Dean quickly said, “Meeting over. Trey, I’m going to ask you and your wolves to leave first.”
“What do you mean first?” griped Darryl.
“In the interest of preventing confrontations from occurring, the protocol is to keep ten minutes between the time that each party leaves.”
Eager to be away from Darryl before his wolf surfaced, Trey stood upright, pulling Taryn to her feet. “Let’s go, baby.” Surprising him, she leaned against his arm, offering him support that he hadn’t known he needed. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Darryl,” he growled, his eyes flashing wolf. The temptation to tear off his limbs and rip out his throat for trying to lay claim to what was his was riding Trey hard. Satisfied by Darryl’s nervous expression, he nodded and stalked back to the Toyota.
Once back on pack territory, Trey closed himself in his office, needing that privacy to fight off the memories haunting him and the grey cloud that seemed to be hanging over him. Yeah he was a brooder. It wasn’t the memory of his dad severely wounded that haunted him. Nor was it the memory of how many suddenly turned against him just like that. It was a memory of something far worse, something that he shouldn’t be able to shove to the back of his mind to only haunt him from time to time. But he wasn’t a person who ‘felt’ the way everybody else did. He knew instincts, he knew urges, he knew logic, but ‘feelings’…not so much.
It wasn’t that he was cold, just that he’d closed himself off a long time ago as what he now knew was a defence mechanism. It was most likely a bad thing and strongly linked to his underdeveloped conscience, but it was also one of the things that had made it possible for him to take on the responsibilities of Alpha at fourteen and get his pack through that difficult time of the banishment.
As usual, Dante never left him to brood in peace for long. A knock on the office door half an hour later was followed immediately by Dante’s entrance. He was the only wolf who didn’t wait for permission to enter, and he was the only one who could get away with it. “Are you done?”
“Is Greta back yet?”
“Got back about ten minutes ago. She’s in the kitchen packing away boxes of some weird herbal tea. Um, I think you might want to know that on my way here I saw Taryn going to refill her coffee mug.”
Trey groaned. “Shit. Tell me they’re not alone.”
“Who do you think will start cursing first?”
Sighing, Trey strolled out of his office en-route to the kitchen to rescue his mate from his rather antisocial, borderline psychotic grandmother.
“I don’t like you.”
Taryn almost laughed at the growling old woman sitting at the table. The second Taryn had entered the kitchen Greta had begun hovering around as Taryn refilled her mug and then perched herself on the counter, dipping mini cookies in her coffee. Going by how nosy Greta appeared to be, Taryn had been expecting her to ply her with dozens of personal questions. Instead, she had sat in total silence as she watched Taryn’s every move, scowling the entire time.
Rather than irritated, Taryn found herself amused. Greta reminded her of her bitter grandmother. She also reminded her of Norman Bates’ mother in Psycho. “Now that’s not a very nice welcome for your grandson’s mate.”
“You might have gotten one if you’d been his true mate,” she snapped, flicking her short fuzzy greying hair away from her face. “But you’re not.”
“No, I’m not.”
“And I don’t like or trust you one little bit.”
Taryn gave a slight shrug. “I guess it’s a good thing that I don’t give a shit.”
A dramatic gasp of outrage escaped from Greta. “How dare you speak to me like that! You will watch your language in my presence.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“This mating-for-a-deal wouldn’t have happened in my day. I told him he didn’t need a mate to build alliances – Darryl won’t go through with his challenge. But did Trey listen to me? Noooo. And now look what we’ve ended up with. A tiny little fart with a tarty tongue. All his life I warned him about power hungry females, but has he listened to me? Noooo. He’s not only gone and brought one home, but he’s mated with her. Well you just remember that you won’t be here for long. And don’t expect me to treat you as Alpha female. You’re nothing as far as I’m concerned. Just some cling-on slut who wants a position she never would have had if she hadn’t made a deal with my grandson.”
Taryn cocked her head at the old woman. “So…the dead do contact us.”
Greta growled and pointed at her. “I’ve seen your sort before.”
