by Kimber White
“No problem,” Sarah said. “It’s not all that late.”
“Jarred can drive you back into town. He’ll be along in just a minute.”
Sarah grabbed a set of keys off the counter. “I’ve got my car. It’s really okay. You know I don’t mind.”
Camilla took a ten dollar bill out of her purse and handed it to Sarah. “You call me the minute you get home.”
“Promise.” Sarah gave her a friendly salute. She shot me a wink as she passed me heading for the front hallway. I wanted to stop her. I had a million questions burning through me. Had she had any other visions where Clint and I were concerned? Then again, maybe it was better if I didn’t know.
Camilla poured me a bowl of chili and set it on the kitchen table. I went through the motions and ate, though I couldn’t taste anything. She could have given me a pile of sawdust and I likely wouldn’t have known the difference. Mercifully, things stayed quiet out in the pole barn. My heart skipped as I sensed Clint walking back.
Camilla stood rigid by her stew pot as Clint and Jarred walked into the kitchen. They weren’t exactly arm in arm, but at least both of them still had their arms, so I took it as progress.
“You’ll stay here tonight,” Jarred said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for Clint to go back to Pat’s cabin.”
“You really think Peter would be bold enough to break the treaty and look for him there?” Camilla asked.
“I think it’s not worth taking that chance.”
“I’m not leaving Clint’s side,” I said. “I’m not letting him out of my sight!” I went to Clint. He stayed stoic, careful not to show any outward signs of affection toward me in front of my brother. I knew he meant it as a sign of respect and it was probably some term Jarred made him agree to. My inner wolf and raging desire clawed at me. Part of me wanted to throw him over the kitchen table right in front of Camilla and Jarred.
“You can have the basement,” Jarred said, keeping his gaze locked with Clint’s. Whatever they’d said to each other, they’d reached a detente I hadn’t thought possible. It only went so far though. Jarred took his chili to go. Camilla gave me an awkward smile and followed him upstairs, leaving Clint and me alone again. Finally.
* * *
Jarred’s basement was more like an apartment with a bedroom and bathroom walled off in one corner, an entertainment center and couches in another corner, and a full bar with a seating area separating the two. He liked me living down here. For most of my adulthood, it had felt like home. Now, I felt like a stranger in my own brother’s house.
Clint hadn’t said more than two words while Jarred was around. As I closed the door at the top of the stairs, I heard Jarred’s car start and drive away. There were no windows down here, only an egress with double steel doors. But, I knew Camilla must have stayed behind to look after the little boys.
Now that Clint and I were alone, an awkward silence settled between us. So much had happened. I’d barely gotten a chance to process, let alone talk to him about what we’d shared the other night.
“I won’t let you do this,” I said. Clint’s eyes flashed as he sat in the corner of the room. My wolf craved him. It made it hard to breathe. Desire thrummed through me. But, we had things to settle between us.
“It’s already done,” he said.
I went to him, trying to channel my best impression of Camilla. “Be reasonable. You know you can’t survive a fight with Peter’s entire pack.”
Clint reached for me; sliding his arms around my waist, he pulled me to him. Warmth spread through me. My nipples ached and formed hard peaks. His eyes went to them. I wore just a thin, gray t-shirt. I knew what he was doing. Trying to distract me by playing on the simmering lust I knew we both felt.
“I don’t want to waste any more words on Peter. I want to be with you. Lucia...I haven’t...I meant to…”
“Shh.” I pressed a finger to his lips. Soft and supple, the heat from them stoked my hunger. I wanted his soft kisses. I wanted his hardness. I sat on his lap, letting my hair fall around my shoulders.
“I won’t lose you,” I said. “Not now. Not when I just found you. Forget what my brother said.”
Clint slid his hand up my back, sending shivers along the trail he made. He threaded his fingers through my hair and repositioned me so I straddled his lap. Oh. He was already hard. Fire lit inside of me. My clothes felt like a prison. I wanted to feel him, skin on skin.
“I understand him,” he said. “I may not like it, but Lucia, he’s right about a few things.”
