by L. L. Raand
Finished with her calls, she walked to the huge open windows and looked out across the Compound to the forest and mountains beyond. She had grown up in those mountains, running free and unafraid for the first few years of her life. Her mother had been Alpha then, and the Pack had been strong and unchallenged except by the occasional war party of rogue cats. She wanted her young to experience that freedom and not to be born into the eye of the storm. She wouldn’t be able to give them that, not unless she took her Pack deeper into the wilderness. They’d have to leave this part of the continent and go north, where only rogue wolves and feral cats now roamed. She hadn’t talked to Drake about it, and the option wasn’t one she would choose unless forced to. Such a move would be construed as cowardice, and the Pack might splinter. Too many of her Pack had already assimilated into human society—some had human mates, many held jobs in the human sector—for her to pull them away. Her rule would be challenged. The humans might declare them outlaws and hunt them with impunity. The wolves were no longer creatures of the wild as they had been a millennium before, and this was their home. The home she was sworn to protect.
A knock sounded on her door and she answered without turning. “Come.”
Max entered alone and closed the door. “What would you like me to do with the prisoner, Alpha?”
“Was anything of import discussed?” Sylvan turned from the window and her musings. For now, at least, her path was clear.
“Nothing strategic, Alpha,” Max said. “Martin only assured his sister he was physically unharmed.”
Max’s wolf prowled close to the surface, hungry and agitated, although Max looked totally in control. A lesser wolf might have accepted the superficial appearance of calm, but Sylvan sensed his unrest. His skin shimmered with the flow of pelt near to emerging.
“Is the human aware of your wolf?” Sylvan asked.
He grinned wryly. “Yes, but she pretends otherwise.”
“Our populations have interbred sporadically for centuries. She may carry a distant thread of wolf, which is why she responds to you.”
“And why my wolf responds to her?”
Sylvan shrugged. “She is a dominant female, and your wolf has been patient a long time. But, like every wolf, he wants to mate.”
Max shook his head. “A human is no mate for a wolf.”
“I thought that once myself, but our wolves will have what they want.”
“She’ll take her brother and go, and that will be the end of it.”
“Perhaps. But be careful if you’re wrong.”
He nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Bring them to me.”
“Right away.”
Sylvan stood in front of her desk, and a few moments later Max brought Andrea and Martin Hoffstetter into the room. She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk, stood a few feet away looking down at them. “None of your party will leave my land until I have the information I need.”
Martin looked at his sister but said nothing.
“We want something in return,” Andrea said calmly.
Sylvan laughed. “And why would I negotiate with you?”
“Because you have the best interests of your Pack at heart and you need allies. We offer you that.”
“You said yourself you don’t trust your security. Why should I?”
“I’m not asking you to trust our security.” Andrea glanced at Max, then back at Sylvan. “Only me.”
“And what of your brother?”
“Martin has proved himself. You wouldn’t even have known about your young if he hadn’t alerted you—at considerable risk to himself.” Her gaze met Sylvan’s for a fraction of a second. “Some among us felt the risk was too great to alert you, but Martin insisted.”
Sylvan knew what Drake would want her to do. Trusting non-Pack was against her nature and her wolf whined unhappily, but Andrea Hoffstetter was right. The Weres needed allies or, at the very least, friends. “What is it that you want?”
“A shared intelligence link with the Praeterns. We have an obligation to protect citizens, just as you have an obligation to protect your Pack. We have enemies on both sides of this divide, just as you do. We can help each other.”
“I have no objection to sharing intelligence that does not endanger my wolves.”
Andrea nodded. “We’d like to have someone openly associated with your Pack who can move freely among the Praeterns.”
“That’s not possible,” Sylvan said. “Humans would be at risk here. I will not ask my wolves to restrain their natural instincts to accommodate human frailties.”
“I believe you’ll discover we are stronger than you think.” Andrea glanced briefly at Max. “One reason I was…elected…for my post is I had prior knowledge of Weres. I was engaged to one, although I didn’t realize that until after the Exodus when he came forward.”
