Catching a Coyote

by Serenity Snow

  Sam’s eyes grew stormy. “She’s always with me lately unless she’s with Mica, Syd or Kam. That girl is one damn fine soldier. She’s a good tracker, too.”

  “I know you could use one,” Mallory said with a teasing smile.

  “Only for the snow,” Sam muttered. “What else?”

  “I made you copies of the files. Camden wants in. She lost someone special to one of Bradley and Jerry’s buddies. He’s a member of Jenner’s pack. I’m giving her permission to go after him.”

  “Not yet,” Sam said. “We need a plan, but I’ll back the play every step of the way even if it means war between us and Jenner.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Bradley leaned back in the chair in his den as he listened to his partners bicker as he mentally went over the information he’d received before the meeting. His plan to widen that border might not work, but he was already planning to have his “expert” on hand to redraw.

  With the papers all ready along with the maps, he just might get away with this. It was too bad Jerry wasn’t here to see it happening.

  “Bradley?”

  “What was that?” he asked allowing the wolf’s voice to snatch him back to the conversation.

  “I said why hasn’t Mallory been arrested. You said you had it under control.” The man hadn’t been able to come to town for the meeting, but he’d insisted on sitting in via phone.

  “She should be in a cell. The cops were crawling all over the cannery. I’m sure they found the clues I left them,” Bradley replied.

  “Then, what’s the problem?”

  “Maybe someone else should be running this part of the op,” Isaiah muttered. “You and Jerry couldn’t seem to carry out the simplest plan where those coyotes are concerned.”

  “You want to run things, go ahead,” Bradley retorted. “Let’s hear your ideas.”

  “I do have one,” the third partner said. “It’s straight to the point. No games.”

  “What?” Bradley sat up. The last thing he wanted was to risk losses in open aggression against Sam. She and Mallory had slaughtered the hyenas.

  “Since the land has an heir, we take care of her. And the best way to do that is take out a few of Jenner’s men and push him into it.”

  “This will take time,” Isaiah said. “I thought you said no more games.”

  “I’ve already set things in motion. Jenner will be ready to move as soon as the storm breaks.”

  “That’s going to be dangerous,” Bradley said. “We can’t do battle in the snow.”

  “Sure, you can. If you’re not man enough, send your top lieutenants out to do the job—just get it done. I want this closed in five days.”

  “He’s crazy,” Isaiah muttered when the line went dead. “What does he think will make Jenner move if his sister’s murder didn’t?”

  “I don’t know, but we need to tread carefully with him,” Bradley said quietly. The fallout of that plan could backfire on him and Isaiah.

  Their very invisible partner could end up with everything which might be his plan when all was said and done.

  “Jen does have a couple of cousins he’s pretty close to, and his buddy, the assistant D.A.”

  “I know. That’ll start a war on the heels of Carleigh’s death.”

  “What was wrong with the clues you left?” Isaiah demanded.

  “Nothing. They pointed to Mallory.” He hadn’t scented anyone on the wind that night. And since he was free, no one had seen him, so what had gone wrong?

  Had Carleigh left a message for someone? But she hadn’t known about the cannery until that night and she damn sure wouldn’t have shared anything until she had her story ready for print.

  So, someone must have been tailing her or him. That brought him up against a wall and made him nervous because he knew of no coyote without a scent.

  “I guess it doesn’t matter what happened. We just need to decide if we’re going to back Jenner in his move against the coyotes.”

  “Of course, we are,” Bradley said firmly. He had no choice if he was going to smoke out the silent threat.

  ****

  “Did you have a good talk with Sam?” Cordelia asked later that evening as she set a plate on the breakfast bar before Mallory.

  Mallory met her gaze. She’d been quiet since she’d returned. A little pensive.

  “We ironed things out,” Mallory replied. “I’m just not so sure we should move so fast since we don’t know who Bradley’s silent partner is.”

  “Do you think that’s going to be a key factor?”

  “Yeah, and Sam agrees, but she thinks our window for taking care of Bradley is slim,” Mallory said.

