Janie's Salvation

by Dawn Sullivan

  “What?” she whispered in confusion, dragging her gaze from the evidence of his arousal, up to meet his now dark chocolate colored eyes. His scent had thickened, and it curled around her, seeping into her pores.

  Her tongue snuck out to wet her bottom lip again, and Xavier took another step back, his eyes glued to her lips. “Fuck, I have to go.”

  Janie didn’t want him to go. She wanted…she paused when the truth of what she really wanted sunk in. She wanted to feel his lips on hers. She wanted to see if he tasted as good as he smelled, and her wolf was in full agreement. “Xavier,” his name was a plea on her lips as she rose from the bench.

  “Baby.” With a groan, he closed the distance between them, sliding a hand up into the hair at the nape of her neck.

  Janie waited in nervous anticipation as he slowly lowered his lips to hers, giving her an out if she wanted one. She thought briefly of taking it, but then his mouth covered hers and all thoughts of fleeing were instantly gone. He was gentle with her, even though she felt the tension running through him. He slowly traced her lips with his tongue, then slipped past them when she gasped in pleasure. He tasted of mint and spice, and her body trembled as the combination consumed her. His hands gently traced down her back, pulling her close. His touch was like nothing she had ever felt before.

  Tentatively, Janie touched her tongue to his, reveling in the groan that tore from his throat. He let her have control, and she deepened the kiss, slipping past his lips and into his mouth. Her breath caught when his fang nicked her tongue, and she froze. Mine! The word echoed around in her mind, and she pulled back to look in his eyes, eyes that were churning darkly with emotion.

  “Xavier,” she breathed, touching her lips with her fingertips. Before he could respond, Alayna let out a loud cry. Quickly stepping back, Janie turned and rushed over to where her daughter was now sitting up in her stroller, reaching out to her with tears in her eyes. “It’s okay, sweet girl,” she murmured, “mommy’s here.”

  When she turned back around with Alayna in her arms, Xavier cleared his throat, “I better go. Aiden will be looking for me soon.”

  “Will you be gone long?” She sounded so needy after just one kiss, but she’d felt more pleasure from his kiss than she had ever felt from another man her entire life. And not once had she thought about the soldiers who had forced themselves on her when Xavier touched her. She’d only felt him, only thought of him. And it shocked her, but she had wanted him to do more.

  “A couple of weeks,” he said shortly.

  “Oh.” Why did she suddenly feel as if her world had dropped out from under her? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t left the compound for days before.

  Xavier walked slowly over to her, smiling down at Alayna. “Hey there, Laynie girl. How are you?”

  Alayna looked at him suspiciously, then ducked her head, hiding in Janie’s shoulder. When Xavier laughed, she peeked back at him, a giggle escaping. Patting Janie’s cheek, she said, “Mama!”

  Xavier grinned, reaching out to tug gently on a stray strand of her hair. “I have to go. Take care of your mama for me while I’m gone, princess.”

  “Be safe,” Janie whispered.

  “Always.”

  Xavier leaned in and lightly nuzzled her cheek the way she’d seen many wolves do to their loved ones in the past. Closing her eyes, she felt a shudder run through her body as she whispered, “Goodbye, Xavier.”

  “For now,” he replied, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

  Was it just for now? Janie wondered as she watched him walk away. Would she still be here when he came back? The sense of urgency that had seemed to leave when Xavier was near, was back in full force.

  4

  They were only two days into their mission, and Xavier was already going crazy. He had been hard as a fucking rock since Janie’s lips touched his, the need to claim her driving him insane. What the hell had he been thinking kissing her like that? The problem was, he hadn’t been thinking at all. Not with the right head anyway. If he had, he never would have done it. Sitting on a log close to the fire he’d built just the hour before, Xavier cursed in frustration.

  “Could you be any louder, X?” Aiden asked sarcastically, as he tossed more wood on the slowly burning embers. “I don’t think they heard you in the next county over.”

