She shook her head once. “I’ll finish up here and come to the guest house.”
“I’ll wait for you there.”
He would wait for her forever.
Savage was the Alpha of San Francisco. He couldn’t let Idaho beat him. Enough with the bull shit. He’d kill the Garto and get on with his life—their life.
****
Every child had wanted four goodnights from her, and then she’d ended up on her knees listening to her father pray to the Moon. It was nice, soothing, normal.
Good girls know their heat is for procreation.
She rolled her eyes. Okay, not everything worked for her. She smiled for the whole five minutes it took her to walk from the main house to the guest house.
“Ma’am?”
She turned to George. “I’m never going to get used to ma’am.”
He nodded. “Ah…okay…should we do it the human way? Mrs. Chaucer?”
“No that doesn’t work either. How about Sydney?” Was she Mrs. Chaucer? She’d not spent enough time around humans to know. Mating was marriage, sort of.
“The Alpha might kill me if I call you Sydney.”
She wanted to laugh, but the sadness in Savage’s eyes hadn’t been lost on her, despite his denials. “We’ll have to figure out what you’ll call me later. Something will have to be natural.”
“I was wondering….”
When he didn’t finish, she pushed him on. “Yes?”
“I was wondering if you might like to honor the Moon with me. I still do. I thought you might like to as well. The Alpha isn’t big on it. I do it. If you ever want to.”
George was sweet. He’d spent the whole day making her siblings smile. Whatever had happened the night before, it was forgiven. “I’d like to. Thanks for thinking of me.”
“Ma’am.”
She shook her head. “No, ma’am really doesn’t work.”
Sydney entered the house. It was strangely quiet. The men who were usually around had ear buds in their ears or were busy. They gave her the standard nod and hellos, but she could tell the group was off. The air smelled…stale with worry.
Hayden glanced up when she passed. “Sydney.”
“Hayden.” She’d never really spoken to him. He was either with Savage or she was but they’d never been alone together. “Tonight okay?”
He shut the book he was reading and set it aside. “Learning some things I didn’t know about Alphas.”
“Funny, since you are one. Gotten any information you should have had previously?”
“Yes.” He stood. “Today has been a day of…illumination.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant. “Really?”
He nodded. “Hungry?”
Her stomach rumbled in answer and she followed him to the kitchen. “I guess I am.”
“Lots of heightened emotion tends to make us forget to eat and that’s exactly when we need to consume sustenance.” Hayden opened the fridge, and while she watched he started to put together a meal. Meat, cheese, bread, and, from the rear of the fridge, a white wine. She almost laughed at the sight. Her parents were against alcohol. She’d never had any.
“I’ve never had wine. I don’t think there’s ever been any on the property before.”
Hayden shook his head. “Sacrilege in our lives. I make it for a living.”
He poured her a glass and handed it to her. The wine was sweet but not too much so. After sniffing it for a second, she grinned. “Is it oak?”
“Your palate is better than my mate’s.” He set down the bottle. “Yes, it’s oak. This isn’t from my vineyard. It’s one I admire.”
The alcohol hit her head, and she set it down, opting instead to eat the cheese.
“Do you know what my first memory of Savage is?”
“No, what?” She thought of her little brothers. They would someday be men. Would any of them be Alphas? Strong? Settled?
Hayden set down his plate. “He was four. He kept filling my plate. My parents were laughing. They’d made steaks. He kept bringing me meat. In retrospect, it’s a funny memory. He was five. I don’t know if he ate anything himself. I kept eating because Savage kept filling my plate. He’s good at that.”
Sydney wanted to speak, but she hated the story. Her own parents sometimes forgot the little ones. She didn’t worry about them starving; her older sisters wouldn’t forget to feed them. It was part of the buddy system. The older ones made sure the younger ones were okay while her parents kept procreating.
“You love him.” So did she, but she wasn’t going to tell Hayden before she did Savage.
