by Terry Spear
“I won’t,” he said with lustful promise and escorted her out of the storeroom.
Sam stopped filling a mug and looked from Darien to Lelandi and gave a knowing smile.
Some difference from the first time she’d been here, sitting at the table in the corner, an outsider in disguise.
Darien kissed her cheek and left her behind the counter. “No more serving drinks to the tables.” He glanced at the table where the grays had been trying to get her attention. “I’ll have to keep you under lock and key,” he muttered under his breath.
“Right,” she said. “As if that’s ever happening.”
Trevor walked back into the place, but Tom and Jake took seats at an empty table also.
“Killjoy,” she said to Darien.
He gave her a smug look. “It’s for your protection, Lelandi. I’ve got some business I have to take care of. Let Jake know when you want to return home.”
The humans talked like nothing had gone on. But every gray in the house watched Darien, and when he left, Tom and Jake would observe them next.
Silva gave her a big smile. Lelandi tried to fill a glass, but it dropped from her grasp and Sam caught it.
“You can put out some chips.” He gave her one of his wolfish grins.
Silva joined her behind the bar and tsked. “Boy, you sure have a stranglehold on that man. I keep trying to learn from your example, but I’m not sure what it is you’re doing to garner his attention. Just when I think he’s going to confine you at home, he takes you in the back room and ravishes you.” She sighed. “Now half the grays in the tavern had their eyes on that door, just waiting to see what the two of you looked like when you came out.”
Feeling sated, Lelandi poured chips into a bowl.
“Darien’s chest was so puffed out, he looked like a peacock strutting out of there. And you, well,” Silva glanced down at Lelandi’s bodice and sighed heavily again. “A fresh bloom to your cheeks and lips, your hair tousled in the throes of passionate lovemaking, and you’ve even lost your hat. In the olden days, that would have been utterly scandalous.” She laughed.
“For humans,” Lelandi reminded her, speaking low so only Silva could hear, although she imagined Sam was eavesdropping as well. “Not lupus garous.”
“Ah, but most of these yahoos didn’t know you and Darien were mated yet. Besides, he’s the pack leader. Whatever happens in regards to him is important to them. When he’s happy…” Silva shrugged. “Makes him easier to live with.”
Lelandi glanced in the mirror on the back wall. Most of her hair hung to her shoulders in curls, no longer bound.
Silva gave her a hug. “I want to know all your secrets. Julia Wildthorn has nothing on you.”
Lelandi smiled, brushed a curl of hair away from her cheek and returned to the counter. Conversation renewed and she could just bet the topic of conversation. Red wolf strikes again!
Silva ran her hand over Lelandi’s arm. “Everyone’s glad for the two of you. Darien’s come out of his dark mood, except for the other deadly business. Soon you’ll be carrying his babies and the pack will be well on it’s way to mend.”
“Triplets.” Carol raised her nearly empty container of bottled water, eyes glittering, but her expression was deadly serious.
Lelandi stared at her, her heart nearly stopping. What had the woman overheard? Could she really see the future? More importantly, did she know about the lupus garous?
Chapter 16
WAS THE WINE TALKING OR DID CAROL WOOD REALLY SEE things that others couldn’t? Lelandi wanted to question her further—alone, but Silva stuck close to her at the bar.
Lelandi gave a disgruntled sigh and handed her two bowls of chips. “Darien won’t let me serve anything to the tables or I’d help you out more.”
Silva gave her a smirk. “I’m used to the crowds. Think nothing of it.”
As soon as Silva skirted around the bar, Lelandi leaned over the counter and asked Carol, “Do you…see this for real?”
“What?”
Lelandi pursed her lips. “Do you see that I have triplets?”
Carol waved her hand at the tavern. “Multiple births abound in Silver Town. Darien’s a triplet. You’re a triplet. So sure, you’ll have triplets, too.”
“How did you know I was a triplet?”
Carol looked cross-eyed, then her blue eyes straightened. “Don’t you have a brother, too? I thought someone said you did.” She shrugged and rested her elbow on the counter, then leaned her head against her hand. “I think.”
