by L Ann
Gemma had been kissed before. Deacon had kissed her before – each kiss being as different as the last. But had she ever been kissed like the man’s life depended on it for his survival?
But he isn’t a man, is he? A voice whispered in her head. He’s so much more than that and you should never forget what he is.
His heat surrounded her, his palms on her back. One hand sliding down her spine to stop just above the curve of her bottom. The other sliding up to press between her shoulder blades and pull her closer into him. And all the while, his mouth was on hers, tongue exploring, teeth nipping, drawing out her response with subtle expertise.
She ran her fingertips through the spiky tips of his hair, let one hand drift down his cheek, and rested her palm against his stubbled jaw.
Deacon huffed, and his breath brushed across her cheek as he lifted his head. His eyes, brilliant gold, met hers and his smile was wicked.
“And that,” he whispered against her ear, “is how you stop people asking if you’re okay.”
He nipped the lobe of her ear, and then he was gone, out of the house and strolling down the path toward the lake, whistling softly.
Deacon approached the lake on silent feet. He could see the shape of two figures lying in the grass, close together, but since they were both fully clothed, he didn’t think he was walking in on anything he shouldn’t.
As he moved closer, he could see that Cassie was lying on top of a picnic blanket, while Shaun was further down with his head resting on her stomach, an arm loosely draped across her hips. Her fingers were stroking through his hair, playing with the strands curling around his face. Both had their eyes closed.
He let his foot scrape against a stone, and Cassie turned her head, eyes opening, and lifted a finger to her lips. Deacon inclined his head and came to a stop at the edge of the blanket.
“Asleep?” he queried, his voice low, and she nodded.
“It was a bad night. It’s happening less often, but when it does–” she sighed. She slanted a worried look down at Shaun. “I think being out here helps.”
“It’s in our nature. Outdoors, forests, it soothes the wolf.” Deacon studied his twin thoughtfully. “Has he shifted since we got him back?”
Cassie considered his words. “I don’t think so. Or, if he has, he never mentioned it,” she said finally.
“He needs to shift.” He swung his leg and nudged Shaun in the thigh with his boot. “Come on, brother. Get your ass up.”
“Fuck off, Deke.” Shaun’s growled response was immediate, and Cassie’s eyes widened at the threat in his voice.
“Shaun–” she began and broke off at Deacon’s head-shake.
“Get up, asshole,” he said, planted the sole of his boot against Shaun’s side and shoved, knocking him away from Cassie.
Shaun sprang to his feet, eyes bright yellow. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with everyone lately. Damien comes back, causes shit and everyone breaks down. For fuck’s sake, it must be bad if I’m the most responsible one right now.” As he spoke, Deacon pulled off his t-shirt. “You might want to avert your eyes, Blondie,” he said and unbuttoned his jeans. “So Damien caught you by surprise. Boo fucking hoo. Am I the only one in this Pack who is willing to deal with this shit head on?” His lips peeled back in a growl. “Come on, brother. Let’s do this.”
He stepped back and the air shimmered. Wolf replaced man, and the golden-furred beast crouched and stared at Shaun.
“I’m not doing this,” Shaun snapped, and turned his back to the wolf, staring out over the lake.
The wolf darted forward, nipped at Shaun’s leg and dodged back when his brother swung a kick at him.
“Will you fuck off,” Shaun warned him.
A feint to the right and Deacon’s fangs sunk into his other calf.
~ Fucking change. ~ he sent at Shaun, whose eyes narrowed and then he was tearing off his own clothes.
The two wolves met in an explosion of growls,teeth and fur, and, on the edge of his awareness, Deacon heard Cassie shriek and scramble out of the way.
Deacon danced backwards, narrowly avoiding Shaun’s jaws closing on his throat and then hurled himself forward, buried his head into Shaun’s chest and launched them both into the lake.
He broke the surface of the water back in human form and spun around. Shaun rose beside him a second later and they stared at each other.
Deacon grinned. “Feel better?”
