They reached the base to find the cargo plane loaded and ready for takeoff. When he hauled her into his arms, she opened her mouth to protest.
“Don’t bother. Won’t make a difference.” Axe marched up the platform and into the plane. He strapped her in on the bench and snapped himself in next to her.
She struggled to stay awake when the plane rolled down the runaway. Her eyelids drooped a few times and finally stayed closed.
Axe wrapped an arm around her and fitted her thigh-to-thigh against him. Only then did he relax. “You booked a hotel?”
Jaz had been busy on the phone since their initial takeoff.
“Yeah. The Hampton Inn closest to the base.” Jaz shot his sister a frown. “This isn’t going to be easy for her to accept.”
“I know. I’ll make it work for her,” Axe declared, meaning every word.
He dozed off and on, waking up often to check Tania’s breathing and color.
Lycus and Jaz played poker.
He marveled when she slept through the landing. Axe glared at Jaz when he attempted to wake her. They made it to the hotel before she stirred. Blinked a few times, and then shot up straight in his lap in the passenger seat of Axe’s truck.
After unscrewing a water bottle’s cap, he offered it to her.
She gulped down every drop and swiped a hand over her lips. “Thanks.”
“Welcome. Here’s the plan. You and Jaz get some sleep. Lycus has arranged for a rental car to be delivered in a couple of hours. Do whatever shopping you need to do. This afternoon you two will drive up to my house, and we’ll have dinner and discuss your next steps. Okay?” Axe banked his soaring need to keep his mate at his side.
She nodded, but averted her gaze from his.
Jaz opened the passenger door and offered his hand. “Let’s go, sis.”
She dropped the water bottle into the rear holder.
Axe unbuckled them.
Tania grabbed her brother’s hand, hopped off Axe’s lap, and onto the sidewalk.
“I got her, Senior Chief. Later.” Jaz cupped his sister’s elbow.
Lycus handed Axe the keys and leveraged across the gear stick into the front passenger seat. He belted in, set his cap over his face, and slouched down.
Still fighting the pull of his mate, Axe slammed out of the back seat and leaped into the driver’s. He adjusted the steering wheel and keyed the ignition. Leaving that Hampton Inn proved a harder feat than surviving Hell Week.
He had to bite back the temptation to pull a hard U-turn twice.
After he dropped Lycus off, Axe negotiated the winding two-lane road to the home he’d built near the top of the highest mountain ridge overlooking San Diego. Knowing the hours until he saw his mate again would plod by slower than slag, he went straight to the workout equipment in the basement. Stripped, donned gym shorts and sneakers, and selected his most punishing workout routine.
While warming up with a mix and match burpee drill Lycus had invented, Axe analyzed the situation and made two adjustments to their plans. Being exiled wouldn’t hit Tania fully for a few days. She would no longer have any Wylfen protection. Any shifter could mate claim her against her will.
After he finished exercising Axe made a couple of calls, and sent out a flurry of emails. Then he spent two hours analyzing the information Jaz had downloaded from Triple W’s server.
He whiled away a couple of hours catching up on his reports. Made a quick trip to the grocery to shore up on supplies for dinner. He usually did all his shopping on base, but didn’t want to waste time going back and forth.
By four-thirty he’d prepped the meal, grilled steak, baked sweet potatoes, steamed green beans, and a garden salad. Not a regular cook, he’d planned ahead, and purchased everything pre-packaged and microwaveable.
Lycus called and they discussed their next steps.
Axe showered and shaved. Shrugged on a pair of worn jeans, and a short-sleeved T. Had a beer on the porch and watched the all-weather metal clock on the wall inch its way to five thirty.
Jaz arrived with his most precious of cargo exactly on time.
An hour later, Axe couldn’t stop staring at Tania, his mate, standing in his backyard. Axe hoped she’d fall in love with the property the way he had.
“How’s she holding up?” Axe flipped the steak on the grill. He followed Tania as she ambled along the wooden fence that delineated his property.
“Not as shell-shocked as I’d expected. She got a formal notice from The Senior Council forbidding her to have contact with any Wylfen an hour before we left the hotel. Fucking assholes had it couriered here.” Jaz scrabbled a hand over his buzz cut.
