Scarlet stopped abruptly, her head up and feet moving quickly over the ground to jump with her full weight into a man coming around the side of the house. He had a gun in his hand, his arm flying up as she landed against him, sending both of them stumbling back against the building.
This one wasn’t as large as the one Lucas was fighting and all the things she’d learned came flooding back to her. She heard familiar barking and howls as a clear strike opened for her.
Wide, tight jaws gripped him on his lower face, her head pulled and twisted sharply to the side. She heard the responding crunch and released him, stepping back to see him crumble to the ground. Scarlet turned and was headed back to Lucas when she caught the scent of people she knew from the early hunt, Amelia and Alex among them.
Scarlet started running after the man escaping into the woods when the ordering bark called her back, her head tilted. Both her and Lucas had blood on them and returned to the porch. Scarlet shifted quickly and opened the door to the house, stepping inside and wrapping a large towel around her before offering one to Lucas.
“Phone,” he said quietly, Hank’s palm out instantly. Lucas looked at the wolves who had remained. “Track him down and finish it,” he ordered, his attention on the phone. “Sage, I’ve had an attempted break in at the ranch. No, we’re fine but we have one dead and some of the pack are tracking the other one. Not theft. I think they were after Scarlet. I’ll be here. Thanks.”
Eyes still dark with the fury of seeing the man holding her, threatening her, Lucas moved to stand in front of her, oblivious to the others who trotted off. His palm rose but fell at his side.
“Are you alright?”
Hands held the towel together at her breasts. Her entire body splashed with the blood of the men who attacked them. Scarlet nodded after letting her gaze sweep over him.
They made a matching pair. With the exception of the bright green eyes that seemed to burn with tiny red flames.
“Go shower and get dressed. Sage will have some questions, I’m sure,” Lucas went toward the first floor bathroom, collecting his clothing as he walked away.
A little snarl broke free, her fangs barely remaining locked in place. The man managed to confuse her no end at times. She was still shaking her head as she stepped into the shower. According to him, she made him just as crazy, so she figured they were even.
Lucas stood beneath the hot spray, hands on the tiles beneath the showerhead. His head was bent and the water stung on the small cuts he’d taken from the knife the man had pulled from his boot.
He didn’t know how to not worry about her. Yet he had watched her fight, watched her defense and attack and kill.
He blamed the innocent looking exterior.
Or his father for making him a gentleman.
Or the fact that he’d fallen in love with her and couldn’t stand the thought of her being hurt.
They came from opposite sides of the room. Scarlet down the stairs wearing a pair of loose fitting drawstring pants and an off shoulder shirt. And Lucas with a towel on his shoulders and a pair of jeans. And they stared.
Scarlet felt herself react, cursing that her lust was so evident in her scent. But he did fill out a pair of jeans nicely. Not to mention the chest and shoulders.
Or the eyes that seemed to darken when they were together. Let’s not forget those lips, she thought weakly, remembering the last time they roamed over her body. A low growl bubbled in the back of her throat.
“Scarlet?” Lucas dropped the towel to his shoulders he was using to rub over his head.
“You’ve been hurt,” she said, blinking at the shallow cuts and blossoming bruises.
His shrug was negligent. “Hardly. He didn’t hurt you?”
“No. No….he just grabbed me when I shifted. I went back fast,” she stopped moving forward, her eyes on the plate glass behind him. “The sheriff.”
Reluctantly, Lucas turned away from her and went to the patio door, pulling the thick glass free.
“Sage, thanks for coming out,” Lucas stepped onto the porch with him, aware of Scarlet behind them. “Have you met Scarlet Matthews?”
“We’ve met,” he offered a grim smile on the tanned face, one brow up when they stood on the edge looking down at the body. “You do that?”
Lucas ran a hand over his neck, one eye closed.
“I did. Lucas was working on the bigger one,” Scarlet looked down and swallowed hard. She’d practiced the move too many times to count on mannequins in the dessert with Lily’s friends. But it was the first time she ever actually used it.