Lelandi poured chips into another bowl.
“Your sister was pregnant with triplets. But you’ll be feeding yours at your breasts, juggling one after another when the time is right.”
Sam had moved closer and although he hadn’t looked in their direction, Lelandi was certain he’d heard. “You’re probably right, statistically speaking,” she said, not wanting anyone to know if Carol truly had psychic powers. But could she know anything about the tragedy that had befallen her sister? She had to find out when the woman was sober, and without big ears listening in on their conversation.
Silva came behind the bar and cast a glance in Trevor’s direction. He was looking their way, but Lelandi was certain he was watching her, not Silva. But Silva coyly smiled, then made her move on Sam. She kissed him on the cheek. Nothing too risqué or noteworthy, but Sam seized her arm, pulled her into a bear hug and started kissing her like they were in bed, getting ready for the big bang.
At first, Silva seemed taken aback, stiff, but when Sam kept working on her lips, Silva melted in the big guy’s arms, giving him as much as she was getting.
Lelandi glanced around at the now quiet tavern, saw Trevor watching, but no scowl marred his expression. Everyone else was rabidly entranced. Some amused.
Jake shook his head and slugged down some beer.
Tom took his eyes off Silva and Sam and smiled at Lelandi. Her body warmed with chagrin.
“Man,” Silva said, her voice low but because Lelandi was close enough she heard her words. “You never told me you knew how to melt a lady’s core.”
“Just needed the right woman to do the kiss justice.” Sam patted her rump. “Now get back to work.”
With a grin stretching across her face, she grabbed up another tray. “Hmm-hmm.”
Belatedly, several of the guys in the tavern whooped and cheered.
Silva’s face turned crimson.
“Wow,” Carol said. “Now, I wouldn’t mind a hunk like that kissing me either.”
Then her head sank to the counter.
Lelandi shook her head and motioned to Jake, who hurried to the bar. “You want to go home now?”
“Carol Wood needs a ride home.”
Jake waved at one of the grays at a table. “Take Ms. Wood to her place.”
The guy looked pissed, but nodded and carried Carol out of the tavern.
Right after that, a husky human male walked up to the bar and handed Lelandi a note. “Guy outside asked me to give this to you.”
Before she could take it, Jake pulled it out of the man’s hand. “Thanks. I’ll give it to her.”
Jake stood his ground as the man looked from the note to Lelandi. Finally, he shrugged. “All right. Whatever.” He gave Lelandi a sly smile, then sauntered over to one of the tables.
Jake opened the note, then shook his head. “Time to go.”
“It’s a note from…” She started to say, Darien, but then she realized Jake would have given it to her. Ural. She rounded the bar as if she planned to go with Jake, then snatched the note from his hand.
He could have taken it back, but instead gave her a superior smirk while he watched her read it. Ural. She’d recognize his scrawl anywhere. I’m coming for you, Lelandi. Be ready.
But he was in jail.
Jake motioned to Trevor, talked to him for a minute, then the deputy went to a table of grays. All six rose and headed outside.
“What if I wanted to stay longer?”
“I can tell you it isn’t going to fly with Darien.” Jake took her arm, and he and Tom led her to his SUV.
“How did Ural get out of jail?” she asked.
“Apparently he had help,” Jake said, his voice dark.
When they saw Trevor and the other grays outside of the tavern, they shook their heads at Jake’s questioning look. Maybe this time Ural had the sense to return home without her and leave well enough alone.
On the drive back to Darien’s house, Jake wore a perpetual smile and Lelandi finally asked, “What’s so funny?”
“You, for putting Silva up to kissing Sam at the bar. Won’t work, you know. Trevor won’t fall for it.”
“That’s the whole point, isn’t it?”
He glanced at her, his brow perplexed.
“Trevor’s not the right one for her.”
Tom laughed. “We have a matchmaker in our midst. Sonja said she’s getting too old to do it anymore. Now we have her replacement.”
