Sedona Seduction (Sedona Pack Book 2)

by Lisa Kessler

  “No.” She glared up at me. “You don’t know what’s at stake. I was going to smoke them out. They need to be alive. Persuade them to cooperate and no one has to die.”

  “No one in this pack is going to be used as a lab rat.” I pressed my knee against her throat. “Who’s paying you?”

  A gun cocked behind me.

  Dammit.

  “Get off her, Vance.” I recognized that voice.

  I spun around, dragging Natasha up to her feet in front of me as we faced Duane. “You weren’t even at the facility tonight.”

  “Surprised?” He raised a smug brow. “How’s Trager?”

  “Fuck you!” With one arm around Natasha’s throat, I drew my gun, pressing the barrel to the side of her head. “Put down your weapon, or she dies.”

  “Wow.” He clucked his teeth with a twisted smile. “You really think I’d give up my advantage to save someone else’s life? You have been away too long.”

  Natasha rammed her elbow back into my ribs, loosening my grip on her just long enough to jerk her head forward as I pulled the trigger. My shot pierced her shoulder, the fresh scent of blood agitating the jaguar in my soul. I dropped beside Natasha as Duane fired, narrowly avoiding the bullet. From the ground, I took another shot, getting him in the thigh.

  Duane crumpled to the ground. “I’m hit,” he hissed into his headset.

  I scrambled to my feet, nostrils flaring as I lined up my sights on his forehead. The years of training and conditioning from Nero made it simple to see my prey as a nameless face. A target, nothing more. I yanked the slide back, my finger caressing the trigger.

  “Don’t move, asshole.” A cool metal barrel dug into the back of my neck.

  In one swift movement, I snapped my head back into the bastard’s nose, then grabbed his wrist and flipped him over, snatching his gun from his hand on his way down. More agents would follow. I needed to end this now.

  “Vance!” Asher shouted from the shadows.

  I tuned him out and raised my gun again, aiming for Duane’s heaving chest. Something hit my shoulder so hard it knocked me backward. Pain lanced through me as I struggled to keep my balance. I turned my head to find blood soaking through my jacket. Someone shot me. Fuck. They must’ve used a silencer. I had no way to gauge how far away they might be.

  Without hesitation, I took a knee, firing two rounds in the direction the bullet came from.

  Someone gripped my uninjured shoulder. “We need to get out of here.” Asher pulled me to my feet, dragging me toward the house as sirens blared in the distance.

  I blinked, trying to organize my thoughts. Police? “Who called the—”

  “Alarm company,” Asher grunted. “We’ve got to get inside and ditch the weapons.” He narrowed his eyes at Duane. “Call off your agents, or don’t. I’m fine either way. But it won’t be werewolves who are exposed to the world if you stay on my property. Your choice.” He nudged me. “Let’s go.”

  I glanced back at Duane. He was already shouting orders into his headset. His leg was bleeding but not profusely. The bullet probably had shattered his femur, but it must’ve missed the artery or he would’ve bled out by now. I slowed him down, but he’d be back. For Kaya.

  Asher and the other wolves didn’t understand. How could they? They’d never been inside the walls of the Nero Organization, trained to kill, not to think. I knew the way a mission worked. Duane wouldn’t stop with a warning. Delivering Kaya to Evolution Defense for experimentation was just a payday for him to keep the satellite facility running and his agents under his command.

  He’d keep coming for her until he was either dead or had his prize.

  But Kaya would never be his. I’d make sure of that. No, Duane Clarkson’s days were numbered.

  CHAPTER 16

  Kaya

  The scent of Vance’s blood hit my nostrils, alerting my wolf that her mate was injured before he entered the house behind Asher.

  “Where are Naomi and the boys?” Asher asked.

  “Locked in the safe room.” I moved past him, frowning at the dark-red stain on Vance’s shirt. “What happened?”

  Vance peered down at his chest and shook his head. “It’s nothing. Are you all right?”

