Lorie OClare - Lunewulf 2 - In Her Blood.jpg

by In Her Blood(lit)

  When her car wouldn’t start, she glanced at the two women sitting silently staring at her. “Do we have a long walk?”

  Thoughts of Rick’s reaction to her decision to leave plagued her while the three of them walked along the quiet street. Something in her gut told her she should act on challenging Ramona and not put it off. She couldn’t put her finger on it. It wasn’t that she feared she would chicken out. It was more an impending doom that if she waited, she might be too late.

  Either way, Rick wouldn’t be happy. Those dark brown eyes, swarming with emotions, haunted her. Although pushing his temper should make her nervous, a flutter of excitement settled in her stomach when she thought about his reaction when he saw her. Mildly put, he would be irritated with her disobedience.

  Imagining him towering over her, his dark brooding gaze full of reprimand, made the chill in the night air seem to disappear. Warmth flooded through her while they walked in silence, her thoughts lost on the sexy pack leader she was out to claim.

  She clamped her hands into fists, able to feel the solid hardness of his skin under her fingertips. The heat from his body, his powerful bulging muscles. Thoughts of how he might take her by the arm, guiding her firmly to the bedroom where they could be alone to discuss matters, brought her body temperature to dangerous levels.

  He could talk all he wanted. What she was doing needed to be done, and when she saw him next, she had every intention of acting on her right as queen bitch. Rick might be injured, but she doubted he would want gentle. And she wanted it rough.

  Maybe he would push her toward the bed, preaching how she would obey him. She didn’t know whether she would like it better if he ripped her clothes from her body, or if she stripped in front of him. But she let her thoughts linger to the two of them naked, his hands on her.

  Her breasts swelled under her shirt, her nipples hardening painfully while she imagined him gripping her, sucking and nibbling on her nipples. Her pussy swelled, anticipation rushing through her. She wanted to ride his cock, force his penetration. Her womb quickened at the thought. Painful pressure was building in her at the thought of him impaling her, while she came all over him.

  “Marty and Ramona live just around the corner.” Rocky pulled her out of her thoughts.

  The cold night air suddenly rushed over her, soothing her feverish insides. Her longing for Rick fueled her, while she studied the houses around them.

  “Her car is gone.” Samantha pointed to one of the houses. “It’s this one, right here.”

  The simple, light blue, wooden one story home, sat in the darkness, giving no indication that anyone was home. While Samantha and Rocky hesitated by the street, she walked up to the door, and knocked on it.

  “Well, hell.” She turned after a minute when no one answered, the two women watched her in the darkness. “I wonder where she went.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Rick couldn’t believe the chaos that had descended on the small motel. He doubted the management knew what to make of it all either. And as much as he wanted to go home, call it a day, and wrap himself around Elsa, he wouldn’t leave until he knew all matters were settled.

  “It’s almost midnight.” Marty stood next to him, his arms crossed, while he watched the people in the lobby.

  Grandmother Rousseau, a small woman who looked older than the hills, moved slowly across the open area. Two men, younger than she was, but still quite old, walked alongside her carrying luggage. She paused at the glass doors, pinning him with an icy stare.

  “Good riddance,” he mumbled, still amazed that a woman could have as cold of a heart as that one did.

  “Do you want us to follow them out of town?” Marty still radiated anger.

  He didn’t blame the guy any more than he blamed Elsa for running from her pack. The lunewulf had no concern for her other than her purebred pedigree. She was no more than a bitch to breed for them.

  “I think we can give them an escort to the interstate.” He would like to give them an escort clear back to Canada.

  “I’ll arrange a posse.” Marty took long strides across the lobby, leaving through the same glass doors the lunewulf pack leader had.

  Rick was charged with energy. It surged through his blood as well. The physical ache to take this demented pack down, challenge each and every one of them until they begged for forgiveness for hunting Elsa, made it a challenge to keep the beast within him at bay.

