Elias finally stood. “I’m here if you want to talk.”
“I know.” His family had always been there for him.
“Jacque wants to speak with you. I think he has Armand checking out her story.”
Sage had expected nothing less. The alpha might have let Rina stay for now, but he had a pack, a mate, and children to protect. “I’m going to call Reece before I head over.” He glanced at the patio doors to his room. He hated leaving Rina in case she needed him.
“I’ll watch over your girl for you,” Elias promised. “Sue is over at Anny’s. I think the two of them and Sylvie are making salads or baking something. I’m not sure what they’re doing, but I know it involves food. They’re planning a barbecue for this evening.”
He didn’t want to go, but Jacque was alpha and had demanded Sage’s presence. “I won’t be long.”
Elias nodded. “I know you won’t. I’ll be here when you get back.” He paused and put his finger on Sage’s biggest fear. “And so will your girl.”
Sage left the half-empty beer behind and headed toward the alpha’s home. About halfway there, he pulled out his phone and hit the first name on his contact list. It only rang once before it was answered. “What the hell is going on with you?”
That was his brother, blunt as a sledgehammer. His predictability made Sage smile. “And how are you?”
“Don’t give me that crap.” Sage could hear sirens in the background and then they were muted, meaning his brother must have ducked in somewhere. “Your emotions have been all over the place since last night. I thought you were camping.”
Sage leaned against a poplar tree and curled his toes into the mossy ground beneath his feet. “I was. I’m home now.”
“What the hell happened? Do I need to come home?”
Sage rubbed his chest. Yeah, he could always count on his family. “No, I’m okay.”
“You’re sure as hell not okay.” Reece’s voice was slightly muffled as he turned away to talk to someone else. “I’m on a call here. I’ll be with you in a minute. Sorry about that,” he said when he came back on the line. “Now spill or I’m calling Uncle Elias.”
Sage wanted to tell his brother about Rina, needed to tell him. “I met a woman.”
“Shit. In the middle of the park? Only you, man.”
Sage laughed. “Yeah, only me. She was running from some men who were chasing her.” Reece’s growl was loud and clear. He and his brother had been raised in the same way. Women were to be protected, not abused.
“Hunters,” Sage continued. “One of them saw her shift. She’s a full-blooded werewolf.” For the first time in their lives, his brother was struck silent. The dead air hovered between them for almost a minute.
“A full-blood?”
Sage dragged his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. Unbelievable but true. I don’t have much time. Jacque wants to speak with me, and Rina is asleep in my room. I don’t want to be away from her for long.”
“Rina. That’s her name?”
He knew Reece would run her name and check her out, just as Armand probably already had. “Irina Matheson from Sitka, Alaska.”
“She’s a long way from home, bro.”
“She was banished from her pack because she wouldn’t mate with the guy her alpha and parents picked out for her.”
“That’s fucked up.” Reece’s blunt assessment of the situation made him smile in spite of everything.
“It is. I sort of tricked her into coming here.”
Reece whistled. “Mr. Nice Guy being deceptive. I like it.”
His twin always teased him about being a nice guy. Sage ignored it for the most part. “She fell asleep in the truck. She’d been running the entire day with little rest and practically no food. She wanted to be let off at the first bus stop. I told her I’d wake her when it was safe.”
“And it wasn’t safe until you got her back to pack land.” Reece understood him better than anyone. “You have feelings for this woman, don’t you? I can sense your turmoil. And, bro, you’ve been more than a little turned on and broadcasting louder than usual.”
Sage felt his cheeks burning and knew he was turning red. “Yeah, sorry about that.” Their tight emotional bond could be troublesome at times.
“Let’s just say it got a little awkward.”
“Shit.” He could just imagine his brother, big-city cop, getting a hard-on at the most inopportune time. “Hope I didn’t cause problems.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
Sage wished he were as sure of himself as his twin. Reece always seemed to know what he wanted and what to do. He did too, most days, but right now, Sage was floundering with Rina.
“I gotta go. Jacque is waiting on me.” It wouldn’t do to keep the alpha waiting. Not when he’d been very forgiving about the situation and even welcoming to Rina.
“Call me when you can.” Reece lowered his voice. “Whatever you decide to do, I’ll back you.”
Sage closed his eyes and rubbed his chest. He didn’t have to tell Reece he was crazy about Rina. His brother knew. “Thanks.”
“You can come and stay with me if you and your lady need a place. But I don’t think it will come to that.”
Sage didn’t think it would either, but it was nice to have options. “Talk to you later.” He ended the call and tucked his phone away as he started walking.
As he’d expected, Jacque was waiting on his porch. Louis, Armand, Cole, and Gator were with him. Cole and Gator were leaning against the railing while the others were seated in the colorful Adirondack chairs that ranged across the deck. That meant Cole’s father was probably out on patrol while Elias was watching the area around the houses.
“She asleep?” Jacque asked.
“Yeah.” Sage respectfully met the older man’s gaze. “I didn’t want to leave her until I knew she was settled.”
“Good enough. Armand has been doing some looking. You know anything else about your girl?”
