Tall, Dark and Furry (The Elementals Book 1)

by Meredith Allen Conner

  Wonder what normal is for the supernatural? Or is that just an oxymoron?

  “Tell me about it.” Cam watched her closely.

  “There isn’t much to tell. It was a long time ago. I can’t even tell you where I met him because they blindfolded me. He was tall with dark hair and dark eyes. He had an accent, but I couldn’t place it. All I really remember is that he had been the one in charge.” And, of course, the swinging of the sword.

  “How old were you exactly?” Cam questioned.

  “Fourteen.”

  Mac suddenly stiffened around her. He’d been rubbing her neck and stroking her arm while listening to the conversation, but her answer prompted a strong reaction in him.

  Mac swung her around. He touched her shoulder, right above her scar from the bullet. “Is that when they shot you?”

  Sela nodded. She watched the amber sparks start to swirl, and light up in his eyes.

  “I’d escaped and was running away when they shot me.” The change in his eyes fascinated her. The big bad werewolf getting ready to change for her. To defend her.

  “Do you remember anything about the area around you when you escaped?” She didn’t want to answer Cam’s question right now, she wanted to focus on Mac.

  “It was a heavily wooded area. I don’t remember exactly how I got away. The next thing I remember is being in a motel room.”

  Cam sighed. “You were in shock from being shot. I’m surprised you were able to get away.”

  That and seeing her mother beheaded in front of her had been a strong motivator. Her mother may have hated her, but she’d still been her mother.

  “What kind of trees?” Cam asked. No wonder they made him Wolven. Cam was relentless.

  “Huh?” Oh joy. Here we go again, back to brilliant.

  “We might be able to narrow the area if we know what type of forest you were in.” Mac explained. “Did you see Pine trees, Oak, Aspen, Palm?”

  Okay, that made sense. Sela thought back. “Pine trees with snow on them. I remember that because I didn’t have a jacket, it was cool out, but not cold and there were patches of snow on the ground.”

  “Somewhere in the north, probably in the spring and at a higher elevation.” Cam mused. “Snow tends to leave the mountain forests slower than the valleys in the north.”

  “This all happened years ago. I’m sure the MIBs have moved.” Sela said.

  “Could be. But this is the only lead we have.” Damn logical thinkers. Her mind leaned towards circles and odd winding paths.

  “I don’t remember much more.” The memory of her mother’s head rolling on the floor would haunt her forever, but she couldn’t see how that would help them now.

  Lock it away.

  “All right.” Cam stood. “I’ll see if I can find anything in the archives that might help, but the most important thing is to bring your sisters here. Sela, I need you to call them. Roc, you go and pick them up.”

  “That won’t work.” Sela tried to stand, but Mac pulled her in closer. She debated whether to take issue over his high-handedness, but she liked the feel of him all around her too much to say anything.

  “I just told you the results of the last time we thought we might be safe. The MIBs are tricky. We change our phones all the time. Livie and Rea won’t believe me if I tell them we might have a chance here. We can’t afford to trust.”

  The men stared at her. Mac began rumbling behind her. What?

  “Your sisters won’t trust you?” Cam stared at her as if she belonged to an alien species, one with orange tentacles that spit up a lot.

  “They can’t.” Sela didn’t take it personally. She loved her sisters and knew they loved her. That’s what mattered. “I could be drugged. The MIBs could be using voice manipulation. Anything is possible. It’s too risky.”

  Horror and pity washed over Cam’s face. Roc muttered and began pacing around the room. Mac’s rumbling grew louder. “These men have a lot to answer for.” Cam looked directly at Mac. “They need to be eliminated.”

  “Completely and permanently,” Mac growled behind her. “Preferably with lots and lots of pain involved.”

  “I can’t wait to get my hands on them,” Roc added.

  They didn’t know her. Sela couldn’t get beyond that. Mac might call her his mate, but he still didn’t know her that well. They didn’t know her and yet they were willing to wage war for . . . her and her sisters.