  Glancing at the wall clock hanging behind the counter, he wondered if things might be settled enough for him to check in on Elsa. Her sapphire eyes would glow when he told her that her grandmother acknowledged their mating. Of course he wouldn’t tell her the exact words the old bitch had used. Her hostility and narrow-mindedness didn’t matter. And never again would Elsa have to endure them. She was free of her pack, and she was his.

  Taking one last glance around the place, making sure all the lunewulf pack members were gone, he headed toward his truck. He hoped Elsa had slept most of the day. He had some energy to burn, and he knew just how he wanted to burn it.

  Thoughts of plunging into his moon princess’s hot little pussy, sucking her sweet nipples into hardened nubs, had him hard as a rock instantly. Need washed over him so quickly he almost couldn’t move. Damn. He needed to fuck her, and soon.

  She would be full of questions when he walked through the door. But her curiosity would wait. The second the other women left, he would take her. Let her ask her questions, berate him for keeping her in the dark. It wouldn’t surprise him a bit if she were a bit upset.

  He grinned, envisioning grabbing her shirt while she demanded answers. Those blue eyes would open wide, sparkling with energy. And he had every intention of putting that energy to good use.

  Reaching his truck, he wondered if he would be able to sit down to drive. His cock burned to dive inside her tight cunt. Pressure built inside him, blood rushing through him at a dangerous rate. Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, he focused on the cool night air.

  “Bolton.”

  He searched the dark parking lot, looking for who called him.

  “Wait a minute.” Johann Rousseau strolled toward him.

  The sight of him made it real easy for the pressure to subside. His blood continued to boil though. Just now, it wasn’t lust that he felt.

  “You didn’t leave with your pack?” The werewolf better have a damned good reason for staying.

  Johann frowned, looking almost irritated. “I don’t approve of their ways. I told you that I wanted to stay here. And I have something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “What’s that?”

  From behind him, someone else approached. A young woman, wearing a black leather jacket and tight fitting jeans, sauntered up toward them. The breeze caught her pale blonde hair, brushing it around her shoulders. At first glance, he thought maybe this woman was a relation to Elsa, possibly from the same den. But as she neared, stopping when she reached Johann’s side, he decided maybe she wasn’t. Her expression was harder, her face painted with too much make-up. Pale blue eyes looked almost clear with heavy eyeliner surrounding them. She had a nice shape to her, but not his type.

  “Hi, good looking.” She smiled easily. “Are you the one little Elsa managed to snag?”

  “Simone.” Johann’s growl didn’t sound friendly.

  She glared at him. “You don’t need to speak for me. I can ask permission all by myself.”

  Johann stiffened, looking ready to give her a good reprimand. She ignored him, holding her hand out in greeting.

  “I’m Simone DeBeaux and I want to know if I can join your pack, too. Elsa can vouch for me. She and I grew up together.”

  Her hand was cool and bony. He shook it once then turned his attention to Johann. “How many of you are there?”

  “Simone has a daughter.” He looked around her. “Where is she?”

  The woman gestured over her shoulder. “In the car.” She smiled at Rick. “I should get back to her. But I hope it’s oka
y if I stay.”

  She didn’t wait for an answer, but turned and walked away, the sway of her hips almost exaggerated. He had a feeling she used that body to get what she wanted. Focusing on Johann, Rick watched him, waiting to see how much interest he showed in her.

  “I’ll get her a room at the Inn where I am.” Johann seemed ready to take on responsibility for her. “She won’t be trouble for you.”

  He hadn’t worried that she would be. Grunting his approval, he turned toward his truck, more than ready to head home.

  Toby’s truck caught his attention. The young werewolf took a sharp turn into the parking lot, coming to a quick stop alongside the two of them.

  “We got trouble, boss.”

  Dammit. He’d had his fill of trouble for quite a while.

