The Covert Wolf

by Bonnie Vanak

  As Matt broke the kiss and gazed at her with deep tenderness, a tongue lapped slowly, sensually, over the puncture wounds. Matt drew his eyebrows together and growled low.

  “You didn’t have to enjoy it so much, Stephen.”

  The vampire didn’t answer. Sienna languidly turned her head and saw him make a face.

  “Blech.” Stephen spat into his hand. “Tastes like ashes. Here’s your damn tracker.”

  Thumb and forefinger pinched, Matt took the device, the size of a bead. It blinked a steady pulsing red.

  “Kill it, Shay,” he directed, tossing it on the floor.

  The SEAL flung out his fingers. White light sizzled and sparked, incinerating the wiretap. “Nice fireworks,” she said drowsily.

  One knee still bent on the floor, Stephen gave her a speculative look. “You’re different. I’ve never tasted anything like you before….”

  “And you never will again,” snapped Matt. His arms tightened around her, the move filled with primal male possession.

  Sienna leaned back against him, more tired than she’d ever felt. “I’m half Draicon, half Fae.”

  The vampire arched an elegant brow. “So you say. I’ve had both. Fae aren’t to my taste. Too bland and dull. No real sustenance. Like drinking carrot juice. You’re much richer, like a full-bodied red wine. Maybe it’s the mixture in your DNA, but your blood is off the charts. Savory, rare…very delectable.”

  The New Orleans drawl turned into a sensual purr. “Delicious.”

  As Stephen ran a tongue over wet, reddened lips, the hard male body behind her tensed. She could almost hear a rumble reverberate through his powerful chest. Matt swept back her long hair and pressed a singularly sweet kiss on her nape. Sexual heat flared at the warm pressure of his mouth.

  He stood and lifted her as easily as a child. She laid her head against his chest, too tired to resist, and closed her eyes.

  “She needs rest.” The commanding tone of his voice rumbled against her ear.

  “Guest bedroom’s to the left.”

  Sienna relaxed as he carried her inside. She heard the snap of a light switch and opened her eyes. Black drapes covered a set of French doors. The room was gothic and elegant, with framed paintings hanging on crimson silk wallpaper. Sienna blinked.

  “Those are nudes,” she said drowsily.

  “Stephen’s guests have, ah, interesting tastes. Fortunately, it’s been cleaned since his last party.”

  “Don’t you mean orgy?”

  Matt smiled. He laid her carefully on a bed big as a football field with black satin sheets. She stared at the ceiling.

  “Mirrors? Guess the myths are false.”

  “He’s a vampire. Vanity runs in the veins.”

  A drowsy smile touched her mouth. “Very funny, Matt. I’d laugh if I weren’t so tired.”

  He parked a hip on the side of the bed and closed her eyes with a brush of a hand that could crush an enemy but felt infinitely gentle against her skin. “Sleep, Sienna. Sleep.”

  Chapter 11

  When he was assured that Sienna was asleep, Matt joined Stephen and Sam in the living room. The vampire was sipping from a crystal goblet. He handed a glass to him and Sam.

  “It’s a very fine vintage.”

  “From the vineyards of Buxom Blonde 2009?”

  The vampire gave a mocking smile. “You know I wouldn’t waste fine blood on a wolf. I’d give you something less erudite, but the corner store happened to be out of jug wine.”

  Matt sank into the leather armchair and sipped. “Not bad, vamp.”

  “Now tell me, what the hell is going on?” Stephen swirled the liquid in the glass. “How did she get infected with your own damn psi tracker?”

  “Sienna was mugged in the subway. Assailant used the opportunity to plant a demon hitchhiker worm. Tracking device was on the knife. The worm was a decoy to deflect attention.”

  Matt felt a slow rage building. The psi tracker had been implanted in every SEAL in the Phoenix Force to safeguard them. After Adam’s death, the other SEALs disabled their devices should they fall into enemy hands. Except it had been too late.

  “How the hell did demons get their hands on a psi tracker?” the vampire asked.

  Fists clenched, Matt stared at the floor. “They took it out of Adam, before they burned his body to ashes. They used our own technology against us.”

