by Treva Harte
Arlin obeyed the voice in his head and let go. Dunne was going to see to it that he did. Arlin fell into a ferociously hot, tight, dark place that squeezed him tighter and burned hotter until, without another sound other than the harsh cry of release torn out of him, he shot cum up onto Dunne’s wet chest.
Dunne jolted hard against him and shuddered.
Arlin sank against the bed, his body a happy mush.
God, he’d needed that release. Needed to have uncomplicated, hot sex.
“Nice. Real nice, boy.” Dunne let his full weight rest against Arlin for a moment and Arlin coughed.
“Push off, Dunne, you ox.”
“Watch your mouth if you want me around.” Dunne rolled away anyhow. “My feelings could get hurt.”
Arlin looked up at Dunne, smiling with sudden, real affection. Dunne was big and solid and knew what he’d wanted. What they’d both wanted. “So?”
“So?”
“So why this room?”
“Never saw anyone so single-minded unless it was Hunt. Don’t know how I manage to stand either of you.” Dunne stretched his arms out. “Although you both have pretty asses.”
Arlin sat up and rested his head on his knees for a moment, catching his breath. Dunne knew how to work pretty asses hard.
“Are you avoiding the question?”
“Some. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that much.” Dunne glanced over at Arlin. “You aren’t going to let go of it, though, are you?”
“Not likely, no.”
“All right then. I didn’t want us to be filmed.”
“What?”
“I’m not sure I am. I never looked too hard. But Hunt has a habit of checking on people that way.”
“I know there are cameras all over the casino to make sure nothing happens but… Shit. That’s not what you mean. You mean they’re all over.” Arlin blinked. “The fucker is more of a control freak than I thought.”
“There’s the control thing, for sure. But he likes watching. Always has.”
Arlin scowled. “He watches Tala too?”
“Definitely Tala.” Dunne looked troubled. “I figure she knows by now. There isn’t much she doesn’t know about all of us.”
“That’s…that’s…”
“That’s Hunt.”
“Maybe Ruth is right about us.”
“Maybe she is. What does she think?”
“She thinks we’re perverted. She doesn’t say that, but I can feel it. She keeps holding back, waiting for us to do something wrong.”
Dunne laughed. “We are perverted, Arlin. By non-were standards, anyhow. But my bet is that she’s interested anyhow. Are you sure she’s were now?”
“Not sure at all. She’s mixed-up about what she is and how she feels but of course Dio got to her family, Dunne. That’s enough to give anyone a fear of us and what we can do.”
“True enough.” Dunne moved into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. Through the splashes of water, he asked, “You really ready to try to fix that, Arlin? Seems like you’re already in enough of a tangle between me, Tala, and Hunt.”
“I don’t know.” The afterglow of sex was already fading. Feeling good after sex only worked for so long. “She needs someone to take care of her. I’m what she’s got, at least for now.”
“Be careful she doesn’t get you both in trouble and the rest of us too. She doesn’t understand us yet and she’s scared. She’s a gutsy woman but you can smell the fear on her. You had the advantage of growing up in a strong pack and knowing what being were is.” Dunne came out of the bathroom with a towel. “Not knowing what to do could get us all hurt.”
“I can be careful.”
“No, you can’t, but I meant her. She doesn’t know a damn thing.”
“I said I’d take care of her, Dunne. Are you trying to insult me? Say I can’t do that?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, boy.”
“Stop calling me a boy—”
Almost on cue, the pager in Dunne’s shirt squawked. He scowled.
“I’m not on duty. That means…” He dived for his discarded shirt.
That means trouble. Arlin jumped out of the bed and began to pull his pants on.
“It’s Ruth.” Dunne’s face set into grimness. “Let’s go.”
Arlin was already out the door.
Jesus God, Ruth wouldn’t be able to handle one of Dio’s goons. Why the hell had he left her?
Her door was locked, of course, but he heard screams. It was a wonder everyone in the resort couldn’t hear. Hell, at this point he wouldn’t mind having some non-weres come to run interference. But they’d be too late.