“That was fucking fast. I want both of you out of that hotel tonight. Viktor must’ve assigned at least two of his security teams to track you and Tania. Until I went through the data you hacked, I had no idea how wide Viktor’s net spreads. You’ll be safe once you’re on base and in training, but Tania won’t be safe anywhere but here.”
“Agreed. Don’t for a fucking moment believe that means we’re not going to go one-on-one about you claiming her. ‘Cause we fucking are.” Jaz tipped the beer bottle to his mouth.
“You wouldn’t last three minutes against me. Has Tania asked about the scent mask? Did she connect the dots to Eva?” Axe basted the four steaks.
“Negative. She hasn’t asked about Prymal, either. I keep waiting for her to pummel me with questions like she usually doses.”
“She’s still in shock. You handle the tablet thing?” Axe had arranged for one of their Prymal pack members to sweep Tania’s hotel room and destroy anything he’d touched including her tablet. Axe didn’t intend to allow any Wylfen alpha to be able to trace his scent.
“Yeah. I got her a new one, and I ordered a replacement for her work tablet be sent to Chez Noir. Tania emailed Mom. It bounced back. I tried calling Breede and Mishe. They’re not picking up. Dad answered when I rang him. He’s petitioned the council for formal dissolution of all our pack rights. He told me not to contact him again. Under any circumstances.”
“Shit. He’s really going to sever all contact?”
“Definitely. My father’s a hard man. But Uncle Viktor’s worse. And he’s the alpha. I expect no mercy. Everything’s going to be done by the rules. That’s not what concerns me most right now.”
Axe rolled his shoulders all too aware of the other wolf’s hackles spiking at his neck. “Cut the alpha crap. Your sister is my mate.”
“Funny, she doesn’t seem to know that. Because you haven’t claimed her,” Jaz snarled, his eyes glowing golden.
“She has to claim me first. Those are the rules we agreed on. Don’t fuck with our agreement, pup.” Axe glimpsed Tania swinging around and heading in their direction.
The halo gradually dimmed from Jaz’s eyes. He shook his head and swiped a couple of drops of saliva from the corner of his mouth. “I better get a shit lot better at controlling my wolf over the next few weeks. Eva tested me last week. There’s not a drop of Genlarium left in my system. It’s taken three months. It’s only been two for Tania.”
“I know.” Axe made a mental note to ask Lycus about the results of the labs he’d run on Tania’s saliva. “It only took two for Eva. Maybe the timeline’s different for females. This is new territory for you Wylfen. I owe you, Jaz, for taking Tania off the Genlarium. If you hadn’t done that, I don’t know if we’d be together now.”
“There’s no way I could’ve let her continue to take it. She’s my twin. I want to ask Eva to speak to Tania. But, with what recently happened…” Jaz skated a hand over his jaw.
“Yeah. It’ll have to wait.”
Axe poked the steak. It gave. “Grub’s done. Go get your sister.”
He kept an eye on Jaz and Tania while grabbing three plates and the appropriate cutlery.
His lot had a clear view of San Diego and the coastline. He had chosen a home in the hills rather than one closer to the base. It meant two forty-minute commutes every day, but he lik
ed the solitude of the rural area. And between him and Lycus, they had purchased almost the entire hillside.
So far she’d avoided any eye contact with him.
That had to change right away.
Axe arranged the plates on the picnic table centered on the wide deck, popped the cork on a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, and poured four glasses. He kept Tania in his peripheral vision and gorged himself on her perfume when she paused at the base of the steps to the deck.
“Hop to it, sis. My stomach’s eating itself.” Jaz nudged his sister.
She flashed her brother a wry smirk and grabbed the handrail. “Your stomach’s always in that condition.”
Tania’s gait faltered when she neared the table.
Jaz fell behind his sister.
“You have a beautiful spot, here.” She offered him a quivery smile that didn’t quite make it to her wide mismatched eyes. Faint red streaks stained the whites. She had been crying. Axe’s gut wrenched.
