by JJ King
“Anthony, this is Quinn Deschains. Quinn, this is my brother Anthony. Quinn has some information on the rogue and I would like you to hear him out before attacking him with insinuations and questions ok?” She had wanted to add “little brother” to the end of her command but she knew that it would only make this meeting harder than it needed to be. Anthony might be her younger brother but he was in line for the Alphaship and that meant that public disrespect to him was against the family’s best interests.
Anthony extended his hand to Quinn and shook it firmly then motioned for the two of them to sit across from him. He looked to his companions and fellow trackers who were already getting up and gathering their belongings. “Meet me back here tomorrow night at the same time and, this time, bring me some good news, ok?” He flashed a charming grin at Rachel, one of the trackers who just happened to be long, blonde and gorgeous.
Rachel smiled back shyly and turned a cute shade of pink. She raised her hand to her neck and mindlessly fondled a beautiful gold necklace with a ruby pendant that Katherine thought would look perfect with the burgundy dress she’d just bought. Katherine made a mental note to ask the girl where she’d found the necklace next time they met.
The moment stretched out too long and became slightly awkward as Rachel and Anthony stared at one another. Katherine felt her interest in the girl peak as she realized how intense her brother was feeling right then. She made a mental note to ask about more than just that necklace.
Rachel broke the staring contest first and turned on her heel to leave after giving a perfunctory nod to both Katherine and Quinn. Katherine watched the wolf leave the restaurant and chewed the inside of her cheek, thinking over this new information. It was a fact that future Alphas needed strong mates. What she knew about Rachel was good; she was an excellent tracker and a good woman. Anything more she could find out from the woman herself and Sylvie. Her mother would know everything about Rachel.
Once the others had left the restaurant, Anthony turned his attention back to his sister and the newcomer.
“Deschains is it?” he asked rhetorically, his voice low and authoritative. Katherine felt both pride and annoyance at her brother’s attempt to command the situation. He would make a good Alpha someday. “I’ve never heard that surname before. Which pack do you hail from?”
Quinn responded in an equally firm voice, showing no signs of intimidation. “We’re an old family, originally from the Middle East but more recently from Eastern Europe.”
“When did you arrive in Canada?”
“Recently. I’m here on family business. A cousin of mine has left the family in disgrace and has vowed to wreak havoc wherever he can. I believe you know him as your rogue wolf.”
Anthony’s face registered shock. He, too, had scented the rogue and, since scents were often shared within a family, it was hard to perceive Quinn as having anything to do with the other wolf, let alone be closely related to him.
“What does he want with my family?” Straight to the heart of the matter.
“I’ve already filled Katherine in, but his name is Raphael and he was told to leave the family around two months ago. He was acting crazy, demanding to be named Alpha of our tribe when he isn’t in line for the position and has none of the qualities necessary to lead. He wouldn’t listen to the elders and chose instead to act out, putting our family at risk more than once. When he finally left in disgrace he swore that he would have revenge on our family. We’ve been tracking him loosely but just recently we discovered that he’d come here and so my family sent me to stop him from causing any more trouble.”
“He’s killed on our territory, more than once. Humans and wolves.”
Quinn sighed heavily and rubbed his hand against his jaw, feeling the stubble that had sprouted up since they’d met. Katherine couldn’t help but notice how sexy the stubble was against his dark skin. Her mind faded a little as she watched his long fingers rub his skin. She snapped out of it when he spoke.
“I know. I caught up with his scent just outside the city and found the remains of a young woman that he had casually left visible. I took care of it but I’m afraid that he’s out of control and killing for fun. He was never the most stable wolf.”
“Wait,” Anthony put up a hand, “does this mean that he isn’t working for Little Foot then?”
Katherine shook her head, dispelling her Quinn induced fogginess, and focused. “No, I’ve already covered this with Quinn. Little Foot’s off the hook; dad needs to be told immediately. He has that big summit with him tomorrow at noon.”
“Well, I can’t say I’m not relieved. It’s a lot easier to deal with one mad wolf than an entire organization with a valid reason for attacking.”
“Katherine didn’t tell me a whole lot about that situation but I’m glad you’re relieved. Oh, here, I almost forgot.”
Quinn reached into his back pocket and pulled out a well-worn wallet. From it, he pulled a crumpled picture that Katherine hadn’t seen yet and slid it across the table to Anthony. He glanced at Katherine apologetically, “Sorry, I forgot to show you this. It’s a picture of him from two years ago. He shouldn’t be much changed, although the stench thing is new.”
Katherine leaned to see the face in the picture from a better angle. The face was attractive, kind of like Quinn’s, which surprised her, but it showed hardness that Quinn’s face didn’t have. The most obvious distinction between the two faces was the eyes. Quinn’s were bright with life and laughter most of the time but the eyes in the picture were calculating and dead.
Anthony pushed the picture back to Quinn after memorizing the facial features and reached for his wine. He took a long drink as though it were water and then set it back down.