God damn it.
“Where is the fucking key, Dunne?” He kicked at the door.
“Wait a goddamn second…” Dunne fumbled at the door.
Bang! That had to be a gun.
Arlin was pretty sure his heart stopped right then.
The door swung open and they fell in, crowding each other at the entrance like an old comic movie, just in time to see Ruth standing, legs apart to brace herself, with her face set in concentration, and holding a revolver.
Her hands began to shake and she lowered the weapon, letting it face the floor.
“I think…” She cleared her throat and tried again. “I think I got him.”
* * * *
“What the hell are we going to do with this?” Dunne prodded the wolf’s body with his boot.
“I don’t recognize him.” Hunt stood, hands in his suit pockets. “He was never one of mine.”
“At least this one is were. If he’s using some of us then Dio is starting to take his attacks seriously.” Arlin edged closer to Ruth, who was sitting ramrod straight on the chair, not looking at the dead were below them. “Nice shot, Ruth, for a beginner.”
“I know how to shoot. I guess no one else knew that.”
“We all do now. Fortunately no one in the casino heard.” Arlin looked at her clenched jaw and tightly gripped fingers. She was tense but controlled. That was his girl.
He wasn’t sure what was hiding under that control. She was fighting to stay calm. He wanted to be there when her real emotions broke free.
“I learned how to a few years back.” She turned her head away. “Maybe he should go out to the desert. No one would notice dead wolf bones there.”
“Yeah. Arlin, give me some help here.” Dunne gripped the motionless legs.
“Where the hell is the new guy?”
“We can introduce Lupe to dead bodies once he gets more used to us.” Dunne grunted as he lifted his end.
“When you men get back, we need to talk.” Hunt looked hard at Ruth. “This isn’t directed at us, the way I thought. It’s her that they want.”
“Dio first attacked her family when she was practically still a baby. That’s one long wait to get someone.” Arlin knew Hunt was right but had to object anyhow, just on principle. He didn’t like the look on Ruth’s face as she thought over Hunt’s words.
Hang on a little longer, baby, then we can be together to pick up the pieces.
“Dio can wait for what he wants. And he’s tried before.” Ruth swallowed. “The other time was maybe seven years ago.”
There was dark in her eyes. Dark and danger. Wolf dangerous. Maybe she wasn’t going to fall apart. Maybe something else was about to happen once she let go.
“A hand here, Arlin,” Dunne called. “Dio might not swoop down until we’re back but no need to drag things out.”
“Right.” Arlin forced his gaze away from Ruth and picked up his half. “Your truck?”
“I guess. Let’s get a trash can. Guests might wonder if they see us carrying this out.”
“Ruth.” Arlin paused a moment more.
“Yes?”
“I’m coming back as soon as I can. Just…just wait for me.”
AS THE TWO of them left, Hunt glanced over at Ruth. “Now is the time to talk if you don’t want them as an audience. Arlin is a little too close to you if this
is something really bad. I don’t want him to go off in a bloodlust rage.”
“Is that what weres do when things get bad?” Ruth paused and tried to smile. “Never mind. You’d know better than I. And I doubt you said that to make conversation. All right. Yes, it’s bad.”
Bloodlust rage. She’d felt it when she shot. No more fear. Just rage. She’d held on long enough to use a revolver rather than go after the attacking animal with her teeth and nails. She’d wanted to tear into her enemy. To kill him with her own hands.
She’d never felt like that before. Crazy. Dangerous.
Powerful.
God. There was a whole world of emotions she could be living. And she’d been afraid all this time to allow herself to feel them.
If that was what being were was like, it had felt right. She had felt right, no longer denying there was danger and fear and wildness in her. That she could let it out on someone else.
Hunt waited, arms folded, obviously uninterested in anything but information.
Ruth swallowed, got a better grip on those jumbled emotions inside, and said, “About seven years ago, Dio found me again. After I’d been adopted, I suspect he lost track of me. After all, I had a different name and lived in a totally different state. One of his men found me first. I was stupid. Very stupid. I thought his follower was interested in me. That he wanted me. I thought I cared about him.”