Light laughter shook my breasts. Clint’s eyes went there. “I’m not weak. I’m just as strong as he is. I’m just as strong as Peter is. And I’m not afraid of either of them.” That wasn’t completely true, but enough of it was.
“Lucia…”
“I mean it. There’s no shifter in the world without the sense to know you and I together are more trouble than they’d want to take on. I’m a full-blooded female wolf shifter. There’s like four of us on the entire planet. Any shifter who tried to kill me would risk the wrath of more than just the Wild Lake packs. And you...you’re...magnificent.”
Clint’s own hunger drove him. He pressed his lips to mine, searing me, kindling a passion so strong I could barely think straight. Somehow, I found the strength to pull away.
“Jarred’s instincts are good,” he said in a husky whisper. “You know how hard that is to admit. But I have made enemies. It’s different for tigers. I can coexist, but I’m never going to be accepted into a pack or a pride the way wolves are. The jags are after me because they know how strong I am. They’re afraid those loyal to the group they overthrew will try to use me as their own private mercenary. It’s not far-fetched. Most tiger shifters make their living that way. I used to make my living that way, before I found gold mining.”
“Mmm. What else? You have no family left? No people?” I swayed in his lap, feeling drowsy with lust. It was the Rise. I knew it. It was working on me like a drug.
“I have you,” he said. “I know now that’s all I’ll ever need. But it’s not all you’ll ever need. You may not be able to live with Jarred as your Alpha, but you can’t cut yourself off from this pack for the rest of your life. You’d have to live with half your heart. It would end up destroying you. I can’t stand by and let that happen. So, I can do this. I can earn your brother’s blessing by taking care of the biggest problem he faces.”
I reared back. “Is that what this is about? Is that what you and Jarred wanted me out of the room for?” I slid off Clint’s lap and started pacing in front of him.
“Lucia…”
“No. Dammit. No. So Jarred gave you an ultimatum? Kill Peter for him? Do his dirty work?” My blood boiled. Clint’s words came back at me, feeling like a slap in the face. Most tiger shifters made their living as mercenaries. I wanted to strangle my brother. Oh, he was cunning all right. He could kill two shifters with one stone. Clint could take Peter out, eliminating the main opposition to his business plans. Then Peter’s pack would tear into Clint, eliminating what he saw as his other problem.
“Lucia!” Clint came to me, his eyes sparking in the dim light. Fire raged inside me. Lust. Anger. I couldn’t see straight. Would I ever be able to think straight around this man?
I stood my ground, daring him with my own growl. I knew my wolf eyes flashed brilliant silver, a perfect match to my twin brother’s. I had power of my own and I trembled with the need to use it.
Clint stopped just a few inches from me. I had to crane my neck to keep eye contact. His head nearly scraped the ceiling. Oh, he was calmer than me, but I saw the hint of his tiger stripes just beneath his shirt collar.
“I need you,” I said, my voice breaking into a sob. Those three words meant everything. I needed his body. I needed him alive. But, something else flared hot in my breast. It burned through me, settling between my legs. A second fuse seemed to run from there to the sensitive skin at the nape of my neck. I needed Clint’s mark. I didn’t even know
how it was with tigers, but more than a millennia of instinct fueled me. Its energy shot from me to Clint.
He was on me. I clawed at Clint’s shirt. Things were far from settled between us. No matter what deal he had struck with my brother, they both had to know I would never sit idly by. Peter Matthews would not set his pack on my mate without me there to protect him.
In seconds, we were both naked. My insides went molten, flaring hottest at my core. Clint’s lips were everywhere. He kissed a trail down my neck, over each breast, then down to my belly button until he knelt before me. He looked up at me, eyes glinting as he slid his hands up to cup my ass.
I needed a promise from him before lust drove my voice from me. “Mark me,” I gasped. Clint’s grip on me tightened. He clenched his teeth as the stripes across his chest grew darker. He took a steadying breath until they vanished.
“I mean it,” I said. Looking down at him, I laced my fingers through his hair. “I’m ready. I want it. Claim me, Clint. Do it now.”
