Authors: Lorie O'Clare
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Josie appeared in the doorway, standing in the shadows so that neither Leona nor Paul saw him. He’d found one of her suitcases and had it in his hand. In his other hand he carried a brown paper sack. “I think I have everything that was yours out of your bathroom and bedroom. Who is in the truck?” He looked over her head toward the street and nodded.
“That is Pete’s littermate. He just pulled up and I don’t know why he isn’t getting out of the truck.”
“He’s scared to get out.” Josie cocked his head and squinted, sounding disgusted.
“But at least now you have satisfaction in knowing that your deceased mate will have his burial. His den will handle matters. Are you ready?”
“We’re just going to leave?” She stepped toward her den but Josie blocked her ability to see inside. The smell turned her stomach with enough severity to bring bile to her throat.
“Take these and go to the car.” He pushed her suitcase and the paper sack at her, forcing her to take them while pushing her backward away from her old den. “If there’s anything you want that isn’t among these things, now is the time to tell me. Look things over when you get in the car. Go—now.”
Maura didn’t like being bullied. She didn’t smell the pompous, arrogant smell that Pete would get when he told her what to do. Josie wasn’t ordering her around to get his rocks off. He didn’t even focus on her. He appeared sprung tight, as if at any moment he might fly right over her and tumble into battle. And that very well might be what would happen.
“Go now, Maura,” he said more gently this time, his dark eyes burrowing into hers.
“Take your things and wait in the car. Everything will be okay. I promise.”
“How can you promise such a thing?” she demanded. “Unless there’s a hell of a lot more to these powers that you have, everything is not going to be okay.”
“Now isn’t the time to question me.”
The snow crunched alongside her den and Maura turned quickly. Leona held her pup in her arms and stopped as she stared at Maura’s face. She could only guess what her expression must have looked like to Leona. Probably something bordering on shock by the look on Leona’s face.
“Who are you talking to?” Leona whispered, smelling suspicious. “Is everything okay?”
“When Pete told your mate that I was gone, did he say where I went?”
Leona wrinkled her brow. “That’s a crazy question.”
“I know it is. And I was just curious,” she said. Then, lowering her voice and ignoring Josie’s growl, she added, “I thought maybe you might know what he told the pack. I mean if he told your mate that I was gone, he had to give a reason why I wasn’t here anymore.”
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“I didn’t think about it.” Leona looked terribly confused, which made sense since Maura knew she wasn’t making a bit of sense. “I guess maybe I didn’t think it was permanent or anything. Something is going on though, isn’t it?” She hugged her pup closer to her and tried peering into Maura’s den. Immediately she stepped back, gagging and wrinkling her nose. “God. It stinks in there.”
“I’m sure that’s why Paul is here.” Maura pointed to the street where Paul still sat in his truck.
“It smells like you’re in trouble, Maura. Do you want to come over to my den? I can call my mate. He could be here in minutes if needed.” She spoke faster and faster until she finally stopped and dragged in a deep breath of cold air. “I know you two had problems,” she added, whispering again.
“I’ll be fine.” Maura adjusted her hold on her suitcase and the bag filled with her toiletries. “You should get your pup out of the cold though.”
Maura turned toward the car, but glanced over her shoulder and saw that Leona took her time backing up while she studied Maura’s den and Paul, who still sat in his truck out in the street. He had his phone to his ear and watched her with piercing blue eyes that had always seemed cold and hateful to Maura. He never gave Leona his attention but shifted when Maura opened her car door and put the suitcase inside. His truck blocked their ability to get out of the driveway, and although Josie had a four-wheel drive, the snow in the yard was piled high and packed hard. It would be risky trying to tear out of there.
Josie walked out of her old den and at the same time Paul jumped out of his truck.
“Get in the car, Maura,” Josie growled.
“Did you kill my littermate?” Paul pointed an accusing finger, picking up his pace as he headed toward Josie.