  The sun bordered the horizon when he pulled into his driveway. Grouchy, hungry and exhausted, he looked forward to a hot shower, and Elsa’s soft naked body, eager and ready for him. Although he wondered at the moment if he had the strength to do much more than pull her into his arms, and keep her there while he slept.

  They’d spent most of the evening chasing renegade werewolves out of his territory. Toby had reported members of Masterson’s pack terrorizing some of the rural human homes. An action he’d like to think Masterson wouldn’t approve of, since the werewolves were teenagers. But it proved that Ethan Masterson’s pack knew this would be their new territory.

  “Well, there you are.” Elsa turned with a spatula in her hand when he entered his kitchen.

  Rocky and Samantha sat with the new female Johann had brought to him. A very young cub sat on her lap. Handing the spatula to Miranda, who stood next to her, Elsa wiped her hands on her jeans and walked toward him.

  He nodded to the other women, the smell of bacon tempting, but his bed sounded better. Being awake for a good twenty-four hours, half the time in his fur, the other half in his skin, would take its toll on the strongest of men. He headed for the stairs, his insides tightening, in spite of his exhaustion, when she followed him to their bedroom.

  “Marty stopped by earlier.” She closed the door behind them. “He told us how you talked to Grandmother Rousseau. I wish I could have been there to see that.”

  Events of the early evening almost blurred in his memory. Her pack was gone, but now he had other problems. Falling onto the bed, he grabbed Elsa when she crawled up next to him.

  “You should sleep, wolf man.” Her grin made her deep blue eyes glow. “Let me undress you.”

  That sounded damned good to him. “I will never say no to that.” Rolling onto his back, he enjoyed the soft curve of her ass when she bent over him to pull off his boots.

  “I heard there were lunewulves swarming all over the motel and you rounded them all up and sent them home.” Her voice hummed through him, melodic and sweet. “Marty said you wouldn’t let any of them bully you. He said you had them running to their cars to get out of town.”

  Marty exaggerated just a bit. Her hands glided up his legs, reaching for the button on his fly. He would have to remember to thank Marty.

  She turned while kneeling next to him, stealing his wonderful view of her adorable rear end. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulder, sweeping around his face when she bent over to kiss him. Her small fingers undid his button then slid his zipper down. His vision blurred, her erotic beauty swimming before him. Even though he didn’t want to exert the effort to lift his hips so she could slide his pants down his legs, his cock remained full of life.

  Bending over him, she kissed the tip of his cock head. Her steamy breath brought him to a boiling point. “I’m not sure how I can repay you for the way you fought for me.”

  He knew exactly how she would pay him. His fingers tangled through her hair but his reflexes must have been off. While trying to hold her head in place, he simply held on when she raised his shirt, her hot little tongue tracing wicked paths up his chest.

  “Get back down there.” She blurred in front of him again, her luscious lips hot and wet when she kissed his mouth, his cheeks, his forehead.

  “Make me,” she teased him.

  He would make her pay for that.

  “I am making you.”

  Her laughter drifted around him, a seductive drug luring him to sleep. She wasn’t playing fair.

  “Sleep, my mate. And allow me the honor of claiming you.”

  What did she say?

  He licked his lips, ready to demand an explanation. But her fingertips traced delicate paths over his temples, luring him into darkness.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “You’re kidding me.” Elsa sat at the diner, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach.

  The day had flown by, a pool of frustration that seemed to grow bigger by the hour.

  “We went over to her house.” Rocky pulled out a chair, joining her and Simone at the table. “Marty was sleeping but she wasn’t there.”

  “That’s when I noticed how clean the bathroom was.” Samantha paced behind Rocky, looking like she wanted to pounce on someone. “Elsa. That bathroom over there is always littered with all of her make-up crap.”

  “Shit.” She watched Jere, Simone’s daughter, rock back and forth in front of the jukebox. Nothing was working out right today. “I remember her mentioning reward money. Do you think she used it to leave town?”

