“Bastards,” Vice whispered conspiratorially. Left his cell number on the pad on Walter’s nightstand and headed out.
On his way out of the lot, he called Stray. “I’ve got news. Not sure if any of it’s good or not.”
“Way to sell it, Vice.”
• • •
Three long weeks had passed. Gillian had shifted back from Sister Wolf successfully, but the tranquilizer was wreaking havoc with her system. It was made strong enough for a Dire wolf, the way the trappers always made their darts, just in case they ever got the opportunity to grab a Dire again. Gwen was keeping Gillian as calm as possible inside the mansion while trying to flush the long-lasting drug from her system.
Gillian slept through most of the first two weeks anyway, and Jinx hadn’t left her side, spending most of the time in Brother Wolf form on a stretcher right next to her so she could reach out and touch him for comfort.
She did so, often. She dreamed, too, mainly about running—with Jinx. Sister Wolf calmed her, though, and she slept and healed and finally, she woke.
Jinx was next to her on one side, curled up in wolf form. Her hand was buried in the fur in Brother’s neck and she didn’t want to wake him.
“Hey, Gillian.”
Vice’s voice. She turned to find him on the other side of her.
“You’re guarding me too?” He shrugged and flushed a little, and she realized Vice was watching over both her and Jinx. “Thanks, Vice.”
“Just glad you’re okay.”
“Is Jinx okay?”
“He’ll be better now.”
“Rifter was okay with him—with me—staying here?” she asked, her voice hushed.
“He wouldn’t’ve had it any other way.”
She looked over at Jinx and then back at Vice. “Do you think that things between me and Jinx are okay?”
“What do you mean, okay?”
“Like, is he with me here because he . . . pities me?”
“Gillian, is this like a girl moment? Because in case you didn’t notice . . .” He stared down between his legs and back up at her and she fought a laugh.
“You’re the only one who’ll tell me.” She gnawed on her bottom lip for a second and then went for it. “It’s about sex.”
“Jinx will be mad if you have sex with me, yes.”
“Vice, be serious.”
“That is me being serious.” He paused. “Okay, keep going. But no more propositioning me.”
“It’s embarrassing, but I think you’re the right person to talk to about it.”
“That’s me, a regular Dire Dr. Ruth.” And he wasn’t being sarcastic about it in the least. “Come on, hit me, Gillian. Nothing you ask is gonna shock me.”
“Jinx doesn’t want to sleep with me.”
Vice narrowed his eyes. “When you say sleep, you mean . . .”
“Sex.”
“Can we define the term?”
“How is that important?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Intercourse. We had it twice but it’s like . . . he avoids it purposely. We do other things . . . and I like it . . .”
Vice hummed at that and she shook her head and continued, “But I feel like, maybe I’m bad at the sex thing. And I don’t want to ask him because . . .” She looked at Brother Wolf and hoped the wolf wasn’t relaying this to Jinx somehow.
“Ah, okay. Jinx definitely wants to have sex with you. Why he’s not has to do with the mating.”
“The mating.”
“Yeah, it’s a Dire thing. An Elder rule.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s one of the old ways, designed to keep us from screwing everything that moves and never actually doing a full monogamous mating. Sex for us . . . hurts. During orgasm. And we’re not supposed to be with the same person more than twice. It’s a way of making sure we’re serious about mating.”
“So it wouldn’t affect me as much? Because I’m not feeling bad when I . . . you know . . .”
“Come?” he asked bluntly and smiled. His eyes glowed a little and he said, “It wouldn’t be pleasant, but it definitely is more of a guy thing. Trust me, Jinx would like to nail you in every—”
She held up a hand. “I get the picture. Thanks, Vice.”
She sat up and hugged him and his body stiffened, like he wasn’t used to being hugged, or at least not touched gently. But then he put an arm around her, hugged her back and growled, “Don’t do shit like that to me. You’re going to ruin my reputation.”
