by Morgan Fox
Tiffany glanced to Zane, who was gazing at her more intently than the others. His stare was blank, unemotional. She swallowed the sudden dryness in her throat. She returned her gaze back to Megan. “I know. It’s just hard for me since I don’t have any connection to my real family.”
Zane voice dipped low as he told her, “You have us now.”
Even though Zane spoke words that should’ve made her feel accepted, she felt anything but that. “I think I’ll go lay down. We have an early day tomorrow.”
“Make sure you’re all packed and ready to go,” Dominic told her. “We leave at sunup.”
Tiffany sighed, remembering that she didn’t have anything of her own here. Everything she was wearing belonged to Megan. “Easy enough, I don’t have anything to pack.”
She turned and went to her bedroom. Closing the door at her back, she walked toward the window, opening it. She watched the stars flicker brightly in the night sky.
Concentrating on the elements around her, she chanted softly. The warmth of the wind circled around her. The smell of the earth filled her nose. Suddenly her bedroom light flashed on, casting the room in its warm glow.
Focusing on the magic swirling inside her, she turned the light on and off a dozen times, before stopping. Then she set her mind on the door, locking and unlocking. Returning her gaze back to the window, her magic closed it, twisting the lock as if she had done so with her hands.
Smiling, she wondered if she was finally getting the hang of her magic. She hoped she was. If things went as unsettlingly as she sensed they would, she was going to need every ounce of her magic functional and supercharged.
* * * *
“You fucking hit me!” Ryder barked. The ropes that restrained his chest, arms, and legs were too tight for him to budge. “What do you want with me?”
Bianca kicked her foot out to the side and folded her arms over her chest. “I need to speak with you, and I didn’t think you’d listen any other way.”
“You’re right about that!” He was practically screaming at her. “How the hell are you standing here? I killed you,” he muttered, eyes wide.
She cocked her head to the side and raised a dark eyebrow. “Obviously you didn’t.”
He shook his head. “How is that possible? I clawed your throat. You were bleeding out. I thought…” He glanced away, clearing his throat. “All this time I thought you were dead.”
Bianca shrugged. “I don’t know why they did it, but I was taken away from the pack. Once you…accidently hurt me, my family thought it was best to keep me from you.”
Ryder couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Why would her family wish to see him suffer for killing someone he hadn’t? Someone he cared about. Did they want to see him turn into a heartless savage?
He searched Bianca’s eyes for any indication she was lying to him, baiting him along with whatever agenda she was playing against him. He couldn’t find anything. “We were just kids,” he mumbled.
Bianca laughed subtly. “Twenty and twenty-two are hardly children’s ages, Ryder.”
The sound of her playful tone made him remember just how close they had been, how much they had shared as children. She had betrayed him in so many ways. Anger rose from deep within him, poisoning his soul.
A low, rumbling growl echoed from his chest as he asked her, “How could you let me think you were dead? You were supposed to be my best friend.”
Her hands dug into her hips. “I told you. Our parents—”
“Our parents?” His eyes sprung open wide. “You mean my folks sent you away?”
Bianca’s voice was a little shaky as she confessed, “Yes.”
Ryder struggled against the ropes. His mind was on fire with the deception his family and pack had placed on him. He’d tortured himself for years because he thought he killed Bianca. He flailed wildly. His wolf and panther were so close to surfacing. He should just transform, but he knew he’d be fucked if he did since she had him tied in a manner that would restrain him even in were-form. She was a were-panther, too, after all.
“Ryder, stop. You’re going to hurt yourself.” She approached him, placing her hands on his shoulders, shoving him back up against the tree. “Please, Ryder.”
He snapped his teeth at her, growling low in his throat. “How can you stand in front of me and act as though nothing has happened between us?”
She pulled her hands away from his chest and stepped back. Her expression was stoic. “I’ve waited for so long to see you again. I’ve been empty without you, Ryder. I never forgave myself for not having the strength to confront the pack, for not trying to find a way to see you again.” She choked on her words as she told him, “I was banished.”