  Sela knew all about fighting for her life, hiding, being hated for what she was, isolation and betrayal. She didn’t know anything at all about what these men offered.

  She didn’t know what to call it. Acceptance? Care? Protection? Love?

  It went beyond all of that. They were willing to die for her and her sisters.

  Why? Because they used to protect the Elementals in the past? That seemed a bit much for a job they used to have, as in centuries ago, and hadn’t even known about until now.

  Did werewolves have some code of honor like the knights to protect damsels in distress? Oh yeah, like I’m a damsel. Heck, considering their age, these guys could have given the code of honor to the knights.

  Or maybe this was all an intricate ruse to get her to trust them so she would lead them to her sisters? Maybe they wanted to control the Elements.

  She didn’t have any reason to doubt them, but she didn’t have any reason to trust them either. She’d trusted her mother and look where that got her.

  Sela rubbed her head. Way too much. I can’t think. I need to get out of here. She had not been in this much contact with the same people in . . . months? Years?

  “I have to go,” she said. She pushed at Mac’s arms in a useless attempt to escape his embrace.

  The sudden silence caught her attention. It hit her that they continued talking while she had been lost in her thoughts.

  “You are not going anywhere, Lupa.” Despite everything a tiny thrill went through her at the possession in Mac’s voice.

  And I have officially lost it. I can’t trust him yet I want to be with him. Warning, warning, lunacy approaching.

  Sela squirmed and pushed harder. “I have to go now,” she panted. She concentrated on one of his arms, pushing and shoving with as much force as she could muster. Nothing. He didn’t budge.

  I’m going to lose it. Sela could feel the panic welling and building inside of her. Her throat tightened, she gasped, pounded on his arm, desperate to get away.

  “Easy, Lupa, easy now.” Mac stood abruptly. He hefted her in his arms as he stood, managing her weight and her frantic struggles as if they amounted to nothing. “We’ll finish this later,” he said to Cam. Cam didn’t respond so Sela assumed he must have agreed. Mac didn’t wait for a response, but started walking.

  Sela heaved in a lung-full of air. Mac didn’t question her, he didn’t argue, he simply acted. She said she needed to go and he . . . listened. She meant she needed to go, be alone, but considering his tight grip on her she didn’t see that happening.

  Mac headed towards the door. “Where do you need to go?” he asked.

  “I . . . I . . . I just need some chocolate peanuts.” As soon as Mac started moving some of her panic receded. Her pulse still throbbed rapidly at her throat, but she could breathe easier. She knew the drill. Action, chocolate peanuts and space – her cure all for panic attacks.

  Mac hesitated slightly. Sela dug her fingers into his shoulders. Don’t stop. Adrenaline surged through her in a flash. As if he heard her heart speed up, Mac’s body tensed then he resumed walking.

  “Chocolate peanuts?” His voice sounded suspiciously neutral. She heard a choked laugh that broke off almost immediately. Sela suspected Roc, but she didn’t care about him.

  “Yes,” she eyed Mac’s face closely. “A big bag. Maybe two.” Mac’s jaw twitched, but otherwise his expression remained the same.

  She could not handle him laughing at her on top of the panic attack.

  Mac looked her in the eyes. “Whatever you need, Lupa, we’ll get it.” H
e didn’t break stride, he didn’t laugh, he simply promised. Only it wasn’t so simple.

  Sela didn’t know if she could trust him. She didn’t know if she could trust any of them. They might have ulterior motives.

  Or they might be just what they seemed - strong, protective men who wanted to help and in the process regain part of their heritage.

  Mac wanted her before he knew about her past and the connection to his past. He called her mate. He protected her. Okay, so the sex wasn’t great. She might be willing to try that again. Possibly. After she bought him a book. Maybe.

  He acted immediately on her request. No matter how inane it might be to him. Her needs mattered to him.