Josie stopped, tilting his head slightly and studying Paul Wagner, who slowed his pace a bit when Josie gave him his complete attention. “Maura deserved to have widow status,” he said calmly, as if his explanation would appease Paul’s anger.
Maura stood on the passenger side with her door open, looking over the roof of the car at the two males shouldering off like they would attack at any moment. As much time as Paul took talking on the phone before getting out of his truck, he probably had a posse for backup that would show up any time.
Paul looked ready to explode. “You stand here and admit it without a smell on you!
What kind of coward disgraces a den by killing a male with a surprise attack? Are you too much of a pussy to announce a challenge? Maybe Malta werewolves hide behind magic so the world can’t see that they’re nothing but cowards.”
Maura flinched, chewing her lower lip to the point where she tasted blood. Tiny hairs rose to attention down her neck while she watched Josie. He was a good six inches taller than Paul and at least fifty pounds heavier, if not more. With his dark skin and hair, muscles bulging everywhere, he looked more dangerous at that moment than 86
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she’d ever seen him look in the short time they’d known each other. More than likely she was about to find out if Josie had a short fuse or not.
“What kind of den teaches its males that it’s okay to throw a bitch out on the side of the road when she’s grown tired of abuse and adultery? Or is it that
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know no honor?” Josie didn’t wait for an answer but turned toward his car, intentionally ignoring Paul. He opened his door, appearing a bit too relaxed when Paul hurried toward him. Josie nodded to her and then climbed into the car just when Paul reached out and tried to grab Josie’s shirt.
Maura slid into the car quickly, catching sight of Paul’s hand on Josie’s arm. He lost his grasp, or let go, when Josie slid behind the wheel.
“And for the record,” Josie added. “I didn’t sneak up on him. He was getting ready to see some bitch—I’m sure you can tell who when you check his cell phone—and we chatted briefly before I snapped his neck.”
“Motherfucker! You’re not going to get out of this pack alive,” Paul hissed.
Josie reached for his door handle to close his door. “You better catch your truck.
Would be a damned shame for it to end up wrecked.”
“What?” Paul looked toward his truck and Maura turned in her seat in time to see it start moving down the road, as if it had just been knocked into gear.
Josie waited until it was out of the way, then backed easily out of the driveway.
Paul cursed loudly, almost hopping over the deep piles of snow to catch up with his truck before it picked up speed.
“Did you make his truck do that?” she whispered, although she wasn’t sure why she kept her voice down.
“I thought about simply lifting it up and dropping it on his head, but that might have been viewed as a bit immature.” He actually gave her a wicked grin.
Josie wasn’t upset at all. None of Paul’s verbal abuse fazed him. It fit Josie’s nature that a game of insults and humiliation wouldn’t appeal to him. He was a werewolf who placed honor and tradition over everything else. Suddenly it made sense that he wouldn’t challenge Pete. To do so would honor Pete, and Josie wouldn’t do that to a male he believed had abused his mate so badly.
Maura watched Paul catch up with his truck and grab the driver’s side door handle just before they turned the corner and headed toward the highway. Josie was one of a kind. Gorgeous, powerful and confident, and full of more morals than possibly even she possessed.
“What all can you do?” she asked.
“You mean with the gift?”
“With your powers. Or yeah. Your gift.”
“Basically I can hear what those around me are thinking and I can move things.”
“No matter how big those things are?”
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“When I’m moving something with my mind, weight or size has nothing to do with it.”
“Damn.”
“For the record, we’re not going to make it out of your pack without further confrontation.”
“We’re not?” She glanced around outside, but then turned her attention to Josie.
“How do you know that?”
“Paul Wagner is an idiot. But he did call his pack leader, who I’ve met briefly before and give credit for not being an idiot at all.”
“Bob is a pretty smart male.”
“You need to tell me now if we will announce our being mated to your pack
leader.” Josie glanced over at her. His expression was serious and his scent unreadable.
“I will allow that to be your call.”
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
“I will talk to him. But I’ll only tell him we’re mated if you want me to.”
