Finding Buried Secrets: A Seaside Wolf Pack Novel

by C. C. Masters

  “Team Fido, get your asses up here. We’re good to go.”

  “You take ‘em all out, Furball?”

  “You know it.” When they got close enough to use the pack bond, James would fill in the details for them. For now, I hung back from the cabin, cautious about James’s warning about potential traps.

  Step one of taking a base of operations was almost complete with no bloodshed. Was it too much to hope that the rest of this mission would be the same?

  Chapter 12

  I stayed under the warmth of the covers but stretched my body out to get the blood flowing before I climbed out of bed. Unfortunately, that resulted in me being pressed up against the hard body that lay beside me. I inched away, but Davis put a hand on my hip. “Don’t stop on my account,” he murmured into my ear in a husky voice. Heat pulsed between my legs as my body responded, and I almost indulged in the temptation to take this a step further.

  I had let Davis talk me into sharing the twin-sized bed last night because the cold had set into the very center of my bones, and I wanted to use his body as my own personal heating system. That had worked a little too well, because once I was warm enough to have feeling in all of my extremities, I was already enjoying the feeling of being wrapped in Davis’s arms and didn’t want to move. Nothing spicy had happened last night, but the possibility had been at the forefront of all my thoughts.

  Davis’s scent was mingled with my own in the bed, and I was all too aware of just how close we were. We were both still fully clothed, because the furnace in the cabin could only bring the temperature up to the fifties at best. While that was a vast improvement over the negative temps outside, it was far from the balmy eighty that I would have preferred.

  “Shhh,” I said as I patted his arm that was now sliding around my waist. “Heating systems aren’t supposed to talk.”

  Davis chuckled and nuzzled my hair. “Oh, darling, such sweet words you have for me. I should take you on romantic getaways more often.”

  I tilted my head back and gave him a smirk. “If you think that was good, you should see what happens when you take me to a tropical paradise.”

  His eyes lit up with interest. “And here I was, afraid you’d give me the ‘it was just a onetime thing’ speech.”

  I turned away from him so that he couldn’t see the indecision on my face. Flirting with Davis was fun, but how far would I want this to go? My usual M.O. was to ghost once I found myself getting too attached to a guy, but none of my usual excuses applied here. Davis wasn’t human, so I didn’t have to worry about protecting my secret panther identity. He wasn’t another jaguar, so I didn’t have to worry about him dragging me back to Colombia to be his baby momma or to impress my grandmother. He was just a cool guy that I liked much more than I should.

  “It’s been good having you here,” Davis murmured into my ear. “Not just as a team member, but as one of us.”

  I took a page from Trevor’s book and just grunted in response. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond when a situation called for something more than snarky comments or a military sense of humor. Serious discussions about emotions were uncomfortable - I didn’t like feeling exposed and vulnerable.

  “Even James respects you,” Davis continued. “But to me, you’re more than just one of the guys.”

  “Huh,” I said stupidly.

  Davis didn’t seem to mind my lack of verbal response because he laid a light kiss on the sensitive spot on my neck right below my ear. “What do you think about the relationship Anna is forming with her guys?”

  “They seem to really care about her,” I said cautiously.

  Davis trailed his lips down my neck, and heat flooded through my body. “What if you could have the same?” he asked before sucking my earlobe into his hot mouth.

  “Uhhhh…”

  Davis chuckled. “No need to answer now, just think about it.”

  His thumb found the small strip of skin exposed by my shirt riding up and gently rubbed back and forth. I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking about his hand moving just a little lower, sliding into my panties. Heat throbbed between my legs and I knew the moment that Davis realized my scent had changed. His breath caught, and he slid his hand completely under my shirt to caress my belly.

  “Sam,” he murmured into my ear. The gravelly sound of his husky voice made my lower belly clench, and I rubbed my ass up against his growing erection.

