Taking It Off for the Coyote

by Serenity Snow

  “I can do it,” she said weakly and tried to sit up.

  “I’ve got you, Cam, just relax,” she murmured and tossed the shirt on the bed.

  Her eyes drifted closed. “Why are you being nice? Are you going to tell me this isn’t going to happen again and your macho act was just an act?”

  Sydney’s husky laugh floated over her, and her eyes opened. Sydney kissed her stomach before heading to the bathroom.

  “I deserve an answer,” Cambrie called and sat up to pull the shirt on. It smelled of Sydney and she smiled sadly. The animal wanted her, but the woman half of Sydney was torn.

  “You deserve a spanking for not telling me about Patty’s role in your grandmother’s death at my apartment, but I’ll let it go this time.” Sydney returned to the room and began undressing.

  “I didn’t think it was relevant then.” Cambrie watched, savoring the red-gold of her skin as her shirt was tossed aside revealing a functional white bra and black manstyle boxers. They fit her snug, but it was clear they’d been made for a woman’s body because they moved with her, molding to her contours.

  “And now? How much more is there?”

  Damn but she was beautiful and so firm. Her muscles rippled with her movement as she opened a drawer and removed a tank top and gracefully pulled it on.

  Black ink colored her upper arm. Some of the symbols were runes but most were traditional Native American symbols including the paw of the coyote. They had to be earned as proof of the warrior spirit within.

  “There’s nothing more,” she said. “You’re Indian?”

  “My mother was part Native American Indian as am I,” Sydney replied carefully. “Why?”

  Cambrie caressed her arm. “Nice ink.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m part Indian too,” Cambrie told her. “Sioux.”

  “Why didn’t your grandmother take you to them when your parents were killed?”

  “She couldn’t,” Cambrie replied tracing a rune. “Indians and runes?”

  “Ironically, they picked them up in their studies of other cultures and incorporated them into their teachings.”

  “Same can be said for my family.” She lay down. “Are you sleeping here?”

  “This is my bed,” Sydney answered quietly. “But if you don’t want me here, I’ll leave tonight.”

  “It’s fine.” She rose up on her elbow to finger the disc on the silver chain. “Was this a gift from one of your parents?”

  “No. I had it made as a reminder.”

  “Of what?” Cambrie asked.

  “That I’m not easily broken,” she murmured and their eyes met. Cambrie saw steely determination in Sydney’s gaze and flashes of a hyena attack flitted through her mind.

  She wasn’t able to see visions as such but she could often know what someone had experienced, feel it as if the memory was hers. She heard Sydney’s ferocious growl, saw blood run from a male wetting her animal’s muzzle.

  She’d been strong and bore an arrow on her left bicep. Something tried to break through the fog, but she stayed where she was, letting it slip past for later.

  Sydney’s hand had been damaged in the attack, but the emotional pain was what rushed out to meet her, curling around her heart. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes, and she swallowed tightly to keep from crying.

  Cambrie laid back down snuggling close to Sydney’s side. There was more to her lover than she could have guessed. Cambrie sighed softly.

  “What exactly can you do?” Sydney asked and Cambrie heard a note of concern in her tone.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your psychic power.” Sydney clarified. “Why would Patricia want it bad enough to hunt you for eighteen months?”

  She yawned. She didn’t really want to talk about the things she’d done for Patty—to survive. There had been times she’d wondered she’d be better off dead than being in Patty’s control.

  “Good night, Syd.” Cambrie turned her back to Sydney and snuggled beneath the covers.

  “We are going to talk about this, Cam,” Sydney informed her firmly.

  Cambrie smiled faintly. She had no doubt of that, but she hadn’t decided how forthcoming she’d be.

  ****

  Sydney didn’t press the issue and five minutes later she listened to Cambrie’s even breathing. Her own matched it though she was drowsy. She turned on her side and studied the woman she knew to be her mate in the dark. She was a beautiful woman who’d obviously been through hell as a child and as a woman being part of a hyena pack couldn’t have been easy.

