Rich gave a half-shrug. “He gets like that sometimes. He’ll focus on some imagined slight that our pack gave him, but he’ll lose interest and move onto something else in a couple days.”
“Yeah,” Anna said hesitantly. “But this is something else. Have you ever heard of a sickness that could make people crazy?”
I let go of the parchment paper that I couldn’t get to lay flat on the pan. “A sickness?” Was she talking about the same darkness that Ingrid had worried about in her pack? “Is anyone in our pack sick?” I asked cautiously.
Anna shrugged, and I could tell she was holding back. “No, I’m just thinking out loud.”
Rich and I exchanged glances as Anna hurried around the kitchen. “I don’t think Justin really needs an excuse to be crazy,” Rich told her gently. “That’s just the way he is.”
By the time I had wrestled the parchment paper into submission, Anna was done mixing all of the ingredients for the chicken. “Perfect timing!” she said brightly as she nudged me out of the way. I sighed. Of course, she could create an entire meal while all I’d done was put some paper in a pan.
“What’s going on now?” I asked casually. “Trev was called out of training.”
Anna blinked at me before looking down at the pan she was putting the chicken and sauce into. “I’ll let Austin decide when he wants to announce it to the pack, but we’re going to be on high alert for a while.”
“Does this have to do with the missing wolf?” I asked with a frown.
Anna looked at me in surprise, but Rich raised an eyebrow at me. “You weren’t supposed to know about that yet.”
I rolled my eyes. “I have eyes, and I’m not stupid.”
Anna shoved the pan in the oven and set the timer before answering. “Did you know Blendel?” she asked.
I frowned. “I met him once. He’s the one that was kind of a trouble maker about the fae?”
“Kind of,” Anna said as she started measuring out ingredients for the brownies. “He was actually found yesterday. Austin hasn’t told the entire pack yet because we’re not sure how he died.”
“Well, shit,” I said with a frown. “Is that why you all were gone for most of the day yesterday?”
Rich shrugged. “Austin and James wanted the information kept need-to-know only until they could call the pack together to make an announcement. They don’t want widespread panic or rumors causing our wolves to act out without knowing the whole story.”
“You don’t want them going after revenge,” I corrected him. “Do we think Justin’s to blame?”
“Maybe,” Anna said. “But we can’t be sure, so we don’t want the back going over to his territory as a mob, you know?”
“I get it,” I said quietly. I had thought Seaside was just a small city well known for its naval bases and tourism, but this place was turning out to have plenty of action.
I worried about Anna’s question about a sickness making people crazy. Could this have something to do with the darkness that was plaguing Ingrid’s pack or was I just being paranoid and making connections where there were none? I’d wait until I got the rest of the guys alone tonight, and then I’d get some answers. I had been keeping secrets from this pack to blend in as an average shifter, but I might have to think about coming clean if it meant keeping everyone here safe. I hopped up on a stool as Anna popped the brownies in the second oven and the kitchen was flooded with delicious scents. It almost made me want to learn to cook like she could. Almost.
Chapter 18
Bland mall music played softly in the background as I thumbed through the rack of dresses. I did not want to wear a dress to the stupid Christmas party the pack was having, but the guys were eager to have me fit in with everyone else. I wrinkled my nose at a fluffy pink dress that looked like it was made from the scraps of chiffon from twenty other dresses. The mall was packed with people desperately searching for last-minute Christmas gifts, but I was the only one in the formal wear department.
“I was hoping you’d be alone.” Matias’s voice interrupted my thoughts and I was embarrassed he had managed to catch me unaware.
“You again?” I asked irritably. “I thought we already talked about this. How do you keep finding me?”
“I’m not leaving without you,” he said stubbornly.
“Then you’re not leaving,” I informed him bluntly. “I have no plans to return to Colombia.”
A muscle in Matias’s jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth in irritation. “Hába Nábia is allowing you to return to the community. Why wouldn’t you take that opportunity?”
I tensed and didn’t let down my guard. “Because I have all the community I need right here.”
Matias snorted. “The wolves? Please.”
I faced him squarely. “I don’t trust you, and I don’t trust my grandmother. Rich will be back at any moment with our pretzels, so I suggest you get the fuck out of here.”
Matias looked like he was about to argue, but then his eyes darted to something behind me. “I have to go,” he said abruptly. “Think about what I said.”
I shook my head as I angled my body to the side, pretending to look through more dresses while I actually searched for the threat that had Matias running with his tail between his legs. I had almost expected to see Rich coming in my direction, but I was disappointed when the only people who caught my attention were two men passing by with the one on the left carrying a shopping bag. There was something off about them that made them stand out from the rest of the shoppers, but I couldn’t quite decide what it was.
I kept my head down on the sales rack until they passed by me, and I could get a good look without attracting their attention. They were dressed casually in jeans, but their clothes looked new and fresh out of the package. My eyes narrowed when the one man shifted the shopping bag to his other hand, and the press of his shirt revealed that he was carrying a concealed weapon.
