by Ann Gimpel
She stared at his heavily muscled frame draped in black linen trousers and a snug black sweater. “I don’t see a gun.”
“I didn’t say when I’d shoot you. There’s nowhere to run. Even if you elude me tonight, which isn’t likely, I’ll track you down.”
Need to keep him talking. Maybe he’ll make a mistake. “So you remember me from the Middle East. Any particular reason?” She inhaled deeply and kept her body loose and fluid.
The leer turned into a snarl. For a moment, she saw his cat features and readied herself to shift if he did. “You took out half a dozen of my best men. Surely you remember. You were so high I expected you to drink their blood.”
“I killed a lot of people in the field. Sorry. I don’t remember which ones belonged to you.”
“Bitch.” He feinted toward her. She moved away, gaze never leaving his body. A knife materialized in his hand. Damn. Must have been up his sleeve. The wicked, serrated blade gleamed dully. He lunged at her. She aimed a high kick at his wrist. The knife clattered to the linoleum floor, but he grabbed her ankle with his other hand. She pivoted but lost her balance and landed heavily on her ass.
Miranda drove her free foot into his crotch. He grunted with pain. Both hands dove for his testicles. She leaped to her feet, intent on securing the knife, but he moved between her and her objective much faster than she’d expected.
This is bullshit. I have nothing to lose. In a matter of seconds, she shifted, hoping the shimmer would blind him—and shield her. Please, please don’t let him get hold of the knife. Before her cells were totally done with the transformation, Miranda launched herself, expecting to feel the sting of his blade. It never came. Instead of a human body, her wolf form collided with a mountain cat. A boom sounded from below them. She hoped it was Garen and the team.
Teeth sank into her shoulder. Claws raked her fur and dug into her flanks. She closed her jaws over his carotid. Blood geysered, showering her. All I have to do is hang on. If that explosion was Garen blowing the door, he should be here soon. Icy realization slammed home. Aw shit, loving him is way more important than my field career. Will I live long enough to lay eyes on him again and tell him?
The air was rank with blood and animal smells. Spots swam in front of her eyes, and she understood some of the blood was hers. The mountain cat’s body went limp beneath her. Fearing treachery, she dug her teeth deeper.
“Goddammit, Garen. Third floor. Now.” Consciousness flirted with her, but the courtship was brief. Despite her best efforts, it slipped away.
Chapter 14
Garen paced restlessly across the street from the compound. Lars had tried to dissuade him from such close surveillance by pointing out they could blow Miranda’s cover if they were visible, but Garen hadn’t listened. “We have to be close,” he’d insisted. “What if something goes wrong? A few minutes could make all the difference.” He hated the idea of her inside that hellhole. Should have put my foot down and just told her no.
She hadn’t reported at midnight. It was thirty minutes past when he heard her telepathic call for help. Thank Christ I made her a full agent and bound her with blood.
“Everyone. Plan C. On my count of one. Go, go, go. Five, four, three…”
He’d set a few discreet globs of plastique around the front door as soon as the slaves and their keepers had left for the evening. Garen activated the detonator while he mobilized the team. And hoped like hell the entire building didn’t collapse. As soon as the door gave, he vaulted through it, hit the first stairwell he found, and raced to the top floor.
The smell of blood—rivers of it—hit him full-on long before he got there. Panic shattered his nerves. If anything had happened to Miranda, he’d never forgive himself. Never. He blew through the stairwell door into the upper hallway. Empty. Dread lent speed to his legs. He pounded down the hallway and around an L corner. “Nooooooo…” Garen barely recognized the shriek as his.
Miranda lay on the floor in wolf form as still as death, her body tangled with Alejandro’s. The two were locked in mortal combat. Neither moved. Blood pooled around them and ran both directions. Garen threw himself atop the shifters’ bodies and pried Alejandro’s teeth and claws out of Miranda. It was harder to loosen her jaws from the mountain cat’s neck.
