by Lauren Dane
“I haven’t known Grace very long or I’d just go away for half an hour but I don’t like the idea of not being here, of not seeing what happens.” Cade’s agitation jittered through the link.
Grace stood and went to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Jameson. Their metabolism would work fast to overcome the alcohol but it would take the edge off and goodness knew they all had enough edge at the moment.
She poured two stiff shots for herself and handed one to Cade and refilled it. He grinned and shrugged, taking the second and then a third.
“You don’t have to drive. You want one, Jack?”
He laughed, a rich, warm sound. “I have a driver too so why not? I must say before that though, I don’t need it. I’m plenty relaxed.”
“Incorrigible. All male wolves when they know they’re getting sex are just incorrigible,” Grace muttered.
Jack laughed, drank the shots, unbuckled his belt and freed his cock.
She blinked and he sent her a grin so wicked it turned her knees to rubber.
“That’s better. Enough talking, let’s get to it, shall we? I was thinking, Grace, that you would look very sexy on top. So petite and lovely. But you’re not ready just yet I wager so I think Cade and I need to take care of that.”
“Ready?” Her brain struggled to function but the scent of aroused male wolf hung in the air, distracting her mightily. Her wolf recognized its mate in Cade and rolled against her human skin but in Jack, her wolf paused and then responded, knowing the anchor bond was there. The bond that would save a female wolf should she lose her mate. Jack would be more to her than just some other handsome male, he’d be part of her mate bond with Cade, someone very special. A male could only serve as an anchor bond if he was unmated and hadn’t served as an Anchor for any other female. The way the bond worked was that the higher in power a wolf was, the smaller the group of compatible anchor wolves was as well due to the need to be comparable in power or related.
“Don’t think so hard, honey. Just relax and enjoy this.” Cade moved to stand behind her. His lips skated up her neck briefly before he moved back long enough to pull her shirt off.
Another set of lips, this one Jack’s, pressed against her belly. He undid the waist of her pants and pulled them down, along with her panties, until she stood totally naked between two Alpha wolves. She nearly giggled but held it in, letting the warmth of the alcohol slide through her system, loosening her limbs and her inhibitions.
“You’re so pretty. Oh I do love breasts like yours. So perky, nipples so big and sensitive. I bet you never wear a bra.” He smoothed his hands up her belly and back down her thighs, his thumbs brushing against her very wet pussy. “Lean back against Cade, sweetheart,” Jack said and Cade took a step back, taking her upper body with him. Her eyes drifted closed as Cade’s fingers began their tug and roll of her nipples.
She nearly jumped from her skin when Jack’s tongue slid against her clit as he pushed her thighs wide and devoured her pussy. The sensation stole her breath.
What to do with her hands? Deciding to just go for it, she sifted her fingers through Jack’s hair with one hand and reached behind her to unbutton and unzip Cade’s pants and grab his cock with the other. With a soft grunt in her ear, he pressed forward into her fist. He might have felt a bit tense but there wasn’t much of a doubt he was pretty turned on right then.
“I like seeing his mouth on you,” Cade whispered. “I like knowing he’ll never be able to taste you again but I know from experience that your taste is unforgettable.”
How did he do that? Her body shivered in response as Jack’s tongue lapped at her pussy. Orgasm approached quickly and stole over her as she arched back into Cade.
He lifted her up and over Jack and she found herself sliding down his cock. “Sweet Christ. Grace, you’re so tight,” Jack gasped out.
“It’s a good thing the alcohol hasn’t affected your staying power,” she moaned and Cade bit the back of her neck.
“What the hell did you just do? Her cunt rippled around me and nearly made me come right then.”
“I know my woman. Know her taste. Know the feel of the delicate skin just at the back of her neck.” He said it like a taunt and Jack laughed.
“But my cock is buried in her right now. That must suck for you. For me? Not so much.”
This time Cade laughed. “Smartass.”
“Hi, my name is Grace and I’m the girl in this sandwich. Can we, um, focus please? I know this is some sort of odd dominance thing you two are up to but how about you both do what needs to be done to finish the tri-bond and then you can go outside and punch each other or spit or whatever you all do.”
Cade answered with a tongue sliding up her spine and a series of sharp bites as he went. Jack just laughed and continued to fuck into her body with rolls of his hips. One of his hands slid between them and the other trailed down the curve of her ass. Suddenly fingers worked in concert, some on her clit, the others tickling across her ass and against her perineum.
A strangled gasp of pleasure came from her and she started to lean forward against Jack’s chest but Cade brought her against him, his mouth moving to hers, swallowing the sounds she made, even as climax came. His eyes held hers, not giving her the room to think about anything but him.
“Enjoy it, honey, but don’t forget who’ll be delivering your pleasure every day until the end of time,” he said against her lips.
Never had she been with anyone who was so dominant, so powerful and totally sure of his allure. It was overwhelming and as much as it sort of embarrassed her to admit, totally and ridiculously sexy.
“Bastard,” Jack grunted and came, holding her hard against him tight. Cade laughed, his hair tickled her cheek. “You got that right.”