It startled him slightly to hear Jacque refer to Rina as his girl, especially so soon after Reece had referred to her as his lady, but it felt right. He thought back to what she’d told him. “She has a brother. Mikhail.”
Armand had his feet propped up on the railing and his computer on his lap. His fingers flew over the keys. He was their resident computer expert and security geek. He loved technology and was very good at getting into places he shouldn’t be able to.
“I’ve hacked the alpha’s email for the Sitka Pack.” Armand continued to work the keys. “Not much until you go back fourteen months. A quick blast to make sure everyone knew Rina had been banished. That’s the only mention.”
“How did you manage that?” Armand truly had some scary skills.
He raised his fingers and wiggled them. “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” He kept working a little longer. “Hmm, it’s going to take me some time to get into her brother’s account. He’s actually more tech savvy than most of the rest of them.”
“Keep on it,” Jacque told him. “Anything you can find out.”
“What happens from here?” Sage couldn’t stand the suspense.
Jacque glanced at Louis, who nodded. “We can’t send a woman out there on her own with hunters after her.” Louis knew what it was like to be hunted by humans. It had happened to him when he’d been in his wolf form. That was quite a few years ago, but Sage knew the other man had never forgotten it.
“Gator?” Jacque asked.
“Oui. She will stay here until she is safe. She is much too skinny and needs to eat.” Sage almost smiled. Badass Gator was always feeding all of them. “And speaking of food,” Gator continued. “I have steaks to marinate, and I promised Etienne I would read with him in the hammock this afternoon.” Etienne was only six, but his reading level was almost at teenage level. Gator glanced at Jacque. “
We done?”
“For now. Cole?”
Cole nodded, then vaulted over the railing and headed toward his home. That was Cole, a man of few words. Gator waved and ambled to the stairs and headed for his place.
“It’s settled then.” Jacque rose and stretched. “I promised Gwen I’d take the boys fishing this afternoon. She’s on a deadline.” Jacque’s wife had surprised them all by becoming a well-known romance writer. She hid her identity behind a pseudonym and never made public appearances. The irony was that all her books were paranormal romances featuring werewolves.
“I’ll go with you.” Louis stood beside his brother. “Gray is working on a new piece, and I think Cherise is in the studio with her.” Louis’s mate was a painter, whose work was featured in galleries all over the country, while Cherise had her own online store where she sold cards and prints of her incredibly lifelike illustrations of local animals. She’d even been commissioned to do the artwork for several children’s books. Even after knowing them all these years, Sage was still in awe of their talent.
“Stay together and stay sharp,” Jacque reminded them. “We have no idea if that hunter has any way to find Rina.”
Sage nodded. “I can take a shift patrolling later.” It was the least he could do seeing all this extra work was being caused by him.
Jacque shook his head. “No, you stay with Rina for now. The rest of us will handle the patrols. Once she’s settled in, you can take a turn. You probably need to spend some time in your gardens.”
He hadn’t even thought about the gardens or greenhouses since he’d been home. That was a first. His gardens were his life. “Yeah, I should check on things.”
Jacque slapped him on the back on his way along. “Be careful, Sage. She might not want to stay.” With that warning, the alpha left with his brother right behind him.
Armand was already lost in whatever he was working on. Sage headed back toward home, feeling lighter than he had when he’d arrived. Rina had a place here if she wanted it. Now it was up to him to convince her to stay.
Chapter Eight
The shadows had shifted by the time Rina woke. It wasn’t dark outside, but the sun was no longer streaming in through the patio doors. She took a moment to simply enjoy being safe and rested. She’d kicked off the sheet and was covered only in Sage’s oversized T-shirt. For the first time in a very long while, she felt content, almost happy.
She drifted in that half-awake state, listening to the sounds filtering in from outside. A child laughed, making her smile, and a dog barked. She frowned. A dog?
She scented Sage just before the mattress depressed next to her. “Hey, sleepyhead.” She blinked up at him. He’d showered since she’d seen him last. She could smell soap, fresh and rich. It was natural with no chemical smell. Most werewolves used all natural, organic products. All others were an assault on the senses.
“Hey.” It felt as though her chest was filled with a balloon that kept getting bigger. It was difficult to breathe. Yet her heart was full and light.
With his damp hair slicked away from his face, she got the full force of his good looks and smile. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top, like he’d been when they’d met, but this time the top was a vibrant blue that matched his eyes.
“Sleep well?” He brushed his fingers over the side of her face and her entire body tightened.
“Yes.”
His hand stilled and his nostrils flared. “Are you hungry?”
Rina felt like fanning her face with her hand. It had already been warm in the room, now it was downright hot. She was hungry, all right. She licked her lips and stared at his mouth. He had the most expressive mouth. His lips weren’t too full or too thin. They were just right for kissing.
“Rina, honey, you have to stop looking at me like that, or we’re not going to make it to the barbecue, and everyone has been working hard on the food all afternoon.” He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, and she inhaled sharply. His pupils dilated and a deep rumble welled up from his chest.
“Barbecue?” Were they going somewhere?
