In Too Deep (27 page)

Brody
and Fallon followed Slater, who led Jess and Jamie into the trees. When Slater howled, the wolves broke off in different directions. Fallon stayed right with him, but he had a feeling she could easily outrun him. They ran and played, and just enjoyed themselves.

* * * *

Fallon was getting tired and hungry after hours of running and playing. She had stopped under a willow tree to rest. Brody had hunted down a rabbit and was happily munching away, and she was almost hungry enough to be tempted.

She was happy just to watch
him. He was gorgeous, and big at almost three times her size. His fur was dark with lighter patches around his face and belly. All four of his massive paws were paler, his tail had a white tip, and his eyes were an icy shade of blue.

Like most of the wolves, he was more muscular than a normal wolf, definitely stronger and he was fast. Not as fast as she was, but she didn’t have his strength. She could watch his beast all night.

When he was done, he ran his tongue over his teeth and came to lie next to her. He was so warm and she loved to curl up beside him. Brody laid his head next to hers and sighed.

S
he felt the darkness intensify, like it was weighing down on her. Fallon sprang to her feet to prowl around, searching. She couldn’t hear anything other than the wolves in the woods, but she felt the dark energy of a mage and a Shadowstalker.

Fallon moved back to her spot under the willow tree and shifted back. She stayed on her hands and knees as she cast a shield that would not only keep her and Brody hidden from view, but also keep what she said inside her spell. Brody scooted in front of her and gave her a long look.

“No one can hear us,” she said. “There’s a Shadowstalker and dark mage nearby.”

Brody nodded once.

“I need to get in touch with Hayden and the mages. I’m going to text them real fast. I don’t know what to do about the pack just yet.”

Fallon pulled her phone out and sent a text to Preston, Robert and Hayden. She told them about the dark mage and vampire, and about her shield. Fallon moved to lean against the tree, and Brody walked over to her.

Her phone buzzed with Robert’s reply.
With Preston and Hayden. We’ll be there soon.

“
They’re coming. I’ll keep the spell up,” she told Brody who barked once. He didn’t sound too happy. She was beginning to think she should have eaten a bigger meal before leaving, but she really hadn’t thought about how long a hunt would last. With Jess’ pack, she always just left when she was tired. She could have gone home earlier but she didn’t want to leave Brody, especially with the Dales nearby.

A wolf went streaking
into the clearing, and something in a dark cloak dove on him. She saw the flash of silver as the vampire’s mouth opened. Shit, she couldn’t stay under the cover of a spell when the wolf was pinned by the vampire. Fallon hadn’t bothered to work with the wolves in their full wolf forms because she figured they were more likely to be in their half human forms. She did all of her fighting as human, so she didn’t really know how to train them as a beast.

Fallon dropped the shield, rushed forward, and threw a bolt at the unsuspecting vampire, knowing full well that the wolf would get a jolt. She would deal with the consequences later but she wanted to stop the vampire from ripping into the wolf’s throat.

The vampire was blown off the wolf who yelped. She ran past the werewolf with Brody right behind her, but she didn’t bother to look as she drew her long blade.

She felt the darkness closing in and knew the dark mage had cast a spell. Fallon looked up in time to fling a lightning bolt in the direction of the black orb hurtling her way. Her spell penetrated the dark sphere and tore apart the spell before it could harm anyone. The vampire shot up, saw her blade and ran into the woods.
“Chickenshit,” she screamed.

Preston came barreling into the clearing and stopped dead.
“Thought you were staying put?”

“
Was, but they attacked a wolf.” She turned around to find the wolf on his belly making a sound somewhere between a whimper and a moan. Brody stood over him, ready to protect him. “The mage is nearby. I didn’t get a good look at either. The vamp was wearing a cloak.”

She felt the chanting rather than heard, which tripped her up, but she spun toward the direction of the spell and saw Hayden swing a huge ax through the mages skull with a wet
crunch. Fallon lost her appetite.

“
Well, that’s one way to deal with him.” She turned back to Brody. “I’ll call Dakota to help the wolf after we deal with the vampire.”

