“I know I’ve said it,” he told her while shooting her a look. “But, I’m still sorry.”
“I know you didn’t mean it,” she said. When his hand brushed around the wound, it sent sparks of pleasure through her. She jumped. “What was that?”
“A mate’s touch is a natural anesthetic,” he said with a grin. “It should be fully healed by morning. Of course, there are other ways to speed up the process.”
She raised one eyebrow. “And that is…?”
His grin turned naughty. She rolled her eyes, but they laughed again. Somehow, the serious situation felt lighter.
“I should get to bed,” she said when the clock chimed to signal a new hour. He followed her to the open connecting door. Before she could walk through, his hand gently grabbed her arm. She gasped as he pulled her towards him.
“Josephine, I know this isn’t ideal,” he said in a rumbling voice. She shivered as she felt the vibrations from his chest. “If you need anything, please let me know.”
A sudden rush of bravery ran through her. “Answer me. Why did you kiss me?”
His eyes glittered. “I kissed you because I wanted to. I had to. Your entire scent pulled me in.”
She held her breath. No boyfriend, no lover, no man had ever told her anything like that. It made her feel gorgeous. She felt like a treasure, even if it was only temporary.
“A goodnight kiss,” she told him. “That’s what I want.”
His breathing grew heavier as he leaned down. “Are you sure?”
“You’ve kissed me twice,” she told him. “That seems a bit unfair.”
“I’ve never been known to deny a woman,” he confided. She closed her eyes as he leaned down. When she felt his lips brush hers, the wound sent a wave of ecstasy through her. She gasped in pleasure. That’s was all he needed to press her up against the wall.
His lips were fiery against her. She groaned against him as her core brushed up against his hardened member. His fingers played with the edge of her robe that barely brushed her mid-thigh. Her heart jumped as his hands slipped underneath the silky fabric and began toying with the lace panties she wore.
A sudden sound broke their heated embrace. They ripped away from each other with clouded looks. The sound continued.
“Fuck, my phone,” he said with a growl.
She stifled an embarrassed squeak. “I’ll head off to bed.”
Before he could say anything else, she was in her own room. She dove underneath the covers with a flustered groan. Three times, she’d fallen for the charms of Roman, and there was no end in sight.
The bite throbbed as she fell into sleep. On the other side of the door, she felt he was in distress. Was it from the call? She fell into an exhausted, restless slumber as her thoughts tumbled around her.
Chapter 9
“My father doesn’t have as long as we thought,” Roman announced darkly as he strode into the dining room the next morning. Robert and Josephine were the only ones gathered for breakfast. She felt her stomach knot as Robert began asking for instructions.
Roman pulled a chair out for himself and plopped down into it. He pinched the bridge of his nose and pressed his eyes together as if lost in a jumble of chaotic thoughts.
“Josephine and I will research the symbol while you, Robert, check in on my father,” he announced and then turned bloodshot eyes on Josephine. “He’s in a secret clinic with a military doctor who has a certain discretion concerning our kind.”
Robert nodded and headed off, pulling out his cellphone to bark some commands to someone. She watched as Roman’s gaze bore into hers and felt the tension rise between them.
“I think I know where the other symbol is,” he said with a sigh. “Back at the main house, my mother’s private wing was roped off after she passed. I believe the statue we found last night is part of a pair. There’s the woman, a symbol representing the mate, and a bear. If I’ve remembered correctly, it’s in her bedroom.”
Josephine rose from the dining table and offered a small smile.
“I’ll go get my bag,”
Roman simply nodded.
The car ride was silent. Even Leo seemed out of his usual humor as he kept his gaze solely on the road. Only when Roman asked him to take shortcuts did he answer with a short agreement.
She simmered with worry in the seat beside Roman as they drove. Would they actually find the statue that he was desperately searching for?
Josephine found Roman’s father’s insistence that his wife’s quarters, at the townhome, country home and the main house, be closed off, oddly romantic. It was as if he’d wanted to preserve any and all remnants of her presence for eternity.
She also worried about their upcoming search. Chances were good that nothing had been moved or touched, but they couldn’t be certain until they got there. They had no idea what was in his mother’s wing or if the statue truly did bear the mark as Roman recalled.
Barely an hour later, they found themselves batting away cobwebs as they made their way to his mother’s room. Josephine watched Roman’s broad shoulders as he led them down long passageways. She split her focus between his muscular backside and the sheer size of the house.
Finally, they came upon a magnificent set of towering French doors. The crimson paint covering the fancy panels peeled in the corners, but it was clear that this had been a queen’s domain.
Roman paused with his hands resting on the doorknobs of two large oak doors. She glanced at him and quickly noted the heavy look marring his face.
“We’ll find it,” she told him. “Even if it isn’t in there.”
It had to be, she reassured herself. Roman’s father didn’t have much time.
She placed her hand over one of his and together they opened the doors.
A rush of dust and stale air greeted them, but Roman pushed through without noticing. The statue was there, just as Roman remembered; standing proudly in the far corner.
