by K. S. Martin
Jess nodded.
“Don’t worry, it’ll come to you.”
Jess’s brows furrowed.
“Your heart and head will make it very clear to you how you feel and what you should do. Come play bingo. Maybe it’s your lucky day.” Her mother stubbed her cigarette out in the ashtray.
“I think I’ll pass, Mom. I’d like to stare at four walls and mull stuff over.”
“See you later, then. Help yourself to the fridge. There’s leftover lasagna if you want it.” Her mom got up and put her tea glass in the sink, then went down a hall that Jess had not explored yet. She assumed it went to the bedrooms.
Jess got up and carried her glass to the guesthouse with her. She turned the TV on but kept the sound low and opened her suitcase to find her pajamas. She pulled out the four outfits that she brought and found her nightshirt at the bottom. She hung up her clothes, then crawled into bed with the remote. She changed channels until she found something mind-numbing to watch.
***
“What do you mean ‘she had a family emergency and she’s gone’?” James asked Lolly. It had been four days since they’d spoken. She wouldn’t answer her cell phone, she wasn’t answering email, she wouldn’t open the door at the apartment, and she wasn’t at work. He’d run into Margaret Lansing. God, what a disaster! He had no idea that she was Jess’s boss. He should’ve scented her. That woman was an absolute nightmare. He’d taken her out once when he’d first started with the department here, and she stalked him for months. She stalked him. He was supposed to stalk his prey, not the other way around. He’d been harsh and cruel when he finally couldn’t take it anymore. She eventually moved on to Duane. He kicked her to the curb and quick. When he went to find Jess, Margaret was in Jess’s office looking for something. When he’d appeared at the door, she thought he was there to see her. When he explained he was looking for Jess, he knew it would be a bad idea to tell her Jess was his girlfriend. Margaret would retaliate against Jess. He protected his mate and said that she’d witnessed a crime, then ducked out and made a quick escape.
James had a feeling when she wouldn’t answer the cell for the first few days that she’d run, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt. Lolly just confirmed it. There was no family emergency, but Lolly wasn’t knowingly lying to him either, so that was what Jess had told her. He’d slept with her jacket for the past four days. Her scent was driving him wild. The mating urge was getting stronger by the minute. His body knew that his mate was found, and it didn’t care about family emergencies, fear of wolves or that she was a human. All it knew was that it wanted its mate.
“I’m sorry. That was the only text I got. I’ve texted her back and I’ve not gotten a response. I think she turned her phone off.”
James nodded.
“If I hear anything, though, I will be sure to let you know if you will do the same?”
“I will, Lolly. Thanks.” He took his coffee and left the coffee bar. He could feel Lolly’s eyes on his backside, and that made him grin a little. Lolly had a thing for backsides. She’d watched his in the rearview mirror when he’d stopped her. He knew because he reviewed the video from the camera mounted on the dash trying to see Jess’s beautiful face. Then at the gym, while Jess stared at the wall, Lolly watched the men running, bending over and stretching. He should set her up, she was nice, but she would have to ditch that damned perfume. He needed to get away from that sickening cloud, and fast. His nose was going nuts.
James hurried back to his desk across the complex and texted his pack. Their one objective was to track her down and bring her back. Within five minutes, he had a text from Austin.
Found her. Orlando, Florida, residence belonging to one Tim Bearpaw, age sixty-two, and one Loretta Bearpaw, age fifty-three. Loretta Bearpaw aka Loretta Peters, Loretta Bankhead, Loretta Jones, Loretta Browne, and Loretta Madison. She’s Jess’s mother. Driving a rental, red Corolla, parked at the following address and has been for four days, according to the tracking chip in the engine. The address followed.
James immediately booked a ticket to Orlando, sent an email to his superior that he had a family emergency, and shut his computer down. Technically, he was on administrative leave. He’d been to the office every day, but if this took longer than the weekend when he was officially due back, they should know. He would be standing in front of her within five hours. James exhaled sharply and hurried out of the complex. He had to get this straight. She was his mate and she belonged with him. It would be so much easier with a she-wolf. He would simply say, ‘You are my destined mate,’ she would say, ‘Yes I am,’ and that would be it. How boring. He grinned.