Brody answered with a bark. She hoped she didn’t piss anyone off, but she didn’t want the wolf bitten either.

She was knocked to the ground from behind, a hand twisted in her hair, pulling her head to the side. Before she could do a damned thing, the vampire was torn from her with a growl. She sprung to her feet and found Brody chewing through the vampire’s throat.

Preston grimaced.
“I’ve never seen a wolf decapitate a vampire like that.”

“
Can I suggest you two go home?” Hayden asked as he stepped into the clearing. “There’s no telling if there are more nearby.”

“
I don’t sense anything else out here.” Preston said. “That doesn’t mean they couldn’t be hiding, but these two weren’t. They were coming after whoever they could. They went for the first wolf they found.”

“
I don’t know, Hayden.” Fallon said. I’m not opposed to going home, but who’s to say there aren’t more out here? I know what I’m doing, but I didn’t show anyone what to do in wolf form.”

“
Your man easily figured out how to kill them.” Preston nodded to bloody remains of the vampire. Brody moved closer to her, and she knelt to rub his head.

Hayden took his
enchanted axe and pressed it to the vampire’s bloody throat. Once it sizzled and started to burn, he did the same to the body. “You taught everyone enough. You two would be safer at home.”

Robert came into the clearing.
“I can take you two back to Brody’s house, and one of us can bring his truck and the rest of his stuff by later.”

The werewolf
she jolted with that spell crawled over. Fallon patted his back. “Sorry, buddy. I didn’t want to hurt you but figured a shock was better than a vampire ripping into you.”

He licked her face
. Brody growled and she laughed. The injured wolf trotted into the woods with what sounded like a chuckle. Slater, Jess and Jamie came into the clearing and stopped when they saw the mess. Slater looked at her, then Brody and back at Robert but they were all still in wolf form.

Hayden spoke up.
“I think that’s his way of telling you two to go home.”

Slater barked and nodded once.

She hated not being able to simply talk with the wolves, but she agreed. “Fine, but the cars can’t be that far. I’m not sure how Brody’s going to handle translocation.”

“
True, but you’re tired, and you have to be hungry. You’ve been out here for hours.” Robert told her.

She looked at Brody and sighed.
“Up to you, baby. If he takes us home, we’ll be there in a second. There’s a catch though, you will most likely throw up. Most people do the first time, and some people do nearly every time.” She tossed Preston a look because she knew Preston couldn’t handle traslocation.

Preston just rolled his eyes.
“I’m pretty sure Brody would stomach it for you. He just ate a vampire for you which couldn’t have tasted so great.” He had a point.

* * * *

Being home in a second sounded good to Brody. Clint was the wolf she saved, and he was fine. The dickhead liked pain, so he probably got off on the shock. She may not have taught them to fight in wolf form, but that was something they all could do naturally, and they weren’t the only ones in the woods that night.

Brody walked over to Robert and nudged his leg with his head. Robert looked back at Fallon.
“I think that means he’ll deal with the consequences.”

“
All right.” Fallon shrugged. “You’ve been warned.” She took Robert’s hand. Robert put his free hand on Brody’s back. Then they were on Brody’s doorstep in the blink of an eye. A wave of nausea hit him. Brody trotted off the porch to heave up his guts, the rabbit, and the vampire blood. He hadn’t been that sick since he was human, and throwing up as a wolf was worse.

Fallon moved to him, and rubbed his back in long strokes.
“Sorry. I tried to warn you.” She murmured.

“
If anything weird happens out here, get in touch with me. We’ll be right here.”

“
Call me if anything happens,” Fallon said as she stood. “I hate leaving things when they could still need me.

Robert gave her a dirty look.
“What? So you can come back out there? Isn’t the point of going home to keep you safe and let you get some rest? We’ll take care of them if they come back, but I don’t think they’re going to try.”

“
Fine, just remember, I’m perfectly capable of taking them apart.” She turned her back on the mage and walked up the steps to the front door which she opened. She stepped inside and Brody followed as Robert disappeared.

