by Bianca D’Arc
“So you want me to just let her waltz out of here with a wolf lying in wait and who knows what else looking to find out what she knows? There’s no way they won’t check her out.” Cade looked fit to be tied and his words gave Elaine pause, but she knew she had to at least try to keep her world the way it had been only hours before.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking, Alpha.” Gina faced him down, holding herself straight in that queenly way she had. Elaine had always admired the ability. “My friend has a right to live normally. She’s human. She was never supposed to know about any of this. And I trust her with my life. She’d never betray me or any of us. I know her as well as I know myself, and I count her as part of my family. I can vouch for her integrity.”
“It’s not her integrity I’m worried about,” Cade admitted grudgingly, finally looking at Elaine, his eyes hot with anger.
“This is my wish, Alpha. We have to try to give her a chance to get out of this unharmed. If things don’t work out, she’ll run right to one of your safe houses with no complaints, right, Ellie?” Gina turned imploring eyes on her. Elaine had always been a sucker for that look, and her best friend knew it.
“Oh, all right. I’ll call Cade if I have trouble.”
Cade ran one hand through that long, sexy hair of his in clear frustration. Elaine tried hard not to let him see the satisfaction she felt at his capitulation. She’d bet he didn’t give way often, but this really was the best plan. If she just dropped out of sight, she’d never get her life back. She had to at least try to protect herself and her best friend with an appearance of normalcy.
“You’re staying here tonight,” Cade said shortly, giving in. “I’ll help get your friend and Mitch out of town, then come back and watch over you from here while you head back to your place. If—no, make that when—someone comes knocking on your door, I want to be nearby in case there’s trouble. Once I’m assured you’ve made it through the confrontation unscathed, I’ll be out of your hair.”
“That’s fair,” Gina said before Elaine could get a word in. The look in her eyes said Elaine damned well better agree. Apparently this was as good as she was going to get from the Alpha pantera noir.
An hour later, Cade prowled out the door. He was going to scout the route they would take to the basement garage where Gina’s car was parked. Luckily the building had decent security and the garage was locked up tight. It was one of the features that had drawn Elaine and Gina to this building in the first place. Both of them worked odd hours at the hospital and needed to feel safe when they finally made it home after a long shift.
“Are you sure about this, Gina?”
“I have no choice, El. I always suspected this would catch up with me someday. Actually, I’m surprised it’s taken this long. But if I can get Mitch to safety with my family, and if you manage to get the Others off your tail, I might be able to come back. Right now, they don’t know about me, but if that tigre stays here long enough, there won’t be any way to hide his presence. The bad guys will find him—and me—for sure. I’ve got to get him out of here.”
“I’m so sorry I brought them home with me.” Elaine tugged on Gina’s hand, near tears. “I never meant to drag you into this or out you. Hell, I didn’t even know you could be outed.” She laughed nervously, feeling desperate to change things back to the way they’d been just a few hours before, when everything had still been normal.
“It’s okay, El. They’re the good guys. They’re my people, even though my dad decided to leave the Clan a long time ago. He had his reasons, and I respect his choice. I may be blanche, but I’m nobody’s queen.”
“I don’t know about that. You did a pretty impressive job of ordering those big guys around. I think they’re actually scared of you,” Elaine whispered in a conspiratorial tone that made her friend smile. She was glad Gina could see the humor in this horrible situation Elaine had unknowingly created. “Then again, you’ve always had this certain way of tilting your head that said you expected to get your way. It used to drive me nuts when we were kids, but I think I understand where it comes from now. Your dad can be pretty imperious too.”
Gina gave her a dramatic sigh, holding the back of one hand to her forehead. “I’m so misunderstood.” They laughed at Gina’s antics, and Elaine felt better about the mess they were in. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before, Ellie. It was the one thing I most wanted to share with you and the one thing I was strictly forbidden to talk about.”
“It’s okay. I think I understand. More than just your own safety was at stake. I’m sorry if I put you in danger by bringing Mitch here. I didn’t mean to put you in danger.”
“If anyone had to find me, I’m glad it was them. They’re Royal Guard, Ellie. That really means something in shifter circles. They’re the strongest, the fastest, the bravest…and the most loyal. Neither of them will betray me. They may pressure me to return to the Clan, but I’m pretty sure they’ll respect my decision either way. Regardless, you couldn’t have left Mitch there to die. You did the right thing. And maybe the hand of fate pushed you along a little.” Gina gave her a wistful, slightly mischievous grin. “I’ll take care of the tigre. You just watch yourself with his pantera friend.”
“If all goes well, I’ll never see him again after tomorrow.” Now why did that make her feel so sad? It’s not like she was losing her best friend. But wait—if this didn’t work out, she might never see Gina again. “Promise me you’ll be okay.”
Gina smiled. “I’ll do my best.”
“Give my love to your folks.” Elaine hugged her childhood friend close, knowing this might well be the last time. “Take care of yourself, Gina. You know you’re the sister I never had, right?”
“Ditto, El.” Both of them were tearing up as they let go, only to find Cade letting himself into the apartment with the key Gina had loaned him.