  Cordelia walked around to sit next to her. “He’s a killer. That part isn’t going to stop,” she said. “The business angle could be tricky though.”

  “Right.”

  “Find the money,” Cordelia said.

  “What?” Mallory asked, reaching for her glass of wine. She took a sip.

  “My father was an accountant. He was a true expert in his field, and he always said if you want to know what someone’s doing, follow the money.”

  “He worked for the mob,” Mallory said. “That’s what got your parents killed.”

  “Not just that,” she answered with a shrug of one shoulder, resigned to talking about her past some since Mallory had dug up enough to make that guess. “His boss wanted my mother. He pushed my father too far when he started stalking her. My dad decided to roll on him. We went into witness protection.”

  “But you were found?”

  “Yeah.” She reached for her own wine. “My father was killed, and he tried to kill me and my mom. They made us disappear and for a while everything was good. Then, he found us. His son wanted me, and they said they’d let us live if we gave ourselves to them.”

  “I’m guessing that was a no,” Mallory said.

  “A resounding no. He tried to rape my mother in front of me, but she fought so hard, he ended up killing her,” she said. “While he was attacking my mother, I tried to stop it, but his nephew attacked me.”

  “You killed him.”

  “Good and dead, but the tiger escaped like a coward. I was to testify against him for killing my mother and a federal agent,” Cordelia told her. “That was six years ago.”

  “You ran?”

  Cordelia nodded. “He had agents in his pocket. His son tried to kill me since I wouldn’t be his whore.”

  “You killed him?”

  “Dead.” She gave Mallory a brief smile. “Yamamoto is a snow tiger. He can’t do what I can, but he has an interesting ability. He breathes out ice that can turn into a hail storm.”

  “It’s like being a freaking dragon,” Mallory commented.

  “The cold and ice varies in intensity. He wanted to produce a child with my mother. He thought they could make something as special as me.”

  Mallory covered Cordelia’s hand with hers and squeezed. “He can’t have you no matter what his plans are,” she said.

  “Mallory—”

  “I’m not letting you go because of that, Cordi,” Mallory said. “If you want to go back and testify, I’ll go with you. If not, then, I’ll never mention it again.”

  “I can’t let you take that risk.”

  “Aren’t you tired of running?” Mallory asked softly.

  “Yes!”

  “Then you’ll stay right here where you belong,” Mallory told her. “Now, what would your father do to identify a money trail?”

  ****

  The storm was finally starting to abate, Jenner thought, as he stepped out onto the steps of the police station. He hadn’t been able to go to the den where his top advisor was keeping an eye on things.

  Though catching his sister’s killer was uppermost in his mind, he wasn’t blind to his responsibilities as alpha of the Snow Dogs. However, he wished now he hadn’t taken over the pack. He’d fended off a few challenges and knew there might be more in the future if he didn’t br
ing down the coyotes.

  Jericho’s death, along with the other losses the pack had suffered, and one more incident with Mallory and Sam would make it impossible for him not to make destroying them his mission. The pack wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Why don’t we head out to the den now?” His cousin came out of the building with his best friend to join him on the steps.

  “I can’t,” Jenner said. “I just don’t want to face her empty room yet.”

  “Are you still convinced this was the coyotes?”

  “Yeah.” Jenner nodded. “I’m sure it was. She found something they didn’t want her to tell me. I just don’t know what that was.”

  “Then I think it’s time we moved on them,” his cousin said. “Jerry was right. We’ve got to stop letting those women walk all over us.”

  “Absent of proof,” the A.D.A said. “I think we should wait.”

  “That’s what got Carleigh dead,” Jenner snapped. “I—” The growl of coyotes cut his sentence short.

  “What the hell?” The A.D.A exclaimed.

  Six coyotes trotted toward them.

  “Where the hell’d they come from?” Jenner’s cousin demanded.

  “Mallory, Sam, stand down,” Jenner said. “I’m not in the mood for this shit tonight.” He scanned the parking lot looking for more. “I know you want me dead, but at least show me your faces and come at me like the men you think you are.”

