by Lacey Thorn
Her father was quiet for a long moment. “Are you in danger, Jess?”
“Dad, I’m with friends. I’m fine.”
“You trust these friends?”
“Yes.” There was no doubt in her mind they’d do everything to protect her.
“How close are you to these new friends you’ve made?”
He’d never been one to leave things alone. He pressed and dug until he got the answers he wanted. It was a trait he’d passed on to his daughter.
“Very close.”
“If he can’t fight or take flight, then there’s one other way I can think of. Does this friend of yours have a significant other? A boyfriend or girlfriend?”
“Why?” Jess asked.
“When adrenaline is still high from battle or fear or whatever created the increase, people will do other things to burn off steam. Physical things. Do you understand what I’m suggesting?”
She thought she did, but her dad wasn’t usually one to beat around the bush.
“Just tell me what you’re thinking, Dad.”
“Sex, Jess. If he can’t fight, if he can’t run, sex offers an outlet of release. It would most likely be dominant and potentially…rough in the beginning. Previous emotional intimacy might temper that, but there are no guarantees. There are numerous parameters to consider, and you haven’t given me enough information to know what to suggest as an accurate alternative.”
She nodded though he couldn’t see her. Sex. Damn, why hadn’t she thought of that?
“Jess?”
“I’m here. You’re right. In the short term, that might be a viable option to look into.”
“How soon can you get stuff sent to me?” her father asked. “I can start right away. My teaching assistant can step in for the next few days, so I can focus on your anomaly.”
“I’ll get them to you as soon as I can.” Translate that to as soon as she could figure out how. She trusted her father. She’d have to show her wolves they could trust him, too.
“Anything else you need? I keep hearing something in your voice. What are you not telling me?” God love him, he’d always known when she was holding something back.
For the longest time, it had been Mueller, party of two. Then her father had emotionally adopted her friend Abby as a daughter, though Jess wasn’t sure the other woman realized it yet. He kept tabs on them both.
Now, Jess would be introducing a new element into their lives. One that could potentially bring problems he had no way of foreseeing. How could she do that? She thought of her wolves. How could she not? She loved them, was part of their pack. That meant her father was, too. She’d find a way to make it work.
She swallowed, knowing her next words would tell him exactly what she was researching in Oregon. “Do you remember the research we did up in Alaska? The notes about the three sisters? Would you scan those in and send them to me?” He’d know to send them to the secure email they’d set up.
She heard the catch of his breath. “I can fly out immediately. I’ll file the paperwork for a temporary leave today. I’ll catch the first flight out.”
“No. Really. I need you there, Dad.”
“I’m asking this one more time, Jessara, and I want you to remember I’m your father. Are you in danger?”
She didn’t lie to her father. Never had. Had never felt a need to. And she wouldn’t start now.
“They are,” she whispered as the door of Michael’s room was pushed ajar. Derrick loomed large in the opening, and he didn’t look happy. “I love you.”
Derrick’s brow lifted, but it was her father who replied.
“I love you, baby girl. Get me that information as soon as possible. I’ll be waiting.” He paused for a brief moment. “Should we call Abby for another pair of eyes?”
“No,” she ordered. Hell, she wasn’t sure how she’d get the information to her dad, much less dealing with Abby in the mix. Besides, Abby was chasing her own shifter dreams, and now, Jess knew there was every possibility her friend would find them. “Not yet, Dad. Only you.”
“Of course. Of course. I’ll start working on uploading the journals to you and be waiting for the files. I love you, and my offer to come to you and your friends stands. Let me know.”
“I will, Dad. Love you.”
Derrick headed for her as soon as the call ended, hand out in silent command.
“No way,” she refused, clutching the coveted phone close.
“Give it here,” he demanded, wiggling his fingers at her.
“No.” She shook her head. “You broke my phone, and Michael doesn’t mind if I borrow his.”
He lifted a brow. “Give me the phone, Jess.”
