by L. L. Raand
“They do,” Drake said reasonably. She’d been expecting this, wondering how long Sylvan would wait. “Katya and Gray need you too. As far as their medical and psychological condition, Elena and Sophia are more qualified than me to take care of them.”
“Then stay here and take care of the young in your belly.” Sylvan straightened and stalked toward her, a new dark dangerous glint in her eyes.
“Are we going to have this struggle for the next two months?” Drake stopped Sylvan’s march with a palm pressed to the center of Sylvan’s chest. Hard muscles bunched beneath her fingers and her body heated. She could never touch Sylvan without wanting her. “Before you growl,” Drake said, “listen.”
Sylvan’s lip curled into a snarl, but she held her peace. Her mate was stubborn and she wouldn’t yield to dominance, not even from her Alpha. “I don’t have much time. The centuri are waiting.”
“They’ll wait for you as long as they need to.” Drake slid both hands down Sylvan’s torso and hooked her fingers around the waistband of Sylvan’s tight pants. She yanked her forward until Sylvan’s body was pressed against hers. They were eye to eye, Sylvan’s deep blue eyes shimmering with shards of gold. Sylvan’s wolf was always at the surface these days, riding her hard, driving her with all the primal instincts of a Were with a pregnant mate. Add to that the enhanced aggression inherent to the Alpha and she was close to being beyond reason. Drake kissed her softly. “I love you.”
Sylvan frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I know.” Drake grinned. “You aggravate me ninety percent of the time just the same.”
Sylvan’s brows shot up, the rumble that reverberated through her striking the center of Drake’s chest like a thunderbolt. If she didn’t concentrate, she’d forget the point she was trying to make and simply let Sylvan have her way, let Sylvan take her the way her wolf wanted right this minute. Drake felt herself opening, readying, responding to the call of her mate, and something more. She ached with the need to answer Sylvan’s need. Sylvan’s need for her, and only her, made every challenge attainable, every hurdle surmountable. She caressed Sylvan’s face with one hand and slid the other arm around Sylvan’s hips, holding her close. “I need to be where you are. I can’t stay here and wait.”
“I can’t let you put yourself in danger,” Sylvan said, her husky voice strained. “I have to protect you and our young for the sake of the Pack.” She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Drake’s. “And for my sanity. Please, understand that.”
Drake curved her fingers around Sylvan’s neck and rubbed her cheek against Sylvan’s. She kissed her eyes, her mouth, her throat. The Alpha, the strength of hundreds, trembled in her arms, and she felt power beyond any she had ever known. That power humbled her, making her hands even more gentle. “And I need to be close to you, for my sanity. I’ll drive the Rover. I’ll stay with the vehicles, and if you want, you can leave a guard.”
Sylvan broke away and strode to the window. When she grasped the rough wood frame, the boards creaked, threatening to splinter. From behind, Drake could see Sylvan’s wolf straining to emerge. Sylvan’s shoulders hunched and flexed, her arms shook, her ass tensed. Drake didn’t want her mate to struggle, didn’t want Sylvan at odds with her wolf, but Drake’s wolf paced and growled and gnawed at her insides too. Her need to protect her mate was every bit as strong as Sylvan’s. Drake went to her, laid her cheek between Sylvan’s shoulder blades, and wrapped her arms around her waist. Pressing close, she whispered, “Trust me, mate. Trust me to care for our young and you.”
“What you’re asking goes against every instinct I have.” Sylvan spun around and gripped Drake’s shoulders, her eyes completely gold, her face sharp and heavy, her canines lethal blades. “I can’t have any harm come to you or our young. I can’t lose you. I can’t.”
