by Ann Gimpel
“I hope so.” Ron spoke right into her ear. “It’s why I was late. I can’t stand these public floggings. I’ve been trying to talk sense into this group for months now. Even though I haven’t heard the term in a long time, Gotterdammerung was right on. We’ve become the authors of our own destruction.”
The doors at the back of the room slammed against their stops. Max raced into the room with Devon, Johannes, and Ryan right behind him. All the men had their guns drawn. “Jesus Christ! Audrey.” Max raced to her side and slammed a fist into Ron’s side. “Leave her alone, you bastard. She’s my mate.”
“Max!” Audrey jumped between him and her father, her back screaming in protest. “That’s my father. He saved me.”
“Then why does your back look like you just came off a public flogging block?” Max’s gaze radiated anguish; he pulled Audrey gently against him.
“Because I didn’t get here in time.” Ron held out a hand. “I’m sorry, and I’m glad to meet Audrey’s mate.” A corner of his mouth turned down. “Never could stand her first husband.”
“Where is my mate?” Devon thundered. He stood in front of the dais, laser pistol leveled at the four men.
“She’s fine,” back seat blond said.
“Yes, put that away before it goes off by accident,” one of the gray-haired men said.
Devon made no move to holster his weapon. “It would serve you right if it did. Where is she?” His features curled into a grimace, teeth bared. Audrey could almost see his mountain lion self just beneath the surface.
“In some sort of dungeon way underground,” Audrey said. “There’s an elevator.”
“I’ll show you,” Ron volunteered and headed out the door.
“Come back,” Audrey called after him. “I need to hear how Mom is.”
“Don’t worry, princess. I’m done being separated from my family.” He and Devon disappeared into the hall.
Max wrapped his arms around her. Audrey shrieked. “Sorry, sorry. Is there a fucking first aid kit anywhere? Johannes, get over here.”
Johannes trotted toward them, snapping the first aid supplies from the woman on his way. He eyed Audrey’s back and whistled. “Holy crap! You may need stitches.” He rustled through the kit. “This is going to sting like a bitch. Max, hang onto her.”
Sting was a mild term. Her back flared into agony. “Arrrrgh. What are you doing?” she shrieked.
“Sluicing the cuts with iodine and alcohol. In the old days, we would have used whiskey. It should be easing off.”
Audrey sucked in a shaky breath. “It is.”
“We’ll get you to a doctor just as soon as we leave here,” Max promised, his face a study in torment. “Audrey, my mate, my love. When I knew you’d been taken, I almost couldn’t live with myself. I failed you. I should have been by your side.”
She leaned her side against his chest. “Don’t be ridiculous. You had no way of knowing. None of us did. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand the fabric against my skin, but I’d like to put my top back on.”
“Where is it?” Max asked. She pointed.
“I’ll get it,” Ryan said.
Max’s ice-blue gaze swept the room. His jaw set in a determined line. “You, all of you, are my people. We’re all shifters. We must stand as a unit. If we do, we’ll win.”
“Your mate made that abundantly clear before you got here,” the man on the dais with light brown hair said. “I can’t speak for the others, but I’m ready to talk with you.”
“I’m not sure I am,” the gray-haired man who’d ordered her to sit said.
“Why not, Igor?” Max demanded. “I’ve known you all my life. You were part of my family pack back in Russia. You’re practically a blood relation. Why don’t you trust me?”
Igor’s thick, gray brows drew together. “I have not forgotten. I thought you had.”
Max shook his head. “We never forget. It’s one of the blessings of our long lives. I saved your sister from her warlock husband who forced her to remain in her wolf form and do disgusting things with him.”
“Do you know all these people?” Audrey interrupted, surprise running through her. Were all shifters so interconnected they knew one another’s family histories?
Max turned to her. “Most of them.”
