by M. L. Briers
“So all the houses here are like this one?” She asked, obviously impressed by the wooden architecture of her surroundings.
“Yeah. Devanaux wants to create a collection of expensive holiday homes for townies that want the whole wilderness experience, but only for a few weeks a year. He’ll split the land into parcels and put up some rustic looking places and make his money that way.” Not to mention the ready supply of human’s the clan would have on offer, if they happened out after dark on a full moon- he thought, for once wishing he could impart that information to a human- especially knowing how important this land would be to his pack and the way she seemed to sympathise with the plight of the wolves and her grandfather’s traps.
“And you want the land for?”
“My families quite large- which is great- but we need to build more cabins as more of them marry and have families- but we don’t want to strip out too much of the woodland and more people need more room to live- we don’t want to be living on top of each other- but we also don’t want to move into town- we’re all close- so.”
“Well to be truthful Cade- putting my grandfathers feelings aside- I would rather think of the land being wanted and needed rather than it just being bought to be sectioned up and sold off.”
“Then you’ll think about selling to me?” Cade asked leaning his elbows on the counter and closing the gap between them, his eyes holding hers with the intensity of the emotion running through him. He wanted the land- wanted it so bad that he could almost taste it and yet, right at this moment in time, he wanted her more.
“I don’t see why not. I assume you’ll offer a fair price considering how long you’ve wanted to buy the land- but I wonder if I shouldn’t keep a little parcel of the land myself- after all- I guess this is where my roots are in some ways and I wouldn’t want to regret letting it all go in a few years time.”
He nodded his understanding, it was about her family and he understood one thing- that was family. He was just happy that she was willing to sell and knowing that, even if she did keep some land back, she was no threat to his family.
“ We’ll have to drive over the land and have a look around the area- maybe you could find somewhere you like on my side of the boundary- the other side is Devanaux land and he doesn’t make the best of neighbours-“ There was no way in hell he would let her keep any land running along the clan’s boundary line- he’d rather rip his own arms off- at least her grandfather had know not to venture out at night on a full moon and to keep a shotgun handy- this innocent could just stumble right into one of Devanaux’s Were’s and be dead or worse turned and his beast ached with the need to protect her from that.
She would be safe with his pack- Lycan’s didn’t attack for no reason and he would make damn sure none of his pack went anywhere near her for any reason- and Lycan’s couldn’t turn a human- only Werewolf’s could do that- they tended to do it just to increase their clan size. Being this close to a clan of Were’s wasn’t the easiest situation for his people- especially when they were so damn stupid as to lead the hunter’s right to the door of his own pack.
His people were careful not to be a problem- not to reveal their wolf too often to humans and never to show superior tendencies in human form that the human’s would consider strange, his pack was not a threat to the human’s living around them.
Werewolf’s were different- when the beast took them during the full moon, they had no humanity within them- it was a complete transformation into the feral beast and they ran amok, uncaring of the attention they brought or the lives they took- he was damned well going to make sure this woman stayed off their radar when they transformed- even if he had to lock her in a room for her own safety.
Maybe a bedroom- he mused- and maybe he would just stay in that damned room with her all night to keep her safe- and while he was there, he would strip her naked and take her over and over until the sun came up- Cade shook his head as he felt the rush to hardness in his jeans- damn he ached for her.
“We could keep an eye on your land while you’re not here.” Damn, why did that thought bother him so much- her leaving? The words had came out of his mouth and niggled at him right away. Why the hell wouldn’t he want this city girl not to be around- she was human- he didn’t have much time for those, at least not in the last few years.
“Sound’s good.” Vicky noted that his eyes never left hers as he sipped at his coffee- it was as though he was assessing her- cataloguing her and storing it away for future reference- and what was it with the way her body reacted to his proximity? There wasn’t a man alive that she hadn’t met and dismissed with ease- this guy was different- maybe it was the country in him- he certainly carried himself differently to the men she was used to. He had an intensity about him that seemed almost protective of her- like with Whit at the door, when he had put himself in between them, only allowing the briefest of handshakes. Maybe being neighbours with this guy wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
The sound of boots against the hard wood floor took her attention away from Cade for long enough to recognise that they weren’t alone anymore- although she still couldn’t seem to drag her eyes from his for long enough to turn and see just who it was that those boots belonged to and from where she sat, it seemed that Cade was having the same problem.
“Cade!” Marcus’s voice boomed out in the silence of the room, making her jump in place and causing Cade’s attention to weaver from her as he dragged his eyes to the Beta demanding his attention- his beast practically growling with intent inside him.
“Marcus- Vicky Gerrard- Vicky this is Marcus-“ His tone was laced with annoyance and Vicky wondered what the man had done to earn such a reaction from him, besides appear at the doorway.
Vicky dragged her eyes from studying the side profile of his face and turned on her stool to see yet another man mountain of pure muscle take up all the space of the doorway and she smiled her hello’s, as he narrowed his eyes on her for a long moment- a look that seemed to hold animosity, before it was gone and he nodded back at her.
“It’s a good thing you’re doing with the animal traps Ms Gerrard-“ He offered, his eyes flicking to Cade for a long moment as something seemed to pass between them and Marcus seemed to relax a little as he turned his eyes back on her- softer now.
