Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  Her kiss unleashed the predator. With a furious growl, he spun her around and shoved her up against the counter. His head was spinning, his mind fragmenting, spiraling into that place where sense and logic were crushed by animal instincts. He shoved his pelvis against her ass, cupping her breast as he fumbled for the fly on his jeans, trying to get his cock free. It took seconds, precious desperate seconds, but then his jeans were unfastened.

  He grabbed her hips and dragged her back toward him. She came willingly, and she was wet and hot when he sheathed himself inside her. His body went rigid, screaming for release as he drove deep, gripping her hips with a frantic need he couldn't control. She braced her hands on the counter, arching back, encouraging him, calling him to her, pushing back toward him as he drove into her.

  He grabbed her hair, pulling her head back toward him as he drove into her, pummeling her more fiercely than he could control. He knew he was being too rough, but he couldn't stop himself. His wolf was in control now, needing to dominate her and claim her. His fingers sank into the soft folds between her legs, and she gasped, her body convulsing instantly as the orgasm took her. The instant she bucked against him, he lost control, and plunged deep, his seed spilling into her with such fierceness that he roared her name as he came.

  It was rough. It was brutal. It sated his wolf.

  Gripping her hips, he collapsed against her, resting his cheek against her back as the orgasm shuddered its last gasp and left them both. They were both slick with sweat, and he could feel her legs trembling. He wrapped his arm around her waist to support her, guilt tearing through him as he eased himself out of her. "I hurt you, didn't I?" He swore. "Fuck, Bryn, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"

  "Don't." She turned around to face him, sweat beading on her breasts. "You didn't hurt me."

  She looked so vulnerable and innocent that something inside him cracked. Her hair was streaked with sweat, and her hands were red from griping the counter so tightly. What the fuck had he been thinking, claiming her? Dragging her into his life? She deserved so much more. He spread his hands, feeling lost and shitty. "That was my wolf. That's what I am. I—" He ran his hands through his hair, trying to pull himself together. "I didn't know it would be like that. I thought I had control. I—"

  "It's okay." She put her finger over his mouth, silencing him. "You didn't hurt me. I love the fact I helped you regain control of the wolf. You did, didn't you? That worked?"

  "Yeah, it did, but I don't want you to become some fuck-bunny for my wolf. You deserve more than that—"

  "Shut up, Cash."

  He shut up, surprised into silence.

  "There's no way I could ever feel like some piece of ass to you. You're not broken, but you have a dark side. I can help with that. It's okay. I've always been here for you." She shrugged, and her cheeks flushed. "It was kind of hot, actually."

  He stared at her in disbelief. "Really?"

  She nodded. "I admit I was a little freaked out by how hot your skin was at first, but..." She grinned. "I adapted."

  Slowly, the faintest hint of a smile curved the corner of his mouth. "You're serious. That didn't...scare you? Disgust you?"

  She rolled her eyes. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Cash. Seriously? Get over your drama. It was awesome." She grabbed his face and kissed him hard, with just enough sass to let him know that she meant it.

  Relief poured through him, and he slid his arms around her, kissing her back. "It's your fault, you know," he said, as he kissed his way down the side of her neck. He still felt guilty as hell. He didn't know how to make it right. He had a bad feeling that this was it, his last stand with her, because he couldn't do that to her again. "You started talking that shit about how you didn't care if you died. Don't do that again, unless you want to see me turned into a four-legged demon. Got it?"

  She laughed as he scooped her up. "I might say it if I want rough, hot sex, though, just to see."

  He raised his brows at the serious undertone to her comment. "You liked it."

  She grinned. "I did. I mean, making love in the bed was amazing, too, but there was something about being pinned against the counter that was just…sexy as hell."

  His cock immediately got hard again, and he dragged her closer, exhilaration rushing through him. "Then we might need to do it again—"

  A sudden, frantic beeping cut through his comment. He swore and spun away from her, lunging for his computer. He quickly called up the screens, targeting the area that had set off his alarms. "Get dressed," he said, staring at the data on the screen. "Someone's in the tunnel, heading right for us, and they're moving fast."