  Shay swore. Stephen’s brow furrowed. “Who is Adam?”

  Throat tight with emotion, Matt shrugged. “No one in particular.”

  Once he and Adam had sat in this very parlor, drinking a six-pack, blowing off steam after they’d successfully eliminated a ring of international blood slave dealers who were kidnapping young girls to ship to South American vampires. Stephen’s spies had cracked the intel on that one, and the smuggling ring had been broken. Adam had challenged the vampire to an arm-wrestling match, lost, and bought him a case of vintage wine. They’d joked long into the night. And now Stephen didn’t remember his name.

  Changing the subject, Matt asked, “Tell me, vamp, what do you have for us?”

  Stephen set down his glass, his expression serious. “The pyro demons are planning something. There’s talk about doing something major out west and using that to fuel their energy.”

  “What about me, and my team?”

  “The real act comes after they grab the Orb. Then all hell breaks loose. You’re the only ones who can stop them.”

  ST21, the only protection standing between the demons and the world.

  Matt rubbed the heel of his left hand into his eye, fighting fatigue. Nothing compared to the rigors of Hell Week, the toughest week of SEAL training, but back then, it was physical and mental trials.

  Not the grinding challenge of fighting an enemy who could melt bullets, kill your best friend with a blast of heat and turn him into ash. Bile rose in his throat. Seeing the Darksider Fae with Sienna in its grip, ready to claw at her, had made him nearly mad with rage. The Fae had paid dearly for laying his ugly hands on her.

  Shay twirled the glass, running a long finger over the stem. “We need a handle on what they’re planning. Who’s the true target?”

  Stephen flexed his bare toes. “Info is very tight. But whatever it is, it’s big. And nasty and involves a big explosion. The intel is limited. I can’t gain anything else. Only found out because I hooked up with a pretty minion with a penchant for pillow talk and threesomes. Her regular lover is an aspiring member of the Ring of Fire, albeit a very minor demon on the food chain. Some redhead in New Mexico named Alberta.”

  “Was an aspiring member.”

  The vampire glanced up, interest flaring on his face. “You tangled with her?”

  “I put her out of action, permanently.” Matt drained his glass of wine. The delicate stem snapped beneath the pressure of his fingers. He set it down. “Sorry.”

  “No problem. I can get another set at Walmart.” Stephen sat up, glanced at the guest bedroom. “And what about Sleeping Beauty? I sensed her pulse skyrocket when you locked lips with her. She was scared of me, but when you stepped in, it wasn’t fear.”

  The kiss was smooth and silky, her lips soft beneath his. He’d felt her pulse leap, as well. His own. Hell, if he were alone, he’d climb into her bed, hold her close and she’d be in his arms when she awoke. Maybe wake her with a nuzzle along the sensitive spot of her nape…a slow stroke of his tongue over her pulse…

  “Yo.” Shay waved a hand. “Dakota, you look hungry and it’s not for rare hamburger.”

  More like a rare Fae, sweet, delicate and yet tough inside and braver than any female he’d ever encountered. Thinking of Sienna lying on the satin sheets within a few footsteps made his blood race, his heart pound.

  His cock grew hard as stone.

  She would be his. Soon.

  Yet she still refused to acknowledge her Draicon half. Matt rubbed a hand over his face.

  “Ah, the wolf grows restless. And I doubt it’s the demons holding your leash. Must
be the Fae asleep on my bed. She does taste very exquisite. Maybe I should have seconds.”

  A low, deep growl rumbled from Matt’s throat. He was on his feet, fists clenched, as he started for the vampire.

  Stephen looked amused. “Damn, you’ve got it bad.”

  Nearly the same words his brother-in-law stated. Matt forced down calm, kept the wolf at bay. Must not lose focus. Something big was at stake here and his instincts couldn’t pin it down. The bomb back at the Robichaux land. The way Tim had been tortured.

  “Your contact, is she still in the area?” Matt persisted.

  “Left yesterday. Something about opportunity knocking with a legion of lesser demons, and Darksider Fae. Tried to read her mind, but she had it sealed shut. All I know is something big and bad is backing it.”

  “The pyro demons,” Shay mused.