“It’s the right thing to do-“
“Especially as Vicky thinks a wolf might just have saved her from experiencing one of those traps first hand today, down on the boundary between our land-“ Cade mused, but Marcus seemed to become a little straighter and a little more guarded as he narrowed his eyes on her again. Vicky felt the flush to her cheeks and dropped her eyes to her lap.
“If it hadn’t of been for that wolf appearing out of the woods, Mr Blackthorn, I would have walked right into that trap- make fun all you like- but I like to pay my debts.” Vicky lifted her eyes and challenged him with her stare as Marcus shuffled awkwardly in the doorway- a smile spread across Cade’s face.
“Not teasing- just impressed you credit the wolf with some level of compassion-“ He offered his words with a raise of his brows and a devilish grin, as Marcus cleared his throat and broke the spell between them.
“Need a word Cade.” Marcus bit out and Cade rose from his seat, excusing himself, leaving Vicky feeling almost bereft of his company again and wondering just how the hell that could be.
Closing the door to his office, Cade turned to his beta with a mixture of annoyance, at being dragged away from the woman that he could still feel just down the hallway and the need he had inside him to get back to her as soon as possible.
“What’s up Marcus?” Cade walked past him and perched himself on the edge of his desk, trying to contain the itch inside him to be somewhere other than this.
Marcus narrowed his eyes in accusation and clenched his jaw tightly as he chewed that over. “Well, I was coming to discuss pack business- but right now, I’m more concerned with your damned attraction to that human.” Marcus’s barely concealed concern
bubbled under the surface- he’d never seen Cade act like this and he’d seen Cade around plenty of women in his time.
Cade tipped his head to the side and regarded his brother with curiosity, along with the flash of anger from his beast at the audacity of the man.
“That human has a name brother-“ Cade started, feeling the ripple of his own annoyance rumble through him.
“Yeah and from what I saw- the name’s trouble with a capital T.”
Cade got to his feet and met his Beta eye for eye, “We need her land-“ He started- but Marcus cut him dead.
“You need more than that- Jesus Cade, I smell the attraction in the air between you- you were practically inside her right there in the damned kitchen.“ Marcus heard the beast inside Cade growl long and hard and by the time he had blinked his Alpha was in front of him, glaring with eyes of fire for the challenge that his words had provoked inside him.
“Be careful of your words Marcus, you’re walking on shaky ground my brother-“ It didn’t take a lot for Cade to go into Alpha mode normally and yet Marcus was still taken back by how quickly Cade had become his beast. He knew the sign’s and damn it, he didn’t like it any- but he respected it and backed down immediately, taking a step back from Cade and dropping his eyes in subordination to his Alpha.
“I didn’t see that coming-“ Marcus kept the annoyance from his voice this time- he wasn’t about to provoke Cade into losing his temper all together.
“You want to elaborate?”
“You don’t recognise your mate when you meet her Cade- because your wolf sure does.”
CHAPTER THREE
Marcus raised his knowing eyes to Cade, who suddenly looked like his brother had sucker punched him right in the gut- his eyes narrowing on his sibling as he contemplated his words, trying his damned best to dismiss them.
“She’s human-“ Cade snapped out turning on his heels and walking back to his desk- the emotional turmoil within him, making even his beast go on edge.
“Makes no difference-“ Marcus bit out and Cade shook his head in denial.
“She’s Taylor’s granddaughter-“
“Can’t hold that against her, I suppose- especially seeing as she’s having the traps removed-“ Marcus bit out again on a definite sigh of acceptance. He knew no matter what he felt about humans- this woman was about to become part of his pack- his Alpha’s mate and as such he would accept her and protect her just the same he would a full Lycan.
“She’s from the city-“ Cade was clutching at straws- what did he want? His damn beast certainly wanted her- he’d felt that the moment he saw her outside the solicitor’s office. He certainly wanted her- damn, if he didn’t want to rip her clothes from her body and bury himself inside her every time he looked at her. But she wasn’t Lycan…
“Guess she’ll have to relocate then.” Marcus mused- his acceptance of her almost complete and now he could find amusement in the situation. His Alpha- his brother was about to embark on something he had once had himself- the greatest gift a Lycan could be blessed with- a mate and her being human, well that wasn’t going to be easy going for him- that thought alone caused a streak of glee to wash through him as he watched Cade’s slow acceptance of his circumstances.
“She’s human-“ He offered again as he brought his eyes up to Marcus and the uncertainty of what was happening finally registered in his mind.
“You said that already- and I’d just like to say- good luck with that.” Marcus chuckled to himself, before turning on his heels, yanking open the office door- and Cade could almost swear that he heard him humming to himself as he walked away.
“Oh Crap!” Cade dropped down on the edge of the desk and closed his eyes to the simple fact that Marcus was right. Vicky was his mate.
