Mate Set

by Laurann Dohner

  The apartment was an open space with a living room immediately inside the door and to the left was a bar that separated the living space from a modern kitchen. She stepped farther inside, hopeful that since the lights were on he’d be there. She closed the door firmly and listened, hearing the sound of running water. Her gaze locked on a partially open door across the room and she moved toward it.

  She hesitated at the bathroom door, hearing the shower running and through the crack she could see a toilet. She took another deep breath and then pushed the door open. “Grady?”

  The shower door was clear and it only took an instant for Mika to register that the person who turned at the sound of her voice was not Grady since it was a tall, slim woman with red hair who spun in the clear glass shower stall to stare back in shock at Mika.

  The woman moved, shoving at the glass door, grabbed a towel from the rack, and frowned at Mika as she wrapped it around her body, turning off the water with her free hand. Anger was instant on the woman’s face. “Who the hell are you?”

  Mika was too shocked to speak. There was a woman, a naked one, in Grady’s shower. She stumbled back a step and pain sliced through her. The woman growled, shoving the shower door all the way open and stepped out onto the bath mat, securing the towel tighter around her body.

  “I asked who the hell you are and why you’re in my boyfriend’s apartment. He’s going to be here any damn minute and I want an explanation right now.”

  Mika backed up.

  “How do you know Grady?” The woman advanced, looking enraged. “I’m Megan, his girlfriend. I asked you who the hell you are and I want an answer right now.”

  “I’m Mika,” she finally got out. “I’m Omar Deken’s niece.”

  That stopped the tall redhead from advancing on her further. The woman frowned. “Oh. Does he need Grady for something? He should be here any minute. He called me an hour ago and told me to get my ass here so I just arrived. I think he had to take care of something downstairs.” The woman turned, walking over to the bathroom counter, and stared at herself in the mirror. “Sorry you caught me in the shower but I wanted to be nice and clean for my Grady when he gets here. I was on duty and had to break up some fights. I didn’t think he’d like to smell a bunch of males on me.” She glanced at Mika over her shoulder as she opened the drawer under the counter, grabbed out a brush to run through her wet hair. “You know how males hate that damn scent when they are fucking us.”

  Mika spun and moved toward the door. She had to get the hell out of there before Grady returned. He’d called a werewolf female to be with him. That’s why he hadn’t returned to her. He was going to try to be with that redhead instead of coming home to Mika. Pain burned through her hard at his betrayal.

  “Where are you going?” Megan called out.

  Mika rushed out of the apartment and down the stairs, leaving the apartment door open behind her. She walked quickly toward the back door and had almost reached it when another door opened across the way. The loud sounds of the bar were instant when it happened, making her turn her head just in time to see Grady step into the back area with his back turned her way.

  “I don’t know how she’s going to take it and I really don’t give a damn either. It wasn’t anything serious between us.” Grady said the words loudly, obviously talking to someone in the bar, as he took another step back. “If she makes any problems over it and won’t leave me alone then she’ll have to realize that I’m willing to kill her if she tries to lay claim to me.” He spun around at that moment and his gaze locked on Mika. Shock made his eyes widen.

  “Mika?”

  She fought tears. “I came looking for you, thinking you might need me.”

  He just stared at her, twenty feet away, and didn’t say a word.

  “I see you don’t. Your girlfriend is naked and waiting for you upstairs. You’re going to have a great life because you’ll never see me again so you don’t have to kill me.” She spun then, shoving open the back door, and ran.

  “Mika!” Grady roared.

  She was shaking when she reached the Jeep. A loud boom sounded and she turned her head, staring in shock as Grady barged out the back door. He’d hit the door so hard that it literally came off the hinges. Pure rage was on his features and her terror was instant. She shoved the key in the ignition.

  “Mika!” He roared out her name again, threw the door he still gripped, and stormed toward her, looking like a big, mean, enraged male.

  She turned the key in the ignition, the engine roared to life, and she threw it in drive as she slammed her foot down on the gas. Tires squealed as the Jeep jumped forward and threw her back against her seat. She had to swerve the wheel hard to avoid plowing into the wall, barely missed it, and she heard a snarl. She glanced at the rearview mirror as she straightened the wheel and pressed down harder on the gas. To her shock she saw a large form running after her. Grady.

  She was shocked as her gaze fixed on him in the tiny mirror. He was gaining on her, running down the street, and he looked scary as hell since she could see that he’d partially changed with his extended nose and sharp teeth. The Jeep gained speed though and she jerked her attention from the mirror to the road ahead of her so she didn’t crash. In seconds she glanced back but Grady was gone. She twisted her head, looking over her shoulder, and saw a shape running onto a side street, moving fast.

  Her mind worked frantically, realizing he was going to try to cut her off from going to her house. She knew even on two legs, he could run fast and for miles. She didn’t slow, taking a turn in the opposite direction of her house and where he was heading. She had her purse with her. Hot tears nearly blinded her so she had to quickly wipe them away before she wrecked. Grady had said he’d kill her.

