by Dena Christy
She nodded, and rested against him. “Can we go now, I feel like I’ve been dragged through a knot hole backwards.”
“I think we’ll head out too,” Eric said as he stood beside Samara, and held her hand.
Rowan helped Kate into her jacket, and she pushed away from him to go over to Hadria and give her a hug. She turned to Nick.
“Thanks Nick,” she said as she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.
“No problem,” Nick said as he gave her a gentle hug. She went back to Rowan’s side, and as they turned to leave, Nick stopped Rowan and stuck out his hand.
“Don’t leave here pissed off. We want the same thing,” Nick said pointedly as he glanced at Kate. Rowan looked at his proffered hand for a moment before reaching out to shake it. Eric came up to them and slapped Rowan on the back.
“Let’s roll,” he said as he walked out of the room with Samara, and Rowan and Kate followed behind. As they left the house, Eric glanced at him, and Rowan knew he wanted to have a private word.
“Kate, why don’t you get in the truck. I just want to talk to Eric for a minute,” he said as he opened the passenger door of his truck and helped her in, while Eric did the same for Samara.
“What is it,” he asked as soon as he and Eric were alone. “Are you going to side with Nicky on this? Do you think the Order is the way to go?”
“Fuck no. She needs someone whose got her back, and with the Order, man they will throw her under the bus if it furthers their agenda. Nick’s blinded by his loyalty to them. Work with them if you have to, but put her first.”
“And if I should happen to find this David O’Connell,” Rowan asked, knowing that Eric knew what he would do if he did find him.
“I got your back, brother. You need me, you call me. I’d feel the same way about it if I was in your shoes. I was in your shoes when these assholes took Samara. Keep her safe,” Eric said.
“I hope I do a better job of it than I did when Samara was taken,” Rowan said, as he felt the sting of regret for being so wrapped up in himself that he’d let his brother’s woman get kidnapped along with Hadria.
“Water under the bridge. Seriously,” Eric said as he pulled Rowan to him and put his arms around him and clapped him on the back. He pulled away, nodded to Kate in the front seat of the truck and got into his own vehicle. Rowan watched him drive away, glad that his relationship with Eric was on better footing than it had been in a long time.
Rowan got into the truck and he looked over at Kate.
“So what happens now?” she asked quietly as her eye lids grew heavy.
“Now I take you home and keep you safe,” he said as he turned the key in the ignition. And no matter what his brother Nick said, he would do whatever he had to to make that happen.
* * *
Dany Cavanaugh looked at his calendar and decided it was time to check up on his girl. She’d escaped to Kingston, and now he wanted to know what she was up to. He dialed David O’Connell’s number.
“David, Dany Cavanaugh. Just wanted to check up on you and get an update on our girl Kate’s progress.”
There was a long pause on the other side of the phone, and a scowl drew Dany’s eyebrows together.
“You have been keeping tabs on her, correct? It shouldn’t be that hard to find her, since we know she would have to go to Kingston. The tracking device in her arm should pinpoint exactly where she is.”
“Oh yes sir, I’ve been able to keep tabs on her. She went through her first transition on the full moon, so she is fully a werewolf now. Do you want me to scoop her up?”
There was a note of eagerness in David’s voice that Dany didn’t particularly like.
“Your orders are to watch her, nothing more.”
“About that sir, I followed her out to Nick Johnson’s place where they all went for a run together, and I might have been seen.”
“You might have been seen,” Dany repeated as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “And how is it possible that you were seen when you were instructed to observe her only and not to make your presence known. I don’t really understand how it is at all possible for them to have seen you in that case.”
Another long pause followed, and Dany knew exactly what David had done.
“You followed them out there and went on your own run. Please tell me you didn’t stalk her,” Dany said as he tried to keep his anger under control. It wouldn’t do to show an underling the depth of his rage at the moment. He found it was much better to be calm and cold when dealing with his staff, as this was much more intimidating for them.
“I’m sorry sir. I promise it won’t happen again. It was the affect of the moon and their run. I just got caught up in the fever of it all.”
Dany hit the end call button on his phone, and calmly set it aside. He pulled his stiletto out of it’s sheath and idly twisted it on the table. He really wished that he had better staff. The problem with dealing with werewolves is some of them weren’t very good at controlling their baser instincts. David really was a disappointment, since he did come from very strong bloodlines, going back generations. Something would have to be done about him, but not at this juncture. The one thing he had going in his favor is none of the parties involved knew David, and could not trace him back to him. When he’d started this little venture, he’d made sure that his hands remained as clean as possible.
Chapter 9
Kate sat up in bed, tonight’s scene playing in her head over and over. Her arm hurt, and the urge to flee Kingston was strong. There was really nothing keeping her here, she thought as she looked at the man stirring in the bed beside her. He opened his eyes and smiled sleepily at her.
“You okay sweetheart,” he asked, his voice gravely as he pulled her back down on the bed. She shook her head.
“I can’t get him out of my mind. It makes my skin crawl, the thought of him watching me,” she said as she shivered against him. He pulled the blanket over her and held her tight.
