by Dena Christy
“Thanks.” Nick stood and left Cadric’s office. He wanted to smash something. Just when things were finally settling down with Hadria, he had to step into this.
Once inside his office, he grabbed his keys, jacket and headed for his car. His grip on the steering wheel was so hard that he was surprised it wasn’t bent when he finally got home. He threw his keys on the table and made his way to the back door. Ripping open his shirt, he looked out the window, at the clouds rolling in across the sky. He stood, unflinching, when a crack of thunder rumbled overhead. Tossing the rest of his clothes aside, he walked out into the open air. Goosebumps rose on his forearms, the air crackling with energy. He embraced the pain of the change, as the agony of it forced him to the ground. Rain fell in hard slashing sheets. He tore off in the direction of the woods, as if the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.
Chapter Thirteen
Hadria went to Nick’s office, to see if he wanted to join her for lunch. When she got to the threshold, she looked around with a frown knotting her forehead. His office was dark and his jacket gone. She went to the window, but didn’t to see his car in the parking lot.
“He left for the day,” a voice said from behind her.
She turned to see Rachel Elliot standing there with a smirk on her face.
“Really?” Hadria said as she moved toward the door. Rachel stood there for a moment, blocking her path, before Hadria reached out and gently moved her aside.
“I’m surprised he didn’t tell you. I hope nothing’s wrong between you two.” Rachel’s tone was sugary sweet, but the smug look on her face made a mockery of her solicitous words.
Hadria gritted her teeth and said nothing. The heels of her boots beat a staccato rhythm as she made her way back to her office. The door slammed behind her as she sat down at her desk. Reaching for her phone, she stabbed Nick’s home number. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to worry her. She sat there listening to his phone ring until it went to voicemail. Her receiver didn’t make a sound when she put it back into the cradle.
She picked it up again and dialed another number. This time her call was answered after the second ring.
“Samara? Is Nick over there by any chance?”
“No, I haven’t seen him at all today. Is something wrong?”
Hadria took a deep breath, crossed her fingers and hoped that her daughter couldn’t read her emotions over the phone. “No nothing’s wrong. He just left early and I was worried that something may be wrong with you. I’m sure he’s at home. I’ll try there next.”
“Okay. If he does come here, do you want him to call you?”
“No, I’ll see him tonight after work. Take care sweetie.”
Hadria barely listened to Samara’s reply before hanging up the phone for the second time in two minutes.
Pulling open her desk drawer, she retrieved a bottle of water. Twisting off the cap, she stared at it as if it held all the answers she was seeking. As she drank from the bottle she closed her eyes tight. Don’t think about it. Don’t doubt him. He probably wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want you to worry. She lowered the bottle of water, ignoring the popping sound it made as she squeezed it in her hand. You’re his lover, not his mother. He doesn’t have to explain himself to you.
The bottle made a sharp thunking sound when it hit the door. She stared at it as the water poured out onto the floor, and couldn’t stop her mind from racing through scenarios, and none of them good.
The rest of the day dragged by at an unbearable pace. She couldn’t concentrate on her work, and her mind refused to be quiet. She reached for her purse, wondering for a moment how she was going to get home. A shadow fell across her office, and she looked up to see Nick standing there, devouring her with his eyes as he leaned against he door jam. He stepped inside, closing the door behind with a soft click.
“Nick, what…”
He stepped up close to her and put his finger on her lips. “Shhh. Don’t talk.”
His hands came up to frame her face. He leaned down, bringing his mouth to where his finger had rested only minutes before. Hadria clutched his shirt while his lips explored hers. In that moment all her doubts about him fled her mind as she pulled him to her. None of her worries seemed to matter now, in light of the passion she could feel radiating from him.
He pulled back from her and she looked up at him. His eyes burned into hers as he tugged her closer for a moment. She could feel the hard length of his erection pressing against her and her nipples tightening where they were pressed against his chest.
“Let’s go home,” he growled as he grasped her hand, opened the door and tugged her down the hall. She let him tow her down through the tunnels and outside. Rain poured out of the sky, and in the short time it took to get to his car, her hair was plastered to her head. Once in the passenger seat she tugged her shirt where it clung to her skin. Nick got in the car beside her, his eyes still hot as rivulets of water ran down his face.
Hadria felt her arousal at the sight of him grow, and she didn’t know how she was going to keep from grabbing him while they were still in the car. She reached out, took hold of the back of his head and pulled him toward her. Her kiss was hard and brief, but she tried to communicate what she was feeling for him at this moment. If the low rumbling in his chest was any indication, she succeeded. She pulled away and sat back in her seat.
“Take me home right now,” she breathed as she fastened her seatbelt. She saw the answering fire in his eyes as he locked his own seatbelt in place. The engine of his car roared as he took off out of the parking lot.
“Where were you today?” As soon as she asked it, she longed to take the words back. She didn’t want to fight with him tonight, and their evening together wouldn’t get off to a good start if he thought that she was distrustful of him. “I wanted to have lunch with you, but when I went to your office, Rachel said you had left for the day.”
Nick sat silently in his seat as he concentrated on the road. Why did you open this can of worms? When are you going to learn to leave well enough alone?”
