Changing Times

by Marilu Mann

  “You should have taken me up on my offer, Micah. You’d be alive now and in charge of the pack. Together we could have been in control of everything. Instead you and your sad little bitch are dead.”

  Maggie turned. She didn’t see the faint twitch on Micah’s face or the slow, deliberate flexing of his hand.

  * * * * *

  Slade arrived at the building across from Carly’s condo via a convoluted route. He watched from the rooftop as the two forms revealed their passion to him. Tony lay flat on his back with Carly straddling him. His hands curved around her buttocks as she moved on top of him. Slade saw Carly throw her head back.

  Her ecstasy glowed in her aura. He watched Tony sit up to wrap his arms around her then roll with her. Even as he drove his body into hers, Tony was kissing Carly, so total was their immersion in each other. Slade laughed softly. He had such a nasty surprise for the lovebirds.

  Chapter Ten

  Propped up on his arms with Carly’s hands tangled in his hair, Tony drove his hips forward. Carly tossed her head from side to side, a signal he’d learned meant she was about to come. He thrust harder and faster into her body, concentrating only on pleasing her. Carly’s grip on his hair tightened as she pulled his head down. The thrust of her tongue in his mouth matched the motion of his cock into her body and he felt her starting to come.

  Carly sucked hard on his tongue, pulled one hand free of his hair and grabbed his ass, pulling him tightly against her body. Tony threw his head back on a harsh growl as he came. They’d made love four times since returning to her condo and each time felt stronger, deeper.

  Tony could smell his own mating scent in the air, though he hadn’t marked Carly permanently as his mate. Carly shivered under him, wrapping both her arms and legs around him to pull him tighter against her warm, soft body. He nuzzled her neck, kissing her with warm open-mouthed kisses just to hear her sigh.

  Sliding his hand slowly up her side, Tony palmed her nipple, reveling in the heat she threw off. He took a deep whiff, loving the mix of his scent with hers. “Kitten, you make me crazy. Just the feel of you clamped around my cock,” Tony pushed his hips forward again, “I am getting hard again, just lying here with you. Can you feel me? This is what you do to me, Carly.”

  He pulled away, allowing her to move. Carly started to roll on top of him again, and he stopped her. Sliding quickly out from under her, Tony got on his knees. “Let me take you this way, from behind. It’s deeper for you.”

  Carly smiled as she got on her knees in front of him, she glanced over her shoulder with a smile. “What are you waiting for, tiger?”

  “I’m no tiger.” Tony laughed as he came over her. Sliding deep into her body on the first thrust, he tangled the fingers of one hand in her hair, pulling her head back slightly to kiss her. Wrapping his other arm around her, he cupped her breast as he started thrusting in and out of her body.

  As a shifter he had amazing stamina, but he was surprised, albeit pleasantly, when Carly had matched him in both stamina and attitude. Ferocity, gentleness—they had swung the spectrum end to end. Each time had been an amazing experience for him. He’d never been with a human who could match his appetite. This time they were both fierce. Carly met every thrust he made into her body with a lift of her hips, and his climax came swiftly, surprising him. They fell to the bed together, moving to face one another.

  Carly tangled her fingers in his hair then met his eyes. “Tony? Will you stay?”

  “You’ll have to throw me out, querida.” He leaned down to kiss her again even as he grabbed the spent condom. “I’ll be right back.”

  Tony got off the bed long enough to dispose of the condom, thankful she’d had a supply in her bathroom since he’d only had one in his wallet. He’d been hopeful, not positive they’d wind up in bed, and bringing more than one condom might have jinxed his chances at being with Carly. He closed the French doors then returned to the bed to wrap himself around Carly.

  She was already half asleep as she snuggled closer to him with a soft sigh. Tony chuckled as he rubbed his jaw over her shoulder. The tenderness he felt seemed natural as he drifted into slumber. He knew he would wake at the first sign of trouble.