He gathered Miranda against his body and felt for signs of life—any signs—with shifter magic. When he’d nearly given up hope, he found the faintest of heartbeats. Thank God she was still alive. “Hang on, darling. My love, my mate.”
Impossibly, the mountain cat growled low and menacingly. Its tail twitched weakly. “I’ll get her for this.”
Garen knew the words were for him. He didn’t waste breath answering. He raised his 40mm semiautomatic Glock, aimed it at Alejandro’s head, and fired at point-blank range. The report was loud in the enclosed space. Lars burst into the hallway. “Jesus fucking Christ. It looks like a slaughterhouse.”
Garen got to his feet, still holding Miranda’s wolf form against his body. “I have to get her somewhere I can call lycan magic to heal her.”
“I understand. The San Diego County Sheriff’s office is on its way. I reported this location as a human trafficking compound.”
“Good man.” Garen hastened toward the stairs, grateful Lars had followed his part of the plan faithfully. “We need to be gone before they get here.”
“Understood. One of the cars is right out front, idling. I will drive you.”
“The rest of the team?”
“They chucked the office computers into the hall where the cops will fall over them. Even if some officers have been protecting this operation, surely a few will gather the hard drives as evidence. I am always impressed by your agents. It only took them minutes to break the locks and grab the computers. Next they gathered the handful of women and children who were still here. They are on their way to freedom.”
“Perfect. The cops will free the rest.”
Lars snorted. They’d reached the street, and he held the back door of the Lexus SUV open for Garen. “You know how it is, old friend. Some of them will not wish freedom. It is easier to be taken care of, no matter what the price.” He slammed the door and got behind the wheel. “Where to?”
“Head east, out into the desert.”
“How is she?”
“Alive—barely. She’s lost a lot of blood. Wouldn’t surprise me if that bastard had poison beneath his claws.”
“He would have to have stuffed it beneath his fingernails in human form. Not likely.”
“All right. I’m overreacting.” His arms tightened around Miranda. God, but she felt good in his arms. If he could just get her strong enough to shift back to human form, he could drive her to a hospital for a transfusion. “Hurry.”
“I will do the best I can. I do not wish to be pulled over. There is no way to explain why we have a wolf in the back seat.”
They drove for a while in silence. At first, Garen thought it was his imagination, but he probed deeper with his magic. Miranda was definitely weaker, although he didn’t see how she could be too much weaker and still be on this side of the veil. “I have to shift. If I can’t access my full lycan magic, she’ll die.”
“Do what you need to. I will drive until I find a deserted place. And then I will drive a few minutes more.”
Garen laid Miranda across the seats. He ignored his clothes, hearing them rip as the transformation took him. It was awkward in a space designed for humans, but he stood in the footwell and licked her wounds while sending healing magic into her. Lycans healed more quickly in wolf form. He prayed he wasn’t too late. He crooned to her as he worked. Maybe his voice would help call her back from where she wandered, perilously close to death.
He wasn’t aware how much time passed before the car lurched to a stop. It had been rough going for a while, so he assumed they’d turned off onto a Jeep road. Lars came around and opened one of the back doors. He gathered Miranda into his arms and carried her a few feet from the car. Garen was right be
hind them. “Put her down.”
“Is she any stronger?” Lars sent in mind speech.
“Maybe, but it could be wishful thinking on my part.”
Lars stripped out of his clothes. In moments, his mountain cat form padded around Miranda’s still form, sniffing. “I think I might be able to help.”
Garen hesitated. A primal part deep inside wanted him to be the one who saved Miranda. He and no other. I’m being stupid. Neanderthal. “Please, Lars. If you have magic to counteract whatever Alejandro did, use it.”
Lars’ sandpapery tongue laved Miranda’s wounds. She had deep gouges in her flanks. When he finished one side, Garen helped him roll her over to expose the other. The shoulder Garen had pried Alejandro’s jaws from was bitten down to bone. Lars focused intently on it—so intently Garen felt the sizzle of his magic.