She wanted to tell him that the baby blanket hanging over his shoulder already kind of did him in, but she refrained. And she was far happier than she’d been ten minutes ago.
“By the way, mating involves a ritual. With chains.”
“He’ll have to chain me up?”
“Other way around, sweetheart.”
“Ah.” Now, she had to convince Jinx that it was the right time to mate. Maybe she’d just drag some kind of chains into his room . . . not subtle, but she’d bet it would be effective.
• • •
Gillian purposely waited until Jinx woke and went out hunting with Rogue and Vice before she asked Gwen if she could talk to Rifter.
“I need to see him alone,” she said. “I’ve got something important to tell him.”
“I can do that,” Gwen told her and ten minutes later, she brought the big, dark-haired wolf king back to see her.
Gillian had gotten up and dressed in that short time span, and she was sitting in one of the chairs next to the bed when he came in. She started to stand but he shook his head and told her, “It’s okay, Gillian. Mind if I close the door?” he asked, his voice low and she nodded.
Rifter made her nervous and she knew she owed him an apology.
As if he’d read her mind, he started with, “I don’t hold any grudge against you sticking up for Jinx. You’re young. New. And the mating bond is a hard instinct to deal with on top of all you’ve been through.”
“Thank you. For that—for all your help. For letting me stay here with Jinx while I was healing.” She looked into his eyes and noticed for the first time that there was a lot of kindness there—and hurt. He didn’t like what he’d had to do to Jinx. Not at all. “I know Jinx got kicked out—and I know why he did it. He wasn’t out of control—not really. He had to get himself kicked out.”
“You’re saying he got me angry on purpose?” Rifter asked and she nodded. She didn’t say anything else though, and he pulled up a chair and sat next to her. “It’s not betraying him by telling me. I need to know if he’s in trouble. It’s my job, my responsibility to help him. I also want to help him. He’s my brother.”
That last part softened her completely, especially because it was the truth. She could see it in his eyes. He was hurting as much as Jinx was, and that was her sole motivation in telling him what she’d learned.
“He doesn’t know I’m telling you. But it’s time.” She swallowed hard and confessed, “During the time of the Dire ghost army, Jinx accidentally opened purgatory. He was tricked by his father. So that’s why he did it. It wasn’t his fault.”
Rifter stared at her, stunned. “He didn’t want us to know.”
“Can you blame him? He’s been trying to fix it. Rogue’s been trying to help—and Jez, but there’s a lot of . . . things—monsters—that don’t want to go back.”
Rifter just sat there, openmouthed and okay, it was a pretty big deal and a lot to take in. Opening purgatory didn’t happen every day. In fact, had it ever actually been opened before?
“Rifter, purgatory’s completely closed—”
“Okay, that’s good,” he breathed.
“But some things did manage to escape and they’re pretty horrible and threatening to wipe out humankind,” she finished.
“And that’s really, really bad. I need to see Jinx.
And Rogue. And Jez. You’re going to have to ask them to come here and don’t tell them what you’ve told me.”
“You’re not going to sell me out?” she asked.
“No. I’m going to get it out of them and get you off the hook. Jinx has enough going on and he’s already trying to alienate himself from you because of all of that. It makes sense now. And I can’t let him push away the best thing that’s ever happened to him,” Rifter told her. “But Gillian, your face is still on wanted posters across the country. . . .”
“You think the Greenland pack will be coming for me.”
“I have no doubt someone’s been keeping up on this news,” he agreed. “They’ll be worried about exposure—that we’ll tell the Elders what they’ve done.”
“The Elders didn’t care what happened to Stray and Killian.”
“That was prophecy. This was something different. Unexpected.” He paused. “Anything else you need to share?”
“You might know this already but I have an ability. I asked Jinx if I could be the one to tell you and he agreed. It’s my speed and strength. And I have no way of knowing if that influenced the Greenland pack’s decision to give me away. . . .”
