“Do you think he’s in pain?”
“Not much. If any. He’s asleep, baby. He’ll wake up when his body is ready.”
“Maybe he needs water.”
Griffen hauled her closer until she was almost completely on top of him. He snickered in her ear, but didn’t respond.
She curled into him, but noticed when he stiffened and tipped his head back. “Someone’s coming. Probably Melinda and Mimi.”
Rebecca hauled herself off his chest and scurried to the bathroom. “Clothes,” she muttered to herself.
Even though she’d seen Melinda buck naked last night, it didn’t mean she wanted to greet Miles’ sister and grandmother in a similar state.
When she emerged from the bathroom, she could hear Griffen speaking in the front of the house. He’d already let them in.
She padded quickly down the hall to catch up, glad to find Griffen at least in a pair of low-hanging jeans that made him look sexy as hell but covered his private parts.
Wolves had no modesty, she’d learned. Freaky weird.
Unlike the two other times Rebecca had met with Miles’ grandmother, the woman didn’t glare at her and pin her to the wall with her eyes. She was in a completely different mood this morning. Relieved?
The older woman sauntered up to Rebecca and hauled her into her small embrace. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” Rebecca was stunned. Who was this new Mimi Bartel?
“Good.” The woman patted her arm and headed back to the kitchen area. “Somebody pour an old woman some tea.”
Rebecca scrambled past everyone else to fill the tea pot. There was at least one thing she could do.
Melinda touched her arm. “You okay?”
“How many people are going to ask me that?” Rebecca forced a smile.
Melinda narrowed her gaze. “We’ll talk later.”
Rebecca nodded. She didn’t know what they might talk about later, but if it meant another fun night with Melinda over wine and corn chips, she was in.
As the four of them sat at the table with coffee and tea, a noise caught Rebecca’s attention. She twisted around to find Miles standing in the doorway.
He looked a little worse for wear—like a man who’d had the forty-eight hour flu and just now left the bathroom for the first time in two days. That was the most accurate description she could think of as he leaned on the doorframe.
But God he also looked so good to her.
She jumped up from her seat and ran to his side, gingerly wrapping an arm around his middle while gauging his reaction. His skin was warm. That was a good sign. And his chest looked unmarred. Last night it had been scratched and bleeding in several places. He stood before her now in his wolf-signature apparel—jeans—looking far better than last night.
He leaned on her as he padded toward the table, kissing the top of her head. “Coffee, love.”
“Got it.” Before she could turn around, Griffen had the pot and another mug. He filled the cup for Miles and set it in front of him.
Miles took a sip and moaned.
“You okay?” Mimi asked.
He nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
The older shaman furrowed her brow. “Melinda told me a bit about what happened last night. Tell me in your words.”
“It seems Peaceman lured me to his barn to kill me.” Miles closed his eyes and popped his neck back and forth several times, making Rebecca wince. “He yammered on about keeping the pack pure and not mixing with outsiders.”
“White men?” Mimi asked.
Miles shook his head. “I don’t think it’s about white or Indian. It seems he’s opposed to anyone of our tribe mating with anyone outside of it, of any race.” He hesitated, licking his lips. “He also mentioned Mom.”
Melinda flinched. “What did he say?”
“He said something about her mating with a white man and getting pregnant with a half-breed.” He shook his head and turned his gaze to his grandmother. “What the fuck could he possibly have been talking about? Do you know? Melinda and I are clearly not half anything. Unless we’re half human. How would we know? You’ve never mentioned a word about our father.” His voice was snarky.
His grandmother blew out a breath. “No, you aren’t half anything. Your father was from our tribe.”
“And?” Miles leaned forward, pushing his coffee out of the way. “You know some things you haven’t told us. If some elderly asshole is harassing my mate and threatening to kill me, I think now would be a good time to come clean.”
Melinda looked shocked, her jaw hanging open. “Grandma? He’s right. You’ve been tight-lipped for nearly three decades. I understand Mom is your daughter and it hurts you to speak of her disappearance, but she’s also our mother, and we have a right to know whatever you know.”
Mimi slumped in her seat, shrinking before their eyes.
“Who was our father? Is he alive?” Miles asked when Mimi didn’t speak quickly enough for his liking.
“I don’t know.” She met Miles’ gaze and then turned to face Melinda. “Your mother was raped by your father.”
Melinda’s eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open. “And you’re just now telling us this?”
“Why would you need to know? How would that have ever helped you in any way? It was a horrible time in your mother’s life. I’ve never wanted you two to feel the misery she felt.”
“And she didn’t tell you who raped her?” Miles prodded.
“She didn’t know. She never saw him. He came up behind her, slipped something over her head, and then took her brutally one night when she was walking home. It was late. She never had a chance. She only knew he was large, drunk, and spoke with a slur.”
“But he was from our tribe? Couldn’t she identify him by scent?”
“Of course, if she’d ever known anyone with that scent before or encountered them afterward. But she did not.”
“That’s crazy. There aren’t that many of us.” Miles stiffened to the point that Rebecca worried for him. The vein above his left eye bulged with anger.
