Familiar Desires: 5 (Protective Affairs) (24 page)

Alana smiled down at him, sultry and as if she knew exactly
how much he wanted her. “You aren’t going to have to work hard.”

It had to be the cat sense of smell or maybe he’d looked
worried. She took his hand and drew it down her body. He let her guide his hand
between them. His fingers eased between her folds and then curled upward to tease
her clit. She had to be ready. He didn’t want to come before she did.

She began riding his hand. Kane looked down and watched her
undulate. Absolutely fucking gorgeous. Although he watched her, he became
distracted by her swaying breasts. He wrapped an arm around her to brace her
back.

“Lean back a little, Alana.” He stopped moving his finger to
get her attention.

She leaned back. Kane leaned down and took her nipple into
his mouth. Her hips jerked a little, demanding his touch. His fingers rubbed
her clit lightly. He sucked at her nipple. His tongue lapped over the hard peak
before he sucked it deep. She arched, forcing the flesh more firmly into his
mouth. He tormented the peak with his teeth and tongue.

“Ready for some help?” Michael asked from behind her.

Kane’s mouth moved away from the firm mound, but he couldn’t
resist dropping a kiss on the reddened peak. He watched as Michael began
playing with her nipples. She moaned and braced her hands on his shoulders. Her
body swayed slowly. He grazed her clit before drawing his fingers down and
thrusting two of them into her pussy. He pressed his finger over her clit, but
didn’t move it. He let her own rolling movements goad her passion higher and
higher.

Kane ran his hand up and down her side. He kept watch on her
face. He wanted to know if she felt even the slightest twinge of pain from her
thigh. He knew she’d been cleared, but that didn’t mean she’d be pain-free.

Michael plucked at her nipples and a shudder ran through
her. Alana stiffened and lifted away from his hand. She drew in ragged breaths,
holding herself still for a moment.

“I need you inside me, now.” She nipped at his lips.

He urged her up and guided his cock to her slick entrance.
She rocked down onto him as he rammed into her. He had to fuck her. The claim was
as necessary to him as it was to her.

Small growls rumbled from Alana. Her eyes flickered from
normal to almost glowing cat eyes. Her inner muscles pulled at him while she
rode him. The contractions around his shaft almost sent him right over the edge
the moment she started moving. He clenched his jaw and grabbed for control. Not
before she came. His hands ground her pelvis against his on each downward plunge,
hoping to send her over the edge.

Soon, he knew he was going to come with or without her. When
her hips rose again, he slipped his hand between them to strum across her clit.
A cry tore from Alana’s lips and her body quivered and her hands gripped his
arms. Her breasts flattened to his chest as she squeezed closer. Her mouth moved
over his shoulder in a prelude to the gentle trace of her tongue across the
skin. Her pussy clenched on his cock, taking away all thought of holding back.
She bit and in the next intstant, he came, losing the last of his control.
Intense pleasure slammed into him, burning over him hotter than anything he’d
ever experienced.

He held onto her and flopped back onto the bed. He nuzzled
his cheek over hers. Satisfaction and relief flowed through him. She wouldn’t
leave again. Shifters considered the mating bite more binding than a marriage
vow. Intellectually, he’d known they were building bonds, which would tie her
to them, but this was solid, physical proof.

Alana led the way up the neatly edged walkway to the small
yellow house. It was time for a little knock and talk with Gina. Alana had
received the report from her friend. The investigation had been thorough, as
well as not entirely legal, but Alana had never intended to use the information
gathered there to convict Gina if she was part of it. The kidnapping case would
be solved, but Alana had wanted to be certain for Michael and Kane. So they
could be assured of their sister’s guilt or innocence and not always wonder.

Other than a few elitist remarks on a social network, there
were no glaring red flags that Gina was part of the abductions. In some emails
to her friends, there were a few remarks indicating witches should marry
wizards, but other than a clear dislike of Alana, there wasn’t anything to
indicate hatred of anyone else. In fact, Alana’s friend had discovered a little
proof that Gina was innocent. Gina carried her cell phone with her everywhere
and seemed to talk or text constantly. They could track her moves and activity
every day.

On top of that, Gina had no contact with any of the kidnap
victims. Gina worked from home designing clothes. Alana thought that was how
Gina kept herself separate from others. Gina occasionally went to Seattle on
business, but she didn’t often leave the mountain. When she went anywhere in Devoe,
she was always with some of her friends.

Alana’s friend had checked for prepaid phones active at the
same time and location as Gina to cover all the bases. A prepaid had popped in
one of the locations she was at once, but later had been active across town
from her. From all of that information, Alana was ready to put her name near
the back of the list of persons of interest, but she wanted to talk to Gina.
Maybe Gina could give them some information.

Alana glanced back at Michael and Kane and resisted the urge
to run a hand over the tight muscles of her neck. She’d wanted to leave them at
home and bring Mark or one of his officers to give them a little distance. This
situation could drive a wedge between them and their sister. She didn’t want that.

