The Burning Claw: Book 10, The Grey Wolves Series (32 page)

D
ecebel watched as his mate entered the suite they used when staying at the Romania pack. She looked tired, but no less beautiful and desirable than always. She moved about the room—slipping off her shoes, grabbing an empty glass that sat on the end table and taking it to the kitchen, and then stopping in the kitchen. Her back was to him and he frowned as she leaned forward, rested her head on the countertop, and began to cry. Her shoulders shook with emotion and her hands grasped the counter with such force that her knuckles were turning white.

“Jennifer,” Decebel called as he strode across the room to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up and then turned her to face him. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head as more tears fell and she pressed her forehead to his chest. He clenched his jaw as he held his weeping mate, unable to fix whatever it was that had his mate in tears.

“Please, talk to me, Jennifer.”

“I just can’t believe Peri found her,” she finally managed to get out around the gulps of air. “I want to see her. I want to see with my own eyes that she’s okay.”

He ran his hand gently down her hair as he attempted to soothe her. “I know you do, baby. And you will. Be patient.”

“When has that ever been one of my virtues?” she grumbled. Her small hands were wrapped around his shirt, holding him to her.

Decebel chuckled. “You have many other virtues,” he told her.

Jennifer snuggled closer as the tears began to dry up. “I’m tired, Dec.”

He swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Decebel helped her undress and slip on one of his t-shirts that swallowed her. He loved seeing her in his clothes; it was almost as good as seeing her without any clothes—almost.

“Your mind is having impure thoughts, lover,” she teased him as she wiped away the last bit of moisture from her eyes.

Decebel wanted to keep the tears at bay, and if seducing his mate would keep her mind and emotions under control, then it was certainly no hardship for him. “Are they really impure if they’re about my mate?” he asked as he took off his shirt and then his pants. He pulled back the covers on the bed and watched as she climbed in. The shirt rose up, exposing more of her silky thighs, and his thoughts went from impure to completely inappropriate.

He slid in next to her and reached for one of the legs that had tempted him and pulled her closer. Decebel placed the leg over his hip and his hands grasped her waist. He pulled her over until she was nearly laying on top of him.

“Comfortable?” she mumbled against his chest. Her lips were soft as they moved against his skin.

Decebel grunted at her, too focused on his hands trailing over her to bother answering. She shivered as he pushed the t-shirt up further. He smiled. He loved how she responded to him.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

“You don’t ever have to miss me, baby. All you have to do is tell me you need me and I’m yours.”

He felt her smile against him. “If I did that, then we’d never get anything done.”

His own smile widened. “You are quite insatiable.”

“You love it,” she growled as she climbed up his body until she hovered over him, boxing him in.

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “It’s been a while so I can’t really remember.”

She lunged down and clamped her teeth on his neck just hard enough to get his and his wolf’s attention. “Then perhaps I need to remind you,” Jennifer purred after releasing his flesh.

Decebel trailed his hands up the backs of her thighs, pulling the hem of the shirt up as he moved. As the hem reached her neck, she ducked down allowing her head and arms to slip free of the shirt.

He growled his approval as he pulled her face to his. “I think a reminder is definitely in order.” Decebel’s lips collided with hers. It was the first of many kisses that night. He wrapped her in his arms as she loved him and thoroughly reminded him of just how much he loved her insatiability.

Chapter 18

“I’m lost. I’m lost to the darkness, lost to the pain, lost to the desire to kill everything in my path because there is no light to lead me. My light is gone. My soul is incomplete. My wolf, in his grief for the loss of his mate, has given himself over to the monster inside. Everything I feared has come true.” ~Costin

S
ally stretched as the morning light streamed into her bedroom. It had been another rough night as dreams of wolves plagued her. She didn’t understand her sudden obsession with the animal, at least in her subconscious. Not that they weren’t beautiful and majestic, but she’d never had a thing for them before. It just seemed so random…and yet not. Then she remembered her experience on the beach and mentally added one more thing to her growing list of
WTH
.

She glanced at her phone and saw that it wasn’t even seven a.m. She groaned and threw herself back onto the bed. Why was she up so early? After last night’s late night with Jericho, she assumed she would have no problem sleeping in today. Apparently, she was wrong.

The bathroom called to her in more ways than one, so Sally dragged herself from the bed and handled her business before going into the kitchen and fixing herself a bowl of cereal.  Once she was finished with breakfast, she laid around the house, attempting to keep herself entertained by reading. The more she tried not to worry about the dreams, the headaches, and Jericho, the more agitated she became.