  Interest flared in the vampire’s gaze. “You suspect they’re planning a barbecue?”

  “They need one. Pyro demons soak up energy through fire or the thermal equivalent. The more destruction they cause, the more energy they have. So why haven’t they set a huge fire to gain more power?”

  Stephen shook his head. “Their options are limited. It’s not 1871, like Chicago, when they burned down old lady O’Leary’s barn and watched the city fry. With modern firefighting equipment, there’s little chance of a blaze that big.”

  Something kept nagging him. “They’re not interested in small infusions of power. They’re planning something bigger, more methodical. Something requiring an army.”

  The vampire’s eyes went bloodred. “A demon army? Could wipe out every living thing. But there’s not enough of them. Unless you failed to close that bolt hole.”

  “No chance of that.” Shay’s expression tightened. The Phoenix Force knew every demon bolt hole in the world and had sealed them all, but the Darksider Fae had discovered one and opened it, releasing the pyro demons. After Adam’s death, Shay had spent a draining forty-eight hours pouring his Mage magick into resealing the tampered bolt hole so no more demons could escape.

  Stephen looked thoughtful. “What about other bolt holes? Dormant and hidden, needing a little juice to revive them?”

  The possibility was one the team had already considered. “Sealed long ago.” Shay pushed a hank of hair away from his forehead. “There’s only four others in the world, including another in the good old U.S.A.”

  The Mage’s gaze went flat. “New Mexico. That one is already sealed. You know where it is, vamp.”

  The vampire gave an elegant snort. “Always thought that was an asinine idea, building a base with the largest underground stockpile of nuclear warheads directly on top of a demon bolt hole. But that was before we organized.”

  “It’s tight,” Shay stated. “Kirtland has the tightest security in the world. The bolt hole is in a highly secured area. The air force has state-of-the-art security and you can’t even blink without them arresting your ass. Every member of our Phoenix Force warded it with enough magick to seal it against anything nasty getting inside.”

  “Indeed.” Stephen set down his wineglass. “But the magick is tied to all of you while your team lives. And if something happens to your unit, Mage? The magick will die and leave the base unprotected.”

  “No one’s leaving anything unprotected. If we’re KIA, Admiral Byrne will appoint other paranorms to ward the base,” Shay argued.

  “Even Byrne can’t mobilize another top-notch unit that quickly. You’d have a window where the base would be unprotected,” the vamp retorted.

  Matt’s blood ran cold, his mind racing.

  “You’re acting like the base is a big-box store and anyone can stroll inside. The bolt hole is secure.”

  “Against most paranorms,” Stephen shot back. “Not against an army of pyro demons.”

  Shay snorted in derision. “Right. The only thing that could free a demon army would be—”

  “Nukes,” Matt cut in. “From the biggest stockpile in the world.”

  All three stared at one another.

  “Oh, hell,” Shay said, horror creeping over his face. “That’s what they wanted all along. Why they need the Orb.”

  His mind raced over the possibilities. “I need a map.”

  They went into Stephen’s office. Sophisticated computer equipment lined an elegant oak desk. On the wall was a large map of the United States lined with pushpins. Matt took a red pushpin and stabbed it into the map.

  “You said they planned something big out west, east of California and Nevada. They’re running out of energy, can’t hold a glamour for long. They need fire.” He tapped the map with a forefinger. “Here’s the base.”

  He traced a line from the air force base. “They wouldn’t set a fire here, anywhere near the base. Too much suspicion. They’d need it in a deserted area, forest, where it wouldn’t cause suspicion and could burn for hours, fueling their energy. Here in southern Colorado…”

  Matt stared at the map, breath constricting in his lungs. “Acres and acres of forest and mountains.”

  Shay cursed. “They want the Orb to hunt us down and kill us so the warding would drop around the base. And then, they’d gain access to the base and the nukes.”

  Just one nuclear weapon could free an army of fire demons.

  The images emerged with blood-chilling precision. Pyrokinetic demons slaying SEAL Team 21’s entire Phoenix Force, then using the energy of the fire to assume a longer-lasting glamour. Gaining access to the base once the warding ceased and blowing it up to free a demon army.