She straightened, extricating herself from his arms, and faced the room full of shifters. “If you know Max, how could any of you have ever doubted him? I’ve only worked with him for a year and a half and even I, half-breed shifter that you’ve labeled me, recognize he’s the most honorable man I’ve ever met. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
“Enough.” The first gray-haired man held up both hands. “We are ready to see what you have to offer.” A susurrus of assent rose from many mouths.
“Nice work, Audrey. Ever considered a career in politics?” Max beamed at her before turning to the four on the dais. “It’s about time. If you joined the underground, we’d be unbeatable. You and all the other splinter groups.”
Igor cracked half a grin. “Son, I’m almost starting to believe you.”
Max quirked a brow. “Golden-tongued politician that I am, you’d best listen carefully. I might try to sell you a boatload of shit.”
The room erupted in laughter just as Kate and Devon came into the room arm in arm with Ron right behind them.
* * * *
Audrey snuggled next to Max. Johannes had taped gauze over her wounds and wrapped a large elastic bandage loosely over everything. It compressed her breasts, but the relief it gave her back was a good tradeoff for the mild discomfort. She and Kate spent hours listening while the men hammered out negotiations. Kate had jumped into the fray frequently, but Audrey honestly didn’t feel she knew enough to contribute anything significant, as many of the fine points they argued over didn’t mean anything to her.
“Ready to go, love?” Max asked. “You look exhausted. I still think we need to get medical attention for your back. I can have one of our shifter docs stop by once we’re home.”
“Not quite.” Audrey got to her feet and walked to where her father sat. “I didn’t follow everything you talked about, but the gist of part of it was you and Mom are rejoining the land of the living.”
Ron smiled at her. “That’s right, princess. If your mother doesn’t shoot me for not bringing you home to see her as long as you were so close.”
Audrey bit her lip. An idea bubbled to the surface, but she hesitated. In any other situation, she would have had a private conversation with Max first, but she swallowed hard and said, “Max, would it be all right if my mom and dad stayed with us? Just until they can find housing.”
“Darling.” Max joined her and dropped a hand on Ron’s shoulder. “Of course they can. The house is so large most of it never gets used.”
“You don’t have to—” Ron began.
“I know that,” Max cut in. “We want to. Audrey’s been by herself for far too long.”
“We’d pay you rent.”
Max rolled his eyes. “We’ll talk about it.”
“No. I insist, or we’ll come up with something else.”
“See.” Audrey’s eyes gleamed with sudden tears. “I come by my stubborn streak honestly.”
“The address is four-fifty-seven…” Max rattled off the rest. “Whenever you arrive is fine, just text Audrey so we can make certain someone is home.”
“I’d hug you,” Ron grinned at her, “but I think I should wait until your back heals.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Audrey kissed his forehead and straightened. “Now I’m ready,” she told Max.
The four men and two women were a tight fit in the hovercraft. Max joked about it being so heavy it wouldn’t fly, but somehow it gained altitude and headed for Sacramento.
“How’d you find us?” Kate asked.
“It’s a long story,” Devon said. The arm that hadn’t left his mate’s side tightened around her when he pulled her against him.
“I hate to admit it,” Johannes smirked, “but
we got lucky.”
“I prefer to call it well-honed hunches and skill,” Ryan piped up.
“How about if one of you starts at the beginning and the other three keep quiet,” Audrey suggested.
“Bully idea,” Kate seconded.
“We started on the vid feed,” Max said. “Ryan and Johannes gathered everything they could while Devon and I acted like testosterone-laden asses tearing up and down the living room.”
Audrey stifled a giggle. She could just picture the two of them. “It feels mighty good to be cared about that much.”
“Excellent,” Max said gruffly. “Because you are. Anyway, we discovered who’d taken you but not where. So we went to your apartment. Found my car there. It had been stripped.”
A hand flew to Kate’s mouth. “Oh my God. Sorry.”
“It doesn’t make any difference. Besides, what were the two of you going to do? Say ‘No, we can’t leave, we have to guard Max’s car.’?”
Kate chuckled. “Well, when you put it like that…”
“The women asked us not to interrupt,” Johannes said.