“No. I mean it. I need this phone. My dad has this number now as a way to contact me, if needed. You can’t cut me off from him, Derrick. It can’t be a you or him thing.” She wouldn’t choose. Couldn’t.
Derrick shook his head. “He can’t know about us, Jess. It wouldn’t be safe.”
“According to Cody, he’s already in danger simply because I’m here,” she countered. “I won’t let him be unaware of that. He needs to know what we’re up against. How can we protect him from what he doesn’t know?”
“No one knows about you right now,” Derrick argued.
“But they will. Your enemies will become mine and my father’s, also. I need to know he’s aware of what to watch for.”
“Jess.”
“Derrick.” She glared at him. “My father is willing to help us. Not only can he be a huge asset when it comes to the tests on Michael, but he knows people. And I’m not talking about connections, though he has those, as well, if needed. I’m talking about instinct when it comes to lab work, not just what to look for but where to look. Not to mention his knowledge of cultures and how people think. He can help you. He can help all of us.”
“Jess—”
“Please, Derrick. For me. He’s my father. I can’t be where he’s not accepted.” She didn’t mean to play on what was forming between them, but somehow, she knew he could feel how important her father was to her.
He crossed over and swept her up in his arms, carrying her out of Michael’s room and straight to his. Theirs. Mates.
“I don’t know how to be a mate,” she told him as the thought entered her mind.
“Obedience is key,” he assured her, but she saw the humor in his eyes.
“We’re doomed then. I definitely don’t see you as the obedient type.”
He laughed, sitting on the bed with her on his lap. He cradled her face in his hands and bent to brush her lips with his.
“We’ll figure it out. It means honesty and trust.”
“How many mates do you take?”
“Only one,” he murmured. “We mate for life, Jess. You’re it for me.”
She wasn’t sure what to think of that. “I’m confused.”
“About?” he prompted when she didn’t continue. God, she had no idea how to admit what she felt.
“I wanted Michael earlier. When he kissed me. There was a physical pull toward him.”
Derrick swallowed but nodded. It gave her the courage to continue.
“I’m attracted to Cody and Adrian. I don’t understand it. I’ve only dated two men my entire life. Then I saw you. One look, Derrick, and I would have followed you anywhere. Then Cody was there, too. And I felt the same pull. Adrian. Michael. I don’t understand. This isn’t me. I don’t know how to handle this, and I don’t want to hurt you. Any of you.”
He kissed her again. Soft and slow.
“As long as you’re honest with me, you won’t hurt me.”
“Then I should warn you that where I am, my dad follows. Always. He’s all I have, Derrick.”
“Not anymore. You have us now, too.”
“And you guys have us. It goes both ways.”
Derrick sighed. “I’ll talk to the others about it. It’s not just about the four of us, though. This is about our packs, our existence. Knowledge of us and them p
uts every wolf shifter at risk. That’s not something we take lightly.”
“My father would never do anything to put you at risk. He’d guard your secrets with his life.”
And didn’t that scare the hell out of her.
“That’s what I’m afraid of, Jess. The last thing we want is to put him in danger from our enemies.”
“Then we have to arm him with the knowledge he needs. And let him know we’ll come for him, if he’s ever in danger.”
Derrick nodded. “I promise you, if he’s ever threatened or we feel his life is in danger, we’ll protect him. By whatever means is necessary.”
“Good because I want to send him some information on Michael’s blood tests.”
“No.”
“Listen to me first,” she argued. “He had some great ideas when I told him what I was looking at.”
“Jesus, Jess.”
She ignored the censure in his voice. “He had some ideas about where we could look to find concise evidence of what’s going on. And he gave me another avenue that might alleviate Michael’s current physical condition.”
“How?” Derrick demanded. “What did he say?”
“Question first. Does Michael have a mate?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she doubted them. “Never mind. Of course, he doesn’t, or he wouldn’t have grabbed me.”
“How do you know that?”
