Dance with the Devil

by Angela Dennis

  Fearless, she pushed herself to her feet, glaring at him. At first, it seemed like she was going to fight back. Apparently realizing that wasn’t in her best interests, she stalked off.

  Jillian pushed away from Carrick. “As Alpha, I can punish her.”

  “It’s better to kill her. If you leave her alive, she’ll only cause you problems. She’s the vindictive sort.” Quinn wiped the hand he had touched Fiona with on his jeans. “If I’d known who she was, I’d have banned her from the Claiming.”

  “It wouldn’t have mattered. She would have found her way back to us either way. Her younger brother is still part of our Pride. He stepped down from his role as enforcer after I killed Gabe, but stayed around.”

  “Could he be the one trying to kill you?” Carrick asked.

  “No. Sean isn’t the type. If he wanted me dead, he’d challenge me. Whoever attacked me on the street was afraid of an outright confrontation. I could smell their fear.”

  “Fiona’s a loose cannon,” Quinn said. “And she hates you. Watch your back.”

  “I already am. There’s a killer after me, remember?” Jillian sighed. “Fiona’s always been nuts. When we were growing up, she tried to drown me in the river to prove she was stronger. I broke both her arms. She’s hated me ever since. Even if I hadn’t killed her brother, she’d be after me.”

  “She tried to kill you, and your father didn’t cast her out of the Pride?” Carrick watched her carefully, but she only shrugged. Such things had been commonplace growing up, so it hadn’t seemed unusual at the time.

  “She was only banished the second time because she failed to carry out his orders.”

  Jillian paced the length of the room. Part of her wanted to follow Fiona, grab her by the hair, shove her to the ground and beat her into submission. The other part wanted to follow the killer’s trail. She couldn’t help but think the two were connected. Fiona’s reappearance was too much of a coincidence. But she kept her suspicions to herself. Until she had tangible proof, she didn’t want to stir the pot.

  “I’m sorry you had to deal with that. I tried to leave her in the storeroom, but she was insistent. I should have just locked her inside,” Quinn said. “I’m going to find your enforcer. I expect the two of you to get yourselves to the main hall and participate in the festivities.” He turned to Jillian. “I want your decision by tomorrow evening. If we leave the compound without the leadership of the Prides firmly in place, the Conclave will come down on all our heads, and this killer will be the last thing on your mind.”

  After Quinn left, Carrick watched Jillian strut across the expanse of the room, his patience at a breaking point. He didn’t get her. Maybe it was years of mistreatment by her father, or just sheer stubbornness, but it didn’t seem to faze her in the least that someone was trying to kill her. Well, it fazed him, and he’d be damned if she was going to put herself in danger on his watch.

  The urge to grab her by the waist, throw her over his shoulder and lock her in his room for the remainder of their time underground was growing by the second. The urge to protect her was so strong he was choking with it. Yet here he was chasing after her like a lost kitten desperate for a bowl of milk.

  “Are you coming?” She glanced over her shoulder at him as she stepped into the hall. “We got our orders. Better follow them.”

  A growl spilled from his lips as he lengthened his stride. Gone was the submissive employee who had avoided him like the plague. In her place was this Amazon warrior princess, who had no problem kicking him in the balls. It was both frustrating and exhilarating. The more she pissed him off, the more she drew him in.

  Brushing against the back of her body, he grabbed her by the nape of the neck. She froze, her muscles tense, but stayed silent. Using his body as a lever, he pushed her forward until her front was pressed against the wall, his body pressed against her back. Anticipation rang in the ragged cadence of her breathing, and his body immediately responded. His mouth against her hair, he pulled the long strands aside until he tasted her neck.

  “Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to play with fire?” he asked. She turned, shifting in his embrace to push against his chest, but he held her fast. He nipped at her neck, hard enough to pinch but not to draw blood.

  “We have to join the others,” she murmured, even as she leaned against him, her body going slack.

