Midnight Temptation

by L Ann

  Deacon closed the door and flopped into a seat in front of the desk. Shaun followed suit.

  “What’s going on with Chase and Isabella?” Deacon asked.

  He saw Shaun turn his head sharply toward him at the question, but kept his eyes on Cormac who merely smiled.

  “Nothing you have to be concerned about. Isabella has needs I cannot satisfy.”

  “Cannot or will not?” Shaun muttered.

  “A little of both. Neither of us has any desire to be mated to the other, but she needs our Pack.”

  “You don’t need to be a mated couple for her to be a part of Midnight. What’s really going on?” Deacon pushed. “You’ve never been one for refusing a woman your bed. And I remember when Isabella first came to us. She made it clear that was what she expected.”

  “Expected, yes. Wanted? Well, that’s a different matter entirely. Refusing her father’s suggestion we tighten the bonds of our Packs through mating would have caused an insult to his Pack we couldn’t afford … can’t afford right now.”

  “So what? You’re just going to keep this farce of a courtship going until he dies?” Deacon smirked. “I could just go kill him and speed up the process.”

  “Why is that your go-to answer for everything?”

  Deacon shrugged. “It hasn’t failed to resolve a problem yet.”

  “Isabella loves him, even if his misguided need to bind our Pack to his is guiding him. Murdering her father wouldn’t help our Pack relations.” Cormac leaned back in his chair. “And breaking off the courtship would mean she would have to return to his home.”

  “And how is that a problem?”

  Cormac sighed, reached out for the bottle of bourbon and glass sitting on one corner of the desk. Pouring a drink, he offered the bottle to his brothers who shook their heads.

  “Do you remember her mother?” he asked.

  Deacon and Shaun exchanged glances.

  “Caterina?” Shaun said softly. “She was our mother’s closest friend. They grew up together if I remember the stories correctly.”

  “That’s right.” Mac took a sip from his glass. “Caterina was visiting the night our parents were killed. It was assumed she was killed with them, but we never recovered her body.”

  “I remember that,” Deacon said slowly. “Well, I remember being told about it, anyway. We were what … ten?”

  “You were, yes.” Another sip, and he swirled the liquid in the glass, looking at it speculatively. “Isabella doesn’t think her mother is dead.” His eyes lifted, touched upon first Shaun then Deacon. “Do you think I picked this location for our new Sanctuary randomly?”

  “You think Caterina is here somewhere?” Shaun quirked an eyebrow.

  “It’s not as much of a stretch as you might think. Did you expect to find survivors of the Draydon Pack here? Or Damien? There’s something about this town that draws wolves … and hunters.” His sigh was heavy, his eyes troubled when he next looked at his brothers. “Haven’t you stopped to think why Sam Cooper was so desperate to keep hold of Cassie? Why Damien kept Gemma, attempted to break her, and now wants her back?

  “No? Nothing?” He waited and when neither of his brothers replied, Mac placed the glass down and leaned forward. “The Coopers are Hunters. Shaun, Cassie’s old roommate told you of the things that happened at their home. The parties, the girls they bring in?” He lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Those girls are half-breeds. They track half-breed offspring – kill the males, take the females.”

  “How do you know?” Shaun demanded. “And how do Cassie and Gemma fit into this?”

  “Rosalind Dawson. When Damien took you, obviously we were distracted, trying to find you and bring you home. Then Scarlet’s body was found, and the Pack needed time to mourn her loss. Until a day or so ago, I hadn’t been able to find the time to meet Rosalind and talk with her. I wish I had spoken to her sooner. It would have answered so many questions.

  “Questions like how quickly am I going to fuck you over if you don’t get to the point?” Deacon growled.

  Cormac ignored his provocative comment and swallowed another mouthful of bourbon. “Rosalind told me there have been rumours about the Cooper men for years. Women are nothing more than a commodity. Something to use, trade, swap. They have two functions within a Hunter household – housework or sex. Women born to the families are kept as unpaid housemaids, they sell some to other Hunter families. I guess for breeding purposes.”