  I told myself that this was just the two of us blowing off steam in a high-pressure environment, but it went deeper than that. I had a special connection with Davis that was growing harder to deny by the day. A part of me didn’t want to deny it anymore, but the logical voice in my head told me it wasn’t safe to expose my soft underbelly to another predator. I had always had my fun, but kept my heart guarded to avoid hurt feelings.

  Neither of us spoke a word, but we were clearly in unison. Davis slid his hand between my legs, and I opened them wider with a gasp. My clit throbbed as he teased around it, exploring my folds and the wetness within. He chuckled when I grabbed his hand and moved it where I wanted it, but he didn’t object. Sparks flew, and I bit the pillow to avoid crying out as the pleasure built inside of me. He ground his hard cock against my ass in a rhythm that made me wish there weren’t any layers of clothes between us.

  I was right on the precipice when he pulled his hand away. I turned in disappointment but smiled when I saw him pull his cock out of his sweats. I placed a finger against my lips to indicate he should stay quiet as I took him in my hand to make him squirm like he had done to me. His cock jumped in my hand as I teased and rubbed him. He had to clench his teeth to avoid making a sound, which only made me smile more.

  His eyes lit with the spark of a challenge at my smile and he was up and moving before I could blink. He pulled me back down on the bed in our original spooning position and angled my top leg to give him access to me. The tip of his cock pressed against my entrance, and I bit my lower lip as he slowly slid inside, filling me completely. He withdrew just as slowly, building my need for him up to almost agonizing levels.

  Davis nuzzled my neck as he continued his gentle rhythm and slid his hand back between my legs to tease my clit. I usually liked it fast and hard, but I’d never experienced this type of erotic play before. I could feel an orgasm building inside of me, but the slow tempo of our movements elongated the build-up to give me pleasure more intense than I’d ever experienced before. Davis bit down on my neck, and a powerful orgasm tore through me, causing my body to spasm and my eyes to roll back in my head. Davis groaned as my body came around him and he gave two hard, deep thrusts that caused him to go over the edge with me. The aftershocks of my orgasm were still fading from me when he let out a deep breath and relaxed against me.

  Because I was an asshole uncomfortable with too much intimacy, I patted his hand. “I won,” I whispered. I hadn’t made a sound during our sex session even though I had the most earth-shattering experience of my life.

  Davis chuckled into my hair. “If that’s what losing feels like, then I wouldn’t mind losing to you more often.” He placed a kiss on my neck where he had bitten down and pulled out of me. I got out of bed so that I could clean up, and he laid back in the bed with his eyes closed. “Stay in bed with me a little longer.”

  “We have shit to do.” I had tried for a casual tone, but the way he opened one eye to look at me told me that I had probably failed. I turned my back as I put a bra on to avoid eye contact.

  I heard Davis shift his weight on the bed behind me. “That was more than just a quick fuck,” he said quietly. I glanced back at him, but relaxed when I saw he only had a friendly smile on his face. No accusations or expectations.

  I pulled on another layer of clothes so I would be warm enough out of bed and away from the glorious heat that his body generated. I made sure to put a cocky smirk back on my face before I turned around again. “Don’t worry,” I purred. “I’m not done with you just yet.”

  Knowing that was the perfect ex
it line, I went in search of food – preferably warm. Yeah, I was being a little bit of a coward here, but it was way too soon to discuss our undying love for each other. Right? Even normal people who weren’t emotionally stunted waited longer. Plus, if I were completely honest with myself, I was worried about what the other guys would think. Davis wasn’t the only one who I’d gotten attached to.

  “Any news?” I asked Mike as I headed directly to the food pantry. A couple of Ragnar’s wolves had stopped by to drop off supplies and check our progress, so we were well-stocked at the moment.

  “Bad news,” Mike said with a frown. “Cody’s missing.”

  I cursed. “The fae?”

  Trevor grunted in a way that I interpreted to me ‘probably.’

  “Robbie’s body was delivered to the house along with Cody’s phone. Looks like Robbie lured him out to a country bar for a meeting,” Mike explained. “Henderson found the scents of both wolves and fae – the bar was torn up, so Cody didn’t go easily.”

