“Don’t you think I know that? If I could get out of here without your help I would. But the truth is I’m a fuck up and I always have been.”
“Don’t talk about yourself like that.”
“Why not? We both know it’s true. I mess up and you clean up. You’ve even managed to do the impossible by getting Blackmane to delay my execution.” His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Exactly how did you manage to pull that off? Blackmane is a hard-ass and a stickler when it comes to pack law. And everybody knows he has no love for witches.”
She hesitated, reluctant to lie to him but unsure of how much she should tell him. Alan had his faults, but he loved her and thought of her as big sister and mother all rolled into one. If he found out what she’d agreed to, he’d demand she back out of the deal, and she wasn’t about to let that happen. Fortunately, the guard chose that moment to return and she used the distraction to avoid answering his question.
“I have to go now.” She went up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Try not to worry. If I can, I’ll come back tomorrow.”
He flicked a glance at the guard standing in the open doorway, and then he leaned in, bringing his body as close to hers as the bars allowed. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. “My friend’s name is Serpentes. He’ll find a way to contact you.”
She nodded and walked away without saying another word. She’d used the pretense of touching her brother’s cheek to scan his mind, and she now knew the cause of his headaches. He was spellbound. And the dark shadow she’d glimpsed in the depths of his eyes reeked of forbidden magic.
Chapter Four
Alisha walked out of the building housing her brother to find Lucas leaning on the hood of a black Land Rover. Dressed in well-worn jeans, cowboy boots, and a white shirt that emphasized the width of his broad shoulders, he nailed the badass predatory look without even trying. She was woman enough to appreciate the view, but he was still the last person she wanted to see at the moment.
“What happened to the guy who drove me here?”
“He was needed elsewhere. I told him to leave your suitcases at the house and head back to town.” He opened the passenger door. “Get in. It’s nearly an hour’s ride to the lodge and I missed lunch.”
“The sun hasn’t set yet, so you don’t get to call the shots. You can do whatever you want, but I’m going to find Skye Fortel. She gave the most damaging testimony at my brother’s trial and I’d like to ask her a few questions.”
“I thought Skye’s statements were pretty straight forward, but if you’re determined to talk to her we can stop by her house. She’s married to one of my men and their home isn’t far from mine.” A slight smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “That should put us at my house around sunset.”
“You have a one-track mind,” she muttered, ignoring the way her body tingled when he gripped her waist and swung her up into the passenger side of the SUV. “And keep your hands to yourself. I don’t like to be manhandled.”
“Too bad.” He slammed the door shut and walked around to get in on the driver’s side of the car. “Buckle up.” When she didn’t move, he reached over and secured her seat belt. “Why are you sulking like a two-year-old? I arranged for you to see your brother, and we’re on our way to see Skye. I’m keeping my end of the bargain.”
“I didn’t invite you along for the ride. Don’t you have something to do in your office? There must be someone who needs raking over the coals, or maybe there’s some Wulfren groupie you can bed down with for an hour or two.”
He started the engine and pulled onto the road. “I thought I made it clear I want you, and no one else.” He glanced at her, his black eyes hard with possessiveness. “And by my nightfall I’m going to have you.”
“I know the terms of our agreement. But if I were you, I wouldn’t do the happy dance just yet. You might find bedding an unwilling woman disappointing.”
He flicked a glance her way, a slight smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “Is that how you’re going to play it? I don’t mean to be crass, but I can smell your arousal. Your willingness isn’t going to be an issue.”
She felt like slapping his face, but knew that would be a mistake. He wouldn’t hurt her—he wasn’t that type of man—but she wouldn’t put it past him to use it as an excuse to take a few liberties before the sun set. She flipped him the bird and pretended to look out the window. “You just remember I’m not one of your conquests. We have a business arrangement.”
“That sounds like a challenge, sweetheart.” He spared her a glance, his midnight eyes flashing red. “And I’m going to enjoy making you eat those words.”
“In your dreams, wolf boy.”
