Fever

by Lara Whitmore

  Hands grabbed Vincent’s arms and hauled him up again. He didn’t need to break eye contact with Jay to know they were pissed. Their grip communicated that.

  “You’re coming with us, Vincent. If I wasn’t clear at the motel, you have no choice in the matter.”

  Jay turned on his heel to lead the way from the forest. Their course slightly differed from the way they came, as City Hall was several blocks to the right.

  Vincent was struck by the realization that if a traveler happened to pass through town and saw four stark naked men emerging from a forest, they might jump to conclusions. He smiled. As he continued to imagine the absurdity of it, he began to chuckle.

  Jay ceased walking long enough to glance back. “Something amusing you?”

  Perhaps it was the utter hopelessness of the situation. Perhaps it was hysteria because he didn’t see a method of escape from the pack.

  He began to laugh. Long and hard. His laughter echoed through the forest as Jay stared at him, first amused by his laughter, then confused, and eventually impatient. At last, he stepped forward, eyes flashing.

  “Vincent,” he snapped, grabbing his head and forcing him to meet his eyes. “What do you know?”

  Struggling to catch his breath, Vincent panted his answer. “You’re a dick.”

  He rammed his knee into Jay’s groin.

  The resulting expression of shock, pain, and rage was unlike any he’d seen before. Even as the grip on his arms disappeared and punishing fists began to rain, Vincent knew it was worth it. Each flare of pain only brought him closer to darkness.

  Closer to Maria.

  Chapter Twelve

  Anna grunted as she hauled the last length of chain to the first floor of the fire station. It required an abundance of caution, as darkness had fallen hours ago. The concrete floor was more shadow than light, but she couldn’t risk so much as a candle.

  Her shirt was drenched with sweat. The reflective surface of a fire truck allowed her a glimpse of the filth laying her skin, dust from City Hall and grime from the fire station’s gear. Only after entering both buildings did she realize how they’d been ignored but for outward appearances. It was likely that every building in Pinechester except the gas station, motel, and hospital had suffered the same disregard. There were just enough clean buildings to keep travelers happy and avoid outside suspicion.

  Lazy werewolves.

  She let the chains drop with a huff, grateful for the single entrance into City Hall. It had looked as if there were two entrances, but upon further inspection, the back door was wielded shut by rusty hinges and a padlock the size of her fist.

  The windows were also barred, though it was obvious they hadn’t been so originally. She’d arrived at the conclusion that pack meetings could get ugly. No self-respecting Alpha would allow pack members an easy escape and risk appearing weak. On the contrary, Alphas were strong enough that it would never cross their minds to allow themselves an escape. That would work in her favor.

  Anna yawned as she headed back upstairs. She intended to kill as many werewolves as possible tonight. If one escaped, Alpha or not, she’d prowl their ass down later. Finish the job. Logan was lucky she’d been in the area–

  The sudden squeal of brakes outside made her rush to the window. Whoever it was didn’t have their headlights on. Her composure faltered under her exhaustion.

  “I am so sick of this,” she whispered furiously, whipping out her pistol. “When this is over, I’m going back to hunting one werewolf at a time. In an area with civilians, not some creepy House of Wax town that happens to be hosting a pack of primitive beasts. I don’t have a death wish–”

  The door creaked open downstairs.

  Anna pressed her lips together. Enough ranting. Time to sharpen up or die.

  She lowered her stance, squatting behind a pile of coiled fire hoses. The odor of moldy polyester filled her nose. She could only hope it was strong enough to cover her own scent, although the way she’d been exerting herself, it was doubtful.

  Footsteps ascended the stairs, and she held her breath, remaining stark still.

  Logan.

  Damn it, what was he doing here? She let out her breath in a relieved whoosh, creeping around the coiled hoses. He appeared to be alone.

  She finally rose to her feet, pressing the barrel of the pistol into his back. “You’re getting sloppy.”

  He froze, then relaxed at the sound of her voice. “Where the hell have you been? I thought you might be in trouble.”