A small whine escaped Miranda’s jaws, and then another. Garen’s heart took wing. He licked her snout and face furiously and infused healing magic into her body. Her wolf form twitched weakly. “It’s all right, darling. Don’t try to move. We’ll take care of you.”
Lars sat back on his haunches, looking pleased with himself. “Miranda. Find your human form.”
“No—” Garen began. “It’s too soon.”
“Trust me, old friend. There will not be a better time—or a second chance.” Lars shifted and picked up his clothes. He dressed, never taking his gaze from Miranda.
Garen shifted. He held Miranda against him. Her form shimmered and paled. After the third time, he sent a frantic glance at Lars. “It’s too soon. The transformation will kill her.”
“If she does not find her human body, she will be locked in her current form forever.”
“Ridiculous. I’ve never heard of—”
“Quiet. You understand your magic, but not mine. I will explain later. Focus on her. Lend her your strength. I will do the same.”
Miranda’s wolf form writhed in Garen’s arms. Each time she tried to come back and failed, a little piece of Garen died. It was painful to watch her struggle. He felt impotent and ready to smash Lars’ face in. He would have let her rest, drink some water, maybe eat something—
“Now.” Lars’ voice held a sharp, desperate note. “Pour power into her now.”
Garen did. He gave her everything he had. After one heart-wrenching moment when he was certain she’d sink back to her wolf form, the air brightened. When it cleared, she lay in his arms, human once again. Her eyes flickered open. “Is it truly you?” she croaked. “Or am I dead?”
The quick, hot prick of tears stung his eyes. “You’re not dead, sweetheart. Thank Christ. You’ll be fine. We’ll get you to a hospital. They’ll get some IV antibiotics going and—”
“That might not be necessary,” Lars broke in. “Here.” He handed her a bottle of water. Garen supported her head so she could drink.
Miranda drained it. “Is there more? I’m still really thirsty.” Lars handed her another bottle. She glanced from one to the other. “Guess I couldn’t be dead. Not if both of you are here.” Her gaze moved beyond them. “Where are we?”
“Desert east of San Diego,” Garen said.
“What happened back at the compound?”
Garen couldn’t help himself. He grinned. What a woman. “Just back from death’s doorstep and the first thing you want to know about is the operation.”
Her gaze softened. “No, the first thing I promised myself, if I made it through alive, was to tell you how much I love you.”
“I believe I shall take a bit of a walk,” Lars said. “You both could stand a bit of privacy.”
Garen tightened the arm around her shoulder. “Funny, it’s pretty similar to a promise I made myself.”
She leaned into him. “Me, first. When I thought I might die and never see you again, I realized you were way more important to me than my work. Um, it’s not that I plan to be dead weight or anything, but maybe we could go out on maneuvers together. Sort of watch each other’s backs and all. I don’t ever want to be separated from you again.” She sucked in a shuddery breath. “I love you. There. I said it.”
“There are some things I need to tell you—or maybe even better, show you—before you decide to tie your star to mine. I, um, haven’t been totally honest. I’d planned to take you to a romantic little getaway in the San Juans for this, but it’s too important to wait for a perfect setting. Just a second.” He rose to his feet.
“Where are you going? Crap. I just told you I love you, and you’re leaving.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.” The car door opened and then closed again. He hunkered next to her and draped a blanket over her body because she had to be cold. The night air had a chill bite to it. He handed her a penlight.
“What’s this for?”
“There’s some moonlight, but I want you to take a really good look at me.”
She struggled to a sitting position and pulled the blanket around her shoulders. “Thanks. Guess my clothes are in shreds beneath all that blood in the third floor hallway.” She shivered. “Damn, but tonight was close. At least I killed him.”
“No. He was still alive when I got there.”
Miranda laid a hand on her chest. Shock bloomed on her face. “How is that possible? I severed his carotid with my teeth.”
“Who knows? He’s dead now. Shot him at point-blank range. I want to hear about tonight—every detail, but not just now. Look at me, Miranda. What do you see?”