  She parked Grady’s Jeep at the airport and sat there shaking and wiping away tears. He’d called his girlfriend, the one she’d overheard him with on the phone, to try to get him through his mating heat and she’d heard him say he’d kill her if she tried to lay claim to him. She nearly screamed with fright when her cell phone rang, startling her, and she twisted in the driver’s seat, staring at her purse on the passenger side.

  It rang five times before it stopped, going to voicemail. She had to get out of town, had to make sure he couldn’t find her. She was in grave danger if he was willing to kill her if the mating had taken. She removed his keys from the ignition, shoved them under the driver’s seat, and grabbed her purse. One look in the rearview mirror showed that her eyes were red and puffy, obviously from crying, but she couldn’t do anything about that as she climbed out of his Jeep and carefully locked it.

  Some people stared at her as she entered the small airport but she ignored them, going to the ticket line. Her phone made her jump as it started to ring again. She reached down, removed it from the side pocket, and glanced at the number. She hesitated and then flipped it open.

  “Hello?”

  “I’m too worried to sleep,” Minnie said softly. “What happened when he came home?”

  Mika moved in line when the person in front of her did. “He didn’t come home,” she admitted.

  “Damn it, he’s stubborn, but I’m sure he’ll be home soon. Why didn’t you answer your house phone? I tried calling it first.”

  “I’m not home. I’m at the airport.”

  “What?” Minnie nearly yelled. “Why?”

  “I’m leaving.”

  “We went over this, damn it. You can’t do that, Mika. I told you what would happen. He’ll come home and he’ll accept you.”

  She glanced around her, seeing just two people in front of her. Her voice lowered. “He wants me dead, Minnie. I went to the bar looking for him and I heard him telling someone that. I have to run.”

  “You come here now.”

  “I’m taking the first flight they have open, I don’t care to where, but I’m out of here.” The guy in front of her moved, the line going fast. “It’s my turn to buy a ticket. I left Grady’s Jeep in the parking lot and the
keys are under the seat. Let him know where it is tomorrow. I love you and I’ll call you soon. I’m turning my phone off now.” She hung it up and turned it off, returning it to her purse.

  ———

  Mika glanced at her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. The first flight out was to New York and she couldn’t board for another twenty minutes. She glanced around the nearly empty terminal, relaxing when she didn’t see Grady. She really didn’t expect him to come after her now that she was leaving. He had no reason to kill her if she was no longer a part of his life.

  Hot tears threatened to spill again but she blinked them back. She hugged herself and winced, forgetting the bite that throbbed as her wrist rubbed across her tender breast.

  She glanced at her watch and realized only a minute had passed. Time was crawling by. Movement made her lift her head and she stared at a tall, long-haired man wearing a black leather jacket and jeans walking straight toward her. He looked very similar to Grady but the walk was different. He was staring right at her, moving quickly, and she sat frozen just staring at him until he stopped a few feet away.

  “Mika?”

  “No,” she lied, staring into eyes that resembled Grady’s enough that she knew this had to be one of his half brothers.

  The man’s mouth was similar to Grady’s as well, especially when he frowned at her. He purposely sniffed and shook his head. “You can’t lie to me when you scent of Grady that damn strongly. Get up and come with me now.”

  Her fingers gripped her purse, nearly clawing the material. “No.”

  His frown deepened. “I need you to come with me.”

  “I need to leave.”

  They stared at each other. The man shifted his weight. “Grady needs you.”

  “No, he doesn’t.” It hurt to say the words. “He’s got Megan.”

  He sucked in air. “He’s hurting bad, Mika.”

  “I just saw him not forty minutes ago and he was fine.” And able to make death threats about me.

  The big man stared at her with a deep frown. “He chased you, trying to catch up with you and ran right into the path of a truck. I didn’t want to tell you that here but he’s in bad damn shape. They don’t think he’s going to make it and he’s asking for you.”

  The air left her lungs and shock tore through her. If she hadn’t been sitting she knew she would have hit the floor. “What?”

  Grady’s brother looked grim. “He’s asking for you. You need to come with me now, Mika. Get up and let’s go.”

  She couldn’t make her legs move as tears blinded her. He’d been hit by a truck? “He’ll heal,” she said hopefully. “Your kind heals fast.”

  “It was a big damn truck, he was hit head-on, and he’s dying,” the man said softly. “Get up and come with me.”

  “Oh God.” Grady’s image flashed in her mind as pain lanced through her.

  A hand gripped her arm, gently pulling her up and she found herself being led through the airport blindly, since she couldn’t see through her tears. Grady was dying? It couldn’t be true. Not Grady. He’d been chasing her but she’d been terrified after hearing him say he was willing to kill her. She didn’t even know why he’d run after her. He should have just let her go.

  She blinked hard, clearing her vision as a car pulled up in front of them, a black four-door sedan, Grady’s brother yanked open the back door and practically shoved her inside. She was forced to make room for him as she wiped at her tears, staring at the man in the front who turned his head, knowing instantly that it was yet another brother of Grady’s because they could have been twins.

  “How did you talk her out?” He faced forward and punched the gas, the car pulling away from the front of the drop-off zone at the airport.

  The man sitting next to her sighed. “I lied.”

  His words sank in and Mika jerked her head in his direction to find him watching her with a grim look.