  She was human yet she was strong just like a coyote’s mate should be. Nothing could be more pleasing to her animal and to her a as a woman because a battle with hyenas wasn’t for the weak. The warrior had to be strong and if she was mated, her mate had to be strong too.

  Her first pack had been decimated. The hyena leader had managed to kill or turn some key members of the pack tearing families apart, and they’d never recovered from the losses. Only two of them had escaped in the end.

  She’d never forget the carnage or the betrayal and to have had to witness it a second time had left a scar on her soul. She wouldn’t lose any she loved in this battle, so having a mate with cunning enough to evade attack for eighteen months made Cambrie an asset she would not release.

  As for her heart, past betrayals made her wary of trusting, so no matter how much she wanted to just give her heart to Cambrie, she couldn’t. Her animal knew Cambrie was no threat to her. She would be a worthy companion who understood her, and a lover who accepted her as she was.

  So why couldn’t her woman’s heart just claim Cambrie?

  Cambrie flinched in her sleep and Sydney turned, her eyes went nightglow in the dark illuminating her mate’s tense features. Fear scented the room, and she reached out without thinking to smooth her fingers along Cambrie’s cheek.

  Cambrie shivered and drew her limbs into a ball. Sydney curled around her not sure if it would wake her. All she wanted to do was give her the warmth the covers seemed to refuse and the comfort she seemed to need.

  Cambrie sighed and stretched out again and her animal growled low in her throat in satisfaction that she had soothed her mate.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Cambrie woke the next morning to a sliver of moon kissing her brow and a warm body curled around her. Confusion swamped her as her eyes remained fixed on the blank gray wall while her body began to heat from the close contact of feminine form against her.

  Sydney.

  That part wasn’t a mystery, but where were they?

  Oh yeah. A garage apartment that smelled like Sydney, the woman who’d saved her from the police last night.

  Both men had been so dogmatic and even hard. Neither of them had listened when she’d said she needed to think to recollect what had happened. They’d wanted her answers and had even threatened her with jail for murder.

  She’d have called it verbal police brutality. And they had ignored her desire to dress. She’d started to get cold the second she’d killed. She hated killing, but that was one aspect of her ability that couldn’t be ignored. She had learned how to overload the mind with her own pain and induce heart attacks or strokes.

  She wasn’t a true empath, but it used to hurt when she killed. She’d learned to compartmentalize when doing it at Patty’s command. She’d told herself that it was her life or theirs. In the end, under Patty’s tutelage, she’d gained strength to protect herself with her abilities. And while killing didn’t come easy, the act no longer caused her emotional pain.

  Cambrie tried to climb out of bed and Sydney’s arm around her tightened. Sharp teeth nipped the back of her neck. The prick heated her blood and pulled a soft growl from her.

  Her eyes widened but Sydney merely answered with a growl of her own. “Stop!” she cried, attempting to wiggled free. She’d never done that before though she knew logically from all her grandmother had told her she might at some point when she met the right woman.r />
  “Why?” Sydney demanded sliding her hand beneath Cambrie’s t-shirt to cup her breast.

  Her body’s reaction was quick. Her pussy moistened and her nipples hardened. “Sydney,” she gasped.

  “Why?”

  “I—” Why? She couldn’t think with Sydney pinching her nipple like that. “Mmm.”

  “I just want to eat you, baby,” she said. “Let me taste you and make you come on my tongue.” Sydney released her only to turn her onto her back and lean down to kiss her softly.

  Her hands moved of their own accord, stroking up Sydney’s firm ass to move beneath her tank to caress warm skin.

  “Yes?”

  “Yes,” Cambrie groaned roughly and Sydney trailed kisses over her cheek to her lips. Their eyes met and Cambrie saw hunger burning in her eyes.

  Sydney ripped Cambrie’s t-shirt and pushed the tattered fabric aside to reveal tight dark chocolate nipples standing at attention. “Damn you’re so beautiful.” She claimed a slow kiss that quickly became a demand.

  Cambrie stroked her hands down her mate’s back and pushed up her tank so she could draw her nails up her back.

