Rifkin’s small eyes narrowed into small, piggy slits. All Aimee saw were his
glittering black irises, burning with fury. “You won’t always have the pack at
your back.”
“Hell, Rifkin. I thought we’d be doing this
mano a mano
. No one
would interfere. But then again, you haven’t caught me alone, have you?”
“What are you implying?”
“What I’m saying is that I know what you are, how you operate. You come
at a were from the back. Like that stunt you tried to pull tonight, ordering
Willis to cut the brake fluid lines. The damnedest thing happened when we
flipped over. He broke both his legs—or was that when we beat the truth out of
him? I’m not sure. We left him where we crashed. He won’t be able to do your
dirty work for a couple of hours.”
“You think you have all the answers, don’t you?”
“I know one thing. When we finally go at each other, I’m putting you down
because you’re rabid. I think we’ve flirted long enough, don’t you think?”
Micah’s statement cut off the background chatter, and a strained silence
settled over the room. Rifkin’s labored breathing broke the stillness.
Oh crap. Why was Micah goading him?
With the gauntlet thrown down
publicly by Micah, Rifkin would take him up on his challenge as soon as Bardo
returned. Fore-fighters couldn’t take each other on without their alpha’s blessing
and remain within the pack.
“I never thought you’d grow a pair big enough to challenge me. I’ve been
dying to get rid of you and you’ve handed me your neck.” Rifkin’s eyes shifted
to Aimee. “My stint to patrol the outer perimeter ends in a couple of nights,
doesn’t it? It’ll be good to sleep in for a change.” He shot Aimee a glance,
nodded to his cronies, and lumbered from the room.
The atmosphere lightened the moment the door slammed shut behind him and
Aimee sagged against the bars of her jail.
Aimee grabbed Micah’s arm and pulled him close. “Are you mad? He’s going
to do his level best to kill you.” She wanted to shake him until his fangs
rattled.
“No, I’ve finally come to my senses. Remember, don’t drink the coffee
until I say so.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the palm, then
ambled off to help distribute the food.
Aimee knew Micah was up to something. She knew him well enough to
recognize the watchfulness in his demeanor. What, she hadn’t a clue. He’d
better not get himself killed.
Her fate was inextricably linked to his. If he died, she’d soon follow.
They wouldn’t be getting the opportunity to use her as a breeder. They’d have
to put her down, because she’d try to kill whichever bastard killed the were
she’d come to love.
Chapter Nine
Early the next morning, Sabine found herself perched uncomfortably on a
narrow precipice with Drew and Ishbel. The warm masculine bulk of Drew’s body
pressed against hers made her uncharacteristically fidgety.
Usually, mornings were her favorite time of day. Drew’s distracting
presence prevented her from fully appreciating the phenomenon of the droplets
of moisture caught in the mist glistening under the rays of the rising sun.
The situation called for perfect stillness. If she started a rockslide,
the pebbles would roll down the hill and give away their position. Unable to
help herself, Sabine crept to the edge of the cliff. One more inch and she’d
take a tumble down the hill. She caught Ishbel’s barely suppressed snicker.
Eyes closed, she reflected on the sensation of his mouth on her neck when
he’d held her captive. She remembered the smell of him and the look in his eyes
the night before when he suggested she leave him. Another flood of sexual
awareness filtered through her body. Her core tightened and bloomed, making her
even more skittish. Crap, was she coming into heat?
Drew overwhelmed her senses. Everything about him was too much. He was
too masculine. Too alpha. Too muscular. Sabine sent up a silent prayer that the
scent of her emerging desires wouldn’t infuse the air around them.
Ishbel bumped into Drew, causing his body to press harder against Sabine.
Their fur intertwined and clung. The combination, a heady mix of male and
female were spoor, was uniquely them. The arousing scent intensified her
discomfort, and her inner were demanded she give in to the visceral urge to
mate. Her skin felt like a hot and achy burden.
She and her sister were going to have a little chat later.
Fur might
fly, but she’d get her point across.
Forcing herself to focus, Sabine fixed her gaze at the mouth of the
gully. From their vantage point, they had a clear view of the entire valley
basin. With Drew nestled between them, no hint of his spoor would travel down
the hillside on the soft breeze to give away their location.