  Chapter Ten

  BRYN RACED OVER to the bed and grabbed some clothes from the stack he'd brought from her apartment while he quickly called up the cameras in the tunnel in question. It was pitch black, too dark to see anything. He switched camera angles to find a better view. He didn't want to turn on the lights and alert them, but it was too dark to see.

  "What is it?" Bryn leaned over his shoulder, staring at the cameras.

  "Someone's in my tunnels, coming straight toward the cabin. They're not using lights, which means they don't need them."

  She tensed. "Wolf?"

  "Yeah. We have great vision in the dark."

  "I thought you said no one knew about this place."

  "Someone does." He'd always assumed that someone would eventually find it. That was why he'd installed the security system. But having someone actually in his tunnel felt like an assault to his sanctuary. His wolf came back to life fast and hard, ready to defend his lair.

  The motion sensors in the last section of the tunnel went off. The intruder was almost at his cabin. Shit. He hit the lights, flooding the tunnels with illumination. On the screen, two wolves dropped, shielding their eyes against the sudden light. He recognized them both, and swore, shutting off the light again so they could see.

  Bryn's fingers dug into his arm. "That was Jace," her voice was taut with fear. "I recognize him. What's he doing here? Isn't he in prison?"

  "I don't know, but he's with Drake, so that's a good sign."

  There was a sudden banging on the floor, and he heard Drake's shouts to open up.

  Bryn backed up, her face pale. "They're beneath us."

  "Yeah. I'll let them in." He called up the trap door on his computer, and started to punch the code to let them in when Bryn's fingers closed on his wrist. He looked up to see her face ashen. "What's wrong?"

  "What if you're wrong? What if he's here to kill me? Or you? Or both of us?" Her hands were shaking now, and he realized she was remembering what she'd seen Jace do. "Or what if Damien is still controlling him? You can't let him in, Cash."

  He swore, and looked down at the screen. He turned on the lights in the tunnel on a low level, enough to see them. Both men were in human form now. Drake was hammering at the trap door, but Jace was leaning against the wall of the tunnel. He looked up at the camera, letting Cash see the anguish on his face. He looked like a broken man, not like the powerful alpha who had been Cash's rock when he was lost.

  Cash wrapped his arm around Bryn's shoulder and pulled her over to him. "Look at him."

  To her credit, she leaned on the computer and studied the screen, but he could hear how fast her heart was beating, and his wolf sensed her fear and paced restlessly inside him, preparing to defend her. She stood up and looked at Cash. Her face was sheet white, her eyes wide with fear. "I can't look at him and see anything but the wolf that killed Melissa. I can't do this."

  He took her hands, all too aware of the escalation of Drake's shouts. Drake never would have come if it hadn't been critical, and he'd never be screaming bloody murder at the camera if shit wasn't about to explode. The stakes were high and closing fast.

  "Listen to me, Bryn," he said urgently, knowing that he needed to get Jace and Drake inside, but equally attuned to her safety. "If you're afraid of Jace, I'm not sure I can keep my wolf from attacking him in your defense. Both our lives are at stake here. We nee
d to see this through. I'll keep myself between the two of you at all times. Drake's first loyalty is to me. If shit goes down, he'll be on my side."

  "Can you beat Jace? Can you stop him?"

  He looked into those terrified blue eyes, and he knew the answer. Jace was bigger, more seasoned, and more brutal, but he didn't have the motivation Cash did. "With your life at stake, I would win."

  She searched his face, and then finally nodded. "I need my gun. Where is it? I felt you take it from my pants at the hotel. I know you kept it."

  He walked over to the kitchenette and grabbed it from the silverware drawer. He'd slipped it in there when they'd first arrived. "Don't shoot me. That silver bullet can kill me even if it doesn't hit my heart."

  She took it, her hands shaking violently. "Make sure I don't have to shoot at all."

  "I will." He gently turned her hands to the right, angling the gun away from him and sending heat into her hands to loosen her tense muscles. "Stand by the front door, away from the trap door." He was sure about Jace's innocence, sure enough to let him in the same room as Bryn, but he wasn't a fool. He had to give himself time to react if he was wrong.

  She nodded and hurried over to the door, her fingers wrapped around the gun's handle.

