She should deny him, should tell him no. “All right,” she whispered.
Elias hesitated and then swore before he placed a hard kiss on her lips. “I’ll lock up,” he promised. “And don’t worry. I’ll help you figure something out with your ex.”
Sue nodded even though she really didn’t see what, if anything, Elias could do. He had the bedroom door open when she remembered what had happened at work.
“Elias.”
He stopped and turned back.
“Keep Reece close. Some local men were having lunch at the diner today and one of them said he saw a wolf. I figured he might have seen Reece. I mentioned that there was a family with a dog camping nearby and that was probably what they saw.”
Elias swore under his breath. The light from the kitchen outlined him and she could see the stiff way he held his body.
“Did I do something wrong?” Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything.
“No. No, you did nothing wrong. Thanks for the warning.” She sensed he wanted to say more, but he left without another word. The kitchen light went out and then the back door closed.
Sue wished he were still here with her. She hugged the sheet closer and caught a whiff of his masculine scent. He was coming back. He’d said he would. It was probably a mistake. No, scratch that. It was definitely a mistake.
He wouldn’t stay indefinitely. He had Sage to think about. And she had the rest of her life to have regrets. While Elias was still here, she planned to enjoy herself and worry about the consequences later.
She turned onto her side and closed her eyes. She could still feel his hands and mouth on her body and his thick cock inside her. She sighed and prayed for sleep.
Elias’s entire body was humming with satisfaction, but his wolf wasn’t happy. The animal wanted Sue marked and claimed. Elias didn’t blame the wolf. She belonged to them. That she was under attack by her ex only made matters worse.
He’d come so damn close to sinking his fangs into the soft skin of her neck and placing his mark on her. It was the main reason he’d focused his attention on her breasts instead of burying his face in the curve of her neck as he’d so dearly wanted to.
Thankfully, she’d been too out of it to realize just how long he’d stayed inside her after he’d come. The base of his shaft had swelled, locking him inside her welcoming heat. He hadn’t been able to withdraw for quite some time.
He’d wanted to fuck her again and again, but that wasn’t wise. She was human and would question his ability to come again so quickly. Then there was the little matter that his nephews were alone with strangers. He should never have left them, but the call of a mate was too strong to be denied.
Shit, he was in big trouble. If he remained in Salvation, he wasn’t sure he could stay away from Sue. And there was no way a woman like her would carry on a clandestine affair for an unlimited time. It was okay now when she thought he was leaving. If he settled here, it would only hurt her, make her feel like he was ashamed of being her with, hiding their relationship.
He growled and started running. He needed to get back to pack land. There was no time to savor how Sue had felt coming apart in his arms. He hated leaving her. Felt as though he was leaving a piece of himself behind. It went against every instinct he possessed not to either stay with her or take her with him.
One thing he did know for sure was he was going to see her again tomorrow night. No one and nothing would stop him.
Chapter Sixteen
Reece slipped out through the open window and motioned for Sage to follow. He’d been watching for an hour now and hadn’t seen any of the men patrolling. He assumed they stayed farther out. The one thing he was certain of was that at least one of them was out there, maybe more.
He could sense Sage’s reluctance, but they needed to talk, and the only way they could do that in private was if they were away from here. And Reece needed to get out of the house. He felt stifled among so many people.
Sage silently slipped through the window and followed Reece to the corner of the house. The two of them stood in the shadows until they were sure no one was around. Reece bolted for the woods with Sage right behind him.
The night called to him in a way nothing else ever had. He felt alive under the carpet of stars. He could breathe in the woods unlike in the town they’d lived in for most of his life.
It was still warm, in spite of the late hour. Reece loved summer best of all. They didn’t need to wear as much clothing, which he’d always found confining. His mother had frequently joked she’d known which brother was which by the amount of clothing they were wearing. Reece had spent most of his first few years running around naked. Even now, he was wearing only jeans and sneakers while Sage had pulled on a dark T-shirt.
The memory was bittersweet, but he embraced it. He would never forget his parents.
His brother kept pace, fast and strong in spite of the fact he couldn’t shift. Reece hated that his twin would never experience the freedom of running as a wolf. It wasn’t fair.
But life wasn’t fair. If it were, they wouldn’t be here. His folks had given up everything for them. They had been good people and had been needlessly killed.
Familiar anger welled up inside him. Reece wanted to howl, to run, to fight. He shook himself and paid attention to his surroundings. It wouldn’t do to get careless. Thankfully, Sage was on alert.
He loved the brush of the wind on his skin, the way the night was alive with activity. Several mice scurried beneath the brush. An owl danced and swooped while searching for an easy meal. A raccoon scurried out of their way just before they raced past.
They ran for fifteen minutes and finally stopped at the edge of a cliff. The sheer rock dropped off some fifty feet or more. A few trees grew out from between cracks in the rock, hanging on for dear life.
He smelled other wolves and sniffed. He could distinguish the alpha’s scent and the one called Gator. Uncle Elias had been here too. Probably this afternoon when he’d gone running with the pack. He tried not to be jealous of his uncle. He wanted to shift and run too, with other wolves around him. If they stayed here, that would become a reality.
