“And you don’t think we feel the same way?” Lexi threw everyone off by striding up to him and poking him in the chest until he stepped back, startled at the least violent of the three attacking. “Get. Over. It. We might try and avoid confrontation but I’m getting sick and tired of people trying to run my life.”
Eli came up behind her after the fourth poke and wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her and taking her toward the front door.
“I think you managed to scare him, kitten.”
“Then he needs to start thinking before he attacks us,” Scarlet stared into his eyes. “We aren’t the enemy, Lucas. We’re supposed to be partners. Mates.”
“C’mon, tiger, I’ll walk you out to the car,” Eli nodded to Jess who joined him with Lily’s hand in his.
Lucas stood by the patio doors, legs parted and hands shoved into his pockets.
“So do you want to deal with the personal stuff first or the pack issues?” Scarlet asked casually, dropping to sit on the stairs and stare at him.
“They aren’t separate, Scarlet.”
“Oh, but they are very separate,” she leaned her arms on her knees, hands clasp in front of her. “I could return to Morning Star, join my neighbors and pretend you never existed, yesterday or today. But I’d be lying to both of us, Lucas.”
“And you think they would just leave you alone? Not find some way to use you to make what they want happen?” Lucas didn’t trust himself to move from the spot. He didn’t trust himself not to grab her and shake her and shout at her to stop thinking and feel!
“They don’t want me. They don’t want Lex. They want your territory and your bank account. Someone on your council isn’t to be trusted and Abe Morrison is the one spear-heading the attack. Morning Star is a vacation camping spot. We’re basically closed until spring. People who come to my town only stop for gas, food and restrooms,” Scarlet shrugged. “Anyone else…any problems…we’ll manage.”
“They are willing to use the both of you to get to us. Why do you think they’d stop just because you left?”
“Shouting won’t solve anything. Isn’t the pack waiting to…”
“They’ll wait,” he growled back, his voice lowered considerably. “I don’t want to argue with you, Scarlet. I don’t want you to leave and I sure as hell don’t want you thrown into something stupid and violent like a pack war over territory.”
“Don’t you get it? If I love you, I’m already involved, Lucas. You can’t push me out without pushing me away,” she said softly, watching the fury suddenly rise above him like an early morning fog. “You’ll hurt us both if you push me away.”
“If I had known Morrison would start this kind of thing, I’d…”
“What? Wasted more time? So how much time do we lose because of what others are doing, Lucas? You can’t keep me out of life,” Scarlet stood up and went slowly to the bottom of the stairs, shrugging lightly. “I have to be part of all your life or I’m nothing but a trinket. I’ve never wanted to be a trinket.”
“A trinket,” Lucas used the time to make sure his heart was beating and words would form correctly in his brain. Was it his imagination or did she really say the words out loud?
“You can be pissed off and angry as you want if I get hurt, Lucas, but you can’t put me in a glass case and keep the world away,” she’d decided that morning that she’d spend winters down in Devil Hills and come spring, open her inn and he would be visiting on weekends. She just hadn’t told him her grand plan yet. But he was sporting a little tiny grin that looked a bit dazed.
“And I don’t have a say on this?”
She laughed.
“Of course you have a say. You’re the alpha. But I’ll still do what I feel is best for the pack, like it or not,” she shrugged and took a little step to the side, avoiding the hand that came up from his side. “You’re looking incredibly smug at the moment.”
“Stop moving.”
“Not until we’re done talking. Once you get too close, you lose interest in communication,” she moved quickly, keeping things between them. “When you first came to see me in Morning Star, you asked me to talk to you. To listen to you.”
“And you ran. Like now,” he said. Smugly. Yeah, he felt smug. He felt triumphant and right now the other problems didn’t have a chance in hell because of how she could make him feel.
“We have a hunt to go on,” and she took off up the stairs, flinging clothes as she went. By the time he caught up with her at the end of the hall, she’d shifted and jumped over him, making a run down the stairs and howling at the same time.
Only he knew she was laughing. The front door opened a few seconds after the howl, Eli barely managing to get out of the way before she sped past him.
“Should I ask?” He looked at the grin on his brother’s face, the stress a little less than it had been in the beginning.
“Hunting. Then I’m going to wear her ass out,” he growled, tossing clothes to the sofa. “Lily and Lexi?”
“In Jess’s SUV and headed to town,” Eli watched Jess come inside and begin undressing quickly before all three headed out of the large house and into the woods, leading the pack as Lucas called to the others to join them.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lexi looked out the side window as they headed toward the main road.
“You think they straightened it out?”
“I think she got her point across,” Lily chuckled. “Scarlet doesn’t get that pissed often.”
“They need a course at the university about males,” Lexi slid down in the seat, her head shaking.
“Simple course – they can make you ohhh so happy and drive you to drink all in the same hour,” Lily said flatly, laughing at the groan from Lexi. “What? You thought there was some magical answer? We do the same thing to them. They want to think we’re fragile and need wrapped in bubbles and hid from the trouble in the world when we’re the fiercest ones who rip out throats first and ask questions later.”
