by Kimber White
It was my turn to charge him. I dug my fingers into his forearms. He snarled and his eyes went bright gold.
“I’ll do it,” I said, hating the desperation in my voice. But the moment I’d said the words, I knew they were true. Colm found out more than he was telling.
“I’ll do it,” I said. “I’ll pay whatever it takes. Even if… even if you want more than money.”
He cocked his head to the side. His fangs dropped. Oh, God. I’d just offered…what? To give myself to this dangerous man in exchange for his help?
“I need to know who and what you are,” he said. “And I don’t trust you. You’re holding something back.”
Could I do it? Was it worth the risk to reveal myself? I shuddered as lust coursed through me. He hadn’t said the words. But I knew what he was. There was a way to prove myself to him. He was an Alpha wolf, after all. If I let him mark me, we’d be bonded telepathically. He would sense my fear. He would know how to track me if I were in danger. And he’d know if I were lying by the change in my pulse.
I would be his.
God. Yes. Yes. I wanted it. I could barely think straight from the need. There was magic at work here. I couldn’t believe I was even considering such a thing. I had to be out of my mind.
I took a step back, my heart racing. I gathered my hair in one hand, piling it on top of my head. Would he call my bluff? Was I bluffing at all?
“Is this what you want?” I asked, turning my head, daring him. “Is this what it will take for you to believe me? I want to find my parents. I don’t work for the Ring. I don’t work for the government. I’m not your enemy. I didn’t lead anyone to your hideout on purpose. I came because I was told you were my best chance of finding out what happened to them. And I was told despite your rough edges, you’d be loyal to the shifters up north. I’ve heard they can be trusted.”
Colm snapped his jaw. He lunged at me, sliding his hand to the base of my neck. My knees went weak. Slowly, we sank to the ground together, so we knelt face to face.
“Don’t assume a damn thing about my loyalties,” he said. “I don’t belong to the north. I’m a nomad.”
I swallowed hard. I felt a new pulse pounding at the base of my neck.
“Mark me if you have to,” I said. “If it’s the only way to prove to you I’m not lying.”
It was a dangerous gamble. He’d sense the magic in my blood. But he wouldn’t recognize it. He’d have no point of reference. Only a handful of shifters had been let in on my family’s secret. Colm wasn’t one of them. He’d never suspect my dragon heritage. Let him think I was just some sort of mutated fire mage.
Desire flashed in his eyes. I dropped my head, further exposing my neck.
He moved in. I gasped. He raked his teeth along the tender flesh at the base of my neck. I let my hair fall, digging my fingers into the ground. Colm ran his tongue along my spine, sending a shiver of pleasure straight down until it settled between my legs.
“Do it,” I whispered. “Then you’ll know. We’re wasting time.”
I thought of my mother and father. She’d always told me her attraction to my dad was instant, combustible. They shared a secret language, felt each other’s pain.
God. Had it led to their destruction? Had they used her against him or the other way around? Had one of them already died? If they had, I knew it would kill the other.
Fated mates.
Want. Need. Mine.
Colm wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me in place. My knees shook. I was like a volcano set to erupt. This was the biggest risk of my life. I had no idea what would happen when his magic joined mine. I only knew he was my best chance of getting answers.
My nipples peaked. I could feel his heat and knew he could read my scent. I wanted him. If he slid his hand between my legs, he would find me practically soaked through my jeans. I realized how badly I wanted him to do just that.
No logic. No reason. This was primal desire. Ancient instinct. The very edge of danger.
He poised above me, positioning himself behind me.
One bite. A quickening. Then it would be all over.
I felt suspended in time. The world fell away save for the beating of my heart. His pulse filled me. Called to me.
Then nothing happened.
It took me a moment to realize Colm was no longer kneeling behind me. I was alone on the ground, my fingers still digging into the soft earth.
The sun had fully risen. The sounds of the woods rushed back in. Wind in the trees. The babbling stream beside me. My own shallow breaths.
