“Sam was injured on deployment and sent back here for treatment.” I informed them. I could see all three of them looking at her uniform, her rank insignia and her awards stack.
“Welcome back, Corporal.” Cody told her politely.
I gave a sigh of relief. Most of the tension seemed to fade as the guys realized Sam probably wasn’t as much of a threat as they had initially feared. We made our way back to the vehicles with Jason carrying the bag. I was a little satisfied when he had let out a small grunt when he picked it up. At least I wasn’t that much of a weakling. The guys decided we would all ride back in Cody’s SUV and come back for the Jeep later.
Cody directed me to the passenger seat of his SUV and the twins sandwiched Sam into the back seat. I felt a little flash of jealousy, those were my twins she was sandwiched between. That was usually my spot.
I pushed away my jealousy, it was obvious that Sam would rather be anywhere but there.
“We need to get Sam some food, STAT.” I announced, and Sam shot me a grateful look. “She has been burning calories like crazy trying to heal her wound the last couple days and I doubt whatever the marines were feeding her was sufficient.”
“Amen.” Jason said and all of us laughed.
“Have you ever had Cookout?” I asked Sam. “It’s a North Carolina thing, but there’s a bunch around here because we’re so close to the border.”
“Nope.” She said. “But I am in desperate need of some meat.”
“That’s what she said.” Jason mumbled, as if he couldn’t hold it in. I laughed out loud with everyone else. This wasn’t going to be that bad, they were warming up to Sam.
Sam gave a huge grin. “Don’t worry. I’m not into wolf meat so your men are safe. But I will be asking for some recommendations on the closest bar to pick up a hot guy later on tonight, it was a long deployment.”
I blushed a little at how blunt she was, I wish I could be that confident and free. I hated how shy and embarrassed I got at stuff like this.
Cody noticed my embarrassment and gave my knee a squeeze. “Cookout is right around the corner, so we can help with one of your cravings.” He told Sam.
The guys questioned Sam about her time in the military, who she knew, and her deployments while we drove. Since the twins had been in recently, they had some common acquaintances and were familiar with the area where she had spent time during her deployments.
We pulled up to the drive thru Cookout and Sam eyed the menu. “I kinda want one of everything.” She confessed.
Cody laughed, “Think about it while I start the order.”
I turned to Sam with a grin. “Don’t worry, I got it.” I told her confidently. “I’ll order you all the best stuff here. All you have to worry about is what flavor milkshake you want.”
Sam laughed and smiled at me gratefully. “There are forty flavors…”
I leaned over Cody after he finished ordering for him and the twins. He steadied me with an arm on my back after I practically crawled into his lap to lean a little out of the window. “I would like two Out West Style burgers, a bacon cheddar hot dog, chicken quesadilla, Cajun style chicken breast, onion rings, and a BBQ plate.”
Sam grinned at me and whispered theatrically. “And a peanut butter fudge milkshake.”
I laughed and added it to the order. I’m sure that the clerk thought we were feeding an entire platoon of marines with all the food we got, but I was guessing that panthers ate just as much as wolves. After healing the severe injury that she had received, Sam was going to have to eat triple her normal amount for the next couple days.
The smell of freshly grilled food filled the car as I passed out the food. I kept one of the Out-West burgers for myself but passed the rest back to Sam. There was quiet as everyone chowed down.
After living with a pack of wolves, I was well aware that sharing a meal was a bonding experience for them. I was hoping that this would subconsciously make the guys more open to Sam.
“I’ll trust you to order food for me anytime,” Sam said enthusiastically.
“Wait until you have some of her cooking,” Mason told her seriously.
I smiled. That was a good sign if Mason planned on her being around long enough to share another meal.
The guys chatted with Sam as we drove, and it turned out that they all had a lot in common. I saw Sam’s surprise as we pulled up to the mansion we called home. “Damn. This is like some MTV cribs shit.” She said with a laugh.
Now that no one human was around to see us, Sam abandoned all pretenses of using the crutches and we walked in the house. Austin and James were waiting for us in the foyer. James had a deeper scowl than usual, and Austin had a stern face as he watched us walk in with Sam. It started to soften a little as he communicated via the pack bond with Cody.
I introduced everyone, and Austin asked to have a word with me in private. I swallowed nervously. He did not look happy with me. James followed us without a word.
He pulled me into his office and sighed. “Anna, we are going to talk about this more in detail later, but now I need you to tell me everything you know about Corporal Clive and how you met.”
“Sam.” I corrected. I could see his mouth twitch a little, but he didn’t say anything. James watched me with stony features, but also didn’t comment. I shrugged to myself and I explained everything that had happened and what I knew from reading her chart.
“Thank you. I’m going to call them in.” He told me at the end of my spiel. I was a little surprised that he didn’t have any questions for me.
Cody and the twins brought Sam in the office. She looked a little nervous, so I gave her a reassuring smile.
“Cody, you can sit in on this. Mason, Jason, keep Anna nearby. I need to speak with her at length when I’m finished here.” Austin told us.
Crap. Austin sounded angry. I decided to speak up anyway. I didn’t want Sam to feel like she was being thrown to the wolves. “May I stay?” I asked cautiously.