Extending his hand, he approached the enormous bear and Josephine’s eyes zeroed in on the same crescent moon symbol they’d found on the statue back at the country home. She smiled as she realized that Roman’s mother had left such a clear trail of clues.
When Roman’s hand came in contact with the statue, a secret panel slid open just to the right of the sculpture. The panel had concealed a passage way that lead to a rather large collection of bookshelves.
Like Roman’s private study at the country home, his mother had stashed away an extensive library that they soon discovered contained rare magical tomes and documents.
Together, they began searching and it wasn’t long before they found the scroll they’d been looking for.
Josephine knew the moment she laid her hand on it that it was the one. Warmth blossomed in her fingers and quickly spread to envelope the majority of her body.
“You found it,” Roman breathed in awe. Tearing her eyes from the brittle document, she found his and smiled.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“We get that to the doctor as quickly as possible,” Roman answered and took Josephine by the arm.
They rushed back through the labyrinth of hallways and corridors and then outside to where Leo still had the town car waiting.
“Get us to my father,” Roman barked and Leo wasted no time in getting them on their way.
Josephine tucked the scroll into her messenger bag. The historian in her wanted to take the document and study it inside and out, but she repressed the urge. Maybe after they used it to save Roman’s father, he would allow her to continue her research and study the Den.
Then again, she was officially a part of it now, it wouldn’t be much of a hardship to embrace her new lease on life and stay on with Roman as his mate.
Inhaling sharply at her sudden self-revelation, Josephine missed the way Roman’s entire body tensed, and suddenly she found herself sprawled on asphalt, pain slicing through every atom.
“Josephine,” Roman frantically called for her from somewh
ere in the distance. She heard what sounded like gunshots and then a bear’s angry roar. Panic filled her chest and she tried to catch her breath in order to call back to him. She didn’t know whether the emotions rolling around inside of her were her own or her mate’s. But before she could so much as move, her world went black.
***
She came to, and her body instantly tuned into her surroundings. She was somewhere underground, blindfolded with hands and feet tied together. The drip, drip, drip of water echoed throughout the room and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t determine where she was other than a large, dank, moldy space.
She moved her bound hands around behind her back and determined that she sat upon some sort of concrete. The sound of traffic was present, if a bit muted. So, she felt she was still in the city, but where exactly, she couldn’t tell.
Panic seized her chest and her breath wheezed in and out in small, panting gasps.
“Roman,” she called and coughed when her voice came out raspy and hoarse. A light, shimmering weight dusted across the skin of her bare arms and she suddenly felt Roman’s presence.
“Where are you?” she asked softly and waited for him to respond.
“He isn’t here, Princess,” an unfamiliar voice announced and she jerked her head blindly to her left. A low, guttural growl rumbled from the area.
“Where is he?” she demanded. “Where am I? Who are you? What do you want?”
A chuckle wafted into her face, its malevolence echoing in the space surrounding them.
“One problem at a time, eh?” the voice mocked.
“Don’t say a word, Marty,” another voice broke in. “We’re only supposed to hold her until Rafe gets here.”
“Shut up,” Marty growled. “Rafe isn’t here yet so I’m still the one in charge.”
“What does this Rafe want with me?” Josephine asked. She basically understood the fact that she’d been kidnapped because of her association with Roman, now she wanted to know who they were and what, exactly, they wanted.
“Curious little girl, aren’t you?” Marty spoke directly into her ear and she jerked her head aside to keep him from touching her. She felt Roman’s rage and wished she could convey her thoughts to him as easily as he received hers.
Suddenly howls, whistles and barks heralded the arrival of others, but what frightened Josephine most was the fact that they didn’t sound human. It was then she understood the trouble she faced.
“Wolves,” she murmured. “You’re the werewolves that Roman mentioned.”
“Very intuitive, Princess,” a third voice praised. “Take her blindfold off Marty.”
Once the mask was removed from her eyes, Josephine slowly opened them and inhaled sharply when she saw the sheer size of the group of men surrounding her.
Although their bodies weren’t as large as the bears, these men were still massive. Sinewy muscle and unusually long limbs replaced the bears’ hulking frames. Letting her eyes adjust to the lingering shadows, she realized they were in an abandoned, underground parking garage.
The wolves all looked unkempt and dirty, much like the city’s homeless population appeared. She remembered how Robert had explained the wolves and their chosen targets of homeless and degenerates.
So, that was how they cloaked their existence; by hiding themselves among their food source.
“Why am I here?” she repeated.
“You’re here,” the tallest of the group stepped toward her. “Because you found the Scroll,” he finished and squatted before her. His yellow eyes narrowed to slits and she inhaled sharply when he brought his face to within an inch of hers.
“You’re here because I can’t have old man Williams being cured,” his voice deepened. “My kind is starving because antiquated rules were made without our consent. With the elder Williams dead, the heir will have no choice but negotiate a new treaty, especially if he wants to see his mate alive again,” his voice trailed off and he smiled when the others snickered and laughed behind him.
Josephine’s heart plummeted when she realized how much trouble she was in. She’d noticed that her messenger bag was missing and she didn’t know if that was because the wolves had already gone through it or because Roman had it.
