As he watched, the man copped a feel, and Nathan would have to have been blind to miss the sudden tension in her body.
Hot, dark rage slammed through Nathan—shocking in its intensity—and the wolf inside him rose sharply to the surface. His canines slid down and a growl of fury built low in his throat.
Sage stiffened further, before shoving at Leaf and pushing him away from her. Her gaze lifted to Nathan’s and he saw that flash of fury in them.
“Sunflower?” Leaf reached for her again, but she shook her head.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Nathan, and his mouth tightened with annoyance.
“Can you give us a moment, Leaf?” Her voice was steady. Her gaze never leaving Nathan.
“I suppose I’ll have to.” Sulking, Leaf made his way back into the bar.
“You have no right to intrude on me out here.” Her shaky words slammed into him the moment they were alone.
Nathan closed the distance between them, struggling hard to control his temper. To keep his words light.
“It looks like you might’ve appreciated my intrusion. Make-out session with Pinecone not as good as you’d hoped?”
“Leaf. His name is Leaf, and just stop it.” She shook her head and raised a hand in warning. “It’s not your business. Look, I want you to go now.”
“You were begging me to stay about a half hour ago.”
Even in the darkness Nathan could see the blush fill her cheeks.
“That’s because you served a purpose a half hour ago.”
“Made your boyfriend jealous, did I?”
He waited for her to deny the musician was her boyfriend, because all appearances showed that any relationship they had was new. Her mouth closed and she just lifted one bare, curvy shoulder instead in a casual shrug.
“I see.” His irritation grew. Whether with himself or her, he wasn’t sure.
“I don’t trust you.”
Well at least she had a little bit of sense.
What the hell was he doing? His motivation had been to slip into this little dive bar, gain some human chick’s trust, and wind up safely hidden in her house for a few days.
And yet he’d somehow picked a female shifter, and now here he was wasting energy and anger on some random human Sage was choosing to get involved with. Why did it matter? He didn’t know her. He didn’t have time to know her. She was pretty damn low on his scale of importance, actually. In a few days he’d be long gone and she’d be a memory he’d be trying his best to forget.
But gaining Sage’s trust, and having her take him home willingly, was looking less likely by the minute. Which meant he’d have to against everything he believed in—against his nature. He would have to take her cooperation by force.
Manipulating his expression, again, into an unreadable mask, he slipped back into agent mode. He was commander of his unit, alpha of their pack—and Sage, to her misfortune, was about to take the brunt of his experience.
“Fine.” He gave a brief nod. “I’ll leave you alone.”
She didn’t look away from him, and her gaze flickered with distrust. She didn’t believe him. “I’d appreciate that.”
Her guard was up, and it would likely stay up. He needed to fix this and quick.
“Look, I’m sorry. You’re right, Sage. I was passing through town and you took me by surprise. I make it a point to make introductions when I find someone like myself.”
“Really.” Skepticism now. “All right. Whatever you say.”
Fuck it, he was tempted to throw her over his shoulder and get out of here. Which would get him nowhere. Literally.
He took a step away from her. “I’m leaving now, but be careful out there.”
“Why, is the big bad wolf going to attack?” She arched a brow. “Though I’m not so sure he’s not standing right in front of me.”
“He just might be.” He couldn’t stop the icy smile of warning, and hoped his light words weren’t tipping his hand.
She stared at him a moment longer, before darting around him more rabbit-like than the wolf that lingered inside her.
The quick notes of a blues song filled the air as the door to the pub opened to let Sage back inside. It muted once again a second later.
Time to move on to Plan B. Hurry up and wait.
By the time Sage slipped from the bar a couple hours later, the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees and she shivered.
The heat was great during the day, but at night the hills around here could be almost chilly.
Nathan watched as she hurried to her car, keys clenched in her hands.
“Sage?”
She turned with a soft gasp, but her tension visibly eased when she spotted Leaf.
“You didn’t say good-bye.” Leaf’s footsteps crunched across the parking lot as he approached.
“Oh, you seemed busy cleaning up your gear and talking to the manager.” She gave a light laugh and looked away. “I figured I’d catch up with you another time.”
“Hmm. Well I thought maybe we could go back to your place for a drink?” He stopped in front of her and reached out to touch her cheek. “Continue what we started earlier?”
Her mouth opened and closed, as if she was trying to decide how to answer.
Say no, Curls.
If she brought that slimeball hippie home, it would just make things all that much more difficult. Plus, Nathan wasn’t sure he wouldn’t end up cutting out the guy’s tongue just for fun.
She finally cleared her throat. “Actually, I’m a little tired.”
“So you can make us some coffee instead.” Leaf grimaced. “Though that stuff is terrible on your stomach.”
“I really can’t. I’m also on deadline. I have a book due in a few weeks. I really should be writing.”
Interesting. Sage was a writer. Nathan tucked away that little bit of info.
“Sunflower, I’m heading down to Fresno for a gig tomorrow, and then on a Southern Cal tour. I won’t be back for a few weeks. I want to spend time with you.”