Sylvan frowned. “I would have known.”
“He is a Snow wolf, in New York City with the foreign embassy.”
“What exactly are you suggesting?” Sylvan asked.
Andrea smiled. “I’d think a strategic mating would provide the appropriate cover for one of our people.”
“And who do you suggest I nominate for this job?”
“Max.” Again she smiled. “And me.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Lara opened her eyes in the semidarkness and catalogued the signatures of life surrounding her. First the familiar scents of a multitude of Weres moving throughout the building, crisscrossing the Compound, trailing out into the forest. Closer, just outside the door, humans—the servants protecting the Vampires while they slept. Beyond the gates, the pungent aroma of wildlife. She detected the pulse of blood and rush of breath mingling with the scents, and her hunger surged. She lay still, searching for her own heartbeat, and could not find it.
Raina’s naked back curved against her side, hot and vibrant like fresh-turned earth beneath a summer sun. Lara slid an arm around her waist, holding her even closer, shamelessly reaching for her warmth. She rubbed her face in the curve of Raina’s neck, opened her mouth slightly to taste her, let her canines lightly graze warm skin. She hadn’t dreamt when she was asleep; she never did anymore. She simply stopped. And when she woke, the hunger was always there. The lancing pain that filled her demanded that she feed, but even more powerful was her need for Raina. She wanted to taste her, drink her, lose herself in the hot pleasure of her. Raina was alive, Raina was life. And she—she was nothing. An empty shell. Lara drew back and a strong hand gripped her wrist.
“Don’t go.” Raina turned within the circle of Lara’s arms, her eyes glowing golden in the near darkness. Her breasts brushed over Lara’s, her thigh slipped between Lara’s legs. She caressed Lara’s face and slowly rubbed her thumb over Lara’s mouth. When Lara flicked her tongue over the tips of Raina’s fingers, Raina moaned softly. “Mmm, yes. I like waking to your hunger.”
“How do you know I hunger?”
“I feel it in your body.” Raina kissed her. “I see it in your eyes.” She pulled Lara completely on top of her, trapping her in her embrace. She tilted her head, exposing her throat. She was wet against Lara’s bare thigh. “You hunger, as do I.”
“If I feed from you again, you could become addicted.”
Raina laughed. “You think you are so powerful I will follow you everywhere and beg for your bite?”
Lara frowned. “You don’t understand—”
“I understand this.” Raina dragged Lara’s head down and bit her lip hard enough to draw a drop of blood. “I choose to couple with you. I choose to feed you. And I chose to leave my mark on you. You are strong, but so is your need, and I am strong enough to meet it.”
“I won’t give you another chance to escape,” Lara growled, her mouth already filling with feeding hormones. Raina smelled like forever, tasted like eternity.
“I ask for nothing,” Raina murmured. She reached between them, cradled Lara’s soft clitoris between her fingers. “I want you to feed and
I want to feel your need.”
“I want you,” Lara gasped, bracing herself with both arms on either side of Raina’s head. She ran her open mouth over Raina’s throat and ever so slowly penetrated her skin, sinking into her flesh as she sank into the heat between her thighs. The first rush of blood poured through her, flooding her with life and power. Her clitoris tightened and rubbed over Raina’s. She thrust, pleasuring them both. Raina released with a hard jolt, and her arms tightened around Lara’s shoulders. Raina licked the bite she’d left on Lara’s shoulder, and Lara surrendered to the lust and the pleasure.
She’d thought her only need was blood, that she’d only hungered for the semblance of life that came with feeding, until she’d tasted Raina. Until Raina’s mouth closed on her shoulder and her bite triggered an orgasm that went beyond blood, beyond pleasure, beyond anything she’d known. She’d never felt so truly alive. She moaned, and Raina purred in satisfaction.