  He pressed her tighter against the wall, brushing his lips across her mouth as he slid his hands up the side of her hips, squeezing gently. Her breath quickened and her heart raced. She turned and slid her hands across his chest.

  “You could announce you’ve taken me as your mate, and we could cut Quinn off at the heels.”

  “Maybe I will.” Her eyes gleamed. “You ready for that?”

  He froze. A kernel of joy started to unfold inside his heart, but he suffocated it. “Don’t tease. It’s not nice.” His hand slipped beneath her pants, resting on the mating mark. Her words had seared him to the quick. All the possessive urges he’d tried to repress were swimming to the surface.

  “Who said I was teasing?” She leaned forward and rested her head on his chest. “I’m not blind. It’s the right thing to do.”

  “You’re right,” he said, and kissed the top of her head. His hands tightened on her hips and he pulled her closer. “It is.” Desire and relief mixed in his blood. If they hadn’t been in public, he’d have taken her right then, against the wall. Hell, he might anyway. The need was that intense.

  She pulled away, refusing to meet his eyes. “Once I sorted things through, I realized this was the only way.”

  Damn it. He released her hips and stepped back.

  She didn’t want him. Not really. He was just the lesser of two evils. He was relieved, immensely relieved, that she had picked him. But this wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted her to believe in their bond, to want him as badly as he wanted her.

  “You sound resentful.” He ran a hand through his hair and tried to tame his temper. “You haven’t even given us a chance.”

  This time when she looked up, she did meet his gaze. “We’re playing with people’s lives, Carrick. Even if we win, not all of them are going to come out the other side.”

  “That’ll happen either way.” He reached for her, but she danced out of his grasp.

  “Do you think I don’t know that?” She stepped in front of him, walking toward the door. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Turning, hands on her hips, she glared at him. “Just because I’m making the decision doesn’t mean we’re going to live happily ever after. We’ve got a lot of crap to work out. The logistics of running the Pride are a nightmare. Neither of us has been trained. And I’m not too keen on combining things. We need to meet with Lucas and work out the details.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If you’re going to be with me, you’ll have to be Alpha. Lucas can’t rule the Pride without me; he’s not strong enough. There’s no other option.” When he shook his head, she growled deep in her throat. “Those are my conditions, and they’re not optional.”

  “No.” Carrick released her and stepped back. “No way. I can’t do that to Lucas. He’s supposed to be Alpha, not me. We’ll have his back, that’s enough.”

  “No, it’s not.” Jillian sighed. “I don’t want to rule the Pride either, but I don’t have a choice. You don’t know what they’re like. Many of my half-bloods are freakishly strong, but we’re stronger. Lucas would be out of his league. They would eat him alive. With or without us, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his position as Alpha. We’d all end up dead anyway.”

  “She’s right.” Lucas moved into sight. “Best-case scenario isn’t possible in this case.”

  “I won’t believe that,” Carrick argued. “This scenario leaves you with nothing.”

  “Not true,” Lucas said, stepping beside them. “It protects my Pride, which is what I swore to do. Jillian and I could never sustain leadership of the Pride. It would only be a Band-Aid. They’d eventually see t
hrough our lies and boot us out on our asses. The Conclave would sweep in and take over. They knew that when they gave the order. It’s why they’re so insistent on it. We’d be playing into their hands if we gave in.”

  “This is the best way for all of us.” Jillian took Lucas’s hand. “Promise you’ll stay until things settle. You’re a moving target if you leave now.”

  “Slow down,” Carrick said. “There’s no way I’m doing this. You’re both crazy. I can’t be Alpha. I’m a freaking half-blood. I don’t know the first thing about running a Pride.”

  “Yeah, you do.” Lucas dropped Jillian’s hand and turned to face him. “Our father was blinded by his own prejudice. He couldn’t see you were meant be Alpha, not me. I love the Pride, but I’m no leader. Hell, I ran to you as soon as Father died because I was terrified to rule by myself. I’m strong, Carrick, but I’m no Alpha. I’m not like you. The others won’t follow me.” He sighed, rubbing a hand across his head. “You walk into a room and everyone stops. You have that intangible quality that demands fear and respect. Both of you do.”