“Really?”
“Common. Disrespectful. A hussy -”
“How did you know I was a hussy?” It was a strain not to laugh as the woman became more and more irritated by Taryn’s lack of reaction to her taunts. Greta had nothing on her own grandmother.
“- and as if that’s not bad enough, you’re blonde. That’s all we need, isn’t it. A bimbo.”
“Hmm. I really hope I don’t sound condescending – that means talking down to someone – but, you know, you really shouldn’t believe everything you think.”
Another growl. “My grandson doesn’t need a hussy.”
“Well he must want one.”
“He’ll want you out of here as soon as he sees what you’re really like. He’ll sling you out. Yeah, and he won’t be gentle about it.”
“Oh I do love a rough touch,” said Taryn dreamily.
“Think you’re funny, do you? Think you’re smart?”
“You want to know what I think? Okay. I think you’ve been behaving as mistress of the place because your Trey’s grandmother. You look at me and you see a threat to your lovely little world and you don’t like it. Well I’ll tell you something, Greta. If you think I’ll be scared away by a sour crone who’s so old she dreams in black and white then you’re in for a massive disappointment. I made a deal with Trey, and I’ll be here until I’ve lived up to my half of it. In the meantime, feel free to keep up the insults and the intimidation techniques – all I ask is that if at any point it seems like I care please tell me because I really don’t want you getting the wrong impression.”
Greta, her face purple, slapped her hand down hard on the table. “That’s it. Out. I want you out. Now.” When Taryn just stared at her Greta growled out, “I. Want. You. Out.”
Taryn held up her index finger. “Just give me a second. Attempting to give a fuck…Attempting harder to give a fuck…Sorry, there was an error. Fuck not given.”
Both women looked up as Trey and Dante walked in and skidded to a halt. Taryn found her mouth curving at their nervous looks. Obviously they had guessed Greta would be like this. Taryn’s wolf settled a little as she picked up her mate’s scent. “Aww, Trey, you didn’t tell me your grandmother was such a kind, delightful soul.”
Trey was surprised by Taryn’s smile. Clearly she was holding up just fine against Greta.
“You really want this trollop as a mate?”
“Watch it, Greta,” Trey cautioned in a low voice.
“I don’t have to be polite to her. She’s nothing but a hussy!”
“You sure like to repeat yourself, don’t you, woman,” said Taryn with an air of boredom.
“I want her gone!”
He folded his arms across his chest, trying hard to prevent a grin from surfacing. If Greta was looking so flustered and annoyed then she was obviously losing at the confrontation she had undoubtedly begun for no other reason than she didn’t like females around him. “That won’t be happening.”
“I refuse to accept her as part of my pack!”
“Why is that exactly?”
“You should hear the way she’s been talking to me. Disrespectful is an understatement! Worse, she’s a hussy! She won’t be faithful to you. She’ll be all over your enforcers, spreading herself around them like butter on toast.”
“It really is disconcerting just how well you’ve read me, Greta,” said Taryn.
With a growl that had all eyes widening, Greta s
tood. “I said I want her gone!” She focused on Taryn then. “I want you gone!”
Taryn gave her a mock frown. “Now really, Greta, anger is such an ugly thing.”
“It’s Ms Tyler to you, hussy.”
“Sure thing, Greta.”
Turning to Trey, she ranted, “Have you heard the way she talks to me? She has no respect! She’s rude! She’s -”
“Staying exactly where she is,” finished Trey firmly, hearing his wolf growl his agreement. Trey wasn’t a grandson talking to his grandmother now. He was the Alpha talking to a pack member.
“But she’s not your true mate and she’s not good enough for you!”
“I’m aware that she’s not my true mate, it has nothing to do with why she’s here.”
“She’s not good enough for you!”
He had a moment when he considered pulling his hair out. “You don’t even know her so how could you know anything about her or whether or not she’s good enough for me?”
“Is it true that she’s latent? You picked a latent for an Alpha female?”