I took a hesitant step in their direction, unsure if I should go after them. Matias might be annoying me, but I wasn’t going to abandon him to be murdered in a shopping mall. My concerns were alleviated when they both stopped at the jewelry counter to look at the glittering displays. They were polite to the other shoppers around them and respectful to the frazzled employee - which made me relax. They weren’t acting like deadly assassins out for blood, and they seemed a lot less prone to violence than some of the crazed Christmas Eve shoppers in here. I’m sure Matias was already in the parking garage and on his way out of here.
I smelled the buttery pretzel dough before I saw Rich come around the corner. “Find anything?” he asked as he shoved a pretzel nugget in his mouth.
“Nope,” I said with a sigh. “Did you get me one with pepperoni?”
He handed over the pretzel as we walked out of the mall. “Just let Quinn get something for you,” he suggested as we strolled through the mall.
I shrugged. “He already has enough people to dress; I don’t want to ask him for anything.”
Rich rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to ask, and he gets more upset if you don’t let him dress you.”
I heaved another sigh. “I’ll mention it to Quinn and see what he says.”
Rich polished off his pretzel and tossed the wrapper in the trash. “It’s tonight. Even I know that dresses and shit don’t just appear out of nowhere.”
I took a huge bite of the pretzel and used that as an excuse not to answer.
Rich texted on his phone while I lead us through the parking garage, looking for potential threats or annoying jaguars who had the bad habit of popping up out of nowhere.
“He says he already got you a dress,” Rich called to me.
I fought the urge to lick the buttery goodness off my fingers and instead wiped them off with a napkin. “I don’t know if I’m relieved or worried about what he decided to punish me with.”
Rich chuckled. “If we have to be trapped in penguin suits and nooses, then you can handle a dress for a couple hours.”
I s
hot him a dirty look but didn’t say anything as we got in the car. Rich and I had gone to the mall to pick up some stuff that Austin had asked to be engraved at a shop there, and I had put us behind schedule by lingering in the dress department.
“What usually happens at these things?” I asked casually. I wasn’t sure what to expect at a pack Christmas party, but I knew I’d be stuck in a house with around fifty wolves.
Rich gave me a small smile. “We’ll all pretend to be civilized until the presents are handed out, then get wasted.”
I grinned. “Cool.”
Rich hadn’t been exaggerating. I looked around the room to see that most of the wolves had taken off their jackets and ties. Quite a few of them had also lost their shirts and shoes. Austin and Anna had already handed out gifts to everyone in the pack, and even I had got a little misty-eyed at a few of the more touching ones.
I poked Trevor in the side to get his attention. Instead of growling at me as I had expected, he pulled me closer. Maybe it was all the alcohol talking, but I didn’t pull away. Instead, I leaned back against him and let myself be enveloped in his scent and the warmth of his magic. When we had first met, his magic had been cautiously exploring mine. But now, it was like the edges between us were blurred.
“Killer of killers,” Trevor murmured into my ear.
“What?” I asked with a laugh.
“Jaguars. You hunt other predators.”
I turned around to face him. “And?” I’d now known Trevor long enough to realize he was complimenting me in his own way.
One corner of his mouth lifted up in an almost-smile. “And you’re almost a match for me.”
“Almost?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “I think you forget who won our last fight.”
Trevor shook his head. “You’re too stubborn. You’d rather pass out than admit defeat.”
My eyes flashed. “If you try to say that you let me win-”
Trevor gave a rare laugh. “How about another challenge?”
“Fine,” I huffed. “But instead of hand-to-hand combat, I’m challenging you to a drinking game.”
He cocked his head at me, but he looked more intrigued than irritated. “You think you can outdrink me?”
I shook my head. “I won’t need to.” I grabbed a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass.
“Follow me,” I teased him. “We’re going to want some privacy for this.”
I found a quiet room upstairs that wasn’t in use and held up the bottle of whiskey. I hopped on the bed and folded my legs underneath me – making it clear we were just chilling.
Trevor followed my lead and sat on the bed across from me with his back resting against the headboard.
“Ready?” I asked him. Trevor agreed, and I continued. “I’ll take a shot and then ask a question. You can either answer it or pass. If you pass, you have to take a shot, and then I’ll ask another question. If you answer the question, then I either have to answer the same one or something similar.”
Trevor frowned. “How’s the winner decided?”
I gave him a brilliant smile. “The winner is the person who doesn’t pass out or quit.”
“And you’re betting that I’ll quit?”
“I think you’re the least chatty person I’ve ever met. You’re going to refuse to answer every question and end up drinking the entire bottle yourself.”
Trevor gave me a knowing look. “We’ll see.”
I shrugged and took the first shot. “What did you used to do in the military?”
Trevor’s jaw tightened, but he answered. “I enlisted in the Army right after September eleventh.”
My eyebrow raised. Wolves aged slower than humans, but I hadn’t realized Trevor had that much military experience under his belt. “That doesn’t answer my question,” I prodded him. “How did you get in Delta Force? That’s what you did, right?” Trevor held out a hand for the shot glass, and I scowled as I poured him a shot of whiskey. “I still get another question,” I reminded him. “Since you didn’t answer.”
Trevor downed the shot and looked at me to continue. I tapped my fingers as I thought. “Did you serve with anyone who’s in the Seaside Pack now?” “Yes,” he answered with a tone of finality.
