“Tomorrow morning at the earliest if you’re willing to meet my terms.”
“Just spell it out, Blackmane. What’s it going to cost me to delay my brother’s execution?”
He leaned in, his black eyes locking with hers as a wicked smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “I want you. Whenever. Wherever. And however I say.”
She shook her head, her heart racing with fear…and heaven help her, excitement. How sick was that?
“I don’t do booty calls,” she sneered, but she knew he wasn’t fooled. She’d lived most of her life with a Wulfren and she knew he could smell her arousal and hear the sound of her heart racing. Nothing she could do to stop that, but talking tough soothed her bruised ego.
His eyes hardened, became shards of ice. “You asked my price. I named it. If the terms are not to your liking, the execution can proceed as scheduled. I could even move it up to today if you want to get it over with.”
“You son-of-a—”
“Save it,” he broke in. “It might make you feel better to go off on me, but you’re wasting time that could be spent aiding your brother.”
“What will doing my own investigation achieve if your people won’t talk to me? I’ve been here for over three weeks, and none of them have given me the time of day. The polite ones ignore my questions and the rest of them cross the street when they see me coming.”
“This is a sanctuary for Wulfren and any supernaturals who abide by our laws. Anyone asking questions is going to get the silent treatment. But all that will change after I put out the word that they’re to talk freely to you.”
“Then we have a deal, but since I’ll be doing my investigation during the day your access to me will be limited…say from sunset to sunrise.” She rose from her chair. “Agreed?”
He nodded but she could see he was far from pleased with the caveat she’d made to their arrangement.
“Okay, so where are you holding my brother?”
“He’s imprisoned on the other side of the island.” He slid off the edge of the desk to tower above her. “A car will pick you up tomorrow morning. Until then, I suggest you get some rest.” His gaze raked over her, the heat in his eyes making it clear he liked what he saw. “You’re going to need it.”
“Asshole.” She muttered the word under her breath, but she knew he heard her. Wulfren could hear a fart in a windstorm.
A black eyebrow arched with amusement, and then he reached into his pocket and pulled a scrap of red lace out. He raised it to his nose, and inhaled deeply. She felt her skin flush in reaction but she managed to meet his gaze with what she hoped was a defiant look.
“You know, you really make it easy for someone to hate you.”
“Hate all you want, little witch. But that won’t change the desire we both feel. You want me as much as I want you. The only difference is I’m willing to take any steps necessary to get what I want.”
“So I never really had a choice?”
“No, but then neither did I. Oddly enough, that doesn’t seem to bother me anymore.”
She opened her mouth to ask what the hell he meant by that, but the door leading into his office swung open. The big blond stood just inside the doorway, a golden eyebrow arched in inquiry as he looked across at Blackmane.
“Come in, Vic, we’re done talking.” He turned to her. “I think under the circumstances first names are in order.” He didn’t wait for her agreement, but quickly made the introductions. “Vic is my second-in-command. He’ll take you back to your hotel and make the arrangements for you to see your brother. Try not to piss him off, sweetheart. I’d hate to have to kill him because he lost his temper and took your head off.”
“As if,” Alisha said, moving past both men as she headed toward the doorway. “I already proved I can whup his ass. In any case, he’s safe from me, Lucas dear. I’ve had my fill of assholes for the day.”
* * * *
An hour later…
“Well, that didn’t take long,” Lucas greeted his second in command as he entered his office. “You look like hell, by the way. Why don’t you pour yourself a drink and tell me all about it?”
Vic headed straight for a small cabinet that doubled as a minibar and filled a glass with whiskey before he turned to face Lucas. “Feel like it, too.” He downed his drink in one swallow, and then poured himself another.
His friend was no teetotaler, but he rarely drank during the day. His little witch had obviously proved to be a handful, and why the hell that brought a smile to his face was a mystery to him. He frowned. Was she getting to him already?
“She kept her word about behaving herself on the way back to the hotel, but I’m positive I saw steam coming out of her ears.” He took another sip of his drink. “Good thing I won’t have to see her again.”
Lucas arched an eyebrow at how relieved his friend sounded. “My mistake. When you first met her, you seemed to like her.”
Vic took his drink and seated himself across from Lucas. “Love the braided hair, and she’s got everything a man wants, in all the right places, but vision witches give me the creeps. Say the wrong thing to her when she’s PMSing and you could end up needing help to tie your shoes.”
“You’re wrong, you know.”
Vic frowned across at him. “Wrong about what?”
“About not seeing her again.” Lucas placed a few of the papers he’d been making an effort to read into his open briefcase before he looked again at the man who was not only his second-in-command but his best friend. “She’s my mate.”
Vic jerked upright in his seat, nearly spilling his drink. “Holy shit!” He stared at Lucas, and then a slow grin spread across his face. “Does she know? I mean, did you tell her?”
Lucas shook his head. “She knows nothing. At the moment I felt she had enough to handle without finding out what she is to me.”
“But you’re going to have to tell her something, and soon. If what they say is true, she’s already feeling the need to mate with you.” He eyed Lucas speculatively. “You look as if you’re holding your own, but how are you feeling?”
