by Terry Spear
Lelandi’s head was spinning out of control. The damned medicine? Or Larissa’s unbelievable sordid tale of the double mates, and a lover to boot. But was Lelandi really Darien’s dream mate? What if she wasn’t and she fed into his delusions that she was? She’d be no better than her sister, and she couldn’t do that to Darien. Not after all he’d been through.
The medicine slipped through her blood, and Lelandi fell into another world, always the forest, near the creek where the water flowed over rounded stone in a never-ending, steady stream, crystal clear, but silent.
“Lelandi,” her dream lover whispered to her while she read his lips. Why couldn’t she see more of him? Speak with him? Know him. She pressed her fingers to his mouth, and he kissed them.
No, no. she wanted to read his lips. “Say something” she implored, but he took one of her fingers and sucked.
Her skin heated with desire, but she shook her head, pulled her finger free, and tried again. Pressing his fingers to her lips this time, she said her family name, “Wildhaven.”
But he didn’t repeat the word.
What... is... your... name?” she asked. Could he see her face when she couldn’t see his?
He kissed her lips, licked them, pressed his tongue into the seam, but she was determined to learn who he was. She pushed at his chest. “No. Tell me. Who are you?”
He shook his head. Not understanding? Or not willing to tell her? Did he already have a mate?
Oh, this was so ridiculous. He was just a fantasy lover.
She turned away from him, wanting him to be real, not some made-up illusion. He ran his hand over her shoulder with a tender caress, tickling her. She closed her eyes. He melted her annoyance, stirring a flicker of flame deep inside her. He licked her shoulder, touching her bare hip, not pressuring, using the most sensuous of tactile explorations. Trying not to give in to the lust, she clenched her teeth, lifted his hand from her hip, and moved it to her mouth.
“No,” she mouthed against his hand.
She wanted him to communicate to her. But instead of helping, he pulled away... and vanished.
“No!” She felt the soft bed in the guest bedroom beneath her, and saw Tom sitting in a chair watching her, his look startled. She sat up taller in bed and frowned at him. “Are you all right?”
Although she felt remiss in not saying something earlier, it was the first time she’d even thought about asking him about his injuries. Then again, she hadn’t been herself with all of the medication she’d been on. For the first time since the incident, she felt clearheaded, without any chest pains, just some strange prickling where her healing properties were busily taking care of the injured areas. Maybe by morning, she’d look and feel as good as new. Then again, maybe not.
Tom smiled at her finally, and she imagined he’d been half-asleep, he was so slow to react. He touched his temple where the bandage was gone, just a scratch and it’s nearly healed. Head wounds bleed a lot, so I had to get a little blood. Jake wouldn’t give me any. Said he’d used all he could spare on you.” He winked, the most devilish twinkle in his light brown eyes. “Pretends he doesn’t like you, but his actions tell another story.”
Pulling her covers higher, she gave a ladylike snort. “Right. Nurse Grey forced him to give blood the second time. Probably the same the first time around, too.”
“He’s all show.”
She didn’t believe it for a minute. “He didn’t like my sister, did he?”
“He didn’t like that Darien was upset about what to do concerning her. She was deeply troubled, but she wouldn’t let anyone close enough to find out what was wrong. Jake doesn’t like the silent suffering type. Get it out in the open and deal with it. That’s his motto. I figured whatever nightmare she was living, she couldn’t handle on her own, but she didn’t feel confident enough in herself even to tell Darien. Considering how she was mated to a red, and someone was blackmailing her to keep quiet about ii He shrugged. “She hadn’t known Darien that long. Probably was afraid he’d want to kill her for what she’d done.”
The thought sent a shiver sliding down Lelandi’s spine. “Would he have?”
Tom raised his brows.