“No.” Austin answered. His tone softened a little as he continued. “I don’t let anyone into these meetings who would want to advocate for the interviewee, I want to evaluate them without anyone influencing the process. That’s why Cody couldn’t stay for yours.”
My eyes flicked to Cody in surprise. He had wanted to advocate for me? Cody blushed a little when his gaze caught mine and he shrugged.
“C’mon, Anna.” Jason nudged me. “I’ll read you all the threatening texts Cody sent us when he realized Austin had assigned us to take care of you.”
I gave Cody a small smile. I had no idea that he had been looking out for me from the beginning. I followed Jason but gave Sam a supportive smile on the way out.
Chapter 16
The Stalker
I watched Anna as she walked out of the hospital with the panther and cursed to myself. Today was supposed to be the day she was ours. They stopped at the gate and waited right next to the security guards.
I cursed again as I texted the team to tell them the mission was off. The boss was not going to be happy about this. This was the second time that things had not gone to plan. How was I supposed to know that the panther was going to be here?
Our mole had delayed the twins in getting to the hospital to get Anna at the end of her shift, so this would have been perfect timing. I was frustrated with just how much time I had to stay in the shadows and watch her. I wanted to act on this now.
If Anna had not been with the panther she would have walked through the parking garage like she always did. She would have taken the back stairs instead of the elevator to avoid the crowd and would have walked right by the van we had waiting for her. I had been planning this for weeks and had finally gotten the green light to proceed.
After texting the team, I continued to watch her from afar. When they started to move up the street and away from the guards I felt some hope stir. Maybe we would still get an opportunity? The panther was in the way, but she could be easily disposed of. I doubt anyone would miss
her.
I chuckled to myself, the wolves might even blame her and focus their investigation on the mysterious panther. I doubt they would believe it was just a coincidence that their precious Anna disappeared the same day she ran into a panther at the hospital.
My heart sunk again when I saw the wolves from the Seaside Pack headed their way. I scowled. As much as I wanted Anna, I wasn’t about to take them on directly. I would have to come up with another distraction to get her alone and vulnerable.
Chapter 17
Anna
Jason had kept his promise and read me some of Cody’s texts. I understood Cody’s concern for me back then, even I admit I was a little fragile when they first met me. It warmed my heart that he had cared about me at the very beginning.
We laughed about our first impressions of each other when we first met. It was only a few weeks ago, but it seemed like almost a past life to me. Everything had changed when I met the guys. I thought about how different I was when I first came here. I had come so far and gained so much in a short amount of time.
I was nervous about what was going to happen with Sam, but I knew Austin would do the right thing. I had complete trust in him. The twins kept me entertained with stories of when they first came into the pack while we waited.
Eventually Cody came out with Sam, and I was glad to see both of them wearing smiles. I stood up and looked at Sam. “Well?”
Sam gave me a huge grin. “I’m going to be staying with you for a little while.”
I grinned back at her. It was going to be fun to have another girl in the house. Other than Kelsey, I didn’t really have any female friends. I was curious to get to know Sam since she was a female shifter and also active duty military.
Cody gave me a nod. “You’re up now.”
I grabbed my iPad before I headed back to Austin’s office. I had been working on a project the last week to pitch to Austin. I was hoping it would prove that I had some worth to the pack. I wasn’t going to let the events of the day derail me from presenting it to him.
The door was open, so I walked in. I tried to look confident, not nervous, as I approached Austin and James. They had stopped talking when I walked in and Austin motioned for me to have a seat.
I sat down in front of Austin’s desk and settled into the chair, holding the iPad to my chest. James frowned at me in disappointment and Austin gave a sigh.
“We were both under the impression that while you were at work you were in a secure location, out of reach of anyone who would come on base.”
I cleared my throat. “Usually I am. But sometimes I need to work in the ER, or the ICU, or the NICU to help manage critical care patients.”
James gave me a constipated look, as if he was having a difficult time holding in his words. “You got lucky today.” He growled. “Sam could have-“
“I’m not stupid.” I interrupted him. “All of the areas that I work in are heavy with video surveillance and security. If she had tried to harm me it would have been in full view of a large number of humans. I have no intention of letting anyone kidnap me. I’m aware of the dangers and I take every precaution.”
“No one thinks you’re stupid, Anna. But you haven’t spent your life in our world, a lot of this is new to you.” Austin told me with a frown.
“You’re right, Austin.” I told him firmly. “I didn’t spend my life in a pack of wolves ready to defend and protect me. I spent my life alone or with people who wanted to harm me or take advantage of me. Believe me, I know the difference.”
Austin leaned forward. “After meeting Kelsey, you have to understand why we would be cautious about meeting other people you consider friends.”
I blushed but nodded. “You’re right.” I raised my chin. “I let Kelsey push me around and take advantage of me. That was my mistake. But I’m not the same person now as I was then.”
James snorted. “That was a week ago.”
I glared at him. “More like two weeks.” I corrected him. “And that was the old Anna. I wanted to believe Kelsey was my friend because I was desperate for affection from anyone.” I cleared my throat before I continued. “I was alone. Sure, I had Evelyn. But Kelsey was my age and I needed a friend.”