Reece dropped down to sit on the ground and his twin settled beside him. “What do you think?” he asked. Sage was more thoughtful than he was. Reece was more likely to act on instinct and think about his actions after the fact.
“I think they’re decent people.” His brother plucked a twig off the ground and twirled it between his fingers. “I think they’ve had their own share of problems.”
“Yeah. I got that.” Not much had been said in front of them, but Reece knew enough about werewolves to know breaking from an old pack was never an easy thing to do. Either you were banished for life, like his father and uncle had been, or you were hunted down for daring to leave. Not much in the way of choices.
Sage dropped the twig and pressed his palms hard against the ground. He tipped his head back and stared up at the stars. “I like it well enough.” His twin turned his head to look at him. “I know you like it here.”
And that was the problem. Sage would stay whether he wanted to or not, simply because Reece liked it here. “It’s okay.”
A small smile played at the edges of his brother’s mouth. “You can’t fool me, bro. I know you really like it here. And why wouldn’t you? You’ll get a chance to stretch your legs and figure out who you are as a wolf.”
“Why don’t you hate me?” he blurted out. He’d never sensed any resentment from Sage at all. He wasn’t sure he’d be as kind if their places were reversed. That bothered him. A lot.
Sage’s eyes narrowed and his gaze sharpened. “Don’t ever ask me such a stupid question again. You’re my brother. My twin. That bond is deeper than any other one will ever be.”
“Even a mating bond?” Reece had seen his parents together and knew just how deep that bond went. His parents sp
ent all their free time together, never wanting to be apart. They’d done everything as a family.
Sage shrugged. “I really don’t know how that will affect me. I’m part wolf, but not fully one. I have a lot of the same instincts.” He went back to staring up at the sky. “I’m not going to worry about it. I’m not looking to get hitched anytime soon.”
“I hear you.” As interesting and alluring as he found the opposite sex, Reece wasn’t looking for anything serious either. Plenty of time for that when he was older.
“Uncle Elias really likes Sue.”
“She’s human,” Reece felt compelled to point out. “That’s a problem.”
Sage wrapped his arms around his knees. “Yeah, it is. I feel sorry for him. He’s put his life on hold for a long time. First for Mom and Dad, and now for us.”
Reece had never really thought about it like that before. His uncle had simply always been a part of his life. When their folks were killed, neither one of them had questioned for one second that he would take care of them. It made him feel like shit to realize just how much he’d taken his uncle and his parents for granted.
“We’ve been lucky.” He felt the need to express what Sage already knew. “Mom and Dad might be gone, but we had them for over seventeen years. We never doubted that they loved us.”
“Yeah. I get a sense that isn’t the case for most of the Salvation Pack. Maybe Cole. I don’t know who is more intimidating, him or his father.”
Reece grinned. “You said it.” Both men were huge, a silent presence always hovering around their women.
“I like Cherise,” Sage added. “I like Anny too. And Gwen and Sylvie.” He thought about it. “Gray too.”
“You just like women,” he pointed out. He’d missed times like this. Him and Sage just shooting the shit and talking about things. Life had been too serious and complicated for months now.
“What can I say? Women love my good looks.” It was an old joke between the two of them. They looked exactly alike, but Sage always claimed to be the good-looking one.
“You’re such a pretty boy.” Reece poked his brother in the shoulder.
“You can’t talk.”
“Go or stay?” He and Sage had to work things out between them. Reece knew Uncle Elias would leave if both of them really didn’t want to be here.
Sage fell back onto the ground and stared up at the stars. Reece sprawled out beside him. They’d spent many hours in their backyard in Battle Creek doing the same thing. Different location but same sky. Only he could see a lot more stars out here.
“I think we should give it a try. That’s assuming they let us stay. This isn’t a done deal. They’re feeling us out as much as we are them.”
Once again, Sage saw the other perspective, something Reece needed to work on. “You’re right. Okay, assuming they let us stay, we should give it six months to see what happens.”
“With us or with Uncle Elias and Sue.”
Reece grinned. He knew his twin would understand his underlying motivation. “Both.”
Sage shrugged. “Works for me. Not like I have any plans or anything.”
No, his brother had given up his plans of going to college after their folks died. Before the accident, they’d talked about it quite a bit and had decided to split up for at least a year so they could find themselves as individuals instead of part of a pair. Now he didn’t want to be parted from Sage.
“I’m sorry.” Reece didn’t know what else to say. He hated that a part of him was glad Sage wasn’t going away. And that made him feel like a lump of shit. His brother had the right to find a life for himself.
“It’s not that big a deal.” That was Sage, always minimizing the cost to him. “I can always go another year if I still want to.” He sat back up. “In the meantime, we have to find something to do around here if we’re going to stay.”
Reece continued to peer up at the sky, not wanting the moment to end. He knew they should be getting back. He was surprised they hadn’t been missed yet. Or maybe they had been. He rolled to his feet and listened.