Jess was a challenge. He hadn’t expected that from her, but he was finding that it piqued his interest. His wolf wanted to chase her. The prospect of that turned his blood to lava. Wolves loved to track and hunt. She didn’t know it, but she was doing exactly what the beast needed her to do.
There was an inner strength in her, one that he hadn’t expected but was beginning to respect. She was stronger than he’d first thought, but not she-wolf strong, Jess would still need protection. To most it looked like she’d run, bailed, bolted. She had. She’d run from the biggest predator on the planet, a man staking his claim. That took balls. To stay alone, go alone without a protector or a safety net. To walk away without help when you are a submissive human female, she had nerves of steel. She was better off with him, though. He could offer her safety. She had the scent of loneliness about her, and he could offer companionship. Her home was two rooms, a living room-kitchen combo, and a bedroom-bathroom combo. He could offer her better shelter with grass and a garden, not concrete and brick. Now he only had to convince her that she was better off with him than without him. Once he did, she would never want to run again.
Chapter 8
Jess dreamt of James, of him turning into wolf and woke up shaking. A wolf! She blew her bangs up and lay back on the pillows. The same dream woke her every night, sometimes twice. It wasn’t as bad as it had been. Her mind was beginning to wrap around it, but still she thought it would help if she saw it. If she could watch the change and meet the wolf, maybe she wouldn’t be such a chicken.
“Oh, not a chicken!” Jess giggled. The wolf would eat that. Why did he have to say mine? That was still freaking her out. She stared up at the yellow ceiling. She watched a tiny spider crawl across it until he was far enough away that dropping on her wasn’t a possibility. Her eyes slid closed and she thought about how good it felt when he kissed her. How incredible his body felt pressed against hers, and she thought about how much more she wanted. She pressed her lips together and shivered. James. She sighed. All of the muscles south of her waistline clenched. Wolf or not, she wanted him, craved him. Her very soul cried out for him, quaked for him. “Face it. You are his,” she whispered in the darkness. The past days with her mother only confirmed her feelings. If her mom said it once, she’d said it countless times—if your feelings are deeper than your fear, then go to him. It was almost creepy, like her mother knew something that she wasn’t saying. Her mother was never one to keep secrets, though. She had no filter and said exactly what she meant. She was by definition the picture of honesty, whether it hurt or not. Her mother did not sugarcoat things, so it made Jess wonder what she wasn’t saying. What was behind those words?
***
Orlando was a busy city filled with tourists. Everyone was wearing mouse ears and had at least one cranky child with them. The kids were pissed, either because they weren’t there yet or because they had to leave. James grinned. He couldn’t wait to drag three or four tired and cranky pups through here on the way to see the Magic Kingdom. He’d been to Disney in Cali once, but he’d heard the park in Florida was better. He may as well make the rounds, because James loved to ride. He had the theme parks lined up in his head for his family. As the pups got bigger, the coasters would get bigger. He wondered if Jess liked them and decided she was probably a bench warmer. That made him chuckle. He’d break her of that. He found his way to
the rental car counter and secured a compact with GPS. Once he and his luggage were inside the little blue go-kart, he punched his destination into the GPS on the dash.
Only breaking a few land speed records, James pulled the car to a stop behind the Corolla that was exactly where Austin said it would be. James got out and sniffed the air. The neighborhood was quiet at this late hour. Most of the residents were already asleep. That was how the cop inside him liked it, quiet. He sniffed again. Nothing—well, of course, there was something. He scented car exhaust, several dogs, and people, but not Jess. He went up to the house and looked through the windows. Nothing but darkness. Maybe they went out for dinner or something. Then he checked his watch and decided against that thought. He started to text Austin but decided to check around the back first.