“Nice move. Quick and efficient,” he complimented, handing a few things to Lucas. “I pulled these from the car out on the road. I’m guessing it’s one of theirs. Any sign of the other one?”
“I sent Hank and Terry after him. He was trailing blood, so they’ll take him down up there and deal with him. When you get done, send me any information on them, would you? I don’t think it’ll be a surprise, but you never know,” Lucas glanced at the knives and gun in his hand. “They came prepared.”
“I’m thinking they planned to catch you both off guard.”
“He said he came for me,” Scarlet turned and paced barefoot over the porch. She looked up from the decking when things went silence and caught the glance passing between them. “That’s what he said. Just the bitch I was looking for,” she shrugged. “Accept for the screams, that’s all he actually said. Then that one came from the side of the house when the noise started. I don’t think they expected us to be outside.”
“Attempted home invasion,” the sheriff said with a nod, watching the two men collecting the body. “We’ll tow that car out of here tomorrow, Lucas. When I get information on him, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Sage.” Lucas watched the clean-up crew before turning and following Scarlet back into the house. He made sure the alarms were set and doors locked before discovering she had been watching him the whole time. Seated on the lower stairs, her head tipped to the side and her gaze unwavering. “A problem?”
“I don’t like fighting with you.” She made the statement clearly and firmly, curiously watching his body language and expressions.
“Then why do you insist on making me nuts?”
“Because your perspective is wrong,” she told him with a simple shrug, almost laughing at the fire that launched through his glare. Oh, no, never tell the mighty alpha of any pack they’re possibly wrong in something.
“Wrong.” He repeated flatly, as if it wasn’t possible he’d heard the word at all.
“Wrong. One word. Incorrect. Inaccurate,” she thought for a moment. “Wrong works best.”
“This whole thing is wrong. It wasn’t supposed to be a headache,” Lucas growled, pacing the hardwood floor and casting the occasional glare in her direction.
“Alright. Why is it wrong? I understand you need time to come to grips with the realization that females are a dangerous and deadly predator. You’re accustomed to running a nice peaceful pack. No invasions. No threats for a long time. I get that. Do you want me to leave?” Scarlet said the words even as they threatened to get caught in her throat and choke her.
“I thought we had this conversation already,” but it caught his attention enough to make him stop pacing and come to a stop in front of her.
“You wanted me to get the females off your back,” she shrugged. “It’s done, more or less. The one I haven’t met yet, I think she’s related to this other issue. Which is also curious. I’ve seen you hunt. I’ve seen you fight. With the pack behind you, you can easily end this garbage.”
“That is not the issue. That will be dealt with as soon as we have the principles identified and targeted,” Lucas leaned in closer, unconsciously inhaling her scent and groaning. He watched as she put her hands behind her on the next step, slowly pulling herself higher and swallowing as she met his stare, refusing to back down.
“Well. Alright then. That’s good. Then what is wrong with you?”
/> “What’s wrong is this wasn’t supposed to interfere with my life. This was supposed to be another segment. But every time I catch your scent, every time I see you or talk to you all I can think about is fucking you until neither one of us can move.”
“Oh,” well that was certainly a romantic sentiment, she thought with a little frown. Not that she’d mind. The man managed to send her senses into overdrive. And melted bones felt so damn good.
“I’m busy thinking about my schedule and expanding the ranch and then I catch your scent and it disappears and frustrates the shit out of me,” Lucas leaned in a little more, growling in satisfaction when those gorgeous eyes widened a little more.
“And this is my fault how?” Scarlet knew she was dangling bait in front of him and almost laughed at the man and wolf fighting one another.
“Because it was supposed to be smooth. It was supposed to be a relief that those under-aged females would find someone else to moon over. It was supposed to be simple,” Lucas ground out between his teeth.