“Ha!” Jake responded. “Everyone was relieved when she quit matching bachelors up with their intended mates.”
“The bachelors you mean were relieved,” Lelandi guessed.
“Well, I for one am ready for a mate,” Tom said. “Human girls don’t have what it takes.” He winked at Lelandi.
Having no plans to become Silver Town’s new matchmaker, she rolled her eyes. “I’m taking up psychology.”
Jake glanced at her. “You’ve okayed this with Darien?”
She folded her arms and stared out the windshield. If she wanted to become a psychologist, by god, she was going to do it.
Jake shook his head. “Let us know when you talk to Darien about this so Tom and I can be at the factory or mine for the day.”
She hmpfed. “I hope you weren’t too hard on Chester McKinley.”
“Trevor said he got intimate with you. I don’t think I’ve seen Darien so mad. Not only that, but when we checked into it, we discovered he was one of the ones who sent a vase of wildflowers to you, anonymously.”
Her mouth dropped slightly, then she recovered. “I’m not a member of this pack officially yet, and I damn well can do as I please. If I want to talk to Chester, it’s my business. And for your information he wasn’t intimate with me.”
“We know you mated with Darien. It’s the real deal,” Tom said. “And that’s as official as it gets.”
Lelandi glowered at Tom over the back of the seat.
“Did you find out who the other anonymous guys were who sent flowers to her?” Jake asked Tom.
“They were much more discrete. Seems Chester McKinley wanted us to discover who he was easily enough. But I did find out that Joe Kelly was another.”
“Hell, what’s he up to?” Jake asked.
“Found out he bought Lelandi her first drink when she arrived at the tavern, too. Sam finally told me. Said it had slipped his mind because of the shooting incident.”Tom chuckled darkly. “Darien better let everyone know she’s his soon or he’s going to be rescuing her from every bachelor’s clutches in the area.”
Boy, that would really make her popular with the pack.
When they arrived at the house, Jake sequestered Lelandi back in the guest bedroom. She guessed since Darien hadn’t officially declared they were mated, no one would put her in his room without his order. It really didn’t matter where she was. She just wanted to be free to see her sister’s letter to Darien and locate her blasted gun. But Jake stayed with her and so that was the end of that.
He finally brought her downstairs for dinner, but Darien was noticeably absent. And Tom and Jake were keeping a real close eye on her. Because of Ural?
A shiver trailed up her spine. Who was here now who would have freed Ural? Had to be someone from her pack. And no doubt, to get into the jail, several had arrived. Which meant Bruin and his thugs must have found her. All of a sudden, she didn’t feel safe.
She asked again, “When’s Darien coming home?”
“Soon,” Jake said. He didn’t try to humor her, although Tom had tried to lighten the mood.
Finally, Jake motioned to the stairs. “It’s getting late.”
“I want to wait up for Darien.”
“He’ll come to you when he’s done with business.”
Exasperated, she retired to bed. But soon, Jake left her alone. She listened for any sounds outside the door. A guard would be posted.
She closed her eyes and listened, waiting for someone to come into the room. Then she inhaled deeply. Darien would come to her and wrap her in his heat. Then, nothing else would matter.
Something woke Lelandi from a deep sleep. She listened closely. Branches scratching at the window. She stared at the midnight blue comforter and wondered what happened to her forest green one. Realization hit her with a sick thud that she was in Darien’s home and not in her family’s, that her parents and sister had died, that Bruin might be here.
The scratching started up again and she glanced at the chair where someone sat during guard duty. No one still. Bathroom break?
A gentle rapping at the pane forced her heart to leap into her throat. She climbed out of bed, then peeled back one of the blue velvet window panels.
Standing on a ladder with his nose pressed against the glass, his hood up protecting him from the blowing snow, her cousin Ural scowled at her, motioned to the glass, and mouthed the words, “Open the damned window!”
“Ural,” she said under her breath.
One of his eyes was swollen shut, his lower lip was covered in dry blood, and he had a gash across his brow. She cursed and unlocked the window, then shoved it up.