I rolled my eyes. “Who?”
Trevor gave me a smug look. “That wasn’t your question.”
I huffed in irritation, but I let him have the win. “Fine. You have to take another shot to ask a question.”
Trevor tossed back the alcohol without hesitation. “How long do you plan to stay in Seaside?” His gaze burned into me and pinned me in place.
I looked down at the bottle of whiskey to avoid his eyes. “I haven’t made any definitive plans,” I admitted. “I’m not sure what to expect in the long term.”
I poured myself a shot and downed it before I could think about it. “Why do you want to know how long I’ll be here?”
“You fit with our team,” he said simply.
“You want me to stay?” I asked in surprise. “For how long?”
Trevor gave me an exasperated look, as if I should already know the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it. I needed to hear him say it. Maybe that’s why I had invented this stupid game.
“Wait your turn to ask more questions,” he chastised me before taking a shot. “What was your father? I’m assuming he wasn’t a jaguar as well.”
“He said he was human,” I said uncomfortably. “But he knew a lot about the fae and how to use their magic, so I have my suspicions.”
“And you probably wouldn’t be able to shift if you were half-human,” Trevor pointed out unnecessarily.
“There’s that,” I admitted before taking another shot. “What reasons would you give me to stay in Seaside?”
“You’ve grown close with Mike and Davis,” he answered coolly. But was that a flash of jealousy in his eyes?
“I want a reason from you,” I said boldly. “Not them.” There were a couple heartbeats of silence as something I couldn’t identify burned deep within Trevor’s eyes. I wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but my heart rate sped up in anticipation of his answer. This was one of those moments that would define the rest of our relationship. In the next few seconds we would either crash and burn, or soar to new heights.
“I’ll do better than that,” he growled as he leaned towards me. “I’ll show you.” A rush of his magic filled me in a way I hadn’t thought possible, and I had to catch my breath. It slowly filled me and swirled within my chest before settling lower. My body ached with need for this man, and my craving for him went deep inside of me.
His mouth met mine as our bodies crashed together, and I was overwhelmed by my wild need for him. I couldn’t get enough of the way his body felt against mine, and I needed more. I needed to feel his skin burning against my own. I ripped open the shirt he had been wearing, making buttons fly everywhere, and then pushed it off his broad shoulders. He chuckled at my show of aggression, but the desire burning within his eyes told me that I wasn’t the only one affected by lust.
I ran my hands over his muscular shoulders, across his pecs, and then down the hard planes of his abs. His muscles flexed beneath my touch as he unzipped the back of my dress and pulled it down to my waist. I laid back on the bed and lifted my hips so that he could pull it completely off my body. When I was left with only a lace pair of panties, he stopped and let his eyes take in every inch of my exposed body. His gaze was intense like it was delving deep within me, seeing not just my naked body, but everything I hid from the world. I licked my lips and his eyes flicked back up to my lips.
I sat up enough to grab the back of his neck and pull him back down to me. I could feel the power of his magic swelling within him and the surge of primal energy was raw and unrestrained. His hot mouth kissed and bit down my neck and to my breasts. My body trembled at his ministrations, and the pull in my core intensified. I needed him in a way that I’d never thought possible, and it made me feel wild and out of control.
We
growled and wrestled for dominance, losing the rest of our clothing in the process. There was no doubt that this was a battle to determine who was the predator and who the prey, but neither of us were willing to submit to the other. We were equals in every way. Perfectly matched.
“Stay there,” I ordered breathlessly as I climbed atop of him and rubbed my wetness against his hard cock. The defiance in his eyes didn’t fade as he grabbed himself to align perfectly to my entrance. I sank down, taking him deep inside of me and moaning at the feel of him filling every aching inch of my body.
Our magic melded together and swirled around us, crackling like wild electricity as our bodies came together. He grabbed ahold of my hips to take control of our rhythm, and I let him. Pleasure built inside of me, and when he changed position so I was on my back and he was kneeling between my legs I didn’t object, I just urged him to continue.
“I’m not going to be gentle,” he warned. I cried out as he slammed deep inside of me and our tempo increased, becoming faster and harder. It was as if he had let go of his last bit of control and given into his most primal urges. Everything else in the world faded away until there was nothing left but him and I, lost in our relentless rhythm. Something between us broke, and there was a blurring of lines. Everything he always kept behind those impenetrable walls burst out in an explosion of passion, desire, and possession. He was mine completely in that moment, and I was his.
The intensity of it all spiraled up to impossible levels, and then I exploded, waves of pleasure crashing through me. I cried out, and I wasn’t sure if it was pleasure or pain. My inner walls clenched around him and he finished with rough, deep strokes that caused him to collapse against me. The only sound in the room was our heavy breathing, and he pulled me closer as if we could merge into one being. The tumultuous chaos inside me slowly faded to contentment as my body recovered. I felt raw from having my mind and soul so bare and exposed, but also peaceful and languid, from knowing the dangerous wolf beside me would protect me with his life. I had seen deep inside of him, and I knew that this went beyond lust to something I didn’t have words for.
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