  When she holstered her gun, he turned around. Shadows danced over his face. They didn’t hide the fury in his eyes or the working muscles in his jaw.

  “I’ve been gathering supplies while you play nursemaid. How did you know I was here?”

  “I saw your bike downstairs. The side mirror reflected the moonlight, almost blinding me.”

  She rolled her eyes. Always one for theatrics. “Tell me you didn’t park out front.”

  “Around back. Now where the hell is the antidote and what are you doing here?”

  She raised an eyebrow at his tone. “The pack is moving. The antidote is already gone. There’s a meeting before the move at City Hall tonight, at eleven. I was planning to crash it by burning the building to the ground.”

  “With everyone trapped inside?”

  “Obviously.” She bent down to grab cans of accelerant. “The chains are already downstairs. We have a good three hours before we light it up, but we still need a detailed plan and to shower beforehand so they don’t smell us coming. No soap, just water and elbow grease. Fresh clothes. Luckily, this is a fire station and the showers are–”

  “Anna, enough.” He blocked her path to the stairs. “You’re retreating into yourself behind a prowler exterior of fact-based logic. Have you forgotten that you need to acknowledge your fear to conquer it?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, trying to move around him. “I wasn’t aware our situation allowed time for emotion. Would you like to initiate a hugging session before we continue?”

  Logan snatched the cans of accelerant from her, placing them on the floor. When he straightened to meet her eyes, determination was plain on his face.

  Crap.

  “We can’t work together with this rift between us. One of us will die, if not both of us. So, let’s be adults about this. Tell me why you did it.”

  Anna sighed. She didn’t want to talk about this right now. “You’ll need to be more specific.”

  “Don’t play dumb, Anna.” His fists clenched. “Why did you give up everything we had to chase the past?”

  “It was haunting me.”

  “And you thought leaving me without a word wouldn’t haunt you, is that it?”

  Her hand whipped across his face before she could stop it. The slap of skin against skin made her flinch, but she stepped forward until they were nose-to-nose.

  “Don’t pretend you know me,” she hissed. “Don’t pretend you know what I’ve been through since I left you. I was alone, you hear me? I was chasing a damn werewolf through a world of people ignorant of their existence, fully knowing your pain might lead you to hunt me down like one of them.”

  Logan roughly grabbed her shoulders, anger glinting in his eyes. She tensed, glancing at the stairs. They could provide an escape or Logan could throw her toward them headfirst.

  His breath was hot on her face. “If you thought for one second I’d kill you, then you’re more damaged than I thought.”

  Anna snapped. She used his close proximity to head-butt him. When he stumbled back with a grunt of pain, she dropped, sweeping his legs out from under him. Scarcely had he hit the floor before she was straddling him. She bunched his shirt collar in one fist and drew back the other.

  “Don’t–”

  Her fist hit his jaw with a satisfying crack.

  “–call me damaged!”

  He blocked her incoming fist and rolled them over. Anna found herself pinned beneath him, wrists over her head. A fire hose nozzle dug int
o her back.

  “Stop taking your anger out on me,” he growled, nostrils flaring. “If you’re in pain, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.”

  “Bull.” She sharply brought her knee up, but he narrowly moved to avoid it, never breaking their gaze. Pent up anger and frustration bubbled inside her, until she was wildly thrashing under him, fighting his words, his truth. Chest heaving with exertion, her wrists ground against the cool concrete until they felt bruised in his grasp.

  “The more you fight it, the more it hurts,” he strained, panting. “Just like now. The past has already happened, Anna. Accept it.”

  “Shut up,” she snarled, snapping her head forward to break his nose. One of his hands grabbed her neck to stop her. He guided her head to the concrete, the motion slow and controlled.

  His touch burned like fire as his full weight pressed against her. It was both suffocating and what she’d craved since the night she left him. An unwanted urge was building within her with surprising ferocity. It was something she’d buried that same night. Something she was powerless to stop.