“Like hammered shit. I’ve had a painful hard-on since I got a whiff of her and realized what she is to me, and my wolf keeps roaring in my head to hurry up and put us both out of our misery. He doesn’t give a damn about her feelings, he just wants to fuck. That’s why I asked you to see her back to the hotel. In the state I’m in, I didn’t trust myself to remain a gentleman. As it is, I came close to taking her on the floor of my office.”
“So what they say is true. Once you’ve found her, you can’t think of much else until you claim her.”
Lucas grimaced. “You have no idea. She’s been out of my sight for less than an hour and though I know she’s safe in her hotel room, I have to fight myself to keep from going over there to check on her. Hell, I’ve already called the front desk twice and reminded them to contact me if she sets foot outside her room. God only knows what they’re thinking, but promise me you’ll shoot me if I start howling at the moon.”
“You’ll claim her before that happens. And frankly, I’m relieved she’s finally come along. I feared…” His voice trailed off, his gaze shifting briefly away as an uncomfortable look crossed his face. “Well, you know what I feared.”
“That I’d go feral? Unless a Wulfren finds his mate, it’s something we all have to face sooner or later. But now that I’ve found her, I don’t mind telling you I was close to turning. My greatest fear was that you or the pack would have to put me down.”
“No need to worry about that now,” Vic said with a pleased smile. “Once you claim her, you’ll never have to worry about that again.” A concerned look crossed his face. “But the situation with her brother complicates matters.”
“That’s an understatement. She thinks I haven’t given him a fair shake. And I know damn well he’ll paint an even blacker picture of me when she talks with him. I’ve agreed to delay her brother’s execution but she’s not happy about the price she has to p
ay. Eventually I’ll gain her trust, but I’m going to have to claim her and work out our differences later.” He sighed heavily and shifted in his chair, attempting to ease the unrelenting ache in his groin. “I never thought I’d say this, but maybe our ancestors were right to bed their mates on sight. It may have made for a rocky start to their relationship, but at least they didn’t have to walk around with their dick on fire.”
Vic gave a bark of laughter, but muffled it when Lucas gave him a dark look.
“Sorry,” he said, flashing an unrepentant smile. “I’m happy for you, man, but I gotta tell you, I’m going to enjoy seeing the tables turned on you. She’s a tiny little thing, but she’ll challenge you at every turn. And I’m going to enjoy watching the fireworks.”
Lucas shot him an up-yours look, but if he was honest with himself, he was looking forward to taming his mate. She was quick witted and fired his blood in ways he hadn’t thought possible. She was more than a handful and if they were blessed with a son, he’d probably have red hair and a natural propensity to piss him off. He bit back a smile. Just like his mother.
“You’ll have to handle the matter with her brother very carefully,” Vic mused aloud, drawing his attention back to the conversation. “He’s probably been manipulating her all his life.” Vic hesitated, his thoughts clearly troubled as he looked across at him. “Do you think it’s possible he’s the assassin sent to kill you?”
Lucas snorted. “I doubt they’d send a pup to do what seasoned warriors have failed to accomplish.” He shook his head. “No, my gut tells me he’s involved, but he’s no more than a puppet. I’m more interested in finding out what’s been done to keep him from responding to my call. As his Alpha, the bond between us should be inviolable, yet I can’t connect with him.” He shook his head. “Maybe his sister will be able to shake things up a bit.”
“I don’t doubt it, but delaying his execution without consulting with the council is going to make them madder than hell. They’re going to be harping at you like a bunch of bitchy girls.” He grinned, clearly pleased with the thought. “Care to tell me what she’s going to do for you in exchange for keeping her brother alive a little longer?”
“No. You’re already enjoying this way too much.” He snapped his briefcase closed and stood up. “Starting now, I’m unavailable.”
Vic rose to his feet, standing nearly as tall as his Alpha. Lucas noted he’d wiped the grin from his face, but he knew his old friend well enough to know when this was over, he was in for quite a bit of ribbing.
“Not a problem,” Vic said, moving with him toward the door. “But once the council learns of your decision, they’ll demand to speak to you.”
“Deal with it. I can’t be bothered with them when I’ve got my hands full dealing with my mate. And in case you haven’t guessed, she’s Sosye.”
Vic let out a low whistle, and then his face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “A Sosye for a wife. Things are definitely about to get interesting around here.”
Lucas turned to look at him, his hand resting on the doorknob. “I’m not taking a wife, Vic. I’m claiming a mate.” He watched the gleam of amusement fade from Vic’s eyes to be replaced by a look of concern. “Stop looking as if I just told you there’s no Santa Claus. I’ll treat the woman well, but I won’t make the mistake my father made.”
“Maybe we’re talking about a different woman than the little witch I just dropped off, because she doesn’t seem to be the type to agree to live a half life. And I don’t think your father made a mistake. From what I saw, he was happy, and so was your mother. I doubt the ‘you’re my mate, not my wife’ approach is going to make either of you happy.”
“But you know what will?” His voice held a clear warning.
“Yeah, I think I do. The question is will you be able to crack open that lump of ice you call a heart and let her in.”