  But could she trust him? Could she take this risk when her life, the lives of her sisters and possibly her heart were on the line? The last person she’d trusted, lied to her and almost got her killed. Sela never saw the trap before her mother walked her right into it.

  Sela laid her head on his chest. His heart pumped strongly beneath her ear. Thump, thump. No answers there.

  Mac opened the door, stepped outside. Sela heard him sniff the air, knew he checked the area for danger. She closed her eyes and listened to his heart. For right now she didn’t need an answer.

  He didn’t question her. She didn’t question him.

  She listened to his heart, willed the panic away and waited to see what would happen.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mac leaned against the thick Cottonwood trunk. He tucked his thumbs inside his front jean pockets and watched Sela devour a bag of chocolate peanuts.

  Chocolate peanuts?

  He didn’t get it. At all. But she’d calmed down as soon as she opened the bag and started eating. It was like a ritual with her or something. Or a tool for warding off panic attacks.

  He’d never seen a panic attack before, but Roc had described it. Roc read an article about them in one of his women’s magazines. They could be triggered as a subconscious response to too much stress.

  Chocolate peanuts appeared to be her substitute for a paper bag.

  As long as that panicked look, and her fear went away, Mac didn’t care what she needed. He still didn’t understand what brought it on. One minute they’d been trying to find out all they could about the Order of the Elements and the next, Sela’s heartbeat sped up, her pulse thundering in his ears, her eyes glazed over.

  He knew that flight or fight reaction all too well. His response was always a loud war cry before jumping into the brawl. Then again he could handle himself in any situation.

  Mac bent and picked up a flat stone on the ground. He flexed his hand - sharp, lethal claws emerged. He began to draw those claws over the stone, sharpening them absently on the rock, maintaining his watch over Sela all the while.

  He controlled a beast few could stand against. All lycanthropes were naturally stronger and more powerful than humans, but werewolves stood out in any pack. Taller, broader, with immense physical strength that multiplied times ten in their Were form.

  Mac grew up fighting for fun, as an outlet for all that controlled power. And, naturally, as any werewolf, he fought to win. Dominant, arrogant, powerful, being a werewolf suited Mac.

  Werewolves embodied Darwin’s theory of evolution. At the top of the food chain, they had managed to survive for centuries by being the biggest and the bad-assed.

  Sela, on the other hand, hadn’t even known she and her sisters were part of a supernatural community. Physically, she wouldn’t have been able to stand against the lowliest troll before coming into her power. Considering how little knowledge her mother had relayed about Sela’s heritage, even now that she controlled her Element, Sela would have to experiment for a while before understanding the full extent of her power.

  He would have to keep her close until she gained more understanding and could better protect herself.

  Not a problem.

  Werewolves rarely went anywhere without their mates. Once found, a mate deserved to be treasured and protected. In bed and out.

  Mac flicked a newly sharpened claw along the rock, sparks flew out. Good enough. He switched hands.

  From what Sela told him, Mac didn’t think she knew much about fighting at all. She’d spent her entire life on the run. By now, fleeing would be second nature to her. He’d have to keep an eye on that too. Given time, he knew he could gain her trust, convince her that she would be safe with him. He would protect her life with his own. But for the short time, he needed to be on his guard.

  It pained him to think of the life she’d led. She couldn’t trust her sisters and they couldn’t trust her. Had she ever been able to trust anyone?

  The rock imploded in his fist. Mac shook off the rubble. He dusted his hand off on his leg.

  He wouldn’t mind doing that to her mother. A pity the woman was already dead. She should have been the one shot for neglecting her children as she did, allowing them to believe they were freaks of nature. She must have known what the drugs would do to her. How could a mother choose a slow, torturous death like that over her own flesh and blood? He just hoped Sela had not been there in her final moments.

  Far off a twig snapped. Mac straightened. He scented the air. A doe nibbled on a bush of ripe berries about a half a mile away. Nothing else stirred nearby. He relaxed, used to the quiet. Very few animals would remain in the vicinity when he arrived. They knew to stay clear of a predator like him.

