Authors: Doris O'Connor
“How much have you heard? And, damn your
shifter hearing.”
“Enough to know that the woman talks too much,
little one, and that you’re far too curious for your own good.”
His smile deepened at the impudent way the
little minx stuck her tongue out at him and poked him in the chest with one
finger.
“Well, Mr-High-And-Mighty-Alpha, if you didn’t
change the subject every time I ask you a personal question, then maybe I
wouldn’t have to ask your pack. Not that anyone will tell me anything, apart
from Leah’s mum. I warn you, mister, if you’ll hold that against her
then...then,” she ran out of steam and he pulled her flush against him, running
his tongue down her neck, where his mark should be. He smiled in her hair at
her instant sigh of surrender.
“You’re doing it again; you’re not playing
fair, Ion.”
“You don’t want me to play fair, little one.
Where would be the fun in that?”
Marnie’s wolf-like growl into Ion’s chest got
his beast purring in anticipation, and he tilted her head up to read her reaction
at his next words.
“How much do you know about our mating ritual,
little one?”
Her eyes widened at the question and focused on
his with open curiosity and more than a hint of sass, even when he knew she was
looking in his wolf’s eyes.
“You mean, apart from the obvious? And stop
trying to scare me, Ion. Your wolf is a pussycat and he would never hurt me.”
She stuck her tongue out at him again, making him chuckle. She sure was
something else, but no doubt his explanation would send her running, especially
after Lucas.
“Yes, apart from that, my sweet.”
“Very little, so spill. Do we dance naked under
the moon or something?”
“Nothing that public, but if one of us takes a
mate, we mate for life and there is nothing we wouldn’t do for our mate. For a
male wolf it becomes impossible to have sex with anyone other than his mate. We
are bonded through eternity and only death can break that bond. Even then it’s
rare to take another mate. And it will bond you to the pack forever.”
He watched as she processed this information
slowly.
“Is that why Louisa’s mum doesn’t live with the
pack anymore, because her mate died and she finds it too difficult, or have you
chucked her out?”
“We would never chuck her out, little one. She
is one of us and always will be, but she blames herself for her mate’s death.”
“Why, what happened?”
Those expressive eyes of hers were full of
compassion and held an edge of steel. She was not going to let him wriggle out
of a full explanation, and she pulled away when he tried to kiss her.
“Oh no, mister, you aren’t leaving it there.
Why is she blaming herself? “
He couldn’t stop the deep sigh escaping as he
relived the bloody turf war that had also killed his father and made him alpha
of the pack in one fell swoop. She was going to get it all and maybe then she
would understand why she ought to be running away screaming, even though he
couldn’t let her do that either. Her cool hands on his face brought him back
to the sunny garden and the concerned, vibrant woman in his arms.
“Ion?”
He made himself smile at her, before focusing
on the tree line behind her, as the sadness settled over him.
“We haven’t always lived peacefully with our
neighbours, Marnie. The club was my father’s dream. Somewhere neutral, where
shifters, vamps and other super-naturals could meet. Safe from detection by the
humans and the authorities.”
“Did you need that? I thought humans didn’t
know about you.”
“Some do; the ones we can trust. Others found
out, and well, a shifter’s fur is a sought after commodity, my sweet.”
He smiled grimly at her outraged cry of, “WHAT?
They hunt you?” Every pore of her body became alert with horror and her eyes
widened further at his next growled words.
“They think we are an aberration of nature, we
shouldn’t exist. Beasts within and all that; out to steal and eat their
children and corrupt their females. Pure monsters, whose bite will turn them to
into werewolves, prowling the night to seek their victims. The grim stuff of
ancient fairy tales.”
“But that’s ridiculous. You’re nothing like
that.”
“Aren’t we, little one? Isn’t that what you
thought when you first found out about me?”