“The path is clear. We should go.” Cade scooped Chuck into his arms. “I’m going to ask Chuck to scout ahead when we go down, but I’ll send him back. He’ll paw the door when he returns so you can let him in. I wish there was another way, but we need to keep Gina and Mitch as safe as possible.”
“It’s okay. I think Chuck likes helping.” Ellie watched the cat, sitting snug and secure in Cade’s muscular arms. Just for a moment, she envied the feline.
“He does. He likes you too, Ellie. More than any other human.”
The tears that threatened now that Gina was really leaving welled up in her eyes once more. She refused to let them fall. Not in front of Cade and Gina. She would cry in private. As soon as they left.
“I want you to lock the door behind us, then wait by it until you hear Chuck scratch. He’s short, so the sound will be low to the ground. Don’t make the mistake of opening the door for anything taller.” The grim look in his eyes stopped any trace of tears. Just what did he expect to come scratching on the door in the middle of the night? Whatever it was, it couldn’t be anything good.
She nodded agreement, swallowing hard around the fear that bubbled out of nowhere. Why now? She’d been so calm to this point, but it all suddenly started to hit home. Gina was leaving. So were the men. Elaine would be alone with God knew what sadistic creatures out there, hunting her.
“I’m going with them to the city limits to make sure they get clear. They’ll pick up an Escort from there. I want you to stay here, in Gina’s apartment, until I return. Catch some sleep if you can. I’ll be back in a couple of hours and then you can go back to your place, pretending like you just spent the night with a friend or something. I expect you’ll have a visitor first thing in the morning, nosing around, asking questions. How well you answer them will decide your next move.”
“Or my fate,” she added. “You said there were Others that could smell a lie and read minds. What happens if they send one of them?”
“If they show up in daytime, chances are they won’t be mind readers. That kind only comes out after dark. As for the ones who can smell lies, it all depends on the
degree of the lie. Keep your story simple, and you should be okay. Anything elaborate will more than likely trip you up.”
“Good to know.” She filed that away under useful—if scary—information.
“Here’s my number.” He handed her a business card that had nothing but a phone number printed on it. Now that was creepy. “If you run into problems before I get back, call me. I can arrange to get help to you, if necessary, even if I’m too far away. I’d have called in someone to stay with you, but we’re spread too thin protecting the Nyx, and getting any more watchers on this building might create more of a problem than we already have. They’d be tripping over each other out there.” Humor sparked his silvery eyes for a quick moment. “Stay away from the windows and don’t answer the phone until you check the Caller ID and only answer if it’s someone you know. Use your best judgment but be wary.”
“Gina has an answering machine. She always screens her calls anyway, so that’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Perfect.” Cade let Chuck go and the tabby cat loped off to stand guard by the apartment door. When Cade moved closer, Elaine had the urge to flee, but she wouldn’t be a coward. Still, Cade shocked her when he cupped her cheek with one palm, lowering his head for a quick, stolen kiss.
His lips were firm yet sensuous and her hands rose of their own volition to rest against his powerful chest. He smelled divine and felt even better, but this was crazy. She’d only just met the man—and he wasn’t even human.
She drew back slightly, staring into those silver eyes that she could see were flecked with blue and grey. They were gorgeous. He was gorgeous. And he was at least part animal. A shapeshifter.
Elaine ordered herself to get a grip—just not a grip on him. She tried to move away, but his arms snuck around her waist and kept her close.
“I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“It’s for the best,” she whispered, her pulse pounding as he held her against his body.
Sighing, he let her go. “You’re probably right.”
“I’m ready.” Gina breezed back into the room, having packed some of her things. She had a knapsack over one shoulder, and her emergency medical kit over the other.
Cade held Elaine’s gaze for a long, breathless moment before he turned to the guest room. Gina’s gaze followed him, her suspicious expression turning to Elaine when he’d gone.
“You better watch yourself, friend.”
“Are you warning me off?” Elaine laughed out loud at the idea. Gina was the least likely woman to get catty about a man.
“Just hoping you keep a level head where that Alpha is concerned. That kind of man is walking, talking temptation, but he’s not for you, El. You’re human. A mating between one of us and someone like you rarely works. And the few that do take human mates and succeed aren’t Alphas. He could really hurt you, El, and I don’t mean just by breaking your heart.”
“All right already. You’ve made your point. Besides, there’s nothing happening. He’s going to make sure I’m in the clear, then he’s going to disappear. We’ll never see each other again. No harm, no foul.”
“I hope you’re right, El. I don’t want to see you hurt.” Gina didn’t get to say more because Cade walked back into the room with Mitch in his arms. The tiger shifter was unconscious again. Cade carried his big friend as if he weighed nothing, and Elaine was impressed by his strength.
Sending Chuck ahead to scout, Cade went out the door first with his burden, followed closely by Gina. They couldn’t chance making any noise now that they were in the hallway, but both women had silent tears running down their cheeks as the elevator doors closed.