  The coyotes advanced and a few more came out of the shadows of the lot.

  “This isn’t Sam’s work,” the A.D.A murmured. “She’s too arrogant not to come at us straight on.”

  “You don’t know them,” Jenner’s cousin said. “The bitches will use every art of subterfuge to get to us.”

  The coyotes leaped as one and Jenner shifted, not wanting to take chances. If Sam and Mallory had gone to the trouble of trekking through the storm, they meant business.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Cordelia sat on the bed in the short gown she’d found laid out for her after her shower. The panties were almost scraps of lace that barely covered her butt, yet they were the sexiest underwear she’d ever worn.

  Cordelia pushed her hair onto one shoulder as she shifted her weight and wondered how they lived without the light or even the night peeking in on them. It would probably drive her crazy, especially since her dream house had a beautiful view.

  “Are you okay?” Mallory asked.

  Looking up, Cordelia found Mallory leaning against the doorway clad in a pair of little shorts and a t-shirt that brought out the color of her eyes. Her short hair was tousled as if she’d barely ran a towel through it after her shower.

  Her body was fit even with so much of it covered, and her dusky-brown skin was a lickable shade that reminded her of fresh baked cookies.

  Cordelia smiled faintly. “How do you live here without the light?”

  “We have artificial light, but it’s not rigged up in here. I sleep here once in a while. I have a private den which is also underground and accessible to my top lieutenants by tunnels.”

  “My dream house is above ground.”

  Mallory came in and sat down on the bed. “I’ll build you a home in the trees if you’re staying with me,” she said softly.

  “You wouldn’t like that.”

  “No, but a cabin on the ground with plenty of greenery to disguise it is doable,” Mallory said with a grin. “You can have your windows and I can have my privacy.”

  She caressed the back of Mallory’s hand resting on the bed next to hers. “That sounds lovely, but what about bugs and stuff like that?”

  “I can take care of it without killing the vines and trees,” Mallory informed her. “I’m not an expert in all-natural stuff, but I know my way around some of it. Besides, you’re a witch, you can hide our home, can’t you?”

  “Yes.” Cordelia smiled.

  Mallory leaned toward her. “Stay with me for a little while. If in six months you feel you have to go, I’ll let you.”

  Cordelia looked into pleading eyes. “I’ve never wanted to as much as I do right now.”

  “Then give us a chance,” Mallory urged and cupped the side of Cordelia’s face, thumb caressing lightly.

  The touch made her nipples peak and set her heart to beating faster. Cordelia chuckled. “You don’t do commitment. You don’t date.”

  “I do for you,” she murmured and kissed her.

  Cordelia sighed and leaned into the kiss, curling her arm around Mallory’s neck. Mallory had no idea how much she wanted that to be true. She was so used to leaving that looking for a reason had never been hard.

  On the other hand, she’d wanted to stay in this town the moment she saw Mallory.

  “I want you like I’ve never wanted any other woman,” Mallory murmured, her lips against Cordelia’s. She ran her hand down Cordelia’s arm as she kissed her jaw, trailing kisses to the side of her neck.

  Cordelia moaned. “Let me show you how much I want you,” she said, breathlessly.

  “Show me,” Mallory urged.

  Cordelia pushed her back on the bed and straddled her. She pushed Mallory’s t-shirt up and ran her hands up her chest to cup her firm breasts. She pinched the nipples before lowering her head to lick over one dark bud.

  Mallory gasped, her hands going to Cordelia’s hips. Cordelia drew them away and pushed them up above Mallory’s head.

  “Stay, just for a minute.” Cordelia used a thread of magick to keep Mallory’s hands where they were. Then, she rubbed her lower body against Mallory’s. “You’re so beautiful, Mallory,” she breathed. “I just want to eat you alive.”

  Mallory chuckled. “Just hope I don’t spank you for this.”

  “You won’t,” Cordelia murmured. “You love to top, but I have a feeling you’d enjoy playing bottom for a little while.”

  “Show me how good it could feel, angel,” Mallory challenged.

