by Ava Mason
I shook my head. “I thought it was because I was a wolf.”
“Oh, it was.” She tilted her head to the side, thinking. “But it wasn’t just that. There’s something about you I can’t put my finger on.” I was quiet, not quite knowing how to respond. She took another sip of her beer, licking her lips. “I think that’s why the Elite approached you. They’re usually super exclusive - believe me, they have a type, and you aren’t it.” I huffed, blowing my bangs out of my face, unsure if I should be offended or not. She didn’t wait for me to respond but continued on, her hands waving to try and express her emotions. “It’s like, they couldn’t stay away from you. They could feel something different, something special about you, and it drew them to you.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, considering her words. “Except I’m not special.”
“Says you.” She smiled, leaning back, her serious face gone. “As for them, I wouldn’t worry about them hating you.”
“Why not?”
“They hate everyone. You’re nothing special.”
I laughed. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“I know, right?” Grinning, she grabbed her glass, chugging down the rest and motioning at Murray for two more. “You can handle Denver. Just remember he’s your stereotypical asshole, and you’ll be fine.”
I chuckled. “Who says I can handle that kind of guy?”
Sawyer laughed, leaning back. “Well you haven’t killed him yet, so I’d say you’re doing well. I would’ve already shot the guy. After fucking him, of course, because you don’t let a good meal go to waste.” She nodded her head. “You know what I mean.”
I nodded, grinning just thinking about his sexy body. “I get it. A girl’s gotta eat.”
She laughed, shaking her head, and I couldn’t help but join in. Sawyer was one of a kind. And somehow, her comments and obvious unwavering faith in my abilities made me feel better.
“You’d sleep with him, huh?” I finished my beer, feeling a slight buzz. I felt weird when I asked about it. Possessive. I certainly didn’t want her to fuck him, even though I had zero rights to feel that way.
She laughed, wrinkling her nose. “Nah, not really. A fantasy maybe. We kissed once, but it wasn’t anything special.”
“What?! No way.”
“We were like, twelve, just messing around. He’s a good fantasy but honestly, he’s more like my brother, so that would be gross.”
“How so?”
She shrugged. “I’m good friends with his sister, so I’ve known him since we were kids.”
Two more beers were placed on the table and Sawyer looked up at Murray, thanking him. Nodding his head at her, he paused to give me a small looking over. I gave him a forced smile and, seeing that I’d noticed him looking at me, he frowned, then rushed off.
When I looked back at Sawyer, her lips were pulled up into a half smile. “He likes you.”
I gave her a deadpan look. “Did you smoke crack before you picked me up?” I raised my eyebrow. “Actually, that would explain some things.”
She chuckled, taking a sip of her new beer. “Believe me. He gave you a second of his attention; he likes you. I think he’s getting used to the wolf I like to drag around.” She winked. “Don’t worry, he’s gay. So he doesn’t like like you.”
“That’s great.” I leaned forward, unconcerned about Murray’s sexual preferences since I had zero interest in him. “So what is your type, anyways?” I picked up my new beer, uncertain why I was still drinking something that tasted like piss.
“Not assholes, that’s for sure.” I choked on my drink, laughing at the astute irony of her statement. Assholes were definitely my specialty. Which explained my fascination with these guys. “I might fantasize about The Elite. They’re all hot as hell, there’s no denying that. And their cocky behavior just weirdly adds to their appeal. But I’m no groupie, like all those girls that hang on them.”
“Is that right? They act like they could have any girl, any time.”
She nodded, shrugging. “They can. They have money, or, at least Blaze and Denver do. Sex appeal. They’re powerful, and loyal to no one, except each other. Don’t ask me why, but that is like woman catnip.”
“Why is that?” I growled, frustrated with that exact fact. I hated that it attracted me so much. Then realizing I’d shown too much, I leaned back, trying to act casual. “I mean, they’re assholes. Why would any girl put up with that?”
A grin spread out across her face, her eyes meeting mine. “I don’t know, Carrie. Why do girls like assholes so much?”