“And he didn’t care for you?”
“Three weeks after we met, I let him into my dorm room. The rest of his pack followed. And they raped me. At the very end I think—I’m almost sure—some of them Changed.” She hadn’t known what they were then. All this time she’d thought she’d gone a little crazy when she imagined wolf bodies pressed against her… Could she have been more terrified if she’d known it was true? Ruth glanced at the weapon still sitting on her lap. “I’m glad I killed this one.”
She met Hunt’s look without flinching.
“You’re brave but you’re in more danger than I thought.” The Alpha leaned forward and took her hands in his. “And my pack is going to protect you. You saved one of mine. Our lives for yours.”
“I don’t want any more lives lost for mine.” Ruth blinked. Of course not. That’s what she should feel. “Not even those with ugly lives.”
But what she really wanted surged up inside. No one should be killed. Not unless she took those lives. One by one. They’d taken her life away long ago, hadn’t they? Her life had been stunted ever since they attacked her—making her afraid to be with others as she ran from shadows, changing phone numbers and door locks constantly. Everything had been destroyed by Dio and his minions. They deserved what she’d do to them.
“I can’t promise that.”
Ruth shut her eyes, trying for the right, empty words again. “Then what can I do to make sure it doesn’t happen?”
“I’m not sure, but I’ll find out. In the meantime you need to get away from here. They know where you are.”
“I can do that.”
“Not alone. Who do you want—Dunne or Arlin?”
Ruth flushed. “Neither.”
“To go with you, I mean.” Hunt gave a half smile. “I can’t spare them both but either of them make a fine bodyguard.”
“I’m not risking anyone—”
“Which?” He was implacable.
She should pick Dunne. He’d keep her safe and—No. She wasn’t safe and she never would be. If she had to live with danger, she might as well do what she wanted. “Arlin. I want Arlin.”
Being close to death clarified what you wanted in life. Arlin was at the top of her list. Arlin, for as long as she could have him. Arlin, with his wicked smile and clever hands. Arlin, who was young but already knew so much more about everything she needed to know.
He wanted to protect her. She knew that. But she wanted something beyond that.
No more lady’s behavior. No more trying to lie to herself. She wanted to be alive—no more fear, no more hiding.
Being alive was frothing inside her, a feeling better than anything she’d ever experienced. She wanted to hold onto it, to hold onto what she was when she felt it.
Arlin made her feel alive too.
Hunt smiled again. “Then you’ll have to ask. Arlin isn’t mine to command, but he’ll do it for you.”
“I will.” Ruth would ask him for more than that. “I assume you have plans for us both?”
“Plans to keep you away from Dio, yes.” Hunt leaned forward. “I have a small place in the middle of Nevada that no one would ever think to search. You two can go there for a few weeks. Until we’ve tracked Dio down and taken care of the problem.”
* * * *
The large omega sidled into the room as Ruth stared out the window. Even though he was quiet, amazingly quiet, she jumped a little.
“Sorry, ma’am.” He froze in place.
“I’m not going to bite.” Ruth thought about what she’d been thinking and feeling and realized she might not have entirely reassured him.
She rather liked biting.
“No, ma’am. Tala—Mrs. Tala—asked me to look on you. To see if you were all right.”
“That was nice of her.”
“Maybe you’d like to get the blood off your clothes?” He held up a sponge.
Ruth cut off a surprised snort of laughter. “Are you used to doing things like that for your pack? Lupe, right? That’s your name?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m new. The Boss took me in a few days ago. I’m not… I’ve been on my own up to now so it’s taking some getting used to. But I’m happy to do whatever you ask of me.”
Ruth tilted her head to one side to study him. Despite his huge size he was still a kid, probably almost as young as Arlin. Lupe had clearly lived a rougher life than Arlin. A small scar lay under one eye. A bruise was fading from his cheek.