  * * * * *

  Slade growled softly as his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. A slow deadly smile curved across his face as he read the text message on the screen then closed the phone. One last look at the bedroom where Tony and Carly lay entwined in one another. He couldn’t hear their conversation from this angle, just the soft murmur of their voices before they’d curled into one another to sleep.

  He left the yard, wondering why watching the two of them had unnerved him. Something about the obvious connection they had made him wonder about his own partners.

  Sex for him was a diversion, a release, nothing more. He had never wanted more and he never slept with his partners. Why did they call it making love? Slade knew love to be an easily faked emotion used to manipulate. He remembered Tony’s face as he had closed the French doors.

  The look of contentment was one Slade knew had never been on his own face. Could sex be more than just a release of tension? Slade shrugged as he made his way to the street where he’d parked his bike. This wasn’t the time or place to indulge himself in foolishness.

  Minutes later he was pulling up on the side street that led from the parking lot of the hospital to the highway access. This particular part of the street stretched narrowly with pockets of shadows everywhere—perfect for the events that had unfolded there just moments ago. Slade parked his bike then jogged down the street. Cutter was waiting for him. The body at Cutter’s feet had Slade laughing for just a moment. Perfect.

  “Good work, Cutter. Did she give you any trouble?”

  “Hell no. They all should be this easy. One tiny little scream and on this street, who’s gonna hear her?” Cutter stood back as Slade walked all around the body.

  “You chose well. This will definitely send the right message. Go back to the house. Wait for me there. We’ve got to set the rest of our traps for Tony and his little kitties. I’m sure they’ll be coming by tonight. He won’t be able to avoid me any longer.”

  “Sure thing. You don’t want any help with her?” Cutter indicated the body now at Slade’s feet. Slade squatted on his heels beside the dead girl. He looked up at Cutter. His eyes reflected the light, glowing bright yellow.

  “Do what I told you, Cutter. Get back to the house.” Slade’s voice was low. Cutter jerked involuntarily then nodded. He sprinted away from the dark street toward the area where he had left his own car.

  Slade waited until he couldn’t smell Cutter, then he turned his attention to the girl at his feet. “Sorry, babe, you just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time.”

  Slade carefully knelt over the dead girl’s body. She had a soft scent, one that was fading quickly. It wasn’t as spicy as Carly’s but it would have to do. Slade leaned even farther over the body. He neither touched nor disturbed the body in any way. He wanted the cops to be puzzled by the absolute lack of physical evidence. Slade carefully placed his hands on either side of her head then licked her cheek.

  Even though her skin already felt cool to the touch, Slade knew Tony would check carefully. He smiled when he thought of the look that might cross Tony’s face when detected Slade’s scent on the body.

  Slade sighed as he got back to his feet. It was turning out to be a good evening after all. With Micah out of the picture, Tony would soon be dead as well. Walking back down the street to his motorcycle, Slade whistled. The next hospital shift change was scheduled for an hour from now. The body would be discovered. Then his plans would be one step closer to completion. Slade grinned as he got on the bike and headed for the house.

  * * * * *

  Maggie met Cutter in the hallway as he returned to the house. “We have a problem.”

  “What?” Cutter let his eyes go over her slowly. Maggie still wore the shirt she had worn before the fight with Micah. There was a sm
ear of blood along one sleeve. Cutter could tell by the scent that it was Micah’s. Still, it excited him.

  “Jack has disappeared. The bonfire was burning like crazy but Jack is gone.” Maggie flipped a hand through her hair.

  Cutter took a deep breath. “Any chance Micah was still alive?”

  “I don’t think so.” Maggie shook her head. She glanced around then scented the air to make sure they were alone. Maggie moved closer to Cutter, trailing her hand down his arm. “I put the loaded drink on Slade’s desk.”

  Cutter wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He brushed her hair back. “What did you give him?”

  “Two tablets of silver nitrate. Not enough that he’ll taste it but enough to slow him down. He should feel really good for a while then it will hit him all at once. I’ve already told everyone that he wants them to bug out if it looks like things are going against us. When he falls, they’ll think he’s losing. It will be our moment. We can step in to ensure he dies. It won’t be long now, lover. You’ll be Alpha soon.”

