by Lola Taylor
Like who the hell had dared try to kill his queen?
“I’m telling you, this has Black Witch all over it,” Erik said. The older, more solemn wolf’s eyes darkened to a shade as black as his long hair.
Murmurs of agreement rose from the table, the only thing they’d been able to agree on. Well, at least, with the “witch” part. Black Witches were as rare as an eclipse. Theories—which had quickly turned into arguments—sprang up, and before long, the room was once again filled with the voices of his packmates.
Gage thrummed his fingers across the massive, wooden table. He had had about enough of this chatter. Action was needed—and quickly. Threats were like roaches; they grew in number if not snuffed out quickly. “All right.”
The room immediately fell silent at his voice.
Gage stood. “Obviously, someone knew Danica was my future mate. They must have wanted to kill her so I would lose my position within this pack. What other things they hoped to gain is something we must investigate. I say we start with men and women who have been vying for the position and lost in the past, someone with a vendetta. Erik is right—considering how Onyx vanished and the fact he knew who my mate was before I did, a witch is involved. I want every packmember questioned about their recent encounters with witches. Find out who they go to. Interview witches and warlocks yourselves if you must. We need to know who recently purchased any premonitions.”
His packmates fisted their hands over their hearts, bowing their heads to Gage.
“Erik, Nik, a word. The rest of you are dismissed. Report back to me the minute you find anything.”
The two wolves made their way over to Gage as the rest of the room cleared out. Gage lowered his voice. “I want you two shadowing Danica at every turn. Do not let her out of your sight.”
“Ever?” Nik prodded with a grin.
Gage frowned. “You know what I mean.”
“Yes, sir,” Nik said with a salute. “Speaking of Danica, I believe she’s at the door.”
Gage’s eyes snapped up. Sure enough, a blond head poked in, as well as a touch of crimson.
Ah. So she was wearing the ensemble he had Mary lay out for her. He couldn’t wait to see it on her. He could already feel his body temperature rising at the thought of what lay beneath that soft silk, of the bare skin that was probably softer still.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Gage said, heart picking up its pace. “But I’d like a moment alone with my mate.”
Erik smiled, clasping Gage’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, sire.”
“As am I.” Gage smiled, though it felt stiff. What if he was getting his hopes up too soon? What if this was never meant to be? She was a human. To his knowledge, no other packmaster in the history of all werewolf lore had ever bonded to a human. They were always other royal weres. Not to mention she thought she was either drugged or dreaming. How would she react when she found out he truly had, in a weird sense of chivalry, kidnapped her?
Erik left while Nik gestured for Danica to enter.
Slowly, she walked inside, like a doe cautiously entering a meadow, eyes searching for a hunter.
Gage’s inner wolf became interested. Oh, how he wished to hunt her….
Once the door was shut, he clasped his hands in front of him. She was ravishing. The silk suggested curves, and the outline of her nipples through the material made him begin to harden.
Damn it all. Was he ever going to be able to concentrate while she was near?
His heart skipped a beat, sending an unpleasant bolt of fear through him he was entirely unaccustomed to. It took a moment to realize what sparked it.
He was afraid of losing her. More than that, he feared she may never love him.
Thing is, he didn’t know he wanted her to until he’d marked her.
“May I assist you with something, my lady?” Gage at last asked, noting his voice sounded significantly rougher.
She looked pale and frightened, but determined. “Yeah. You can.”
Her hand slipped into her robe, producing a large dagger.
Danica fought not to let her hand shake. Dammit, why couldn’t she flip a badass switch and go all Buffy on this dude?
This very hot, enticing dude.
“There’s no phone, like, anywhere. But there are all these handy, decorative knives hanging all over the walls outside this room,” she rambled. Inwardly, she winced. Way to sound intimidating and not take any shit, Danica.
Gage stared at her. “As I said, my predecessors collected antiques. And we don’t have a landline. It was disconnected years ago when we moved to using cell phones. Why? Were you wanting to call your family?”
“I wanted to call the police. I know I’m not drunk,” she said, proud she’d kept her voice steady. “I don’t feel drunk. I’ve pinched myself silly out in the hall after hearing you guys talk, and I haven’t woken up yet. The only thing I can deduce is this is real, and I want you to let me go, right now.”
Gage didn’t reply for a long while. He stood there, staring at her, an amused sparkle in his eyes. “Is that really what you want?”
Hell, no, that wasn’t what she wanted. Her raging libido wanted him to strip her naked and take her on the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace a few feet away.
“Yes,” she finally said, throat tighter.
“You hesitated.”
She blinked. “I did not.”
Gage took a step forward.
Danica stood her ground. “Stay back!” she said, brandishing the knife like a circus performer would a chair at an angry lion.
Gage smiled. “Make me.”
Danica swallowed as he pressed his chest against the tip of the knife. Her heart pounded in her ears as he trailed his finger along the blunt side of the blade. “No one’s drawn a knife on me in a long time,” he said.
“Why? Because you’re some big, scary mob boss?”
That bemused sparkle returned to his eyes. “Something to that effect.”