“All he can do is watch, and he’ll have to be a lot more careful now. We’ve seen him, and know he’s there.”
“I know, I just don’t like it. I keep thinking about what I’d do if I had to go back there,” she said as she rested her cheek on his chest.
“You aren’t going back, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to protect you.”
“I was thinking about some of the things I overheard them saying when I was trying to find a way out. They talked about how someone would make prime breeding stock, but she wasn’t intended for the likes of them. I think they were talking about me.”
Kate heard a growl rumble in Rowan’s chest, and he sat up and looked at her. A scowl drew deep lines between his eyebrows.
“I will not let that happen to you. I will die protecting you if I have to.” Rowan flung aside the blanket and got out of bed in one agitated movement. “Jesus Christ, how could I have done this to you. I bite you, and you get sucked into this shit.”
Kate couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Surely Rowan wasn’t taking the blame for everything.
“Rowan, you need to stop this,” she said quietly as she sat up and pulled the covers around herself.
“Stop what? Getting angry that these pricks want to take you, rape you and force you to have children? I’m afraid I can’t do that. It’s bad enough that I was stupid enough to get mixed up with these assholes. Now you’ve been dragged into it too.” He raked his hand through his hair and he paced the room like a caged animal. And Kate had seen enough.
“So, if I stub my toe are you going to be responsible for that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You can’t take on all this shit baby, because it will destroy you. You are not responsible for everything that happens to me, for fuck’s sake you are not even responsible for me.”
“Oh yes I am,” he said as he stalked toward the bed. “I bit you, you’re a werewolf because of me. That makes me responsible for you.”
“You just d
on’t get it,” she said as she threw the blanket aside and stalked toward the bathroom. His hand snaked out and he caught her uninjured arm.
“Explain it to me then,” he said as he turned her to face him.
“I’m not a child. I’m a grown woman, who can make her own decisions. It was my choice to go into that park, at night, in a city I was unfamiliar with. I made it very easy for you to attack me. Don’t make me your victim, because I’m not. We are both pieces on a chessboard in someone else’s game. Did you make love to me the other night because you felt responsible for me?”
He drew back from her as if she’d slapped him. “I made love to you because I wanted you, and I still want you.”
“And do you want me to stay here, at least until all this shit is sorted out?” she asked as she took a step toward him and poked her finger in his chest. He took hold of her hand and wouldn’t let it go even as she tugged. She was trying to get a message across to him, and standing naked in front of him, with no barriers between them was making it difficult.
“I want you to stay,” he said simply, and she noticed that he didn’t put a time limit on it like she did.
“Then don’t make me your burden. I want to be your equal. I get that you need to protect me. Frankly I need someone to watch my back right now. But do it because you want to, not because your guilt is forcing you to. I don’t need that and I don’t want it. You carry so much guilt now that I don’t want to add to the weight. I won’t.”
He was quiet for a minute before pulling her to him. “You have not now, nor have you ever been a burden. And I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”
She tilted her head back and looked at him. His apology diffused her anger, and she became aware of the press of his bare chest against her naked breasts. He leaned forward and kissed her while his hands glided down her back to cup her ass. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She was wet and aroused by their argument, and she didn’t want to screw around with foreplay. She wanted him inside her, right now.
“Fuck me,” she said as he pressed her back against the wall.
“Put me inside you,” he growled as he bit her bottom lip. He supported her while she maneuvered her hand between them, and put the tip of his cock inside herself. He pushed forward, burying himself deep inside her. She groaned against his ear as she closed her eyes at how good he felt. He thrust hard against her, and it was exactly what she needed. She wanted him as wild for her as she was for him, so she whispered in his ear, telling him exactly what he was doing to her. He fused his lips with hers as he drew them away from the wall and walked over to the bed, still deeply embedded inside her.
He withdrew, she unwrapped her legs from his waist and fell back onto the mattress. She opened her legs wide and stroked herself, loving the way his eyes flared with heat as he watched her. He reached for her, turning her over onto her stomach, and pulling her up onto her knees. He entered her from behind, reaching his hand around to stroke her clit. She arched her head back as he pounded into her, and she cried out his name. Her orgasm was upon her, exploding within her with an intensity she’d only felt one other time, the last time they’d made love.
His release followed swiftly after hers, and he held her with his hands on her hips for several moments, before he let go and she collapsed onto her stomach. She felt the mattress dip beneath his weight, but she didn’t have the energy to turn her head and look at him. Her breathing slowed as he ran his hand in slow circles over her back. She mustered up the strength to turn over on her back, and looked up at him as he leaned up on one elbow. He brushed a stray hair off her face, and he leaned over and kissed her softly on the mouth.
“Get some sleep,” he said as he helped her settle against the pillows and pulled the covers over them. “Nick thinks it’s a good idea for you to go back to the Order tomorrow. I told him that I’d bring you if that’s what you want. If you don’t want to, I’ll back you.”
“I should go and tell them what I’ve remembered, about the breeding stock and everything. Plus they need to know about the wolf that was there tonight. I want them to get him Rowan, I don’t want to have to keep looking over my shoulder.”