Shaun shook his head, sending water droplets flying. “Fucking asshole,” he muttered, but he smiled and bumped his brother’s shoulder with his own before wading back to shore.
Both men used their t-shirts to dry off, and pulled on their jeans before returning to where Cassie sat, one hand covering her eyes. They dropped onto the blanket either side of her and Shaun reached out to pull her toward him, so she was sitting between his sprawled legs. He looped his arms around her waist and tugged her back until she leaned against his chest.
Deacon watched his brother drop a kiss to the top of her head. Cassie lifted her hands and covered his where they lay across her stomach. He was glad his brother had found someone like Cassie. There had been a lot of women in both their lives over the years, but Cassie’s gentleness was something he knew his brother needed.
“Did you look for me just so you could have someone to swim with?” Shaun’s voice broke into his thoughts.
Deacon shook his head. “Have you spoken to Mac today?”
“Haven’t seen him. He did put out word there was to be a Pack meeting today. I assume that’s why you’ve come back from town?”
Deacon pulled his phone from his pocket and tossed it beside Shaun. “Check the messages.”
With a puzzled look, Shaun unwrapped a hand from Cassie, picked the phone up and unlocked it. Deacon kept his gaze trained on his brother while he navigated to the messages and knew from his expression the instant Shaun read the texts.
“Fuuuuck,” he breathed, and lifted his eyes to meet Deacon’s. “Do you think that’s what he–” he snapped his teeth closed, with a glance toward Cassie, who was twisting around trying to look at the phone’s screen.
“Let me see,” she said.
Shaun ignored her and handed the phone back to Deacon, who pocketed. It. Deacon knew Shaun was wondering, just like he was, whether the words in the text meant more than just a derogatory reference to Gemma’s looks.
“Is that what the meeting is about?”
“Amongst other things, yeah.”
“Shaun? Deacon? Tell me what it said!”
Without taking his eyes off Deacon, Shaun bent his head to drop a kiss in the curve where Cassie’s throat met her shoulder.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” he murmured.
“Don’t lie to me, Shaun!” She twisted around, kneeled up and put her hands on his shoulders.
“I’m not lying to you. I’m just not telling you everything.”
“If this is about Gemma or you …”
“Goldilocks,” he cupped her face between his palms. “It’s not that simple.”
“What Shaun is trying to say, Blondie, is that until you shift, you’re not fully Pack. You’re kinda on the outskirts, mated to a Pack member. And there are some things you’re better off not knowing,” Deacon jumped in.
“You agree with that?” she demanded, and Deacon heard Shaun’s faint sigh. When he didn’t reply, Cassie pushed herself to her feet. “Fine! I’ll go somewhere I am wanted!” She turned around and hurried back toward the house.
“Cass,” Shaun called after her. “Wait!” He stood and threw a tired look at Deacon. “Thanks, brother.”
Deacon shrugged. “She’s not really mad at you, just frustrated. Pack life isn’t normal for her.” He watched her disappear through the trees. “We should probably follow her. Who knows where Damien is.”
Both men moved as one, keeping Cassie in their sights until she reached the kitchen door and stepped inside.
/> Shaun caught Deacon’s arm just before they followed her in. “What else is this meeting about?”
“Mac told me someone spotted Sam Cooper at his family home.”
Shaun’s eyes narrowed, yellow bleeding into the green. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
“I spoke to him after I got those texts, so early hours of this morning. You were asleep, or so he thought. You know Mac works on his own time and he is less of a fan of repeating himself than we are.”
Shaun dragged a hand through his hair. “I guess we knew it was coming. There’s no way Damien was going to stay hidden for too long.” He gave a tired sigh. “What happened to him?”
Deacon slanted a sideways look at his twin. “There was always something off about him. Don’t!” he snapped when Shaun drew breath to argue. “You know there was. Yeah, we hunted together and, sure, you mightn’t want to think about it now, but we fucked together, too. Cassie probably won’t understand that, nor would Gemma. They weren’t raised as Pack. But even then, we both knew something wasn’t right.”