His throat went dry. To be banished from the pack meant death for her if she had tried to return, but knowing that still didn’t take the sting out of the emotional wound. “Why now? Why come find me now?”
She stiffened her spine. Her eyes were glossy as she swallowed hard. “I need your help.”
He choked out a laugh. “You hit me over the head with a pipe, tied me to a tree, shattered my soul with knowledge of a lie that nearly destroyed me, and now you have the balls to ask for my help. Are you serious?” He growled. His teeth and claws lengthened. “Untie me so I can kick your scrawny ass.”
She waved her hand over him, her hand slapping her hip as it dropped. Smiling, she muttered, “And now you see why I tied you up.”
Bianca placed her hands on top of her head and sighed. Then she reached behind her back and pulled out a long, silver blade, and walked toward him.
He steeled himself and swallowed hard. “What are you doing?” His eyes were glued to the shimmering hunting knife.
She stuck the knife between the ropes and his chest and then sliced through the restraints. “I’m setting you free.”
“You’re not afraid I’ll kill you?” he asked coldly.
She held his gaze, her eyes soft with affection and something he couldn’t identify. “It won’t matter,” she murmured.
Bianca sliced through the remaining ropes, and he pushed away from the tree, practically shoving her down as he did. “What are you talking about?”
She returned the knife to its protective cover at the small of her back. “It won’t matter because if you don’t help me I’ll be dead anyway.”
His brow furrowed. “What are you involved in?”
“Not what, but who.”
Ryder’s brow arched as he took the last remaining steps to stand in front of her. “I’m all ears.”
Bianca gazed up at him. Dark secrets and scheming filled her golden cat eyes. Whatever she had done, he was sure he wasn’t going to like it.
She licked her lips and admitted, “I’ve replaced Mason…I’m Lilly’s second.”
In a flash he was on her, tackling her to the ground. He knew it was too good to be true, knew she was lying to him. He placed himself between her spread legs and seized her throat, squeezing just enough to allow her air to speak. Her body was limp beneath him. She didn’t fight him, didn’t even try to stop him. He froze. Staring into the soul of a woman he wanted to believe had a damn good explanation for taking sides with his enemy.
“Explain yourself,” he demanded, shaking her.
Sucking in a strained gulp of air, she struggled to speak, so he eased his grip more. “I needed a way to you. I needed a way back into the pack.” Her voice was muffled and rough. “Putting Lilly away was my only option.”
He scowled. “You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes,” she said matter-of-factly, locking gazes with him, unflinching.
Ryder shook his head hard once. “A pack of Sebastian McCarthy’s finest haven’t been able to put her down yet. You’re a fool to think you could do it alone, and I’d be a fool to trust you.”
She placed her palms gently overtop of his hands that were still clasped tightly around her neck. He felt a sudden chill race up his spine.
“I’ve been watching you, Ryd
er, for years. I know how you operate. I know how you hunt. I watched you as you shadowed that blonde witch. I watched you as you intervened to save one of the werewolves at the clinic from Lilly.”
“Dominic?”
“Yes,” she said on a breath. “It was then that I knew the only way to get back into the pack was to save us all from that crazy bitch. She had a weakness for Mason, and I used that to my advantage to infiltrate her lair. She has thousands of vampires at her disposal. God only knows how many infected were-animals she has created.”
His gut twisted. “She’s using the virus?”
“Yes.” She licked her lips and he couldn’t help but stare.
His mind was full of so many thoughts. Gazing down at his childhood friend, the one he thought he’d killed all those years ago, had him a mess inside. His mind and body warred with emotions he couldn’t explain, but trusting her, that he couldn’t do. Not yet.
“How do you know that the blonde we’re protecting is a witch?”