  “You know where that reward money came from, don’t you?” Simone picked up a french fry from a plate they’d been sharing for the past half hour or so. “Grandmother Rousseau made a big deal out of it, the bitch.”

  “What are you talking about?” She studied her cousin, remembering more and more of her traits the longer the two of them were together. Simone managed to suck on the fry without messing up her glossy lipstick. She always looked perfect.

  Simone lowered her voice, leaning forward, her musky perfume drifting around her. “That reward money is your inheritance. It’s from the trust fund your parents left you.”

  Bile rose in her throat, the salty smell of the french fries suddenly repulsed her. Simone’s pale blue eyes pinned her like a dagger to the heart. The compassion she saw in her old playmate’s expression did nothing to soothe the fire that suddenly burned in her gut.

  Grandmother Rousseau had done everything in her power to destroy Elsa’s life. Just when she thought she had won, had overcome the old woman’s hateful grasp, it dawned on her that her grandmother was having the last laugh.

  Well, she wouldn’t get away with it.

  “We’re going to tear this town apart and find that bitch.” She needed air. Pushing her chair back, she stood up. Samantha almost bounced next to her. “Samantha and Rocky, you two check every means you can think of that Ramona would use to leave town. Ask around. Find out for sure if she is still here or not.”

  Simone stood also. “I want to help, too.”

  They dropped Jere off at Miranda’s, the older woman more than willing to baby-sit so the two of them could search the town. But after an hour or so, Elsa worried she would never hold the rank of queen bitch. Rick had fought so hard for her, coming home exhausted but proud to call her his mate.

  More than anything, she wanted to go to him, present herself as his queen bitch. She didn’t see him as the type of werewolf who would be satisfied with their mating if it weren’t completely legitimate. Of course she could live with him, share his bed, enjoy fucking him every night. The pack would listen to her, the women honor her, but everyone would know her place wasn’t secure. And it never would be unless she could challenge Ramona.

  Fucking bitch. Where the hell are you?

  Nightfall settled around the town when she followed Simone back to the diner. Dragging her feet, her thoughts bordering on depression, she wasn’t in the mood for the sympathy her friends would offer.

  Simone nudged her with her elbow. “Is Johann making the moves on Samantha?”

  “The second he arrived in town almost.” She looked up to see Rocky and Samantha sitting with Johann in one of the booth
s.

  “Hello, ladies.” A man at the bar turned on his stool, giving both of them the once over. “Join me over here.”

  He acted like he had been waiting for them, although Elsa didn’t remember having seen him before. Looking around the diner, no one else she knew, other than Rocky, Samantha and Johann, was here. More than likely, Marty and Rick, along with the other men in the pack, would still be sleeping, or just waking up.

  “Now, why are you so important that we should sit with you?” Simone’s coy response brought back memories of how terrible a flirt she was.

  A skill she had never excelled in; she always got so tongue-tied. She glanced again at the man. Black hair, darker than a moonless sky, tapered around his face. Piercing blue eyes that looked like they missed nothing, glanced from her to Simone. She couldn’t detect his mood, he appeared calm, his body relaxed. But something about the way he watched them, studying them, put her on edge.

  His slow smile showed off his handsome features, although he wasn’t as good looking as Rick. “Because soon, I will be your new pack leader.”

  “What?” She couldn’t believe he had the audacity to say such a thing.

  Simone took her arm intending to guide her away from the pompous werewolf. Rocky caught her eye when she waved toward them, gesturing for them to join their table. Elsa noticed immediately a very worried expression on the young lady’s face. Rocky said something to Johann, who turned, and then jumped from the booth.

  “My pack is moving into this territory in a few days.” He nodded toward the stools next to him. “Join me.”

  Johann stood in front of her before she realized he’d moved across the diner. He almost completely blocked her view of the werewolf.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met yet.” Johann’s chivalrous tone masked the tension that radiated from him. “I’m Johann Rousseau.”