“You won’t.” Drake grabbed a fistful of Sylvan’s hair and kissed her hard. Her canines caught the corner of Sylvan’s mouth and drew blood. She sucked on the scrape and Sylvan, growling, lifted her and carried her in three long strides to the bed. Sylvan dropped her on the blanket and fell on top of her, caging her between her arms and her legs. Drake swelled inside her jeans as Sylvan’s thigh clamped hard between hers. She was too ready to wait. Her claws shredded the back of Sylvan’s shirt. Sylvan’s tongue was in her mouth, hot and demanding, filling her. Sylvan’s hands were on her breasts, tormenting her nipples, and Sylvan’s hot hard heat was everywhere over her. Drake thrust and dug her claws into Sylvan’s back. Sylvan reached between them, ripped away clothing, and suddenly she was all Drake knew. Drake covered the bite on Sylvan’s chest with her mouth and came with a fierceness that purged her mind of every thought.
When the haze cleared, she tightened her hold on Sylvan, who lay spent and panting. Sylvan’s face was pressed into the curve of her neck, and Drake was so overcome by the need to protect her, she could barely breathe. She stroked Sylvan’s back, caressing the small wounds she’d left. “Just because I can’t resist you doesn’t mean you can always have your way.”
“You’re supposed to want to give me anything I ask for.” Sylvan nipped Drake’s neck hard enough for Drake to feel her clitoris tighten in anticipation.
Drake laughed. “I bet your mother didn’t tell you those stories.”
Sylvan propped herself on an elbow and nibbled Drake’s lower lip. “No one had to tell me. It’s in my genes.”
“Your genes are a few centuries behind, Alpha.” Drake ran her fingers through Sylvan’s hair. She was so beautiful—so strong, so brave, and still so vulnerable. Not immortal. Drake remembered the bullet wounds in Sylvan’s chest, the silver burrowing into her lungs and her liver, nearly destroying her. She remembered the feral silver wolf who almost hadn’t come back to her. “You’re my heart. Don’t ask me to let you go.”
Muscles bunched in Sylvan’s jaw. A grumble rolled through her throat. “You’ll stay in the Rover. Dasha will stay with you. No matter what you hear, what you see, you stay there until I return.”
“Agreed, except—”
“No exceptions.”
Drake shook her head. “If I feel you’re injured, I will come to you.”
“No.”
“Not negotiable.”
Sylvan threw her head back, her roar loud enough to bring footsteps to their door.
“You can roar all you like.” Drake turned her head at a knock on the bedroom door. “We’re fine.”
“Yes, Prima,” Jace said from the other side.
Drake kissed the mate bite on Sylvan’s chest. “You can’t ask me to do less than you would do. I won’t be less to you than you are to me.”
“I can’t give the Pack what you can,” Sylvan said. “You give them the next Alpha.”
“You could,” Drake said softly, “if you bore the young, or bred them on some other—”
“No,” Sylvan roared.
Drake caressed Sylvan’s cheek. “Your wolf is getting everyone agitated. You need to settle down before this mission.”
Sylvan had never felt so unsettled. She’d never had so much trouble controlling her wolf before, not even when she’d been an adolescent and so much more powerful than all her Packmates. She’d tussled with Niki and even then had had to be careful not to hurt her, but she’d managed. She’d always had control, and now it was gone. Now her wolf raged, constantly in a red-hot fury. She was ready to fight or fuck every second she was awake. She panted, struggling for balance. “I don’t know how my father put up with this.”
Drake laughed shakily. “Just think. His mate was a pregnant Alpha—and I’m sure your mother didn’t sit in the den for months.”
“My father was stronger than me.”
“I’m sure he was incredible,” Drake said softly, “but there is no one stronger than you, Sylvan. We’ll be all right. Trust me.”
Sylvan rolled over, settled her back against the wall, and pulled Drake into her lap. She cradled her in her arms and rested her chin on top of Drake’s head. “I
never wanted this. I never wanted to need so deeply. I need you more than I need the Pack.”
Her last words were whispered, heavy with remorse and regret. Drake’s heart tightened, feeling her mate’s struggle. She twisted until she could look into Sylvan’s face. “You’d give your life for any member of the Pack, from the youngest to the oldest, from the weakest to the strongest. We all know that. You have no reason to fault yourself. Your need is between us. I won’t let that need hurt you or our Pack.”
Sylvan swallowed, nodding slowly as her wolf curled up with a weary huff. “As you wish, Prima.” She kissed Drake gently. “Let’s gather our warriors.”