“Wine?” He offered her a glass. “I didn’t think you’d be in the mood for tequila. But I have that, too. And the lime and salt.”
She scrunched her nose. Planted her hands on her jean-clad hips. “You know what? I will have that tequila. To heck with Dad.”
“That’s my girl.” He set the glass down and grabbed her hand. “Jaz, Lycus should be here any minute. You two start eating when he arrives. Don’t wait for us. The tequila’s inside. Come with me?”
She hesitated for half a moment, but then took a deep inhale that showcased the mouthwatering cleavage revealed by a blue and white striped tank top, and nodded. The wind rustled her hair and he detected a hint of some floral shampoo. His own faint scent still clung to her skin.
He twined their fingers together and they walked into the house holding hands. It felt damned good.
“The limes are in the bottom vegetable drawer. Knives on the counter. I’ll get the tequila.” Reluctant to stop touching her, he rubbed her hand on his cheek, and forced himself to release her fingers.
He snagged the tequila and a shot glass from the sideboard in the living room and made his way back to her. She had already sliced the lime into wedges and had the salt shaker lined up next to the teak cutting board.
Axe grinned. He poured a shot. “Give me your hand.”
“Why?” She obeyed even while asking the question.
He licked the back of her hand, dusted the salt on her wet skin, and gave her the shot glass. “Bottoms up.”
She threw her head back and upended the glass over her mouth.
When she reached for a lime, he put the slice between his lips, and tickled her mouth with it. She giggled and sucked the wedge from him.
Impatient and in acute, agonized need, he flicked the lime to the floor, fitted them groin to groin and kissed her holding nothing back. He let his tongue coarsen and rubbed the roof of her mouth. Let his wolf out.
She sighed and he absorbed the little puff. Then her hands tangled in his hair and she tiptoed. He moaned when her little tongue danced with his. Growled when she nipped his bottom lip.
“Break it up you two. Your steak’s icing over.”
Axe gave her a quick peck on the lips. He glared at Lycus. “Have I told you your timing stinks?”
“But I am the bearer of good tidings.” Lycus propped a foot on the cabinet. “A good friend of mine’s opening a wine bar. The chef who was supposed to come up with a tapas menu and do the cooking did a disappearing act a few days ago. Can you handle something like that?”
Axe draped an arm over Tania’s shoulder.
Jaz wandered in carrying a bowl filled with lettuce. “Sounds right up your alley, sis. Where’s the salad dressing?”
She glanced at her brother and then at Lycus. “I phoned my boss, Andres, while we were at the hotel. He’s willing to give me a reference even though I gave no notice. How soon would this start? What kind of pay? I have enough in my savings account to put down a deposit for an apartment. What are rentals like out here? Is the vacancy rate high?”
“Slow down, sugar. The grand opening’s in two weeks. And you’re going to have to pass muster. Plan a tasting menu and serve it. If, your cooking’s up to par, you have the job.” Lycus opened the fridge and fished out a bottle of ranch dressing. He gave it to Jaz.
“Two weeks?” Her cheeks flushed. “I’ll have to get to work finding a place right away."
“Think you could cook in this kitchen?” Axe waved at the gourmet appliances. He hardly cooked but had still bought only the best for his home. “From tomorrow, I’ll be down at the base all day long. Why don’t you stay here while you look for an apartment? That way there’s no time pressure.”
She gaped at him. Worried her lower lip.
“No strings attached.” As if. Axe intended to bind her to him. ASAP.
“I’d feel better knowing you were here, sis. I have to admit I’ve been worrying about where you’ll be once I start BUD/S. From what the senior chiefs have told me, I won’t have a spare moment for the next few months. Do it for me. For my piece of mind. Beside this is a cook’s haven. Isn’t that a Viking stove?” Jaz waved the bottle at the appliance.
Tania grinned at her brother. “Oh yeah. I’ve been salivating. And that’s a double convection oven.”
“Nope. One’s steam and the other’s convection.” Axe’s smile spread when Tania’s eyes widened and she gawked at the stove.
“Really? A steam oven? Is that a warming drawer?”