Finally, wolves emerged in single file at a full run from the gorge
below, led by a were with a distinctive russet pelt.
Drew bristled beside her. At his low growl and the show of fangs, both
she and Ishbel sank down onto their haunches, heads lowered. Instinct had them
falling into a submissive position.
The pack neared the spot where Sabine had taken down her attacker the
night before. They spread out on either side of their leader to cover a wide
area. Noses to the ground, they began to track until they disappeared into the
trees.
A frisson of fear ran through Sabine, lifting the fur on the back of her
neck. She’d never seen a pack of wolves hunt in such a formation.
Sabine took a quick peek up at Drew. His eyes glowed golden brown, hot
with fury.
Drew nudged her side and made his way silently up the hill. Sabine took
one last look at the valley below and spun around to follow. The multitude of
questions she wanted to ask whirled in her head. One in particular: who was the
wolf that put a crack in Drew’s controlled demeanor?
Sabine and Ishbel caught up with Drew shedding his base form. He turned
to stare back down into the valley, his face a grim, forbidding mask.
Sabine shifted and stared up into Drew’s stony face. “What are they
doing? Wolves don’t hunt in such a manner.”
“They’re doing what is known as a grid search, a human’s way to look for
a missing child or a body.” Drew’s stony answer offered little reassurance. “I
hope that you are capable of concealing us a little longer. If they pinpoint
the location of your den, we won’t be able to hold them at bay. He’ll have
picked up my scent on his dead kin. He knows I am here. Bardo Redmaven will be
out for blood now.”
Sabine tasted true dread for the first time. She plopped down on a grassy
knoll. The size of such a force would overwhelm her family. She’d never openly
acknowledged that their defenses were an illusion, a mere blanketing of odors
to conceal themselves. They didn’t have the numbers to stave off an attack.
“You know him?” Sabine tilting her head in the direction of the
encroaching wolves’ pack leader.
Still focused on the action below them, Drew let out a disgusted grunt.
“Yeah, I do. Bardo is the Redmaven pack’s alpha.” He spat out the name like a
curse. “He ordered the taking of my sister. We’ll have to leave tonight.”
Sabine grabbed Drew’s tense arm to gain his attention. “What are you
talking about? My father can’t be moved.”
He spared her a brief glance before he turned back to monitor the weres’
actions. “He isn’t wounded. I’ve figured out a way to move him. My
fore-fighters are on their way, and they’ll escort the bulk of your pack to
safety. I’ll personally take care of your father. You do all you can to
expedite this evacuation in the short time we have to pull this off.”
Sabine jutted out her chin. “You can’t order me around. You’re not our
alpha. We’re staying until my father takes his last breath. Balthazar lived
here. He should die here, and be given back to nature in the place he loved so
much.”
Drew’s head whipped around and pinned her with an implacable glare.
“Let’s not get into a pissing contest here, Sabine,” he snapped impatiently. “I
might not be your mate, but I am the dominant male here and you will obey me.
Don’t force me to bend you into submission. I will if I have to.”
The tart scent of impatience coming off Drew filled her nostrils.
“The older women won’t follow you until we’ve acknowledge each other as
our mates, and I won’t say the words until I have certain assurances. And I
sure as hell don’t want your mate’s mark on me.”
In a flash, he was on her. She found herself flat on her back,
spread-eagled under him. Drew’s palms crushed her wrists, his knees pressed
into her thighs, pinning her to the ground. Frantic, she wiggled. The fact she
couldn’t defend herself in this position only made her fight harder.
He added pressure to hold her still.
Unable to move, she glared up at him, furious. She was in a blatantly
subservient position, vulnerable. He could take her without any effort.
In the pure light of morning, flecks of amber smoldered in the dense
brown of
Drew’s irises. Caught by his
gaze, she was riveted by the forcefulness she saw there. Sabine glimpsed the
raw, roiling pain he carried, the power of the alpha were in him, a hint of
what he had the capacity to do.
Drew’s breath brushed over her lips. Her mouth quivered under the wispy
caress.
