Wild Hunts (4 page)

He laughed heartily, making his way to the door. He glanced back as he stepped into the frigid night. “Hey, don’t be blastin’ that rock music of yours tonight, okay? It hurts my ears.”

“I’ll spin the dial as far as it’ll go just for you.” She reached up on her toes and smacked a kiss on his cheek. “Night brother, protector, immovable mountain of stubborn fur.”

“Night sister, wiseass, and the one who’ll turn me prematurely gray.”

A few minutes later, Kasa danced around the kitchen to one of her favorite tunes blasting through the stereo speakers, singing in her usual off-key style. She snagged a piece of steak here and there, a chug of beer between lyrics. Her muscles had loosened up nicely and she moved fluidly to the beat. Still, nothing could completely erase the weight of her failure or the strange encounter with the two wolves.

The song came to an end. She spun around with a smile.

“Next time, I’ll get in and get them all out,” she murmured, tipping the long-neck against her lips. The cold beer spilled down her throat. “I will.”

A new song filled the cabin, but the vibrant blend of electric guitars, keyboards, and drums was disrupted by a sharp knock on her front door. She sighed.
Brother, you really need to let loose once in a while.

A second round of knocks resounded.

“Yeah, Jor, I’m coming. Gimme a minute.” Kasa wove around the counter and hurried to answer the insistent knocking. She slid back the bolt lock and yanked the door open.

Her breath seized in her lungs. Her heart palpitated, sending a rush of weakness over her. Her vision dimmed, quivered, blurred.

The beer bottle slid from her hand.

“Well, well. Look who I’ve found.”

* * * *

Micah watched the man climb the tree-shrouded hill separating this small living quarter from the even smaller one down the hill. The breeze strengthened as the night progressed, whipping through the towering spruces and firs, whistling a haunting song. There had been much bloodshed tonight, putting him in a foul mood.

The scent of that white stirred in the night, surrounding him, plaguing him. His mouth watered to taste her again. His fingers itched to touch her. Hell, his cock was solid as a block of ice waiting to sink into something hot and wet. She was his only saving grace at the moment.

Business first.

The man paused halfway up the hill. He lifted his head and angled his face to the sky. The reflective lenses of his eyes flashed a rainbow of color before locking on him. The hint of moonlight peeking out from behind clouds cast the man’s face in an icy white glow. He was a rugged wolf, a cruel wolf. One with a reputation of mauling anything that posed a threat to the woman under his care.

That woman belongs to us
.

The man approached him. Micah slid off the hood of his truck and met him by the side of the cabin. Tension sizzled like live electrical wires. Every muscle in Micah’s body thrummed with his hunter’s instinct, keeping him alert to any possible threat. The man mirrored his territorial stance, the warning radiating from his cold amber eyes.

“I don’t suppose it’s in your nature to ask my permission to see my sister,” the man growled. His upper lip twitched. “Who are you?”

“You know who I am,” Micah responded with equal coolness. “Or have you forgotten?”

“I never heard the names.”

“Best you hear them and remember them.” Micah tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes on the man. “Micah Castrove.”

“Ah, that’s right. You and the other are brothers.” The man looked around his property in silent surveillance. “Where
is
the other?”

“Don’t be concerned with him. I’m the one standing in front of you.”

“Keep up the fucking lip, bro, and I don’t give a shit whether you’re mate to my sister or not. I’ll fucking castrate you…
where you stand
.”

“And next time you leave her scent uncovered for those rebels to track, I’ll fucking peel back your throat,” Micah countered. “You put her in danger. What kind of guardian are you?”

“I’m a guardian checking out the competence level of her proposed mates,” the man sneered. Micah didn’t miss the flash of wolf treading extremely close to this guy’s surface. The tension intensified. The hair on his arms bristled. His own fur began to grow. His teeth tapered into lethal fangs. “But even after covering her trail, I question your stupidity for engaging members of my pack.”

“You were a fucking fool to have them stalk us while with her.”

“Don’t flash me your fangs, pup. I’ll be glad to remove them with my fingers,” the man growled. He leaned into Micah. “And I don’t use anesthetics.” He brought his feet under him, constricting the space between them. Micah noted the man’s stature, a solid, muscular build that almost matched his own brawn. “Learn your manners when you pay a visit to another’s home. Come back here with threats, you’ll learn the hard way just how lucky you were tonight to walk away without a scratch.”

The man shouldered past him. Micah simmered in his heated anger for a split moment before grabbing his arm. A deep rumbling growl reverberated through the man’s body, not the least bit intimidating to Micah.

“I’ve heard rumors about you through the wolf communities. Some dubbed you the Guardian. Death Dealer is another, more melodramatic signature. Regardless, much of what these wolves have said bordered on superstition. They believe the whites were slaughtered during the Blood Moon massacre. You have a reputation that frightens any wolf with half a brain.” Micah said. He turned to face the man. His blood was running cold in his veins, his patience thinning. He came to find out who this man was, not butt heads.

“You don’t fall into that category, then.”

“No, because you don’t frighten me. Many know of you, but what do you know of me?” Micah snickered under his breath as the man finally looked back at him, mouth set in a firm line. His jaw ticked and even in this dull moonlight, he could see a faint red tinge the man’s cheeks. “Nothing, correct?” Micah released his arm and took a step back. “That’s because anyone who crosses me, or my brother, doesn’t live to tell about it. Consider yourself lucky I didn’t slaughter those two who sacked us tonight. Had I not caught the similar scent between you and your sister, you and your men would’ve been another lost body.”