“We also both know his favourite way to play,” Shaun added, an unspoken question in his voice.
It was Deacon’s turn to sigh. “I’m getting there. She’s started talking to me, kind of. If that’s what he did to her–” he growled low in his throat.
“Your wolf doesn’t like that.”
“Fuck, I don’t like the idea either.”
Both fell silent until Shaun patted Deacon’s back and strode inside, leaving Deacon alone with his thoughts.
“Are you and Deacon-” Isabella’s voice dragged Gemma’s attention away from Deacon’s departing figure and back to the other two people in the kitchen. She turned slowly, feeling her cheeks heat.
“No, me and Deacon aren’t,” she replied. “He just likes to …” she trailed off.
To what? Test her limits? If that was the case, what was last night about?
She swallowed and changed the subject. “Where is everyone?”
“They’ll all appear soon enough. Male wolves can sniff out food from at least a mile away.”
“What about Roxie?”
Isabella laughed. “If you find Asher, you’ll find Roxie.
“Oh? Asher is at my house. I didn’t see Roxie there.” Gemma moved back to the table and sat down, absently reaching for one of the sandwiches. “Are they together?”
Chase snorted and shook his head. “Not for lack of trying on Roxie’s part. Asher is running scared.” He placed his empty plate on the countertop and moved toward the door. “It’s good to see you looking so well, Gemma,” he said with a smile, and exited the room.
“Cassie said you’ve gone back to work?” Isabella said into the silence.
“Yes, I did a shift last night, but they don’t need me back until the weekend. Which is probably a good job since Deacon insisted on coming here today. It wouldn’t have looked good going back and then having to ring in sick the next day.”
“You and Deacon. Are you sure nothing is going on? That little display before he went looking for Shaun seems to suggest otherwise.”
“There is no me and Deacon,” Gemma said firmly, uncomfortable with Isabella’s questions. “I’m going to take this food into the games room. Deacon said they usually go in there after their meetings.”
“Yes, they do,” Isabella agreed. “Gemma, if you ever need someone to talk to.”
Gemma picked up the serving platter and left without responding.
The study was filled with other Pack members by the time Deacon and Shaun arrived. After returning from the lake, they had both taken five minutes to change their clothes before meeting up to go to Cormac’s study together. They spotted Cormac seated behind the desk, leaning back in his chair silently, watching and listening to the inner circle of Pack members as they talked, bickered and discussed a variety of subjects.
The Pack fell silent when they entered, their appearance akin to an announcement that the meeting was about to start. A quick glance around told Deacon there were ten shifters present, including himself, Shaun, and Cormac. Chase and Jaden stood either side of Cormac, places customary reserved for Deacon and Shaun and, if they moved toward them, Deacon knew both shifters would fall back. Noah and Lucas, not usually present at high-level meetings hovered near to the door.
Caleb, an older wolf who had been friends with their parents as well as being the tracker who had taught both Shaun and Deacon, caught his eye. Deacon tapped Shaun’s arm and they headed toward him. The scent of an eleventh person caught his attention midway across the room and he stopped, eyes widening in surprise. Swinging his head around, his focus fell onto the only woman in the room.
Why was Mama Dawson here?
“Do you see that?” Deacon murmured to his brother, who nodded briefly. “Did you know she was here?”
“No.” Before Shaun could say anything further, Cormac rose to his feet.
“All right, everyone. Get yourselves comfortable.” He walked around and leaned against the front of his desk, arms folded across his chest. “I’m sure you’ve all spotted the new faces, so let’s get that out of the way first.” He nodded toward Mama Dawson, who stood and walked over to him. “Some of you will have been into town and met Rosalind already. She’s one of the few surviving members of the Draydon pack which, as you all know, we thought had been completely wiped out.
“As a lone shifter without Pack protection, I’d like to offer her status within Midnight.” His silver eyes scanned over his highest-ranking Pack members. “I assume I don’t need to put that to a vote?”
A chorus of amenable responses met his words and he nodded. “That brings me to the next item of business. Damien.”