*
Becca slid her laptop into her briefcase and handed Jody the printout of the building plans she’d cobbled together from a series of permits she’d pulled from the archives of the municipal offices nearest the installation. “They aren’t complete, but they’re more extensive than what I was able to find earlier. There are at least three additional underground wings.”
“Good. This will help.” Jody buttoned her black silk shirt, zipped her tailored blended-silk trousers, and slipped a slim black leather belt around her waist. “I’ve asked Zahn to take you back to the town house when we leave here. It may be late when we return, and the soldiers will need to feed. You’ll be safe in our quarters.”
“You’ll need to feed too. I’ll be there.”
“You’ve hosted three times in less than twenty-four hours. I’ll feed before I return.”
“Where?”
Jody regarded her impassively. “Nocturne if there’s time, elsewhere if there isn’t.”
“Elsewhere,” Becca said slowly. “A random host—on the street?”
“They don’t suffer, Becca.”
“Oh, I know what they feel.” Becca’s face heated. She was not going to be jealous of orgasms that meant nothing to Jody, but she still had a hard time thinking of anyone else touching what was hers. “Bring them home.”
Jody went still. “It means nothing to me, Becca.”
“Maybe so—but you mean everything to me.”
Jody sighed. “I’ll instruct Zahn to call my blood servants.”
“No Nocturne?”
“Not without you.”
Becca’s breath hitched at the swift arrow of arousal that lanced through her. She had an image of reclining on one of those velvet sofas, Jody at her neck, other hands, other mouths on her breasts, her belly, her… “Jody—stop.”
Jody smiled. “Would you mind?”
“You’re trying to distract me.”
“I have to go.” Jody kissed her. “Stay with Zahn.”
Becca grasped Jody’s hand. “Why do you have to go with them? Can’t one of your soldiers lead the strike force?”
“I am a newly Risen heir. I have to show my strength immediately or my claim may be challenged.” Jody brushed her lips over the pulse in Becca’s throat. “Besides, Lara is my new warlord. My soldiers must see she has my support—and she needs to show her allegiance to me publicly.”
“Lara.” Becca sat on the edge of the bed. “You’ve taken a Were, one of Sylvan’s centuri, to lead your soldiers?”
Jody smiled thinly. “Lara is a Vampire. A very powerful Vampire, and she’s one of mine. I need her in a position where I can control her, and I need the strength she will bring to my Clan.”
Becca nodded. “Sylvan’s not going to be happy.”
Jody lifted a shoulder. “How the Alpha feels about it is not my concern.”
“You know, you’ve developed tunnel vision since you’ve risen.”
“You disapprove?”
“You’ve always been a bit arrogant,” Becca said casually. “But I used to have the feeling that you were a little more diplomatic. You seem to have lost that skill.”
“Diplomacy is generally the province of the weak.”
“As I was saying, arrogant.” Becca rose and wrapped her arms around Jody’s shoulders, leaning into her. “These Weres are our friends. And your allies. I want to know when you go out to fight with them that you go as a united force.”
“Centuries past, Vampires ruled the armies of the Weres.”
“I know there’s a lot I need to learn about your history, and correct me if I’m wrong, but it is history, isn’t it?”
“It’s also true what is said about history repeating,” Jody said. “The old alliances are being resurrected.”
“Yes, but the balance of power between Weres and Vampires has changed. If the Vampires aren’t flexible enough to deal with the current reality, you’ll all be in danger, no matter how strong you are individually.”
“That’s what my father said, when he supported the Exodus.” Jody considered Becca contemplatively. “You’d make a good conseiller.”
Becca smiled. “I make a good consort. And your father was right.”
“The Viceregal didn’t think so.”
“The Viceregal is protected by an army of guards and who knows how many secret alliances.” She kissed Jody. “At least let your warlord lead the strike. I really can’t take you coming home full of holes again.”
“I’m Risen now. Much harder to kill.”
“But not impossible.” Becca shuddered. “I know you need to do this—we all need to know who’s behind these experiments. The story needs to be told, and I’ve been sitting on it long enough.”
“Why does it have to be you who tells it?”