This was it then. Elaine was alone. Until Chuck got back from his super secret spy mission, she didn’t even have her cat to console her. Elaine sank to the floor near the door and let a few tears fall. It felt good to let go a little, but she’d feel better when Chuck came back. She’d know then that they’d made it to the car safely and at least she’d have company. Even if he couldn’t talk…to her at least. Elaine wondered if shifters could actually talk to house cats and thought it would be cool to be able to communicate with Chuck. If she ever saw Gina again, she’d have to ask her about it.
When the scratching sound came near the bottom of the door, Gina was happy to let the orange tabby into the apartment. He bounded into her lap as soon as she sat after locking the door tight. She petted him, praising his courage and rubbing her face in his soft fur.
After a while, she decided to clean Gina’s apartment. Cade had told her to erase any traces of the men’s presence as best she could. She stripped the sheets off the guest room bed and started the small washer in one corner of Gina’s well-equipped home. She remade the bed and flopped down on it with Chuck, deciding to just close her eyes for a few minutes.
Cat's Cradle: String of Fate, Book 1
Chapter Four
Gina awoke to kisses. A hot mouth trailed wet, licking kisses down her arm and while the tongue was a little rough, it was way too big to be her cat’s.
“Cade?” Her sleepy voice was rough to her own ears.
“You’re safe, Ellie,” he whispered into her ear, his mouth trailing over her neck and onto her other arm.
Safe? She wasn’t so sure. “Uh…did Gina and your friend get out of town okay?” Elaine rose up on one elbow blinking awake, then pushed herself up to a sitting position.
Cade gave her only a little room as he sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her with those almost reflective silvery blue eyes. They disconcerted her. They distracted her. They turned her on.
“The Escort met them just outside of town. They should be okay.” Cade trailed the fingers of one hand down her arm, raising goose flesh.
“Stop that.” Elaine moved away, but he stalked her, not letting her put space between them.
“Stop what?” He moved closer.
“You know what you’re doing. Knock it off.” Her voice was a breathless whisper as he closed in on her.
She scooted backward against the headboard, unable to move farther away. Cade prowled forward, hovering over her, his breath warming her cheek as he lowered his head.
“Just give me one kiss, sweetheart. I want to taste you.”
Something rippled to life within her womb as he came closer. His hair draped forward a tad, framing both their faces in darkness as his lips grazed over hers.
She was a goner at the first brush of his lips. She succumbed with a gasp of pure desire. He took full advantage of the small opening. His talented tongue dipped into her mouth, drawing out her response, making her surrender her pleasure. She’d never felt anything like it. He commanded and coaxed in equal measure and beyond the startling sensations coursing through her body, she couldn’t focus on anything else.
When Cade lowered her to a reclining position beneath him on the soft mattress, she went willingly. His arms boxed her in, but she reveled in his possession. The soft ends of his hair trailed over her cheeks adding their own caress to the harsh male demand of his body over hers.
Cade’s muscular body hovered over her, his chest rubbing against suddenly sensitive breasts. His hips found the cradle of her thighs as if he’d been made to fit there, and the way he rubbed against her from head to foot drove her out of her mind.
All this, from just a kiss. They were both fully clothed, but she didn’t dare give in to the temptation to tug at his shirt or reach for the button on his pants. She wasn’t that brave.
A rumbling started deep in his chest, vibrating against her most sensitive places, shooting a dart of pleasure that danced in her tummy. He was purring.
The thought shocked her out of the sensuous daze he’d held her in, and she pulled back. He let her go after a tense moment where she wasn’t sure if he was completely in control of his beast nature, but in the end, he moved away. But he didn’t go far. He watched her with hooded eyes, now the color of blazing steel, impenetrable and strong.
“As I suspected, you’re pure catnip,
baby.” His lazy smile fired her senses in a way she was unable to deny. He lifted one of her hands in his and brought it to his lips. “I want to lick you all over.” He put action to his words, placing a kiss on her hand that ended with a broad swipe of his tongue. It tickled…all the way to her womb.
Elaine tugged her hand away from him, trying desperately to regroup. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
Cade’s eyes fell and he seemed to retreat both mentally and physically as he stood from the bed. He sighed long and hard, running one hand through his sexy hair before meeting her eyes once more. The fire in his gaze was banked for the moment.
“I couldn’t help myself. To tell you the truth, your scent has been drawing me toward you since the moment we met outside the dojo. I don’t understand it, but you’re potent stuff, Ellie. I’ve been wanting a taste of you for what feels like my entire life.”
“Wow.” Elaine could read the honesty of his stark words in his expression. He seemed just as befuddled by their explosive response to each other as she was. He stared into her eyes for a long moment as if searching for answers, but finding none. Cade finally blinked and moved another few steps toward the door.
“You’d better shower. I rubbed all over you and to any sensitive nose, you’ll carry my scent. Gina’s too, since you’ve been touching things in her apartment. Put your clothes outside the bathroom door, and I’ll wash them while you’re in the shower.”
He left, and she was finally able to take a deep breath. Cade was such a strong presence it felt like he sucked all the air out of a room just by being there. Once again he was ordering her life, but she complied with his wishes easily. He was the expert on this crazy situation and the players and skills involved. She’d do whatever he thought would work to help fool those he thought would check her out the minute she returned to her own apartment.