  Baring his teeth at his brother, Xavier stood and started pacing back and forth, raking his fingers through his hair. “What the hell are we doing here, Aiden?”

  “Our jobs,” Aiden responded calmly.

  “There’s no one out here,” Xavier growled in frustration, irritated that he was so far away from the one person he should be with right now. “No one except for us, freezing our balls off.”

  “Xavier, sit down.”

  Xavier turned to glare at his brother, “If I wanted to sit down, I would have fucking stayed where I was.”

  “Sit your ass down, before I sit you down,” Aiden growled, his voice low and commanding.

  Stiffening, his jaw set, Xavier stalked back over to the log and sat. If anyone else would have talked to him like that, he would have told them to go screw themselves, but not Aiden. Every day since that horrible night when their mother was killed, along with so many others, it had been him and Aiden against the world. They both felt as though they were unworthy of the White River Wolves’ loyalty after what their father had done, even though not one member of the pack ever blamed them personally, and they fought hard to prove that they deserved it. No matter what, they always had each other’s backs.

  “Now,” Aiden said quietly, sitting down beside him, “tell me what’s going on. Is it Janie?” Xavier shrugged, looking into the fire. Of course, it was Janie. It was always Janie. “Talk to me, X.”

  Xavier sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes and down his face. “I kissed her, man. I fucking kissed her, and I shouldn’t have.”

  They sat in silence for a moment before Aiden asked, “And?”

  “And what?” Xavier snapped back. “Isn’t that enough? The woman has been through hell, and instead of giving her the time she needs to heal, I forced myself on her.”

  Aiden’s eyes narrowed, and he growled, “Are you telling me she told you to stop, and you didn’t?”

  Xavier paused, “Well, no.”

  “She didn’t tell you to stop? Didn’t push you away?”

  “No,” Xavier said, thinking back, “she…”

  “She what, Xavier?” Aiden demanded. “You either forced yourself on her, or you didn’t. But I will tell you right now, little brother, you better be prepared to get your ass kicked if you did.”

  Xavier looked over at Aiden, his brother’s eyes glowing a bright yellow hue in the dark. “She kissed me back,” he whispered.

  Aiden watched him closely, “Was she scared? Did you scent that anything was off?”

  Xavier thought hard before shaking his head. “No, she wasn’t afraid,” he finally said.

  A slow grin crossed Aiden’s lips as he asked, “So, if she wasn’t scared, then what was she?”

  Xavier’s heartbeat accelerated, his dick becoming even harder if that was possible, as he remembered how Janie had taken over the kiss. There wasn’t an ounce of fear in her at the time. There was only pure lust. “Fuck,” Xavier snarled, shoving his hands through his hair.

  Aiden clapped him on the shoulder, squeezing tightly, “I think it’s about time you claimed your mate, X. Sounds to me like she’s ready.”

  Was his brother right? Was Janie ready? Xavier’s body heated at the thought, as excitement began to fill him. Maybe it was time to claim his mate.

  Suddenly the wind shifted, and Xavier smelled the man at the same time he heard the loud click as a bullet left the gun chamber. “Aiden!” He dove for his brother, slamming into him hard and taking him to the ground as he felt the first bullet pierce the skin of his left arm. After they hit the ground, a second entered his back. Hell, no. This was not happening. He’d just been shot the month before, and had almost died. H
e had no desire to go through that again.

  Aiden tried to push Xavier off of him, but the gun cracked loudly, the noise echoing in the quiet night, as another bullet hit Xavier in one of his legs. “Don’t move,” he whispered to his brother. “The stupid bastard is coming to us. Let him.”

  Aiden stilled, and Xavier barely heard him breathe, “He’s a dead mother-fucker.”

  “So, that bitch Janie is your mate, huh, mongrel? That’s too bad, because we have come to take her home.”

  Home? A low growl began to build in Xavier’s throat. Janie was home, and no one was taking her anywhere. He felt Aiden shift ever so slightly, and knew he was reaching for one of his knives.