“Well, smarty pants,” Mimi continued, “tell me something I don’t know. You think we didn’t try? I went to the authorities immediately. It’s not that simple. Our people are spread out in this area of the reservation. There are plenty who live a reclusive life and are barely accounted for. In addition, we can’t rule out someone who left the reservation at some point. Perhaps even a family that left over a century ago.”
Miles leaned back again, deflated. “Sorry, Grandma. You’re right.”
Mimi also relaxed.
Melinda picked up the conversation. “Tell us what you know about Mom. What happened when she disappeared?”
Rebecca held her breath, soaking in all this information, grateful Griffen sat to her side, holding her hand tight. He was as absorbed as she was.
Mimi took a breath. “Joyce was such a good and doting mom to you two. Even though you were conceived from a rape, she never once felt anything but love for you. You two were three when all this went down. You and your mother lived with me. Joyce came home one day, and I knew immediately she was pregnant.”
“What?” Miles nearly shouted the word.
The older shaman lifted a hand. “Let me speak, son.” She shot him a glare that insinuated she’d raised him better than to interrupt her. “She never said a word. I’m not sure she knew. But I realized about a week before she disappeared.”
“Grandma,” Melinda said in a whisper, “do you know what happened to Mom?”
Mimi shook her head. “Of course not, child.” She grabbed her granddaughter’s hand on the table and held it tight. “But I did know she had mated.”
Miles gasped. “Seriously? With whom?”
“That I don’t know. She never said a word. She acted very nervous and stressed that last week. I scented the mating on her immediately. She would have known I knew, so I kept my mouth shut, assuming she would tell me the obvious when she was ready.
“I figured
she had her reasons for keeping the details of her mating to herself. She didn’t come to the house much that week. Naturally. When she did, it was to fly through and squeeze you both tight and kiss you soundly.” She gave both Miles and Melinda a look of supreme sorrow.
And then she continued. “She loved you both so much. You were her world. If you know nothing else, know that.”
“And now she’s dead, and we may never know what happened to her,” Miles groaned.
Silence filled the room.
Rebecca could feel the crackling of nerves as Melinda cleared her throat. “She’s not dead.”
Miles flinched and sat up straighter. “Come again?”
Mimi shook her head. “I agree.”
“Why have neither of you ever mentioned this?” Miles asked.
Melinda shrugged. “We don’t know it for sure. It’s a feeling. A hunch.”
Mimi agreed. “I think I would know in my heart if my baby were no longer walking this earth.” She set her tiny, dark, wrinkled palm across her chest. “My mate went to the other side many years ago, even before you two were born. You know that. But I tell you I can feel that loss every day stabbing me in the chest. It’s potent.
“I do not get that vibe from Joyce. She’s my child. I gave birth to her. She walks this earth still.”
“Then where is she?” Miles asked the unnecessary question.
“I wish I knew, son. We may never know.”
“Fuck.” Miles slapped the table and then ran his hands through his hair. “This is insanity. Do you suppose Randal had something to do with her disappearance? He spoke as though he’d personally killed her.”
Melinda spoke next. “Every able-bodied member of the tribe is out looking for him.”
“Does anyone know anything about his son? Is he still around?” Miles asked.
Melinda shook her head. “He hasn’t be around for years. He was a drunk. Always has been as far back as anyone can remember.”
“Shit.” Miles twisted his face in confusion. “That narrows it down to about a thousand suspects.” He rolled his eyes. “Randal said he did everything in his power to chase off Rebecca. He told me so. I think we have to assume he trashed her place and mine and took pictures of us and sent those e-mails to her work. Hell, maybe he even blew up that transformer when he left her place.”
Griffen spoke next. “Well, at least that explains the parts of the equation that didn’t seem plausible involvement from spirits.”
“Are you saying there was never any spirit trying to get our attention?” Rebecca winced at the idea.
Melinda shook her head. “Not at all. I think both things were coincidentally happening in tandem. I think it’s safe to say the spirits worked hard to align your mating and keep you safe from the earthquake.”
Rebecca nodded. That seemed reasonable.
Miles had his eyes narrowed, thinking. “I’m not buying it.”
“Not buying what?” Griffen asked.
“Randal, traipsing all over the place to start fires and send e-mails. The guy lives in the middle of nowhere. I can’t imagine he’s ever seen a computer, let alone sent an e-mail, and how do you suppose he found out we were mated so fast? Somebody took those pictures of us on the front porch the morning after we claimed Rebecca. Few people would have known we were mated at the time, and fuck—” Miles paused, jerking his gaze up, “—there were two reservation cops canvasing the property.”
“He’s right,” Mimi agreed.
Rebecca was confused. “I thought he all but confessed to harassing me?”
“He did, but I don’t think he acted alone.”
“Who would have helped him?” Griffen asked.
“His son,” Melinda responded. She pushed her chair back as she pulled out her phone, already dialing.
Miles jumped to his feet also. He ran a hand through his hair. “Randal Junior? The guy hasn’t been seen in years. Who the heck are you calling?” he asked his sister
“Detective Graves. We need to know who was here that morning. If someone was close enough to take pictures of your front porch, how did the two cops on duty not scent him?”
