A Shift in the Water (37 page)

Gently, she drew her lips off of him, wriggled, and laid her head on his hip. His scent surrounded her. Fingers brushed her hair back from her face. He was panting weakly, his stomach muscles trembling.

“Come here,” he said quietly.

Mara blinked hard to clear the haze that had settled over her. She was spent, sated, and he’d barely touched her. When she didn’t move, he grasped her under the arms and tugged her up so her head was against his shoulder instead of his hip.

“Better.”

She looked up at him. Lines had deepened around his eyes and his lips. The hand that stroked her shoulder was bruised. He’d had to hit someone. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and steady. A sheen of sweat covered his skin, lending a deep maleness to his scent that comforted her. Forcing herself up, she grabbed the sheet and the blanket and drew them over their intertwined bodies.

“No,” he protested. His speech was slurred and tired. “Want you.” 

“I know. But you’re exhausted. What took you so long?”

“Ollie and I got into it. He wanted the pack to leave. And he wanted me to go with them. I had to remind him that if he wanted to stay in my pack, he was going to listen to me.” Cade rolled slightly and pulled her closer. “He owes you an apology in the morning.” A yawn spread his jaws, filled his lungs, and ended with a hum.

“Get some sleep, stud.”

Hours later, Mara woke with a slight headache. Cade’s body draped over hers. The scent of them—together—filled the room. Cade’s pure male strength, a hint of the woods he’d been such a part of before his capture, fresh rain, and a note of coconut. Mara inhaled deeply and licked her lips. She needed water. Her element was weak. She recognized the signs now. A glass of water would help, would hydrate her enough to pull some water from the air and strengthen her.

Cade groaned quietly as she shifted his warm weight off of her body. “Shh, shaggy man. I’ll be right back.”

“Marrrrra,” he growled, then settled when she pressed a kiss to his full lips. Her fingers trailed over his hair, savoring the silky locks.

“Sleep,” she whispered. “I won’t be long.”

Cade’s sweatshirt was crumpled on the floor and Mara tugged it over her head. It smelled like him. She snuggled within the warmth and crept quietly out into the hall. Snores from her living room raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She ran a bit of water from the sink and filled a glass, staring out into her starlit backyard while she sipped.

A growl raised the hairs on the back of her neck. Fear crashed over her in a drowning wave. She turned slowly. Standing in her hall, easily four-and-a-half-feet tall, with black and reddish fur and glowing green eyes, was a wolf that could only be Liam. He advanced. Glistening teeth bared, paws clicking against the hardwood floor. A deep vocalization she didn’t understand came from his throat and moments later, the entire pack—save for Livie, Shawn, and Cade—stood behind him.

“Liam?” she squeaked. “You’re all scaring me.” Liam growled again.

“How did you find him?” Ollie asked. A bruise darkened his right eye. He was a large man that looked to be at least fifty-years-old. His hands were clenched into fists and twice the size of hers. “We don’t trust you, elemental. Cade loves you, but we don’t. Why should we believe that you won’t hurt him?”

“Because I won’t,” she said. “I care about him.”

Christine slipped between Peter and Ollie. She touched Liam’s neck and the wolf sat down on his haunches. “Mara, we’re concerned about your sister and whether we’ll be safe here. We lost Cade once. We won’t lose him again. We want him to leave with us. Go back to Ireland where we know he’ll be safe.”

A stab of fear lanced her heart. If Cade went back to Ireland, she’d lose him. “Cade’s your alpha and he said he wanted to stay here.”

“Cade’s blinded by his feelings for you,” Peter said. “Your sister nearly killed all of us.” He yanked open the collar of his shirt to expose a neck of red scar tissue.

Liam growled again and advanced. Mara pressed her back against the counter, shaking with fear. The wolf sniffed her legs, her torso, and his vocalizations grew louder. When he bared his teeth and snapped at her, Mara screamed.

Christine and Ollie raced forward. Liam’s wolf pushed Mara harder into the counter when a door banged open.

“Get the hell away from her!” Cade roared, flying towards her. He wrapped her in his arms. He was naked, and the heat of his body seeped in through the sweatshirt she wore. “Shift back. Now.”

Liam shrank away, sat down, and howled in pain. Popping, cracking, and groaning followed. Dark, silky red hair sprouted from his now-rounded head. He was a massive man, corded muscles lining his arms, his thighs, and his calves. Mara looked away from his groin after getting way more of an eyeful than she bargained for. She buried her face in Cade’s neck, forcing deep breaths through parted lips.

Cade’s voice vibrated through his body. “Would you like to explain why you were threatening my mate? Or would you prefer to leave?”

“I heard something,” Liam offered, shrugging his shoulders. “I thought it was outside and I shifted so I could see better. Mara surprised me. I overreacted. Blame the moon.”

“And you think that’s a good enough explanation? I told you earlier. She’s mine and no one frightens her. What about the rest of you? What the hell were you doing?”

“We had questions,” Christine said.

“Questions you had to ask her without me. In the middle of the night. With Liam snarling at her. Pack meeting. Now. We’re not waiting until morning. Mara, honey, look at me.” Cade took her by the upper arms. His bright blue eyes held hers. “Apparently they’ve forgotten what it means to have an alpha these past months. You can bet damn sure I’m going to remind them. Painfully if necessary. Can you give me an hour? I need to do this alone.”

“Don’t shut me out,” Mara whispered.