He nodded. “I do. My mate thinks the world of him. And…the Moon doesn’t make mistakes with True Mating. Take care of his heart. He’ll never remember to feed himself.”
Because she had to, she walked to Hayden and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her.
“I promise to feed him. All the time.”
“He’s asleep, which goes to show how truly exhausted he must be.” Hayden’s voice sounded low.
“I won’t wake him.”
She’d learned a lot with so little said.
****
Savage was asleep on his stomach. Something was in his hand, but she couldn’t make it out from the doorway. She’d never seen him really asleep before. She’d woken him from a doze to chat the last time they’d been in bed together, but it hadn’t been the way he slept as she watched.
He snored lightly, his hand extended to the side of the bed where she should have been. No way would she bother him. Her heat had hit her on the walk up the stairs only it wasn’t as it had been and she could live with the slight discomfort. He wasn’t her walking, talking heat reliever. Her mate needed sleep; he needed to be allowed to rest.
Savage had been sad. She didn’t care if he denied it. She’d known it and she wasn’t wrong.
She slipped off her shirt and took off her blouse. Had she really been out all day? He’d told her she had new clothes, and she would bet if he went through the drawers they would be filled. But she wasn’t going to make noise. Not while Savage slept so hard. He didn’t budge when she walked toward the bed.
Sydney slipped under the covers, and he muttered something before he pulled her against him. She rolled against him, and he snored louder. Her mate really wasn’t going to wake up at all, and that was fine by her.
He had to kill the Garto, and, even though she didn’t have a Moon-driven clue how, she knew he needed lots of rest to get it done.
She stared at the ceiling and he draped an arm over her, a small rope hitting her when she did. What was that? She looked at his hand and gently pulled out the object inside his fingers. A second passed before she realized, in the dimly lit room, what she examined. It was a necklace, a totem, really. Lily, the first female werewolf stared up at her.
The story of Lily was so complicated, and Sydney had never loved all the implications of it. Lily’s community disliked her, and treated her poorly. Sydney didn’t really know why. Her father tended to move quickly over that part. Travelling in the woods one day alone, she’d been raped and beaten. Her parents loved to go on and on about that. Left dying, she’d given up all hope.
Sydney shivered at the thought.
Three wolves were there. After they killed the males who raped her, the Alpha wolf prayed to the Moon to make him human so he could take care of and love the woman who was in pain. The Moon had granted his wish…sort of. The Alpha just mated Lily. His two brothers found other loves. From them, all werewolves were born.
The story was interesting, but even more so was what happened next. Maybe it was selfish of Sydney, considering her own circumstances, but the stories of them surviving monsters, hunters, and evil were what really made her blood flow.
She looked over at Savage. He hadn’t moved. Did he mean for her to have the totem? Where had he gotten it?
Sydney slipped it around her neck. If he wanted it back, she’d return the item in the morning. Sometimes things felt powerful
and they simply were.
Savage muttered something unintelligible. His cock was hard and her insides heated at the touch. She’d really not wanted to bother him. Sydney closed her eyes. She’d make it through the night. If she could survive the cage, and she had many times, this would be easy.
Her mate’s eyes opened. His gaze remained hooded, but he smiled when he saw her. “You’re in pain.”
“Go to sleep. It’s nothing.” She smoothed her hand down the side of her face. “Rest.”
Savage shook his head. “It’s not nothing to give you pleasure.”
“Love….” Her voice cut off when his erection moved towards her pussy.
‘You don’t have to. I’ll be fine.” It was hard to speak but she wanted Savage to rest. He’d told her the longer she held out, the better the pleasure. She’d make it all night. No one died from too much desire. When he was fully awake, she’d beg him to get her comfortable.
“I need to.” He kissed her hard and pushed deep inside of her. “You’re my mate. My life. My all.”
Sydney didn’t know what he would have said next. He moved inside of her. They’d been joined before, in all different kinds of positions, but never side by side before. His thrusts were gentle and her cries low, compared to how she had screamed before. Still, the pressure inside of her built until she cried out his name, her insides pulsing with relief.