“Is that a threat?”

Micah shrugged a shoulder and arched a brow. “You challenged our, oh what did you call it,
competence
. I’d suggest you relax a dozen notches or so before someone gets hurt. And it won’t be Slade, your sister, or myself. She
will
be protected. If you love her as much as I suspect, you’ll work with us rather than against.”

At last, Micah tipped his head and took a long, deep breath. As the air seeped out of his lungs, a calm settled over him. He had made his point, put his hand on the table, and now waited for this man’s response. One way or another, he’d claim what was his. No brother would stand in the way of what the spirits wished of him.

“She wouldn’t have sustained the injuries she had tonight if we were with her. As it was, we’re lucky we got there when we did. That rabid dog was rousing,” Micah added. He folded his arms over his chest, but by no means was it a submissive move. “You were still trotting through the forest, trying to locate her.”

The man eyed him begrudgingly. After a long, tenuous silence, he straightened his shoulders to Micah and held out his hand.

“Name’s Jordan Jones. For the record, I was watching you two stalk my sister. We know how to throw our scent. Don’t be fooled.”

Micah accepted the offer of a handshake.
Good to know that tidbit
.

“My sister’s Kasa Jones.” Jordan scoured his gaze from his boots up to his hair. “Good thing at least one of her mates has a dominant streak. You’re in for a wild ride with her.”

“I’m sure, if her defiance toward you speaks for anything.”

“And what
defiance
is that?”

“She didn’t run with her tail between her legs. Your sister has pride, and pride can procure stubbornness.”

Jordan hooked his thumbs on his jeans. Micah unfolded his arms and dug his keys from his coat pocket.

“Sounds like you know what you’re talking about,” Jordan muttered as he started back to his cabin. Micah retreated to his truck, satisfied with the outcome of this long confrontation.

“I do, more than anyone will ever know.”

Chapter Three

Slade pressed into the cozy cabin, fallen beer bottle in hand. The stricken expression on the sweet little lady’s face made him all the more hungry for a piece of meat. Tender, juicy, white wolf meat. By the scent he caught in the air, she was primed and ready for feasting. His cock throbbed against the zipper of his jeans, aching to break free and take what was rightfully his. And Micah’s.

“You’re not wearing much to be keeping that door open.” He kicked the door shut, which jerked her from her trance. She jumped and the glaze over her startling amber eyes vanished.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

The sharp edge he suspected she aimed for fell flat on a seductive roll. His gaze lowered from her eyes to her mouth. Lush pink lips glistened with fresh moisture from her having just licked them. A light red hue stroked the fine structure of her cheeks. Strands of her black, chin-length bangs fell free from behind her ears. It took everything he had not to tuck them back. The rest of her hair was twisted up in some half-wet messy fashion, held by a clip.

“Slade Castrove. You must be Kasa. Nice to meet you.” He shot her a playful smile and continued his lingering journey down her body.
Ah yes
. A tank top hugged full, round breasts, pert nipples poking against the striped fabric. Her frame narrowed at her waist, flared out slightly at her hips, and followed down the length of finely-toned legs. At the moment, he wanted to touch her everywhere, feel her, taste her.

Fuck, the hunger to claim her was near blinding.

“Smells good in here,” he added.
Boy does it ever
. He tore his gaze away from the siren in front of him and surveyed the small living quarters. He spotted a cut up steak on the counter and started toward it. “Mind if I have a bite? I’m famished.”

“Hey,” she choked. He was halfway to the kitchen when she grabbed his arm and hopped in front of him. “Hey! Who the hell are you to come barging into my house, take my beer, and help yourself to my food? No, I don’t
think
so!”

“Didn’t take your beer.” Slade took a swig from the bottle. He licked the flavor of her mouth from the lip and had to suppress a shudder. He handed it back to her and she took it, all the while staring at the lip. “Caught it when you dropped it. As for barging, you seemed a little shocked. Figured if you didn’t want me in, you’d have kicked the door shut in my face. So, took your reaction as a silent invitation. Food?” Slade laughed quietly. He tipped her chin up with a quick brush of his finger. “Honey, I can’t see your tiny stomach taking that entire steak. Besides, I’m much more manageable on a full stomach.”

“M–manage…What the hell are you
talking
about?”

Slade pinched a piece of meat between his fingers and popped it into his mouth. The cool juices ran over his tongue, making his jaw tight, and he sighed. After savoring the bite, he blinked and pointed to it. “You made that? It’s incredible.”

“You are one rude bastard, you know that?” Kasa grated between clenched teeth. She slammed her beer bottle on the countertop. A small spray of liquid spattered from the long-neck over the Formica. “I should bite your hand for touching my food.”

“Go ’head, baby doll. I like a little rough play.” His smile grew in step with her frustration. He helped himself to another piece of rare steak and leaned back against the corner of the counter, crossing his ankles. Her gaze raked over him, sharp and fierce, but the sight of her nipples hardening further and the slight tremor that touched her fingers spoke of her thorough enjoyment doing so. What the hell, he enjoyed a frisky lady. If Kasa proved just that, then all the more fun he and his brother were going to have.