Forcing herself to stop, Lara closed the wound in Raina’s throat and relaxed atop her, her cheek cradled in Raina’s neck. She drifted, her body and soul replete.
“I never liked sleeping with anyone,” Raina said softly, her fingers combing through Lara’s hair. “Never liked waking with anyone nearby. But I think I would miss waking with you.”
“You’ll be free soon, and when you are, you won’t miss this.”
“Is that what you think?” Raina’s voice held an edge. “Or just what you want me to believe?”
Lara kissed the edge of Raina’s jaw. “You belong in the mountains, with your cubs, with your Pride. The cats need a leader.” Lara sat up, rested her back against the wall. Raina lay beside her, watching her. Lara’s hands tightened into fists. “I have nothing to offer you.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
Lara snarled. “I don’t even belong to myself. I owe a debt to Jody Gates. I serve her.”
“You may serve her, but she doesn’t own you.”
Lara jumped to her feet. Raina’s blood had blunted her hunger, but she wanted her again, and the wanting was terrifying. She reached for pants, pulled them on. “Get dressed. We’ll find the Alpha and secure your freedom.”
Raina rose, stretched, her breasts full and lush, her body strong and powerful. Lara’s throat tightened and her sex filled. She wanted her again, every way. Under her, inside her, filling her. “You would do well not to tempt me.”
“And you would do well not to think you can make decisions for me.”
Lara raked a hand through her hair. “You don’t know what we face. You don’t want any part of my world.”
Raina stepped into her pants and pulled on a T-shirt. “I’ll let you know what I want.” Raina walked toward the door, paused beside Lara, and kissed her. “And when I want it.”
Lara’s wolf pushed for dominance, wanting to answer Raina’s challenge, wanting to claim her. Lara tensed, denying the urge to take her.
Raina smiled and caressed Lara’s chest. “Yes, we should hunt. Soon. We’ll see who is the strongest then.”
Lara narrowed her eyes. “You think to challenge me again?”
“Always.” Raina threaded her arms around Lara’s neck and leaned into her, her mouth hot against Lara’s throat. She raked her canines down her neck and covered the bite she’d left on Lara’s shoulder. Her hips jerked against Lara, and Lara cupped her ass, her vision hazing red. “Now.”
Hoarsely, Lara murmured, “Careful. If I have you again, I have to feed.”
“Maybe I want you to.” Raina’s canines slid deep into Lara’s shoulder.
Lara’s wolf howled, mad with pleasure, and Lara took Raina’s throat again. She came, standing with Raina in her arms, and at last her hunger disappeared.
Trembling, Raina clung to her, moaning as orgasm rippled through her, wave after wave. She gasped when Lara withdrew and licked the bite on her neck. “I hunger too.”
Lara buried her face in the curve of Raina’s neck. “You make me mad with wanting.”
Raina laughed. “Good.”
*
Sylvan lay awake watching Drake sleep. When she’d returned after her meeting with Andrea and Martin, Drake had been dozing. She’d crawled in naked beside her, and they’d fallen asleep wrapped in one another’s arms. She’d awakened as the sun disappeared and moonlight flooded the cabin. When Drake stirred, Sylvan rested her hand on the mound of Drake’s belly and kissed her softly. “Sorry. I tried not to wake you.”
Drake smiled against Sylvan’s mouth. “Did you sleep?”
“Some.”
“Is everything all right?”
Sylvan sighed. “Everything is different, but there’s no imminent danger.”
Drake pushed up against the pillows and guided Sylvan’s head into her lap. She stroked her face and massaged the tight muscles in her back. “What happened?”
Sylvan told her of the meeting with Andrea. “She says she will provide whatever information she can acquire about the location of the other laboratories. She thinks they’ll be able to narrow the search perimeter and possibly find more members like Martin who might identify some of the individuals in charge. It’s a beginning.”
“Do you trust her?” Drake asked.
“She took a chance coming here.”
“She came for her brother.”