Chapter Thirty-Three
To say Miles was stressed was putting it mildly. It took forever to speak to the authorities about what happened. After Melinda called them, they arrived within fifteen minutes—Harry Graves and Corbin Archers, one of the two officers who had patrolled the morning after Miles and Griffen claimed Rebecca. They already knew the gist of what went down from Melinda’s perspective the night before, but the new concern was the location of Randal Junior, whom everyone agreed was probably connected to the crime.
And in fact, lo and behold, the man had been seen in a bar on the west side of Sojourn drinking himself stupid for many hours the night before. Even more damning was that quite a few members of the tribe confessed to having seen him in recent weeks after years of absence.
Now they just needed to wait until he fucked up and got caught. As stupid as he was, he would surely show his face in one of the many bars in town as soon as he slept off last night’s hangover in whatever hole he’d crawled into.
No one had seen the older Randal since the night before, either.
Police from the reservation were stationed at both Randal’s residence and Miles’ house.
Corbin Archers had patrolled the house the morning the photo on the porch was taken. He was as perplexed as anyone as to how that would have been possible. The other officer on duty that morning had been Louis Wiseman. Hopefully he would be able to shed some light on the situation, but he wasn’t on duty now, and no one had been able to reach him.
Four hours later, Miles was finally alone with his mates. He needed a break from life.
It was Rebecca who lured him and Griffen into the bedroom. It was also Rebecca who encouraged the two of them to sit while she stripped off her clothes in a slow tease.
His sweet mate had nothing but distraction on her mind, and he loved her for it.
In the quiet of their home, she kneeled in front of them and reached for both their cocks with her flat palms.
Miles nearly lost his mind as he watched her tits bounce at his knees.
Griffen groaned next to him.
Rebecca didn’t say a word as she popped the button on first Miles’ jeans and then Griffen’s. Next she moved on to zippers, lowering one and then the other.
When they were both free, Miles took her hand. “Love, you’re making my cock ache just watching you kneeling in front of me.”
“Mmm.” The imp leaned forward and licked the tip of his engorged dick.
He had to grit his teeth to endure the way she lapped at his precome. And then she wrapped her fingers around his shaft and held him while she gave Griffen the same treatment.
Back and forth she worked, licking one cock while she stroked the other with one hand. She swirled her tongue around the tip several times. Every time she switched, Miles cringed to have her lips back on his cock. He couldn’t complain, though. The scene was so erotic, he hoped it never ended.
His mate knew how to take his mind off his problems.
Finally, she sucked him in deep, unexpectedly.
He dug his feet into the floor and lifted his torso as her lips devoured him as far as she could. One pass was all he got, and then she moved to Griffen.
Griffen groaned. He would have anticipated the move he’d just witnessed on Miles.
“She’s torturing us,” Miles said into Griffen’s mind only.
“Such sweet torture…” Griffen returned.
“I say we turn the tables.”
Griffen turned his head to meet Miles’ gaze and smiled.
In sync, the two of them reached down and hauled their delectable mate off the ground. They separated on the bed and pulled her up between them.
She gasped at the unexpected move. “I was enjoying myself.”
“You were teasing us,” Miles said, his lips tight. “And I know just how to pay you back.”
> Her eyes went wide.
“Griffen, how about you arrange our little mate here on the bed while I find that rope.”
She crawled backward. “Rope?”
“You said you wouldn’t mind a little rope. We don’t forget these things,” Griffen explained while Miles headed for the closet.
When he returned, he dangled the soft nylon in front of him. “Scoot into the center, love. Arms above your head.”
She stared at him, visibly swallowing her trepidation. “You took me seriously.”
“Hell yes.” Griffen yanked her closest leg and tugged her toward the center until she fell onto her back.
Miles rounded to the other side of the bed and took one of her tiny hands in his. He kissed each knuckle and then her palm before he wrapped the smooth rope around her wrist and then attached her hand to the headboard. He tossed the other long end of the rope to Griffen and watched as his mate did the same on his side.
Rebecca sucked in a breath. Her arousal shot sky high as they slowly secured her.
Miles could smell her secretions even though she had her legs drawn up, her knees pressed together.
•●•
Rebecca couldn’t breathe while she watched her mates climb languidly onto the bed. She had indeed asked for this. She had not, however, expected them to take her seriously. “Guys…”
“Shh, love.” Miles set a hand on her thigh and pressed outward. “No talking. Spread your legs for us.”
She bit her lower lip, but couldn’t seem to separate her knees. She’d never felt so exposed. Open.
She’d been with them for two weeks. Two weeks that seemed a lot longer when she considered what they’d been through together, how many times they’d made love to her, and how she felt about them.
But this… This was different. Their dominance had always been subtle. This wasn’t subtle.
Griffen reached for her other thigh and eased her legs apart. “Keep them open, or we’ll tie them also.” He raised one eyebrow at her in warning.
Rebecca shivered from head to toe, her entire body shaking at his words. Renewed moisture filled her pussy, slipping out and down to her butt crack at his words.
Rebecca's Wolves (Wolf Masters Book 6) Page 25
