by L. P. Maxa
“You took classes about all of that? Mating and shifting? Everything?” Molly’s eyes lit up, like she wanted all the information to flow from Penelope’s brain to her own.
“When I met Matias’s pack in Spain, they were so much more open about who they were. He said that their families had been living in packs since the beginning of time.” Madden got up and shut the bedroom door softly. “And they shifted constantly. They couldn’t go more than a day or two without needing to go for a run. Matias told me once it made his skin feel tight when he went too long.” She mimicked his thick accent when she spoke.
“Keller told me they don’t feel like it’s safe to shift right now. The Feds are around and they never know where Franklin is.” Molly frowned. “Keller has been a little cranky lately. I wonder if that’s why?”
“I’m sure that it’s starting to take its toll on all of them. Especially the young guys. It’s hard to control your shift at first and the more you do it, the better control you have.” Penelope didn’t realize that none of them had been changing into wolf form. They needed to. It would help them concentrate, it would help them all calm down a little.
“Even Linc has been super protective lately, and I feel like out of all the men, he’s the most lax.” Madden nodded slowly, like things were starting to make sense.
“Shifter males are protective over their mates, but it comes from a place of pure and total love. And honestly, survival. In some instances, when their mate leaves or dies, they die too.” Penelope wanted them to understand that it would never be easy, but that it would always be worth it. Making their females happy was ingrained in shifter DNA.
“Corey mentioned something about that. I think it happened to Dom’s father.” Molly’s voice was sad when she spoke. “His mother left when he was a kid and his dad didn’t live long after that.”
“The thing you always have to remember is they aren’t mad at you, not really. They’re frustrated and usually they’re battling an instinct to growl and snap. They’re shifter, but they’re raised as humans and expected to act like humans ninety-nine percent of the time.”
That was another thing she’d learned in her advanced history class. When shifters lived in packs, they didn’t have to hide that part of themselves. So in turn, they tended to act more like the wolves they could be instead of the people they were. “And their human side doesn’t always win.”
Madden snorted. “No shit.”
“No matter how bad you piss them off, they aren’t going anywhere. Don’t be afraid to let them walk away, because they will come back. Every time.” When she’d been forced into the class about mating, it was like she’d lost Baze all over again. She was faced with the life she’d never get to have, over and over again. Most days she’d leave class and go back to her room to cry. It was too much emotion to handle. “A shifter male will never let a day end in a fight. They literally can’t.”
“Can you be, like, our shifter life coach?” Molly reached for her hand, playfully begging.
“I’ll share as much knowledge as you guys want to hear.” She was actually growing fond of passing on everything she’d learned in Switzerland. It was almost as if it gave that dark period in her life meaning. “It really is a shame that St. Leasing isn’t teaching more in-depth classes like that.”
“Well, maybe after all this is over, you can teach at St. Leasing.” Madden bit her lips together, trying to tame her smile.
Two weeks ago, Pen would have laughed at the notion. But now it didn’t seem all that far-fetched. Once all this was over, she knew she didn’t want to be apart from Baze. And he wouldn’t be able to separate from his pack. So really her only option was to stay in Haxton and see what life with Baze Carter really looked like.
“How come nothing is happening to you and Baze? Not that I want your life to suck or anything, but why isn’t there any pain? Or weird episodes where un-bonded dudes try to mount you in hallways?”
Pen’s eyes jerked to Madden. “Un-bonded dudes tried to mount you in hallways?” She laughed lightly. “How did Linc take that?”
Madden pursed her lips. “Not fucking well.”
“Honestly, I don’t know why instinct hasn’t started wreaking havoc on Baze and me. When we were first separated, we both experienced the pain you’re talking about. In Latin it’s called Anima Diuelli.”
“What’s that translate to in English?” Molly always spoke softer than anyone else in the room. Pen liked it; she was almost like the constant calm in the storm.
“Roughly, it translates to is ripping. It’s talking about your soul though. Like, your soul is ripping.” Penelope was almost surprised that she’d retained all this knowledge from that class. Her head had been in the rain clouds most days, feeling sorry for herself and missing Baze. “And the other thing is called Calor Quaerere, which I think means like heat seek, or heat seeking. That one I didn’t have so I didn’t pay enough attention I guess.”
“Heat sounds about right. I’d get these intense hot flashes and then bam, someone would try to bang me.”
She liked Madden too; she was funny in a way that Pen appreciated. “I don’t know why we haven’t experienced any of those symptoms this time around. They didn’t teach that in class.” All she could remember was the stuff about true mates not being able to make it once they were separated. That made her cry as well, because she’d started to question her love for Baze. She’d started to wonder if any of it had been real at all. “We’ve only been back in the same time zone for a few days though.”
“So you guys never, like, sealed the deal?” Madden made a crude gesture with her hands and Molly swatted at her to stop.
“No. We, um, were interrupted by my father.” And two henchmen who she’d never seen before that night and had never seen again.
“Everyone says Baze is a whore.”