  “She escaped last year, and even though the General doesn’t seem to give a shit about her anymore, my buddy Brent does. We are going to keep her somewhere neither you nor the General can find her, so that Brent can have her whenever he wants. You can keep her brat, though. Brent doesn’t want it, even if it is his kid.” The man laughed, moving even closer to them. “Of course, you would have to get to your village in time to save her. Brent should be there soon, and he plans on getting rid of her. He wants Janie’s undivided attention.”

  Pure, raw anger filled Xavier. Alayna wasn’t Brent’s child. She was his! And no one was touching her or Janie. “Kill him,” he growled, using all of his strength to push himself off of his brother, hissing in pain when Aiden shoved him hard to help.

  Xavier watched through bleary eyes as the knife left Aiden’s hand, embedding itself deeply in the bastard’s throat. The man stared at him in shock, dropping his gun to the ground, and grasping at the handle to try and pull it out. But it was too late. Staggering forward, he fell to his knees, then on his side, his eyes wide open in death. His buddy, who appeared out of nowhere to help him, didn’t stand a chance. Aiden was on him in an instant, and he was gone with a knife through his heart.

  “Hurry up, Aiden,” Xavier rasped, fighting to stay awake. “Call Chase and warn him, and then get these fucking bullets out of me. I need to get to my family!”

  He heard Aiden’s voice in the distance, but couldn’t make out the words. His head was swimming, pain racking his entire body. But all he could think about was Janie. His kind, gentle mate. “Aiden. Have to save her,” he rasped. They couldn’t have her, dammit! She was his! “Janie!” her name was a cry on his lips, before the darkness took him.

  5

  Janie stood by the crib looking down at her daughter, tears in her eyes. They were going to have to leave. She had waited too long as it was, hoping the feeling that something bad was about to happen would leave her, but it didn’t. It was building daily, and getting much worse. She didn’t want to go. The White River Wolves had opened their doors to her, welcoming her into their lives and making her a part of the pack. She’d never felt like she belonged anywhere before, not even with her old pack. She wanted this life for her daughter. She wanted it for herself. And then, there was Xavier.

  Janie lifted her fingers to her lips, tracing them lightly, trembling when she remembered the feel of Xavier’s mouth on hers. It felt so perfect, so right, when he kissed her. As if they belonged together. Which, according to fate they did, and as far as she knew, fate didn’t make mistakes. If she left, she would never feel that again. But how could she stay when the feeling that danger was near kept swamping her? She had to protect her child above all else. A lone tear slid down her cheek at the thought of losing Xavier before she even really got to know him. How could she leave her mate?

  “Whatever you are thinking about doing, stop right now.”

  Janie stiffened, turning to face Flame who stood in the open doorway. “You promised a long time ago not to invade my thoughts,” she whispered, wiping the wetness from her face.

  “I couldn’t help it Janie,” Flame said softly, stepping into the room with her. “You are broadcasting loudly. I could feel your pain and fear the moment I opened the front door.”

  Janie glanced back at her daughter to make sure she was still sleeping before walking past Flame, motioning for the other woman to follow her. Leaving the door slightly ajar, Janie made her way quickly to the living room, sitting down on the sofa. “Flame, I don’t think I have a choice,” she started.

  “You always have a choice,” Flame interrupted.

  Running a hand through her hair in frustration, Janie snapped, “That may be true, but this time I may have to make one that I don’t want to make.”

  “Why?” Flame asked stubbornly, arching an eyebrow.

  “Because it may be the only way to keep my daughter safe,” Janie growled, “and she is what’s important. She’s everything to me, Flame. She’s all I have.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Janie knew it wasn’t true. It used to be, before she’d been brought to the White River Wolves compound, but it wasn’t now. She was not alone anymore. She had friends, family, and Xavier.

  “Janie,” Flame said quietly, sitting down next to her and clasping Janie’s shaking hands in her own, “you have me.”

  Janie’s eyes filled with tears as she lowered her head. “I know.”

  “You have Chase and Angel.”