“
I’m guessing you’re hungry now.” She smiled down at him before starting for the kitchen.”

He was still feeling a little off, but yeah, he was hungry.

“Come on,” she said as she opened the refrigerator. “I’ll get you some steak, and I’m going to eat something before I go to bed.”

He watched as she pulled
all the fixings for a sandwich out of the fridge and the package of steak. She plopped both hunks of meat on a plate for Brody. Then she grabbed a big bowl that she filled with water and set it next to his plate.

She laughed softly.
“You know? I feel weird feeding you this way, but I’m not sure what else to do.” Then she threw together a quick sandwich, put things away and sat down on the floor next to him.

When she finished her sandwich, she yawned.
“Happy?”

He barked once.

“You can still snuggle me. I trust you.” She stood. “I’m tired though, so unless you need something, I’m heading up.” He barked again and she scratched his head before leaving the room.

He finished quickly, and went up to find her asleep. She had left her clothes on the floor,
and was wrapped in the blanket. The full moon would keep him from changing for another hour, so he climbed up beside her, and went to sleep.

Fallon sat at the kitchen counter drinking a cup of coffee. She was fidgety and nervous and she couldn’t quite figure out why. Brody was sound asleep when she woke. He had shifted back sometime during the night. He was so peaceful that she let him sleep because some wolves needed some extra rest after a full moon.

She was tempted to find her phone and call Robert. See if they ran into any other Dales. Just before she decided whether or not to go get her phone, she heard a knock
at the door and frowned. Brody was taking her to brunch with his brother and Danika, but that wasn’t for another hour and they were meeting them at the diner.

She went to the living room and opened the door. Slater raised his hand in a wave. He had a duffel bag in the other
. Maybe Brody’s phone was in there, but he still could have had Jess call her. “Morning, Fallon.”

“
Hey.” She took a step back. “Come on in.”

Slater shut the door and dropped the bag on a chair.
“Brody up?”

“
Nope. I can go wake him if you want.”

He smiled.
“Actually, I want to talk to you. This is not a private matter, if you want to wake him you can.”

She shrugged.
“If he needs to hear this now, I’ll wake him. If not, I’ll tell him when he gets up.”

“
Let him sleep. Mind if I get a cup of coffee?”

“
Not at all.” She walked back to the kitchen, wondering why Slater was there to talk to her, but not necessarily Brody. Maybe she was about to catch hell for the wolf she hurt. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time something like that had happened. She took a seat and then a sip of her coffee.

He grabbed a mug ou
t of the cabinet and filled it. He added a little cream before he turned to her. “I wanted to thank you for protecting Clint. I know you had that little tiff at the bar.”

Fallon couldn’t help but laugh.
“Okay, I didn’t realize who the wolf was. That’s not the point though. First off, I don’t have a problem with Clint as long as he keeps his hands to himself. Second, I’m guessing you don’t thank your wolves for looking out for each other. So don’t thank me. Especially when I know I hurt him with that spell, but it was the best way to stop the vampire.”

“
Clint likes pain, so he wanted to thank you himself. I convinced him it wasn’t a wise idea but he swore he would only say the words, not make a play.” Slater smiled. “Still, I just wanted you to know I appreciate everything you’ve already done for the pack.”

She rubbed the back of her neck feeling uncomfortable. She hadn’t done anything but teach them a few things to help them fight back.
“Okay, but still, I don’t want any thanks.”

“
Alright, but I should let you know that what you taught everyone helped my wolves and Hayden to take out several more Dales.”

“
Shit,” she muttered. Slater’s brow arched, and she explained. “I knew I should have stayed.

“
No, you needed rest. You were getting tired by the time you left. We had already killed several Shadowstalkers before you saved Clint. They were just trying to pick off who they could. Preston thinks maybe they are set up around there. He’s going back after a few hours to see what he can find.”

“
Oh.” Her mind was racing. “Does that mean we’ll be going after them if we find them?” She hoped so. She wanted to stop them before the Dales managed to take anyone.