“Then we’ll go,” he said as he kissed her forehead. “I want him taken care of too.”
Rowan’s voice was grim, and she looked over at him. Something told her that if the Order didn’t deal with David O’Connell, that Rowan would, and it was the last thing she wanted. “Let the Order take care of it. Please. I don’t want to be the reason you have blood on your hands. Promise me you’ll let the Order handle it.”
The muscle jumped in his jaw and his lips tightened. Silence stretched between them until she thought she would have to ask him again. He eventually capitulated. “I promise. Now get some sleep.”
Kate closed her eyes. His lovemaking had finally done what she’d found impossible early, which was relax her enough for her to sleep. She yawned and she felt the press of his lips on her forehead as she drifted off to sleep.
* * *
The second trip to the Order headquarters passed without the drama of their first trip. Her hand rested on Rowan’s lap for most of the ride over, and he left his hand on top of hers, unless he needed it for driving. The tunnels were just as creepy, but now that she’d gone through the transition, she no longer feared the people who weren’t people. She was taken into a room that looked like a small boardroom, with a table surrounded by eight chairs. She took a seat, and Rowan was there beside her to lend his support. She’d refused to allow him to be left out of the room like he’d been last time. He was just as deep in this as she was, and he was the only person she trusted absolutely to have her back. She and Rowan were the first ones and they had to wait until Cadric, and a few other members of the Order could join them.
She sat there chewing her bottom lip until Rowan turned her face toward hers, and ran his thumb over her bottom lip.
“Don’t do that to your poor lip, I will want to kiss you later and I don’t want it to hurt,” he teased and she relaxed a little. “It’ll be okay. They are on your side, and they want to help you.”
“I know, I’m just a little jumpy about everything. It really helps me to have you here. I don’t know if I’ve expressed it properly, but I want to say thank you for all that you’ve done for me.”
“I think you expressed it pretty well last night,” he said as he winked at her.
“Still it’s comforting for me to know that you have my back. I know I said last night that I wasn’t your responsibility, and I still feel that way, but I’m glad you’re looking out for me.”
Before Rowan could reply, Cadric, Nick and Hadria walked into the room and sat across from them. Rowan took her hand and held it on his lap, giving it a squeeze of reassurance.
“How are you doing Kate?” Cadric asked as he smiled at her. He was a tall, blond man with icy blue eyes, and she suspected that if she looked up intimidating in the dictionary she’d see his picture. To give him credit, he’d been very gentle with her the first time she was in here answering questions.
“I’m doing okay, I guess. I transition to a wolf successfully, and that’s been pretty awesome. I’m not too happy that the people who took me seem to be keeping tabs on me.”
“I know,” Cadric said. “Nick filled me in on the tracker and on the appearance of the wolf you saw when you were at the building. Now you said his name was David O’Connell?”
“Yes, I distinctly remember looking at his ID and reading his name when I was looking for money.” Kate blushed as she admitted her theft, but it didn’t seem to phase Cadric. “He came into the locker room I was in, with someone else. I also saw him and his companion again in wolf form while I hid in the car I eventually stole. I remember seeing the black fur on his paw, and I saw him change back into a human. Considering how bizarre that seemed to me at the time, I’m very sure it was him I saw.”
“Okay, we’ll put our resources towards finding out more about him, and trying to l
ocate him if he’s still here in town.”
“I’ve remembered something else as well, and I think you should be made aware of it,” Kate said, swallowing hard when Cadric’s eyes turned on her with laser focus. “When I was looking for a way out, I overheard two men talking about breeding stock. And at the time, it didn’t make any sense to me, and frankly I thought they were talking about breeding dogs. In hindsight I realize that they were talking about me and other women like me.”
Cadric was silent for a moment. “You’ve just confirmed something that we’ve suspected. Other women have been bitten besides you, and the ones who haven’t died have gone missing. We believe that the people who held you are also holding these women. When you were there, can you remember seeing any signs of any other women being held there against their will.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t. My only thought was getting out of there. I didn’t think to look for anyone else.”
“Ok, don’t worry about that Kate. You’ve managed to give us more leads than we’ve been able to dig up. We now have the name of someone who can be placed at the building at the same time you were. Hopefully digging into his background will reveal where it is. Of course, until he can be found, we’ll set up protection for you.”
Kate felt Rowan stiffen beside her, and she squeezed his hand.
“What sort of protection are you talking about? Are you going to have someone watch Rowan’s house or something?” Kate asked.
“No. I’m going to make arrangements for you to stay here. We can offer you twenty-four hour protection, and perhaps your presence here will lure David out of hiding.”
Rowan stood so suddenly that his chair flew back and hit the wall behind him. “There is no fucking way you are keeping her here and using her as bait. If she needs twenty-four hour protection I’ll give it to her.”
Cadric looked at Rowan sharply but before he could speak, Nick started talking.
“I agree with Rowan. The best place for Kate is with him. And he’s got me and Eric to help,” Nick said, his voice firm as he looked at his boss.