Alana rang the doorbell and waited. They’d promised to stay
out of it and simply stand there, but Alana wasn’t counting on it. She hadn’t
wanted Gina to think that Michael and Kane had brought her here to make some
sort of truce between them so she’d worn her Protectorate uniform.

The door opened and Gina scowled at her before looking past
her to Michael and Kane. Gina’s face softened a little when she looked at her
brothers. That expression raised Alana’s opinion of the woman a little, but not
much. Gina cared for her brothers, but she was still a spoiled, elitist brat.

“What do you want here, Agent?” Gina’s mouth twisted into a
sneer as she said the word “agent”.

“I’m here to ask you some questions. After the meeting you
arranged, did you seriously think I wouldn’t want to talk to you?” Alana raised
a brow.

She assessed the other woman. Gina was dressed for comfort
in loose clothes. She was probably working. Gina was known for being perfectly
put together when she went anywhere so Alana was sure she hadn’t planned to go
anywhere while wearing those clothes.

“You don’t belong here. I don’t know why you think you do.”
Gina folded her arms over her chest, but didn’t move out of the door.

“Did you know Julia?” Alana watched for any sign of
recognition. Julia was a shifter and a nurse, but as far as Alana could tell,
they’d never met.

“Julia who? What are you talking about? I know a Jill, but
no Julia.” Gina’s brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed.

“Julia Desmond, one of the shifters who was kidnapped, she
was a nurse. Does that clear things up for you?” Alana kept her tone even, but
it was hard. She wanted to goad Gina, but she needed to talk to her as much as
possible.

“No, I don’t know her. Why are you asking me about her?”
Gina straightened and her face paled a little. She looked to her brothers.

“I’m asking about more than Julia.” Alana didn’t let her
direct any questions to Michael and Kane. She listed off the names of the
kidnapped women, including the humans. “Do you know any of them?”

“No,” Gina said and glared at her. “I don’t know any of
them. I don’t like you. You’re definitely not what my brothers deserve, but
that doesn’t make me capable of kidnapping so many people. On top of that, it
brought you here. Why would I want to do that? How could you two stand there
and let her say those things to me?”

Gina’s eyes focused behind Alana for a moment. Tears trailed
down her cheeks. She whirled and stormed back into the house closing and
locking the door behind her. Alana sighed.

Michael took her arm and guided her down the steps. “What do
you think?”

“She hates me, because I’m not what she wants for you. What
she believes is best for you. I don’t believe she hates all other shifters or
has the urge to go after them. As long as they’re not in her life, she doesn’t
care.” Alana bit her lip. She hoped she was right about Gina having no
connection to the kidnapping. It would hurt Michael and Kane if Gina had
anything to do with this.

* * * * *

Alana took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders a little
to ease the tension. The police wouldn’t have called her to the station unless
something had happened or they’d learned something. She was favoring the idea that
the police had discovered something, but the chance that someone else had been
taken lurked in the back of her mind.

Anger and fear churned through her belly. She wasn’t any
closer to finding what abductors were doing with the kidnapped women, much less
if any of the town’s witches were behind it. As much as she suspected some of
the more bigoted witches, she had no proof.

“Relax, Alana. It can’t be anything too bad. If someone had
been taken today, they would have simply called us and told us where to go.”
Michael squeezed her hand. He sat in the back seat with her.

Okay, he had a point. She simply hadn’t thought of it that
way before now. Her stomach rolled and a headache began building at the back of
her head, no doubt from the tightness she could feel in her shoulders and neck.
As she drew in a few deep breaths, she tried to focus before the nervousness
and worry grew worse. She couldn’t let her anxiety over those kidnappers and
the witches working with them get to her. She didn’t know when it had happened,
but this had become more than a normal mission. This was personal and it
mattered too much.

They stopped in front of the police station. She stared at
it for a moment before she started to get out of the Jeep. By the time she
pushed the door open, Kane was there to help her down. She let her hand rest on
his arm while they walked to the main entrance to the police station.

They entered and walked across to the reception desk. They
didn’t have to wait. They were escorted back to a meeting area immediately.
Alana didn’t see anyone she recognized as they went. The gray and white room
was empty. A screen covered most of one wall and a large rectangular table
occupied most of the floor space. Boring, but police stations weren’t known for
stylish décor. The officer who brought them back turned back before he left
them.

“They’ll be here in a moment. They’re waiting for a few
documents to be sent,” the officer said before quietly closing the door.

Alana sat in the chair and waited. Michael and Kane took the
seats flanking her. The comment about documents caught her attention. They must
have found something to have those, but couldn’t think what it would be.

Catching even the kidnapper she could describe was a long
shot. There was the chance that whoever they worked for had decided to kill
them rather than chance being connected to them, but it was only a very small
one. There had been no sign that whoever was behind this was that ruthless.

