Once out in the clear night, the pack formed a circle with Derek and him at the center. No one spoke as Ben and Derek stripped the clothes from their bodies and shifted. Once they were in their wolf forms, they squared off against each other.
Derek charged Ben with a vicious snarl and slammed his smaller body against him. Ben drew him in, let him bite and claw at him. He wanted to teach this wolf a lesson—one he wouldn't forget. There was no doubt in his mind that he would win this challenge, but he wanted Derek to think he could win if only to show him how easily he could be defeated. It was the only way that he could learn not to question Ben’s authority.
Ben toyed with the other wolf until a lucky strike caught Ben on his side, drawing blood. A fierce growl erupted from Ben, and he quickly turned on his opponent. He used his much bigger body and superior strength to knock Derek off his feet. Before the other wolf knew what was happening, Ben had him pinned on the ground with his jaws closed around Derek’s throat. He squeezed them together slightly, enough to break the skin. He could taste Derek’s blood in his mouth and it took all of his human will not to finish him off. He was showing his authority, and he didn’t need to kill Derek to do it.
Derek’s weak whine of capitulation came, and he loosened his jaws. Ben moved back and changed into his human form as Derek lay still and panting on the ground. Ben stood there naked in the center of his pack and his voice rang out in the night.
“I intend to protect this pack as I have always done. With my life, if necessary. If this threat we can feel is in fact coming, we will deal with it. But I can promise you as your Alpha that Lana Deary has nothing to do with it. And anyone who has gotten any ideas from Derek’s meaningless accusations will answer to me if any harm comes to her. Do I make myself clear?”
The wolves surrounding him bowed their heads, and he knew they had gotten his message. Anyone who threatened Lana would pay dearly for it.
9
Lana
Lana was humming softly to herself as she used a utility knife to open one of the boxes. The shelving units she’d ordered had come in; the store was coming together! If only the same could be said for the apartment. Work had not yet started on it, but she hoped that was a situation that would be remedied very soon.
The bell above the door tinkled, and she looked over to see Ben and the fire marshal walking into the shop together. Her heart thudded at the sight of Ben in his uniform, and she schooled her features into a pleasantly polite smile so that the marshal wouldn’t be able to tell just what the man standing next to him did to her.
“Good morning, what can I do for you?” Lana tucked the utility knife into her back pocket and extended her hand to the fire marshal.
He shook her hand with quick efficiency and didn’t seem to notice that Lana did not extend her hand to Ben. There was no way she could hide her attraction to him if they touched.
“We have determined the cause of the fire. It was the fault of some old wiring and, given the building’s age, I’m surprised it didn’t happen long before now.” With smooth professionalism, the marshal reached into his pocket and pulled out some folded papers. “I have the report here. You just need to sign in a few places, and I’ll send a copy off to your insurance company.”
Lana took the papers from him and walked over to her small desk. She read through them quickly and signed the papers before handing them back to the marshal.
“Thank you; I’ll make sure that a copy gets sent to your insurance company as soon as I get back to my office.” The marshal tucked the papers back into his pocket and walked toward the door. He glanced over at Ben, who was still standing where he had been since they first came into the store. “You coming?”
“No, I have something I’d like to discuss with Ms. Deary.” His face was impassive, and a pit developed in Lana’s stomach as she searched his face, trying to find the man who’d kissed her so tenderly last time she’d seen him.
With a nod toward Lana, the marshal left the store and Lana cast her gaze on Ben.
“Ms. Deary. That sounds serious.”
He strode toward her with a look of intent on his face that made Lana’s pulse leap a little. He looked like a hungry man, and she wondered for a moment if she was the meal.
“It’s not. I only said that for his benefit.” He reached up and cupped her face. Lana’s breath caught as he lowered his head to hers. When he fused his mouth with hers, something inside Lana eased. Despite his saying it had nothing to do with her, when he’d kissed her and left, she had been afraid that she’d done something wrong.
With a growl, he pulled her against his hard, muscular body and she clung to him as he took over the kiss and deepened it. She felt like he was claiming her in some way, and a deeply feminine part of her reveled in the strength of his dominance. She’d never been this aroused by a kiss before, and she wholeheartedly gave herself over to it.
He pulled back and looked deeply into her eyes. His eyes were the color of dark smoke, and she could see his desire for her in them. It matched the feelings that roared inside of her.
“I needed that.” Ben’s voice was gruff when he took a step away from her. Her arms fell back down to her sides. “It feels like it’s been forever since the last time I touched you.”
“It’s only been a day.” Lana gave him a soft smile as happiness blossomed inside her. When she first met him, she would never have imagined that she would find herself in his arms. But it seemed like a lifetime since the fire, and now she couldn't imagine anything else.
“It feels like a lot longer.” His brow pulled together and he looked like something was troubling him.
“What is it?” She took a step toward him and touched his side. He winced slightly and grasped her hand. “You’re hurt. Ben, what is it?”
“It’s nothing, I’m fine. I was careless.” He took her hands in his and raised them up to his lips. “I’m much better now that I’m here with you.”