A bark of laughter erupted from him. “Oh you are going to be good for me, baby. You’re bad tempered, foul mouthed, and absolutely hate the fact you want me.” He turned his head and winked at her. “You’re my dream girl.”
She was trying to think of a suitable comeback when he drove off the main highway onto a narrow dirt road.
“Where exactly does this woman live? We must be above four thousand feet and we haven’t passed a house for a while.”
“Skye and her husband built their home with privacy in mind. She’s a nature photographer and her husband, Lars, is my enforcer.”
“Enforcer? Jesus, you guys really do live in another world.”
“And you’d do well to remember that. Wulfren are predators, which is just another way of saying we don’t play well with others. In fact, if it was possible for us to breed more females, we’d keep completely to ourselves.”
“Sounds like population control to me. Mother nature probably didn’t want the planet overrun by growling, hairy-ass cave dwellers who think with their little heads.”
He turned his head and grinned at her. “I walked right into that one, so I’ll let it past. But Mother Nature also gave us a few traits that most women find appealing in a mate. We’re loyal, faithful, and like our brother the wolf, when we mate, we mate for life.”
“Pretty speech, but I’m not looking for a mate.”
He stopped the SUV in front of a log cabin that blended so perfectly with its surroundings she would have missed it if she’d blinked. He shut off the engine, and, feeling his eyes on her, she turned to look at him. His eyes locked with hers, and she felt a curious shift deep inside her, as if this was a moment she would remember for the rest of her life.
“I’m well aware you’re not looking for a mate. But my people have a saying, ‘sarouh calab coyoka.’ The heart will not be denied.” He smiled in a self-deprecating manner, his eyes lit with amusement. “Or as Vic is fond of saying, fate is a bitch with serious control issues. She doesn’t give a damn what you want. If she says fu—”
“Don’t you dare finish that,” she broke in. She nodded toward the house. “Is that Skye?”
A very pregnant blonde woman walked out of the cabin, followed immediately by a heavily muscled man who rivaled Lucas in size. The woman had a welcoming smile on her face, which was good, because her husband looked far from pleased.
Lucas opened the door on his side, but instead of getting out of the SUV, he turned to her. “Stay put. Skye is pregnant with their first child and Lars isn’t happy about this visit. I’ll let you know when he’s ready for you to question Skye.”
“I’m not a complete idiot.” Alisha groused, getting out of the SUV. “And Lars needs to come down out of the trees. His wife is pregnant, not mentally impaired. If she doesn’t want to talk to me, she can tell me so.” She headed for the couple, not really caring whether he followed her or not. “Why don’t you stay in the car,” she said over her shoulder. “I can handle this myself.”
She heard Lucas make a sound low in his throat, but she continued walking. The man was always growling about something.
A second later, she gasped in outrage as Lucas wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and hauled her back against his body. Speechless with rage, she twisted in his arms, w
anting to see his face when she ripped him to shreds for manhandling her, but quickly changed her mind when she saw his face. Note to self: The man might have a hard-on the size of Texas for you, but when he says no, pay attention!
The scowl on Lucas’s face was fierce enough to strip paint off the wall and she heard Skye make a sympathetic sound, as if commiserating with her situation. Her husband on the other hand folded his arms across his chest and nodded as if he approved of his Alpha’s high-handed methods.
She briefly considered putting up a fight, but not being a complete idiot she looked across at the waiting couple and plastered a smile on her face. Skye nodded at her, as if to say she’d made the right decision but Lars looked disappointed. When he spoke, he directed his words to Lucas.
“Welcome to our home, Alpha. Do you need a moment alone with your woman to instruct her in obedience?”
Lucas shot Alisha a ‘you better behave or else’ look and then slowly released her. The moment her feet touched the ground, she moved to put distance between them. Lucas stopped her with an arm around her waist and then hauled her up against his side, taking her with him as he moved toward Lars.
“Thanks for the offer, Lars”—he shot Alisha another dark look—“but my woman will need more than a few minutes instruction to see the error of her ways.”