  He walked back over to the computer to unlock the trap door, then, just before he did, he reached under the table and pulled out the silver-bladed dagger he kept under there. He fingered the rubber handle, then slid the leather holster into his back pocket.

  He wouldn't allow her to suffer the hell of taking a life. If he had to strike first, he would. But as he entered the code and the trap door began to slide open, he hoped like hell he wouldn't have to make the choice to kill one of the two men he trusted. The only three people in the world who mattered to him were about to be in the same room, and losing any of them would break him. Come on, Jace.

  He grabbed two pairs of jeans and a couple tee shirts to give to the men. The trap door began to slide open, and he walked over to it, keeping himself between the men and Bryn. He didn't dare look at her. If he did, and he saw her fear, he'd attack Jace in a heartbeat. He crouched over the opening, his skin hot. His wolf pacing just beneath the surface, and he knew that there was a chance he wouldn't be able to control his wolf if Bryn were in danger.

  Could he really afford to put himself in the position where he might lose control of the beast that had once consumed him? Could he really bring Bryn into his life? Could he risk her life by exposing her to Jace? Could he risk Jace's life by putting him in the same room with his mate, who his wolf would protect at any cost?

  Then the trap door opened, and he saw Drake and Jace staring up at him, two deadly wolves he was bringing into the same room as Bryn. "Cash, Damien's—" Drake cut himself off, his eyes widening when he saw Cash, instantly recognizing how close to the surface Cash's wolf was. "You're on the edge," he said, keeping his voice quiet, so as not to trigger the wolf.

  "Bryn's here." Cash's voice was low and guttural, half-wolf, half-man. He dropped the clothes in, knowing that there was no chance he'd be able to hold back if the two men were naked in front of her. "She's mine. My wolf doesn't want you in the same space."

  Understanding dawned on both their faces as they caught the clothes. "What the fuck, Cash?" Jace said as he yanked on the jeans. "You know you can't afford that. What did you do?"

  "Too late." Cash didn't move back from the opening. "Drake first. Slowly."

  Already dressed, Drake immediately grabbed the edges of the opening and hoisted himself up, swinging effortlessly into the room. His gaze flicked toward Bryn, but he immediately turned his back on her and walked to the other side of the room, giving Cash's wolf the message that he wasn't going to challenge for her.

  Jace, however, wisely stayed in the tunnel. Both men had seen Cash's wolf unleashed without control, and they both knew how dangerous he was. Cash could sense their urgency, but they stayed calm, careful not to make any move that could trigger him.

  Cash looked down at Jace. "What happened?" He didn't invite Jace up. Not yet. He needed to hear it from him first.

  Jace spread his hands in a helpless gesture, knowing exactly what Cash was asking. "I don't know. I couldn't stop myself. The song awakened something in me, and I lost my shit."

  "The song?" Cash frowned. "It was the song?"

  "I don't know. The minute I heard the first note, my mind became..." He grimaced. "A white rage is the best I can describe it." He looked up at Cash, his eyes an empty wasteland. "I don't know what the fuck happened, Cash. When my mind came back to me, and I saw what I'd done... Jesus, Cash. It was horrific, and I did it. I did it. I don't even think I should be out of that prison cell." He met his gaze. "Kill me if it starts again. Just end it."

  All doubt about his faith in his alpha vanished under the weight of Jace's torment. Jace had done it, but the intent hadn't been there, and that was enough for him. Except… "Bryn's here." He watched Jace carefully for any sign that her presence would trigger him, but Jace simply nodded.

  They stared at each other for a long moment, then Cash looked back at Bryn. Her face was ashen, and she was pointing the gun at them. Protectiveness surged through him, and his wolf rose again. If he had any choice, any fucking choice, he wouldn't let Jace up. He wouldn't take that risk. But he owed the other man his life. "Jace can't promise he won't snap again," he said to her.

  Bryn squeezed her eyes shut. "Dear God, Cash. I can't do this."

  "He was manipulated. He's innocent of intent. He's an innocent man, Bryn. We have to save him."

  She opened her eyes. "He's also guilty."