  “Shit.” I didn’t doubt that the big wolf had put up a fight, I certainly wouldn’t want to take my chances against him.

  “Any news on Anna?” I asked as I poured myself a cup of coffee to go along with the terrible tasting protein bar I had selected.

  Mike shook his head. “There’s nothing on the satellites in this area.” “Is it possible we’re in the wrong place?” I asked quietly.

  “We don’t know,” Trevor said in frustration.

  The door opened with a rush of cold, and James stepped in along with Rich. We had divided into three teams of two people so that we could rotate who was patrolling, on duty at the cabin, and sleeping. My eight-hour shift for sleeping was over, so now it was going to be me and Davis going out into the cold to patrol.

  “There’s a storm brewing out there,” Rich told us as he rubbed his hands together. “You should stay inside because visibility will go to shit once the wind and snow pick up.”

  I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or worried. A storm meant no one would be able to get to us, but it also meant we wouldn’t be able to get out. We would be on lockdown until the weather improved, and if anything happened, we would be without help.

  Davis joined us around the table with his hair still mussed from sleep. I cringed when I had the urge to brush it out of his eyes. Who was I becoming?

  “Let’s get to work fortifying this place for the storm,” Trevor announced.

  “Situations like this usually call for an emergency liquor store run,” Mike announced.

  “Yeah, I’ll just run down to the corner liquor store,” Davis said sarcastically.

  Trevor snorted, and Rich rolled his eyes. “Let’s not get wasted while we wait for the enemy to attack,” James said derisively.

  Mike shrugged, unaffected by James’s tone. “Fine, but being sober during strip poker is going to take half the fun out of it.”

  I shook my head and laughed. “I know better than to be the only female in one of those games. You guys will all gang up on me.”

  “I think you could handle all of us,” Mike said with a sly look in his eyes. “But would you prefer to keep it one-on-one?”

  I cocked my head at him. “I don’t know, I might be too much for you to handle on your own.”

  Mike chuckled, and James gave me a dark look, but I didn’t miss the flash of interest and curiosity from the other guys. I let my thoughts drift off in that direction, imagining what it would be like to be the center of everything for these guys, but quickly shook it off. I couldn’t maintain a relationship with one guy, four was definitely beyond my limits.

  Chapter 13

  I wasn’t the only one glad when the storm finally ended. James was like a bear with a sore tooth who had been trapped in a small cage. James wasn’t the type of man who could sit on the sidelines while both his girl and his pack mate were missing. He alternated between pacing between his chair and the window and glaring at anyone who dared to speak. It didn’t seem to bother Trevor at all, he had found a chessboard somewhere and was playing against Rich. Mike had found a spy novel that looked like it had been published in the eighties, and Davis and I busied ourselves by cleaning all of the weapons.

  When the storm finally broke, none of us wasted any time in heading outside clean the heavy snow off the roof and clear paths to the front door and garage where we housed the snowmobiles. Having a physical task helped clear my mind from all the worries, but now I was back to stewing in my anxiety and waiting for action. The sat phone did the beeping thing that let me know someone was trying to call in. I hurriedly snatched it up, eager for any news from the outside. I was hoping it was Caleb calling to let us know that Anna and Cody had been found.

  I ran to the mudroom and slid across the slippery floor in my socks. I shouted for Trevor, but hurriedly started to suit up without him. The phone’s connection to a satellite needed to be outside under an open sky to get a full signal strong enough for us to talk on. Trevor joined me before I was fully dressed in all of my layers, but I still had to wait an extra minute for him. James, Rich, and Davis were currently outside exploring any changes in the area after the storm. But Mike was sleeping in the back bedroom, so I didn’t want to go far from him.