“Jericho,” she whispered. Her emotions for him were so confusing, especially after last night. Something had changed in him. He was always touchy, but last night he’d been determined to move their relationship to the next level. Sally had never had a guy try to touch her chest before or run his hands up the inside of her thighs. She’d pushed him away and he’d taken the rejection like a gentleman, telling her they could go as slow as she needed. She wanted to say that her speed was frozen molasses and see what Jericho said to that, but as usual she kept her mouth shut. The only reason she’d been brave enough to push his hands away was because she had had to swallow down bile as soon as he touched her so intimately. She had nearly barfed all over him.

Sally felt bad for him. He deserved a girl who cared for him as much as he cared for her. She liked him. He was funny, playful, and very handsome. But she didn’t think she
liked him
liked him despite the fact that he was quite the kisser and his touch was pleasurable, when not in places that his hands didn’t belong, Sally still couldn’t muster up any romantic feelings for him. That begged the question then, why was she dating him? Why didn’t she just tell him that she wanted to be friends and only friends?

“Cause you’re a fraidy cat,” she grumbled to herself.

By the time she needed to leave to make it to the bar in time for the start of her shift, Sally had worked herself into a pretty high state of apprehension. She would be working with Jericho tonight and anytime they worked together he touched her about every three seconds. And every time he touched her, she felt as though she was giving something to him that belonged to another.

“Stop it!” she yelled at herself as she stood at her door, about to step outside. “Quit this nonsense, Sally Morgan.” Gah, even her last name sounded weird to her. She gave up trying to reason with herself and practically sprinted out the door to work.

Sally hadn’t been behind the counter for five minutes before Jericho had his hands on her hips, pulling her back against his chest. “You look edible,” he whispered against her ear and then nipped it with his teeth.

Sally blushed and fought the urge to pull away. “Thanks.” She bit back the audible sigh when he released her to help a gentleman who’d just walked up to the bar.

She decided right then that she was going to have to call things off with him sooner rather than later. She couldn’t keep feeling like this. She felt like she was not only leading him on but also betraying someone else. Maybe if she explained that to him, then he would understand. Perhaps, he wouldn’t take the news too hard.

She looked over at him as he expertly poured a round of shots. He must have felt her eyes on him because he turned his head and winked at her. That wink was a kick to the gut to quit staring and get to work.

Now she just had to get through the shift without visibly cringing or pulling away every time he touched her. She didn’t know what she would do if he kissed her.

She gasped suddenly as she was grabbed around the waist and spun around. Her chest collided with a much firmer one and lips came crashing down on hers. Jericho backed her up against the counter and proceeded to mix a drink behind her back as he kissed her. It was a crowd favorite and she tried to avoid it, but sometimes he snuck up on her. He pressed his hips closer against her and the bold move surprised her. She gasped and when her mouth opened, he took advantage and dove in tongue first.

She knew the hip thrust had been just for that reason, so she’d open her mouth. She rarely let him kiss her with their tongues entangling. It made her skin crawl and that time was no exception. But what could she do? She went right along with it. She let him kiss her and kissed him back. Sally wondered if he could tell that it was mechanical, that no emotion fueled the action.

He pulled back and set the finished drink on the bar, his body still pressed tightly to hers, and slid the drink down to the customer. The crowd applauded, whistled, and catcalled, as they always did.

Jericho pressed a quick kiss to her neck, just below her ear, before stepping away and going back to take more orders.

Sally had to excuse herself. She needed to collect her thoughts and emotions.

“You okay, Sally,” Cross asked as she passed him on her way to the ladies room.

“Yes,” she said but in her head, she was screaming
no!
Nothing was okay. Nothing would ever be okay again. She didn’t understand where the emotions were coming from. She stood in front of the sink panting as she tried to hold back a panic attack.

She met her eyes in the mirror as they filled with tears. “What’s happening to me?”

“
H
ow much longer do we have to wait?” Jen asked. She felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, waiting for the sunrise to come so that she could wake her parents and open the presents. They were going to see Sally. It had only been eleven days since she’d disappeared, and yet it felt as though it had been months.

“I told you we wouldn’t leave until they were two hours out on their hunt,” Peri said with a slight edge to her voice.

Jacque stood looking every bit as eager as Jen but somehow managing to hold her tongue. Finally, fifteen minutes later, Peri grabbed both their arms and flashed them from the Romania mansion. They reappeared on the stoop of a quaint looking building. The moon was high in the sky but no stars could be seen, unlike in the forest of Romania.

“What time is it here?” Jen asked.