“Looking back at it now, I realize that she sabotaged any other friendships or relationships that I tried to establish to keep me dependent on her. She manipulated me, and I looked the other way because I wanted to believe she cared about me.”
I took a deep breath. “I have you guys now. I realize the difference between what I have here and what I had with Kelsey. I’m not pulling the wool over my own eyes anymore. I’m looking at everyone with a more critical eye now, even myself. I’m done letting people push me around and use me. I want you to see me as the strong female that I am on the inside.”
Austin blinked, and James looked more thoughtful than angry now.
“I don’t want to see you lose what makes you so…you.” Austin said quietly.
“We are keeping watch over you so that you can chase after butterflies and shit.” James added gruffly.
I laughed. “I know.” I smiled at him. “But I need you to trust me and respect me, not look at me as if I were a helpless child.”
Austin shifted uncomfortably. “Believe me, neither of us looks at you as a child.”
“Good.” I said confidently. “I know that I need to earn your trust and respect and I’m willing to do that. But I need you to give me the chance to do it.”
Austin sat back with a small smile and James gave me a nod of respect.
“This is going to be a learning process for all of us, Anna.” Austin told me. “We are going to probably be over-protective of you because it’s part of who we are, but you can call us out on it if we start to smother you.”
I smiled at him. “We can negotiate and meet in the middle.”
Austin nodded and gave me a smile. “In addition to training you how to fight, James is also going to be teaching you some of our security protocols. There’s no reason for us to leave you out of the loop, you’re a part of the team.”
I smiled happily. This was turning out better than I expected, I should speak my mind more often. This was a win for the new Anna. I narrowed my eyes. But was it a little too easy? They had caved pretty quickly.
Austin nodded at James. “I need to talk to her about her pack responsibilities.”
James murmured an agreement and surprised me by giving my shoulder a squeeze on the way out. He closed the door behind him and it clicked shut.
Austin stood and came around to my side of his desk. “Come here, Anna.”
I stood, and he wrapped me in an embrace. I was surprised for a moment but wrapped my arms around him and gave him a squeeze. He held me there and I felt him inhale my scent and kiss the top of my head. “I was so worried…” he murmured into my hair.
I relaxed against him and rubbed his back. “I’m sorry.” I told him regretfully.
He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Please don’t ever text me again to say that you need help with a panther and then leave me to panic without another word.”
I held him close and leaned my head against his chest. “I really am sorry. I will think before I text next time. If it makes you feel any better, I also texted Cody to say I was in the ER when he was on his way to ‘save me’ from the panther.”
Austin chuckled. “If that had been the next text I got from you, I might have lost it.”
“Yeah, today I learned to preface texts like that with ‘I’m fine but…’ and then state the emergency.”
“That would probably be best.” Austin said wryly.
I closed my eyes and breathed Austin’s scent in. His scent was comforting to me. It reminded me of pack, of safety, of family… and something more. Now that the emotion and the tension had faded I was becoming more aware of his muscular body pressed against mine.
I felt the flames of desire come to life inside me. My palms started to feel a little sweaty when I thought about what it
would be like to run my hands over Austin’s back if he wasn’t wearing a shirt. If I tilted my head up and pressed my lips to his, what would he do?
“The twins came to talk to me about you today.” He murmured, resting his head on mine.
I stiffened. I knew Caleb planned to talk to the twins about us, but I didn’t expect them to take the issue right to Austin. He hadn’t sounded like he wanted to kick me out of the pack earlier…
He pulled back to meet my eyes, but didn’t release me. “I need to know… if I told you that I care for you, would you give me a chance as well?”
“I wasn’t sure how you felt about me.” I told him honestly, my heart pounding. “I wasn’t sure if you offered to be my mate because you felt obligated-“
He shook his head to interrupt. “I like you. I want to get to know you better and I am very attracted to you.”
I blushed and buried my face in his shirt. “I like you too. But I also like Caleb and the twins.”
I felt his chest move as he chuckled. “It’s not that unusual for a female to have more than one mate. You have such a big heart, I know there is room in there for me even if you have feelings for others.”
I looked up at him. He met my eyes and gently brushed my hair off my face. I blushed but moved my hands from his back to wrap around his neck. My heart beat faster as he lowered his head and our lips met.
I ran my fingers through his hair as I lost myself to sensation of his kiss. I was much more confident with my kisses now that I had some experience, so I was able to relax and enjoy the experience.
Austin started to pull away and I bit his lower lip to keep him close. He chuckled and kissed me more aggressively. This time when he pulled away, we were both breathless.
He leaned his forehead on mine. “I do have actual business to talk about with you.”
I smiled. “I do too. But you can go first since you’re the pack-master.”
He laughed. “Let’s sit.”
Instead of taking his seat behind the desk, Austin sat in the chair next to mine to face me. He reached out for my hand and rubbed his thumb gently over my wrist. “I need to talk to you about Evelyn’s estate.” He told me gently.
Finding the Fire Within Page 16