“Smooth,” Scarlet considered the word with a little scowl. “I was supposed to mind my manners, be nice and meek and do as I’m told,” she interpreted, immensely satisfied when he snapped upright, instantly ready to deny everything. She shrugged and stood up. “Okay. I’ll use one of the guest rooms and control the females for you.”
“Scarlet….”
“You told me you spent time in Morning Star. A few days?”
“A few days. Talking to people,” he admitted slowly. This wasn’t going the way it was supposed to, either.
“But you underestimated things. You underestimated me. I think you defined me by the person you saw selling baked goods and running the bread and breakfast,” she saw the answer in his eyes. “But you honestly had no idea what I was like. Who I am. You had no idea how I would be as a friend or partner or mate. And that’s alright,” she knew inside it wasn’t and it would hit her later but for now she was okay with things. “I’m not a convenience that you take out when you’re feeling needy. Good night, Lucas,” she stood up and went up the few steps left, the master bedroom door closing behind her.
Pale lashes closed over confused green eyes.
Didn’t alpha mean he had control? Didn’t it mean he knew what he was doing?
Why did he have some delusional idea that they had worked through all this stuff? Convenience, hell. He went back to pacing, hands shoved deep in his pockets and his glare sweeping the stairs to his bedroom.
The bedroom that he wasn’t sleeping in. With his mate.
Scarlet was folding the laundry she’d done earlier and put things neatly into her pack. She definitely needed more clothes from Morning Star. She set the pack near the door, her head bouncing back and narrowly missing her when it was thrown open.
“Lucas! What the hell’re you doing?” She managed to right herself, bare feet scrambling to keep herself standing. “Knocking would be good.”
“It’s my bedroom.”
“Okay,” Scarlet went into the bathroom and gathered her things, stuffing them into her pack and lifting it from the floor. Her palm went flat against his chest and shoved, only nothing happened. “I’ll use the room downstairs. If you will excuse me.”
“What happened between yesterday and now?”
Scarlet blinked up at him.
“That’s something you have to figure out.”
“Let’s work it out together,” he said simply, his arm out to take the pack from her and drop it to the floor.
“I told you this morning that I’m not a trinket, Lucas,” Scarlet took a cautious step back. “And I’m not interested in sex just to relieve anxieties.” She watched his expression tumble between amusement and frustration. “I personally find running very good for that kind of thing.”
“I’ll ignore the need to relieve my anxieties for now, Scarlet,” Lucas moved slowly forward, easily blocking her from slipping around him. He half expected her to shift and make a break through the still open door, wide dark eyes skirting the area for an escape route. “I don’t smell fear.”
“How about pissed off? Can you smell that?” Scarlet narrowed her eyes a little more when he laughed and reached behind him to close the door.
Lucas closed his eyes and took a long breath.
Scarlet knew he was doing it just to irk her. Something he was successful at when he opened his eyes and smiled at her.
“Nope. Smells much sweeter than that.”
“I have to say the making a person crazy thing is mutual,” Scarlet let out the breath she’d been holding. She stared for a long minute before reaching for the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head. Her pants followed, both laid on the chair before she climbed into bed and curled up facing the window. “Good night, Lucas.”
Scarlet closed her eyes and kept the chuckle at the expressions on his face as she undressed to herself. She really wasn’t angry at him. In time, he’d realize she didn’t protest his protection, but didn’t want to be smothered.
The lust she’d been scenting from him had changed to simple confusion. She sighed when she felt the bed sag as he stretched out on the other side.
“I’m not angry at you, you know,” she said in the darkness. She could feel him staring at her. Scarlet sighed and turned to face him. He was leaning on one elbow, returning the stare. “You have to learn the difference between protecting me and smothering me, Lucas.”
“You’re going to always drive me nuts,” Lucas brought his palm up and stroked over her face. “I don’t think I want smooth, Scarlet.”
“I’m going to always do what’s best for us and the pack,” she said after a quiet few seconds. “If that means we butt heads sometimes,” she shrugged, shifting her posture to match his on the large bed.