He followed her finger point and shrugged. “Pretty sure it is. Never used it before. A couple of manuals came with the stove and a DVD. They’re in the cabinet next to the fridge. Have at it.”
She lit up like a string of Christmas light. Her eyes sparkled in the fading sun’s rays.
Man, he loved making her glow.
Lycus cocked his head. “That could work. You pre-cook everything to almost done here at the ranch. Every dish gets finished in the wine bar. Have to warn you—you’re one of three competing for the job and the decision’s going to be made before the week’s out. Can you handle the pressure and the timing?”
She huffed. “Of course. All I have to do is learn all this new equipment fast.”
“Maybe you should christen that warming drawer now, then. Your steaks are likely cold as a witch’s tit by now,” Lycus drawled.
“For sure.” Jaz agreed. “I wolfed mine down. Pun intended.”
A shadow dimmed the twinkle in her eyes. She marched out of the room and onto the back deck.
Axe was on her heels in a flash. He hooked her elbow with his. “What? Talk to me. Why did you shut down like that?”
Her lips flattened. “How long have you three known about each other?”
“A few months. Give or take a few days.” He firmed his hands around her waist. “Jaz couldn’t tell you, Tania. We had to keep things secret.”
“You don’t understand. He’s my twin.” She tried to keep the abject hurt out of her voice, but he heard her waver on the last word.
“He’s an alpha without a pack. He’s the youngest son. He’s lived his life in a void, knowing he’ll probably never find a mate. When he found out about the drugs, Jaz went ballistic. It was the last straw.” When she shivered Axe tugged her into his arms.
Her eyes widened. She stared at him, nostrils quivering. “Drugs?”
“The only way the Senior Council could tame the need to mate claim was to drug every Wylfen.”
She balked. “No. So not true.”
He gave her a sharp glance. “You haven’t taken your vitamins for two months.”
“I misplaced them when I moved.” Her brows pulled together.
“Not so. Jaz threw them out when you moved.” Axe stroked Tania’s spine willing her to accept his explanation.
“I don’t get this.” She pelted the statement at him.
“Every Wylfen is fed a chemical cocktail designed to tame the mate claim need from puberty until they’re mate allianced.”
She simply stare
d at him, mouth agape. Shook her head. “I’ve been drugged?”
“All Wylfens are. Think back. When you got your first period, your mother took you to the doctor. A Wylfen doctor.”
“Any mother would do that. Take her daughter to the doctor at the onset of puberty. And I am Wylfen. So of course, Mom took me to a Wylfen doctor.” She squared her shoulders and dared him to contradict her statement.
Axe hated having to bust her Wylfen safety-net. “That’s when you started taking the vitamins. If you didn’t take the vitamins voluntarily, they would have placed an implant in you.”
“An implant? How do you know about this? How does Jaz?” She barked the questions, her tone both defensive and aggressive.
“Eva. When she started her first year as a medical student, she ran her blood through a lab analysis. Discovered chemical discrepancies between her blood and those of her human classmates.” Axe clenched his jaw when Tania’s complexion went wan.
She swayed and grabbed the handrail.
He flexed his fingers and kept his feet planted though his wolf howled in protest. Protect her, soothe her, the raw primeval need to shield his mate surged through him.
“Eva.” Tania fisted a hand over her lips. “Eva was exiled months ago. Some say she’s dead.”
Chapter Ten
Her whole life had been a lie.
Tania struggled to contain her rage.
“Jaz?” She appealed to her twin. Inherent in that one word question was a fervent plea that he refute everything Axe had just told her.
“It’s the truth, Tania. Eva didn’t believe it at first. She ran the test results three times.” Jaz grasped her hand and idly rubbed her fingertips.
“You’ve spoken to Eva? After her exile?” Eva had been the closest thing she’d had to a BFF. She’d been the only female Wylfen who’d understood Tania’s internal torment. The only person she’d ever told about not wanting to be mated. The acute sense of betrayal roiling her belly mushroomed.
“Yes.” Jaz refused to let go her hand when she tried to wrench out of his hold.
Tania studied the three men. “Go ahead. Tell me everything.”
Prymal Lust Page 8