  “You think that’s what Sam wanted Cassie for?” Shaun asked, his hands gripping the arms of the chair he was sitting in, knuckles whitening.

  “I don’t think it would be too much of a leap to think that’s what he had in mind, but there could be another reason. Rosalind said she thinks he knew Cassie and Gemma were half-breeds. And if she’s right, and the Coopers are a family of Hunters …” He left the rest of the sentence hanging.

  “Fuck,” Deacon breathed. “We’ve moved right into the viper’s nest. “He stiffened. “Wait! You said this wasn’t a random choice of Sanctuary?”

  “That’s right. Isabella has been searching for her mother for years. She found an online article talking about the Cooper family – nothing overly suspicious. Just talking about the ties the family has with the area and there was a photograph of Sam, his father, and a woman referred to as Jeremiah Cooper’s second wife. Isabella swears that the image was that of her mother.”

  “You think whoever murdered our parents sold Caterina to the Coopers?” Deacon could feel the fury of his wolf building in his head.

  “Or they were involved,” Shaun added, just as furiously.

  “The answer could be either or both, or neither. As yet, I have nothing more concrete than a photograph. There’s been no sign of Caterina since we arrived. But we have been a little busy with other things.”

  “Who else knows?” Deacon demanded.

  “Isabella, Rosalind and now the two of you.”

  “What’s the plan?” Deacon looked at his twin and knew his own eyes burned as angrily as Shaun’s.

  “Tonight, we track. See what we see. And then we plan.” Cormac rose to his feet. “Go and spend some time with your women or the Pack. Distract yourselves. We leave once it’s dark.”

  Gemma sat with Isabella, Roxie and Cassie in the games room, watching as the Pack males drifted in and out, grabbed food, beers, and paused to talk to the women or play pool before wandering away again.

  She knew the moment Deacon entered the room even though her back was turned. The hairs on the back of her neck lifted, and a strange static-like feeling ran up her arms. Cassie bounced up off the couch and hurried across to wrap her arms around Shaun’s neck and plant a long kiss on his lips.

  “I’m sorry,” Gemma heard her whisper when they broke apart.

  “Me too, Goldilocks,” Shaun replied.

  Gemma had no idea what had gone on between them and wasn’t about to ask. Her own eyes had sought out and found Deacon, who had stalked into the room almost vibrating with anger. She watched as he snatched up a pool cue, ignoring the muttered greetings around him and set up the balls on the table to his liking then took a shot. The balls hit each other with enough impact to send them flying in separate directions, and he moved around the table potting each ball in rapid succession.

  As he approached the end of the pool table where Gemma sat on the couch, he slowed and his head turned in her direction. His eyes dipped to where her teeth were gnawing on her bottom lip and then rose slowly again to meet hers, shining gold. His tongue swept out to lick across his lips and the breath caught in her throat.

  At her sharp intake of breath, his lips jerked up into a wolfish smile, and the gold receded from his eyes leaving them dark brown and dancing with laughter.

  With a wink, he spun away and turned his attention back to the table where Shaun was resetting the balls for a fresh game. Cassie settled down beside her.

  “Is something going on between you and Deacon?” her sister asked.

/>   “No, why do people keep asking me that?” Gemma dragged her eyes away from where Deacon was leaning across the pool table to take his shot and looked at Cassie. “You and Shaun seem happy.”

  Cassie smiled, almost glowing with happiness. “It sounds crazy, but it’s like he’s always been a part of my life. It just works, you know?”

  “Have the mate markings started to show yet?”

  “Not yet, but Shaun said it’s something that’ll happen over weeks, not days.”

  “What about shifting? Felt like howling at the moon at all?”

  Cassie laughed. “Don’t be mean. And no, no urge to change form.”

  “Do you want to?” Gemma twisted to face her sister. “Have you thought about it at all?”

  “I’m not worried about it. It’ll either happen, or it won’t. Cormac thinks it will, but he says it might be something I have to work at.” She glanced around to see whether Shaun or Deacon were listening and lowered her voice. “I just want all this stuff with Damien and Sam over with before I think about it.”