Trey was ready to snap at Greta for making such a comment when alpha waves suddenly reached out and hit them all with the force of a sledgehammer. The vibes clotted the air, smothering him while at the same time invigorating him. He turned to Taryn to see her glaring at Greta, and realized she was letting his grandmother see exactly how powerful an alpha her wolf was. Obviously she’d had enough of being insulted. He couldn’t blame her. Unfortunately for him – and probably for Dante too – her dominant display went straight to his cock, hardening it painfully.
“Taryn?” he said softly. She looked at him, smiling, and suddenly the waves eased. “You okay?”
Nodding, Taryn slid from the counter and did a very feline stretch. “I think I should leave the room though. I can feel those hussy urges coming on me already. Probably best if I go before I leap on you or Dante.”
Trey looked at his gaping grandmother who had obviously not expected such a demonstration of power from little Taryn. “I don’t want to have to go through this again,” he said in a grave tone, knowing how tenacious Greta could be. “She’s my mate. Accept it. And if you want her to treat you with respect then remember it works both ways.”
Taryn sighed. “No, she’s right. My behavior has been truly unacceptable. Accept my apologies, Ms Tyler. I know I really should have more respect for the dead.” With a grin and a wink, she then strutted out of the kitchen. Her grin widened as she heard an outraged gasp burst out of the old woman.
“Hey you did good,” praised Dante, chuckling. “Didn’t cry or anything.”
“Something tells me I’ll have to put up with that every – Hey!” She gaped at Trey as he snatched the mug from her hand and gave it to Dante. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Baby, you got me hard as a rock after that display of dominance in there. If I’m not inside you in the next five minutes, I’ll lose it.”
“Oh hell no!”
Locking his arms around her, Trey carried her through the tunnels, ignoring her kicks and the string of profanities she hurled at him. Once in the bedroom, he dumped her on the bed. “Now I’m going to fuck you and make you come so hard you can’t breathe. Deal with it.”
CHAPTER SIX
Dreams didn’t get much better than this.
On one level, Taryn couldn’t help finding it a little depressing that her best sexual encounters tended to happen during her sleep, but the pleasure spiking through her body left no room for such thoughts.
A thick talented finger was stroking in and out of her while sharp teeth nibbled on the back of her shoulder. The thrusts were shallow, leisurely, teasing. She squirmed and tried impaling herself further but the finger withdrew – a warning. She moaned her frustration. A low, wicked chuckle was her response and then two fingers plunged inside her and her next moan was of sheer bliss.
Ordinarily Taryn wasn’t a huge fan of finger-fucking, but these fingers were extremely clever, hitting all the right nerves with unerring accuracy as if they knew just how to play her body. If they would only pick up speed…
Oh, and then they did. The teeth stopped grazing her shoulder as that hot mouth drifted to her ear and a tongue swirled inside the shell.
“Come for me, Taryn.” The whisper was hoarse and filled with authority. “I want to feel you come all over my fingers.”
That was when she woke up and became very aware that she hadn’t been dreaming at all. Instantly she stiffened, but obviously knowing she’d fight him, Trey slipped an arm beneath her and locked it tight around her, pinning her arms against her body. “You tricky fucking bastard,” she rasped, struggling against his grip and the sensations. But his grip only tightened as he kept her right where he wanted her and pumped his fingers hard and deep, demanding her orgasm.
“Come. Now.” He bit down hard on the back of her shoulder.
Her traitorous body gave him what he wanted. An orgasm washed over her and her muscles clutched his fingers as she came with a loud cry. Then in one decisive movement he raised her leg, tucked it into the crook of his elbow and drove into her. Oh she hated him.
Trey groaned as her muscles contracted around his cock. “Fuck, Taryn.” She melted against him for a second and then went back to struggling. Well of course she did. In this particular battle for dominance he had basically cheated by seducing her in her sleep, but she just felt so damn good around him that he couldn’t bring himself to care.