“You know that isn’t how it works, Scarlet.”
“Not in public, perhaps,” she agreed, knowing that he was talking about his leadership over the pack. “I don’t know if I can be what a pack needs that way, Lucas. I just don’t know. Maybe I’m too old to change.”
“I was just thinking the same thing about myself,” he admitted with a sigh, his palm sliding over her shoulder and onto her neck. His thumb stroked over her jaw. “But I’m willing to try. I don’t know how to not protect you. Some part of me believes if I hadn’t gone off to college…”
“Lucas,” her voice was so soft he almost didn’t hear the sorrow in it. “That wasn’t your fault or your responsibility. Please don’t treat me like I’m fragile.”
“Is that what you think?”
“Since you don’t talk to me, I’m not sure what to think.” She let her gaze sweep down his body, smiling at his jeans. “You’re still dressed.” Scarlet shook her head and sat up, the blanket pooling at her waist.
“You were moving into the guest room and that is definitely not helping with my concentration. I don’t want you leaving, Scarlet. I don’t want you feeling left out or…or like a damn trinket,” Lucas closed his eyes, but the curved, soft breasts and curling dark hair remained etched there.
“Ever stop to think I might be using my feminine wiles to distract you?” She leaned forward and kissed him, laughing when his eyes shot open. She stretched out along his side, one leg bent and resting on his thigh. She crossed her arms over his chest and stared at him. “We should talk about James and the other packs.”
“Now? Like this?”
“Our whole life does not revolve around sex,” but she laughed at the arched eyebrow and slightly pouting expression. “You can’t fool me, Lucas. I’ve talked to your mother and Connie. You and your brothers have been almost blindly involved in your careers and the pack for years.”
“It’s a question of the right woman coming into your life…and bed,” he answered easily. “Granted, for some odd reason I thought it would be a smoother transition. I didn’t expect it would mess with so much of my normalcy. No one tells you that a mate breaks through all the barriers and takes your heart.”
“That isn’t m
y fault. I blame James and those other females. You could be blissfully alone here contemplating your life. You brought me into your life, against my protests.” Scarlet felt the moisture leave her mouth, his words sending her heart thumping wildly.
“Is it that much a hardship, Scarlet?”
Scarlet met his stare without hesitating, deciding she had to find words for what was inside her.
“One of the reasons I wasn’t keen on being around you or….or in this town…..” she drew her tongue over her lower lip. “Is because you know what happened. You knew I was raped.”
“Scarlet….”
“You treat me like I’m fragile. Like I’m broken and should be kept away from the world,” she felt sad at the look in his eyes. “I can’t live like that, Lucas. I haven’t lived my life that way.”
“Then give me some time, Scarlet,” Lucas watched the impossibly thick, dark lashes close. She couldn’t leave him. She told him she loved him.
“Your mother says you always thought you had to protect everyone. Even when you were little,” she smiled slightly. “And I know you mean well. So I suppose it’s worth the pissed off times. Just don’t say you weren’t warned.”
“Why did you pack?” Lucas saw the puzzled look he received, beautiful dark eyes blinking at him.
“I didn’t. I put my clean clothes away.”
“I…we need a few pieces of furniture,” he finally said, mentally cataloging what was in his bedroom and realizing there weren’t extra dressers for clothing.
“And I’m going to Morning Star and get some of my other clothes for the winter,” Scarlet continued, her head tipped to the side. “You thought I was leaving,” her sigh was more than a little sad. “Do I seem that weak to you? To run away when we fight?”
“I thought I’d weaken your resolve with sex and not let you out of the bedroom until you promised to stay,” Lucas watched her struggle to keep the smile inside.
“Interesting plan,” she said softly. “But you didn’t answer my question. I’m not sixteen anymore, Lucas. I’ll shout and maybe throw things and probably go for long runs, but I won’t run away unless you don’t want me here.”
Devil Hills: #1 Scarlet, Lexi & Lily Page 21