Bianca grinned. “You’re not the only hunter from our pack, Ryder. She practices her magic in the park near her apartment. Most nights, she goes there at midnight. You’d know that if you didn’t stop off to grab a drink at that lycan bar.”
He’d never known. He had assumed a fragile creature like Tiffany would be safely tucked in bed at that hour. What else did he not know about her? What else did he not know about Bianca?
He cleared his throat, the dryness made his voice sound raw as he asked her, “Tell me why you were banished.”
Studying her, he watched as a wave of shame and sadness washed over her. His heart squeezed tight in his chest. Her eyes watered and she couldn’t make eye contact with him. In that instant, he released her throat.
Without thought, he caressed the side of her face, forcing her to look up at him. An overwhelming need to comfort her consumed him, but he quickly shook the strange emotions away. “Tell me, Bianca. You must know why you were banished. What did they tell you?”
A tear fell from the corner of her eye, and her bottom lip quivered as she said simply, “I wasn’t good enough for you, Ryder. I was never going to be your mate.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?” Did his pack think Bianca was his mate? Why would they think that? She had always been close to him and he had cared for her. Sure he could’ve loved a woman like Bianca forever, but he’d never felt the calling to mate with her.
His heart raced. “Bianca, what are you saying?”
She stilled beneath him, her hands coming up to cup his face. “Kiss me and find out.”
* * * *
Brie McCarthy rubbed her swollen belly and stared at her husband as he paced the living room floor. He resembled a caged bull, and she knew, once again, she was testing him more than she should.
“Brie, it’s too dangerous,” Sebastian said sternly. “I’ll not have my mate and the mother of my child outside the safety of McCarthy Ranch. Not now and certainly not until I’ve seen to the safety of my family and pack.”
Brie’s eyes flared open wide, and her pulse raced. “Really?” Her hands rested on her round hips. She would never get used to the protective needs her mates had over her. She loved it and hated it all at the same time. “And I’ll not have my mate telling me I’m a prisoner in my own home. I know the dangers and risks involved.”
A vein bulged in Sebastian’s neck. Sighing, he eradicated the distance between them and placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing up and down her arms tenderly. “Darling, I know things feel out of sorts for you, but I must insist that you remain here with Jonah while we make sure the others make it to McCarthy Ranch safe and sound.” He kissed her and added, “You are the one who stressed the importance of getting Tiffany here.”
Nice. He wittingly used her own words against her. My sly wolf.
Brie didn’t understand it, but having Tiffany near was extremely important. Dreams, waking and sleeping, had taken over her thoughts, and they were as real as the baby growing inside her womb. The visions Brie had were of her and Tiffany joining forces to defeat Lilly. Magic, the kind she’d used on Mason, surged within them both. Once Brie shared with Sebastian what she was experiencing, his focus shifted to bringing Tiffany directly to McCarthy Ranch, and nothing would stop him from making that happen.
“What’s going on?” Jonah asked, stepping up beside them. “Did I miss something? Is the baby making objects disappear this time?”
Brie giggled. She couldn’t help it. Jonah had a way of bringing a smile to her face. “No, silly,” she sighed. “Sebastian was just explaining that I’m still in prison.” She stuck out her bottom lip in a mock pout.
“Oh, goody,” Jonah said, teasingly. “I love it when he leaves you in confinement.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “I get to be your warden.”
Sebastian scowled, his gaze never leaving hers. Before he could speak, Brie told him, “Fine, whatever, just go. Just remember that I’ll be here having wild, animalistic sex with your brother.” She flashed him a playful grin. “My warden.”
Sebastian brushed his lips over hers, and then he motioned to leave, but before he cleared the room completely, he stopped, turned back, and ate up the distance between them in a few strides. As he approached, Jonah stepped back, sensing something primal. Brie swallowed, and her pulse quickened. Every time he came at her like that, she knew she was in trouble. Her body reacted to him in such a way it left her breathless and panting.