“I want the same. Really. But…”
“Maybe this will convince you.” Leaf leaned forward and kissed her.
This again? Really? Nathan managed, just barely, to suppress a growl of warning. He couldn’t afford to blow his cover.
But the kiss only lasted a second before Sage eased away with a nervous laugh.
In the darkness, Nathan gave a smug smile. Oh yeah. She’d hated that kiss just as much as the first one.
Stick with your kind, Curls.
He sent out the silent warning and just about fell over when she glanced toward where he hid in the woods.
Son of a bitch, could she see him?
“I can’t, Leaf. It sounds…fun. Really. But I need to finish my book. The few hours I came out tonight to see you already cut into my writing time.”
Leaf backed off immediately, his attitude changing to sulking in the blink of an eye. “Whatever.”
“Maybe next time you’re in town we can get together.” Sage’s words were rushed and apologetic, but Leaf was already trotting back into the bar like the sulky little bitch he was.
Sage sighed and thrust a hand through her hair before climbing into her car a moment later.
Nathan waited a moment, watched the red taillights turn onto the road, and then turned to the pile of clothes he’d shirked a few minutes ago. Grinding them into the dirt one last time, he hoped they’d be written off as abandoned from some homeless or drunk guy.
The alternative was an exploded mess of cotton and denim that would raise many more questions that he couldn’t afford to be asked.
Taking a slow, deep breath in, Nathan sprinted from the woods and ran after her car.
This was the danger zone. The moment where you hoped to fucking God nobody saw the naked man running down the street, who suddenly morphed into a wolf.
Right. Because that wouldn’t draw any questions.
His body began to shift. The bones and muscles stretching an
d twisting. Popping. Changing in ways that shouldn’t have been impossible. Black fur slid out to replace skin and his nails grew into claws.
With a howl exploding from low in his throat, he dropped to all fours and the beam of an oncoming car’s headlights swept over him a moment later.
The squeal of brakes sounded as the car swerved to the right. The driver wouldn’t have seen him shift, but was likely still surprised at the sight of a wolf in the middle of the road.
Cursing in his head, Nathan picked up the pace and tried to stay closer to the tree line as he followed Sage’s fading taillights.
She wasn’t driving overly fast on the small back road, so keeping up wasn’t an issue.
This chick better not live in the shit middle of Fresno or some other crowded city, or else he was fucked. He’d have to ditch her and the plan entirely and start over.
But he was banking on the fact that she lived nearby. It was in the middle of nowhere, for God’s sake. Surely most of the patrons lived in B.F.E. as well.
And yet she had a female hard-on for that pansy ass musician. Which meant there was a good chance she would’ve driven from the big city to see him.
When she made no move to turn off the main road that was heading back to Fresno, doubt flickered through him and the first seeds of worry gripped his gut.
Shit. Had he wasted his time tonight?
Her right blinker went on and relief replaced his unease. She slowed before turning onto a smaller dirt road that led up into the granite hills.
And it’s on.
Biting back a howl of triumph and relief, Nathan followed after.
The rock and gravel from the road bit into his paws, but he barely felt it as grim determination took over.
Already he played out in his head exactly what was going to happen next.
His gut twisted. Guilt—so unfamiliar—stabbed through him. Yeah, he’d been committing petty crimes left and right on his journey down here, but what was about to happen next wasn’t going to be pretty.
Seeing the shape of the house in the distance, he hardened his heart and channeled all his training from being a leader in the P.I.A. over the years.
This wasn’t personal. In the end Sage would be just fine, but for now she was about to become collateral damage.
Sorry, Curls…
Chapter Four
Turning off the engine, Sage sat in the darkness of her car and stared at her house.
What a night. What an absolutely wonderful and completely bizarre night.
Leaf had noticed her. He’d actually kissed her. Not to mention, well, tried for a bit more. By the end of the night he’d wanted to come back to her house.
She wasn’t stupid. She’d known exactly what he’d been asking for. Leaf wanted to sleep with her.
How long had she daydreamed about him? How long had she played with the idea of finding ways of getting him to notice her? And then recently she’d begun to consider blatantly seducing him.
And tonight she hadn’t had to do a thing. He’d come to her. Fallen right into her lap, so to speak. It was all kind of overwhelming and crazy really.
But she was a big enough woman to give credit where credit was due, and that credit was due to the randomness of some stranger named Stan.
She’d been kind of awful to him at the end of the night, but he’d been on her last nerve. Getting all in her face and judgmental on who she was flirting with.
She should’ve thanked him, not ripped him a new one. Clearly Stan had awakened Leaf’s dormant feelings for her.
Leaf could’ve been sitting in the passenger seat of her car right this moment. Kissing her again. Begging her to take him inside the house…
So why isn’t he here?
That question had run rampant in her brain the entire five-minute drive home. She wasn’t sure she had the answer. Maybe she’d built up expectations in her head, but the first kiss between her and Leaf had been a little tepid, and that was being generous.
And then there was the way he’d just groped her breast like they were fifteen and in some dark hallway at high school. Again, it hadn’t felt right.