  Carrick warred with his own doubt. Becoming Alpha meant a crap load of responsibility. He’d barely been able to run his own bar; there was no way he could rule a Pride.

  But deep down, in places that never saw the light, it was what he’d wanted. He’d always envied Lucas. He’d known he’d be a better Alpha than his brother, but it had been a dying dream. Now, he could barely wrap his head around it. To have the Pride, and Jillian, seemed impossible.

  “The Conclave will lose its shit if two half-bloods run this Pride. There’s no telling what they’ll do.” Carrick slipped his arms around Jillian and drew her against him. He needed the reassurance of her warmth to give him purchase in the storm inside his head. “You’re both convinced this is the only way, aren’t you?”

  Lucas nodded. “There’s no good choice, but we might at least survive if we make this one.”

  “I don’t want this either.” Jillian leaned against him. “But it’s the right thing. We’ve got a shot to come out the other side alive and in better shape than we started. Especially if Lucas sticks around.”

  “I’ll stay for now, but I can’t promise forever. But if we’re going to do this, we have to blindside Quinn so he can’t stop it. Once we’ve hit the point of no return, he’ll switch sides. He’s facing a death sentence if he doesn’t.”

  “Can we trust him?” Carrick had known Quinn his whole life, and he still didn’t know what made the man tick.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Lucas replied. “Watch him, make sure he doesn’t know too much. But don’t run him off; he’s too valuable an ally.”

  “I don’t plan to.” She turned to the now open doors leading to the main hall. “Quinn wants an answer by tomorrow morning, so if we’re going to take him by surprise, we need to do it quick.” She left them, moving inside the room. Carrick hurried after her. He wanted her in plain sight. He wasn’t taking any chances with her safety. None.

  Chapter Ten

  The room was filled with a hundred hot bodies, some swaying to music that piped through the loud speakers, others huddled in corners doing things best left to the imagination. But they had all obeyed Quinn’s orders and broken into pairs. Jillian decided to take it as a good sign; at least they could follow direction.

  As she moved farther into the room, the reality of what she was about to do became more and more real. The room felt like it was closing in on her, and it was hard to breathe, much less focus. When she saw Abbey moving through the crowd, Jillian focused on her and tried to calm down.

  “This feels like grade school.” Abbey looked a little worse for wear. And she was alone. Which meant she’d either ignored Quinn’s dictate or hadn’t found anyone she wanted.

  “Didn’t realize one-night stands showed up on any school’s core content.” Gareth moved beside Abbey, slipping a finger through one of her belt loops. “You’re with me, Abbey Cat,” he said, using the nickname she hated.

  “Like hell.” She started to pull away, but he held tight.

  “No arguing. You’re stuck with me unless you want Quinn to choose for you.”

  Jillian hoped Gareth wasn’t fooled by Abbey’s lack of reply. The spark in her eye said they were far from done. Abbey didn’t like to be played.

  Abbey slid her hand down Gareth’s back and squeezed his ass. “I guess I’ll make do. But I expect you to perform. I came here to play.”

  Gareth’s eyes widened. He tried to pull away, but Abbey held on. Jillian felt sorry for him, but he’d made his own bed. Besides, he knew how to handle Abbey. At least, he should. She turned, winked at Jillian, shifted her body so she was pressed against Gareth and planted one on him. He didn’t hesitate. He grabbed her ass and pulled her against him, returning the kiss with a fervor that shocked the hell out of Jillian.

  There was nothing more awkward than watching your two best friends shove their tongues down each other’s throats, so she herded Carrick and Lucas in the opposite direction. When she glanced back, Abbey and Gareth were still going at it. “That’s just gross, and a horrible idea.”

  “Why?” Lucas asked. “They seem like a good match. I say good for them.”

  “In a perfect world, it’d be great,” Jillian said. “But Abbey’s a half-blood, and Gareth’s the heir to a pure-blood fortune. His family will never accept her. They might even disown him.”