Becca searched Jody’s eyes. Opaque crimson, ringed in black. Endless night. “Because this is what I do.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“Excuse me? Newly Risen, just-dead Vampire?” Becca poked a finger in Jody’s chest. “Don’t even go there. Just do this thing and get your pale ass home. Then we’ll talk about when and how I break the story.”
“And if I refuse?”
“If you don’t tell me what you find when you return, I’ll have to look for another way to get the information.”
Jody grew completely still. “And what would that be?”
“I’ll have to ask whoever might know.” Becca drew a slow breath. “I’m a reporter, and I’m human and always will be. I have a responsibility.”
“To humans first?”
“I don’t put humans above Vampires, or Vampires above humans. I won’t make that choice.”
“Even considering who I am?” Jody asked so softly her voice was a razor in the air.
“Especially considering who you are.” Becca kissed her. “I’m not losing you to your biology or xenophobia or anything else. I love you too much.”
“I remember now why I fell in love with you,” Jody whispered, pulling her close.
“Why is that?”
“You force me to feel.”
“No, darling—I just make it safe for you to acknowledge what’s already there.” The kernel of fear that had been slowly growing in Becca’s heart since Jody had risen fractured and blew away on the wind of Jody’s tenderness. Jody had changed, grown stronger, harder, more lethal. But her heart had survived. Becca kissed her again.
Jody stroked her cheek and stepped away. “It’s time for me to go. The Alpha is on her way.” Jody laughed. “And you’re right as always. She’s not happy.”
Chapter Sixteen
“We have a problem,” Niki said, intercepting Sylvan outside her headquarters.
“Tell me.” Sylvan stopped midstride. If Niki wanted to speak to her without the other centuri present, the problem was highly sensitive. Or highly dangerous. “We don’t have much time. Drake went to get the Rover. She’ll drive tonight.”
“Of course.” Niki looked surprised but didn’t argue. “Lara is awake and was conferring with Jody’s soldiers.”
“She’s better?”
“She must be.” Niki’s voice grew harsh. “She’s Gates’s new warlord.”
“I take it that’s the problem.”
“Yes. Alph—”
Sylvan spun around and bounded across the yard onto the porch
of the infirmary. She landed in a crouch just as the door opened and Jody Gates walked out.
“You were looking for me?” Jody said as her guards moved in behind her, their expressions blank, their eyes kindling with nascent flames.
“You’ve overstepped for the last time, Vampire.” Sylvan straightened, the full length of her claws exploding through her fingertips so sharply blood dripped onto the rough-hewn logs at her feet. The Vampire guards grew as still as the water in a frozen lake, their hunger so rabid Sylvan’s wolf set to spring.
Jody, appearing unaffected by the richest blood in the Northern Hemisphere being wasted without a care, slid her hands into the pockets of her trousers and regarded Sylvan calmly. “I could play games with you, Alpha, but we don’t have time for it. My Vampires are mine to do with as I will. We have nothing to discuss.”
“Lara is not yours.” Sylvan’s wolf was in midshift, and Sylvan had no urge to rein her in. She’d been reining her in all day, and right now, she welcomed a fight. She almost wished the Vampires would try feeding from her. She’d had to compromise with Drake about her participation in the upcoming mission because her mate demanded it, and above all else, she honored her mate’s independence. She did not have to honor anything with a Vampire. They were no longer her masters and never would be.
“Nor is Lara yours. We share her in some ways, perhaps,” Jody said quietly, “but she is my warlord now. Since we’re allies, you should welcome a friend to the Pack at my back.”
“Friend,” Sylvan growled. “Then perhaps, friend, you can explain why Katya shows signs of having been fed from while in captivity. What do you know about Vampire involvement in the assault on my young?”
“Nothing.”
Sylvan cocked her head at the swift answer that said little. Vampires were master negotiators as well as master manipulators. They were nearly as hard to negotiate with as the Fae, who were so clever a wrong word could put you in their debt for a century. “And what do you suspect?”
“What I know,” Jody said, “is that conclusions based on appearances alone are often wrong. Limited facts can be dangerous.”