  “Yeah.” As he got closer, it was impossible to miss the hole in his shirt. And unlike the scratch he’d gotten in my parking lot the other night, this bullet hit its target. “This isn’t nothing. You got shot again.”

  I wrapped my arm around his waist and walked him down the hallway toward the guest bathroom.

  “Keep Vance in there. The police are almost here. I don’t want to have to explain a gunshot wound.”

  I would never get used to this part of my life.

  “What about the others?” I asked Asher as Vance went into the bathroom.

  “We’ll have to wing it.” Red lights flashed on the walls through the large picture window. “We’ve got company.”

  I followed Vance inside and closed the door, engaging the lock. He already had his shirt off when I turned around, treating me to the sight of his well-muscled torso, but the blood dripping down from a new hole in his shoulder lowered the sexy factor substantially. Flashbacks of my ex-boyfriend’s mangled body on the floor filled my head. Chet had died because of me. I couldn’t let Vance do the same thing.

  My hands trembled as I opened the cabinet under the sink and took out the first aid kit. “Sit on the toilet and I’ll see if I can clean up the wound.”

  Anything to stop thinking about what might have been tonight. He could have died more than once. My mate had a death wish.

  My mate.

  Focus.

  Cole had filled all of the pack first aid kits with enough supplies and equipment to complete minor surgeries if necessary. He hadn’t trained all of us on how to perform them, though. I was a master at treating burns in the kitchen, but gunshot wounds? Not so much.

  “What happened?” I kept my voice low as I took out the gauze pads and hydrogen peroxide.

  “I found Duane, but he had backup.” Vance caught my hand. “Look at me. Please?”

  The second my eyes met his, the reality that I could have lost him forever hit me like a ton of bricks. My vision wavered as I shook my head. “If you had died—”

  “But I didn’t.” He cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking my skin, warming my blood. “I’ve always been tough to kill, but I’m bulletproof right now.”

  I rolled my eyes. “How do you figure that?”

  “Because I never had a reason to live before.” He searched my eyes. “I want to be around long enough to earn your forgiveness. I’ll admit, tonight I almost lost myself in the killing, but you pulled me back from the dark. Don’t give up on me, kitten.”

  My heart ached as I stepped back. “I need to tell you something.”

  His hand dropped from my face, and I instantly missed his touch, the wolf in my soul pacing, agitated. Mumbled voices filtered through the door. Asher must’ve been talking to the police.

  I turned on the sink to cover our voices and grabbed a washcloth. While I waited for the water to warm up, I glanced over at Vance, doing my best to quiet the tempest of emotions brewing inside me.

  “You probably already know this since you were apparently spying on me before I was bitten, but I had a boyfriend. We were planning on moving in together.” I wet the washcloth, wrung it out, and started cleaning the blood off Vance’s chest. To his credit, he didn’t even flinch.

  “Yeah, I saw you with a guy.”

  I lifted my attention from his shoulder to his eyes. “His name was Chet. He loved me, and it ended up getting him killed. I can’t go through that again. I won’t.” My mouth went dry, but I forced the words out. “My wolf…recognized you.” I paused, waiting for him to connect the dots, but he remained silent, forcing my hand. “You’re my mate.”

  “Course I am. Always.” He wet his lips. “But I’d like to be more.”

  “What?” Unexpected laughter bubbled from my throat. “No. Not
like an Australian ‘mate.’” I took a breath, doing my best to stifle the giggles. “I mean mate. The werewolf kind.”

  His eyes widened for a second before he took my hand, washcloth and all. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Where do I start?” I couldn’t look at him so I worked on cleaning the blood off his back, near the exit wound. “You have so many secrets, and jaguar shifters don’t have the same instincts. How could I?” I cleared my throat. “I didn’t think you were even interested in me. Then after we slept together, you took off so…” I sighed and finally met his eyes. “My whole life it was drilled into me that my existence in this world depended on no one ever finding out I was a skin walker. Then I found out you had spilled that information, and I wasn’t sure I could forgive you for that.”

  He nodded and stared at the floor. “I understand. I don’t deserve forgiveness, and I damned sure don’t deserve you. I never did.”