“It’s good Katherine met you, Quinn. You’ve helped us and I hope we can help you.” He picked up a menu and handed it to Katherine. “Let’s eat shall we? Katherine, I know you’ve got to be starved by now. You’re always starved.”
The grin he flashed her was purely that of a younger brother. Katherine was glad that the initial questioning was over and that Anthony was now ready to get to know Quinn on a more personal level. By the way he kept looking back and forth between her and Quinn, Katherine knew that he could smell her on Quinn and Quinn on her, so their budding relationship wasn’t a secret.
Anthony excused himself after they had ordered to place a call to their father. He filled Pierre in on the new developments and promised to tell Katherine to bring Quinn home as soon as they made some headway on finding the rogue. Pierre sounded like a new man by the time Anthony disconnected the call.
The next few hours were filled with food, drink, laughter and strategy. Katherine watched as her brother, her avid protector, came to accept and even like the man she was becoming obsessed with.
By the time they left the restaurant, all three had agreed that Anthony would focus his team and the rest of the trackers on the hunter while Quinn followed leads on Raphael before his trail got too cold and Katherine returned to Wild River to be a part of the next day’s summit with Little Foot.
The crises seemed to have been averted, but Katherine couldn’t help but feel a nagging suspicion that more trouble was on its way.
Chapter Ten
The elevator ride up to her room after they left Anthony outside the restaurant was nothing like the one they’d shared earlier that day.
Katherine wasn’t in a giggling mood and Quinn’s eyes were filled with heat, not laughter.
They had avoided the topic of sleeping arrangements on the walk back to the hotel so when Quinn stopped to pick up his electronic room card she felt a mixture of relief and regret.
She was more than a little confused at his abrupt shifts in mood whenever they were alone together. As far as she was concerned, they were both grown unattached wolves who were free to have fun if they wanted. Or at least she assumed that he was unattached. There had been absolutely no trace of another woman on him when they met and a close relationship, sexual or not, with an
other wolf always left evidence on both involved. Hers was the only scent on him right now.
His room was on the twelfth floor, just down the hall from hers so they rode the elevator in silence, listening to Andy Williams sing his haunting version of “Moon River.”
Quinn’s entire body was rigid. She could feel the waves of indecision wash over him as they stood silently listening to the music.
Her mind was so in tune with his actions and reactions that she instantly knew when he caved. He breathed deep, released the tension in his shoulders and let go of whatever was holding him back.
As they passed the sixth floor, Quinn’s fingers brushed against hers and stayed connected, sending her heart racing and making her stomach turn flips that the world’s best acrobat would have been impressed by.
They stood in the small space, both looking straight ahead at the door, with their fingers touching gently. Quinn’s rough fingertips teased hers and his palms occasionally brushed against her knuckles. She knew that her face must be flushed because it felt as though her entire head was on fire.
The elevator finally reached the twelfth floor and they stepped out together. Still linked, they walked slowly down the hall. Katherine couldn’t remember feeling this nervous since her first date when Jason Webber walked her back to her cabin during her first stay at summer camp. Jason had misjudged the distance between his head and hers and had ended up giving her a nosebleed. Somehow she didn’t think Quinn would misjudge anything.
By the time they reached her door, Katherine was consumed with the question of whether or not Quinn would be joining her. She liked that he hadn’t assumed anything because it put the control back in her hands.
She had the choice to invite him in or send him on his way with a goodnight kiss but, as she searched her purse for her room card, she had yet to make her decision.
Card in hand; she finally turned to look at him, standing beside her, watching her face intently. His eyes were almost liquid gold, with no hint of his customary laughter.
He stepped closer and lowered his head, finding her lips ready and half parted. He sunk into her body, his arms enveloped her and she felt safe and endangered simultaneously.
There was no tenderness this time. His mouth was firm as he assaulted her lips with passionate kisses and his hands were rough, grasping at her body in urgent need.
Katherine’s mind reeled as she threw herself into his fiery embraces. She gave just as much as she took and all thought of his separate bedroom flew from her mind.
Still kissing, touching, grasping, she managed to somehow slide the card through the locking mechanism and pull him with her into the bedroom.
The lights were off and the room was dark. The only light came from the large windows that spanned the far wall.
Quinn pushed the door shut with one hand and, with the other, began pulling off her clothes.
They’d only taken a few steps into the room when a loud “ahem” from across the room nearly drove them both to an early grave.
Katherine recognized the scent immediately and was more than a little chagrined that she hadn’t noticed it outside the door or when they had first stepped in. She was letting her attraction to Quinn distract her. It was something she would have to think about after her heart beat returned to normal.
Quinn, of course, didn’t recognize the scent and so he went on full alert. His body posture changed immediately. He crouched low, like a wolf, ready to pounce on his prey. The passion he had been wrapped in just moments ago changed now to ferocity.