  She slipped her chin under the hand around her neck and bit it. Hard.

  Logan gasped in pain, yanking his hand back over her breasts. She arched into the touch, her eyes challenging even as pleasure jolted through her.

  A vein protruded from his forehead, betraying his need. One of his hands snaked behind her neck to grab her hair and wrench her head to the side. Neck exposed, she felt her heartbeat increase. Blood rushed in her ears as Logan lowered his head. She jerked against him when his lips grazed her skin.

  “Shhh,” he whispered.

  His lips nuzzled the valley between her neck and shoulder. They parted until his teeth grazed her skin. Electricity sparked through the sensitive cluster of nerves until she shuddered, eyes falling closed. He gently nipped up her neck before burying his face into her hair, breath moist in her ear.

  “I missed you,” he murmured. “But I’ll never forgive you for leaving.”

  She brought her arms down and gripped his hair, forcing him to look at her.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Then she crushed her lips against his.

  He groaned, melting into her touch. She felt his fingers tangle in her hair. Her teeth sank into his lower lip, tasting him, remembering him.

  She was breathless even before he bent his head to kiss her jaw, lips trailing to the corner of her mouth. His tongue flicked out, teasing her. When his lips fell over hers, the heat made her grind her hips against him. He increased the pressure of their kiss with a husky moan.

  Anna’s lips felt swollen with desire. Shared breaths between them were saturated with his essence, his scent. She breathed in through her nose, allowing her breath to escape in soft pants. The world spun as she grew light-headed with passion.

  When she grazed his upper lip with her tongue, he responded by exploring her mouth a little at a time. She gasped when his tongue caressed her own, searing lust shooting down her spine. The kiss increased her need for him until she was writhing, overwhelmed with sensation, yet craving more.

  Logan rolled his hips, thigh spreading her legs to knead against her. Her back scraped against the floor with the movement, and she felt a flicker of defiance.

  Anna tore her mouth from his. His pupils were blown with unleashed yearning, face flushed and hair in disarray. The hunger in his gaze was intoxicating. She swallowed at the sight of his glistening lips.

  “If you can take it,” she whispered huskily. “You can have it.”

  She punched him across the jaw with enough force to knock him on his back. Then she staggered to her feet, stumbling to the stairs. A shiver of excitement ran through her.

  Logan cursed, his voice hoarse with desperation. She heard him shuck his jacket as he rose to his feet, clearly accepting the challenge.

  Her footsteps pounded over the stairs and the platforms between flights. The ground floor was close when the stairs vibrated with a thud behind her. Logan had leapt over the top flight of stairs to the platform below.

  Sweat trickled down her back. He was a prowler intent on catching his prey, and the worst part was, she wanted him to. Electric longing surged through her veins with the intensity of countless nights spent without his touch, his love.

  Darting between the first row of fire trucks, Anna stilled and waited for him to follow her. The reflection of the opposite truck darkened as Logan landed at the base of the stairs in a low crouch. His movements were slow and purposeful as he rose to his feet.

  Without a sound, he abruptly dropped to the floor to peer under the fire trucks. But Anna had already anticipated his move. She grabbed hold of a vertical handrail and silently lifted herself up. Only when she thought it was safe did she lower herself to the floor behind the front tire.

  Peering under the truck, she frowned when she realized she’d lost him. Her eyes darted around. The distinct feeling of being hunted overcame her.

  She moistened her lips, tasting lingering traces of his kiss.

  Slinking around the front of the truck, her eyes searched the ground for moving shadows. The fire station was still and utterly silent.

  An arm suddenly snaked around her neck from behind. She let out a gasp before Logan whispered into her ear, “I’m going to take you so fast and hard that you’ll regret ever leaving me.”

  “I’d like to see you try,” she choked out, thrusting her hips back against his. He growled when she ground against his arousal. It was the dirty distraction she needed to flip him over her shoulder.

  Hand resting on her holstered gun out of habit, she smirked. Bang.