I grabbed my beer, sloshing it in my hurry to take another sip, trying to hide my own grin. “I don’t know. It’s a conundrum, for sure.”
We stared at each other for a moment, both trying not to laugh. I wasn’t fooling her one bit.
She finally turned away. “Assholes might be fun for a bit, but I have a line. Dignity and all that bullshit.”
“You like dignified men?” I chuckled and sipped more of my beer.
“And why wouldn’t I?”
I nodded my head at her tatts. “You just seem like you would like them rough and dirty.”
She leaned forward, her eyes flashing with something dark. “Just cause they’re dignified, doesn’t mean they don’t like to play dirty.”
I caught my breath, studying her, taking her words in. Something mysterious pulsed around her; she had secrets. I didn’t need her to talk about them to know that.
And I liked it, her dark mysterious nature. I also liked that she was cool with me, wolf and all. She genuinely acted like she liked me.
“Thank you,” I said.
She frowned. “For what?”
“This,” I said, nodding at the beers, the conversation, the company, everything.
“Sure, Fuzzy.”
I grinned at her. “Scales.”
She flashed her magic at me, her eyes shimmering neon orange for a moment, and I laughed.
“Just do what you do best, and you’ll figure this out, I swear.”
I jerked up at her words, slapping my forehead, comprehension washing over me. I’m such an idiot.
“What?” She looked intrigued.
I shook my head. “Nothing. You just gave me an idea.”
She clinked her glass against mine. “That’s what I’m here for.” Then she guzzled hers down and I joined her.
We turned to lighter subjects after that, and eventually, Sawyer dropped me back at the guesthouse again. I felt much better than I had when the guys had dropped me off. Plus I was a little tipsy. Sawyer didn’t do drinks without working in a shot. I had talked her down from the ledge about tequila, but it was the best I’d been able to do.
So, we’d had vodka… and a few other drinks and food, something they called hamburgers, which decidedly, were not. As soon as her car shot off, I bumbled towards the front door, surprised at how cognizant she still was.
A motion caught my eye and I turned towards it. Something stepped out of the shadows, a man, and he headed straight towards me. I froze, gripping my keys tight and my wolf pressed forward. I growled, turning to face him fully. He’d better be ready to defend himself against a fucking wolf.
His hands were shoved in his pockets, his hair covered by a beanie as he prowled towards me. His jeans slung low on his hips, his dark blue t-shirt tight against his chest. His face, initially in the shadows, finally revealed itself and I took a step back, surprised. His face was closed off, his eyes narrowed in anger, and they were staring right at me.
It was Denver.
11
Denver
I stood in the shadows next to the guesthouse, knowing which spot wouldn’t be noticed by the guards on patrol. Even if they did see me, they wouldn’t approach me; they knew I wasn’t a threat. But I didn’t want them to see me.
I waited patiently, knowing exactly when she would return. I’d put a tracking app on her phone when she wasn’t paying attention and so it wasn’t a surprise when she climbed out o
f Sawyer’s car, a little tipsy. What did surprise me was the giggle that escaped her mouth, and the resounding laughter from Sawyer. Sawyer never laughed. And neither did my little cub. She always snarled at everyone around her, or just stared cluelessly around. The only time I saw her angry eyes soften was when she was with Easton and Hunter, and that one time in the van with Tallon.
It burned me inside, just thinking about the way she’d snuggled into him.
Sure, I was being an ass by taking the corners as harsh as possible; I wanted to punish her for making us babysit her. But why did she have to lean into him for protection?
She’s mine, not his, my dragon snarled and I forced that voice down. I was ignoring my dragon right now, because I was in charge, not that motherfucker who wanted to mate with her.
She belonged to no one, and she certainly didn’t belong here, in our country, trying to cover up the wolves’ murder. She’d already proved that by her useless behavior today, dragging us around like dogs, doing absolutely nothing. If she really cared about our race, she’d leave us alone so we could do our jobs instead of wasting our time.