“Madden.” Molly slapped her on the leg. “Why would you say that to her?”
“Because they do.” Madden shrugged. “She said she needed time to know who Baze was, the man he’d become. I don’t think it’s fair for her to not have all the facts, do you?” She raised an eyebrow in question and Molly stayed quiet. “Linc says it, Corey says it. But I’m going to be honest with you, Pen, I’ve never seen it. I’ve never even seen him flirt with another female.”
Penelope never expected Baze to wait for her. When she thought of him, which she often did, she hoped that he wasn’t mated to someone else. She hoped that he still loved her. Even if they’d never get to be together, she was always comforted by the thought of him still caring for her. Still missing her. Because she still missed him. His having sex with other women never really factored in her mind. Sex didn’t matter to her; bonding did.
“I can handle him hooking up with random chicks. The one thing I could never stomach was the thought of him loving someone else.”
“And I never have.” All three women looked up, shocked to see Baze standing inside the door. He was staring at her, a sweet smile on his scruffy handsome face. “I have never, and I will never love another woman.” He stepped into the room and put his hands on the mattress, caging her in. “You are the only one for me, Pen.” He kissed her lips lightly before standing up straight. “Now, come on, pack meeting downstairs.”
He took her hand in his and together they walked out of the room.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Baze
He didn’t want to have a pack meeting. Nope. He’d wanted to send Molly and Madden out of their room and then push Pen back until she was lying down. And then he wanted to climb in between her—
“Are you even listening to me?”
Baze turned to Jace when he backhanded him in the gut. “What?”
“I asked if you wanted to start or if you wanted me to? I think the rest of the pack is beginning to get irritated that a seventeen-year-old is more in the know than they are.”
Jace was probably right. Riley and Jasper had both grumbled about it and Baze was sure that Linc, Kel, and
Dom had all picked up on it too. They hadn’t said anything, but he could feel the tendrils of tension starting to take root. “I’ve got it.”
Baze took a deep breath, trying like hell to clear thoughts of a naked Penelope from his brain. It was getting increasingly difficult to be around her and not try to tear the clothes from her body. He was starting to feel like a horny teenager again.
She was sitting in front of him in the same chair she’d occupied their first night in the house. He rested his hands on the back of it, letting his fingertips brush her neck and then smirking to himself when he saw goose bumps erupt on her skin.
“I met with Matias this evening at the warehouse where we’re keeping Ox.” Where they were keeping Ox. Now he was being kept in an unmarked grave on Jace’s mountain estate. “Matias did have some interesting things to say, and I think we are going to be able to use his help after all.”
“What kind of things? How is he going to help us?” Linc raised his chin and crossed his arms over his chest. It was more than obvious he didn’t care for Matias, the hot foreign god who used to party with his girl.
“He’s a hacker, he works with banks accounts and other funds of that nature.” Madden pursed her lips, ignoring her scowling mate. “He’s going to take Franklin’s cash flow away.”
She said it like a statement, not a question. But Baze answered her anyway, clarifying for the group. “Yes. Matias made some good points about Franklin, about the kind of man he is. We both feel like taking away his money shows him that he is not nearly as untouchable as he thinks he is.”
“I know you don’t like the thought of Matias being in this with us, but you have to admit that makes sense.” Dom clapped Linc on the back, making him almost fall off his seat on the couch. “Franklin has been kicking our ass for almost a year now. It’s time to turn the tables and hit back.”
“Aint’t that the fucking truth.” Keller leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his blond messy head.
“Well.” Baze sighed. “Glad you guys feel that way.”
“Because we’re also going to kill him.” Jace said the words like they meant nothing. Which was the exact thing Baze had been hoping to avoid, because queue Corey in three, two, one.
“Jace. Do you understand the emotional repercussions that can come from an event like that? You know that I am all for ending Franklin, but…”
“But nothing.” Jace shook his head, real emotion shining through his eyes when he looked at Corey. “He abused me. He tried to turn me into his clone. He’s hurt my brother and my friends. He tried to take my real family away from me, and I’m done letting him get away with it.”
“What about the Feds? What about Ox? I thought the plan was to get the information we needed to put Franklin away. Isn’t that why you guys have been working on him?” Molly looked like she was going to be ill.
And it was about to get worse. “Ox is dead.” Jace had excellent timing this evening. While Baze was searching his brain for a nice way to say something, Jace jumped in with blunt honesty. Go team Alpha-Beta.
“Ox was murdered at some point today, by Franklin. He left us a little note—”
“In Ox’s blood on the wall.”
“For fuck’s sake, man.” Baze turned his head to Jace, his eyes narrowed. “Can you ease up with the direct and dire details?”
Jace shrugged casually. “Franklin slit his throat.” He stepped toward the group, leaving his place at Baze’s side. “He was in the warehouse with Ox, a man who has worked for him for as long as I can remember, and instead of rescuing him? He killed him.” He scratched the back of his head. “We have nothing on Franklin. And he has everything on us. He threw Pen on our doorstep. His men have tried to rape two of our packmates. Riley probably has brain damage from all the concussions he’s received.”