“But in light of what happened with Stray and Killian, I’m guessing it was more than enough of a reason,” he said tightly.
“I don’t want to run, but I also don’t want to bring trouble onto your pack. Or Jinx. I want to mate with him. Plan to—in the ritual chains way,” she added and Rifter smiled.
“We’ll talk to the Elders about your ceremony once we figure the rest out. For now, you need to lay low and let us figure out the best way to help you.”
“I’ll do anything, Rifter. Just don’t take me away from Jinx. He needs me, especially in light of what’s going on with him.”
• • •
Rogue was staring out the window, listening to the hellhounds circling the house. Guarding him. His head throbbed along the side where the glyphs were, and he rubbed the tender skin and wondered how this would all end.
“Gillian told me about Jinx,” Rifter said from behind him. And although Rogue really wished she hadn’t, it was probably for the best.
“And I’m sure you promised her you wouldn’t tell me it was her.”
“Yes. You’d know it was her anyway, and I know you won’t hold a grudge against her.”
That was true. Finally, he turned to face his king. “So now you know.”
“Why didn’t he tell me, Rogue? We’ve been through everything together.” Rifter looked genuinely upset. “I’ve always been a brother—a friend—not just a king.”
It was true—but since mating, Rifter had undergone a significant change. A necessary one. They needed a leader.
“Seeing ghosts always got us in trouble with our father,” Rogue explained. “We learned not to tell anyone when bad things were happening in the spirit world. We just fixed it.”
“How are you planning on fixing this?”
“Don’t you get it? This was never your battle. This is mine and Jinx’s. And Jez’s, as it turns out. We keep you out of it—and we keep you safe.” Rogue was getting angry. “Jinx can do this. You depend on him for everything. And then you don’t give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“That was never what this was about,” Rifter said. “We’ve always trusted him. No matter what Kate felt. He challenged me.” He paused. “Now I realize he did it to keep us safe.”
“Yes,” Rogue agreed.
“What can we do?”
“Keep Gwen safe. Let us finish what’s been put into motion.”
“Rogue, this is so dangerous.”
“And that’s why we were spared the Extinction—to help humankind. It’s what we do, right?”
Rifter nodded. “It’s what we do.”
Chapter 29
Cain stayed at the apartment that night instead of the Dire mansion. Something drew him there and even though he knew what—who—it was, and even though it was dangerous as anything, he still did it.
He roamed the place restlessly. Paced the floors. Threw the windows open and let the scent come to him.
When it did, he nearly went to his knees. Time stilled and he waited impatiently, stalking the door.
When the knock finally came, his body heated as if on fire. He scented Angus through the door and opened it quickly, yanking the man inside before he was spotted.
“I wasn’t followed,” he said defensively.
“That you know of,” Cain shot back. “You’re good, human, but you are human. And why are you here, after I warned you to stay away?”
“You told me to stay away from the Dires, not from you.”
“Semantics,” Cain told him.
Angus yanked him closer. The move made Cain growl, his canines elongated and his eyes flickered between wolf and man.
“Don’t,” he told Angus.
“Trust me, it’s the stupidest thing I’ve done,” Angus muttered before he brought his mouth down on Cain’s. The electricity jolted between them as he wound his fingers in Angus’s short hair and let his tongue play with Angus’s. There wouldn’t be a fight for dominance—Angus had already surrendered. He moaned against Cain’s mouth, his body melted against Cain’s and Cain would take advantage of this.
Fighting it had proven worthless. Kissing Angus was right. Had been from the first. Now, Angus didn’t seem worried—but Cain still was.
Worried about hurting Angus. Worried about the trappers hurting him. The hunters hurting him. At least they were semi-protected in this apartment. This was when wolves and hunters ran wild in the night and Cain would keep the man here until dawn, at the least.
All for his protection.
Angus pulled back then, sank to his knees in front of Cain. Cain held his breath as Angus unbuttoned his jeans and yanked them down. Cain stripped off his shirt and Angus sat back on his heels and just stared up at him.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, Cain. Can’t stop thinking about you.”