I growled, low in my throat, just thinking about it. Why was she here? She needed to go home before it was too late for us to find the killer. Before her sweet smile convinced the Queen that wolves were harmless. Before her determination helped broker an alliance between the shifter races.
Before she broke something between us.
We were The Elite. Had been that way since we were kids. We always had each other’s backs, always stuck together, no matter what. We worked together seamlessly, enforcing the strict rules ruthlessly that no one fucked with us. And we never let a woman get between us.
But somehow, she was causing a crack in our armor. Already. With us fighting over her at Crosby’s. And then, Tallon and his stupid smirking from the back seat of the van, his arm around her as he leered at me. He’d broke rank between us to try and help her.
Thank fuck she told him to back off and he came back to us with his tail between his legs. I couldn’t help the satisfaction that ran through me at that.
And that. Was. Wrong.
She was breaking us from the inside out and she needed to go before we burst open, showing our true selves.
Before she revealed that we were all just selfish assholes, looking out for Number One. No one needed to know that.
I swallowed down the bile in my throat at my next thought.
Before she hooked her claws deep inside me, spilling me open, exposing the fact that I was nothing but a black hole of slimy worms and rage and agony. That I wasn’t worth the pennies I stepped on. She would figure me out, I knew it. She probably already had. And I had to stop her from revealing it to the others.
Before my heart got twisted up in her pretty face and fuckable lips, her damn helplessness that my instincts screamed at me to rescue her from. And especially from the hurt looks that she flashed my way, buried under her anger, that made me want to smooth and soothe.
She was going to break me in half and that meant she had to go.
And I was going to make her.
And so, as soon as she was alone, I stepped out from the darkness, determined to force her into running back home and never looking back.
My presence startled her, just like I knew it would. Her wolf magic immediately reacted, shooting out from her to press against me in warning. I didn’t even think she knew she was doing it. I’d felt a flash of it at Crosby’s, and for some strange reason, it had defused when it touched mine. But this time, it was suffocating, oppressive, and it made me want to retreat.
I stopped a few feet away from her, a soft warning growl in my throat, pulsing my own magic out. Instead of pushing against hers, it clung to it.
Mine.
Fucking cunt.
She stopped, folding her arms across her chest. “What do you want?” Her voice was like fire, raging through me. “I’m not in the mood for your shit, Denver.”
I laughed, cold and cruel. “That makes two of us, Kid.”
She grit her teeth. “I’m not a kid.”
I got closer to her, noting that her breath quickened. “You are a kid. Just a child in a man’s world.”
She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, looking away. I’d struck a nerve.
“So? So what if I am?” Her lower lip wobbled. Her right tooth was slightly crooked, perfectly imperfect, and it pressed into her full, luscious lip. I wanted to suck those lips into my mouth, nibble on them, kiss them until they were pink and swollen.
What I wanted, was for her to get the hell out of here.
“Look, I get it.” I made my voice low and soothing. “You’re just trying to help, right?”
She nodded, her eyes softening.
I took another step closer. “And you’ve probably never done anything like this before. I’m assuming you haven’t had the same training we’ve had, so it’s expected that you wouldn’t know exactly what to do.”
She nodded again but this time, her face was more uncertain.
I took one more step, now standing next to her. I lowered my head so she wouldn’t have to look up to me. My next words were a soft whisper, breathed so gently it took her a moment to recognize the delicious venom in them.
“That’s why you need to leave it to the big boys to figure this out. It’d be so much easier without having to babysit wolf cunts like you.” She froze in shock and I reached up to rub my thumb against her lower lip, unable to stop myself from touching her. “It’s okay, baby. There’s no harm in giving up; no one will think any less of you. No one expected you to find the killer in the first place.” A tear leaked from her eye but she quickly wiped it away. I leaned closer so that I hovered over her ear, my fingers wrapping around her chin, holding it in place. “And when I say ‘big boys’, I’m not just talking about our stature.”