“They’re seven hours behind us. So we left at seven a.m. our time, and here it is twelve a.m. of the same day. If we’d left at six a.m., we would have arrived here yesterday their time.”

“Is this where she lives?” Jacque asked as her eyes drank in the surroundings.

“Yep,” Peri confirmed. “But we won’t find her here at this hour. She’s still at work.”

Jen clapped her hands together and rubbed them. “Does this mean we’re going to a bar?”

“Keep your clothes on, Jennifer,” Jacque growled at her.

Jen shook her head. “I make no promises and” —she held up a finger— “I declare that anything that happens in Oceanside, stays in Oceanside.” She tapped her head. “That means we need to be careful what we let the fur balls know.”

Peri turned and started walking down the sidewalk and the two girls followed. As they were walking, the high fae began laying out the
dos
and
don’ts
.

“You two are going to use your real names,” she began. “Jericho and I have already had an encounter and so he will recognize me. So I’m going to alter my appearance and change my name. For the time being you guys will need to call me…”

“Matilda,” Jen offered.

Peri frowned. “No, not Matilda.”

“Ursula,” Jacque chimed in giving Jen a wink.

“Eww, no, not Ursula,” Peri said scrunching up her small nose.

“I’ve got it,” Jen announced. “Lunesta.” She smiled proudly.

“That’s a sleep aid drug you dip,” Peri growled.

“Well, there are times when we’d rather be asleep than deal with your difficult butt. So it’s totally appropriate. Right, Red?”

“Totally,” Jacque agreed.

Peri narrowed her eyes at Jen. “Why, exactly, are you using up oxygen right now?”

Jen laughed. “Because I’m hoping if I use it all up, you’ll pass out.”

“What about Franny?” Jacque said, interrupting their banter.

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” Peri growled. Her hands were on her hips as she glared at them. “A normal name, quit trying to give me a stupid, ugly name.”

“You need to apologize to all the Frannys, Ursulas, Matildas, and Lunestas of the world,” Jacque told her.

“There are no Lunestas of the world.”

“All the more reason to use it,” Jen grinned. “It’s original, like you.”

“My name is Stacy. Call me Stacy,” Peri said flatly.

“Boo,” Jen called.

“Boring,” Jacque sang.

“Don’t care,” Peri sang back. “Now, we’ve got other things to discuss.  Even though you are using your real names, you are not to tell Sally that you know her. Do not attempt to remind Sally of anything, any memory, any past event, anything that happened in your past lives as friends. For all intents and purposes, this is the first time you are ever meeting Sally Morgan.”

“Miklos,” Jen corrected.

Peri shook her head. “No, she knows herself as Sally Morgan.”

“Crap,” Jen muttered. It was going to be difficult to pretend to not know anything about the girl she knew everything about.

“Also, you cannot react to anything you see that you don’t like. If you act weird, she isn’t going to be responsive to building a friendship with you, which is what we need to do.”

“What’s our story?” Jacque asked.

“We’re new in town. We moved here from Texas—a way to have something in common with her. We are sisters—all adopted. Our parents always wanted to live in a beach town, but both have passed away. They were older when they adopted us. Mom died of cancer and Dad shortly thereafter from old age. We decided to live the dream they always wanted.”

“Good story line,” Jen smiled. “What about men?”

“What about them?” Peri asked.

“Do we have any?”

Peri thought about her question and then nodded. “We better or else we might slip up. We each have boyfriends. They are all best friends and are backpacking across Europe.”

“Nice,” Jacque nodded.

Peri stopped in front of a door directly below a sign that read
The Dog House
. They had arrived.

Jen shook out her hands and tilted her head this way and that, attempting to loosen up the tense muscles.

“We aren’t going in for fight, Jen,” Jacque laughed.

“I know that, butthead. I’m just trying to relax so I can act natural. I’m afraid I’m going to see her and try to tackle her in a hug.”

“Yeah, don’t do that,” Peri said shaking her head.

Peri pushed the door open and they walked inside and froze. There she was, their gypsy healer, behind a bar, not with Costin. Jen soaked in the image of her friend—whole, uninjured, and sporting a new set of locks.

“Holy schnauzers, what did she do to her hair?” Jen asked as they stood, stock still, staring at their best friend who was diligently drying glasses.

“I think it’s cute,” Jacque whispered.

“By burlesque standards, maybe,” Jen said, her lips pinched together as though she’d just sucked on a lemon. “It’s too, too…” She sputtered trying to find the right words. “It’s too blonde and purple.”

“You’re a blonde, dummy,” Peri pointed out.