Cade had a plan and that plan was to keep the hell away from Vicky- something his wolf wasn’t happy about, as the snarling and growling would attest too. But that wasn’t the point right now- right now Cade had one underlying agenda and that was to get her land- not her into bed- hell sure, if it had just been about bedding her and this need to be buried so deep within her, that he didn’t know where he ended and she began, well that would be fine- hell that would be great- amazing- but now he recognised exactly why he had that burning desire, he had to get a grip on himself and his beast.
It wasn’t going to happen.
Vicky was his mate- that should have brought him the greatest joy and contentment he could ever have imagined, instead it filled him with foreboding- not only was she human- and hey he was a progressive guy- he didn’t have a problem with human’s and Lycan’s mating- but being human made her weak in the way no Lycan was.
He had Were’s on his doorstep and she was human- double the danger- an Alpha’s mate would be a great trophy for a kill and a human one would be even better if they turned her.
Cade felt the anger surge within him- the thought of those dog’s getting anywhere near her caused his wolf to snarl- the need to shift and rip the Were’s limb from limb was almost overwhelming- the need to protect trumped his beasts need to possess her- to claim her for himself- he needed to get her the hell away from here, to send her safely on her way back to the big city, for it was truly the only way Cade knew to protect her.
That thought ripped a hole within him like a chasm exploding in his heart- he felt his gut twisting with the thought of ever letting her go. His beast wanted her by its side- his instinct wanted to pull her to him and never be away from her for a heartbeat, but his rationality had to win the day. If he mated with her she would be a prime target for Devanaux and he couldn’t let that happen.
Cade walked back towards the kitchen with his gut still twisting within him. How the hell could he send his mate away to never see her again? It was against his nature and yet, as he entered the room and saw her back stiffen slightly from her subconscious recognising his approach- before she had even heard him coming- he felt his senses wrap around her and bring her attention towards him- those green eyes brightly greeting him as she turned to look up into his eyes and he knew that he really would cut off his own limbs to keep her safe- or send her away and spend the rest of his life mourning her loss as he had to.
“I’m sorry Vicky, but something has come up- I’m going to have to put off the grand tour for another time- I hope you can forgive me?” He asked for her forgiveness for more than just a postponement of the time they were going to spend together and he damned well knew it.
As his mate, she herself would never find and fall in love with another so completely as she would with him- his actions here were akin to sending her out to fish without a net or line.
“It’s fine. I hope it’s nothing serious-“ She got to her feet- her eyes never leaving his for a second as he stood slightly back away from her, trying too hard to keep his damned distance.
“No- no. Just family business. I’ll drive you-“ He started and she waved a dismissive hand cutting him off.
“I can walk- it’s just a few city blocks in the grand scheme of things- a mere stretch of the legs-“
No you bloody won’t. I’ll not have my woman out there alone with devanaux and his dog’s about. “I won’t hear of it. Of course I’ll take you back.” Cade motioned towards the door, taking a step backwards away from her- where before he had been ever so keen on his touch against her body, now he knew it would just encourage his beast in its pursuits.
“If you’re sure-“ She walked out ahead of him and longed for that touch against the small of her back and was inwardly disappointed when it didn’t happen.
“Leaving so soon?-“ Anna’s amused eyes met with Cade only briefly before she rested her gaze on Vicky.
“Yes. Something’s come up.” Cade announced, sounding slightly annoyed that his sister had appeared and for the life of her Vicky couldn’t understand what had gotten into him.
“I can imagine-“ Anna mused flicking her eyes back to Cade and ignoring his hard stare. “You’ll have to come for dinner-“ Cade almost choked on
his own tongue at his sister’s interference in his life. She had to know- he could see it in her eyes- the mischief- the amusement- the appreciation of her brother’s awkwardness and the fact that he heard Marcus snigger by the living room door, only confirmed his families enjoyment of his predicament.
“That would be lovely Anna- thank you and thanks again for the food parcels.” Vicky didn’t notice the glare in Cade’s eyes aimed down at his sister, but Anna surely did- even if she didn’t acknowledge it by turning her eyes to his.
“Let’s get you back then.” Cade muttered, placing his hand on the small of her back and feeling the instant surge of heat wash through his body- from the way that Vicky’s body tensed before it seemed to relax again, he assumed he wasn’t the only one.
“Bye Vicky- See you soon.” Marcus called out, the amusement in his voice, not even remotely disguised for Cade’s benefit and Vicky gave him a small smile and wave of her hand as Cade practically pushed her ahead of him towards the front door.
Cade seethed with the anger that was burning within him for his siblings meddling. He wanted to get her the hell out of there before they were offering her a bedroom and getting the family photos out to show her. They knew what a mate meant- but obviously they hadn’t bothered to think through what would happen to his mate should devanaux get his paws on her.
He saw her into the passenger seat and closed the door, sealing the overwhelming scent of her inside as he took a deep breath and caught only the lingering traces of her in the air- damn she was potent to him- how could he not have recognised that himself?
Taking as long as possible to walk around the truck, to enable his beast to pull back within him, he looked at the handle of the driver’s door and stilled himself for the fresh rush of excitement that would flood through him when he opened the damn thing. This wasn’t going to be an easy ten minutes and he was going to have to rein himself in with a hard fist and when he got back, he was going to need that fist to relieve some of the damned sexual tension within him.