Silence met his words, and Deacon could feel the tension rising in the room. While not everyone had been at the new Sanctuary at the time, they were all aware of what had happened just over a week ago.
“I will not rehash what happened last week, other than to say Damien is no longer recognised as part of the Midnight Pack. I know he had friends here.” His gaze slid to Deacon and Shaun. “He had a family. And we all mourned him when we thought he had died. But his actions were not those of a Pack member and I will not be lenient when we find him.” His silver eyes swept over every person in the room. “Is everyone clear on that? Does anyone wish to speak up on his behalf?”
“What he did to Shaun …” Deacon felt Shaun recoil beside him at the sound of Caleb’s voice. “That alone would be enough to expel him from the Pack, but what he did to the girls, to Scarlet,” the older wolf’s voice broke, “and to the young lass of Deacon’s – that demands more.”
The silence at the older Shifter’s words was palpable. They all knew what both Cormac and Caleb were saying – only Damien’s death would be an acceptable outcome.
“Deacon?”
Deacon stepped up beside his brother. “Damien made contact last night. Two text messages, both threatening Gemma. Whether he’s targeting her to get to Shaun, or he wants her for another reason, I don’t know. But it means he’s active and he’s local. He’s watching and waiting. Be vigilant. No one is to leave the Sanctuary alone – especially our females.”
“Which brings us to the final piece of this puzzle,” Cormac took over again. “Sam Cooper – Cassie’s ex-boyfriend, who was complicit in Damien being able to take Shaun unawares.” He glanced at Shaun, who looked back impassively. “Noah, Lucas,” Cormac waved the two young shifters forward.
The younger of the two, Noah, licked his lips and clasped his hands together. Lucas gave Cormac a nervous smile.
“I’ve had Lucas and Noah watching Gemma since she returned to town. When Deacon took it upon himself to deal with her security personally, I tasked them with monitoring the family home of Sam Cooper. Yesterday afternoon, they saw Cooper coming out of the house briefly, looking very much alive and well.”
“He hasn’t left the grounds at all,” Noah added softly.
“We scouted around to see if we could find any trace
of Damien, but there’s nothing,” Lucas added.
“Lucas and Noah will return to town with Rosalind, posing as distant relatives she’s recently reconnected with. They’re going to keep noses to the ground and monitor the town for any whispers of Damien.”
“What about Cooper?” Shaun asked.
Cormac looked at his brother for a long moment and Deacon knew he was making a decision. He placed a hand on Shaun’s arm, cautioning patience.
“We go out tonight and check the place out. Myself, Jaden, Deacon–”
“I’m going,” Shaun cut in.
“You’re still recovering.”
Shaun folded his arms across his chest. “It wasn’t a request.”
Deacon looked from Shaun to Cormac, sighed silently and stepped between them. “Shaun and I are the best trackers in the Pack. And we’re at our best when we work together.”
“I don’t think–” Cormac began.
“I’ll either leave with you, before you or after you. But I will be going.” Shaun stepped around Deacon and in front of Cormac. “I have the right.”
The two brothers held each other’s gaze and then Cormac nodded abruptly. “So be it. Myself, Jaden, Deacon, Shaun, and Caleb. Chase,” he turned to where the sandy-haired shifter stood near the window. “I’m afraid you must keep everyone in line here.”
Chase snorted. “Doing recon would be so much easier.”
Cormac smiled faintly. “All right, gentlemen. I want the rest of you to take turns monitoring our grounds tonight. I don’t want anything or anyone who shouldn’t be here getting on our land.” He walked around to the other side of his desk and sat down, indicating the meeting was over.
Deacon and Shaun waited as their Pack brothers slowly left the study, leaving them and Mama Dawson behind. Before she left, Mama Dawson leaned close to Cormac and whispered something in his ear. A ghost of a smile crossed their elder brother’s lips and he nodded. The older woman patted his hand and exited the study, the two younger shifters peeling away from the wall outside to follow her.