“Yeah. Gator’s been marinating steaks and a few of the women have made salads and side dishes. I think Anny’s baked some cookies or maybe a cake. I known Miss Elise has made pies.”
Rina frowned, not recognizing the last name. “Who is Miss Elise?”
Sage eased his hand away from her face. “She’s Jacque and Louis’s mom. She’s a great lady, but she hasn’t had an easy life.” He paused before adding, “Their father’s dead.”
“I’m sorry.” Her sympathy was automatic. She knew what it was like to lose someone you cared about. In her case, the people hadn’t died but they might as well have. She’d never see them again.
“Don’t be. He was a mean son of a bitch who tried to kill just about every member of the original pack at one time or another. Not to mention a couple of the women.” She could see from the look in his eyes there was a hell of a lot more to the story than that, but he offered no more.
“Wow. Okay.” She knew some werewolves got so caught up in the power struggles of the pack that they’d stop at nothing to maintain their position.
“He was alpha of the Louisiana Pack and made Miss Elise’s life a living hell. But that’s all over with and has been for years. Miss Elise has a small house near the alpha’s place.”
There was so much she didn’t know about this pack and the people who populated it. “Who else haven’t I met?”
Sage grinned. “My twin for one, but that’s okay. I’m the better looking. He lives and works in Chicago.”
“He doesn’t live here? And he’s still considered part of the pack?” That was unheard of. If you were pack, you stayed and worked on pack land.
“Sure. He comes home on holidays and a few times a year in between. Every now and again, I head up to visit him. He’d come if we needed him.”
With every new thing she learned, she was truly beginning to understand just how different this pack was. They didn’t see their differences as weakness, as she’d always been taught, but as strengths.
“Come with me and I’ll introduce you to the rest. Everyone is gathering for the barbecue.”
Rina felt slightly sick. She hated being the center of attention. The last time that had happened she’d been banished from her pack. Her wolf, on the other hand, was quivering with excitement about being around her own kind.
Sage leaned down and rubbed his cheek against her hair. “Everything will be fine. You’ll see. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.” It was easy to say because it was the truth. It was the others she wasn’t so keen on.
“Come on. Go freshen up and change. I’ll be waiting just outside for you.” Sage’s voice was husky and his features strained. “If I stay much longer, we won’t be going anywhere.” When he stood, she could see he was aroused. She wanted to lick her lips but forced herself to look away.
“I won’t be long,” she assured him. Better to get this over with fast rather than keep worrying about it.
“Take your time.” Sage stood and walked to the doors. He pushed open the screen, stepped outside, and then pushed it back into place. She listened for his footsteps but couldn’t hear him. In his bare feet, he moved silently.
Rina swung her legs around and put her feet on the floor. The hardwood was smooth beneath her soles. She stood and padded to the end of the bed and snagged her knapsack on the way along. She could scent Sage and knew he was just outside the door. Waiting. For her.
Rina hurried into the bathroom and slid the door shut. She felt hot and sticky but didn’t want to take the time for another shower. She settled on dampening a facecloth and rubbing it over her face, chest, and upper arms.
Her dirty clothes were no longer lying on the bathroom floor. She’d have to ask Sage what had happened to them. The image of him handling her clothes was more
erotic than it should have been. She shook her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The dark circles beneath her eyes were almost gone. She didn’t look quite so strained or tired.
There wasn’t any choice in what she had to wear, so she dug out the clean pair of jeans she had in her pack and pulled them on. The tank she tugged on was plain white and had built-in support so she didn’t need a bra. She wished she had something nicer to wear, but her clothing had been bought with price, comfort, and versatility in mind. And almost all of it was used. The jeans she wore were, but the top was new. She’d found it for cheap at a local department store and hadn’t been able to resist. She’d bought white simply because it would go with more.
She ran her fingers through her short hair. She’d had long hair once, but it had been too hard to care for when she’d been living on the streets. She’d hacked it off and donated the long hanks to an organization that used hair to make wigs for cancer patients. It had made her feel slightly better about having to cut it all off. Her hair had been her crowning glory and she’d always loved it. She thought about growing it back but knew it would no longer suit the woman she’d become.
Knowing she couldn’t procrastinate any longer, she checked to make sure her money, identification, and pictures were safe and then closed her bag. She carried it out of the bathroom and set it back on the bench. It would be safe in Sage’s room.
Taking a deep breath, Rina walked to the screen and pushed it open. She didn’t bother with her sneakers, preferring to go barefoot. The deck was warm on her skin but not so hot that it was unbearable to walk on, as this side of the house was partially in shadows now.
“Ready.” Sage waited by her side. She had a quick flash of them standing like this at another time and place. One that felt like it was far, far in the future. Nothing more than wishful thinking on her part.
She met his gaze and nodded. “I’m ready.” This time, she didn’t wait for him to offer. She reached out and took his hand. Sage smiled and linked their fingers together.
Rina was putting on a brave face, but she looked scared enough to bolt. He tried to imagine himself in her shoes—thrust into a pack where she was a total stranger, not knowing who she could trust. Besides him, of course. She knew she could trust him. Or at least he hoped she knew she could.
Wolf in his Heart (Salvation Pack) Page 8