She bristled at being discussed as if she was invisible, but she kept a smile on her face as Lucas quickly made the introductions and thanked the couple for agreeing to see them.
“I wasn’t in favor of this meeting,” Lars admitted candidly. “But Skye insisted, and I was afraid she’d slip off and meet you on her own if I didn’t agree.”
Lucas shook his head, a slight smile playing about his lips. “It seems we both have our hands full when it comes to dealing with our women. Perhaps our mistake has been in not following the example of our ancestors. They kept their mates chained to the bed by day and beneath them at night.” He flicked a possessive look at Alisha. “If nothing else, it ensured they had little energy left for mischief.”
She rolled her eyes, but her heart tripped into overtime. Just like that, with one glance, he’d caused every nerve in her body to pulse with need. She’d gotten into this mess to rescue her brother, but at the rate she was going, someone would have to rescue her.
“It’s an idea worth considering,” Lars said, his tone suggesting he was seriously giving the matter some thought. “I think I’ll present it at the next gathering.”
“Not going to happen,” Skye broke in, giving her husband a poke in his side. Then she turned to Alisha, her eyes lit with amusement. “Don’t pay any attention to either of them. Lars is just a big grumpy teddy bear and Lucas isn’t much better.”
“If you say so,” Alisha said dryly. “Lars looks as if he might fall into that category, but I think Lucas has you fooled.”
Skye chuckled. “You’ll discover in time that I’m right. And then I’ll have the pleasure of telling you I told you so. But why are we standing about when we could be sitting comfortably inside?” She didn’t wait for a reply but turned, heading back into the cabin.
Alisha followed Skye, with Lucas and Lars one step behind. She led them into a cozy living room, dominated by a massive white stone fireplace with a large sofa positioned in front. Both women took a seat on the sofa, while Lars perched on the arm next to his wife. Lucas declined a seat, and opted to stand at one end of the massive fireplace, an arm resting along the mantel.
Since everyone knew why they’d come, Alisha didn’t see any reason to waste time on social niceties. She turned to Skye and gave her a reassuring smile before broaching the reason for their visit.
“I know Lucas explained why I wanted to talk to you…and I imagine the last thing you want to think about is that night. But there’s a chance you might recall something that could be helpful to my brother’s case. “
Skye nodded, her blue-green eyes filled with sympathy. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can add to what I’ve already said. Lars went into town to attend a pack meeting, and Snookey, my cat, must have slipped out behind him. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be a problem, but there was a full moon that night and I feared he would get into trouble.”
Lars snorted. “What she means is she thought he’d end up a Wulfren snack.” He glanced at Lucas and the two predators exchanged a look that said they didn’t have a problem with that.
Skye, having missed the interaction between the two men, reached over to give her husband an approving little pat on the hand. “Most Wulfren think the only good cat is a dead cat, but thankfully there are some Wulfren like my husband and the Alpha who are more enlightened.” She turned to give her husband a kiss on the cheek, and then smiled warmly up at him.
Out of the corner of her eye, Alisha saw a brown-and-white tabby pause at the entrance to the room. Lucas turned away from the couple and flashed an impressive set of canines at the cat and it made a hasty exit out of the room.
Alisha did her best to keep all expression from her face, but when Lucas winked at her, she had to pretend to cough to hide the smile tugging at her lips. Okay, so he was handsome, sexy and funny. She still wasn’t going to like him. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to enjoy being his plaything!
“It was while I was out searching the woods for Snookey that I came across your brother,” Skye continued in a sober tone. “He was standing over the body of a man whose throat had been ripped out.”
“But you didn’t see my brother attack the man?”
“No. But as I testified at the trial, there was no one else in the vicinity. If there had been, I would have known it.”
“Did my brother say anything to you?”
“I don’t think he saw me. The underbrush in the area is dense, but I know he caught my scent because he lifted his head to sniff the air and then he ran off.”
“Are you saying my brother, a Wulfren, ran from you?”