Savage smiled when she came, following fast after. He kissed her long, and deep. He was really amazing. Even deep asleep, he’d really known she needed him. Yet Hayden’s words haunted her. He never fed himself. Savage needed sleep. How was she to make sure he was okay when he wouldn’t even remain unconscious for her to care for him?
Still deep inside of her, he closed his eyes and within moments, he breathed deeply.
“I love you” He didn’t react, didn’t hear her when she reached over and kissed him on the lips. Had he ever even woken up?
His penis softened inside her and she smiled. It would be fine with her if they spent the whole night that way. Only….
They hadn’t used the condom.
And in the way she knew every month, she suddenly realized her heat was over. What did it mean? Was she pregnant? Could it be so…fast? One time without a condom?
Sydney closed her eyes, but knew she wouldn’t sleep. Her heart raced like she’d been running. With so much ahead of them, a Garto to kill, and a life in San Francisco she couldn’t fathom yet, had they made a huge mistake?
She stared at her sleeping mate in the near darkness. “This one’s on me.”
Chapter Eight
Savage woke up and stretched. His body was stiff like he hadn’t moved in hours. A glance at the clock confirmed his suspicion. He’d been asleep for almost twelve hours. Had he ever slept until nine in the morning before? He usually rose with the dawn. Well, he’d slept almost twelve full hours. He recalled the sweet interlude with his mate somewhere toward the beginning of the night. His cock woke up at the thought.
Savage reached to her side of the bed to find it empty. He grabbed his phone and quickly wrote an email he’d rather not send. His request would probably be better given verbally, but he had no intention of reaching out to Alexei in a way that would require actual conversation. If anything less than his mate’s safety were at stake, he’d avoid the contact all together. If he himself were drowning and Alexei stood on the side of the river holding a stick he could hold onto, Savage would let himself die.
Right or wrong, that’s how it was.
For Sydney’s sake, he typed quickly.
I understand you have the journals Lucian kept. Do they happen to mention anything about a Garto-Wolf and female sacrifice in Idaho?
S.C.
He hit send and expelled the growl trapped in his throat. All the insane emotions of the day before were gone. He was centered, felt more like he was in his own skin. He got out of bed and padded into the bathroom. A quick shower loosened his muscles.
He was putting on his eye-liner when Sydney poked her head around the door. She smiled, which was infectious, so he grinned. She set a cup of coffee—she drank only tea so it had to be for him—on the counter and leaned against the corner to watch him.
She’d dressed in some of the new clothes he’d had the guys go to town to buy her. Everything but her undergarments was new. He planned to get those himself. Seeing as they weren’t leaving her family’s home yet, he hadn’t let the guards go crazy with what they picked for her. No more long skirts and shapeless tops but no belly-bearing half-tops and leather pants. Yet.
Instead, she wore a jean skirt which hit right on top of her knees, showing off her shapely legs, and a black t-shirt with a scoop neck. Her hair was long and loose, as he liked it.
She pointed at his hand. “I’ve never worn any makeup.”
“You don’t need any.” Setting down his liner, he then touched the side of her face. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Maybe when we get to San Francisco, I’ll try some.”
He shrugged. “If it gives you pleasure.” Her scent wafted against him. Roses, nice and cool. “Hey!” This was great news. “You’re out of heat.”
Her face fell. “I am. We have to talk about it.”
“Okay.” Savage picked up his coffee and took a deep drink of the hot, bitter liquid. He liked his coffee sweeter, although he had no intention of telling her she’d made it wrong. He’d drink it however she made it. “Go for it.”
She reached out with trembling fingers and touched the side of his arm. He stared at her hands. She was scared.
“Sydney? Talk.”
“We didn’t use a condom last night.”
Savage set down his cup. The clinking noise was all he could hear over the ringing in his ears. “I….”
She shook her head. “My fault. I am so sorry.”