Jack gave a long, satisfied sigh and the anchor bond began to settle and take root, knocking her off balance. Cade picked her up and held her against his body, rocking back and forth, speaking softly. Jack slowly stroked up and down her leg and after a bit, she began to calm and come back to herself.
“Thank you, Jack. Truly.” Cade shook Jack’s hand. Jack took the hint and after pressing a kiss to Grace’s still bare shoulder, stood and tucked himself back in his pants.
“It’s an honor. Grace, sweetheart, thank you for sharing yourself with me. Should you ever need anything you know to come to me, right?”
Grace looked up at him through her hair and blushed, staying pressed against Cade to hide her nakedness. Cade liked that.
“Cade, I’ll be speaking to you soon. Keep us apprised of the situation with the virus, all right? Grace, you take care of yourself and don’t let anyone push you around. You’re a brave woman and my Anchor. Be well and keep Cade in line.”
“Thank you, Jack. Please be safe.” Grace sat up but Cade put his arm around her, over her breasts and she leaned into him.
“You too, sweetheart. I only hope my mate is half as special as you are.”
And with that, he grabbed his bag, slipped on his shoes and was gone, leaving them there alone.
She was safe and their bond was complete. For a moment Cade let himself be totally satisfied.
“How about a bath? I’ll wash your hair and get to all those hard to reach spots.” He kissed the top of her hair.
“Extra hot?”
“Small price to pay to see you naked and wet, I must say.” Standing, he continued to hold her as he made his way toward the bathroom. He liked how small she felt against him, as sexist as it probably was, he had to admit he dug their size difference. Especially because he knew it didn’t have a darned thing to do with her strength.
Chapter Seven
“It’s going to be just fine,” Dave said as he moved in front of Grace. Dave had become Cade’s full-time guard when Lex had met Nina and Megan was Nina’s guard. Not wanting to complicate ma
tters any further by raising resentment against Grace if he took Megan from Nina, Cade ordered Megan, who was now the head of Lex’s Enforcers, to appoint a guard for Grace immediately upon their return.
Cade didn’t know if it would be just fine or not, but he appreciated his cousin’s sentiment nonetheless. Dave had taken to Grace right away. The two were a lot alike. Dave very rarely said anything unless he had to either. Dave could snap a neck with lightning speed of course, and he topped nearly seven feet tall, making Grace look even tinier, but still.
“What are you snorting about?” Grace asked as he grabbed her hand and kissed it. They were making their way off the plane and toward the satellite room where he could see a whole mess of Wardens gathered.
“Nothing. Have I told you how beautiful you look?”
“Only fourteen times. But fifteen won’t hurt. Look, I’m not going to run away. This won’t be easy of course, but you’re mine and I didn’t make it through med school and get through every day in an emergency room without breaking by being a pushover.”
Her hair was pulled back and a delicate strand of freshwater pearls lay against the pale skin of her neck. Her sweater was cashmere, the slacks a soft wool. She looked elegant and regal. She looked like a queen.
He saw his parents. His mother wore a big smile and pushed away from the group to approach with her hands open to take Grace’s.
“Grace, honey, this is my mother, Beth Warden.”
“I’m so pleased to meet you, Grace. Welcome to our family and to our Pack. We’ve waited a long time for you.”
Well, that was easier than he thought. His mother’s support would go a long way toward how any of the other wolves would feel about Grace.
“Welcome to Cascadia. I’m Henri, Cade’s father. Be at home in our family.” He bent and kissed each one of Grace’s cheeks after giving the official words to welcome her to the Pack.
Lex walked forward. “Nina is still in bed. She insisted I come.” He gave Grace a once over and Grace raised one of her eyebrows and gave him one right back, her arms crossed over her chest.
The group remained silent until Layla pushed forward. “Get over it, Lex,” she muttered before looking to Grace. “My goodness, you’re lovely. I’m Layla and we’re so glad to have you. We have better manners than this. I apologize.” She jerked her head toward Lex.
Grace stepped forward and took Layla’s hands. “Thank you.” She looked to his parents. “And thank you. Your welcome means a lot to me. I didn’t have any real family life since the Pellinis were shunned from Great Lakes. I left and lived outside the world of wolves.”
“Let’s get out of the open, please.” Dave put a hand at the small of Grace’s back and urged them all forward.
“Yes, let’s go home. Nina will be anxious.”
“How’s she been?” Cade asked his brother quietly. Grace tensed up and pulled away from him and he gritted his teeth a moment.
“Worried.”
At the cars, Grace had positioned herself next to Dave with his father on her other side. “Why don’t you ride with Lex?” she asked blandly before turning back to his father who got the pretty smile he should have received.
Megan smacked his arm and shoved him in the other car. “You’re both total fucking idiots,” she growled as she pulled away, following the other cars back to the house.
“What?”
“You, Lex, I should kick you in the junk for not even welcoming your Alpha to the Pack. Your brother’s mate. Asshole! And you, Cade, what is your problem? You didn’t even introduce her to Lex. No, you asked about Nina.”
She took a corner sharply and he had to hold on.