“You said you guys only mate once. If he had a mate, he wouldn’t have kissed me. Wait. Why do I feel like he still wants me even after we mated? When we were all in the room together, after you and I…”
“Mated,” he offered when she paused.
“Shouldn’t there be some type of thing against that. Like no touching another wolf’s mate?”
Derrick laughed. “Yes. Apparently, Michael shares your confusion.”
“Oh.” She swallowed then plunged ahead. “Does he have anyone?”
“He has us. Adrian’s his best friend. Like Cody’s mine.”
“I mean romantically speaking.”
“Romantically or sexually?” Derrick asked. “And where are you going with this?”
“There’s another possibility to help Michael get out of the perpetual fight or flight he’s stuck in.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with…” She saw the knowledge fill his gaze as he paused. “Fucking. When adrenaline is high and the fight is over, we fuck. Shit! Michael even mentioned that. He said he either wanted to run or fuck.”
“Does he have a woman or man or wolf, that he could, umm, hook up with?”
Derrick shook his head. That must be why they hadn’t considered it when Michael had mentioned it. Because it hadn’t been a viable option. Not then.
Jess swallowed, bracing herself for Derrick’s reaction to her next statement.
“Then you’re really not going to like my next suggestion.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Jaw tense as his nostrils flared.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Exactly.”
Chapter Twelve
“No,” Derrick growled. “Hell, no. Don’t even think about it.”
“What if it’s the only way to save him?” Jess argued.
“By having you fuck him in his current aggressive state?” Derrick struggled to keep his voice below a roar even when he saw awareness in her gaze. “You didn’t think I’d think of that? I’m not stupid, and it’s not fucking happening.”
“I never thought that. Listen to me for a minute.”
“No,” he interrupted. God, she’d drive him crazy. She made him insane and… He needed her. It was the reason he’d mated her so quickly. Something inside her called to him as nothing and no one else ever had.
He cupped her jaw, tilting her face to meet his. He took her mouth, one palm gripping her ass and jerking her to him. He thrust his tongue inside on her gasp, taking full advantage. He pulled them both under and had her undressed and sitting on the bed by the time he let her up for air. He gripped her knees, jerking them up so she tumbled back to recline as he went to his knees.
He flattened his tongue and ran it through her folds. God, she was delicious. He moved his hands so he could use his thumbs to spread her lips, dipping the tip of his tongue inside before skimming it up to rub over her clit. Her fingers speared through his hair, gripping him tight as she lifted her hips into his touch.
He ate with abandon, exploring her sex with his mouth and fingers. He took the time to note how she liked to be touched, where and with what type of pressure. He discovered she enjoyed the scrape of his teeth against her inner thighs while preferring a light suction on her clit. She liked his fingers fucking into her with the tips curved slightly upward. He made her come twice and could have continued if his cock wasn’t torturing him.
He stood, spreading her thighs wider as he pulled her hips to the edge of the bed. His penis brushed her folds, his precum mixing with her juices and creating the perfect lubrication. He fucked through her folds, soaking himself in her before allowing his crown to lodge at her opening. Holding her sultry gaze, he pressed deep, only stopping when she held every inch inside her.
He stayed buried, bending down to claim her mouth once more. He needed her kiss as much as he needed to be inside her. The position forced his erection impossibly deeper, and he swore he saw stars. She lifted her thighs to grip his hips and pulled herself higher into him. Their kiss broke with a groan. He cupped her hips, jerking from her clasp until his cock slipped almost completely free. Then he surged deep again, taking her hard and fast as if somehow, he could mark her on the inside, as well.
His. She was his, and he wouldn’t let her do anything to knowingly put herself in harm’s way. What she was suggesting… He growled, the rumble rising from his chest and spilling from his throat. She reached up, one delicate hand rubbing against his chest no doubt in an attempt to soothe him.
“Derrick.”
He loved the husky timber of her voice. The way his name sounded on her tongue. Her taste still on his.