He saw a garage that seemed to have been converted, because no one hung curtains in a garage. It had the tell-tale flickering signs of a TV on inside. He edged toward it, shifting as he went. James’s big black wolf crept closer to the building, scenting the air. He smelled a koi pond, but not in this yard; it was next door. He scented a man that must be Bearpaw, and even though it was faint, there was something else. Something he had not scented since he was a child, and the memory escaped him now. What was that? There was the scent of a woman—that must be Mom. Then there it was as he neared the door. The most exciting and entrancing scent in the world. Jessica.
His ears twitched and every cell in his body was suddenly awake and jumpy. The news was on and she was silent, but she was inside. The door was unlocked, and with one flick of his paw, he was through it. He was in an office. He snorted at the scent of graphite and ink but moved toward the flickering lights. He heard her labored breathing as if she’d been crying. He didn’t scent tears yet, though. James loped through the room, across the carpet, to the side of the bed where her hand hung over the side.
He sniffed it then nudged it. Running his head under her hand just to feel her, he rejoiced at having found his mate. The wolf yipped at her, but she slept. He nudged her hand again, and her fingers twitched, then scratched his head. She came awake slowly. He gave her palm a lick, then put his head back under her hand. “Hi there. Who are you? And where did you come from? Mom didn’t say anything about having a dog, and I haven’t seen you since I got here.”
Jess leaned over and scratched his ears. “You’re a big fellow. You must belong to Tim, because Mom is definitely the little-fluffy-dog-in-the-purse type if she was going to have one at all. Where were you earlier? I could’ve used someone to cuddle.” She sniffled.
He whined and laid his big head on the side of the mattress so he could look up into her face in a non-threatening way. The last thing that James wanted was to scare her. He wanted her content and happy, not scared. “It’s okay, just man trouble.”
He turned and sauntered around the bed.
“Where are you going? I wasn’t finished petting you yet.” Jess started to sit up when he jumped up onto the bed and lay down immediately.
His bulk and height would frighten her if his beast stood over her while she was in a prone position. He kept his head down and crawled up beside her. “What a good boy. Now I know you don’t belong to Mom. She’d freak if she saw you on the bed. No dogs on the furniture, Jessica.” Jess did her best impression of her mother. He snorted then panted, raising his head up off his paws to watch her. “What is your name anyway?” Jess felt along his neck for a collar. She made a face but kept digging in his thick fur for some kind of collar. Every dog had a collar, didn’t they?
He rolled away from her and shifted into his human.
Jess covered her mouth with both hands as she gasped, with saucer-like eyes.
“My name is James.” He grinned. “Don’t be afraid.”
She shook her head. He’d told her the truth. He turned into a wolf.
“Are you afraid?”
She shook her head again.
“Come here, sweetness.” He held his arms open, and she hurried into them. “You’ve been crying.”
Her chin wobbled.
“It’s okay, I’m here now. I won’t hurt you. Do you think you can trust me?” His thumb brushed her cheek tenderly.
“Yes.”
He smiled softly and kissed her.
“James? How did you do that?”
His warm hand stroked her spine, putting her at ease.
She melted into him.
“Do what? Shift?”
She nodded.
“You can’t do it unless you are a shifter. I couldn’t teach you to do it.” He kissed her forehead. “I missed you. Why didn’t you tell me that you were leaving?”
Jess shook her head.
“You ran scared huh?”
She nodded. He was still stroking her, over her hair, cupping the back of her head, down her spine and back up. If he kept it up she would go back to sleep.
“Understandable. It’s frightening to have all of your beliefs blown out of the water, but Jess, you have nothing to fear. I love you. I won’t ever let anything hurt you, and I will take very good care of you. I promise. You couldn’t be safer than you will be with me.” His voice was soft and husky, entrancing her. It smoothed her nerves and calmed her. It was the same voice he would use on a pack member that was on the edge or upset.