  “I lied,” he repeated softly. “Grady is fine. I figured you’d come with me easily enough if I told you that shit. I couldn’t exactly throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of there. Security would have stopped me.”

  She stared at him, mute, and then her heart started to pound. “You son of a bitch! You told me he was dying.”

  “Shit,” the man in front hissed. “That was harsh, Von.”

  “Shut up, Rave. It worked, didn’t it? She’s in the damn car.”

  Mika was in shock, trying to calm down now that she knew Grady was fine, and tried to make sense of things while she fought the rage that filled her over being fooled that way. It was mean and cruel.

  “Why would you tell me that shit?”

  “You were running,” Von sighed. “Grady called us to look for you. There’s only three ways out of town unless you were going to try to drive back to California. Rave and I got the airport. Grady went for the bus station and our other two brothers are at the train station hunting for you while our father was activating the tracker on Grady’s Jeep with teams of our men standing by to hit the road to chase you if you had tried to drive home.” He pulled out a cell phone, hitting a few buttons, and held it to his ear. “We have her. Call off the search. We’re bringing her in now.” He hung up and stared at Mika. “Did you really think you could just leave and we’d let you go? Do you know what would happen to Grady if you left him high and dry while he’s in heat after marking you?”

  “Do you know what is going to happen to me if I don’t leave?” She huddled in her seat.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dread was instant as the car pulled up in front of a house that Mika had never seen before. It was a large, ranch-style home surrounded by woods. She turned to stare at one of her captors. Von took a deep breath.

  “We’re at our father’s house. He wants to know what the hell is going on and he wants to talk to you. Let’s go, Mika.”

  She didn’t budge. “I want to call my uncle.” She really wanted him to come get her. She was afraid and didn’t know Elroy all that well. She reached for her cell phone but Von was faster, his hand grabbing hers. He shook his head.

  “Let’s go,” he repeated. He had an annoying way of doing that. “Don’t make me carry you in there because I will.”

  She was scared but nodded. The hold on her wrist eased and he released her. She turned and before she could reach for the handle, the door opened. Rave stood outside the car now, staring down at her, and she thought she saw pity on his face as she stared up at him. He held out his hand to help her but she ignored it, getting out on her own.

  Her hands trembled as she clutched her purse and walked for the front door. Rave walked beside her and Von stayed behind them, close, as though they expected her to try to bolt. She knew she couldn’t outrun them but at that moment she really wished she could. The front door opened before they reached it and a black-haired woman who stood about six feet tall frowned at them.

  “Hello, Mother,” Rave sighed. “Father is expecting us.”

  The woman sniffed and her lip curled as she glared at Mika. “That isn’t coming into my house.”

  A low growl rumbled from behind Mika, making her jump and twist her head to stare at Von. He glared at his mother. “Move. This is pack business and you have no right to interfere.”

  Fury gripped the woman’s features but she spun away and stalked into the house. Rave jerked his head, glancing down at Mika. “Walk.”

  She barely glanced at the nice interior of the home. It was lavishly furnished with deep earth tones, the only impression her mind registered before she was led down a dim, long hallway that opened into a large room. There was a pool table in the center of it and Pack Leader Elroy turned as they entered, a pool stick in one hand, a beer in the other. His attention focused intently on Mika.

  “You’ve caused a lot of trouble for me tonight.”

  She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, not sure what to say.

  “Grady never asks for a damn thing so imagine my shock when he called her
e in a panic an hour ago saying you were running and he needed us to move fast to try to find you before you got too far out of our reach.” He laid the pool stick down on top of the table, took a sip of his beer, and then shook his head as he set the bottle down. “If you were going to get involved with one of my pack you should have realized that you need to follow our rules. I understand you’re human but your uncle allowed you to know about us so it was his responsibility to make sure you know our laws. Are you aware that running from a male who marked you during mating season is against pack law?”

  Oh shit. She shook her head. “No one told me that.”

  Dark eyes glittered, frightening her more. “They should have. Pack law is harsh.”

  “I didn’t know,” she said softly.

  “Were you told that Grady would hunt you if you ran and that he could go insane if you did?”

  She debated lying but then discarded that idea. “Yes.”

  Elroy’s eyelids narrowed into slits. “So you were willing to have me put my own damn son down? Is that what you’re telling me? Is this some damn game to you, Mika? We’re talking about my son’s life and sanity.”

  “He doesn’t want me.” She paused. “If he hadn’t had to mark me he never would have touched me. I went looking for him tonight when he didn’t come home and found a naked woman in his apartment who he’d called to come to his place.” Her chin lifted and some of her fear eased. “Then I heard him threaten my life. It’s not a game to me but I’m not going to stay put and be a sitting damn duck to a man I heard say he’s willing to kill me because he wants someone else.”

  The enraged look eased on the pack leader’s face. “That doesn’t make sense about the other woman. You’re marked and it’s mating season. No other woman would satisfy the needs he has right now but you.”

  “Tell that to the redheaded, naked woman in his shower who told me he called her. She said her name was Megan, his girlfriend.” She refused to cry in front of them so she fought the urge. “I told him if he cheated on me while we were together that I was leaving so he knew what would happen.”