“I didn’t sleep very well last night, and I wasn’t in any shape to look after patients. I cleared it with Cadric, and Lee came in to cover for me. I had a few things to do around the house.” Nick’s tone was pleasant, but Hadria noticed a slight tightening of his fingers on the steering wheel. She turned her head and stared straight ahead.
“I’m not mad that you asked you know,” he said quietly as he quickly glanced over at her.
“I had no right to ask.” Hadria clasped her hands in her lap, and chewed her bottom lip.
“You have every right to ask. I’m your lover, and if you want to know where I am at any given time, there is absolutely no reason for you not to ask me. I meant what I said this morning. I know trust doesn’t come easy for you so if you want to know something, ask me.”
“Okay. So what did you have to take care of at home?”
“Now that I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise.” Nick gave her a quick glance and Hadria laughed when he winked. He reached out and held her hand for the remainder of the ride home.
They pulled into his drive and he parked the car. “I want you to wait out here for a minute until I come back out to get you.”
“Nick, what’s going on?”
“I told you it’s a surprise, so wait here.”
Hadria sat in the car as she watched Nick make a dash for the house. She sat waiting for several minutes, and undid her seatbelt. She was about to give up on him, when he came running out of the house, holding an umbrella. He walked over to her side of the car, and opened the door.
“My lady,” he teased as he held out his hand. She placed hers in his and he drew her out of the car, making sure she was sheltered by the umbrella. His hand came around her waist and together they walked to the house.
Nick shook out the umbrella and hung his jacket on the coat tree by the door. He gently took Hadria’s jacket and put it next to his. He bent down and gentl
y kissed her on the mouth. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve the royal treatment but she wasn’t about to complain.
“Come with me,” he said as he took her hand and led her into the kitchen. Hadria gasped when she saw what he had done. The table was set with two place settings, and there were flowers in the centre. The room was lit with a dozen candles, which cast a soft glow all over the room.
“Nick, what’s this all about?” she asked as he drew her over to the table and pulled out her chair.
“I wanted to do something special for you. Do I have to have a reason?”
“No, I guess not. Is this what you were doing today?” Hadria looked over at him but he turned away to dish the food onto their plates.
“I’m afraid I didn’t cook the meal myself. I ordered it from a restaurant in town. You like Greek food, don’t you?”
“I do.” The food smelled wonderful when he put their plates in front of them. He opened a bottle of wine and poured them both a glass.
They sat across from each other, and Hadria had a difficult time concentrating on her food. Her appetite was for other things, and she couldn’t take her eyes away from her lover.
“Is something wrong with the food?” he asked, his fork poised between his plate and his mouth.
“I don’t want food right now, I want you,” Hadria said bluntly, smiling to herself when she heard his fork clatter onto his plate. He stood quickly, his chair scraping back across the floor.
“Thank God, I didn’t know how I was going to get through the meal without touching you. Dinner seemed like a good idea earlier when I was here by myself, but as soon as I saw you I knew I wasn’t going to make it.”
Hadria expected him to come for her right away, but he held of long enough to blow out the candles. The room pitched into darkness and all she could hear in the silence was her breathing. She felt the softness of his breath stirring her hair as he came to stand behind her. He swept her hair to one side and placed soft, nibbling kisses on the side of her neck. Hadria tilted her head to the side to give him better access, and his hands came around her waist and up under her top. The rough skin of his palms glided up her stomach until he came to her breasts. Her swiftly indrawn breath echoed into the silent room as her head fell back against her shoulder.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he murmured into her ear as he continued to stroke her breasts over the lace of her bra. She turned willingly in his arms and he led her from the room, up the stairs and into the sanctuary of his bedroom.
Once they reached it, Nick walked over to her. He slowly eased open her blouse, one button after another. She reached out to do the same for him, but he captured her hands, bringing them to his lips before letting them fall back to her sides.
“I want to undress you. Tonight is about you. Let me worship you.” Nick’s voice rumbled deep in his chest as he drew her blouse away from her body. Her nipples peaked beneath the fabric of her bra. Nick’s head dipped down and his mouth closed around her lace covered nipples. Hadria’s back arched as her breath hissed in through her teeth. An ache blossomed low in her belly when he switched his attention to her other breast.
His hands reached behind her and he unhooked her bra, letting it slide down her body until it hit the floor. His palm glided over the peaks of her breasts, down her stomach until he came to the waistband of her jeans. He undid the snap, and the zipper rasped as he eased it down. He shoved her pants down, and she stepped out of them as they pooled on the floor around her feet. Her panties soon followed as he trailed his lips over his stomach. He knelt before her, lifting her leg to rest her thigh on his shoulder. He brought his mouth to her centre, tonguing her clit. She reached down to bury her fingers in the thick silky waves of his hair
She moaned loud and long as he pleasure her with his mouth. She rocked her hips as her fingers rhythmically flexed in his hair. As the tension inside her built, her world shrunk and he was the only thing that existed for her. The feeling of his mouth, the bite of his fingers as they dug into the flesh of her hips and the smooth feel of his hair beneath her palm. Her body spiraled higher and higher as her climax approached. She shot over the edge, crying out his name as her body spasmed in orgasm. She stood there trembling, until he released her leg, stood up and scooped her up in his arms.