“Glad you pointed that out.” Ryan snickered. “All they’ve done is interrupt since Max started talking.”
“We’ll be good,” Kate said.
“Promise,” Audrey added.
Max cleared his throat. “So, we got to Audrey’s. Devon’s really, really good at trolling for clues. He found a bunch of hairs that obviously didn’t belong to Audrey.”
“It wasn’t a bunch. I found three. Damned lucky to find them. I combed the rug with a magnifying glass.” Devon shot Audrey a meaningful look. “Good thing you didn’t have a dog or cat.”
Audrey furled a brow. “Guess it’s good I only shifted once there. I’m sure my wolf sheds.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” she inquired archly.
“I was wondering what happened to you, sweetie. You’ve been awfully quiet.”
“It’s because we were hurt. You won’t be able to shift until you heal up some.”
“Aw.” Audrey sent loving feelings inward. “The wait will be just as hard for me.”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you for being my wolf.”
Kate’s forehead creased in thought. “The kidnappers might have lost a hair or two when I shifted and tried to take them on—before they dropped that fucking net over me.”
“Good thing you did that.” Devon kissed her. “In any event, I took the hairs to the Sac City Police and called in a favor or two. Hair has good DNA tracings. We ID’d two of the men who’d kidnapped you, flew to Tiburon, scared the crap out of their wives and found out where they were holding you.”
“The whole thing took way longer than I would have liked,” Max said. “Hang on, we’re home. It’s going to be a rough landing because we’re so heavy.” The craft thudded against the hovercraft landing pad next to the house.
“Not so bad,” Kate said. “I’ve had worse.”
Max powered the craft down. “We can talk more over breakfast. I’m taking Audrey to our room. If it wasn’t the middle of the night, I’d get a doctor in. Do we have any antibiotics, Johannes?”
“Yes. I’ll drop them in front of your door, along with a glass of milk and some crackers. They’ll sit better if her stomach’s not empty.”
Audrey walked into the house clinging to Max’s arm. Her back ached, and she was so tired she thought she might sleep the clock round. “Do you want anything from downstairs?” Max asked.
“Whiskey.”
He laughed. “Not a good idea. Booze and antibiotics don’t mix well. I’ll bet I can find some pain pills, though.”
“Maybe some crackers and cheese or something. I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. Oh, that’s right. Johannes said he’d leave crackers and milk or something along with antibiotics for me.”
“I’ll see you up the stairs, and then I’ll come back down and get a tray together. We can do better than crackers and milk.”
“For Pete’s sake, I’m not an invalid. I’ll find my own way to our room.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I really like it when you try to take care of me, though. Don’t stop.”
“Don’t worry. It’s hardwired in. You’re my mate. When I thought you were lost to me, I tore the living room apart.” He shook his head. “I’ll see what can be salvaged tomorrow.”
“I love you, Max.” She turned to face him and stood on tiptoes to brush her lips against his.
“I want to crush you against my body and never, never let you go.” His voice held a low, urgent note. “But I’d hurt you if I did that. I love you more than my life. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again. I swear it.”
“Hey!” Johannes chugged by them. “Watch her back.”
“I plan to watch all of Audrey,” Max retorted. “Thanks for getting pills and a snack together for her.”
“Don’t mention it.” Johannes disappeared up the stairs.
Emotion flooded Audrey’s heart and warmed her. She gazed into Max’s sea-blue eyes. “There aren’t any guarantees. We’re still at war for our very survival. But I’d rather have even a short time with you than be by myself forever. I feel our mate bond.” She tapped her breastbone. “It burns like a beacon inside me, so bright you probably could have found us that way.”
“Devon and I talked about it. If he hadn’t found those hairs, or if they hadn’t belonged to men who lived in the North Bay, that would have been our next move. Problem was, that method wouldn’t have been nearly as fast.”
She swayed against him. “Guess I’m more tired than I thought. I’ll see you upstairs.”