His eyes, she noticed, were vibrant blue tinged in gold around the pupils. The firelight caught the gold in his eyes, enhancing it. Her breath quickened, and she licked her lips. “You don’t scare me.”
He raised a brow. “No?”
“No.”
It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment, she was fantasizing what he would look like without his shirt on, and the next, he’d disarmed her and had swept her up in a passionate kiss.
Danica’s eyes widened, startled. She started to protest when his tongue began tangling with hers, and she forgot how to think. His kisses were hungry, desperate, like he was starving for her taste. Losing herself, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he shoved her up against the wall. His rough palm moved along her thigh, gripping behind her knee and hoisting her leg around his hip. His hand trailed to her ass, squeezing. She moaned, nipping at his lip, and he chuckled.
“You’re demanding,” he said. “Good. My mate needs to be.”
There he went with that mate stuff again. She was about to demand an explanation when his head dipped lower, trailing kisses along the crest of her breasts. His mouth hovered over one of her nipples, tonguing and teasing it through the fabric. Her back arched, and she pressed her breast into his mouth, wanting him to remove the barrier between it and his tongue. He pulled the night gown’s neckline down, baring her chest before squeezing her breasts together and sucking on each nipple, teasing them until they ached.
She clawed at the wall with one hand as his tongue worked, slipping her fingers into his hair and holding him to her breasts. He lowered his hands and they roved her body, stroking up and down along her sides, feeling her curves through the soft robe. It was so thin she could feel the heat of his hands wherever they went. God, he was hot, like an inferno. One hand cupped her, and he rolled his thumb along her sex, pushing her closer to the edge. An ache built deep within her, the need to spread her legs and invite him in growing as he sucked and nipped and rubbed. She reached down and stroked him through his pants. A f
eral groan rose from deep within his throat as he pressed himself against her hand, rubbing, as if he wanted to be inside her just as badly. He kissed her again, more roughly this time. His hands slipped inside her robe, leaving trails of fire along her hips and waist. Agitated, he ripped open her robe, exposing her nightgown-clad body. For a moment he paused, going still as he took her in.
She blinked, dazed at first, then returning to her senses. Gasping, she quickly covered herself up, knotting the belt tightly. She crossed her arms, her face as flushed as the rest of her body. It took a few seconds to compose herself and calm her quick breathing. She sounded like she’d run a marathon. It sure felt like it, from the way her heart was racing. “Look, I don’t want you to think I’m easy.” She groaned. “I know it probably seems that way, but I’m not usually the one-night-stand kind of girl. Hello, are you listening to me?”
She snapped her fingers in front of his face. Gage shook his head and blinked, then looked at her. “Sorry, I was distracted,” he murmured. “Yes, I’m aware you’re probably behaving a bit… outside your sensibilities.”
“That’s one way to put it,” she grumbled. She shifted her weight, feeling the slickness along her inner thighs. Good grief, she was horny. She hadn’t had it this bad for a man in a while.
She looked at Gage, at the noticeable bulge against his crotch, reconsidering. Her mind filled with the image of his muscular body, dripping in sweat, hovering over hers as he slowly pushed himself into her, again and again, stroking her core while she brought her hips up to meet him…
You know what happened last time you fell into bed with a man on the first date. Seth ripped out your heart later.
That cheerful thought promptly dried up her lust. “You’re not good for me.”
He frowned, going still. “Why not?”
“Because… when I’m near you… I don’t know. I can’t control myself.” She looked away, letting her hair hide her face.
Gage tenderly grasped her chin and turned her gaze. “Passion is not a bad quality.”
“Ha. I’m not sure I’d call this passion. Lust maybe.”
“What do you think it is?”
She met his gaze. “I don’t know.”
He reached up and caressed her cheek, eyes intently burning into hers. She’d never had anyone look at her that way. It made her knees shake.
And it scared the hell out of her.
“I’m not sure what this is, either,” Gage said slowly, “but I can tell you feel it too.”
“What?”
He shrugged. “That spark.”
His eyes flicked to her hand.
That’s right. How could she have forgotten about that weird mark? After figuring out she wasn’t dreaming, she’d ran to the bathroom. The mark hadn’t washed off in the sink, and she’d scrubbed it raw. “I don’t know what any of this means. I don’t know why I’m acting this way.” She looked at him. “I don’t know you.”
Fear pumped into her heart. Walk away. She took one step back when he grabbed her wrist.
“Would you like to?” he asked softly.
Her heart started pounding, but not from lust, as her stomach did a little flip that made her insides tingle. Her throat ran dry.
What do I say? What do I say?
Seth used to whisper such sweet things too, used to make her feel this way.
A chill went through her. “I… need some air. Stay away from me, kidnapper.”
With that, she jerked free and ran, praying he wouldn’t follow her, yet hoping at the same time that he would.
Gage watched her go, forcing himself to stay rooted to the spot. He wanted to give chase—all wolves did. And normally he would have, had she been any other she-wolf.
Danica was nothing like them. She was so much more.
The image of her body, halfway bared and smelling of roses and her arousal, was burned into his mind. He hardened thinking about her. He could still feel the soft plumpness of her breasts against his hands, taste how eagerly her nipples had responded to him.