She hoped it was the latter. With that being the case, he could, at least, still save his father.
“Where is it?” she asked, and noticed Rafe’s body stiffen.
“We don’t have it,” he answered gruffly. “Why do you think we need you?” he challenged.
“I don’t understand,” Josephine admitted. “I’m of no use to you, Roman probably took the Scroll directly to his father and Mr. Williams is alive and well as we speak…” She trailed off when she realized what she’d just done. With the Scroll out of their reach, what could the wolves possibly want with her? She was no longer of any use to them. She’d just signed her own death warrant.
“That’s where you’re wrong little butterfly,” Rafe said and peered over his shoulder. He exchanged glares with another man and then turned back to her.
“Marty sent a nice little message to Roman Williams,” he explained. “If he uses the Scroll to cure his father, we will kill you. The only way he’ll see you alive again is to return the Scroll to us and let his father die.”
Josephine’s breath hitched and tears formed in her eyes. Robert had been right, the wolves were shady. They were also downright evil. Roman faced a decision he would regret the rest of his life, however long it may be. If he turned the Scroll over to the wolves, saving Josephine, his father would die. If he used the Scroll to save his father, Josephine would die.
Either way, Roman would lose someone.
Chapter 10
After sitting in the same position for what seemed like forever, the wolves finally moved Josephine to another location. They’d blindfolded her and carried her to a waiting vehicle, and then exiting the parking garage, driven for about fifteen minutes. She tried following the turns, dips and curves, but whether it was the anxiety or headache, she couldn’t recall a place in the city that matched their trip.
The fact that she was still alive told her that either Roman hadn’t responded to Rafe’s message or that he’d made his decision to try and free her. She knew that no matter what happened, Roman would blame her for his father’s demise. He held the key to curing him in the palm of his hand.
She knew next to nothing about the whole mating business. If she died, what would happen to Roman? Considering the fact that they hadn’t consummated the coupling, perhaps he could still get out of it. Since Mr. Williams survived after Roman’s mother died gave her some hope. Maybe the mating connection was nothing more than human wedding vows.
Where are you Josephine? Roman’s voice flitted through her mind and she froze in her thoughts. She heard him as plainly as if he sat next to her but she didn’t know how to answer him. Could he still read her mind?
I feel your fear and panic; please try to communicate with me. I can’t tell what you’re thinking, our bond isn’t strong enough.
“Well, that answers my question,” she murmured dryly. Wiggling around on the bed in the dusty room they’d put her in, she folded her hands in her lap and closed her eyes. Concentrating hard, she thought about the parking garage and the trip when they’d moved her. She tried to project her thoughts out of her mind, which was a difficult task considering she had no idea how to do it.
Pressing her eyelids tighter together, she pictured the musty old bedroom she’d been locked in. She described everything down to the faded, chipping wallpaper. She strained so hard, she felt a headache coming on.
She waited a few minutes but when no reply came, she exhaled harshly and launched herself from the squeaky mattress. She walked over to the sole window and pulled the tapestry aside only to grumble at finding the portal blacked out.
A knock sounded on her door and she jumped away from the window as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She refrained from uttering a word, knowing the knock w
as merely a joke. She’d been locked in here for the better part of two days if her count was accurate.
The only time anyone came was when they brought her a tray of food. She was thankful her room had a small bathroom connected to it or she would’ve been using a chamber pot.
She raced back to the bed and climbed onto the middle of it, situating herself to look as innocent as possible.
The door opened a fraction of an inch, just enough for them to see her seated on the bed and then a young, slender girl slipped through the opening. Instead of food, she carried two large shopping bags.
She stopped just inside the threshold and extending her hands, she dropped the two bags on the floor at her feet. She then smirked and turned to leave.
“Wait,” Josephine called. “What’s in the bags?”
The girl turned just enough to see Josephine from the corner of her eye. Tucking a greasy strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she motioned down at the bags.
“Clothes and other necessities,” she informed. “You’re having dinner with Rafe and he wants you presentable.”
Without thinking, Josephine launched from the bed again and quickly approached the girl. When the waif turned to head out the door, Josephine grabbed her arm. The girl whirled and lashed out with unprecedented speed and accuracy.
Reaching up to touch her cheek, Josephine inhaled sharply when her hand came away with a smear of blood.
The girl tilted her head and studied the smattering of red with a predatory curiosity.
“What’s the occasion?” Josephine asked and prepared herself for the animal’s attack. The girl seemed to shake herself out of some stupor because she turned her glazed eyes back to Josephine’s and smiled, the action revealing four very sharp incisors.
“Apparently, we’re having company and Rafe wants you to there,” she sneered. “And he said to tell you to be sure and look like the professional historian that you are, hence the clothes.” She nodded at the bags again and then turned to head out the door, slamming it forcefully behind her.
Josephine released the breath she’d been holding and bent down to retrieve the bags. She dug through them and found a couple changes of clean clothes, a brush, a few towels, some shampoo and conditioner, soap and a mirror.
Cowboy's Barmaid: A Small Town Military Romance (Lucky Flats Ranchers Book 2) Page 54