  Gemma forced herself not to react to Damien’s name, and held herself still. She hated the constant fear, the way just his name could trigger an emotional reaction. To distract herself, she leaned forward and picked up a book from the coffee table and flicked through the pages.

  “That’s Roxie’s,” Cassie murmured, with an amused glance in the younger Shifter’s direction.

  Roxie’s cheeks burned, even as she laughed. Gemma raised an eyebrow. She couldn’t imagine the young woman reading a book with the content she’d just seen inside.

  With a mumbled excuse about forgetting to do something, Roxie shot from the room.

  Isabella sighed. “She has her eye on one of the boys. Chase seems to think it’s Asher. She picked up a few of those books to get ideas, she says.”

  “Oh my God.” Gemma looked down at the book in her hands, then back at Isabella. “I’m not sure who I’m more worried about. Roxie, when she tries some of the things from it, or Asher when he’s on the receiving end.”

  “I’m sure once she convinces him it’s a good idea, he’ll be completely on board with trialling a few things.” Isabella rose to her feet. “I better go and make sure she’s okay.”

  “And I really need a nap,” Cassie said. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.” She patted Gemma’s hand. “We’ll catch up later, okay?”

  Gemma gave her sister a smile and returned her attention to the book in her hand.

  “What’s this?” Deacon swiped the book from Gemma’s hand as he rounded the pool table. He’d been half-aware of Gemma’s scent and emotions while she’d been talking to Cassie and after her sister left the room, he took the opportunity to try and stem the spike of fear that had risen in her scent. Looking down at the half-naked man on the cover, he flashed her a grin. “Never took you for a romance reader, Starshine.”

  “It’s Roxie’s,” Gemma denied, and Shaun laughed softly.

  Deacon opened the book and ran his finger down a page.

  “She gazed longingly at his throbbing member,” Deacon snorted. “Throbbing member? What the fuck is this shit?”

  Gemma tried to snatch the book out of his hands and, smirking, Deacon raised it above his head. With his free hand, he slowly pulled at the waistband of his sweats and peered down inside them.

  “Do you think a throbbing member would indicate some kind of STD? I don’t think my dick has ever throbbed.”

  Shaun looked up from where he was lining up his shot. “Pretty sure it’d throb if someone kicked you in it.”

  “Will you give that back?” She leaned forward to grab the book, and Deacon shot around to the opposite side of the table, turning the pages.

  “he parted her sopping folds.”

  Shaun groaned. “Really, Deke? You’re putting me off my game.”

  “What is she, fucking laundry? Folds?” He glanced at Gemma. “You enjoy reading this shit?”

  “I told you, it’s Roxie’s.”

  “She stroked a hand over his pulsating length and–” Deacon broke off, laughing when Gemma stormed across the room and tried to take it from him. He fended her off with one hand, easily, still reading the book. “With a moan, she felt him stretch her wide, filled her body with his hot velvety rod.” He looked over at his brother, who was leaning against the pool table, watching him. “Are you horny? Does it make you want to go and jump Cassie and …” he scanned the page … “make her suck you dry.”

  “Don’t really need to find an excuse to do that,” Shaun murmured as he lined up the cue and took his shot.

  “Can you please not talk about having sex with my sister?”

  “We’re not,” Deacon snickered. “We’re talking about her giving Shaun’s lollipop a lick.”

  “Oh my God!” Gemma gave up trying to take the book and covered her ears with her hands. “You are disgusting.”

  “I’m not the one reading such … stimulating material.” Deacon held the book out to her, and Gemma snatched it out of his hand. She threw them both a dirty look, and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

  Deacon hid a smirk, knowing his distraction technique had worked and Gemma was no longer thinking about Damien. He collected his pool cue and leaned over the table.

  “Why do you wind her up so much?” Shaun’s question came just as Deacon aimed and he jerked, sending the ball wide.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He stepped back and waved a hand at the table. “It’s your turn.”

  “Cassie’s worried about her. She won’t talk about what happened. I know you said you’re working on it, but … “

  Deacon cocked an eyebrow. “You honestly think she tells me her deep dark secrets?”