“Took you long enough,” he growled, climbing inside. He shook off the snow from his coat and slipped his hood down.
“How did you know which room I was in? How’d you get out of jail?”
“Woke up and the door was open. Walked right out.”
Her skin grew clammy and she wrung her hands. “T—this is a setup.”
“Come away with me. I’ll take you somewhere safe.” He reached for her hair.
She stepped back. “Leave before they catch you.”
“You can’t mate with a gray. And when Bruin learns you’re here he’ll send a delegation for you. You won’t stand a chance. We can go across country where he can’t find us, start our own pack.”
Fearing he’d fly into a rage, she wasn’t about to tell him she’d mated Darien. “I’m staying here and finding out who murdered my sister.”
“See what hanging around grays got your sister? Someday you’ll thank me.” He pulled out a hypodermic needle.
“Ural, no!” she cried out.
He lunged for her, sending the bedside lamp crashing to the floor. She could have managed him herself and would have as she held his wrist, keeping the needle from jabbing her. But the bedroom door slammed open, and Darien, his brothers, and Deputy Trevor poured into the room like a river run amuck.
Jake pulled her free and rushed her out of the room as she tried to remain there to ensure the guys didn’t kill Ural.
“Let me go, Jake,” she screamed, but before she could twist free, he lifted her off her feet and hurried her into another bedroom.
She figured it was Darien’s room because she could smell his scent more heavily here, and she noted the pale blue comforter and seascapes hanging on the wall. Her sister’s favorite color and wish to live by the sea.
Jake dumped her on the bed. When she tried to bolt from it, he blocked her. “Stay!”
“I don’t want him killed.”
“We’re not barbarians.”
But she knew better. Pack laws. A rogue lupus garou had infiltrated another’s territory and tried to interfere with pack business. Even more than that. He tried to steal the pack leader’s mate, which meant he could be terminated. Law of the wild prevailed. Might not have looked civilized to outsiders, but it had been their way for centuries, the way they had survived.
“I don’t want him killed,” she said again when Darien walk
ed into the room, his face flushed.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Where are you taking him?”
“Back to jail.”
She folded her arms. “You set him up.”
“You wouldn’t tell us who he was. Now we know who and what he wanted.”
Darien motioned for Jake to leave. “Send Silva up in a few minutes.”
Lelandi didn’t like the look in Darien’s eyes. Feral, dark, and intense, making her believe he was ready to lose control in response to Ural’s actions. She rose from the bed and tried to brush past him, but he grabbed her arm and dragged her close. “This is your room from now on. Anyone tries to get to you in the other room, they’ll get a surprise. I’ve got to talk to Ural, then speak with Uncle Sheridan about some other matters. Try to get some sleep. I’ll wake you later.” His mouth sealed the promise with a kiss, but she was too mad to take the bait.
And she hadn’t even had a chance to make it clear she wanted Chester investigating her sister’s death either. She looked as cross as she could. “If you hurt Ural, you might as well sleep in the other room—by yourself.”
Darien laughed and gave her another quick kiss on the lips. “In your dreams, Lelandi.” Then he stalked out of his room, and Silva walked in, shaking her head.
With Deputy Trevor, Uncle Sheridan, and Darien’s brothers looking on, Darien sat in the jail interrogation room across the table from the red, and growled, “If you’d stuck Lelandi with that needle, you’d be a dead man. So who the hell are you, and what do you want with her?”
“Name’s Ural. What would I want with the dead sister? I came for Larissa.”
Darien glanced at his brothers. Both shook their heads.
“Why did you want to return Larissa home then?” Darien asked, drawing Ural into the trap.
“She belongs to the pack leader’s brother. You can’t have her, too.”
“So Lelandi wasn’t mated.”
“No, she wasn’t mated.”
“Why not?”
Ural shrugged, but winced.
“How about guessing why not?” Darien said, his voice growing lower, more of a growl again.
The red’s split lip curled up. “She’s pretty headstrong.”