Slater gave her a long look.
“You don’t have to make this a personal crusade. I know why you feel you need to kill Malachi, but you don’t have to put yourself there.” He sounded like Gabriel, but she supposed they were similar in age. Gabriel had been the one to give Jess the alpha’s contact information. Then again, Gabe seemed to know everyone.

“
I appreciate the concern, but they aren’t just after you. I’m sure Jess gave you at least a brief summary of what happened when I got her away from them last time, but that wasn’t the first time I dealt with them. They’ve been trying to convince me to work for them for twenty years. I’m just lucky they can’t brainwash me like they do most of the people they want. Plus, I know how to fight back.”

“
You sure do. I didn’t know that they’ve been coming for you so long, but there are still other people who can take this fight on. You don’t have to be the one. No one will blame you if you let others handle the Dales.”

“Don’t bother trying to talk me out of going.”

He smiled a little. “I know words won’t sway you, but I had to try.”

“
Good. I can’t stay behind, not after what I went through.”

“
I understand.” Slater shifted his weight. “One more thing, Jess, Jamie and Danika are taking you shopping after your brunch.”

Fallon groaned.
“You sure you don’t have another dozen wolves who want a tattoo today?”

He laughed out loud.
“Don’t tell me you don’t like shopping. All women love shopping.”

“
Not this one.” She grumbled, but she had promised the twins a girls night, so she supposed a day would work.

A shiver worked down her spine as Brody’s big, warm hands gently squeezed her shoulders
. “You really don’t want to go with your friends?” he asked thoughtfully.

Fallon swiveled her chair to smile up at Brody.
“I’m going. I just prefer not to shop.”

“
Well, I noticed you need a dress for the wedding. I didn’t see a single dress or skirt when you put your clothes away.” One golden eyebrow rose. “You don’t like dresses, do you?”

“
I’m more comfortable in jeans.” She shrugged. “But I suppose I can’t get away with that for a wedding.”

Brody
grinned. “Sure you could. I don’t think anyone would complain.”

“
You mentioned your parents were going to be there. I want to make a good impression.” She glanced down at her arms and frowned. “I’m not hiding my tattoos, but I should at least wear a dress.”

“
My parents will love you, tattoos and all, even in jeans. And I love you in anything.” He gave her a quick kiss before moving to the coffee pot.

“
Morning Slater. Hope you didn’t mind me bringing her home last night. Was there any trouble after we left?”

Slater nodded.
“Actually, there was some before you left. Only one more vampire after Robert whisked you two away. Thanks to Fallon’s training, we managed to take them out.”

“
Sorry. I didn’t realize.” Brody scrubbed a hand over his face. “I was worried about Fallon. I wasn’t thinking about the rest of the pack.”

“
Don’t stress. We were covered.” Slater patted Brody on the back. “I just came by to bring your stuff and thank Fallon. She assures me she was just doing her duty, but doesn’t want to hear it.”

* * * *

“Come on Dacia, come out with me tonight.” Bridget pleaded over the phone.

“
No, I have no desire to do anything.” Except maybe take a nice long hot bath. She did some of her best plotting in the tub. Maybe she could come up with a plan to seduce Hayden. She had given up on Brody and refocused her attention on Hayden, but he shut her down harder than Brody ever did.

She still had a hard time believing Brody and Fallon were mated. Dacia had held out hope
that Fallon didn’t feel the same about him. Spying on the barbeque only proved that Brody and Fallon were made for one another.

She actually gagged.

“…could just beat the… What the hell, Dacia? Are you okay?”

“
Huh? Oh… no. I need to go.” She hung up and threw the phone across the room as she fell back on the couch.

The door burst open
as a shadow streaked into her living room. She was up and on her feet a second later. “What are you doing here?”

“
As I told you before, I want to help you obtain the man you want.”

Nope. She was done with Brody. The vampire couldn’t give her what she
truly wanted. Still, arguing with a Shadowstalker was not in her best interest. “And how is that?”