She yanked herself back. Eyes flashing, her hand came up to slap my face, again, and I grabbed it before it connected. A dark snarled ripped from my lips. “You have to earn the right to hit me, Kid. And right now you’re just playing in the little girl sandbox.” I smirked, my eyes drifting to her perfect nose that was flaring. “Maybe one day, when you’re a little bit older, I’ll let you take your anger out on me in the ring. Show me what you got.” I ran my nose over her cheek. “But you’d better practice real good, because nobody beats me in the ring.”
Her chest heaved, angry tears streaming down her face now. She didn’t wipe them away but just yanked her hand out of mine. Instead of stepping back like I expected her to, she stepped closer. We were touching now, face to face.
She took a second to compose herself, her breath catching before she spoke. “I don’t care what you say, Horns, or what you do to try and chase me off. Your job is to watch over me, and if I want to go shopping and eat ice cream, then you’d better be one step behind me.” She pressed her hands on my chest, twisting her fingers in my shirt. “But I will find the killer, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
My lips parted in shock. No one had ever stood up to me like that before. Most people scampered off, crying to their mommies. The fire in her eyes was palpable and it burned right through me, turning my dick rock solid.
“Is that what you think?” Grabbing her shoulders, I shoved my leg between her thighs. “I’m not sure you can handle it.” A whimper escaped her mouth and she subconsciously reacted, rubbing herself against my leg. When she caught herself, she stopped and narrowed her eyes into thin slits.
“You think you can intimidate me? You want me to give up, so you can find the killer yourself? And then congratulate yourself on finding the big bad wolf, all the while patting yourself on the back for your intolerant attitude and bigoted ways.”
She was astute, I’d give her that.
“I don’t think so. You have yet to see a pissed off wolf.” She shook her head, pushing on my chest. “Let me go.”
Instead of releasing her, I flipped her around and pressed her back to my chest. Then I w
rapped my hand into her hair, twisting it to pull her head to the side. I leaned down, taking in a deep breath, where I could smell the remnants of her body spray, underlined by the natural untamed smell of her wolf. It reminded me of freedom, of running and never stopping, of the wild side of the forest. And I wanted it all.
I wanted to be free. With her.
I gave in to my dragon.
“I’m never letting you go.” My tongue flicked out, tasting her skin, reveling in the salty taste. Her chest heaved with choked breaths and I ran my hand down her side, squeezing her hip. “You’re mine, Kid. Do you get that? Not Tallon’s, not Blaze’s, or any little wolf you might be dating back home. You understand? So if anyone’s back in the States, waiting for your return, you call them right now and tell them you’ve been ruined. Because I will ruin you, Carrie, and you’ll never be with another man again.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“No?” My voice was filled with incredulity and possessiveness made my hand clench her hip tighter. She didn’t understand what was happening here. I was offering her something I’d never offered anyone before. Something I’d regretted almost instantly. I didn’t want a bitch in my bed. Only Pure. Blooded Dragons. And after I’d fucked them dry, enticing every drop of cream from their sexy bodies, they were gone, compliments of the driver I kept on standby. But my dragon said otherwise, and I was going to stand by his choice.
“I don’t have a boyfriend at home.”
“Oh.” I let out a relieved breath, my dragon calming.
“And I don’t belong to you, either. I don’t belong to anybody.”
I growled. “That’s going to be a problem.”
“I don’t care.”
“You like talking back to the big boys? Does it make you feel powerful?” Letting go of her hip, I grabbed her hand and pressed it to my hard dick, breathing hard over her shoulder. “Do you know how sexy you are when you talk like that to me? I have a problem here that you created, and you need to fix it.” I nipped her ear, and her nipples perked, hardening her tips into tight pebbles that showed through her thin shirt. “The question is, does it turn you on as much as it does me?” I ran my hand across the top of her jeans, flicking open her front button. “Let’s see, shall we?” I paused, giving her a moment to stop me but she just squeezed my cock, making my breath catch. She liked it.