  “When you ran into that satellite facility half-cocked, and I realized I might never see you again…” I caught my finger under his chin, lifting his head until his gaze met mine. “I can’t watch one more person die because they cared about me.”

  “I do care about you.” His rough hand slid up my arm, his touch warming me all over. “And I have no intention of dying.”

  “Good.” I brought the washcloth back to his shoulder. “You scared me tonight. I’ve never seen that side of you. I can’t fall for someone with a death wish. I won’t.”

  He stood up, and took the bloody washcloth from my hand, dropping it into the sink. His hands slid around my waist, drawing me closer. The intensity in his bright hazel eyes made my knees weak. “Ever since my first shift back in Australia, I’ve been running, worried that the only thing I’d ever be good at was killing. You made me believe I could be more. I never had a reason to live until you.”

  My heart thumped in my chest as I rose on my toes to kiss him. His arms tightened around me, pressing our bodies together until his breath caught. He smiled against my lips and rested his forehead on mine, loosening his hold on me.

  “If my shoulder didn’t have a hole in it…”

  I nodded in agreement. “I’d have your pants off in record time.”

  He raised a teasing brow. “No injuries below my belt.”

  A knock interrupted us.

  “How’s the patient?” Asher asked through the door.

  I chuckled, gesturing for Vance to sit back down. “He’ll be okay, but I think he’s going to need a few stitches.”

  Vance ran his hands up from my waist, slow and sure, and even though my shirt was on, my skin was on fire for his attention.

  “The police are gone and Cole’s here. I’ll send him in.”

  “Thanks, Asher.” I waited a minute and whispered, “You’ll heal faster if he sutures it closed.”

  He nodded slowly, his gaze wandering up my body until he met my eyes. “I need to find out how the woman Trager mentioned is connected to all this. I’m going to end this threat against you, and then I hope we can start over again.”

  “I’d like that.” I forced myself to take a step from him. “But if you try to solve this all alone, I’ll kick your ass, healed or not.”

  His crooked smile made my heart flip. “When did you get so tough?”

  I shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. “Guess I hang out with a badass jaguar assassin too much.” I started to reach for the door knob, and hesitated. “So this mate thing doesn’t freak you out?”

  He stood up and took my hand, lacing his fingers with mine as his smile faded away. “I may not have a wolf’s instinct, but you are the only person I’ve ever dreamed about building a life with.” He shook his head. “I’ll never deserve you, but I count myself lucky that your wolf doesn’t seem to agree.” He cleared his throat and lifted his gaze to my face. “Is that the only reason you’re here with me right now?”

  Was it? I examined our joined hands before meeting his eyes again. A smile tugged at my lips. “I fantasized about kissing you for a couple of years before my wolf got involved. I just figured you weren’t interested in me.”

  “Oh, I was more than interested.” He pulled on my hand, bringing me back over to him. He sat down again and brought me with him. I straddled his lap, and his hand slid free of mine as he wrapped his arms around my waist. “But you were bitten because of me. You had every right to hate me forever, and I was too chickenshit to see if you would.” He brought his hand up to caress my cheek. “I’m so sorry, Kaya. I should have told you everything.”

  My heart melted as I lost myself in his eyes. “No more secrets, okay? If we’re going to start over, I need to trust that we’re a team.”

  He nodded as our lips met. His tongue brushed my lips and I opened to him, exploring his mouth. He growled against my lips and desire ignited through my bloodstream. My fingers tangled in the back of his hair as he kissed me over and over. I didn’t care that we were in the Naomi’s guest bathroom. I needed him. We were alive. He kneaded my breast through my shirt and my back arched, aching for more.

  A knock on the door interrupted us again. “It’s Cole. Can I take a look at Vance’s wound?”

  I chuckled as I broke the kiss. “Damn.”

  Vance nodded, and the hunger in his eyes made my toes curl as I got up and opened the door. Would our pack doctor would notice the tent Vance’s erection had pitched inside his black jeans? This openness between us was new and intoxicating. I might have even given my ass a shake as I walked out.