  “We won’t let them,” Carrick said.

  “Prides don’t run that way. Alphas don’t interfere in family conflict.” Jillian watched Gareth lead Abbey out of the crowd. “Maybe we should change that.”

  “Family is the backbone of the Pride. If you don’t get the pure-blood families and the half-blood families to play nice, this is never going to work. You’re going to have to rule with zero tolerance. Bring down the iron fist at the first sign of trouble.” Lucas led them to a table near the stage. “You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” Jillian said. “But nothing worth doing is easy.”

  Lucas wasn’t done. “You’ve got to scare the hell out of them, so they won’t defy you.”

  “No.” Jillian took a seat at the table. “I won’t be my father.”

  “Then you’ll die,” Lucas replied. “You can play nice after you establish authority.”

  “There’s a middle ground.” Carrick motioned over a waitress and ordered them a round of beer. “I don’t know what it is, but we’ll find it.”

  Lucas grabbed the glass Carrick slid toward him. “Good luck, but I don’t think it’s possible.”

  Jillian leaned back and took a long drink. Lucas’s views were disheartening. But they only reinforced that she’d made the right decision in choosing Carrick. She set her beer on the table, wanting to shift gears. “Do you sense our killer? I can’t smell him.”

  Carrick leaned across the table. “Announce I’m your mate. If he’s in the room, he’ll go nuts.”

  She shot him an exasperated look. “You’re really going to make this about us?”

  “It’ll force him to act. He’s trying to kill you because he doesn’t want you to take over the Pride. If you choose a mate, he’ll have to kill you before the bonding ceremony, or leadership will fall to your mate upon your death. And it’ll give us the jump on Quinn. We show the crowd our mating marks and there’s no going back.”

  Damn it, he was right. And, as much as she hated to admit it, it was brilliant. They’d be killing two birds with one stone. She could deal with Quinn, and stir up their murderer. “Fine,” she said. “But I do this my way and you play along. Quinn will play right into our hands.”

  “I doubt that,” Quinn said from behind her. “I’m not usually that predictable.”

  She’d known he was back there. He was right where she wanted him. “You have no idea what I’m talking about.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Quinn leaned against her chair. “With you, it’s always bad.”

  “Gee, thanks.” She looked u
p at him. “Did you confront the enforcer yet?”

  He nodded. “It’s not him. We’re at a dead end.”

  “Not for long.” She jumped to her feet and slipped her arm through his, pulling him into the crowd. “I have a plan.”

  “I’m afraid to ask,” he said, but he let her lead him toward the stage.

  “I’ve made my decision.” She squeezed his arm. “So let me announce it. It’ll give that monster a timeline. He’ll have to take me out before the claiming ceremony or leadership of the Pride goes to my mate.”

  Quinn stopped so quickly that she stumbled. “You’re sure you’re ready? You can’t redo this.”

  She turned to him, grinning. “Sounds like you’re trying to get me to change my mind. Are you having second thoughts?”

  “I’m not allowed to have second thoughts.” He took her arm again and began to walk. “And your plan might actually work, so why should I stop you?”

  “That’s right, why should you?” She paused to study him. Quinn’s emotions were hard to gauge, but his reaction was off. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he didn’t want her to choose Lucas.

  “I want guards on you and Lucas. If the bastard sees this as his last chance, he’ll pull out all the stops. You’re strong, but sometimes strength doesn’t count. This guy plays dirty.”

  “No,” Jillian replied. “I don’t want to discourage an attack. If you give us guards, keep them at a distance.”

  He turned to her as they stopped in front of the stage. “I wasn’t asking. The guards will be waiting for you when you leave the stage.”

  “Fine.” She followed him to the steps that led to the top of the platform. It didn’t matter. He’d be so pissed off when she made her choice that he’d forget the guards anyway. Ignoring the crowd, she followed him to the center of the stage, watching Carrick and Lucas take her former position by the stairs.