Katherine watched him with pride. He was acting as her protector, without a thought for his own safety. She reached out and touched his tensed arm. “It’s ok Quinn, I know him. It’s just my brother Ronan.” She walked forward into the dark of the room and spoke to the shadowy figure, “Nice timing idiot.”
A lamp flicked on in the corner, illuminating a young man with dark features and a head full of dark red curls. Of all her brothers, Ronan looked the most like Katherine. He even had her flashing blue eyes. Right now they were full of laughter and the tiniest bit of embarrassment for catching his big sister in flagrante.
He stood now, towering over her, and pulled her into his arms for a huge bear hug. He breathed in her familiar scent and smiled, “Hey sis, you’re looking good for your age.”
She smacked him lightheartedly and glanced back at Quinn who was still trying to acclimatize from his previous state of arousal. He was watching her and Ronan intently, a quiet look of disbelief in his features as he sized them up together.
It was always an interesting experience for those first seeing Katherine and Ronan stand together. They looked so much like twins that it was confusing, though each was the epitome of their sex.
Katherine was all female, long lean and lithe while Ronan was tall, wide, strong and all man. Yet, they were so alike that one couldn’t help but stare and contemplate the similarities.
Ronan gently hip-checked Katherine out of his way and walked forward, a giant grin on his face, to embrace a startled Quinn. A European hug and double kiss completed his welcome but only began his inquisition. Apparently Anthony had called him with the good news that Katherine had met a man. Never one to be left out of the loop, Ronan had left his tracking squad and drove to the hotel to meet his sister’s mystery man.
Of course, Ronan hadn’t stopped for a moment to consider that they would want this time together privately, without his intrusion; he was loving, sweet, and as intelligent as they came, but not altogether up to par with some social norms. While he wasn’t a social invalid, he sometimes ignored the more usual social proprieties.
His eccentricities were what Katherine loved most about him and what would someday make him a great choice for Alpha.
“Beer?” Katherine walked to the mini fridge and pulled out three beers without waiting for an answer. She knew that Quinn would need the drink as much as she did to rid himself of the last vestiges of the passion they had built together on their way to the room.
The Heineken wetted her dry throat and cooled her flaming temperature. She watched Quinn gulp down a few mouthfuls with a look of relief on his face and knew exactly how he felt. If Ronan hadn’t interrupted them, they would be rolling naked on the large bed right now, surrounded by each other, filling one another. Instead, they would have to entertain her brother and force down their roaring hormones.
Katherine absentmindedly wondered how Ronan could be in a room with them without scenting their arousal and becoming uncomfortable. But that was Ronan, and she couldn’t help but love him just the way he was.
“So,” she began conversationally, “I take it Tony called you to gossip. I thought you old ladies had more to do than sit around and chat about the weather.”
“This is hardly weather related, Kat, it’s a big deal. When’s the last time you actually had a boyfriend?”
Mortification overwhelmed her. Her entire body suffused with blood and she blushed harder than she ever had in her entire life.
She sat still, like a marble statue and absolutely refused to turn her head and look at Quinn. She exhaled slowly and breathed in deliberately, trying not to bite her brother’s head off. It wasn’t his fault really. She could only imagine what Anthony had told him over the phone.
She was just about to refute Ronan’s claim that Quinn was her boyfriend when Quinn reached over and took her hand, traced his fingers across her knuckles, and smiled crookedly. “She’s just picky, I guess.”
She turned her head now to stare at his face. There was a great deal of humor in his eyes but she could also see something else, something resembling hope. She felt her stomach churn in a delightful butterfly way as she understood that he might just feel about her the way she felt about him.
Since he was still holding her hand she squeezed back and smiled at him. The heat from her flushed skin began to cool once more. She was heating up and cooling down a lot lately. One of these times she was going to lose control and burst into flames. She jus
t hoped Quinn was there when that happened.
“… so I told Dad that it would be best if we were both there with him when Little Foot arrives. He might not be responsible for the rogue but he and dad still have a lot to figure out and we’re probably the best two to help get it all straightened out.”
Katherine realized that Ronan had been talking the entire time she’d been thinking about Quinn being her boyfriend and she wondered what she’d missed. Since she had already known that she would be returning to Wild River for tomorrow’s summit meeting she was hardly surprised by the fact that he would be accompanying her. He was brilliant after all.
“I was thinking that we could leave around 4:00 am so we can get there good and early and avoid traffic.”
That got her attention. “What! Ronan, that’s ridiculous. 6:00 am is fine. Little Foot isn’t arriving until 9:00 am”
Ronan sat with eyebrows raised and said nothing.
Quinn’s eyes kept dodging back and forth between the two siblings. Both sat silently, waiting for the other to crack, with one dark eyebrow raised in a decidedly sibling related determined expression. He could almost feel their wills beating together, fighting to be the victor. He could easily imagine them as children facing off like this on a daily basis.