  Nothing to stop them. Countless demons freed from the netherworld, getting their talons on the country’s nuclear arsenal…watching all humanity burn.

  A bloodcurdling hiss came from the vampire. Stephen’s talons emerged from his hands. He ran them across the wall, scoring deep gouges.

  Shay flexed his fingers, as if itching to release his powers. “I’m hightailing it out to New Mexico. Double the warding around the air force base.”

  “No,” Matt said. He turned and fiercely regarded the younger Mage. “Your hide and the rest of the teams’ are on the line. You’re returning to Little Creek. That’s an order.”

  “No way in hell. Sir. I’m not leaving you alone. I’m with you on this. All the way. You go, we all go. We’re a team.”

  Emotion thickened his throat. “Your job is to stay alive and keep those nukes secured. If something happens to me, you and the team are the only ones who can protect the base.”

  He drew in a breath. “I’m going with Sienna back to the Fae colony. It’s safer for her there. I need to access the Orb. And destroy it.”

  The room fell silent. Resolve filled him. Damn it, he might die, but he’d go down fighting before he let a single demon talon touch a nuclear weapon.

  The room fell silent.

  “You’ll need to refuel before you leave. All the energy you can ingest, wolf. My fridge is stocked.” Stephen sighed. “Nukes and demons. It was much simpler back in the days when all you had to worry about was the black plague and drinking contaminated blood.”

  In the kitchen, Stephen went to the sleek stainless-steel refrigerator and withdrew a carafe of crimson liquid. He considered it, then downed the contents and wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. “Came from a downtown blood bank. Plebian, but will suffice.”

  Matt dug into the freezer, removed two thick steaks and put them into the microwave to defrost. He found some fresh vegetables and began chopping them.

  Shay leaned over him. “What’s this? You never like anything green, except money.”

  “Sienna likes fresh salad.”

  “You’ve got it bad. Just saying,” Shay noted.

  “When a wolf turns into a chef from a cable cooking show, you know Shay is right,” Stephen drawled in his laconic New Orleans accent.

  “I saw that kiss. I haven’t seen you that involved since—”

  Shay’s next words were cut off as Matt pinned him with a look that could slice steel. The SEAL
shrugged.

  “She seems very nice. Trim form, nice curves…very nice taste.” Stephen ran a tongue around his lips.

  The vampire was pinned against the wall by Matt’s hand on his throat before Stephen could blink. Stephen laughed.

  “Guess this proves it. You’re smitten.”

  Matt relaxed his hold. “I’m smitten about getting dinner.”

  Stephen slid down to the floor, pretending to gasp. “Oh, he touched me! The wolf touched me. I’ll never wash this throat again.”

  “Never do, anyway, vamp.” Shay chortled.

  As they all laughed, Matt felt piercing regret that he’d lost his best friend and might lose his team, as well. Were they doomed to the same fate?

  And Sienna? His appetite vanished.

  Was she next? Not if I can help it.

  He finished preparing the food and went to the bedroom, trying to ignore his racing pulse. He wasn’t involved.

  And then he stood in the doorway, mesmerized by the woman lying on the black satin sheets, one hand curled beneath a pale cheek.

  Aw, hell.

  The bed dipped beneath his weight. He brushed a finger over her soft cheek, tucking back a strand of silky hair. She sighed and rolled over, her eyes opening, a languid smile on her sweet mouth.

  Need became a barreling force, driving him forward. Matt leaned down and kissed her. Her lips parted beneath the gentle pressure of his. One hand slid down her shoulder, curling over her arm. He thought about what the pyro demons would do if they caught her. Never. He’d strangle them with his bare hands before they stroked one talon over her skin.

  Chances were he would die soon. But hell, he wasn’t going to die without truly living first. Plunge headfirst off that cliff. Like his first jump from thirty thousand feet, he was both exhilarated and scared.

  It’s a fool who isn’t scared, he remembered Étienne saying. It’s the brave man who admits he is strong enough to be damn terrified, but pushes on despite that fear.

  He kept kissing her, framing her face now, drinking in her sweetness. She was driving him wild, this sensual half Fae who tugged at his heart.