“You can’t know less about being were than I do,” she said. If I am were, I’m lost. As it is, I’m afraid I’ll make a mistake among so many.
“I dunno, ma’am. Mostly being a lone wolf meant I got into fights and had to run, even if I won. It’s dangerous, not being in a pack.”
“I got in a fight too, and I won. But your boss wants me to run.” Ruth took the sponge from him and began to dab at her shirt. “He said he’ll protect me. That seems to mean poor Arlin is stuck guarding me.”
“Mr. Arlin is a very lucky man.” Lupe said it solemnly.
Ruth looked up into the large omega’s dark eyes and patted his chin. “That’s very kind of you, Lupe.”
The kid blushed. “It’s the truth.”
Maybe I’m very lucky too.
* * * *
Arlin said he’d take care of Ruth. Of course. If anyone else had offered to take Ruth away, he’d be forced to stop them. Even Dunne would have been a dead man.
Ruth was staring at him while Hunt told him just how to protect her, a long, considering stare that made his hands itch to touch her and effectively stopped his dark thoughts about submitting to Hunt’s orders.
A few weeks away with Ruth. Hmmm.
“Say good-bye to Tala for us.” Arlin wasn’t going to risk seeing her and confessing what his plans were. “We’re gone.”
Ruth didn’t say anything. She kept assessing him as he held his hand out to her.
She didn’t need the help—she was steady and apparently no longer afraid or upset—but he liked to touch her. He intended to touch her a lot while they were away. He wanted to see if those feelings he sensed under her calm surface could come alive.
She could tell him no. He wasn’t Dio. He’d accept a no. But he was going to see if he could make sure she said yes.
YES.
He pulled her up out of her seat and she let herself rest again that thin, muscled body for a moment. It felt so good that she was tempted to stay there longer. But they had an audience. Having a public display in front of Hunt in his own office wasn’t right. Besides, she wanted to be sure. Very sure.
She placed her glasse
s more firmly on her nose as she looked up at him. Taking a better look didn’t change her mind. It just made her mouth water. She touched his mouth gently and then forced her hand away. “I’m ready to go.”
Hot lust swept over her just from touching his skin. She didn’t want to be gentle or wait any more. She leaned a little closer, helpless to stop, and nipped his chin. Hard.
Arlin’s smile bared his teeth. “So am I. Past ready.”
Chapter Five
The others were gone. She hadn’t thought beyond that. A wisp of the old Ruth wondered if she could go ahead with what she’d wanted now that she and Arlin were alone. Could anyone be shameless enough to actually do all the dark, dirty things she imagined in her head?
Then Arlin’s mouth was on her neck, his hands on her breasts, his cock almost inside her pussy. He growled as if he would savage her as he tore at her clothes. But then, wasn’t that exactly what she wanted?
Oh God. It was. Exactly what she wanted. The scared Ruth disappeared, burned away.
She leaned back to offer her neck, the way she’d seen Dunne offer not long ago.
His teeth closed over her, not gently, but not savagely, either. Just…strong. Perfectly right. She shivered and shut her eyes.
“I don’t care if anyone looks.” His words made no sense and she opened her eyes again. She didn’t see anyone but them in the room.
“What?”
“I don’t care. Do you?”
“Someone else watching? I-I should care. Shouldn’t I? I don’t understand but no. I just want you.” She needed him. Needed him to bite her and to hold her and to fuck her. Nothing else mattered. She didn’t care if it was just them or they were in a crowd. She wouldn’t mind showing others how well they could fuck.
The old Ruth would care. This new one just wanted Arlin in her as soon as possible.
He moved them both to her bed. She expected him to put her down but he only made it to the edge before stopping.
“Good.” He braced himself, pulled her up and, as she wrapped her legs around his hips, poised his cock to enter her. “I’ll be careful. Slow.” He pushed in a quarter of an inch, met resistance and slid back. She breathed hard through her nose as he whispered the next words against her cheek. “So careful, baby. For as long as we’re together on this trip.”