Shaking, I got to my feet. Colm leaned against a nearby tree, watching me with those flashing golden eyes.
“I thought…”
He pushed himself upright and came to me, his smirk firmly in place.
“No,” he said. “Not like that. If I choose to mark a woman, it won’t be for business.”
I swallowed hard, breaking into a cold sweat. Part of me wanted to scratch his damn eyes out.
“Triple,” he said. “You want me to take you to Lake Erie to find your mom and dad. I want that stone in your pocket and two more like it. I’ll take that one now as a down payment. I’m going to need it to pay for transport and protection. Everything I had stashed in the cabin just went up in flames.”
I composed myself, smoothing my hands over my jeans. “Fine,” I said.
He held his hand out. Shaking, I reached in my pocket and pulled the stone back out. I slapped it into his hand. Only the blazing touch of his skin betrayed the lustful fire inside of him. He slipped the Dragonstone ring into his own pocket and turned his back on me.
“Come on,” he said. “We’ve got a long trip ahead of us, and I need to make a stop along the way.”
He started up the hill, leaving me panting in his wake. When he reached the rise, he finally turned and looked back at me.
“You coming, or what?” he asked.
I shook my head to clear it. Then, I smoothed my hair out of my eyes and bounded up the hill to catch up.
Chapter 8
Colm
Need coursed through me, nearly blinding me. Cassia was right behind me, almost matching me step for step but keeping her distance.
Did she sense? Did she know?
Claws dug into my palms as I forced my wolf back down. I had been so close. The taste of her skin still played on my tongue. I could have done it. I should have done it. She should have been burning with my mark now. I should have been buried in her, claiming her over and over until the sun set once more.
I have no idea how I found the strength to stop myself. Even now, hours later, I could barely put one foot in front of the other. All I wanted to do was turn, grab her, drive her back to her knees and take her the way I was meant to.
She was mine.
This wasn’t just normal lust. Though, it had been far too long since I’d had any woman. This was different. I couldn’t deny the echoing heartbeat within me.
It was Cassia. She was meant for me. Fate sent her to me.
Damn it all to hell.
She was lying about something. Not the fire at the cabin. When I got my bearings, I could have kicked myself for not sensing the telltale trace of fire magic. Maybe Cyrus had double-crossed me after all. Except he didn’t know about my hideout and fire wasn’t the source of his power; wind was.
It was probably the spell-heads I pulled off Cassia. It had been a decoy. A distraction. And I fell for it like an idiot. All because of the girl.
So why the hell hadn’t I just left her behind?
“Colm,” she said. It was the first time she’d spoken in almost three hours. She’d just trudged along, keeping up with my blistering pace through the woods, then hiking the back trails all along Lake Michigan.
“Colm!”
I froze. Turning to her, I managed to quiet the bloodlust churning my heart.
“Where are we going?”
I looked around, got my bearings. We were only a half a mile from the main road.
We’d crossed the border into Michigan without incident. Back here, there were no checkpoints. This was still firmly Neutral Zone.
I sniffed the air. “We’ve got less than a mile to go,” I said. “There’s a little town we can stop in. New Buffalo. Not much there, but I know a guy. We can get some supplies. I can find somebody willing to drive us across the state, or better yet, lay hands on wheels of my own. We need to get to Luna Point.”
“You sure it’s safe?” she asked.
Her skin was flushed. She was sweating. I felt like an idiot. Cassia was starving. I never did get around to roasting that rabbit for her.
I went to her, fueled by my need to keep her safe and kill anything that tried to hurt her. Even as I crossed the distance between us, I knew it might be the very thing that finally got my ass killed.
“I’m fine,” she said, brushing off the concern I hadn’t yet voiced. “I just want to know what the plan is.”
“You’re cold,” I said. She was shivering. The leather jacket she’d been wearing never made it out of the cabin. She had nothing but that thin, black tank top on and a pair of jeans. It was cold here with the lake to the west of us.