  Sydney moaned. “Harder. I won’t break,” she ordered and then flicked her tongue over a chocolate peak. Her skin was so sensitive Cambrie gasped and arched toward Sydney’s mouth, wanting more, needing it so badly she burned.

  “Uhh-ahh! I want you.”

  Sydney drew the nipple into her mouth sucked before releasing it to turn her attention to the twin while her fingers pinched and plumped the other turgid peak. She slapped the fleshy mound, sucked and then scraped her teeth against the delicate peak before sucking it again. Then, she kissed a trail down to Cambrie’s belly.

  Cambrie’s breathing was harsh, her body an inferno. Sure fingers peeled away the panties she’d pulled on before sleep last night. Fingers parted the damp folds of her pussy and warm breath teased her skin tightening her stomach. Her head thrashed on the pillow as her lover’s fingers found her clit and stroked it.

  “Oh god!”

  Sydney moved between her thighs pushing them further apart before using the fingers of one hand to part the brown lips and run her tongue up Cambrie’s juicy slit. “Mmm.”

  Sydney lashed her clit while her fingers fucked inside her. Cambrie made soft noises as the pleasure raged out of control inside her. She pushed one hand into Sydney’s hair to hold her head closer.

  “Oh, yes!” she cried.

  Sydney lifted her head and ran her tongue down to the entrance of Cambrie’s body. She pulled her fingers free and thrust her tongue inside while her fingers worked Cambrie’s swollen clit.

  “Syd! Sydney!” Cambrie’s head rolled from side to side as her body turned into an out of control blaze. “Please!”

  Cambrie thrust against her lips and held Sydney’s head as she moved frantically, seeking release. One pinch of her clit and her body was jerking in release. Her juices rushed from her, and Sydney moved over her, rubbed her swollen clit against Cambrie’s.

  Cambrie closed her arms around Sydney and her clit throbbed and pulsed as her own arousal built anew. “Oh, yes. You feel so good. She spread her legs wider and held on as Sydney ground against her.

  Cambrie’s body jerked seconds later as her orgasm washed over her and Sydney’s release followed with a growl.

  Cambrie went limp gasping for breath and Sydney lifted off her and collapsed onto the bed. The heat of her body flowed into her as their damp skin touched. Her stomach tightened and she rolled onto her side reminding herself she couldn’t get too emotional with Sydney.

  Sydney growled as she sat up on the side of the bed. “What are you doing?”

  She laughed breathlessly. “We don’t have time for this. That meeting, remember?” She stood, tugged her panties up, and padded into the bathroom. “I won’t take long. What time is the meet?”

  “Four.”

  “Looks like we might make it if we don’t dick around.” She hurried into the bathroom. Cambrie braced her hands on the vanity counter still breathing hard and hung her head as she fought the ache in her chest. “Damn you, Syd,” she muttered softly.

  “Damn you,” she said from the doorway and Cambrie turned her head seeing her there with a scowl. “I thought you really wanted me, but now that I’m looking like a sure thing—”

  “Fuck that,” Cambrie cut in. “We both know you’re just using me. At least we’re getting some mutual satisfaction out of it.” She pushed up right and headed for the shower.

  Turning on the water, she tugged her t-shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor before shedding her panties. It ate holes in her heart that instead of wallowing in the passion between them they could barely be in the same room without fighting about something.

  Cambrie released her hair from its braids and climbed beneath the cool spray.

  “Someone’s under some big fucking illusions,” Sydney snarled from behind her.

  “You.” Her tone was cold as she could get it with her heart squeezing from the ache of not being emotionally close to her mate. She tilted her head up to let water wash over her face.

  “You’ll never wash me way, whelp.”

  Cambrie bit back her retort to the comment, the last word a little demeaning. She grabbed a bath puff from the built-in caddy before snatching up a bottle of bodywash.

  The clean-up was quick more because of a lack of time than a need to escape Sydney. Cambrie ran a towel over her wet hair to squeeze out some of the water. The mass of curls was wild and wavy as she stood before the mirror.