  Cordelia smiled at the look in Mallory’s eyes and used a spell to get rid of her shirt, then she raked her nails down her chest and Mallory growled low.

  Cordelia bent to kiss her collarbone, tracing kisses down to the top of one breast. She drew her tongue over the rise to the dark nipple. Cordelia licked around the areola, and Mallory tried to move.

  Cordelia traced the tip of her tongue over the soft flesh before flicking it over the taut peak. At the same time, she pinched the other nipple and Mallory groaned roughly.

  Cordelia smiled and took the tip into her mouth to suckle while tugging the other turgid peak.

  Mallory hissed. “Damn, Cordi,” Mallory said raggedly.

  Cordelia released her succulent flesh and turned her attention to the lightly abused twin. The arousal in Mallory’s eyes only increased the lust racing through her, making her wetter.

  She bit the fleshy curve of Mallory’s breast lightly.

  “Harder,” Mallory ordered.

  Cordelia ignored her and took the nipple between her teeth, biting down.

  “Fuck,” Mallory cried.

  Cordelia scraped her teeth along the tender point. She took it into her mouth as she ran her hand down between their bodies to slip her hand inside Mallory’s shorts.

  “Yes, angel. Touch me.” Mallory struggled against the invisible bindings, but only seemed to get more aroused by them.

  Cordelia drew on her nipple, the suction hard as she traced around Mallory’s erect clit. Her body was hot and slightly damp from the dew that was starting on her skin.

  Cordelia cooled her mouth and tongue and teased Mallory’s nipple.

  Mallory groaned in approval and Cordelia cooled her fingers, too. She caressed the hot flesh and Mallory’s hips jerked.

  “Cordi, you’re making me crazy,” she rasped.

  Cordelia pushed two fingers into Mallory’s slick pussy.

  “I can smell your arousal, Mallory, and it’s making me wetter.” Cordelia braced her hand against the mattress as she stroked her fingers into the tight cavern of her lover’s bod
y.

  Mallory’s hips undulated, sending Cordelia’s fingers deeper inside her.

  “Release my hands, now,” Mallory ordered.

  Cordelia did but didn’t stop taking Mallory with slow strokes. Mallory sat up and kissed her hard before tipping Cordelia onto her back.

  Mallory pushed the gown up and ripped Cordelia’s panties away. Then she swiped her tongue over one pink rose.

  Cordelia gasped as pleasure snaked through her. Sharp teeth raked over the tender flesh before Mallory’s hot mouth claimed it. She ran the pad of her thumb over the other nipple before giving it a light thump.

  Cordelia purred, the cat in her loving the claiming of the coyote.

  Mallory released the tight peak and turned her attention to its abraded twin. She gave the fleshy mound a light slap and then flicked the hard bead with her tongue and took it into her mouth.

  “Mmm,” Cordelia cried and pushed her fingers into Mallory’s short locks to pull. Her entire body was on fire, and she was drowning in it.

  Mallory licked her way down to Cordelia’s stomach sending ripples of heat coursing through her.

  Mallory settled between her thighs, kissing the insides before using two fingers of one hand to part the flushed lips and run her tongue up Cordelia’s moist slit.

  Cordelia purred and pressed Mallory’s head closer. Mallory licked around the hard nubbin of her clitoris as she worked her fingers into Cordelia’s wet pussy.

  “Oh, God,” Cordelia cried. “Mallory!” She was going into sensory overload and it felt so good.

  Mallory’s tongue lashed at her clit while she fucked her with deft thrusts. Cordelia scratched at Mallory’s back as her head thrashed on the pillow.

  “Oh, yes!” she screamed.

  Mallory withdrew her fingers and ran her tongue down to the entrance of Cordelia’s body where she thrust her tongue inside.

  Cordelia’s hips came off the bed, the pleasure curling around her and drawing her deeper into its thrall.

  Mallory used her thumb to work Cordelia’s swollen clit as she fucked her with her tongue.

  “Mallory!” Cordelia gripped Mallory’s head and thrust up into her mouth, the hunger inside her a wild beast seeking release.