“
Simply make sure Fallon comes to us. I can make sure your werewolf forgets all about her. I have her ex and he wants her all to himself. After he’s through with her, Brody won’t want her.”

Somehow, she doubted that. How could she warn them though? Should she warn them? Would they think it was a trick? She did the only thing she could.
“I need details.”

The shadow dropped an envelope on the coffee table and disappeared. She was tempted to call Hayden, but he’d probably just accuse her of helping the Dales. Maybe she could come up with a solution after she opened the envelope. Maybe she’d be able to prove to Hayden she wasn’t as guilty as he wanted to believe.

* * * *

Fallon felt good to finally be home
after a day of shopping, the salon and then the barbeque. Admittedly, she had fun with Jess and Jamie, and the salon wasn’t so bad. Her hair was straightened to a silken sheet that hung down her back, and her makeup was light but earthy. She felt a little silly in the dusky blue, silken slip dress and strappy sandals. At least until Brody got a look at her. He seemed to love how she looked and she forgot all about how ridiculous she felt.

He made her feel beautiful, sexy, and so very desired. They
hadn’t been able to get two minutes alone, and she was going crazy. Her desire was going to erupt into a wildfire if he didn’t get inside her ASAP.

Brody
parked the truck and they raced to porch where he hurried to open the door. She stepped inside, kicked her shoes off, and unzipped her dress. The fabric fell to the floor, and nearly tore her panties and bra off as Brody locked up.

She prowled toward him as he turned to face her. He gave her a wicked grin
as his eyes traveled up and down her body.

Brody said,
“Don’t tell Adam, but I’m glad we’re finally home.” He looked so handsome with his button down shirt and black slacks he filled out so well, but she wanted him naked.

“
Oh baby, I need you,” she murmured, unbuttoning his shirt as quickly as she could manage.

Her phone rang and she gave him a dangerous look.
“I’m ignoring that.”

“
Ignoring what?” he asked with wide eyes as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders. She dropped to her knees to undo his belt, then opened his pants and pushed them down as she smiled up at him.

“
Please, Fallon, you start that, and….” He ended on a groan when she shoved him onto the couch. Brody fell and she managed to get his shoes and pants off as she sucked him into her mouth. “Holy hell, that’s so good.”

She chuckled around his shaft, and tossed the rest of his clothing behind her. His hips thrust
. She loved how fast she worked him up, but she wanted him inside her before he found his release.

Fallon climbed into his lap, slowly sliding down over his length.
“Now that’s better,” she moaned as she circled her hips. “I’ve been waiting all day long for this.”

Brody stood up, his hands gripping her ass as he moved her to the door. He banded one arm around her waist
and took her good and hard up against the surface, until it was rattling in the frame and she was screaming his name.

“
You are so damned sexy… all nice and sweet all evening… and as soon as I get you home… you strip down to be the best… fantasy I could ever imagine,” he said between wet kisses up her throat.

Her hand slithered between them and she found her clit, tight and slippery.
“Right there,” she cried, “but harder.”

He obliged.
“Oh fuck, what are you doing? That feels so damned good.”

“
Coming, oh yes, so good,” she cried. He thrust into her twice more before coming to a stop deep inside with a groan. His cock throbbed and she felt the hot pulse of his of his seed. After a moment, he slid down the door with her still wrapped around him.

“
That was so fucking amazing,” he panted. “Every time is better than the last.”

She kissed his collarbone, nibbling up his neck to his ear.
“No, you’re amazing. I watched you all night, going crazy because all I could think about was stripping you down and having my way with you. Then you go and fuck me up against the door.”

“
What’s going to be hot is when I warm up some caramel and do what I’ve wanted to do since that night with the cheesecake.”

* * * *

Christ, Fallon was so fucking perfect. She hopped up on island counter and spread her legs with only a smile on her lips. “Right here?”

“
Mmhmm.” He nodded as he grabbed the caramel to heat it up in the microwave long enough for the sauce to be warm. “You ready for this?”