balance. “Did you follow it?” When he didn’t answer, Hank shifted his gaze to Kujo and Six. Both man and animal stared into the forest, bodies tense.
“Hell no,” Kujo spat. Six’s growl echoed his master’s declaration.
He’d known Kujo for years. The guy was as steady as they came. To see him so spooked troubled Hank. “Tell me what you saw?”
“Wolf.” Again, Six’s rumble mirrored his handler’s. “Damn thing was huge.” Six whined in agreement. “I mean, it was twice the size of any wolf I’ve ever seen in these mountains.” He held his hand just below his hip in measurement. “This tall at the shoulder. We found tracks.” He spread his hand. “This big.”
Hank looked askance. “Are you sure it wasn’t Tait’s monster wolfdog?”
“Chewy? It wasn’t,” Kujo insisted. “Six knows Chewy and this thing made Chewy look like a puppy.”
Men and dog froze as something rustled in the underbrush. When Tait emerged from the tree line a few moments later, the men lowered the weapons they’d unconsciously drawn. Six’s muzzle crinkled in a soundless snarl.
Tait stared at the dog for almost a minute before the animal belly-downed next to Kujo. He hated dominance displays with dogs but they were inevitable when the scent of his wolf permeated his skin. The displays were bad enough with Wolves when the shifters were in their animal form. He’d always had an uneasy truce with Six but that was before Six got a whiff of Tait in wolf form.