  He scanned the area just to be sure. An unnecessary precaution, but when it came to his mate, he would not take a single risk.

  Sela leaned against her rock, completely absorbed in watching the water flow along the banks of the tiny stream a few feet in front of her. He knew she hadn’t heard the doe.

  As their bond grew stronger so would her senses, but she would never have his acuity. He’d been born stronger and more powerful to protect her.

  He watched as Sela wadded up the empty bag and stuffed it inside her pocket. Without haste, she reached into her other pocket, pulled out another bag, tearing it open before she began to eat her way through that bag as well.

  Mac raised his eyebrows glad she wasn’t looking his way. His mate could pack away the chocolate. He had no complaints. It looked good on her. He loved her full hips and generous backside. Her cheeks fit his hands to perfection. He couldn’t wait to have her on top of him next time, positioned so he could palm and squeeze her. He imagined guiding her into a hard rhythm, controlling her body with his hands on her full ass.

  Damn. He readjusted himself. He’d planned to give her a little time before he took her again. She’d been hurt and disappointed with their first mating. It gnawed at him that she hadn’t gained her release.

  He hadn’t been able to maintain his control once he had been inside her. Astounding really, since controlling himself was one of the first things he’d learned. He had to control his beast, or risk exposure. He had to control his emotions during battle, or risk being killed.

  He’d had centuries to practice control. And one moment with his mate to lose it.

  She thought he wasn’t skilled at lovemaking - bad at sex, she’d shouted in his face. Mac grunted. He didn’t notch his bed post, but he’d lived for centuries. And werewolves had a strong sex drive. He loved hearing a woman shout out her pleasure.

  Sela had shouted in pain.

  Damn it all.

  He knew part of the bonding involved pain. Bonding two people together - their very essence - did not happen easily. It shouldn’t. Mac understood that but, hell, he forgot to mention it to Sela.

  Mac rubbed his hand along his jaw. He’d fucked up. And to take her when she was already injured? Pain on top of pain. Shit.

  He should have gone slower, used care and soft caresses instead of the desperate pounding into her body. Her vulnerability and longing had been his undoing. Sela might shrug off her lonely life on the run, but Mac saw through her. He knew she yearned for a home and someone to love her, to care for her, and accept her and her power.

  He
knew because she was his mate and he needed the same thing.

  They completed each other.

  And still Sela stood alone, working out her problems alone. She didn’t trust him. Her mate.

  Fuck.

  He was no good at this introspective shit. Roc might read those women’s magazines, hoping to understand what his mate might need once he found her, but Mac preferred action. Fighting, fucking, whatever it took.

  Mac narrowed his gaze on Sela. She still appeared lost in thought. He didn’t understand what had set her off and his mate was proving to be quite the queen of non-communication.

  Fine by him.

  He didn’t want to talk either. Cam could figure out how to bring her sisters here and where to find the Order of the Elements. Mac looked forward to taking them on.

  He scented the air one more time. They were completely alone.

  She thought him bad at sex? Mac grinned. He’d been practicing his skills for centuries. His mate would have no complaints this time.

  This time she would scream only in pleasure.

  ****

  Sela popped the last chocolate peanut into her mouth. She hadn’t been able to find the large bags at the store. She’d wiped the store out of all their little bags. She crumbled up the empty bag and put it into her pocket with the others. She grabbed her last full bag and ripped it open.

  This one might do it. If not, she could always grab more of the bags she had stashed in the side pouch of Mac’s motorcycle.

  Seven bags.

  That could be a new record for her. Sela furrowed her brows, if she remembered correctly the last time she’d dealt with a panic attack, she had gone through five bags. She couldn’t find the large bags then either.

  She could, however, always find chocolate peanuts.

  They proved to be a staple at every convenience store she’d ever been in, in every town. That was the key. Action, chocolate peanuts and space. She could count on them no matter where she happened to be. Every town and city had parks and convenience stores.