  "Never mind." Jace spoke. "I'll just go—"

  "No!" Drake walked over. "It won't end if Jace leaves. He may snap again, and Damien will kill others. We have to end this today." He looked at Cash. "Damien's on his way here. He arranged for Jace's escape. He wants to catch the three of us together, kill Bryn, and then make us all hang for Bryn's death. He's on his way, Cash. He'll be here in fifteen minutes with those most loyal to him."

  Jace nodded. "Drake got me free from them, and we beat them here, but we're not ahead of them by much. Damien's planning to end it now, for all four of us."

  Son of a bitch. How did everyone know where his cabin was? Not that he had time to deal with that now. His place had been compromised, leaving him with no choice. They would have to work together to defeat Damien, and it had to happen tonight. It had become a battle for pack leadership, one that would end only in death. He looked back at Bryn, and saw her face had become even more ashen...but there was a fire in her eyes now, that same determined fire that he'd seen so many times before. "He doesn't get to have you," she snapped.

  Cash let out his breath, his wolf subsiding at the determination in her voice. Her fear had vanished in the face of her mate being threatened. Just as he needed to protect her, she needed to protect him. She was still vulnerable, but her anger would help keep his wolf under control.

  He looked back at Jace. "Come up slowly," he said. "Don't make me kill you."

  Jace met his gaze. "Kill me if you need to. That's an order."

  Cash nodded. "I understand."

  Jace nodded, then reached up to grab the sides of the trap door. His fingers wrapped around the steel, and for a split second, both men stared at each other. Then Cash stood up and held out his hand.

  Jace took the offering. Both men grabbed each other's wrists, and Cash hauled him out and into the room. He landed lightly on his feet, with the same grace he always had. The jeans Cash had given him were loose, hanging low on his hips. His chest was chiseled as always, but he'd lost weight from his time in jail. Cash knew it wasn't from the lack of food. It was because no wolf could survive captivity. They needed to be free to run, to hunt, to live according to their own rules. The wasteland of his eyes reflected the torment of a man who had betrayed every moral he possessed, and Cash knew then that Jace might never recover from having killed that woman. Anger roiled through him, and he looked at Drake, who
was standing behind Jace.

  His friend's face was grim, and he knew that Drake had come to the same conclusion that he had. Jace had broken the night he'd killed that woman, and he might never recover.

  Jace was trembling, cold in a heated cabin. He swore and grabbed a sweatshirt for his alpha. Silently, he handed it to him. Jace glanced at him, then took it.

  As he did so, Cash walked over to Bryn and pulled her against him. She was shaking violently, and sweat was beading on her forehead. Her hands were trembling, but her gun was still pointed at Jace, her finger hovering on the trigger.

  Cash gently put his hand on her wrist. "It's okay, sweetheart."

  She said nothing, her jaw taut, her muscles tense, not taking her gaze off Jace for even a split second. Her face was shocked and horrified, as if she were in the presence of a monster. Cash's heart sank at the expression on her face, realizing that was exactly how she saw Jace. He considered Jace his family.

  Jace shrugged the sweatshirt over his head and glanced over at them. He saw Bryn's face, and anguish raked across his face. "I'm sorry," he said.

  Bryn jumped when he spoke, and the gun shook in her hand. Drake swore, and Jace tensed. The tension level in the room was off the charts, and Cash knew that in seconds, bad shit was going to happen. "Bryn," he said softly. "Give me the gun."

  She shook her head, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I can't stop seeing what he did. I saw it. I heard her screams. I smelled her blood. I watched him tear her throat from her body."

  Torment flashed over Jace's face. "I know. I relive it every day." He held out his arms to the side like he was strung up on a cross and went down to his knees. "Pull the trigger, Bryn. Just do it. End both our nightmares."

  "Don't," Drake said, inching closer to Jace. "Don't do it. Both of you, stop."

  Cash swore under his breath, his hands itching to grab the gun, but afraid she'd accidentally fire it if he startled her. "Bryn, they're my family. Don't do it." Drake was close to Jace now, both men within target range of the silver bullets in her gun. Despite his intense emotional control, fear began to trickle through Cash. The only people he cared about in the entire fucking world were in this room. If she fired on one of them, the wolves would come out. Self-defense was an instinct that couldn't be suppressed. Even if Jace asked her to shoot him, his wolf wouldn't be so ready to die. She would become the enemy instantly.