Groaning, he shook his head and paced the room, trying to cool down. The fact it was warm in here because of the fire didn’t help.
Striding toward the balcony, he opened the doors and strolled out into the crisp night air. He gripped the railing, inhaling deeply. The smell of cigarette smoke drifted toward him. Lucky Strikes. He didn’t need to look to know Nik was standing a few feet away.
The two wolves stood in silence for a moment. “Looks like you two are going to get along just fine,” Nik said, the sound muffled because the cigarette caught between his lips.
Gage smirked. “I should have known you were watching, you dirty bastard. I’d think you’d see enough porn as frequently as your bed is occupied. You should have been an incubus.”
“Nah.” Nik took one last drag then tossed the butt. “I couldn’t deal with the ‘no relationships’ clause.”
Gage smiled softly. “You’ll find her. Be thankful your Fever hasn’t taken hold.”
Nik grinned. “Can’t wait ’til it does.”
Gage snorted. A light flashed in a window from the corner of his eye, and he looked up. He sucked in a sharp breath. Danica was watching him from her room. The drapes quickly drew shut, and his shoulders slumped.
“How’d she take the werewolf thing?” Nik asked.
Gage avoided his brother’s gaze and mumbled, “I haven’t told her.”
“Shit.”
“Cut me some slack. What was I supposed to say? That I kidnapped her so I could have sex with her and bind her to me forever?”
“Nah, talk about destiny. Women like destiny and soul mates.”
Gage sighed. “You’re hopeless.”
“Besides,” Nik said, “it didn’t seem like she was putting up too much of a fight.”
Gage’s jaw ticked. It didn’t bother him so much that Nik had been spying on them as it did he’d seen his mate partially naked.
Nik studied him for a long, silent moment. “You know what I think?”
“I don’t know why you bother asking. You’ll just tell me anyway whether I want to hear it or not.”
“Damn right I will.” Nik crossed his arms. “I think you’re afraid of scaring her off.”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous.” Gage looked away.
Nik pointed to himself. “Werewolf, remember? And your brother and packmate, at that. I can sense your fear. I just hit the nail on the head.”
Gage’s hands gripped the railing so tightly his knuckles were white. “I can’t lose her. Ever since I got packmaster, I’ve felt like I was king of a castle of cards, like the whole deck can topple at any minute. Our peace with the other packs—and with each other—is fragile.”
Nik’s expression softened, and he placed a hand on Gage’s shoulder. “You did what you had to do. Exiling those set on war was the right thing to do. They’ll find new packs.”
“Do you think one of them is behind this, wanting to kill Danica, that is?”
Nik sighed hard and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s hard to say.”
“Do we have any leads?”
“Not yet. A few have checked in, saying they haven’t found anything.”
Gage’s frown felt heavier.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find the son of a bitch who tried to kill your mate. And when we do”—he cracked his knuckles—“we’ll do what we do best.”
Gage’s mouth quirked up in a small yet wicked smile.
Nik slapped him on the back as he walked by. “You should go see your woman. It’ll be a shame if she goes through her first Change without a warning. Been there, done that. It sucks.”
“I know,” Gage murmured, resting his elbows on the railing and running his hands through his hair.
Nik left, leaving Gage alone with the wilderness. A blanket of moonlit trees spread out before him, and a lake shimmered in the distance. Normally, he’d find this environment calming, but tonight, the moon, about a week from swelling
to its fullest, reminded him of the impending Blood Moon.
Growling a curse, he turned and strolled back inside and up the stairs. Nik was right. Danica had a right to know what was happening to her. The question was, would she listen to him long enough for him to explain? Or worse, would she think him crazy?
With trepidation, he knocked on her door and waited. Soft footsteps padded closer; he knew she was standing on the other side of the door.
“Who is it?” she called.
“Gage. Can we talk?”
“I don’t want to talk.”
“You said you wanted answers.”
There was a pause, then the bolt clicked and the door opened a hair. Green eyes stared back at him warily. “You just want to talk?”
He nodded.
She stared at him, biting her lip, then at last opened the door and stepped aside.
He strolled in and she shut the door, folding her arms over her chest. “All right. Let’s hear it.”
She’ll make a fine queen. Pushing aside his admiration, he gestured to the bed. “Sit with me?”
Her eyes turned suspicious.
“Or you can stand,” he amended cautiously. “Just thought you may want to be sitting down for this.”
The suspicion in her eyes immediately shifted to fear. “Why? Is it that bad or shocking?”
Sweetheart, you have no idea. He took a moment to figure out how to start. “The tattoo on your hand is permanent. It’s called a Mark.”
She looked at it. For a moment, he feared she’d refuse to believe him, but she surprised him by saying, “How did it get there?”
“Through magic.”
She snorted. “Yeah. Okay.”
His hope deflated. “I know this sounds nuts—”
“It’s not just nuts. It’s completely out in the stratosphere. Magic doesn’t exist.”
“Do you really believe that?”
She stared at him. “Yes.”
He braced himself. Looked like this was going to require the hard way. “I’ll have to prove you wrong, then.”