Or maybe her mood had just been ruined by Stan—he’d distracted her, made her focus slip from Leaf. Yes, surely that had to be it.
And now here she was, alone at home. Which was nothing new.
She’d left a few lights on in the house, and it was the only thing besides the stars that lit up the inky darkness. She ran her gaze over the two-story, log-cabin-style house she’d bought three years ago. It wasn’t flashy, certainly not too big, and was secluded within the hills leading up to Yosemite.
Her brother sure didn’t appreciate her isolated living conditions, though. Which was really his problem, not hers.
When she climbed out of the car, she was hit by an unfamiliar sense of unease and froze. There was the distinct awareness that her nearest neighbor was several miles away and the trees and hills of granite on her property held too many shadows.
She drew in a calming breath and strode quickly toward her house, keys clutched like a weapon in her fist.
The crunch of her footsteps in the dirt driveway seemed almost obscenely loud, and she quickened her pace.
When she reached her porch, the prickle of nervousness didn’t go away. In fact it had strengthened. Wrapping around her nerves with a chilly grip, leaving her palms damp and her pulse racing.
Her wolf instinct was rarely wrong, and right now everything within her was screaming danger.
Despite the fear driving her inside, she glanced over her shoulder into the darkness. It could’ve been an animal. Coyotes weren’t unusual on her property, but they never made her uneasy. Not with her blood being part wolf.
She thrust her house key into the lock and the heavy sense of danger swelled to a cloying point.
The moment the lock clicked open, she grabbed the handle and shoved open the door. She stumbled inside, her heart pounding as she feared whatever stalked her was so close she’d never get the door shut.
She moved swiftly, turning and slamming it closed. She got the first lock twisted into place and then reached for the chain.
Only when it was fastened did she rest her head against the door and close her eyes. Waited for the anxiety to fade.
But the icy grip of fear stayed coiled around her, and as she stared at the floorboards, the hairs on the back of her neck lifted.
Something isn’t right.
Sage reached into her purse and closed unsteady fingers around her cell. Maybe she’d just call her brother.
She turned away from the door and shrieked. The large, calloused hand that slammed over her mouth smothered her cry of fear.
Her eyes rounded as she was shoved firmly back against the door.
“Don’t move. Don’t make another sound.”
Oh crap! Crap. How had she not realized he was in the house, not outside?
He used his other hand to grab the cell from her and toss it across the room. The crack of it hitting hardwood floors was assurance enough that her phone was a goner.
A whimper of terror escaped against his palm and she closed her eyes as her knees threatened to give out.
In the darkness of her house she struggled to see him, even as the rasp of his voice hinted familiarity. She tried to breathe in his scent, but there was only the faint smell of bleach.
But beneath that…the subtle, glaring smell of—
“And don’t even think about shifting. It will get ugly.”
Shapeshifter. The voice clicked. Holy crap. It was Stan. He’d followed her home?
She didn’t trust the relief that smacked through her, and she reached up to grab his wrist in an attempt to pull it off her mouth.
He didn’t budge, and she made a noise of frustration.
“Recognize me that quick, Curls?” The rasp in his voice eased and a grimness replaced it.
She gave a small nod. Take your hand off my mouth, she urged silently. Let me talk to you.
Her heart had slowed some, but she wasn’t stupid. He’d followed her home, broken inside, and not because he wanted to get to know her better. No. Stan’s purpose for being here right now could be nothing less than nefarious.
But why? She didn’t know. What she did know was that she was in trouble. Dammit, she never should’ve trusted him tonight. Should’ve sent him packing immediately from her table.
“I don’t trust you not to scream—and I don’t care how far away your neighbors are,” he said softly. “I won’t deal well with it.”
Well, yeah, screaming and fighting would come ultimately the first chance she got.
He really hadn’t given off the rapist or serial killer vibe in the bar, but then again, maybe that’s exactly what he was, because clearly her instincts were crap.
A hysterical laugh got stranded in her throat.
“You live alone, don’t you?”
She wanted to lie. Oh God, she wanted to lie, but she knew he’d sense the truth.
Still, she managed the tiniest shake of her head.
He paused for a moment, and it seemed neither of them breathed, before he gave a harsh laugh.
“One thing you’ll find out real fast, Curls. I hate being fucking lied to.” He spun her around again so she faced away from him. “Now, let’s get you in the other room.”
Other room? With his hand still smothering her mouth, he used his free arm to wrap around her waist and lift her off the ground.
He strode down the hall, carrying her struggling form. In the darkness she grew aware oh his state of dress. Or undress. Clearly he’d shifted into his wolf side to follow her home—which was pretty risky in itself.
Nudity was part of shifter life, and usually it took more than seeing a pair balls swinging free to make her uncomfortable. But being pressed up against him like this—her mind ran between fear and awareness of the size of his muscled body.
When he turned into her bedroom, her blood turned to ice and fear became the dominant emotion.
He dropped her on the bed so that she fell onto her hands and knees.
With the hand momentarily gone from her mouth, she let out a hoarse scream and scrambled away from him.
Savage Revenge Page 3