“You won’t have to wait long. After what happened today, I’m not letting you out of my sight for more than five minutes.” He cupped a hand possessively around her ass. “Take a couple of whatever Johannes left by our door and drink the milk.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“I’m not your father, although he seems like a hell of a nice guy.” Max tipped her chin up with his index finger and kissed her. He sank his tongue inside her mouth; desire ignited in her belly. She reached between them and curled her fingers around his erect cock. Max broke their kiss. “Uh-uh, none of that till you’re better.” He turned her around gently. “Up the stairs with you.”
Audrey mounted the risers. Happiness spilled through her. Maybe, if we’re really careful and I’m on top, we can make love before we fall asleep. The thought brought a smile to her face as she opened the door to her new bedroom—the one she shared with her mate. Bending carefully, she picked up the tray Johannes had left and carried it inside.
Epilogue
A week later…
Audrey sailed down the stairs. Max would be home soon, and she wanted to help Johannes with their dinner before he got there. She flexed her back. It was nearly healed, thanks to her wolf and spending a few days shifted. “I still can’t get over how fast your energy healed us.”
“You’re welcome. I didn’t think you should shift so soon, but Max convinced me you’d heal faster once you found your wolf form. It wasn’t as if you had stitches to rip out.”
Audrey snorted. “It sure felt that way when I shifted three days after we got back here.”
“Sorry. It hurt me, too, but it was for the best.”
“We had fun running around the estate grounds after dark. I love being a wolf.”
Her wolf made a whuffling sound. “That’s because it’s your destiny.”
Audrey pushed the swinging door into the kitchen open. “Hi, what can I do?”
Johannes turned from where he was chopping vegetables on the granite countertop. “We’re having grilled salmon and vegetables, along with a salad.”
“I’ll whip up that yummy marinade you make for the grilled items.”
He smiled. “Getting restless?”
She rolled her eyes and got a mixing bowl from one of the cupboards. “Yeah, my back is healed enough. I need to get back to work.”
J
ohannes handed her sesame oil, balsamic vinegar, and some spices. “I thought you gave notice.”
“I did. Max talked me out of it.”
“Makes sense. I can see that he’d want you in a spot where either he or I can keep an eye on you.”
She poured ingredients into the bowl, grabbed a whisk from a drawer, and beat the mixture until it was frothy. “It’s more than that. I want to help the underground. Max convinced me I’d be more effective working undercover just like he does. No one saw my resignation but him, so I don’t have to resurrect any bridges. We’ll have to be careful, though, that no one at work finds out about our relationship. That sort of thing is frowned upon. I would have to quit then.”
“Here.” He pushed a large platter with raw salmon and zucchini, onion, and broccoli cut into wedges. “I’m glad you’re better. It’s been a long week.”
“You could have come out to play with us at night,” she said, referring to the moonlight romps she and Max had indulged in as wolves.
His forehead creased. “No. I couldn’t. One of us needed to be human in case there was trouble.” His stern expression softened. “Not that I wouldn’t have wanted to. Sometimes I fear I’ll never find a mate since I don’t spend any time as a mountain cat.”
He sounded so wistful, it tugged at her heartstrings. “Max and I found one another without being shifted.”
“You were incredibly lucky. You got to know one another working side-by-side, so you learned to respect and trust each other. And then you were gutsy enough to chase down the serum. Without that, Max would still be as mate-less as me.”
“Aw.” She poured the marinade over the fish and vegetables and stepped to his side. Audrey put her arms around him. “I’m sure it’s just a matter of time. Once we get that edict repealed, there will be hot and cold shifter babes vying for your affection.”
“Thanks!” He hugged her back and turned to get salad makings from the refrigerator.
Deep in her pocket, her wrist computer vibrated. Audrey dug it out and glanced at the ID for the incoming call. “Hmmm…I don’t recognize the number.”
“Let me see.” Johannes snatched it from her hand, frowning. He pushed Answer and then activated the speaker. “Yes. Can I help you?”