“It’s just up ahead,” I said. “I promise.”
She nodded. I wanted to put my arms around her. Without thinking, I reached for her, letting my fingers graze her bare arm. But she wasn’t cold at all. No. She was blazing hot.
Alarm raced through me. She felt fevered.
Cassia batted my hand away. “I’m really fine. Promise. If I need anything, I’ll let you know. Let’s just get going.”
Nodding, I turned and led her off the trail and back down to the main road.
Once upon a time, New Buffalo was a sleepy little tourist town. There’d been a casino here once. A boardwalk with souvenir shops along the boulevard. Now, it was little more than a ghost town.
We passed practically unnoticed. Cassia followed me to the pier. Only three shops remained and one boarding house. That’s where I headed.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked.
The windows to Stella’s Bed and Breakfast were grimy. There were no lights on inside. I rapped on the door five times using a staccato beat, then waited.
It was almost a full minute before I saw a shadow shuffling inside. Stella opened the door just a crack and peered up at me with her beady, dark eyes. Her face broke into a smile.
“Long time no see, you bastard,” she said. “Did you bring me something good?”
She opened the door wider and took in Cassia standing beside me. Stella’s face split into a smile, displaying the three teeth she had left.
“Nice to meet you,” Cassia said, extending her hand.
I resisted the urge to stop her. Stella fancied herself a psychic. Twenty years ago, she’d made a mint reading tea leaves and tarot cards for eager tourists. It was all just for show. Stella didn’t have a magic bone in her body.
“Stella,” I said. “I’m going to need a place to crash. And if you’ve still got the Beemer, I’d like to borrow it for a few days. Change of clothes. Some food for the road. The usual kit.”
Stella opened the door all the way and ushered us in.
“About time you paid me a visit,” she said. “I was starting to get worried you finally died. Too bad. Means I’m gonna lose a bet.”
I put a protective hand on Cassia’s back as we followed Stella in. She led us down her dark hallway to the kitchen. My stomach growled as the smell of Stella’s homemade chili hit my nose. God bless her. She always had a pot ready.
“Sit down,” she said. “Eat something,” she said. “You can pay for it later and then we’ll work out the terms. Prices have gone up considerably since the last time I saw you. And sorry, the Beemer’s gone. Used it to pay my taxes last fall.”
Cassia gave me a wary look. I nodded at her. She took a seat as Stella brought a heaping bowl of chili topped with shredded cheese. Cassia’s own stomach growled as she thanked Stella for her hospitality.
“You’re safe here, love,” Stella said, shooting Cassia a warm smile. “Though that one’s bite is worse than his bark.”
“So I’ve been warned,” Cassia answered. She folded a napkin in her lap and took a bite of the chili. Her eyes sparkled as she got her first taste.
“My God,” she said, her mouth still full. “Are you a good witch or a bad witch, Ms. Stella?”
Stella laughed so hard she snorted. “I like her, Colm,” she said. “This one’s a keeper.”
I was still antsy, practically dancing on the balls of my feet. “You got a sec?” I said to Stella. There was still business to conduct. Cassia would be safe enough here, and I was only planning to be one wall away.
Stella’s face dropped, but she followed me through the kitchen and led me out the back door to the adjoining alley.
“Out with it,” she said. “What the hell kind of trouble did you just bring to my door this time?”
“The temporary kind,” I said. “We’re not staying. I need to get gone before morning.” I stopped myself from telling her where. I had the keen sense that things around here were quite different from how I’d left them.
“You leaving your stray behind?” she asked, gesturing with her chin toward Cassia and the kitchen door.
I thought about it. Leaving Cassia with Stella might be the perfect solution. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d asked her to safeguard property of mine. The moment I thought it, my wolf stirred. My property. Mine. Well, not so much property. But I sure as hell wanted to claim her. Damn if Stella didn’t see it in my eyes.
“No,” I said. “The girl’s with me for now. That’s the deal we made. Do you still have the last thing I left with you?”