She wasn’t sure how to respond to his reaction. What if Darien knew she had a lover? Would Tom tell his brother she asked? Her whole body warmed with mortification. Tom didn’t seem to mind her being here, and now she’d blown it big-time. But the truth of the matter was, what her sister had done could push some lupus garous over the edge. Being that Darien was the leader of his pack and could get pretty angry—
“I should be asking if you’re all right. You’ve been talking a lot in your sleep. Nightmares?” Tom asked, consoling.
‘What... what did I say?”
Sheesh, Larissa never wanted to stay in the same bedroom with her because Lelandi walked and talked in her sleep when she was overly tired and stressed out. But she hadn’t done that in a long time... that she knew of. Of course, after Larissa had moved in with Crassus, no one would have known of Lelandi’s clandestine nighttime activities, although her father scolded her for finding him in the den late one night watching an X-rated movie. She wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t yelled at her and woken her up. From then on, she guessed he knew better and sent her back to her room without waking her, or else he made sure she didn’t catch him watching the movies in the den anymore.
Tom shook his head. “You didn’t say much that made sense.”
Thank god. She looked at her hands clenched into fists and let go, smoothing the comforter to release the tension filling every muscle fiber, while she listened to the voices downstairs, some heated, some calmly speaking, but none of which she could make out clearly.
Tom eased out of the chair and handed her the card from his roses. “From me.”
She read the card.
You saved my life and I owe you mine. Love, Tom.
“You’re... you’re welcome. But it was all my fault that the gunman came after me. If you hadn’t been with me, he wouldn’t have shot you. Heck, if you hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t have called for help, and no one would have known what had become of me. So you saved my life.”
Tom leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Then it means you owe me.” He glanced toward the door. Someone was coming. “Looks like my relief.”
Despite saying he felt fine, he looked weary.
The door opened slowly and Darien stepped in, first looking at Tom, who gave him a lopsided grin, then at Lelandi. Surprise reflected in his expression to see her awake. “Feeling pain?” A frown collected across his brow.
“No. Just woke up.”
Darien turned back to Tom. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yep, fine as can be. I’ll Join the ruckus downstairs, and then retire.”
Darien listened to the noise drifting upstairs. “Tell them to keep it down.”
“Yeah, will do.”
Secrets? She was certain whatever the grays wanted to discuss was not to be shared with the rest of the grays in the pack, and certainly not with her unless Darien said so.
“See you in the morning, Tom.” Darien waited for him to leave.
Tom gave Lelandi a nod and a smile. “Night, Lelandi.”
“Good night, and thanks for watching over me,” she said, with a hint of sarcasm.
She knew damned well they were not only making sure Ural didn’t get to her again, but she had a sneaking suspicion they didn’t trust her to stay put either.
Tom’s smile broadened, then he closed the door behind him.
Darien opened his mouth to speak, but paused when Tom hollered halfway down the stairs. “Keep it quiet down there!”
To her surprise, Darien crossed the floor and touched her forehead, then used the back of his hand to feel her cheek. “No fever.” He seemed somewhat relieved, yet the wrinkle in his brow didn’t fade.
“I’ll be ready to run laps by tomorrow morning.”
A trace of a smile formed. ‘Wouldn’t surprise me.” He remained in place,
hovering over her, and she wondered what he wanted now. He glanced at her water cup, still full. His gaze returned to hers. “Need anything?”
“Nope, thank you.”
“All right.” He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it.
Whatever was bothering him was starting to bother her. He seemed glued to the patch of carpet next to the bed, and she assumed he wanted to interrogate her.
Glancing down at the comforter pulled up to her chin, he said, “Doc’s orders, we have to change your bandages every four hours.”
Lupus garous were not shy around others. So why did she feel nervous? Her skin grew a faint coating of goose bumps. Maybe because he was acting anxious. Silva had already changed her bandages twice earlier in the day, no big deal. Yet, it seemed a big deal when the male gray leader wanted to change them. Maybe it was because he was waiting for her to say It was all right, when Silva charged in like she’d been trained as a nurse before she began waitressing, knew what she was doing, and had no qualms about It. Or maybe because every time Darien got near Lelandi, she felt the sexual tension in the air between them sizzling like exposed live electric wires, smelled the scent of his sex, could nearly taste the craving he had for her.