  Shaun shrugged, took his shot, smiling as the ball sank into the pocket, and moved around the table. “She might. You’re the one who got her out, and you’re spending a lot of time with her.”

  “I’m also the one who saw the state she was in. She doesn’t like that.”

  “She was sleeping in your bed when she was here.”

  “And I slept over there.” Deacon nodded toward the couch. He didn’t mention the two nights he’d just spent in her bed, or how close they had come to something happening the night before. “I don’t know what you want me to say, brother. She doesn’t tell me shit. Not unless I provoke her.”

  “Maybe if you were nicer to her.”

  Deacon snorted. “I’m as nice as she needs me to be.”

  Sam Cooper’s family home was located on a walled-off acre of land set at the far end of Greene Valley. The five Pack members drove to a small copse of trees a mile away from the house, stripped out of their clothes and shifted. They ran the rest of the way on foot.

  ~ Did you say Cassie’s roommate had spent time at the house? ~ Deacon asked Shaun as they loped toward the wall surrounding the house and its land.

  ~ Yes. Everything Rebekah mentioned ties in with a lot of what Mac heard from Rosalind. ~

  ~ Would it be worth asking if she’s seen Caterina? ~ Cormac asked.

  ~ Unlikely. The impression she gave me was that she wasn’t there to socialise, she was there to use. ~

  Deacon growled. ~ And the Hunters claim we’re the animals. ~

  They fell silent at his words and didn’t speak again until they reached the Cooper residence.

  Deacon was the first to catch the scent of someone he recognised. He had been running with his nose close to the ground, tracking the various smells and scents as they moved and, as the familiar smell hit his nose, he halted.

  ~ Fuck. ~ He couldn’t stop the curse from spilling out, and the rest of the pack turned to look at him. ~ Can’t you smell it? It’s faint, but it’s there. ~

  Four muzzles dropped to the ground. It was Jaden who vocalised what they all recognised.

  ~ Scarlet. ~ The anguish in his whispered thought froze all the wolves in their tracks.

  Deacon and Shaun exchanged glances and moved as one
to either side of their Pack brother. While neither Scarlet nor Jaden had ever formally announced a relationship, or even really showed anything publicly, it had been an open secret they had been together.

  ~ We thought Damien had kept Scarlet, but what if we were wrong? ~ Deacon asked Cormac. ~ What if Sam took her and brought her here? ~

  ~ Damien was always very close to Scarlet. ~ Shaun added. ~ Before she and … ~ His eyes slid to Jaden. ~ I’ll be honest, I thought he killed her out of jealousy, but what if he wasn’t responsible? ~

  ~ It changes nothing. ~ Deacon snapped. ~ He still took you, drugged and hurt Gemma. ~

  ~ I’m not suggesting it changes anything, DJ. ~ Shaun responded. ~ I’m simply stating it means Cooper is more involved than just wanting to get me out of the way so he could get to Cassie. In fact, he didn’t even try to get to her. Was that because of Scarlet? ~

  ~ It’s a good question. ~ Cormac joined the discussion. ~ If they are Hunters, after hearing Rosalind’s story about how they take our females to birth half-breeds, it could have been his intent. ~

  ~ Scarlet would have fought. ~ Jaden said softly. ~ There’s no way she would have given up without a fight. ~

  Cormac swung his head to look at Caleb. ~ Take Jaden and track Scarlet’s scent. See if you can find anything which gives us a bigger picture on what happened. Shaun, Deacon – see if you can trace Damien at all. I want to see if I can get closer. I’ll manage that better alone. ~

  Caleb and Jaden took off without a word. Deacon eyed his brothers.

  ~ Damien is masking his scent, somehow. We already know that. I don’t think we’ll find a scent around here. ~

  ~ Let’s not assume. There’s always the slight chance whatever he’s doing to mask it stopped working for a while. Or maybe you’ll spot something else. ~ Cormac replied.

  Shaun huffed. ~ There’s more chance of finding out we identified the body wrong and Scarlet is still alive. ~ he said quietly.

  ~ Even so. ~ Cormac left the sentence hanging and turned to look toward the wrought-iron gates. ~ I’m going to get closer. ~