  “Leave it,” Sydney ordered as she moved behind her coming from the shower. Her fingers brushed Cambrie’s side sending a ripple of heat through her cooling skin.

  “If this turns out to be a set-up, I don’t want my hair to be a liability,” she said breathlessly.

  “You can put it up in the truck,” she muttered and dipped her head to kiss the back of Cambrie’s neck. She drew in the clean scent of Cambrie’s skin.

  “Sydney,” she said weakly. How could she fight her? But if she let Sydney get too much closer her heart would be in pieces before they defeated or drove Patty out of town. “The meeting.”

  Sydney growled and stalked from the bathroom, and Cambrie felt a wealth of hurt in that one sound and it sliced her heart, drawing blood.

  A shadow kiss wasn’t meant to reject her mate or even deny their feelings for them, and now she knew why. The connection between them was but a sliver of emotion, but she felt that tiny pulse to her soul and wanted nothing more than to go after Sydney and comfort her.

  She headed into the bedroom finding it empty and tensed. If Sydney had left her behind, she wasn’t going to trust much of anything she said from here on out.

  Cambrie pulled on panties and a bra before getting into jeans and a t-shirt. She shoved her feet into sneakers as Sydney came back into the bedroom. She was so hot in her worn jeans and black leather jacket. The black t-shirt fit snug over her breasts and emphasized her flat stomach. Her hair was still damp and gleamed beneath the light.

  She growled at Cambrie. “Let’s go.”

  “Stop growling like a pissed off dog.”

  “I am,” she muttered. “My bitch is acting like it’s an imposition to be a little obliging.”

  She snorted despite the hurt in Sydney’s voice. “I’m your temporary bitch, so expect nothing less. Then you won’t be so ill-tempered in the coming days.” She slipped from the room with a growl following her from the room.

  Cambrie clenched her fists and gritted her teeth against the anger in that sound. The fact was they both had to accept the reality. This wasn’t going to last.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  When they reached the meet place, Sydney pulled her truck out of sight and glanced across the cab to Cambrie as Cambrie released her seatbelt.

  “Stay close and don’t be a distraction,” she said coolly.

  “I’m not a child,” she retorted.

  “Just don’t give me shit,”
she snapped. “I’m not in the mood.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I know how to handle myself, Sydney,” she retorted. “You’re on point. I’ve got your flank.”

  Sydney’s gaze shimmered gold and she saw the coyote watching her curiously. “Let’s go,” she said in a voice that was low yet less than human before climbing out.

  Cambrie followed and opened her senses. She’d learned how to detect hostile energy forces. Most people didn’t bother clearing their thoughts during an attack or even a meeting. Every misconception they ever had about a person or situation seemed to coalesce in their minds, half blinding them to anything but their preconceived notions.

  Cambrie stopped in her stride for a moment as something slipped past her mind. “They’re worried we’re going to attack,” she told Sydney as she began walking again.

  Sydney grunted, leading her over rough terrain to a dingy old barn jutting up against the morning skyline. Cambrie kept her senses open because she knew Patty’s pack was different than most. They’d all been taught to more or less merge into one single entity.

  Their mental shields would be linked, not that they understood what that meant. They’d feel like one, smell like one until they attacked. However, having been a part of their hive, she could detect the subtle difference.

  Sydney pulled open the barn door and moved inside the dimly lit hay-strewn space. The scent of old and rotting wood drifted on the air along with the rich aroma of coffee. Cambrie almost laughed. They’d come to a meeting with coffee?

  One man stepped into view go-cup in hand. Behind him a second man came to lean against a faded stall door, the black wrought iron latch dull.

  “I’m Cruise,” he said, his eyes cool and darting from Sydney to Cambrie. “Summer?”

  “Sydney.” Sydney stopped a few steps away. The coffee would still get her should he decide to use it as a weapon.

  “Not you,” he said moving forward and Sydney growled. He halted in his stride, gaze fixed beyond Sydney. “Skye was your cousin?”

  “Yes,” Cambrie admitted carefully.