Branded by Lust: 4 (Night Seekers) (10 page)

She stood there watching him until the cold air chilled her.
Closing the door, she flipped on the back outside light and went to search
Logan’s cupboards for the makings of hot chocolate. She was sure he’d want some
when he got back.

Then she dug her ereader out of her purse and opened it to
the book she’d been reading and settled down to wait.

* * * * *

Logan loved the cold, running in it as wolf, the feel of it
against his coat like the edge of a sharp knife. It heightened all his senses
and made his blood pump faster. He had to remind himself that this wasn’t an
outing for fun alone, that he had a purpose and a goal. He needed to scout the
area at night before taking Rebecca out on horseback in the daylight.

The idea of the horses had come to him while they were
studying the maps Rance Danvers had brought as well as the aerial photography
Ric sent to his computer. There were a number of areas where snowmobiles would
be tricky and ATVs too cumbersome. Places where there were huge stands of lodgepole
pines rising from carpets of bluebunch wheatgrass and rough fescue. The
pastureland was covered with the same grasses as well as Idaho fescue. He knew
how important it was to manage forested ecosystems that were used for grazing.
Every rancher in Montana did. At least in his area.

But beyond the trees, hills of rocks—now iced over—rose like
silent sentinels. They were filled with places where the beast could carve out
a den for itself in the ice and snow. They’d have to be very careful, taking
the horses that were the most surefooted, but they could get to otherwise
inaccessible places.

He ran with the wind at his face, scenting the air for any
traces of the creature. Of course, other than the faint odor of turpentine they
had no other scent to use as an identifier, but he could always hope.

The longer he ran the more his strides lengthened so he was
covering great areas of ground. The snow, without any fresh snowfall for a few
days, had firmed up and was hard-packed enough that he didn’t sink into it.
That was something else on his list to test—was it solid enough to be safe for
the horses?

Logan ran through open pastureland until he reached the
first thick stand of trees, pausing to catch his breath and survey the area.
The night sounds of wild animals broke the chilly silence. Whitetail deer,
moose, mountain goats and wolves liked to throw all-night parties and he caught
glimpses of them in and around the trees. He was careful to sniff for the scent
of bear, a predator that all living things feared greatly. There weren’t too
many in this particular area, but they roamed over such a great amount of land
that you never knew when one would pop up and decide you were on the menu for
its next meal.

He also paid careful attention to the wolves, making sure
their scent was pure animal. He hadn’t heard of other shapeshifters in the area
in all the time he’d lived here but that didn’t mean some hadn’t shown up since
he’d left.

He wove in and out among the trees until he came to rocky
outcroppings and paused again to survey the area. Here was the kind of
landscape that provided good hiding places for the Chupacabra and it was close
enough to where the park ranger’s body had been found to be a logical location.

Logan was very cautious as he slowly picked his way from
place to place, every one of his senses on alert. But other than the expected
wild animals he saw nothing. Wherever the beast was it wasn’t showing itself
tonight. He only hoped that didn’t mean it had targeted its next prey or was
even at the moment zeroing in on it.

Finally, realizing he’d been out for a long time, he turned
and headed for home. And Rebecca.

* * * * *

Rebecca marked her place and closed the book she was trying
to read after realizing she’d been looking at the same page for ten minutes.
The house seemed too empty without Logan’s large presence in it and she jumped
at every little noise. She looked at her watch, discovered Logan had been gone
for just over an hour and wondered how long he usually took for one of his
runs.

The image of the magnificent wolf was burned into her brain,
the shimmer of its silver coat and the ripple of powerful muscles beneath it.
She’d only had a nanosecond burst of fear but then he’d turned his
amber-flecked brown eyes on her and there was Logan, the connection between
them snapping back into place.

When Sophia had told her about Clint she was captivated. In
his human form Clint seemed like everyone else. As did the members of Night
Seekers who were shifters. And as she came to know them and read extensively
about shapeshifters, the so-called werewolves, the fascination grew. And in
Logan’s case, attraction.