“I get us…” Lexi sighed. “And I guess I really do get them, too. Just as moody and temperamental. Just wrapped in a different package. That really nice male package. I’ve never met guys like these, though. I suppose we should thank Amelia for raising good people.”
“We both know mom’s make the difference,” Lily said with a little nod. “I like her, too. Protective. She made the questions she was asking us sound so casual and laid back.” Lily pulled the SUV in front of the well-lit building and packed off to the side. “You doing a little patrol? What about the pack?”
“Please. I smell so much like Eli right now,” Lexi felt the heat in her cheeks as she pulled the sweater over her head and dropped it on the seat. “Just leave my stuff here,” she toed off her shoes and opened her jeans, glancing around quickly before opening the large door and sliding barefoot to the ground. She shoved the jeans down and tossed everything into the SUV seconds before she shifted and vanished around the back of the building.
“I will never get used to that,” Lily said to herself, checking both holsters and leaving her jacket open just enough. Just in case.
It didn’t surprise her that there were males at the entrance. Males who simply looked at her and nodded once.
Lexi was right. They smelled so much like their mates, no one questioned or looked twice at them.
“How do I get to the roof?” She looked from one to the other patiently.
“All the way to the back, stairs leading up on the right side.”
The younger one had answered, looking all of nineteen, she thought, and fresh out of basic training. She knew the stance too well.
“Thanks.” Lily took in the large room with its branches off to the sides. People and kids playing games, watching TV or just sitting reading. She watched people playing cards and women knitting or working threads with a crochet hook. Just a normal evening.
Relaxed and normal looking, she thought. She doubted they gathered for normal pack hunts like this. Until they had answers and
solutions, she guessed this would be pretty standard. Protect those who can’t protect themselves. Also all too easy to get people together for someone intent on making a point.
Boots hit the stairs two at a time, the door at the top opening to her touch. One hand went inside her jacket, old habits had the gun in her palm and the safety off. It was a partially slanted rooftop, easily flat enough for her to see she was alone.
She found a place a little higher on the ladder rungs leading to the brick chimney and perched. She pulled a small pair of glasses from an inside pocket. High grade and newest on the market, they helped detect movement that might slip past in the dark.
Jess and Eli stepped from inside Lucas’ truck outside the town hall two hours later, their eyes scanning the area, a cold wind coming down from the mountains. Lucas stood outside with Scarlet talking to the younger males that came down from the main entrance.
“Chet says Lily went up on the roof and they haven’t seen Lexi,” Lucas looked around.
“Lexi might have gone back to Eli’s.” Scarlet supplied, her head tilted back and nose wrinkled. “And Lily is still on the roof.”
The men exchanged looks.
“What?”
“Lexi couldn’t get in…I haven’t given her the codes or the keys yet,” Eli watched Jess stride off to find Lily as people slowly began returning to their homes.
“You’re so cute,” Scarlet chuckled. “Codes and keys…seriously…and you said all that in the same sentence with Lexi. Cute.”
“Now you have him nervous,” Lucas watched his brother’s forehead wrinkle.
“Lexi had keys and codes within twenty-four hours of living there, Eli. She might still be out on patrol, though…” Scarlet walked toward the side of the building and then down the narrow alley.
“Where did she go?” Eli followed her, coming to a stop when the bright blue eyes blinked back at him.
She was beautiful. Tawny, large and muscled. Black tips on her ears and the end of her tail. A long tail that swished through the air as she moved toward him.
“Her clothes are in the SUV, Eli,” Lily chuckled at the pair as he came from the alley with Lexi pacing at his side. “She figured she was recognizable since she smelled like you.”
“She scared the shit out of three of our guys near the ranch before they caught your scent,” Lucas shook his head, pulling Scarlet into his arms. “Fighting over?”
“Unless you’ve come to enjoy it.”
“We’re leaving. See you tomorrow,” Lucas took her to the truck and backed her against the door, ignoring the laughter behind them.
“When are you meeting with James?” Scarlet said it loud enough to make certain she had everyone’s attention. Lexi came to a stop near the front of the truck, ears twitching in interest.
This isn’t what Lucas wanted right now.
“I’m not.” He sighed. “His pack isn’t big enough to cause us problems unless they come here. Lexi isn’t a property and doesn’t belong to anyone. So him making that kind of demand was a waste of time and energy.”
“Is this what the council decided?” Scarlet paced toward the front of the truck. “Just pretend he’s not there?”
“I think we should talk about this someplace warm and private,” Lucas suggested quietly, green eyes meeting the curious gleam.
“They aren’t ignoring it, Scarlet,” Lily looked from one man to the other.
“What’s that mean?” Scarlet demanded.
“It means they’ve begun to plan something to either warn them strongly or scare the shit out of them,” Lily shrugged negligently. “Or possibly both.”
Scarlet abruptly realized Jess and Eli were avoiding looking at her while Lucas stared coldly at Lily.
“And you want to bet we’re being kept out either because we’re their females or because we’re not their pack,” Lily completed her thoughts flatly, working hard to keep the anger she felt inside.
“You want us here. You want us to belong and stay and you’d do that?” Scarlet looked at them in disbelief. Yet a big part of her could see them reasoning it out.