“Your fault?” He shook his head. “No.”
“Yes.” She nodded, clearly having no problem disagreeing with him, which was gratifying, although she was completely wrong. “You were out of it. So sweet and gentle and wonderful. And cute. I should have been doing the thinking about the condom.”
“Cute?” Her words made the ringing stop. He didn’t think anyone had ever referred to him as such before. “The heated female isn’t responsible for remembering the condom. That’s my fault.”
“No.” She fit herself into his embrace, and he held her. Her curves pressed against him, making him feel calm again.
His. Mate. “This morning your heat’s gone.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean I conceived. It might have been getting ready to leave anyway. We’ll have to wait and see.”
He kissed the top of her head breathing in her scent. “You don’t smell changed.”
“It’s never that fast. This is actually a subject I know a lot about. I’ve helped my mom deliver at least half the kids. You don’t know for a week or so.”
“Then we wait.” They’d be in San Francisco when he found out. “I…I’m not sure what kind of father I’d be.”
“What do you mean?” She pulled away to look at him.
His phone beeped, and he looked down. A new email, from Alexei. Savage groaned.
“Hold that thought. I have to see what this guy says. What are your plans for today?”
“I don’t know. I thought I could go across to my cousin’s house and see if my aunt needed any help. She’s in late term, ready to deliver any day. I’m a pretty good mid-wife.”
More baby things. Everywhere he turned. Children he could fuck up…
She kept speaking. “I’m used to being really busy. Unless she’s actually in labor, it isn’t going to be enough for a whole day. With the heat gone, I’ve got my energy.”
“Good. Then George can give you some training. I want you strong for the Garto. It’s not going to come to you needing to fight, but I’ll feel better if I know you’ve had some of my pack’s training. I am going to have your father show me where the sacrifice usually takes place. Then I’
ll come see you. Maybe we could have lunch?”
“Lunch sounds good. I’ll cook you something.”
He’d love that. More than anything else he could think of…his mate cooking for him. “Sounds like a plan.”
She kissed him, soft on the lips. “In case you’re wondering, I still want you. Heat or no heat. Everything I can do to not insist you take off your clothes.”
With a wink, she walked out, leaving him alone with his mouth gaping open. Had it only been days since he’d pulled her out of a cage in her parent’s basement? She dripped with sexuality. She was all his.
He looked down at the phone; the answer from Alexei was brief.
Yes. Why do you want to know? Why do the problems of a small group of Fundamentalists in Idaho interest the Alpha from San Francisco?
A.B.
Asshole. He shook his head. Moon-forbid the man simply tell him anything.
Well, fuck…fuck…fuck. He was going to have to share more than he wanted with the stupid man.
My mate is the sacrifice. I’m in Idaho. Give me the information or not. This is my last email. Either way, if it bleeds, it dies.
S.C.
The morning passed fast enough, and eventually he stood in an open field flanked by his brother, Tobias, and five members of his pack. The field looked innocuous enough. Nothing particularly special about the grass, the flowers, or the cows in the distance. He certainly couldn’t smell anything that screamed Garto-Wolf. Not that he’d ever scented one. Within half a mile was a small pond where some ducks circled overhead.
The more he heard about the Garto sacrifices, the women who died right after their twenty-fifth birthday, the more he wanted to shift and claw out Tobias’ eyes. He kept his temper in check as he walked through the fields.
“The woman comes out here. She waits. In her wolf form because it’s full moon. Then the Garto comes and eats her. Somewhere in this field.”
He scented no blood, but it had been a year since the last sacrifice. One of the cousins. Savage had long given up trying to keep track of who was who. He couldn’t save the girls who were already taken, and it would eat at him that they’d died so needlessly.
“I stayed.” Tobias shook his head. “When it was my sister. I loved her. She took care of me; she was my sister-mom. So I watched. I had this idea I could stop it. But that thing…it’s huge. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Alpha Enticing (Fallen Alpha Book 3) Page 9