“Doesn’t need changing.”
Folding his arms, he lifted a brow. Doc said the wounds weep until everything’s healed. If the bandage gets too wet, you could get chilled again. That’s what Doc said. Change it every four hours to keep it dry and free of infection.” He glanced at the clock on the bedside table to emphasize the time. “Been four hours.” He looked back at her, waiting for her to agree.
“I’ll take care of it.” She pulled the comforter away so she could get out of bed and go to the bathroom where she could use the mirror to see what she was doing. Big mistake.
The flannel shirt Silva had helped her into earlier that night had ridden up to her navel, exposing her nakedness all the way to her toes. She was sure her skin had turned as red as her short curly hairs, especially when she saw him taking in his fill.
She jerked down the shirt, and his gaze shifted from her bare legs to her eyes. He shook his head tightly, but she noticed that he shifted in his stance then. A glance at his crotch gave her the reason. Hard as a rock.
“Why don’t you let me help you?”
“I don’t need your help.”
He pulled the comforter up to her waist. “Might as well get this over.”
He began to unbutton her shirt, his shirt, but it felt too much like he was getting her ready for sex, and she quickly brushed his hands away. “I can do it.”
“Just trying to be helpful.”
She frowned when he watched. This was worse than if he unbuttoned the shirt. Problem was, his touching her was making her way too hot. But his watching her had the same damned effect. “Can you do something else? Read a book or something?”
“Just pretend I’m the doctor.
Oh, god, yeah, playing doctor and patient. She gave him a dirty look while he attempted to hide a saucy smirk.
When she finished unbuttoning the shirt, she grumpily said, “It’s done.”
He rubbed his hands together like he was excited to get started, and she frowned at him.
“Getting my hands warmed up. They’re cold,” Gingerly, he peeled back her shirt, exposing her left breast and the bandaged wounds. “Tell me if anything is sore or hurts.” His demeanor was professional, well, maybe a little anxious.
She cringed, afraid it would hurt as much as it had before.
He pulled off the tape around the pads, and considered the wounds with considerable scrutiny. “How does it feel?”
“Itching, burning some.”
He nodded and dumped the used bandages in the wastepaper basket. He applied some salve on the bullet holes with such a light touch that it tickled. She couldn’t help smiling, although she fought it. No way did she want to show she wasn’t mad at him.
He caught her look and his mouth curved up. “Guess it’s not hurting.”
She pursed her lips. “Tickling.”
“Be done in a minute.” He situated the new pad over the wounds, brushing her already taut nipple with the edge of his hand, and taped the pad in place.
“It’s getting cold,” she said, tersely.
“Looks like you’re healing well. After Jake pulls guard duty. I’ll change it again.”
She pulled the shirt closed and began buttoning it. “Maybe Silva will be up by then.”
“She’s a late sleeper. Used to staying up late at the bar. And Jake doesn’t have an ounce of doctoring sense. Tom will probably be asleep still, but even if he isn’t, he’d probably forget what he came in here to do. Doc said you might be getting edgy about not healing faster. He wanted you to know it’s because of the severity of the injuries. If you’d been human, you’d be dead. And if by some miracle you’d lived, Doc said it would take several months to heal. He said you might be feeling all right by the end of the week.”
She gave him a disparaging look, “I’ll be up and about tomorrow.”
Darien shook his head. “You’re not anything like your sister. Need anything? Something to eat?”
“No, thank you.” She closed her eyes, hoping he’d go away, but he took a seat in the recliner and leaned back, making it squeak.
She tried hearing what was being said downstairs, but the conversation was too low. She was too keyed up to sleep while Darien watched her. The image of his bandaging her, the way he looked at her, the feel of his hand against her nipple made her ache for his touch again. She ground her teeth, willing her mind to crush the thought so she could sleep.