Sage jumped silently to his feet and sank back into the shadows. He didn’t say anything, but Reece knew his brother was listening just as intently. Finally, he asked, “What?”
Reece shook his head. “I don’t know. It occurred to me that we got away way too easily.”
Sage shrugged. “If they’re watching, they’re giving us some space.”
“I want to run.” He didn’t just want to, he needed to.
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Sage began, but Reece was already kicking off his shoes.
“It’s pack land. If we can’t run here, what’s the point of staying?” He unzipped his jeans and shoved them down.
“Maybe so we can find out more about others like us.” Sage took Reece’s jeans and folded them over his arm before bending down to snag his sneakers. “Just don’t run off.”
“I won’t.” That was a promise he could keep. No way would he leave his brother alone in a strange forest. “Together.”
“Together,” Sage repeated.
Reece shook his arms and rolled his shoulders. Shifting was still new enough to be challenging. Maybe it was because he wasn’t a full-blooded werewolf. Uncle Elias promised him it would get easier with time and practice.
He saw the wolf in his mind’s eye and welcomed the creature. The wolf jumped to the fore. Reece felt his bones begin to crack and reform. It was always a surprise that it didn’t hurt. Fur covered his body and his jawline elongated. In less than a minute, he went from young man to wolf.
He twitched his ears and caught the sound of several people off in the distance. He nudged his brother back toward the houses. He didn’t know who was out there, but he didn’t think it was anyone from the pack. They were making way too much noise.
Sage stiffened, and Reese knew his brother heard them too. He started back with his brother close beside him. He could feel eyes on him and didn’t like it at all. Had they been seen?
The pack would kill him and his brother if he brought hunters down on them. Why hadn’t he thought to check the area before he’d shifted? Because he’d felt safe.
It hit him like a thunderbolt. He’d actually felt safe on pack land. It had made him careless.
They needed to hurry. He didn’t question his instincts. He nudged Sage in the back. “I know,” his brother muttered. As always, they were in tune.
He heard the sound, the loud crack that echoed through the calm night, before he felt the sting in his shoulder. He yelped and stumbled.
“Reece.” He heard his brother yell his name. Then he was knocked to the ground with Sage’s body covering his. “Stay down. They’re shooting at us.”
He shivered as the pain raced down his side. Yeah, he knew they were shooting.
Sage eased off him and pulled his hand away. He knew his brother could smell his blood. “Fuck, Reece. You’ve been hit.”
Sage rolled to a crouch beside him and, in a show of immense strength, picked Reece straight off the ground and began to run. He was too stunned to react at first. Then he began to squirm. Sage couldn’t carry him the rest of the way. He could manage.
“Stop it,” Sage ordered. “Stay still and let me carry you. You’re bleeding all over me.”
He was feeling a little lightheaded. He’d never been shot before. Okay, that was a totally stupid thing to think at a time like this. He definitely wasn’t in his right senses.
Sage stumbled to a halt, his sneakers skidding on the carpet of pine needles that covered the ground.
“What the fuck happened?” It was Cole. Reece recognized the deep, commanding voice.
“Reece has been shot. Hunters.”
“Give him to me.” He was plucked out of his brother’s arms like he weighed nothing. Cole put himself between Sage and the hunters. “Go,�
�� he ordered.
Sage ran. Reece kept his eyes on his brother’s back, needing the connection more than ever. The houses came into view and he relaxed. His brother was safe.
Other people were spilling out of the surrounding houses. “What’s going on?” the alpha demanded.
“Boy’s been shot.” Cole was a man of few words. Reece almost objected to being called a boy but kept his big mouth shut. Now was not the time to protest.
“Gator.” The alpha said nothing more than the man’s name.
“On it,” Gator responded.
There was a flurry of activity and then Reece was being laid on the bed he’d crashed in a few hours before.
“Can you shift?” the alpha asked. “Where the fuck is Elias?”
Reece did his best to ignore the pain and shifted. It wasn’t easy and took him some time, but he managed. Shit, he was naked in front of all these people. He wasn’t normally modest, but there were several women in the room too. He reached for the blanket. Sage was already there, covering his lower body. He pressed the material against the wound, which thankfully didn’t seem to be bleeding as badly.
Sage looked wrecked. The only time he’d ever seen such a scared and desolate expression on his brother’s face was the night they’d gotten the news about their folks. He reached out to Sage and his brother took his hand. “I’m not leaving you,” Reese promised.
“Damn right you’re not.” Jacque’s pronouncement gave Reece hope. The alpha wasn’t the type of man to sugarcoat anything.
Gator was by his side seconds later. “Let’s see what we’ve got.” Sage growled and refused to move his hand at first. “It’s okay,” Gator told him. “I’ll take care of your brother.”
Sage stepped away, put his back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. Reece reached a hand out to his twin. Sage shuddered and then stepped forward. Their palms met and their fingers twined together.
“I thought you were keeping an eye on them.” Reece found it was easier to listen to the alpha talk with Cole than to pay attention to what Gator was doing to him. His shoulder ached but not as badly as it had.
Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6 Page 16