  He hit the ground hard, rolling over to rise to his feet. Before he could regain his balance, she slammed into his side, knocking him back against the gear rack. Helmets rattled overhead, one of them crashing to the ground. He gripped the swaying coats for purchase, using them to haul himself up.

  Teeth bared, anger glinting in his eyes, it was clear that he was done playing nice. He effortlessly blocked her advancing blows, grabbing her wrist and wrenching it behind her back. With a spin, she found herself pinned against the wall. The concrete was cold against her face. She panted with exertion, grunting when she felt every inch of him press against her back. His hips rocked against hers, desperately seeking friction.

  When she writhed in his grasp, fighting his restrictive hold, he spun her around so fast that her head tapped the wall.

  “Kiss me,” she breathed.

  His lips pressed against hers with bruising force. It was a kiss of possession that made Anna tremble with need. Her hands fumbled for the buttons on his jeans, but they held firm. She yanked on the denim in frustration. Something was in the way. Fingers wrapping around a pistol, she yanked it from his waistband and tossed it away from them.

  “Get–” She spoke into the kiss. “Get these undone.”

  “You first,” he demanded, roughly massaging her. She jackknifed in response, letting out a breath. It took precious seconds to do as he ordered.

  Logan stooped and swept her into his arms, carrying her to an equipment table. He dropped her legs and gave her a shove that sent her sprawling over it. Her face scraped against the wood, and a headlamp pressed into her stomach.

  “I always keep my promises,” he rasped, yanking down the waistband of her pants. Cool air breezed over her thighs and then he pressed against her, delicious heat warming her through his jeans. One hand slithered between her shirt and her back to the nape of her neck, pressing her down. She bucked against him with untamed passion, willing him to get on with it.

  She felt his hand slip between them, frantically unbuttoning his jeans. A zipper slid down and then he was brushing hard against her, skin against skin. A guttural groan rose from his throat at the contact. The hand on her neck tightened when she squirmed, while his other hand caressed the swell of her hip.

  Anna let out an impatient yell, snapping over her shoulder, “Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to–�
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  A sudden thrust of his hips made her cry out in ecstasy. He slammed into her, sending flashlights rolling off the table. They clattered across the floor, the sound mingling with her gasps.

  Logan drew back and thrust into her again, releasing a sharp breath. His hand slipped from her neck to her shoulder, holding her in place. She clawed at the table, nails scraping over wood as he buried himself inside her again, and again, dragging over a spot that made her desperate for more. It burned, so hot, so deep, but it burned so good.

  “Harder,” she demanded through gritted teeth. “Don’t hold back. I want you.” She clenched around him to drive him over the edge of reason, wanting him to take her with the violent sense of betrayal driving him.

  There was a low rumble in his throat as his control broke. The table began scraping across the floor with every pounding thrust. She reared up against his hold, her head thrown back in wild abandon. The table’s edge was unyielding as it ground against her thighs every time he burrowed into her.

  “Oh, God,” Logan grunted above her. “So tight.”

  There was a clank when a compressed air tank rolled over, but they didn’t stop, didn’t slow, too enflamed with the need to rekindle the passion they once shared. Anna bit her lip to keep from screaming as her inner fire burned hotter, stoked with every snap of his hips.

  She gripped the edge of the table, ramming herself back, forcing Logan to drive even deeper into her. His hands clutched her hips, pulling her closer, nails scraping hard enough to draw blood. She cried out in pained pleasure. As he rode her at a feral pace, his hardness sent fierce waves rippling through her folds.

  “Anna,” he grunted, “Oh, God, Anna.” The way he chanted her name, so throaty and hot made her purr with satisfaction. He was hers, lost in every plunge and the way she flexed around him, utterly ravenous for her.

  Her body tightened as the urge built, a sinuous liquid heat. She quivered when it pooled between her legs, jostling with every merciless piston of his hips, ready to overflow. Her breath came faster in anticipation and she writhed against him. The pressure increased until it was too much. She mewled, wordlessly begging him to do something.