Cain growled deep in his throat and he dove for the man, tackling him to the side, rolling him underneath him, pinning him there. Angus drew in a surprised gasp and then grabbed the back of Cain’s head, drawing him down for another kiss. They ground their bodies together, all the desire they’d been building up over the past weeks boiling over. There would be no stopping this time, even if the building came down around them.
“Lock me in, Cain,” Angus rasped.
“So you can say this was against your will? No fucking way.”
“Lock me in and tie me down,” Angus said, his tone a beg that went straight to Cain’s cock. “Not because of what you’re thinking.”
Cain looked down at him for a long moment and then he realized, “You’re scared. Of me.”
“Not you, no.” Angus shook his head, then stared up at the ceiling. “The attack . . .”
The attack he’d survived had been massive. The fact that Cain was the same species, could kill him in a second, was something they’d both have to live with.
“Please. I don’t want to run away from this. Just get me through it.”
Cain’s expression was unreadable and Angus held his breath and prayed the wolf would consider his request.
“I don’t mind the fear. But the thought of running from you . . . I wouldn’t be running from you. I’ve always wanted to run toward you,” Angus finally told him when the silence became too excruciating. Cain swallowed, hard. His expression softened and he pressed his lips gently to the scars on the side of Angus’s neck.
Angus blew out a soft breath, because he felt the promise in that gesture. No matter what else happened next, he would remember that. And then Cain got up, pulling Angus with him, leading him to the bedroom.
“Strip and lie down,” he said, and he watched as Angus did so, stared at him head to toe, his eyes
glowing. Angus saw the outline of Cain’s cock straining his pants and he lay down on the mattress, put his head on the pillows and tried to simply breathe, which was a lot harder than it should’ve been.
Cain moved after a few long minutes. Grabbed a pair of heavy chains that Angus had seen in the apartment the last time he’d been there and dragged them up next to Angus.
“Put your hands up over your head,” Cain told him, his voice raw and gruff.
Angus needed him so badly. He did what the wolf asked and Cain chained his wrists together and wound them around the bedpost, effectively immobilizing him.
His breaths were fast and he shook a little, even as Cain placed a flat palm on his abdomen and the wolf’s touch was hot as fire. And Angus wanted more but Cain still looked unsure.
“What are these for?” he asked as he tugged on the chains, mainly to get the wolf to talk to him.
“Moon craze,” Cain said, an odd glow in his eyes. “I used to have to chain Cyd here so he wouldn’t go out hunting. Do you want to talk—or fuck?”
“Fuck. Definitely.” He’d spoken without hesitation, but Cain still leaned forward and unchained his wrists. Angus wanted to cry out the word “no.” But he held back as he watched Cain nudge him over and then strip out of his clothes. And then the wolf handed Angus a key—the key—to the cuffs he proceeded to chain himself to.
He winced as the silver hit his skin and Angus did say, “No,” this time but Cain managed, “It’s fine.”
“Why?”
“Better this way,” Cain said simply. “You’re safe, Angus.”
“I always was with you, dammit.” He brought his mouth down on Cain’s, their tongues dueling, and soon Angus had crawled on top of him, bringing their naked bodies together. The fear was gone—and Angus didn’t think the chains had anything to do with it but he would be forever grateful to Cain for thinking of this.
Next time, no chains, he thought and then wondered if there would be a next time.
He took Cain into his mouth and Cain bucked his hips up with an intensity that might’ve frightened Angus had he not looked into the wolf’s eyes. His cock tasted salty, sweet—Angus sucked, ran his tongue along the fat head as Cain howled his approval softly. Whimpered. His eyes had changed and he was doing that glowing thing again and Angus wanted to tell the wolf that he’d loved him probably since the first day he’d seen him.
Dire Desires_A Novel of the Eternal Wolf Clan Page 19