He thought it odd that his appetite for her body hadn’t began to dull yet. He only had to smell her scent or hear her voice for him to become immediately hard. Unlike Trick and Dominic, Trey wasn’t the type to have so little control over his libido or his body. But where Taryn was concerned, it was a whole different matter. He couldn’t even blame it on the mating. This primitive hunger had hit him the second he saw her and didn’t seem to be going anywhere.
“That’s it, baby, fight it,” he urged. The little wildcat did. Even though his cock was pistoning away in her pussy, even though her groans told him that she loved it, she still thrashed and fought to be free. Fought his dominance. If he hadn’t been as strong as he was, she’d have twisted out of his hold by now – and most likely have snapped his neck. Those flailing hands were clawing at whatever skin they could reach. It was a real good thing her arms were trapped.
“Cock-sucking son of a goddamn dick-faced bitch!”
“You’re the bitch, baby. My little bitch. And I’ll fuck my little bitch whenever I want.” He knew she was fighting her orgasm, but he also knew by the way her inner muscles were fluttering around his cock that she wouldn’t last much longer. Surprising him, she turned her head and snapped her teeth, grazing his face ever so slightly. Growling, he locked his teeth onto her nape and pounded harder. Seconds later she screamed and her pussy spasmed around him, triggering his own orgasm. “Fuck!”
When she finally stopped panting Taryn gave him a sideways glance as she muttered, “Bastard.”
He laughed before bringing the fingers he had fucked her with to his mouth. He hummed appreciatively as he sucked them clean. “I could become addicted to your taste.” He wasn’t lying. Her taste was just like her; spicy and seductive.
“Let me guess,” drawled Taryn with a snort. “You think it’s best if you get a regular dose so the addiction stays under control.”
Again he was laughing. This female had a wit and an attitude that he could appreciate. He reluctantly withdrew from her body and then, unable to resist, he lightly slapped that pretty little ass before jumping out of bed.
It wasn’t until he was in the bathroom that Taryn finally forced herself into an upright position. She shook her head in sheer disbelief at how someone could be so energetic first thing in the morning. Eventually she not-so-gracefully rose from the bed and stretched her arms above her head. She would bet she looked very much like a contented cat. Well an orgasm was always a good way to start the day. At that very moment the sound of a cell phone ringing met her ear
s.
“Trey, phone!”
In seconds he was out of the shower and answering the call. As she saw his eyes flash wolf and his body stiffen, she cursed. She knew exactly what that meant. There went her hope of Roscoe just letting the issue go or, in the event that that failed, him simply leaping to his death.
Instantly questions began swirling around her mind. What if he’d brought hoards of wolves with him? What if Trey got hurt? What if the others got hurt? She couldn’t exactly heal any of them if Roscoe spirited her away – and wouldn’t that be a fate worse than death.
“That was Ryan. Roscoe’s here. He’s not going to take you,” he assured her as they both frantically began to dress, sensing her anxiety through the pack link. Within thirty seconds they were at the main entrance to the caves where many of the pack were already waiting.
“Did Ryan tell you he’s brought quite a few wolves with him?” asked Dante in the same tone that someone might ask what time it was. Men.
Trey turned to her. “I want you to wait here and -”
“Oh hell no! This mess is mine and you expect me to sit here twiddling my thumbs, relishing the feeling of my own safety?”
“You’re staying.”
She smiled. “I believe you were warned before you even mated me not to bark at me unless you’re happy to be ignored.”
“Taryn,” he drawled in an impatient tone, “I am your mate -”
“And I’m stubborn. If you want absolute obedience, get a Labrador. I’m not quite the delicate flower people tend to take me for. Now let’s go.”
Right then, Trey wanted nothing more than to spank her ass. He didn’t want her anywhere near that male who coveted her. Both he and his wolf wanted to know that she was safe, but Trey knew by the look on her face that she would simply ignore him and follow him outside no matter what he said.
“You don’t get to interfere, understand? There will probably be a wolf against wolf battle. You stay out of it.” He knew that once he was in wolf form and engaged in a battle there was a good chance that he would go feral.
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