“No…never!” Marnie’s immediate and forceful
denial did wonders for his bruised heart, as did her arms round his waist and
the kiss she dropped on his chest, as she snuggled into him. “I was never
afraid of you, Ion, or your wolf. Surprised, curious, shocked, maybe, but you
never gave me reason to be afraid of you. I wouldn’t be here if I were, no
matter how many overbearing wolves you put on my protection detail or what a
pain in the ass you are. I certainly wouldn’t have allowed you to do half the
things we did over the last few days.” Her voice trailed off and he once again
could sense her embarrassment, before she squared her shoulders and looked up
at him, a new awareness in her eyes.
“Is that why you kept me at arm’s length and
treated me as though I was a china doll?”
“One of the reasons, little one.”
“God! Sometimes, Ion, you males are really dim!
So, back to Louisa’s mum, what happened?”
“The neighbouring pack has been after these
lands for as long as I can remember. My father held the peace as best he could,
even mating with my mother, who was one of theirs.” He smiled at the whispered
“Wow,” before she looked confused.
“But I thought, you mated for love? Did I get
that wrong?”
“I didn’t say they didn’t love each other,
little one. My mother was a beautiful, intelligent, strong alpha wolf, the only
one to keep my father in check. They ruled our pack with iron control and no
one ever dared question their authority. You remind me of her, you know.”
“I do?”
She leaned into his hand caressing her cheek,
and her breathing hitched when he took a strand of her silky hair and inhaled
deeply.
“You would make a beautiful wolf, little one,
with your hair.”
“I…I would?”
He had to smile at the expression on her face,
as she shook her head in denial.
“Hah, I’d be the most clumsy, uncoordinated
wolf ever. I can trip up over thin air, Ion. You have seen how many times I
keeled over in my high heels when I first started working at your club.
Jenkins’ little one has more grace in one little finger, and he’s two!” Her
eyes narrowed and she gave him a saucy grin that had him hard as nails in
seconds. “You don’t need to flatter me to get into my knickers. I’ve got news
for you. I’m a safe bet, Ion.”
“Is that right, little one?”
“You know darn well it is, so wipe that smug
grin off your face, before I hold you to the promise in your jeans.”
Marnie squealed when his wolf pounced and Ion
kissed her with all the pent up frustration and remembered horror of the images
in his head. His control so thin, he was trembling when he finally broke the
kiss, both of them breathing heavily. She shivered when he ran his fangs along
the sensitive skin of her neck, all his senses urging him to sink in deep and
claim the scented softness and make them one. He had never wanted anything more
in his entire life, but she was human. It wouldn’t end well for either one of
them, and he still owed her an explanation.
Through sheer force of will and seeing his
mother’s eyes in front of him, Ion pulled back with a deep growl and rested his
forehead against hers.
“Jeez, little one, you have no idea how much
you tempt me.”
“Tempt you to do what, Ion?”
The eyes of his wolf devoured her and still the
little human stood leaning into him, trusting and delicious and far too
tempting.
“There’s one thing I haven’t told you about the
mating. We seal the deal by biting our mate here,” and he ran one claw up her
neck and into her hairline, his muscles poised for her to take flight, to run
away screaming. He had seen her reaction to Lucas’ bite, her revulsion, but she
simply stood perfectly still, her eyes huge and unblinking, looking up at him,
the only sign of her agitation the rapidly beating pulse under his hand and the
breathy quality of her voice.
“I see. And you want to mate with me, is that
what you’re saying? Do I get a say in the matter?”
Ion didn’t answer her, not trusting what his
wolf might say, but whatever she read in his eyes, she took a deep breath, her
eyes shimmering with sudden tears.
“But you would never do that, because I’m
human, right? What, too fragile, too much strain on the pack, like Louisa’s mum
was? You say you would never chuck her out, but she clearly didn’t feel wanted.
What did she do, Ion? Why did she feel she was responsible? Damn it, you
stubborn wolf––tell me!”