He pressed his mouth to the palm of her hand, and her concern over his injury was momentarily forgotten as she got caught up in the electric feeling of his lips on her skin.
He moved toward her again and pulled her gently into his arms. As he lowered his mouth to hers for another kiss, she thought she heard the soft tinkling sound of a bell.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?” The cool, feminine voice that spoke was like a bucket of ice water thrown over them, and Ben quickly let her go and stepped away.
Lana looked over at the woman who stood inside the door and smoothed a hand over her hair. Perhaps it would be best if she locked the door next time Ben came to see her at the store.
“I’m sorry, but we aren’t open for business.” Lana pasted a polite smile on her face, despite her resentment of the woman’s interruption. How far would things have gone between her and Ben if this woman hadn’t come in when she did?
“I’m not here to peruse novels.” There was a coldness in the woman’s icy eyes as she looked over at Ben. “I’m here to speak with him.”
“I don’t know you, lady. If you need to talk to me, make an appointment at the fire station.” There was a dismissiveness in Ben’s tone that didn't make a dent in the woman’s cool demeanor.
“I have been remiss in not introducing myself. My name is Rebecca Canergie, and I think you’ll find that I don’t need an appointment to speak with you.” A look of satisfaction crossed her face, and Lana looked up to see that Ben had gone pale. “It’s up to you whether you want to have this talk here or somewhere more private.”
Lana stared in disbelief as Ben glanced at her for a second before turning toward the door. Before Lana could say a word of goodbye, he was gone, taking the strange woman with him.
10
Ben
Anger sat in a hard ball in Ben’s stomach as he let Rebecca Canergie lead him down the street. Now it all made sense; the feeling of dread that had been plaguing him had a source, and it was this Canergie woman. After more than a hundred years, the family that had nearly wiped out his pack was ba
ck.
“What do you want?” He could guess what she wanted, but he needed to hear her say it out loud.
“First, I want to go somewhere public where we can have a civilized conversation without your animalistic side rearing its ugly head.” She turned her head to look at him, giving him a smile that was a blood red slash across the lower part of her face.
They came to a coffee shop and Ben took her arm in an iron grip. “Is this public enough for you?”
“It will do.” She yanked her arm out of his grasp and pushed open the door. The high heels of her shoes clicked a staccato beat against the cafe’s highly polished floor. Curious eyes turned toward her as she found an empty table and sat down.
Ben sat across from her and did his best to calm the protective anger that threatened to swamp him. She’d been wise to do this in public. She was a threat to his pack, and if it hadn’t been for the watching eyes in the room, he would have eliminated her right then and there.
A waitress came by with a coffee pot and Rebecca turned her cup over for her to fill it. Ben gave a shake of his head. He had no intention of pretending that this was going to be a polite conversation over a cup of coffee. As soon as the waitress walked away, Ben leaned forward, allowing Rebecca to see in his expression all the venomous rage inside him.
“We’re here, we’re in a public place. Now tell me what the hell it is you want.”
Rebecca seemed unperturbed by his low, growling words. She calmly added cream to her coffee, picked up her spoon, and stirred it as if nothing of importance was happening.
Ben gave a growl of impatience and she smirked at him. This was a game to her, and he was letting her play him. He stifled his impatience and moved back a little so that his spine rested against the chair in the appearance of relaxation.
“I will be brief. Trust me, I don’t want to be in your distasteful company any longer than necessary. We want Shadowbrook back. We are prepared to allow a peaceful transfer. All you have to do is agree.”
Ben gave a bark of laughter. This woman was out of her mind if she thought that the pack was going to give up their territory just because a gang of humans said they wanted it.
“Go back to where you came from. Your family held the estate for a few months over a hundred years ago. And if you know your history, you know what happened when you tried to take it from us.”
“And if you know your history, you know that we almost decimated your pack. Our mistake was not exterminating all of you; it is one we will not make again.” She calmly lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip of her coffee. The cup clinked against the saucer as she lowered it again. “I’m sure that you have your pack’s best interests at heart, and you will want to avoid bloodshed. We are prepared to give you three weeks to vacate the estate.”
“And if we don’t?” There was no way his pack was going to just pack up and leave. They were connected to the estate in a way that went much deeper than historical ownership. They belonged to the land the house stood on, and walking away from it would rip the soul out of the pack.
“If you don’t, we will annihilate you. Think about it, put it to your membership. I’m sure you will come to the right decision.” She finished her cup and stood up. Pulling a five-dollar bill from her purse, she laid it on the table. “For the coffee.”
Ben sat there for a long time after she left. The sun had sunk low in the sky by the time he thought to move from his seat. He ignored the concerned eyes of the people in the cafe when he left. What he should do was go back to the pack, tell them what happened, and let them decide if they were prepared to fight for their home.
But it seemed that his feet had a mind of their own. He ended up standing in front of the bookshop. The door was locked and the interior dark; Lana had obviously gone back to the inn. The urge to see her, to be with her, was so strong that he knew he couldn’t stay away from her. The turmoil inside of him could only be soothed by her presence. He needed her.