She might have reservations because it happened so fast but
she couldn’t deny the explosive chemistry between them. This was definitely
more than passing lust between them. Questions danced around in her brain like
buzzing bees. And she had an urgent sense she needed answers to her questions
before Logan returned. Moving her into his bedroom was significant, an act of
possession, and she had to put some things to rest before moving forward with
this. Whatever this turned out to be.

She picked up her cell phone and punched in Sophia’s number.
She’d worried about reception out here in an area like this, but Logan had told
her he’d taken care of that.

“For one thing the entire house is a hotspot. Since I’ve
been gone John uses my den to keep the ranch records and pay the bills but
sometimes he works in the dining room when Eve’s in the kitchen. And I’ve got a
wireless printer that all of us can access.”

“But that doesn’t necessarily help the phone,” she’d pointed
out.

“I carry a satellite phone. All the team members do. But we
also have secure cells and the people who work here have cells. There’s an
antenna on the roof to boost the signal.”

All of which had made her feel much less disconnected from
everyone.

Glancing at the clock as the phone rang on the other end,
she realized it was too early for her sister to be asleep. She just hoped she
wasn’t interrupting anything. Under other circumstances Sophia and Clint would
be off on their honeymoon. But, as in the cases of the previous weddings at
Desolation Ranch, a fresh Chupacabra kill had interrupted that and put it on
hold.

“Rebecca?” Sophia’s voice sounded soft and slurry.

Uh oh. I did interrupt them.

“Sorry, sis.” Rebecca chuckled. “I was hoping I’d catch you
just relaxing.”

“That depends on your interpretation of relaxing.” Sophia’s
voice was edged with humor. “What’s up? Anything new since Logan’s last
report?”

“No. There’s a meeting here at the ranch again first thing
in the morning so we can map out search areas and Danvers can make
assignments.” She blew out a soft breath. “I just had…something I wanted to
talk to you about but I should have known better than to call newlyweds at
night.” Now she felt stupid. Of course they’d be occupied. What a ninny she was.
“Never mind. I’ll call tomorrow. Or something.”

“Not a chance. What you have is obviously important or you
wouldn’t have called. Right? My demanding husband can cool it for a few
minutes. What do you need?”

Rebecca blew out a breath. “Okay, I’m probably going to
sound like a babbling teenager here but while Logan is out for a while I, um,
wanted to talk to you. About Clint and, um, his shifting. But really. I can
call back another time.”

“Hold on a sec.”

Rebecca could visualize her sister smiling. She heard soft
whispering going on then Clint’s warm Cajun drawl.

“Better make it fast,
chere
. I have a hot bed waiting
for my hot woman.”

Rebecca’s cheeks heated and she was tempted just to tell
Sophia to forget the whole thing and hang up. Apparently her sister grabbed the
phone away from her husband. Rebecca heard Sophia laugh, a low and intimate
sound.

“Cut that out,” she murmured. “We’ve got all night.” Then
her voice became all business. “Give me a second. I just want to go into the kitchen.”
There was another pause, then, “All right. What’s going on?”

Rebecca wasn’t sure exactly how to phrase her questions
without telling her sister why. Maybe she shouldn’t be discussing what was
happening between her and Logan. But there were things she really wanted to
know.

“Let me guess,” Sophia said when Rebecca didn’t answer.
“Something’s going on with you and Logan, right?”

“Okay. Yes, you’re right. And I’m really confused about the
whole thing. About being with a shifter and what it means to a relationship.”

“Well, little sister, there’s nothing wrong with that. And we
talked all about the shifter factor when I told you about Clint. And the rest
of the team.”

“I don’t care so much about the others.” Rebecca paced in
the living room as she talked. “I want to know how it made you feel about
Clint. About…you know…being intimate.”

Sophia chuckled softly. “I’ll tell you anything except
details. What do you want to know?”

“For one thing, have you and Clint ever talked about
children? About what they’d be like? And how does he control his ability to
shift? I mean, he can’t just change in the midst of a crowd if the urge comes
over him. Right? And did you—”

“Wow. Things must have heated up quickly between the two of
you.”