Maura stared at him. Josie followed every tradition on the book. More than likely if they ran into her pack leader, she could stay in the car and prevent her scent from being picked up. Not to mention wearing his huge leather coat hid her smell to some extent.
Anyone sniffing her out would assume she smelled like Josie because she wore his coat.
But if they were to mate under normal, conventional means, the male would approach the pack leader and ask his permission to have the bitch for his mate. Josie just suggested he would do that, if she consented.
If she didn’t consent, she could still leave with Josie, but on less honorable terms.
Josie just offered her the opportunity to save face within her pack. And if she agreed, her scent on him wouldn’t get him in as much trouble—she hoped.
“Talk to him,” she said quietly.
Josie reached over and brushed his thumb down the edge of her jawbone. “I will not discuss some façade with him. Not with your previous pack leader. In his eyes, he still decides your affairs. Once I announce our mating and request his approval, the mating sticks.”
He looked away from her quickly, and just as fast put both his hands on the
steering wheel. Her mind whirled with how serious Josie’s expression was when he’d told her they would be mated. She stared out the front window of his car, her stomach twisting fiercely with apprehension, when two other cars cut them off at the intersection.
Maura immediately recognized members of her pack. “It’s Steve Murdock and
Willie Rafter.”
“Friends of yours?” Josie asked, slowing the car when both
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males stopped in the middle of the road so that the only thing Josie could do was put it in reverse and attempt to turn around.
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“They’re okay. Steve went out with Heidi before she met the male in your pack.
And Willie has never been rude to me or anything.”
“Stay in the car. I’ll find out if your pack leader is on his way.”
“Maybe if I talk to them…”
Josie stopped his car and gave her his attention, ignoring the two males who slowly got out of their cars. “Sitting here of your own will makes it look like you want to be here,” he said quietly, those dark eyes of his glowing as he leaned in to her. Slowly, he took her lower lip between his teeth and then scraped her lip before releasing it. “Do you want to stay with this pack?”
He rubbed her moist lip where he’d just nibbled. Drowning in his large leather coat, she breathed in his scent, then licked his calloused thumb. His growl sent shivers rushing over her and tingles shot down her spine, settling between her legs. A rush of lust swarmed the inside of the car. What she wanted to do was feel all that hard-packed muscle pressing against her. Getting to know Josie Balzon better might be the best move she’d made so far.
“I’ll go with you, wolf man,” she told him, then sucked his thumb into her mouth.
For a moment she thought his eyes would roll back into his head while a rumbling sounded low in his chest. A strange sensation crept over her. She liked thinking that she might have the power to control such an incredibly unique werewolf like Josie.
“But when I do, you’re going to explain to me why it’s so important that you and I are mated.” She wanted to add that he didn’t strike her as the kind of male who would mate with a bitch he didn’t love. And no way could either of them honestly profess such a strong emotion after knowing each other for such a brief amount of time.
“I agree that this can be discussed further later.” He took her hand, his thumb moist from her mouth, and kissed her knuckles before releasing her. “Stay in here where it’s safe. I’ll talk to these males.”
“Josie.” She grabbed his arm when he started to get out of his car. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t hurt any of this pack.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, his satisfaction showing when she didn’t refer to them as her pack. “You have my word.”
She shrugged out of his coat, but he stopped her. “You wear it,” he told her. “I won’t be cold.”
Maura wouldn’t be either, not while watching muscles strain and ripple under his flannel shirt as he moved to the front of his car and then slowly approached Steve and Willie. The two
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males were so much shorter and smaller than Josie. Maura gave them credit for sniffing out Josie, glancing at her and holding their ground without turning tail and running. The two of them combined were no match for Josie.
As Josie walked toward them, Bob Abbey’s truck pulled up. Her old pack leader squinted in her direction and then hopped out of his car, giving Josie his complete attention.
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Josie turned his attention away from the two males the second Bob Abbey, the
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pack leader, pulled up and parked on the side of the road.