  Janie nodded silently, tears now flowing down her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispered.

  Flame hesitated before murmuring, “You have so many people who care for you, Janie. Who love you.”

  “Xavier,” Janie whispered, swallowing hard. “You are talking about him, aren’t you?”

  “You know about Xavier?” Flame asked in surprise.

  Janie nodded, not bothering to mask the pain from her eyes when she raised them to look at her friend. “I recognized him as my mate awhile ago.” She didn’t tell Flame that it had been months. She was too ashamed to admit that.

  Frowning in confusion, Flame asked, “But how? I don’t understand.”

  She and Janie had never discussed what Janie was doing in the General’s breeding program. Flame hadn’t asked, and Janie did not volunteer the information. The only reason she knew that Flame had the ability to read minds and speak telepathically, was because she overheard the scientists at the facility they were being held at talking to one of the guards about it when Flame was first transferred there. She was warning the others to try and mask their thoughts. When Janie had come up with the courage one day to ask Flame about it, Flame had promised her that she would never intrude on her thoughts. While it seemed that she had no problem delving into the minds of their captors, she had no desire to know what everyone else in the world was thinking.

  Janie sighed, gently tugging her hands from Flame’s and wrapping her arms around her waist. “It’s a long story,” she said softly, unsure if she should admit her flaw. “I’m a latent wolf shifter,” she finally murmured, once again meeting Flame’s gaze.

  “What does that mean exactly?”

  “It means that even though I am a shifter, and I can feel my wolf’s presence inside of me, I’ve never been able to actually shift into my animal form,” Janie explained. “I was kicked out of my pack because of it. The alpha was afraid I would mate with one of his wolves and then our children would be defective too,” she muttered bitterly.

  “What the hell do you mean by defective?”

  Janie shrugged, “To others, there is something wrong with me because I can’t shift. I’m flawed.”

  “Bullshit,” Flame snarled. When Janie’s eyes widened in surprise, she went on, “There isn’t a damn thing wrong with you, Janie. You are sweet, kind, and generous. You are loyal and trustworthy. You are the first to volunteer if someone here needs help. You are a good friend, and a wonderful mother. So what if you can’t shift? Fuck your old alpha. You are perfect just the way you are.”

  Janie looked into Flame’s eyes, but saw nothing but honesty in them. She felt a small smile cross her lips as she murmured, “You really feel that way, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do, Janie. We never see ourselves the way others do. You are held up on what your old alpha thought, but we both know Chase do
esn’t feel the same way, and he is your alpha now. You need to remember that.”

  “The alpha in my other pack wasn’t the only one who felt that way,” Janie told her quietly. “My parents did too. They supported his decision to kick me out, and so did the rest of the pack. The only one who stood up for me was my sister. She didn’t want me to leave.”

  She could see the storm brewing in Flame’s eyes, as they darkened in fury. “Well they are all a bunch of fucking idiots then,” she growled. “You are better off without them.”

  Janie’s smile grew, and her heart warmed at her friend’s protectiveness. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Janie could tell Flame was still pissed, but all she did was nod before saying, “Now, tell me why you were thinking about running away. If you know Xavier is your mate, then you have to know that there is nowhere you could go that he would not follow. The man loves you, Janie. He has waited a long time to claim you. He isn’t going to just let you go.”

  “I don’t want him to,” Janie admitted softly. “I don’t want to leave.”

  “Then don’t,” Flame said. “Trust us to help you with whatever it is that you are afraid of. Trust me.”

  “I do trust you,” Janie promised.

  “Then talk to me.”

  “That’s just it,” Janie told her, “I don’t know what it is, Flame. All I know is that something is going to happen. Someone or something is coming for me and my daughter. There’s danger out there. I feel it.”

  Flame nodded slowly, “You should always trust your instincts, Janie. I’m going to call Angel…”

  Before Flame could finish, there was a loud knock on their door. “Stay here,” she ordered quietly. Removing her gun from the holster at her hip, she rose and silently made her way across the living room.