Cade led her back into her bedroom, sparing his pack one last lingering glare as he went. He tugged on his jeans. “I’m not shutting you out. Give me an hour to kick their asses and then we’re all going to talk. They’ll air any grievances to your face, with me at your side and if anyone so much as raises their voice to you, they’re gone.”

“They’re your family. You’d really choose me over them?” She sank heavily onto her bed, overwhelmed at the thought.

“You’re my mate. There isn’t any choice for me.” Cade knelt in front of her and cupped her cheeks. His lips brushed hers and she couldn’t help herself. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Whatever happened with his pack, she cared for him and wanted him to stay with her.

Reluctantly, she drew back. “Go.”

Cade stalked out into the living room. Liam, now dressed, sat on the floor with his head hanging between his knees. Peter and Ollie had the occasional chairs and Shawn and Christine sat on the couch.

“Livie’s patrolling. Do you want her here too?” Shawn asked.

“No. I don’t have any beef with her. Only with the rest of you.” He paced back and forth, his bare feet making quiet slapping noises on Mara’s hardwood floors. “You want to tell me what the hell you were doing to her?”

“We had questions,” Liam said.

“Then you should have come to me. Instead of waiting six hours, you had to attack my mate in her kitchen.
In wolf form.
You were touching her. I could kick you out of the pack for that alone.”

Liam lumbered to his feet. “I don’t mean to challenge ya. But you have to admit, this all sounds a mite convenient. The sister of the elemental who nearly killed ya is the one to save your life? What if she was waiting until your pack was all in one place to strike?”

Cade’s fist shot out and connected with Liam’s jaw. The big werewolf stumbled back and landed on his ass. “That’s for disrespecting Mara. This is for disrespecting me.” He reached down and grabbed Liam by the front of his T-shirt. He hauled him up and belted him again, this time in the gut. Liam doubled over with an audible groan. “If you want more, I’ll give it to you. But it’s your choice. What’ll it be?”

“I’m sorry,” Liam grunted. “I was wrong to attack your intended.”

“My mate.”

“She’s not your mate until the full moon,” Liam said, throwing up his hands when Cade advanced on him again.

“You’re walking a thin line. What’s this really about?” Cade shoved his hands into his pockets so he wouldn’t be tempted to punch his beta again. Liam was rarely the most agreeable man, but this wasn’t like him. Not at all.

Liam ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Ya came back from seven months with the wolf in control. No one does that. Livie was trapped for three days after the fire. It’s why she’s scarred. When she shifted, she couldn’t speak for a whole day. And yet here you are, not four days later, walkin’, talkin’, and punchin’. I want to know how.”

“What you’re really saying is that you don’t believe I
could
come back. Fine.” He took a chair from the dining room table and turned it around, straddling it and crossing his arms over the back. “I’ll tell you what I remember. And when I’m done, each and every one of you is going to go to Mara and beg her forgiveness or leave this pack forever. Your choice.”

Mara pulled on a pair of gray fleece pants and hugged herself tightly. Cade’s sweatshirt was warm and comforting. She could lose herself in his scent. She stretched out on the bed and closed her eyes, but the angry sound of a fist hitting flesh and a guttural growl set her on edge and she got up and started to pace. A flutter of movement outside had her pulling back the drapes. Livie looked up from her patrol, caught Mara’s eyes, and cocked her head. Livie could help. Or at least explain what the hell was going on in the other room. Mara pointed towards her front door and the wolf nodded.

Cracking the door, she listened. Cade was recounting his memories of his time as a wolf. Slipping on her shoes, Mara tiptoed down the hall. Peter glared at her as she passed the living room but no one said a word. Cade whipped his head around when her hand was on the door knob.

“Mara?”

“I’m going to talk to Livie. Don’t worry about me.”

His eyes said so much, though he only nodded.
I want you. Be careful. I’m sorry.

It was a cool, damp night. Dew glistened on the windshields of the cars, shining like diamonds in the glow of the streetlights. Livie sat in human form, wrapped in the blanket that Mara had left on the front porch the night before. Her bare toes were pale pink, her cheeks flushed, and her blond hair hung over her eyes. She brushed it away to reveal her scarred eye and cheek.

“Spill.”

“Cade said he’d choose me over them.” The words came spilling out, faster than she could think. She told Livie everything that happened in her kitchen. “How can he possibly choose me over his family? He’s known me three weeks.”

“He’s mated to you.” Livie shrugged. “Or will be after the full moon. It’s how we are. I love Cade. I’d die for every single wolf in your house. But if I had to choose between any of them and Shawn . . . between all of them and Shawn, I’d pick Shawn every time. It’s instinctual and nothing we can control.”

“What’s going to happen in there?”

“Cade will read them the riot act and they’ll have to either apologize or leave. Or challenge. But that’s not likely.”

“Challenge?”

“Think of it like a coup. It’s rare, but if your alpha goes insane or gets really sick, it can happen. It’s more likely that Peter or Ollie will get in his face and say something to piss him off. It’s too close to the new moon. They’re both bitten, not born. They’ve got less control of their emotions this time of the month than the rest of us. Don’t worry. We run hot—in more ways than one. Even if boss-man does have to throw a punch or two, everything will be forgiven by morning.”

As if Livie’s words were prophetic, Cade’s deep baritone carried in through the closed door. “Goddammit Ollie, I don’t give a fuck!”

Mara flinched. “Goddess. I can’t stand this. I need to get out of here.” She tried to get up, but Livie grabbed her wrist and held her down.

“Mara, wait. If you want to leave, I’ll go with you. But you’ll tell Cade first. Katerina is out there somewhere and you can’t go running off alone.”