Lex swore colorfully. “I had her checked out. She’s clean. She’s been working at the public hospital for four years in the emergency room. She graduated at the top of her class. She could be making a hell of a lot more in private practice, by the way. She took a leave of absence seven months ago. No arrest record. Lots of public service. Started a program getting medical services out on the streets to the homeless population.”
“You did a background check on my mate?” Outrage at his brother coursed through Cade.
“I did a background check on my mate too. It’s what I do, Cade. Your judgment is clouded by the mate bond. Mine isn’t.”
“Is that so? You don’t even know her and you’ve judged her. She can’t help who her brother is but damn it if she didn’t risk her life to get us the information she did. She saw someone hurting in her ER and she gave up her entire life to help. That says more than any background check you could have.” Cade had wanted to pop his brother in the nose more than a few times in his life but never more than that moment.
“You’re bringing her home to live in the same house as my wife and child. I won’t apologize for checking her out. The Pack is my responsibility too. I had to be sure you weren’t thinking with your dick.”
Megan hit the brakes a bit hard then and Cade saw the flash in her eyes in the rearview.
“Fuck. You. If you don’t like it, move your ass out. I won’t have my wife, my mate, treated with anything less than the respect she’s due. She’s your Alpha, Lex.”
“I know.”
“What?”
“She’s on the level. She’s my Alpha and she’s due my respect.”
Cade turned and glared at his brother. “You got me in trouble with her over this?”
“Ha!” Megan exploded from the front seat. “You got yourself in trouble asking about Nina right after Lex snubbed her. She might be little but the both of you better wear a cup for a while.”
“I didn’t snub her. I just wanted to get a feel for what she was like. She’s strong. A tiny little thing for Christ’s sake, but tough. I suppose you don’t deal with the hell of an ER for years without being hard. She just sounds so soft and gentle.” Lex chuckled. “She and Nina are going to clash.”
“I know. But, Lex, my responsibility is Grace. So Nina has to deal. Her week is nearly up. I can’t keep Grace from living fully in her own house.”
“Her week is up tomorrow and she’s already chomping at the bit to get up and move around. The doctor was over this morning and everything seems fine with the baby. I suggest we back off and let the two of them find their way through this. Nina loves you and she only wants the best for you and the Pack. Pellini had her brother killed.”
“Warren Pellini did. Grace had nothing to do with that. And Nina has a fucking criminal record, I didn’t flip out about that. What has Grace done except have the bad luck of who she was born to?”
The cars began to pull up the long drive to the house. Two more checkpoints had been added since the declaration of war so it took longer than normal and by the time Megan got the car pulled into the garage, Grace was already on her way inside with her bags being carried by one of the other wolves.
“I’ve decided to assign Evan to you, Cade, and Dave will work with Grace. It’ll be best that way. He knows her and likes her. She’ll be more comfortable I think. Someone needs to think of her comfort,” Megan snapped before she got out and scanned the area while Lex and Cade went into the house, following the noise.
* * *
The nerve of the man. Grace sat as far away from Cade as she possibly could, right between his mother and grandmother. She wasn’t going to run in and check on Nina, that was for sure.
Lex disappeared and Grace could tell Cade wanted to follow but instead approached her. She turned to listen to his grandmother but Cade just knelt at her feet and took her hands in his.
“Honey, would you like a tour of our house? See the deck in the moonlight? Let me apologize?”
She withheld an undignified snort but his grandmother laughed. “Very nicely done, Cade. Your grandfather would have been proud. Saw him on his knees like that to me more than once. I suggest a present to go
with it next time. And there will be a next time, Grace. That’s who the Warden men are.”
Beth put her arm around Grace and squeezed. “Things won’t be easy for a bit. I know people will judge you for your name. But your name is Warden now and they’ll have me to contend with. Go on, forgive him and then go meet Nina. She’s having a bit of a sulk I imagine. I’ll go in when you two go on the tour. I’m sure you’ve heard this but I’ll say it too, Nina is a good person. She’s protective and she loves this Pack. She’s had Cade to herself for a long time and she won’t want to share at first but she’ll realize she has to. Because Cade is yours as surely as Lex is hers. Now that you’ve got an Anchor perhaps you might understand that a bit more. I don’t make excuses for rudeness, believe me some people named Lex and Nina are going to hear from me on that score. But I do believe in second chances and I hope you do too.” She kissed Grace’s temple and waited for Grace to look at Cade, sigh and hold out her hand to let him help her up.
Grace did understand a bit. She felt a connection to Jack, even with the distance. He felt hers in some sense and if they all lived under one roof it would have been more difficult. But still, Cade was hers, even if he was being an ass.
He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and led her through to the kitchen. A woman’s touch was evident in the large space. Not a decorating choice she’d have made, but it wasn’t bad.
“The kitchen.” He opened French doors and they went out onto a huge deck that wrapped around the entire back of the house.
She moved to the railing and looked out over the trees and the city beyond in the distance.
“Beautiful isn’t it? This is all Cascadia land. Safe to run on at any time. We’ve stepped up security of course but just let Dave know and feel free. I’d like to run with you but if I’m not around.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I ripped Lex a new one in the car on the way back. He realizes he misjudged you and I expect he’ll say the same to you himself. I love you, Grace. I want you to be happy.”