“How can you love me? You say that, but you don’t even know me. You said that I am yours, as if you owned me, James. That scared me more than the wolf thing.” Jess looked up at him.
“I didn’t mean it that way, sweetheart. Not like that. Not as if you are a possession. I am as much yours, and you may do with me as you please. You see, my wolf has recognized you as its mate.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Jess murmured.
“That means that you are priority number one. Your needs, desires, wants, and whimsies are all more important than the next breath I take. I am your humble servant. I live and die for you.”
Her brows rocketed up. “That’s a lot to take in.” She scrutinized him.
“Overwhelmed?”
She nodded.
“Don’t be, it’s just how we are built. The mate is your other half, the missing half of your soul. The mate completes you, keeps you sane and happy. Wolves search their entire lives for their mates. Mates are our forever.”
“Really?”
He grinned at her wonder. “So when I tell you that I love you, I mean that in the deepest sense of the word. I never believed in all of that stuff that the old she-wolves and my dad went on about until I scented you.”
“Scented me?” Jess recoiled. “Do I stink?”
James laughed. “Just the opposite—your scent is incredible. At work, in the coffee bar, one day I was in there, and I guess you had just been there. I scented you. I suddenly felt more alive than I ever had before. I had to find you. It nearly drove me crazy.” He touched her hand gently. “I followed your trail but lost you in the building.”
“I don’t understand. When was that?” She watched his finger trace her veins.
“Six months ago.” His eyes twinkled with mischief.
“But I’ve worked there for almost five years, and you’ve been working there three years, right? It took three years for you to scent me? Why? Your wolf nose must not work very well.” Jess looked confused and was upset at the waste of time.
“I think because you are always with Lolly. You don’t leave your desk very often, and when you do, you are with her and her perfume haze. Also, because I used to stop on the way in with Freddy for coffee, I never went to the coffee bar. Thank God they put him on a different shift, we may never have found one another.” He kissed the top of her head.
“She does wear a lot.” Jess grinned. She’d been hiding in Lolly’s perfume cloud. It was better than a force field.
“The day I scented you, you were alone, no perfume. By then you’d gone out with David.” A growl rumbled through his chest.
“You know David? He never called me back. I guess he didn’t like me.” She
shrugged.
“Oh, he liked you. He didn’t call you back because I put a stop to it. In fact, I put a stop to all of the wolves stalking you.”
Jess swallowed hard.
“Five of them besides David, and not all of them as gentle as I am. I was protecting you even then.” He turned her hand over and traced the lines of her palm.
“You told David not to call me?”
He nodded, and Jess slapped his arm.
“All this time I thought that I was some hideous freak and it was because you were running interference on my dates?” She slapped him again.
“That’s enough.” He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. “Yes, I ran interference and did reconnaissance on you. I know all of your habits and haunts, I know what you like and what you don’t. I have to admit, though, your mother escaped my research.” He grinned.
Jess still had not decided if she was mad at him or not. “So you stalked me. And how did you find me here anyway? Did you sniff the ground from Virginia to Florida?”
James laughed at that. “No, my computer tech hacked your Visa card and tracked you down.”
“That’s illegal, Mr. Policeman.” Jess pushed away from him, but his hands gripped her waist like steel bands.
“All is fair in love and war, sweetheart.”
Jess loosened her body and chuckled. James kissed her again, and she melted into him. “I want you, Jess. I had to come after you. I didn’t really have a choice. If you need more time…but the urge is riding me hard. The wolf in me needs to claim you, and it will only get worse.”
“It sounds a little like I’m being stalked.” Jess’s brows drew together. What did “worse” mean? Would he turn into one of those things on the late night horror shows?
“In a way. My wolf knows that its mate is here, and he wants you, bad. He has for a long time, and he’s getting harder to control. I almost have him convinced that we need to go slow and do this right, but sometimes he’s just a beast. He understands that you’re different, but his instinct is to claim.” James kissed her forehead again, and she was getting tired of it. She wanted him to kiss her lips.