  Cutter grinned as he wrapped his arms around Maggie to kiss her hard. “Can’t be too soon. I hate watching him with you. You’re mine, Maggie, you’ve always been mine.”

  “I will be, lover, once Slade is out of the picture.” Maggie moved smoothly out of Cutter’s arms as she heard someone approaching. The look he sent her was loaded with heat but he dropped his eyes as the door opened behind him.

  One of the younger males came into the room. “We found Jack. He’s okay but he was knocked out. Somebody dragged him off into the woods. Should we tell Slade?”

  “I’ll tell him.” Maggie indicated the back of the house with a toss of her head. “Get everyone else ready for later. Oh and, Mickey? Remember what I told you about the fight later. Slade wants everyone to take off if things turn. That way we’ll be able to regroup later to really take care of things.”

  Mickey nodded his head as he headed back outside. “Sure thing, Maggie.”

  Maggie knew it would never cross his mind to question her. She’d been issuing orders from the moment she left Slade’s bed the first time. Everyone in the pack accepted her word as law just as much as Slade’s. Maggie and Cutter exchanged another long look before they separated at the foot of the stairs.

  * * * * *

  “Tony, we need you.” The voice was Nolan’s, but the tension in it was unfamiliar to Tony.

  “What is it, Nolan? I’m a little busy here.” Tony let his eyes roam over Carly’s body as she stretched languidly in the early morning sunlight and smiled at him. They had awakened in one another’s arms to make slow love. Now they were holding one another.

  “Tony, this is an alpha emergency.” Nolan didn’t say any more. He didn’t have to.

  “I’ll call you from the car.” Tony cursed softly as he disconnected the call and got out of the bed.

  “Carly, I have to go. I don’t want to, but I have to.” Quickly gathering her into his arms, he kissed her then tucked her back into bed. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Make sure you sleep. You’re going to need it.” He grinned at her as he turned for the door.

  Starting the car was hard not only because he wanted to stay with her but the word “alpha” was code. Someone had done something big. He called Nolan from the parking lot.

  “Nolan? I’m in the car. Where do you want me?” Hand on the wheel, phone at his ear this was a position Tony was all too familiar with.

  “There’s been another murder. And you need to see this one. Meet me at the morgue. Donahue’s on duty so we can get in and out quietly.” Tony knew Nolan still withheld something important but he didn’t have time or inclination to dig it out of the little wolf. He focused on getting there as fast as he could.

  When he arrived at the morgue, Tony was glad Nolan hadn’t told him over the phone. He would have reacted rather than acted. This body was more than just another corpse. It was a message to him from Slade. He would bet his life on that.

  The body was female with long honey blonde hair. She was still wearing her white jacket, earmarking her as someone from the hospital. It was the same hospital where Carly worked. This woman could have been Carly’s twin from the back. The face was different, the smell totally wrong, but Tony knew Slade had a hand in killing her.

  He could smell a lingering scent that told him Slade had been near the body. The trace let him know that she had already been dead when Slade had marked her. Tony felt his world grow cold, close and dark as his eyes began to glow like molten gold.

  “I will kill him for this.”

  They both jumped when Tony’s phone rang again. Tony answered it curtly. He felt the blood draining from his face. Tony staggered but caught himself before he fell. This new blow meant nothing less than war.

  “Tony? What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “That was Misty. She said Micah dragged himself to her place. Slade set him up. He had Shelly killed and tried to kill Micah. Misty said Micah is badly hurt. Nolan, he might not make it.” Tony took a deep breath, his thoughts immediately turning to Carly.

  He dialed her number. “Kitten, lock the doors, load that pistol with those silver bullets I gave you and don’t let anyone in. Micah’s been hurt. Bad. I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can and let you know what’s up with him. In the meantime, stay inside and stay safe.”

  Tony closed the phone without telling her he loved her. He just couldn’t yet. He and Nolan took off for Misty’s apartment to see just how badly Micah was hurt.