He let out a low roar and slowly rose to his feet. His hard cock pressed against my stomach. I curled my fingers around him, stroking him. I knew I wasn’t playing fair.
“Mark me!” I said, my voice rising with urgency. Clint’s whole body went rigid. He tore himself out of my arms.
“I can’t. Not like this. Not yet. You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“I know exactly what I’m asking, cat. You want it as much as I do.”
“I want it more!” he growled, moving so quick I couldn’t register it. He had his arms around me again.
“Then do it!”
Clint snapped his jaw, nipping at my ear. Little tongues of heat made my sex ache for him. “Do it, Clint. Then, no matter what happens, you’re mine. I’m yours. Peter’s challenge will mean nothing if I’ve already claimed a mate.”
“I won’t do it for him!” Clint’s booming voice shook the walls.
“I’m asking you to do it for me. For us.”
“I made a promise to your brother.”
My wolf lashed out. I felt my fangs drop and white light filled my vision. I took a staggering step back, struggling to get the beast under control. “My brother? How many times do I have to tell you he has no hold over me? He’s not my Alpha. I’m my own.”
“He is your pack. Your family. Though it kills me to say it, Jarred is right about what happens if you run. I was ready to leave with you. I wasn’t thinking straight. I haven’t been able to think straight since I laid eyes on you. But, I know what that life is like and I won’t impose it on you. But, make no mistake. I will claim you. I swear it to you. When the time is right.”
I wanted to scream. Argue. Break stuff. But, Clint’s glowing tiger eyes told me it would be no use. Damn his honor. Damn my brother. Still, desire raged through me. I launched myself at him.
Clint caught me in his arms as I wrapped my legs around him. We tumbled to the ground with enough force to shake the foundation. I was glad my brother wasn’t home and in the back of my mind, I realized this was exactly why he’d gone away.
Clint worked his tongue over my nipples as I spread my legs. I knew we both wanted the chance to take our time with it. But once again, circumstances wouldn’t allow it. I reached for him. He was hot and hard, pulsing in my hand as I guided him to the slippery cleft between my legs. Clint had enough self-restraint not to roar again, but only just. His kisses muffled the howl I let out.
Then, he was in me, filling my core. We fit. Just like the first time, he stretched me wide but made me whole. I wrapped my legs around him and held on tight as he thrust ever deeper. I raked my nails across his back and found my own perfect friction.
“Lucia,” he whispered against my cheek. Sweat beaded his brow. I licked his shoulder then got bolder, nipping him. It spurred Clint on and drove him over the edge. I wanted to flip, go on all fours for him. Instinct drove me to expose my neck to him, challenging him once again to make his mark. But, Clint’s own need to keep his word held him back. He pinned me beneath him and drove himself home.
Clint exploded inside me. I tried to hold on, but my orgasm ripped forth. I arched my back, coaxing him even deeper. Clint matched my pace as we crested high together. So good. So perfect. And yet, I still wanted more.
He held me close as we floated back to earth together. I felt safe and complete in his arms. I wanted it forever. In that twilight space as we drifted down, I knew what I was going to do. Clint and Jarred were strong, but I could be stronger. I nuzzled Clint’s neck and let myself fall asleep.
* * *
I woke in pitch darkness. For a moment, terror seized me. I forgot where I was. I reached for Clint, but he was gone. Scrambling to my feet, I found my clothes and got dressed in haste.
“Clint?” There was no answer, only inky darkness. I flipped the light on. Clint was gone. His clothes too. I ran up the stairs and tried to throw the door open. I felt an invisible push and nearly fell backward. The doorknob burned my hand. Dragonsteel.
“Son of a bitch!” They’d looped the lock with dragonsteel. I ran back down and went to the egress doors. Unless Clint brought back more of the chain than I realized, it would take nothing for me to bust through these steel doors. I threw my shoulder into it. Pain exploded through my whole body as the door wouldn’t give. They’d blocked it with something heavy.
I doubled over and carved my fingers through my hair, tearing at it.
“Clint!” I shouted. But, I knew it was no use. He was long gone.