He buried his nose into the curve of her neck and raked his teeth over
the delicate flesh. His incisors ran down the sensitive nerves hidden there
with skillful precision. It was a testament to his control that he didn’t break
the skin under his fangs.
Drew hung
over her and the tip of
his male member
brushed over the sparse hair covering her mons.
Sabine shivered with dread and anticipation. Her nipples tightened at the
thought of him taking her.
However, he went no further, to her chagrin and relief.
“Say the words, Sabine, or I’ll take you here and now. I’ll claim you and
put my mate’s mark on you without your consent.”
Who did he think he was? Riled, she bucked under him, but he proved to be
too heavy.
A snarling hiss from Ishbel pulled Drew’s attention away from her.
“Don’t interfere or I’ll have to discipline you too. This is between me
and my future mate.” The barked order froze Ishbel in her tracks.
“You wouldn’t dare.” Sabine scowled up at him. “Why the sudden change of
heart? You hadn’t made up your mind last night?”
“The deal was sealed for me the moment I saw Bardo Redmaven. He’s not
taking another she-wolf under my protection. Your time has run out. If
necessary, I’ll put Balthazar out of his misery to cement my position.” The
stony declaration galvanized her into action. Sabine bucked and strained to get
her limbs free, but he didn’t budge.
Spent by her struggles, she glared at him. “You’re no better than they
are.” Her insult earned her a smile, one without a glimmer of humor. It was a
threat, and his fangs descended, a sharp reminder of his dominance.
“I used to be a better man, but now, if need be, I can be just as brutal
as they are. I need you to help me find Aimee. They’ve had her for too long.
You can’t focus until your family is safe. I’m clearing the way to get what I
need.” The intransigence in his tone splintered her resolve to ignore his
demand.
The safety of her family was all that really mattered, and now that he’d
demanded her acquiescence, as a she-wolf, she was expected to cede to his
wishes. Sabine was more than willing to pay the price, but not before she had
his promise.
“I’ll say the words if you make a sacred vow that, if I give birth to a
were with the Silverwolf coloring and gifts, you’ll allow him to carry my birth
clan’s name.” Sabine stared at him, the thumping of her heart extraordinarily
loud to her ears.
Drew’s head reared back as if she’d slapped him.
“No.” The single word fell between them like an impregnable wall.
“No?” Sabine gaped up at him.
He nodded for emphasis. “No cub of mine will bear the name of another
pack. He’ll be a Lunedare. Say the words, Sabine.”
“Not until you agree to my demand. I promised my father, and I intend to
keep my word.” Desperation made her breathing come out in short, harsh pants.
She should have brought up the subject the night before, when he was more
amenable. His flinty expression had no give in it. “Can’t we discuss this?”
Surely he understood her position.
“There is nothing to discuss. We don’t give away our cubs like puppies.
You have to make a decision. Save the family you have now or you won’t have any
in the future. Now say the damn words.” His hands tightened on her wrists.
Her chest heaving with temper, Sabine blinked back tears of frustration.
She turned her head away from him to break the mesmeric hold his gaze had on
her. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. He’d never agree to her
wishes. She should have known.
Very well, she’d give him what he wanted, then take what she needed to
rebuild her pack. She supposed she could find another wolf to father her child,
but on a
primal level the were in her
demanded his bloodlines for her offspring.
The fraught silence lengthened between then, and the awareness that she
was open to him hit her. The fine hairs of
his
body caressed the skin on her torso, pelvis and legs. The cool blades of grass
against her back were just as arousing; it provided a contrast to the heat
emanating from Drew’s body hovering over hers.
The tempo of his breathing changed and she turned her head to face him.
His taut face a mere few inches from hers had her swallowing at what she saw
there. Need. Her eyes widened as his expression changed. She watched fretfully
as the rage in his eyes ebbed and turned to a carnal fervent desire. What had
she roused?
Sabine wiggled to get from under him and felt his body tense more. He let
out a strangled growl.
Drew’s gaze dropped to her breasts and his eyes ran over her torso with a
greedy appreciation. After taking his fill, he lifted his gaze to meet hers.