Marnie was trembling in anger now, her flawless
skin flushed, her chocolate eyes like steel boring into him and she took a step
away from him and another, shaking her head in denial.
“If he doesn’t tell you, I will, chere.”
Chapter Fourteen
Lucas stepped out of the tree line, surrounded
by three of Ion’s pack in wolf form. His hands were raised in surrender,
belying the lazy smile on his face as he ran his eyes over Marnie slowly.
Dressed in a light summer suit, a wide panama hat shielding his face from the
sun, gloves covering his hands.
He stayed in the shadows to reach them.
Marnie’s palms itched to swipe that hat off his head and push him into the
brilliant sunshine. He may not incinerate, because surely if he did, he
wouldn’t risk being out on such a sunny day. But she was damn sure he would
hurt, and right now, she wanted to hurt someone. The simmering fury churning
her gut surprised her and she shut her murderous thoughts off with spine-tingling
effort. What the hell was Lucas doing here, and what gave him the right to look
at her like that?
Still reeling from Ion’s grudging admission
that his wolf had chosen her as his mate and her instant excitement, before she
had come crashing down at the denial she’d seen in his eyes, she was
ill-prepared for dealing with Lucas too. Marnie flinched when his cool fingers
traced her neck, where Ion’s warm hands had caressed her moments before. She
batted away his hand with a low growl, which caused an answering snarl in
Lucas’ wolf escort.
“You’re right, Ion; she would make a pretty
wolf. Too bad you can’t bring yourself to claim her.”
He simply smiled and ducked the slap intended
for his face. “Ah, so passionate, mon chere. Tell me, Ion, was she this good
for your wolf?”
“Shut the fuck up, Lucas. I told you to wait.”
“So you did, but you know me. I’m an impatient
man and as sweet as this pouring out of your anguished soul has been to
witness, there is only so much of your noble crap that I can take. We need to
get to the real issues here, and…you haven’t told her, have you?”
Ion shifted into his wolf at the blink of an
eye and Marnie shrieked when he sank his teeth into the vampire’s throat.
Lucas’s startled eyes connected with hers, as he tried in vain to shake off
Ion’s grip, his movements slower due to being out in the daylight. She watched
in horror, as his hat fell off and the stench of burning flesh filled the air,
as the men locked in combat rolled into the sun.
“No! Stop that
now
, damn you.”
Not caring about her own safety, Marnie flung
herself on Ion’s wolf’s back, yanking his fur in a vain attempt to dislodge him
off the fast-fading vampire. The surrounding wolves went wild, and Ion turned
on her as he shook her off. Marnie went flying, the back of her head connecting
painfully with a tree. She was dimly aware of Ion’s wolf on top of her, licking
her face, before she passed out.
How long she had been out she didn’t know. Not
long, she guessed, as she awoke still on the floor, surrounded by Ion’s pack.
Louisa was pressing a cold flannel to the back of her head, as a steaming Lucas
perched next to her. A naked and growling Ion was being restrained by Jenkins
and a few other members of his pack.
“Easy, sugar, you took quite a hit to the back
of your head.” Louisa’s worried voice broke through Marnie’s befuddled brain
and she grimaced as she tried to straighten up.
“Is that why Lucas is doing an impression of a
steam kettle?”
“No, sugar, he needs to get out of the sun, but
the stubborn vamp wouldn’t move until you woke up. Now I fear we may have to
carry him. He doesn’t look too good.”
Sure enough, Lucas’ injuries seemed worse by
the minute, his throat (torn by Ion’s wolf) bleeding heavily, and his sunburned
skin flaking off. The smell was nauseating.
Marnie struggled to her feet. Ignoring the
pounding in her head and Louisa’s outstretched helping hand, she walked over to
the injured vamp, whose eyes were clouded with pain.
“Can you walk, Lucas?”
At the barely visible shake of his head she
held her wrist out to his lips. “You need this, then. Drink, so we can get you
out of the sun. I have no wish to add your death to my conscience.”