  Hopefully Cole would work fast. I needed some alone time with my mate. Soon.

  CHAPTER 17

  Vance

  She left me behind with a raging erection and a pack doctor with cold hands. I grinned, shaking my head. The second I could, I’d take her back to my place. I needed to touch and taste every inch of her until I lost track of where I ended and she began.

  When was the last time I’d ever been so eager for anything?

  But I did have one last job to do. Duane was a loose end that would hurt her if I left him dangling. She wouldn’t like it; Asher might not, either. But they’d never lived in my world. I grew up in the Nero Organization, a hired gun sold to the highest bidder. In my world, waiting until killing was in self-defense was often too late.

  And I wasn’t going to lose her now.

  Cole stopped poking the edges of the wound in my shoulder and straightened up. “You’re lucky the bullet had a clean exit. You’ll need some stitches, but you’ll heal up fast.” He glanced at the spot where the bullet grazed me a few nights ago. Shifters healed faster than humans, but I still had scabs and bruises across the back of my shoulder.

  He shook his head. “For a cat, you’re running out of lives.”

  “I’ve got at least a couple left.” I chuckled, rubbing my fingers along the smooth skin of the scar on my chest. “If Severino’s dagger didn’t kill me when we took down Nero, I doubt any of his assassins will.”

  Cole’s gaze flicked to the door and back to the first aid kit. “Hope you’re right.” He lowered his voice. “If you’re not worried about your own life, think about Kaya.”

  She was all I was thinking about. From my seat on the toilet, I looked up at Cole. “Has she told you?”

  He threaded the needle. “Told me what?”

  So Cole didn’t know about the mate bond. Maybe she hadn’t told anyone. I wasn’t going to out us if she wasn’t ready. I’d done enough damage already. “That we got a name from Trager.”

  I winced as he wiped down the wound with more hydrogen peroxide. The sting was worse than the damn needle.

  “Asher mentioned we got a lead on who else might know about Kaya being a skin walker.” He bent closer, pinching my skin together. “Sorry. This is going to hurt.”

  “I’ve had worse, mate.” The piercing of the needle forced me to focus my thoughts. I spit my words through gritted teeth. “It’s a woman. If we can find out who she is…there might be a link to Evolution Defense…or that wannabe
senator.”

  Cole kept working on the stitches. At least he was fast. “Hope so. The sooner we can shut down the flow of interest into the super soldier shifter research, the safer we’ll all be.”

  He tugged on the thread and tied it off. I let out a sigh of relief before I remembered I had a hole in the back of my shoulder that needed stitching, too. Dammit.

  “Can you turn around? Almost done.”

  I got up and straddled the toilet lid. While he went to work, I tried not to count the stiches and allowed myself to replay my conversation with Kaya. She’d blindsided me when she told me I was her mate, but there was something more. When she told me about her boyfriend dying the night she was bitten, she never mentioned which wolf did it. Were they still in the Pack?

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.” Cole pushed the needle through my skin. “What’s up?”

  “When Caldwell was still in charge, who did he send to bite Kaya?”

  That halted the stitches for a second. I couldn’t see his face, but my question had stopped Cole in his tracks.

  “I’m not sure.” He poked the needle into my skin again. “Why?”

  “Because whoever bit her, killed her boyfriend, too. Seems like that goes against your gang’s rules. I doubt an unarmed human man could have been a threat to a werewolf during a full moon.”

  He kept sewing. “I try not to think back to those days.”

  “How ’bout we do think about it? Whoever did it, mauled and killed him in front of her, but they were in wolf form so she wouldn’t recognize him as a man.” I paused, bracing myself as I added a little gas to the fire. “Could be you for all she knows.”

  “Fuck you,” he growled, tugging the stitches tightly enough to make me wince. He tied them off and turned on the hot water in the sink, washing his hands. “First off, I’ve been the Pack doctor ever since I started veterinarian school. I heal with these hands.”

  I glanced up at him, trying to gauge his reaction. “But you’ve killed before, too, mate.”