Nineteen
I yelled my throat ragged. Jarred and Clint were gone, but Camilla had to be somewhere. I had one desperate hope that she wasn’t in on my brother and my mate’s scheme. Damn them both. They knew I’d never sit idly by while they went off to take on Peter Matthews’s pack. My own lust and rage had blinded me to their plan. As I jammed my shoulder into the egress doors again, I knew they’d counted on that too.
Deeper in the woods, wolves howled. Cut off from Jarred, I couldn’t tell whether it was his pack or one of the others. They were moving west though. Terror made my blood run cold. It had to be Peter’s pack.
Sweat poured down my back as I pressed my hands against the doors. I’d tried the door to the upstairs more than a dozen times. There was no way I could break through that link of chain. Some detached, clinical part of my brain could marvel at the power held in dragonsteel. But, I was ruled by passion now. The beast clamored to get out.
I let out a yell worthy of a Viking warrior, then smashed against the steel doors. Two perfect imprints of my hands bowed out. Whatever they’d braced it with shifted. I backed up and took a running start. This time, as I slammed into the door head on, the lock broke and one of the hinges buckled. I’d been at this almost an hour. With sickening dread, I knew that’s exactly what Jarred and Clint counted on. They knew they couldn’t hold me forever. I could tear the house down around me if I needed to. The only thing they could do was slow me down.
I went to the far wall. Blood caked beneath my fingernails. I’d dislocated my shoulder and popped it back in twice. My hair hung in ragged strings, drenched with sweat. Licking my lips, I wiped my brow with my forearm and squared off one last time. A growl ripped through me as I ran at top speed toward the doors.
Pain exploded behind my eyes as my shoulder popped out again. But, the doors gave. Metal creaked and bent. Something black and shiny bore down on me. I pressed on. Daylight stung my eyes as I rolled away, my knees skidding through the grass. Shaking the stars from my eyes, I got to my feet. Sweat ran into my eyes, momentarily blinding me. I wiped it away and grabbed my knees, gasping for air.
Clint’s Jeep lay on its side, its front bumper bent to hell. The Jeep. They’d blocked the damn doors with a Jeep. Rising to my full height, I grabbed my ruined shoulder with the other arm and popped it back into place. With my shifter strength, it would heal within the hour.
“I’ll kill you both myself,” I muttered. The Jeep was fixable, but not driveable. All the rest of Jarred’s cars
were gone. Smart man, I thought. Jarred hadn’t put it past me to tear his damn house down. He’d sent Camilla and the boys away too. Even in my rage, I’d never do anything to hurt them. Still, I didn’t want my nephew to see me like this.
The sun settled high and bright. I’d slept until almost noon. Panic set in. Branches clawed and tangled around my feet as I ran at full speed to the west. It was bad enough Jarred and Clint lied to me. They must have agreed to take this battle to Peter, on his territory. It was insanity. Why give Peter’s pack any more advantage than they already had?
Howls came from everywhere. I tried to pick out Jarred’s among them. There were too many. Every wolf in Wild Lake and probably a few from further north had been drawn by Peter’s war cry. My blood ran cold. I knew what they wanted. They wanted to see a tiger go down.
“Clint!” I yelled. But, he’d shut me out just as I’d done to my brother. Damn them both!
I didn’t make it a full mile before my wolf ripped out of me. I’d kept her at bay far too long. Clint and Jarred were beyond listening to reason. So was I.
When I reached the westernmost edge of Wild Lake, the fur along my back stood on end. Wolves poured out from every direction. They surrounded me. Skidding to a halt, I dug my paws into the ground and snarled. This wasn’t Peter’s pack; it was the Lanier and Monroe packs combined. Two dozen wolves closed in. Andre stepped forward, his eyes glowing. I lunged at him, ready to draw blood.
Andre shifted. He came to me, holding his palms outward, exposing his chest to me. “Lucia, stop.”
This was Jarred’s doing. He knew full well his little trap wouldn’t keep me. He’d rallied the Wild Lake wolves to form his second line of defense. I snapped my jaws and bared my fangs. Andre took a tentative step backward.
“Lucia, you have to let this play out. Your brother knows what he’s doing.”