Her body melted on the bed where he placed her. She turned her head, her eyes heavy as she watched him strip off his clothes. He settled on the bed beside her, his hands gliding over her body, awakening her arousal again. His hand eased between her legs, and she shifted her hips under his questing touch.
“Nick, please…I need you inside me,” she moaned, her hips undulating as the empty feeling inside her grew. He rolled her over onto her stomach, lifting her up by her hips and he knelt behind her. He slid inside her, a few inches at first, teasing her. She couldn’t hold back her growl of frustration and he laughed behind her before slamming into her to the hilt. Their aroused cries filled the room for long minutes as they made love. Soon their love for each other ignited into an inferno.
“Nick, I love you,” Hadria cried as she surrendered to her orgasm. His answering moan told her he too had hurtled over the edge.
He eased them both onto their side, where he spooned her, still buried deep inside her. He drew the blankets over them before holding her tight against him. Hadria’s eyes drifted shut and a smile curled her lips as sleep claimed her.
***
Inky darkness enveloped his bedroom as Nick glanced toward Hadria, sleeping soundly in his bed. His hand tightened on his bag. Damn Cadric for asking this of him. Nick looked down at Hadria, her milk pale skin barely visible. She had her arm flung out over his side of the bed, as if reaching for him. How could he leave her, knowing she would believe the worst of him?
He wanted to shake her awake, to tell her everything. To beg her to forgive him for what he was about to do. Turning away before he did that, he walked to the door of his bedroom on silent feet. He paused, longing to turn and look at her one more time. The knob under his hand —the coldness of it burning into his palm— turned easily in his grip. He quietly opened the bedroom door, and walked over the threshold without looking back at her. He walked out of the bedroom, down the stairs and out the door. He got in his car, backed down the driveway and drove away, never once looking back.
Rain slashed against Nick’s car, and he squinted out the windshield as the wipers beat out a rapid rhythm. He rubbed his hand over his sore gritty eyes as he concentrated on the road ahead of him. He tried to push all other thoughts out of his head, but an image was burned there that no matter how hard he tried, it would not disappear. The sight of Hadria, just before he left her, curled on her side in his bed.
Why couldn’t Cadric have set someone else up for this? Of course in order to do that, Hadria would have to have been with another man. The thought of that made Nick’s hands tighten on the steering wheel. She was his woman. He hoped she would still be his woman once this was over. It would take a lot of forgiveness on her part to get over him playing on the fears that had run through her for many years. He knew how much her past had hurt her, and he’d played on it. It didn’t matter that his intentions were good. He knew she would be devastated when she found out that he’d betrayed the Order.
“God dammit!” The words exploded out of Nick’s mouth as he slammed his fist on the steering wheel. He was tempted to turn the car around, to tell her everything, but he didn’t. Cadric was right when he said that everyone had to believe he betrayed the Order, and that included Hadria. The other members, including the mole, would believe it only if Hadria seemed genuine in her belief that he’d done the unthinkable.
He shoved a CD into his stereo, hoping the music would drown out his thoughts. Alice In Chains filled the interior of the car, and Layne Staley’s dark, gritty vocals did nothing to blot out the thoughts racing through his head. He turned the music up louder, to the point where his sensitive wolf hearing had him cringing. He adjusted the volume to a more tolerable level
and concentrated on getting to his destination. The directions he’d been given were pretty straightforward, and he wished the trip was more complicated, if only to give him something to concentrate on.
After driving for the better part of an hour, he came to the road he was supposed to turn down. There was nothing on either side of it, and it was so dark he could almost reach out and touch the blackness around him. At least the rain had stopped. A side road came into view, and he turned down it, slowing his speed as his tires crunched on the gravel. An old factory, shrouded in darkness, loomed in the dark like a snarling menace. He’d found the right place. He parked his car, and sat looking at the building, taking a deep breath. There would be no going back after this, no changing his mind. Once he got out of the car he was committed to doing what Cadric wanted, and he would have to do it alone. He shut off the engine with a decisive twist and stepped out of the car.
A breeze carried the scent of wolf to him, and he tensed his muscles when he heard the soft sound of someone walking on gravel. A lean figure approached him out of the darkness. Although he couldn’t see it, his keen hearing picked up the sound of a pistol being cocked as the figure continued his approach. Not a very trusting group then.
“Nick?” The wolf’s voice rasped out at him from the darkness. Nick wasn’t in the mood to deal with this cloak and dagger bullshit.
“Who the fuck else would it be out here in the middle of nowhere. Put the gun away before I shove it up your ass.” Nick bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling, since he could almost hear the other wolf’s lip curling. He did hear the gun being uncocked, and saw the shadowy figure tuck it back inside his jacket. Satisfied he’d established himself as an alpha, he approached the guy making sure his body language reflected the confidence of his position. He came to a stop in front of the other wolf, and watched with no small amount of satisfaction when he wouldn’t meet his eyes.