“Jace is right.” Dom shook his head, like he couldn’t believe what he was saying. “We’re no closer to getting him thrown in jail than we were last year. We don’t have another option. If we don’t end him, he’ll end up ending us.”
Everyone was silent for a few moments, letting Dom’s words sink in. This really had become their only option. They’d tried to go the legal route, turning him over to authorities. But that had ended in people losing their lives. They’d tried to get the information themselves, and that hadn’t worked either. Every time they tried something, someone died or got hurt. It was time to put an end to it, once and for all. They were going to eliminate Franklin.
“So what’s the plan?” Keller put his hand on Molly’s back, pulling her closer to him.
“Matias is going to start taking his money, large chunks at a time so he notices.” Jace was standing back by Baze again, his tone heading back toward calculated. “Once he is pissed, he’ll act out. So we are about to batten down the hatches around here. So for the next four days, we are going to act as normal as we can. When you go to campus, get as much work done as possible.”
“Riley and Jasper, that means you too. Keep up with your schoolwork, turn it all in by Friday.” Baze pointed at the two youngest, making sure they understood. “On Sunday something is going to happen on campus to make classes on Monday and Tuesday impossible.”
They’d worked out a plan with Matias’s help. Not only was he good with wire transfers and bank codes, he was good with forging documents. There was going to be a possible asbestos scare at St. Leasing.
“We’re luring him here, to the house. This is where we’ll get him.” Jace crossed his arms over his chest, his spine straight.
Baze could see that Corey wanted to protest, that she didn’t like the idea of Jace giving up his safe space for something like that. But instead she surprised him when she asked, “What do you need from us?”
Riley looked at her like she was crazy and he put his hand on her belly. “You’re joking, right? You and the baby aren’t going to be here for that.” He leaned forward, looking past her to Dom. “Right? I mean, we’ve got to move them somewhere else.”
Dom nodded. “Of course, kiddo, we’re not going to let anything happen to anyone.” He moved his eyes off Riley and trained them on Baze. “Right?”
“The truth of the matter is this house is the safest place any of us can be. What if Franklin doesn’t take the bait, what if he goes right when we are wanting him to go left? There isn’t anywhere else we can put the girls to keep them safer than right here with us.” He wished that wasn’t the case. He wished that Jace had another safe house, or they had more time to secure a location. But they didn’t.
“We don’t have everything ironed out, but over the next few days we’ll all put our heads together and come up with a plan that everyone is comfortable with.” Jace glanced at Baze, seeking approval. Baze gave him a slight nod, letting him know that he’d done well. And he had, other than the gory little outbursts.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Penelope
It was becoming more and more apparent that Baze was alpha and Jace was beta. No one was mentioning it, but they were noticing. Jace and Baze led all the meetings, they had all the information. Even when Jace tried to take a step back and let only Baze lead, he always ended up jumping in.
Baze Carter, alpha of a modern-day American shifter pack. If her father could see him now. Well, he’d probably still call him trash and try to keep them apart.
She turned when the bathroom door opened and Baze walked back into the bedroom. He was wearing only a towel and there was a wall of steam behind him. He looked good enough to eat. She watched as he dried some of the water from his hair and then slid on his boxer briefs before tossing the towel into the hamper. Every time he’d gotten near her today, her body had responded.
Chills, goosebumps, heart flutters…she had all the signs of being in full-blown lust. Baze was the only man who had ever made her feel this way, had made her crave his touch. And his, um, other stuff.
“It was nice to see you spending time with Madden and Molly.”
“Yeah, it was fun.”
It’d been awhile since she’d gotten to simply sit and chat with girlfriends like that. “We actually talked a lot about shifter history and culture.” She laughed and took a seat on the bed. “They said once all this Franklin crap dies down I should teach a class at St. Leasing.”
“You should.” He climbed onto the mattress, lying down on his side. There were still droplets of water on his chest. She wanted to dip down and lick them away. Did he feel the same? She knew he wanted the claiming to happen; he’d been pretty vocal about it. But was the sight of her turning him on? “You’d make a great teacher.”
“I could teach a class in this house.” She licked her lips, her mouth actually watering at the sight of him. “I didn’t realize that Riley was the baby’s Custos Mundi.”
“Her what?”
“In English it translates to Guardian of the World, but I think it’s supposed to mean more like Cosmic Guardian.” She got up and went to the dresser. After they’d gotten home today, she’d discovered it was full of clothes for her. Baze had always been so thoughtful when it came to her, and she loved that that hadn’t changed.
“You know about that? His link to the baby?” Baze’s tone was one that held a bit of disbelief.
“Of course. I can tell them what I know, it’s really quite beautiful.” She grabbed some pajamas and headed to the bathroom for a shower. And to put some space between her and her hot AF first love.
“We could have saved some time and showered together, bumblebee.”
She stopped and looked over her shoulder, giving him a wicked little grin. “Maybe next time?”
Was she flirting with him? Was that smart?