11
Lana
Lana was startled by a firm, authoritative knock on her door. She looked at it curiously. The only person that she could think it would be was Harper, but she never knocked like that. She moved cautiously toward the door, unlocking it and opening it a crack to see who was on the other side. Surprise coursed through her when she saw that it was Ben standing on the other side.
She opened the door a little more. “Ben, what is it? Has something happened?”
He gave a short, sharp laugh as he raked a hand through his thick, dark hair. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” Lana opened the door fully and stepped aside so he could enter the room. Worry rose up inside her when she saw how agitated he was as he walked inside. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He turned towards her, the muscle working in his jaw. He seemed to be searching within himself for what to say.
“I need you.” There was an open vulnerability in his eyes that called to her. She could not turn him away, could not reject him when he was opening himself up to her like this. She knew what he meant, knew what he wanted, and a part of her deeply wanted it, too. She could not turn him away any more than she could cut off a limb. There was something between them that had been building since the moment she’d met him.
“Then take what you need.”
It appeared to be all he needed to hear. He came to her, raised trembling hands up to her face, and smoothed back her hair. “You know what it is I’m asking for?”
“Yes. I need you, too.” She reached for him and it was all the encouragement he needed to bring his mouth crashing down on hers. He mastered her mouth in a way that sent a thrill of desire through her.
She clung to him as he drove his tongue between her lips and kissed her with a fierce possessiveness that made her press herself closer to him. She couldn't get enough of the taste of his mouth, and she answered his need with her own.
His hands went down to the fullness of her ass, cupping it and pulling her even tighter against him. She could feel the hardness of his cock proclaiming his need for her and she wanted to give everything she had to him. She tore her mouth away from his.
“We’re wearing too much clothing.”
She took a step back and reached for the buttons on her blouse, tearing off her clothes in her desperation to strip herself of everything but her desire. They didn’t speak as they each undressed and tossed their clothes aside.
As she stood naked before him, his hot eyes moving over her skin, she looked at him in turn. He had a fierce, masculine physique, all hard, sculpted muscles and strong lines. There was such strength in him that if he had been anyone else, she might have been frightened by it, but she knew that his strength was tempered by great control and that he would never use that power against her.
He took her by the hand and led her over to the bed. She laid down on the bedspread and the fabric was cool beneath her fevered skin. She reached for him, and the bed dipped as he joined her.
Now that they were naked together on the bed, something seemed to calm inside him, and the feverishness with which he’d kissed her earlier was replaced by tenderness. She tunneled her fingers through his short, silky hair as he moved his mouth gently on hers.
He pulled back and looked at her. “You’re so beautiful.”
“You make me feel beautiful.” A soft sigh escaped her as he moved his mouth over the skin of her throat. She shivered and her nipples tightened as he glided his lips down toward her aching breasts.
She arched her back and a moan escaped her as he took her nipple into his mouth. God, he made her feel so good, and she was sure that she’d never felt this kind of longing for anyone else. He devoted himself to bringing her pleasure and she was helpless to do anything but receive it.
By the time he’d finished his attentions to her breasts and was moving down her belly, her every nerve-ending was on fire. Her legs fell open, and she looked down at him, poised over the source of her desire. He gave her a wicked grin before he lowered his head
.
A long, drawn-out groan escaped as he used his tongue to make love to her. She clawed at the bedspread as he slowly tortured her with his lips and tongue. She called out his name as she felt her pleasure rise high.
But she needed more than his tongue and lips. She needed him inside of her, and she reached down to pull his head up.
“I need you inside me. I need you to fuck me.”
He gave a fierce growl in response as he moved quickly up her body. He grasped his cock in one strong hand and she trembled as he positioned his head at the entrance of her body. With one smooth motion, he pushed himself inside, filling her.
“Oh God, Ben! You feel so good.” She put her arms around him and clung to him as he moved inside her. The only sounds in the room were the soft sounds of their breathing as they lost themselves in the pleasure their bodies made together.
Ecstasy spiraled higher inside her, and she knew that he was with her the whole way as his movements picked up their pace. He took her mouth in a fierce kiss as her pleasure exploded inside of her. She cried out against his lips as her orgasm slammed through her.
A growl that sounded more animal than human ripped from his throat as he shuddered on top of her. She clung to him as he found his fulfillment inside of her and his body collapsed onto hers.
As she drifted in the warm aftermath of their lovemaking, she protested when she felt him move away from her. He looked down, and a wave of cold washed over her. There was a bright amber ring around his eyes, and it made her scramble back against the headboard to get away from him.
“Lana? What is it?” His brows drew together as he reached for her. She evaded his touch as she pressed herself closer to the headboard.
“Your eyes. There’s...there’s something wrong with your eyes!”
Tension set his face in tight lines as he closed his eyes for a second. He seemed to be trying to get himself back under control, and when he opened his eyes again, they were the same gray color she was familiar with. But she knew that what she’d seen a moment ago was real.
Firefighter Wolves Shifters (A Paranormal Romance Series Boxset) Page 5