Darien could tell from the way she licked her lips and swallowed hard, then ground her teeth, she wasn’t sleeping. He squirmed to get comfortable, his erection springing to life again, just from visualizing her naked supple body under the covers. He hadn’t expected to get an eyeful when she pulled her covers aside. The problem was he had to see for himself she was healing adequately. He didn’t just want Silva’s word for it. Not when he had to prove to Lelandi she was the one meant for him.
But being more than just a lupus garou with a raging hard-on, he was a pack leader that needed some damned answers if he was to take her for his mate.
“We found your bag.” Darien’s voice sounded harsher than he intended.
Lelandi’s eyes popped open.
He motioned to the tapestry bag sitting by the dresser, it looked like you planned to stay for a while. That guy in the copper coat had taken it. Had his scent all over it, inside and out.”
Her eyes grew big.
“Which means the guy had broken into your room when Uncle Sheridan and I were trying to get in. What kind of a pack leader would allow two of his females to run off? First your sister, now you? At least now I know his name is Bruin. Or maybe that’s your cover. Maybe his name is really Leidolf.”
Her mouth gaped, but she quickly clamped it shut.
That got a response. Although he wasn’t sure what her response meant. “And your parents are alive.”
Darien wanted to send word to her pack concerning her whereabouts, and he wanted to set things straight with her sisters mate—the honorable thing to do. Plus, this time he was getting the fathers permission to take the woman for his mate. But he still didn’t know who her pack leader really was, and he couldn’t be sure that her pack was innocent when it came to the harm done to either Lelandi or her sister.
He folded his arms and leaned back into the recliner. ‘Why don’t you tell me the truth now?”
Chapter 12
How IN THE WORLD HAD DARIEN LEARNED HER BROTHER’S name? Lelandi was dying to ask, but she couldn’t. Better to leave Darien confused about who her pack leader was. Did he know where Leidolf was living now? Maybe Silva would, if Lelandi could ask casually without arousing suspicion. Right.
Ignoring Darien, Lelandi pretended to sleep. More than ever, she had to avenge her sister’s murder and leave. The longer she stayed, the higher the risk Bruin wou
ld locate her. Probably Darien would want to contact the leader and tell him what happened to her sister and Lelandi. Sense of honor. Then Bruin would force her to return home.
After a couple of hours, Darien left the room and thank god, for a change, he didn’t post a guard inside. She climbed out of bed and paced. She had to discover if her parents were alive. But how was she going to do anything when he had her guarded always?
Footsteps raced up the stairs. “Are you staying with her for a couple of hours?” Trevor asked.
“Yeah. Darien went with Jake and Tom to question the hospital staff,” Sam said.
She slipped back into bed and pulled the covers to her chin.
Sam walked into the room, smiled at her, and shut the door. Still awake?”
“Going to sleep.” At least she hoped so. After all the time she’d spent lying on her back, the urge to run in her wolf form made her restless and irritable. She wanted to stretch her legs and take a run on the wild side, soon.
Darien finally went to bed, but was too angry to sleep. Unable to learn anything about who drugged the coffee at the hospital, he racked his brain for alternative solutions. At nearly two in the morning, he had to get some sleep, but he couldn’t stop thinking of Lelandi. The way her nipple had firmed when his hand had brushed it. The way she barely breathed when he was removing the soiled bandages. The way she smiled when the salve tickled her skin, but tried to hide that she wasn’t scowling at him even for a second. He could have woken Silva to have her change the bandages, but he had to see for himself that Lelandi’s wounds were healing properly.
He shoved his arm underneath his head, his body craving the change. He wanted to take a run in the woods, the urge growing as the moon’s appearance neared. A jaunt through the forest, hunting alone or with a few members of his pack, racing each other, the wind ruffling their fur, enjoying nature at its best.
He closed his eyes. Unable to visualize anything but Lelandi’s gaze challenging him in his mind’s eye, he tossed his covers aside and grabbed his jeans. The woman tormented his every waking hour no matter how much he tried to ignore his cravings.