  I grabbed my weapon, and we were ready to head out. The freezing cold air slapped into us as we stepped out, and I shivered despite all the layers of protection I had bundled up in. As soon as we got the signal on the phone locked down, I made the call and held it in between myself and Trevor. Caleb answered, and I could hear the excitement in his voice. “We have movement! Take down these coordinates.” Trevor plugged the numbers into the GPS as Caleb shouted them out. He had to repeat them several times because our signal was unreliable. I lowered the phone after we lost the signal completely. If Caleb had been expecting danger, that would have been the first thing he told us, not the last.

  My sixth sense was tingling, and I had a feeling something bad was coming our way. “I don’t think we should be split up for this,” I told Trevor. “I don’t like leaving Mike alone in the house. Not while he’s vulnerable and sleeping.”

  Trevor’s hazel eyes searched mine from behind his goggles before he nodded in agreement. “We won’t go after them until the others return.”

  I tensed as faint shifter magic brushed my peripheral awareness. “Something’s coming,” I told Trevor quietly as I tightened my grip on my weapon. I tried to extend my senses even further, and my body relaxed when I realized it was James, leading Rich and Davis towards us. I waved at James to let him know we had news to share. His dark eyes weren’t visible behind his goggles as he trudged over to us, but I could feel the black mood wafting over him. I let Trevor explain the situation to James, and he was quick to give the order to investigate. “Davis, back to the house with Mike. The rest of us will check it out.”

  Davis stayed behind with Mike while we trudged toward the coordinates that Caleb had given us. The location was close to us – just over the next hill south of our current position. As soon as we crested the hill, my eyes opened wide in disbelief, and I brought my weapon into firing position. Four men, dressed in odd clothing, were arguing amongst themselves in a language I didn’t recognize. I didn’t see any weapons on them – but that didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous. Further away, I saw a group of men bundled up similar to the way my group was dressed, but they were giving off the magical signatures of shifters. Were those the wolves that Ragnar had sent us after?

  James held up an arm for us to stop. If any of these guys looked over in our direction, they would easily be able to see us. This was our chance, and we had to act now. “We attack, but leave one of them alive for questioning,” James ordered.

  What? Murdering fae could set off a chain of events that we wouldn’t be able to stop. We couldn’t just assume these were bad guys without confirmation. James picked up on our indecision because he growled, and I could feel the pulse of his power roll over us. James was powerful enough that he could have been pack master of hi
s own pack – but I think he was aware that he lacked the temperament to be a leader like Austin. I wasn’t officially in their pack, so I wasn’t as affected as the others, plus I had a little extra protection that they weren’t aware of. I guarded myself against the wave of power that James had sent out, but Trevor and Rich both raised their weapons, ready to fire. Unfortunately for us, one of the suspected fae caught sight of us at that moment. James was the first to hit the trigger, and the rapid rat-tat-tat of the weapon made it obvious he had it on automatic.

  None of the fae were hit by any of the bullets, but we had their full attention now. One of the fae waved his hand and our guns went flying. The shifters grouped tightly around the fae, as they glanced nervously in our direction. I was utterly unable to move as if I had been frozen in a block of ice. None of the other guys were moving either, so they must have been held by the same magic. The fae argued among themselves even more intensely now, but I still couldn’t make out their words.

  I squinted at the magical bonds that held us. The magic that was woven to keep us in place was barely visible to me, but my parents had shown me how to undo basic things like this as a child. I hadn’t done it in years, but I started to pick at the bonds, trying to get a grasp on a piece of magic I could use to unravel the whole thing. My magical abilities were almost nonexistent, but that’s what made me able to stay under the radar and avoid anyone able to pick up on power signatures.

  A flash of light made me look up to see a portal opening right next to where the fae were standing. They looked up in surprise, and I hurriedly worked on the magic encasing myself and the other guys while they were distracted. Initially, I thought the first person that stepped out of the portal was another fae, but he was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt instead of the elaborate garb the others were wearing. The guy in jeans immediately caught sight of the first group of fae and shouted. They started flinging magic at each other as more people came out of the portal. I finally pulled at the right combination of magical threads, and the hold fell apart.