“She could have kept her identity a secret. And there’s something else.”
“Max,” Drake said.
Sylvan’s brows rose. “You’re getting more attuned to the Pack every day.”
“I think it might be them,” Drake mused, indicating her abdomen. “The stronger they become, the more I…sense the individual Pack members, especially the centuri.”
“They’re linked to me by blood.” Sylvan rubbed her cheek on Drake’s belly. “And you to me in every way now.”
Drake smiled. “Yes.”
“What do you sense from Max?”
“His wolf has taken a special interest in the human female,” Drake said. “It might not be a bad idea to let them spend time together. They can find out what that means, and we may benefit from another source of intelligence.”
Sylvan grumbled unhappily. “The more ties we have outside the Pack, the more possibility there is for betrayal.”
“I know it goes against your instinct.” Drake combed her fingers through Sylvan’s hair. “But we can’t live in isolation. So we must find other ways to protect the Pack and our future.”
Sylvan rubbed her cheek against Drake’s belly. “I know.”
“What about the other prisoner—the cat Were? Have you questioned him yet?”
“No. I wanted to talk to Raina first. She’s with Lara. They should be rising soon.”
“Good. I want to be there when you talk to her. Are you ready?”
“In a minute.” Sylvan pulled Drake on top of her and kissed her. “Or maybe two.”
*
Francesca never truly slept. Even at her most somnolent, she remained aware of the heartbeats of the human servants outside her chambers, of the blood coursing through the veins of the dazed hosts in her bed. Daniela had come in a few hours ago and taken that morning’s hosts away, but Michel rested beside her still. She leaned over her and kissed her. “Are you hungry, darling?”
Michel’s eyes were open and fixed on the frescoed ceiling, her expression closed. “I could feed.”
“We can send up to the club for someone to your…tastes,” Francesca said, smiling knowingly. “A young Were, perhaps.”
“Any host will do,” Michel said, feigning disinterest. “I don’t hunger for anyone in particular.”
“No?” Francesca laughed and kissed her. “So you say.”
“Blood is blood,” Michel said.
Francesca stroked Michel’s chest, circling her tight nipples with her nails. “Yes, but some is so much more pleasant than others.”
A knock sounded on the door and Francesca frowned. “What is it, Luce?”
“I’m sorry, Mistress. Might I speak with
you?”
“Come in.”
Luce entered and strode to the side of Francesca’s bed. Francesca held out a hand and Luce kissed it. “Forgive me, Mistress, for disturbing you, but I thought you should know that Veronica has been in contact with Nicholas Gregory. They’re planning to rebuild their primary experimental installation with help from contacts within the human government.”
“You read her?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Francesca rose, slipped into a robe, and tied it loosely at her waist. Crossing to the tea service Daniela had set out, she poured steaming tea into a china cup. “How strong is your link?”
“Very strong, Mistress,” Luce said. “I’ve fed from her many times, now.”
“And her?” Francesca asked indolently, regarding Luce with interest. “Has she tasted you?”
Luce smiled. “Yes, although she’s unaware of it.”
“You know you need my permission for a blood bond.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Luce said. “But I did not think you’d mind if I indulged in a slave.”
Francesca laughed. “I’m impressed with your initiative.”
“Thank you, Mistress.” Luce smiled. “I believe she’ll be quite useful.”
“And as we know, quite enjoyable.” Francesca waved a hand. “You should go. She’ll be expecting you soon.”
“Yes, Mistress.” She started for the door.
“And, Luce,” Francesca said.
Luce slowed, turned. “Yes, Mistress?”
“Enjoy her as often as you like. But remember, what’s yours is mine, should I choose.”
Luce bowed her head. “Of course, Mistress.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Lara slowed as she exited the barracks and said to Raina, “Give me a minute.”
Niki waited on the porch, leaning up against a column, her expression hard and angry. She gave Raina a cursory glance, then settled on Lara. “I’ve come to escort you to headquarters.”