Chapter Three
“Alan!”
Alisha ran to her brother’s cell and he leapt to his feet, a look of relief on his face.
“I knew you would find me, sis. You’ve never let me down.”
She gripped the bars of his cell and stared at her brother. He was wearing a prison-issue orange jumpsuit two sizes too big, he needed a shave, and his curly brown hair needed cutting, but other than that, he looked better than she expected. Fighting back tears, she stretched a hand out to gently touch his cheek. “Are they treating you well?”
“Well enough.” He clasped her hand and held it between both of his. “The guard told me I’ve been given a stay of execution. When I heard, I knew you had something to do with it. How much longer do you think I’ll have to stay here?”
She glanced over her shoulder, making sure the guard who’d escorted her to her brother’s cell had left them alone. “I can’t answer that, Alan. I managed to get Blackmane to delay your execution, but things don’t look so good. A murder conviction is difficult to overturn, and only solid evidence will make them review your case.”
“Then I’m done for. No one witnessed what happened and on top of that, the victim was some kind of personal assistant to Lucas Blackmane.”
“He didn’t mention that, but the locals have been told to answer any questions I put to them. I’m hoping someone will remember something that might prove helpful. What I need you to do is to tell me everything that happened from the moment you set foot on the island. Don’t leave anything out, even if it puts you in a bad light.”
He released her hand, his eyes hard with anger. “For God’s sake, Alisha, you sound as if you think I’m guilty. I know I did some stuff I shouldn’t have when I was younger, but do you really believe I went feral on a defenseless human?”
“Of course not. I just don’t want you to hold anything back. I know you’re angry and probably more frightened than you’ve ever been in your life, but criticizing me isn’t going to help matters.”
He glared at her, his face taking on a petulant look she knew well. She loved her brother dearly, but she wasn’t blind to his faults. He was short-tempered, immature, and more than a little spoiled. It pained her to admit it, but in many ways, she’d failed him. After all, hers had been the hand that had guided him for most of his life.
Something of what she was thinking must have communicated itself to him, because he let out a heartfelt sigh and reached a hand through the bars to tip her chin up. When her gaze met his, he smiled apologetically. “You’re right as usual, sis, but there really isn’t much to tell. I had a headache that night, and I thought a run might help me to relax. Somehow I ended up in the mountains above Salinas, and when I realized how many miles I’d covered, I shifted to make the run down the mountain easier. That’s when I caught the scent of human blood. The smell was strong, and I remember thinking some hiker had probably had an accident. I followed the scent back to the source but it was already too late for me to do any good. The man I found was barely alive. His throat had been shredded.”
“They said your scent was all over the body.”
“Of course it was! I knew it was hopeless, but I did what I could to help him. Worst mistake I ever made. It would have been better if I’d just walked away.”
“You did the right thing, Alan. And somehow we’re going to prove you didn’t kill that man. But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Blackmane said you didn’t say a word during the trial, and why didn’t you try to contact me?”
He stared at her for along moment, and she could see he was casting his mind back, trying to make some sense out of his actions. After a moment, he frowned, a hand going up to massage his temple. “I don’t know why I didn’t call you, or say anything at my trial. I know that sounds odd but ever since I started getting these damn headaches, I have to focus really hard to keep track of things.”
“Listen to what you’re saying, Alan. Headaches? Wulfren are immune to most diseases and they don’t get headaches. Try to think back. When did these headaches first start?”
“Forget the headaches. They don’t
mean anything.” He glanced toward the exit, and then waved a hand, indicating she should move closer to him. He waited until she leaned in, her face inches from his. “Don’t say a word, just listen. The guard is going to return at any moment and since he’s Wulfren I can’t take a chance on his overhearing me. I’ve discovered my cell is warded with some kind of Wiccan magic which works in reverse. The more I try to bend the bars, the stronger they become, but I’m certain you can break the spell. Ma’mon said your magic was the strongest she’d seen in a hundred years.”
She shook her head. “Even if I managed to break the wards, what good would it do? How many times have you told me that the only thing Wulfren do better than killing is hunting?”
“We’ve got to risk it. I’ll go crazy if I don’t get out of here soon. You know I’ve never liked being cooped up and I’ve been in this cell for days. All I’m asking is that you give it a try. Once you break the spell, I’ll take care of the guard. And I have a friend who can get us off the island.”
“A friend? When you left New Orleans you told me you didn’t know anyone on the island.”
“Stop asking foolish questions and listen,” he hissed. “Blackmane is playing you for a fool. He knows you’ll need more than two weeks to find something that will overturn the verdict. I don’t know what his game is, but I’m not sticking around to find out.”
“Alan, I know two weeks isn’t much time, but something might turn up. Blackmane has given me his word that he’ll reopen the case if we come up with anything that casts doubt on the verdict.”
“You can’t trust him, no matter what he’s told you. The only way out for me lies with you.”
“Think about what you’re saying, Alan. Do you want to spend your life on the run? And what do you think will happen to me once my part in your escape is known? I may be strong in my gifts, but I can’t fight the entire council.”
Benjamin, Karen - Creole Moon (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 3