Stella raised a skeptical brow. Then, she turned and went to the darkest corner of the alley. She pulled a loose brick from the wall and brought back a dirty, brown sack.
“You kidding me?” I asked. “What the hell happened to your safe?”
She tossed me the bag. It was heavy with gold coins I’d left with her. I did a quick count. They were all there.
“Too risky these days,” she said. “The Ring agents made a sweep a few months back. I had to get creative for my clients. Somebody squealed, and they knew what they were looking for. Lucky for me, a friend tipped me off before they got here.”
I didn’t like that one bit. “What the hell, Stella?” I said. “What the hell are they doing poking around this far into the NZ? That’s a treaty violation.”
She snorted. “Yeah? Take it up with your congressman. It was just the once. Thankfully. And it was a few months ago. Luckily, my intel is they didn’t find anything they weren’t expecting, so the heat should be off us for a little while, anyway. Not forever, though. So, I’m glad you stopped by. I need to clear my shelves for a while.”
I reached into the bag and pulled out five coins. I put them in Stella’s outstretched palm. She closed her fist and pocketed them.
“Thanks,” she said. “And I’m sorry it’s gotta be like this. Things will maybe die down in a year or so. Until then, I gotta be squeaky clean.”
“I get it,” I said. “And I won’t put you out. I’ll clear out as soon as I can.”
Stella slapped my arm. “When you gonna retire, anyway? If you’re looking to head north, you know I can put you in touch with someone.”
My back stiffened. “Who’s asking?”
Stella cocked her head. “Colm…”
“Save it. I’m not heading north anytime soon.”
She wagged a judgmental finger at me. “You’re just as stubborn and pigheaded as your old man. Two of you could have saved your mother and the whole pack a ton of grief if you’d have just worked together instead of locking horns all the damn time.”
“Save me the lecture,” I said, bristling. “Who have you heard from up north?”
She gritted her teeth. I knew that look. Stella wasn’t going to tell me a damn thing. It shocked me a little. I hadn’t set foot on my fa
mily’s pack lands since before the shifter attacks fifteen years ago. It had been at least five years since I caught wind of anyone putting feelers out about me. I didn’t like it. The fewer people who knew about my DNA, the better.
“Pigheaded,” she sighed. “Stubborn fools.”
“Stella,” I said. “I just need the supplies, then I’ll be on my way. Is Dan still setting up shop at the old casino?”
“Yep,” she said. “But he’s gonna clean you out. Prices have quadrupled since the raid. You might just have enough in that little sack of yours. That’ll get you where you’re going if it’s not too far and you’re staying in the NZ. But how are you planning to get home?”
“You let me worry about that,” I said. “And you let me worry about her.” I pointed toward the kitchen door. Cassia was moving inside. I knew I should go in and tell her my plan. But the sooner I did my business with Dan, the better. I’d be back within the hour.
“Tell her where I went,” I said. “Can you set her up with clean clothes and a shower, whatever she needs?”
Stella nodded. “Yeah. I can do that. Wouldn’t kill you to take one yourself. You smell like wet dog and burnt things. Dan’s gonna scent you from a mile away.”
I pocketed the rest of my gold and gave Stella a kiss on the cheek that made her blush. Then, I slipped into the shadows and headed for the street.
Dan Landry was an old friend. He was a badger shifter I met when I first left Wild Lake. He worked as a pit boss in the casino before the shifter attacks. Now, he made his living as a mechanic. If anyone could hook me up with a cheap set of wheels, it was Dan.
I found him in the garage he’d built in the ruins of the casino parking lot. Just like Stella predicted, he sniffed the air and scented me before he saw me.
A wide grin split his face as he turned to shake my hand. Dan was at least seventy years old. He’d lost an eye in his younger days and walked with a limp. Right after the shifter attacks, he’d gotten jumped by agents of the Ring and they’d left him for dead. I’d heard he could no longer shift because of his injuries.