Skye nodded and Alisha glanced at Lucas, wanting to see if he was as surprised by her answer as she was. Lucas shrugged his shoulders, as if to say so what, but she wasn’t buying it. Alan might not have Lucas’s body mass or strength, but he was Wulfren. Skye wouldn’t have stood a chance against him.
“No offense, Skye, but that just doesn’t make sense. If my brother had just killed a man, why would he leave the only possible witness to his crime alive?”
Skye looked across at Lucas. “You didn’t tell her?”
“It wasn’t my secret to tell.”
“The Alpha is right,” Lars said, leaning over to brush his lips against his wife’s temple. “The fewer who know the better.”
Skye gave her husband an exasperated look and then turned back to Alisha. “I’m a shifter,” she said bluntly. “When I came upon your brother, I wasn’t in human form.”
Alisha frowned. “I don’t see how that changes anything. I don’t know of any female shifters powerful enough to frighten my brother or any Wulfren into running. There must have been some other reason he fled.”
“That’s because you’ve never come across a liger,” Skye said softly. “Ligers are the offspring of a lion shifter and a tiger shifter. Live births are rare between the species, but there is one or two of us on every continent.”
“Close your mouth, sweetheart,” Lucas said, clearly amused by her reaction. “In human form, Skye weighs next to nothing, but as a liger she tops the scales at about nine hundred pounds and stands over twelve feet on her hind legs. Lars and I have managed to hold our own a time or two when we worked as a team to bring her down. But trust me, No Wulfren with an ounce of sense would take her on without backup.”
“I wouldn’t have challenged him,” Skye hastened to add, looking slightly uncomfortable. “But he didn’t know that. He used sound judgment.”
“But the jury must have seen his running away as confirmation of his guilt,” Alisha mused. She looked at Lucas for confirmation, and when he nodded, she rose to her feet and walked over to stand directly in front of Lucas. Her eyes lo
cked with his, and she continued as if they were the only two people in the room. “No tracks, except his. No scent on the victim except his. And the victim’s body baring the marks of a Wulfren attack. No wonder they found him guilty.” She shook her head. “But I’m still not buying it, Lucas. My brother isn’t feral, but he’s not himself. Something’s been done to him and I intend to find out what. It’s the only chance I have of proving his innocence.”
Sympathy flickered in Lucas’s eyes for a brief moment, but it passed so quickly Alisha thought she had imagined it. He took her hand and turned to Lars. “Thank you for allowing us into your home.” He smiled across at Skye. “It seems I am in your debt again, little one. There has to be something I can do to repay you?”
Skye attempted to rise to her feet, and her husband aided her with an arm around her waist. Alisha felt a ping of envy when Skye smiled at Lucas from the circle of her husband’s arms. “You stood by Lars against most of the pack when he mated a feline. That trumps anything I could ever do for you.”
Lucas inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment of her words and turned to Lars. “You will not resume your duties as enforcer as long as Skye and the baby need you. Is that clear?”
Lars frowned, his displeasure at his Alpha’s words obvious, and Skye reached up to pat him on his broad chest, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Thank you, Alpha. I will take good care of him.”
Alisha glanced at Lucas, thinking to comment on the way his enforcer’s tiny wife had him wrapped around her finger, but she thought better of it when she saw his expression. His eyes were filled with pain as he turned away from the smiling couple and guided her out the cabin.
This one has deep wounds, ma petite. Breaks my heart.
She glanced at Lucas as Ma’mon’s voice rolled gently through her mind and nearly halted in her tracks at what she saw. Pale threads of her magic fluttered around him, touching, and then retreating, like a mother wanting to console her child, but unsure as to how to go about it. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before and it shocked her. Feeling sexually attracted to him was one thing. She was a normal female, with all the needs that came with it. But her magic had never sought out another. Disconcerted, she pulled her magic back and pushed it deep within herself. She had no time for distractions. Her brother needed her, and if she was going to save him, everything else would have to wait.
Benjamin, Karen - Creole Moon (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 4