  * * * * *

  Carly glowed. In spite of the fact that Tony sounded worried about Micah, he’d called to check on her. She wondered what he meant by danger but allowed herself a moment to bask in the knowledge that he’d called her. So maybe Tony hadn’t told her that he loved her, but he had definitely shown her that he did.

  Through his kisses, his touches, the sound of his heart beating against hers, she was as sure of his love as she was of her own name. He had awakened her this morning with a deep rumbling purr as his body molded to hers in bed. Carly skimmed her hand up her forearm, remembering how he had jumped from the ground into the bedroom, how soft his fur had felt. Then he had been there.

  Carly turned away from the French doors. She thought about what Tony had told her about Micah as she walked back to the bed. Tony had told her to sleep but she was wide-awake now. She was worried about Micah. There had been something in Tony’s voice that worried her.

  “Tony, you need to be careful too. Please take care of yourself. I want to be able to tell you how much I love you.” She spoke fiercely in the quiet room.

  “Really? How sweet. A human loving a shifter.”

  Carly started as she whirled back toward the balcony. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my home? Are you a friend of Tony’s?”

  The blonde leaning against the wall grinned at her. “Chill, chickie. I’m Maggie and I let myself in. I’m here to pick you up. And I’m not exactly a friend of Tony’s.”

  Before Carly could draw breath to scream, or even attempt to run, the blonde forced her facedown on the bed. Maggie tied something around her wrists as Carly tried to kick out at her. She rolled Carly over and when Carly opened her mouth to scream, Maggie shoved a gag into her mouth.

  “I’d let you scream, but it turns me on. I don’t think you would like that, chickie, would you? Wouldn’t want Maggie to show you a better time than Tony did.”

  The chuckle that accented the words chilled Carly as did the fingernails the woman scraped down her arm. Carly imagined that she meant what she said. If she was against Tony, then she was probably with Slade. Carly forced herself to relax, but it did no good as Maggie quickly slipped something else around her ankles. Only when Maggie pulled her upright did she see that they were plastic flexi-cuffs like the police used.

  “That’s good, chickie. That’s very good. You won’t be hurt…much. We want Tony. And if we have his mate, we will have him. You’ve got his scent all over you.” Maggie scooped Carly up to toss h
er over her shoulder. She moved to the balcony doors.

  “But before we go, there is one little thing I need to do.” Carly gasped as Maggie reached back to yank off the gold pendant. She casually tossed it on the floor. Then Maggie carefully sniffed the air. Carly assumed it was assure that she was the only shifter around.

  Maggie kicked open the French doors to step out onto the balcony. She jutted a hip out to close the doors then leapt to the ground. Carly oofed as the pain of the woman’s bony shoulder drove deep into her gut. She refused to show the pain or fear in any outward way. Bad enough this bitch could smell her. All she had to do was to wait for Tony.

  A man—Carly assumed another shifter—met them at the alley gate. Maggie tossed Carly onto the floor of the car like a sack of flour. Sliding on to the seat next to her, Maggie put her feet on Carly’s neck to keep her down. Time seemed to be moving slowly. She felt nothing but shock. Micah had been injured and now Tony was in danger. She was the bait. She had to think. A quick shake did nothing to clear her brain, but it did earn her the female’s hand clamping the back of her neck.

  “Maggie, need help?” The male’s subservient whine grated on Carly’s ears.

  A snarl from the blonde holding her down was his only answer. Carly realized that he thought she was trying to fight this Maggie person. She might have laughed if she wasn’t so scared. But fear was her leading emotion. Not so much for herself as for Tony. What did they have planned for Tony?

  For one brief moment, Carly wondered if this was “kidnap the doctor month” or something. Surely twice in one month was enough. The car slid to a stop. She knew it had only been a few minutes. What were they doing now?

  Her question was answered by another car sliding up next to them. The man turned to look at her as Maggie got in the new car. She crooked a finger at Carly.

  “I can either come get you, chickie, or you can be a good girl and get in yourself. Please be bad. It would do me good.” The green eyes narrowed as Maggie bared her teeth.