He dropped his head to her neck, licking over the mark he’d left on her and enjoying the way she shivered. With another growl, he bit, groaning at the way her sheath tightened and pulsed around his shaft. His orgasm followed on the heels of hers, flooding her with his semen, and god help him, he wanted to pull out and coat her in him again. As if a second covering of his seed would somehow end the feelings she had for the three other wolves. That they had for her. Feelings that were sending him into full on alpha mode in a need to make sure everyone knew he was her first mate. Not her only, but her first. Fuck! Nothing made sense when it came to his wild, little mate.
It took him a moment to realize she was crying. She didn’t make a sound, and it wasn’t until he tasted the salt of her tears on his tongue that he became aware.
“Did I hurt you?” He went to pull away from her, but she wrapped around him, clinging tightly, so all he could do was maneuver them until he reclined on the bed with her draped over him. He ran his hands up and down her back. It was his turn to soothe her. “God, baby. Tell me I didn’t hurt you. I never want to hurt you.”
He’d lost control and taken her rougher than he’d intended. It took every ounce of will to refrain from warning her it would be even worse if she put her plan to save Michael in place. Derrick was still in control of his wolf. Michael. Not so much.
“Jess?” He tried to nudge her face up, so he could see her.
“What if it were you?” she mumbled against his chest.
“What?”
She lifted her face, staring at him with tear-drenched eyes. “What if you’d been hit by the dart? What if I were Michael’s mate? Or Cody’s? Or Adrian’s? Would I be forced to watch you die? Is that what we’re doing? Watching Michael die?”
“No, I—”
“Who’s next?” she asked, speaking over him. “Who will they target next? When Michael’s gone? You? Cody? Adrian? What happens when they’ve taken you all? What
happens with this drug that prevents you from shifting and locks you into a situation they hope will pit you against one another? Where you’re forced to kill another alpha? A friend? What happens when I have no one else to belong with? I don’t want to lose you, Derrick. Any of you. I just found you. We haven’t even had a chance. I need a chance to show you how much you mean to me. How much I already love you.”
He held her while she sobbed, hating the tears she shed. Hating more that he was part of the cause. She broke his heart with how much she cared. How much she wanted to be with him. With all of them. She made him think, and somehow, she reached the wolf inside him so that what he contemplated didn’t seem so impossible. Crazy, yes. Hard, absolutely. It would take a whole hell of a lot of trust from all of them. He couldn’t believe the thought was even in his head, but now that it was, it was as if it were meant to be there. As if it had been waiting for him to focus on it and find it. Or he was finally losing his mind. Either was possible.
He held her until the emotional release pulled her into sleep. Only then did he ease from the bed. He tugged on clothes before heading downstairs to check in with Cody then Michael and Adrian. He bypassed the room Michael and Adrian were in and headed for Cody and the lab first.
“Anything?” he asked as he entered.
Cody blew out a rough breath. “More of the same. Jess managed to program a test that’s trying to isolate the anomaly in his blood.”
“And?” Derrick prompted.
“We know he’s stuck in fight or flight. She managed to isolate it in a way that focused on the animal genetics. It’s there. It’s hidden when looking at the blended DNA, but there in the animal alone.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Derrick asked. It didn’t sound like anything good.
“Whatever drug they used, it’s attaching to his animal side.” Cody turned to face him. “What do our instincts have us do when we’re injured or need to make a quick escape?”
“We shift.”
Cody nodded. “Yes, but they gave him something to prevent that.”
“It usually wears off,” Derrick stated. At least, it always had in the past.
Cody nodded. “Yes. That worries me. It’s as if the synthetic hormone builds the need to shift to a level that can’t be ignored. So when the ability comes back, it’s the first thing he’ll do. Whatever they hit him with is reacting with his animal side in a way that makes me think that would be a very bad idea. Shit, Derrick, I’m not sure he’d be able to shift back. At all.”