Sebastian brought her up into his arms, holding her close, his breath against her cheek as he said, “Tease me all you want, mate. No matter how hard he tries, no man will ever be able to satisfy you the way I can.” He took her mouth, kissing her hard. She tasted his carnal passions, his essence, and his desires for her. He flooded her mind with his wild visions, his need to have her all to himself, making love to her as only he could do.
Now that he’d mastered slipping into her mind, she was left with the memories of something she couldn’t decipher as real or dreamlike. Sebastian was her alpha. She knew that when she left it could very well destroy him, but she didn’t have a choice. She had to go.
Breaking the kiss, Sebastian whispered, “I love you, Brie.” Then he knelt down and kissed her very round belly. “I love you, too, my precious baby.”
Then he was gone, and it was most likely the last time she would ever see him.
Chapter Eight
“I saw you in the garden today,” Zane said, his mind drenched in the memory of watching the woman he loved fall into the arms of another man.
Tiffany froze, her hand still outstretched to reach for a glass in the cabinet beside the refrigerator. He couldn’t help but notice the sudden shiver that chased along the curve of her spine, settling in her shoulders.
Zane’s body trembled with the vibrations of anger. What had once lingered in his gut had sprung out to every nerve in his body. Grinding his teeth together, he sat in the shadows of the kitchen at the corner of the bar. He’d been there for hours wondering why Tiffany had allowed another man to touch her, and why she sought comfort from a man who wasn’t him.
Then he flipped the switch, turning the kitchen light on, revealing himself. “I saw you kiss Ryder,” he blurted out, not caring if anyone else in the house heard.
She locked eyes with him. “Zane,” she breathed. “I don’t know what happened.” She leaned against the counter at her back, looking defeated. “I’m so confused.”
He frowned. At least she hadn’t tried to insult him by denying it. “Confusion doesn’t make your mouth kiss someone else’s. Desire does that, and you clearly feel something for Ryder.” He was so angry, he wanted to hit something. He wanted to kick the shit out of Ryder for crossing the line. Ryder had no right to touch Tiffany. She belonged to him and him alone.
Tiffany’s eyes rounded. “It’s not like that,” she argued, stepping toward him, the counter separating them. “I was practicing my magic, and he saw me.”
Zane arched a brow, the corner of h
is mouth tugging upward in a lopsided grin. “So you bribed him into silence with a good tongue fucking?”
Tiffany’s mouth formed a giant O. “No, I swear. That was not what I intended to happen.”
Zane studied her for a long moment, heat blazing from his eyes. He dropped his head into his hands. “Maybe it’s because you’re not a wolf,” he muttered softly.
“What are you talking about?”
Zane rose from the barstool, rounded the counter, and stalked toward her as if she were prey. His nostrils flared as he took in her scent. “I’m talking about you being my mate and still finding compulsions to be with another man.”
“What?” she gasped, her eyes opening wide. “How could I be your mate? I’m not even a wolf.”
He crowded up against her, forcing her to stare up at him. “No, you might not be a wolf, but all the instincts are there, and had you been a lycan, I would’ve marked you the first night we were together. I would’ve marked you so damn hard everyone would know you belonged to me.” His tone was cold and rough.
She shook as he closed in on her. His arms formed a cage around her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He slammed his fists on the counter beside her, and she jumped, closing her eyes. “I didn’t want to frighten you.”
A thundering growl emerged from deep within him. The emotions surging through his body were so unlike him. He felt out of control like the wild beast of his wolf was scratching at the gates and he couldn’t stop it from getting out.
Jealousy’s a bitch.
She opened her eyes. Her bottom lip quivered as tears filled her gaze. “But you let me think less of what this means to you. You let me think we were just sleeping together.”
Rage flooded him. “I let you think?” He released a guttural laugh. “Damn it, what a joke.” He took hold of her face, his hands diving into the loose strands of her soft blonde hair. “I’ve been in love with you for as far back as I can remember. You are so much more to me than sex.”