“Nothing has been settled yet.”
“I see,” Scarlet shook her head. “That’s where the big difference between Morning Star and here comes into play. I wasn’t treated like I was fragile there.”
“I am not treating any of you like you’re fragile,” Lucas paced along the side of the truck. “Look. We can discuss this tomorrow at dinner. At my parents. They’re working with us and the council because dad is still involved there.”
“Huh,” Lily walked to the SUV and brought out the bag of clothing for Lexi, handing it to her and watching her amble off to the darkness beside one of the buildings. “I noticed the council was all male.”
“Maybe the girls are too smart to get involved with it,” Lexi commented, her long legged stride crossing to stand with Lily and Scarlet. “Somehow, especially among shifters, I had expected some kind of less patriarchal crap.”
“Females go on the hunts,” Scarlet said, as if talking to herself. “Probably to see if we’re capable of holding our own.”
“Damn it, Lily…Scarlet…we just don’t want to see you hurt. Why is that such a hard concept to grasp?” Jess shoved his hands deep into his pockets to avoid doing something he’d have to apologize for later. For a long, long time.
“Baffling,” Lexi remarked, her head tilted. “We’re supposed to blindly accept you putting yourselves into danger, but when we want a fair share of the responsibility, we’re too fragile.”
“No one has ever considered any of you fragile,” Lucas ground out the words between his teeth. This was definitely not the way he had wanted the night to end.
“You don’t want to see us hurt,” Lexi stared from one to the other. “You are all aware that we’ve made it to ripe old age without your male selves? Right?”
Eli squeezed his eyes shut tight, lips pursed and the pulse at the side of his jaw thumping.
“I’m going home,” Eli shook his head and turned to go to his truck. “We can’t talk about this now without arguing and I’m tired. Are you coming home with me, Lexi?”
The silence between them was measurable, no one passing said a word other than to give them a wide berth. They could easily smell and feel the tension and anger rising from them like steam.
“Meet at the coffee shop in the morning at nine,” Scarlet said softly, nodding at Lexi and Lily as they wandered to the vehicles. They had to talk this out. She went to the truck and pulled the door open, stepping up into the comfortable seat while her brain worked out the problems. Would be easy if problems leaped at you one at a time. She sighed, too aware of Lucas next to her yet not looking at him.
“I’m not locking you out, Scarlet,” Lucas said as they drove through the quiet fall evening. He struggled to keep his voice level, struggled to keep the frustrated sigh inside. He’d be the first to admit to not quite knowing how to handle a mate.
Sure, he’d seen it often enough but like most, the kids had been shielded from major pack issues. His father had a long peaceful run as leader.
“You’re not talking to me,” he said as he pulled beside the house and turned the car off. He watched her leave the truck, the door closing behind her as she disappeared into the house. He leaned back, his head striking the thick glass behind him on purpose.
Scarlet began shedding clothing as soon as she was inside, her feet continuing to the patio doors until she shoved them wide and shifted, disappearing into the fields behind the house.
She didn’t look back and ignored the bellowing roar of his voice, her hind legs digging in all the more for distance. She wove through the trees, following the senses that led her through the darkness toward the stream higher in the hills behind the town.
She found a spot high above on a large outcropping of rock, her head down on her paws and closed her eyes.
She hadn’t asked for any of this. She had been happy, peaceful.
Content.
Was that how she was supposed to have lived her life? Content.
She sighed deeply and felt tears eased from beneath her lashes. It was his fault for showing her there was so much more than content.
And hiding from him wasn’t the answer.
She climbed to her feet slowly and stretched before starting back to the house.
He was downwind of her, watching.
Scarlet broke into a run, jumping from the rocks and down along the stream bed. If she’d been human she would have laughed at the feeling of the icy cold water on her feet.
Exhilarated at the chilling night air, she hit the wide back porch and shifted, reaching for the door handle. She was ready to call out to Lucas once she had the glass slid open when a strong arm came out and snatched her around the middle.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Naked and startled, Scarlet shifted just as she heard the voice.
“Just the bitch I was looking for,” ground a hard sounding male voice, a loud curse following when she shifted in his arms.
Strong back legs kicked and scratched at the same time her mouth opened, long lethal fangs coming down and snapping at the arm holding her.
The man discovered holding onto a woman was a lot easier than trying to keep a twisting, snarling wolf in your arms. His arm opened at the same time he stepped toward the edge of the porch. Scarlet twisted her body as she was released, turning and snapping wide open jaws at the jacket covered arm that swept up, trying to shove her away while reaching inside for his gun.
Scarlet let loose with a night splintering howl just as she heard the pounding behind her. She leaped forward and gripped the man’s arm at the same time she saw the large dark body slam forward, knocking the man to the ground with his weight. She didn’t have to take time to look. She knew by his scent that Lucas must have been out looking for her.
Instincts took control, the two large wolves snapping and snarling as they bit and pulled on the man now off the porch and on the ground. His arms were up even as one hand wrestled to reach something inside his jacket.
Devil Hills: #1 Scarlet, Lexi & Lily Page 20