Her gaze moved over his face and body. She shone the penlight and looked again. Her forehead creased. “Your eyes. They’re not blue anymore.”
“Perceptive, Miss Miller. Contact lenses can do amazing things.” A corner of his mouth turned downward. Garen waited.
She shook her head. “It’s hard to think. My brain feels like mush. Silver. Your eyes are silver. No one has silver eyes.”
“Think again. Who have you—?”
Her muted shriek cut him off. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened. The penlight fell into the sand, forgotten. “It can’t be.”
“Why not? You’ve seen me shift.”
“Oh my God. You’re Lucifer. And Garen. Ach, Christ. Don’t mind me, I’m babbling.” She pushed into his chest, knocking him onto his ass in the sand. He closed his arms around her and felt her tremble against him. A small sob sounded, followed by another. “D-don’t pay any attention to me. I’m just happy. The only two men I’ve ever wanted are one and the same. I can’t believe it.”
He arranged the blanket so it covered her back and rocked her against his body. “I guard my lycan identity. The only one who knows is Lars. And now, you. I love you, Miranda. I want to marry you just as soon as you’re feeling up to it.”
“Oh, my,” she said around a hiccupy sob. “I accept.”
“Not quite so fast, sweetheart. Not that I don’t want you to say yes, but I have to tell you one more thing.”
“What more could there possibly be?” Her arms snaked around his torso.
“I did you a tremendous wrong when I had sex with you in wolf form.”
“I don’t understand.”
He sucked in a breath. “You will.” And I hope to God you’ll forgive me. “You may be too young to know this piece of lycan lore, but when one of us makes love with another in both our forms, we are bonded together forever. When we had sex over Ted’s body, I sealed you to me even though it wasn’t purposeful at the time. What I was trying to do was divert you so you wouldn’t discover I was the same wolf you’d seen outside the Index cabin.”
“I’m still not understanding why it was so wrong.”
“Maybe because I’m doing a piss-poor job of explaining. After we mated as wolves, you could never love anyone but me, Miranda. If we weren’t together, my thoughtlessness would have ruined your life.”
She was silent so long his heart ached. “I’m sorry,” he murmured against her hair. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.” She shook her head against his chest, and h
e felt even worse. “Please, just give me a chance.” He was groveling, but Garen didn’t care. Miranda was his woman. He’d do anything to be able to love her and care for her and wake up next to her every morning for the rest of their lives.
She pulled away from him and met his gaze. “It’s all right. I’m not angry, just overwhelmed. You didn’t do it on purpose. I’ve been half in love with you for years, so moving my feelings from my heart to my body just made them deeper.”
He’d opened his mouth to apologize more profusely. “What did you just say?” came out as a croak. He cleared his throat.
“That I love you. I want to marry you too.”
“Are you sure? You can’t work for me anymore.”
“Maybe we could redo The Company’s incorporation articles. How about if we ran it jointly? Or even better, appoint a Board of Directors where we’d be two out of, say, half a dozen.”
Christ! It’s so simple. Why didn’t I think of it? Garen felt like an ass. “You know, it just might work. We could form a board from the most senior agents.”
“Where there is a will…” Lars walked up next to them. “I assume there is peace in the kingdom.”
“You mean queendom,” Miranda said airily.
Garen snorted. “You could have stayed gone a little longer.”
Lars shrugged. “Why? She is too weak to mate with right now. I saw no reason to march up and down the sand for another half hour. Bring her into the car. I will fire the engine, turn on the heat, and we will get something to eat. Miranda needs more than water to recover.”
She laughed. It wasn’t robust, but at least she was laughing. Garen’s heart warmed with relief and gratitude. “Awesome,” she said. “Two of you to take care of me. A girl could get used to that.”
“So long as his care stops at the bedroom door, we’ll be fine,” Garen growled. He got to his feet and helped her up.
“I take it that is your way of thanking me for helping to save your mate’s life?” Lars’ grin was visible even in the weak moonlight. Garen mock slugged him in the arm.