Michael put his hand over hers and Kane gently rubbed her
shoulder. She had a feeling he wasn’t far from getting up to stand behind her
and massage her shoulders. She reached up and squeezed his hand. She liked his
attention and the strong stroke of his hand. If they had to wait too long, she
was going to end up curled up next to them or even worse in one of their laps.

Luckily, Alana didn’t have to resist the temptation. The
door opened only moments later. The chief of police came into the room followed
by a tall, willowy woman with brown skin and deep green eyes. Lisabeth had
finally arrived back in Devoe. Mark held a chair for Lisabeth, but after a
glare toward Mark, she walked around the table and took one next to Kane.

Oh, yeah, Lisabeth was one pissed-off witch, although Mark
deserved the cold shoulder and more. He’d brought all of this on himself when
he’d believed his family’s lies and put Lisabeth and their relationship last on
his list. He might have had some help in what had happened, but it was him who’d
let it happen again and again.

“Point made. I’m still a piece of shit. That’s fine, but this
isn’t personal. The silent treatment has to stop. We have to talk about the
phone calls you received.” Mark sat down across from Lisabeth and scowled.

“I’ll talk with Alana and the others. And you’re actually
worse than shit. I wouldn’t have you even on the bottom of my shoe.” Lisabeth
eyed him with distaste.

“We’re going to talk this through sometime. Don’t think you’re
going to avoid me for long.” Mark narrowed his eyes on her.

“Oh, it’s easy to do that. All I have to do is wait for the
phone to ring and off you go.” She waved her hand.

Alana knew Lisabeth wasn’t talking about calls from his
work. It had never been his job that caused trouble. But those two would have
to sort through the mess on their own and at another time. They needed to get
on with this meeting.

“So does anyone have anything to tell us? I assume we were
called here to do more than talk with Lisabeth.” Alana looked at Mark, the
other officer and the Witch Council representative Don Thompson, who’d come in while
Lisabeth and Mark were arguing. She assumed he might be the representative for
both Councils since the space was limited here.

“Yes, we are here to do more. We thought you’d want to talk
with Lisabeth about the call. And we have some news about the man you described
for us.” Mark nodded to Alana.

“What did you discover about the man?” Alana leaned forward,
her palms flattening on the table. Lisabeth was here to stay at least for a
while so asking about the call she’d apparently received could wait until
later.

“Earlier this week, he was spotted in the city at the base
of the mountain. The police weren’t close enough to catch him. They went back
to the area over the next few days. They caught him and he’s been transported
by the Protectorate to be interrogated.” Mark straightened.

“Did he say anything before they took him or did the
Protectorate contact you with any information yet?” Alana tilted her head. She
knew he probably hadn’t confessed even his part of even the kidnapping. Still
there was always the possibility. She wouldn’t mind a little luck in this
mission.

“He asked for an attorney the moment they arrested him. They
did find your name along with Michael’s and Kane’s and their address on him.
Since he wouldn’t be carrying potential evidence after you escaped him unless
he had a reason, we’re going on the theory that they plan to come after you
again, as well as possibly Michael and Kane.”

Alana tensed, straightening in her seat. “You’d better have
had someone watching Michael and Kane since the moment you discovered their
names were on the list.”

“They’ve been under surveillance. No one would have gotten
close to them without us knowing. We were hoping we might catch someone
following them or you.” Thompson held up his hands. “We weren’t going to take a
chance that they’d succeed in whatever their aims were.”

“Good. I don’t want them put in danger for any reason.”
Alana glanced at Mark and then the Council representative on the opposite side
of the table.

“They won’t be in any danger and neither will you. The watch
will be discreet so we won’t frighten anyone trying to find you away,” Mark
said.

Alana eyed him, not ready to be reassured. They would be in
danger though. They might not be out there alone, but there was still the
chance that someone could get to them. She knew it. It made her nervous and her
cat antsy. The many possible ways it could go wrong sent chills down her spine
and would probably keep her awake at night.

“Any other clues on the note or was it just the names and
address?” Alana hoped there was something more, some hint at who was behind it,
why or when it was supposed to happen.

“Only the names and address and the man hasn’t given up any
information yet. So we’re still operating on the same information we had
before.” Mark grimaced.

She could tell he was frustrated. She was too. All it would
take was a little extra information. Something about either the witches or what
was being done with the people they’d taken captive. Discovering even some
small clue might break open the rest of the situation.

“Hopefully, they can drag something from him during the
interrogation.” Alana drummed her fingers on the hard tabletop. “Do you know
who’s going to do the questioning? Or if they’re going to use magic since we
know witches are involved in this up to their necks.”

“No, they didn’t give me those types of details. Probably
because I wouldn’t know anything about their investigators.” Mark’s lips tilted
up in a very brief smile.

“I was thinking more about their styles, wondering who they’d
send at him first.” Alana focused her eyes on the wall as she thought. She wasn’t
sure how long they’d had him, but they would have decided which person to use
from his behavior while in holding and on the way to the Protectorate.