“Faster than I expected,” Rebecca agreed.

“Of course, it was that way with Clint and me,” Sophia told
her, “so I understand.”

“Good, because I’m not sure I do.”

“Sometimes you just have to go with your instincts. Accept
that it was meant to be.” There was a pause. “I don’t know if you noticed the
big herb garden out back at the ranch. That’s Dakota Grey’s project. Shifters
need to take certain herbs to keep the urge to change under control. When any
of the shifters on the team leaves on assignment, she always packs what she
calls a maintenance kit for them so they don’t start changing at some totally
inappropriate moment.”

“Oh.”

“Ask Logan about it. I’m assuming since you’re so full of
questions that things have heated up between the two of you. Which, by the way,
I think is great. I could tell how he felt the minute I introduced the two of
you.”

“I…watched him shift tonight, Soph.” Her words came out in a
rush. “It was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen. I—I touched him.
His coat. And Soph? I got hot.”

She knew she was blushing, even thought no one could see
her.

“Don’t worry.” Sophia laughed again. “It happened to me too.
But it’s the man you’re attracted to. The wolf is just a bonus.”

“So, did you guys talk about kids before you decided to get
married?” Rebecca asked again.

“Yes, of course. Clint says there’s a fifty percent chance
that our children would be born with the shifter gene. But again, there are
herbs that will help with that. With so many shifters on the team it’s like we
have our own pack so any children we all have will have a nurturing place to
grow and learn about themselves. But you should really be talking to Logan
about this stuff.”

“I will. But this—whatever it is—is still so new I want to
be sure where it’s going before I try to play Twenty Questions with him.”

“I can tell you this,” Sophia said. “The minute I met Clint
the chemistry was there between us. And his shifting didn’t disturb me because
by then I’d been part of Night Seekers for a while, knew about the shifters in
the group and they’d explained so many things to me. Does this help at all?”

“I think so. Maybe. Yes.”

“So.” A knowing sound. “You saw him shift and that’s what
brought on all the sudden questions. By any chance did you pack that book I put
in your bedroom before you guys left?”

“I did.”

The worn leather-bound book with the faded gilt lettering on
the cover was still in her suitcase.
Legends of the Wolf
. She’d brought
it because she figured there was an important reason for her sister to leave it
with her. She had yet to open it. Obviously it was time.

“Then read it. Absorb what it says. Digest it. You’ll find a
lot of answers there. But if you’re asking if the relationship between a
shifter and a human works, I can say emphatically yes.”

“Thanks a lot. This really helps. Now go on back to your
husband and enjoy being newlyweds.”

She disconnected the call, her mind already processing the
things Sophia had said. If she and Logan were taking things further as he’d
intimated she really needed to read that book. Then ask Logan whatever questions
it brought to her mind.

She was just about to get herself something to drink when
she heard a slight noise on the patio. The back door opened and Logan stood
there in all his beautiful naked glory. Just looking at him made her mouth go
dry, all the moisture in her body rushing to her pussy and the blood in her
veins heating up.

He grinned at her and opened his arms. “I’m cold, babe. Come
warm me up.”

She flew into his grasp, pressing herself against his body
that held only the faintest edge of a chill. Rather the heat radiating from him
wrapped itself around her. She rubbed her face against his furred chest and
kissed the hard, muscled wall of his chest.

“You don’t feel too cold to me,” she teased.

“Then maybe we can share my heat.”

He lifted her in his arms and captured her mouth with his,
giving her a deep open-mouthed kiss as he carried her to his bedroom.

* * * * *

Logan’s energy was at a peak level as it always was after a
run. He could actually feel his blood running through his veins. All his
pheromones had come out to play. His balls ached and his cock was so hard he
was sure if he bumped into a wall he’d break it. What he wanted at the moment
was to be inside Rebecca, to feel her wet heat around him, her soft breasts
pressing against his chest. He wanted to taste her skin and breathe in her
scent. Bury himself so deep inside her that he couldn’t tell where he left off
and she began.