Deadly Seduction (Feral Protectors 3) (10 page)

Chapter 10

Gwen jumped over a fallen log as she chased Nosh through the forest. For their first lesson, she was supposed to catch him. During the first few minutes, she’d come close. But now, it seemed impossible. At lease she had a great view of his butt.

She panted as she stared at Nosh’s firm glutes. They’d been running for what seemed like hours. The tightness in her diaphragm contracted further with every step. She finally gave up and stopped in the center of the dirt trail. After gulping a few wheezy breaths, she called out to Nosh.

He turned while jogging in place. “Giving up already?”

“We ran at least ten miles.”

He grinned. “More like two.”

“I think I’m going to die.” And the way he was bouncing up and down wasn’t helping.

“Let’s stop for a drink. There’s a spring right around the corner.”

She sighed. “How close is it?”

He flashed a lopsided grin which sent her heart into a tailspin. “Five more minutes.”

“You said that ten minutes ago,” she whined.

As he chuckled, he turned. Normally she would have loved to chase his sexy butt anywhere, but right now all she wanted was some water.

When she rounded the bend, she sucked in a breath. A pool of sparkling blue water shimmered in the sunlight. She had no idea there was such a stunning oasis this high up the mountain. Because she wasn’t a member of the Dark Moon Pack, she’d never ventured up Howling Mountain. Now, she wished she lived with them.

Nosh splashed into the water. As he rose up, tendrils of liquid sparkled in the silvery light. The sight did more to steal her breath than the run.

“Are you coming?” he asked.

As she waded in, cool water washed across her belly and breasts. Nosh openly stared. She shyly dipped lower so that her shoulders fell below the surface. The position forced her to squat on trembling thighs. She’d known she was weak, but she hadn’t realized how out of shape she’d become until now.

Nosh waded toward her. “After we cool off, we’re going to start with some basic self-defense maneuvers.”

“Anything but more running.” She smiled.

“You held up surprisingly well. I honestly thought you’d break before we made it this far.”

“You were trying to break me?”

“Not in a bad way. I just wanted to see what your level of fitness was so I had a baseline.”

“So you’re saying I could have stopped miles ago?” She splashed him.

He returned the attack by skimming his hand across the water. The ensuing wave crested so fast that she didn’t have time to avoid it. It hit her square in the face. She sputtered and gasped. No way was he winning this battle.

She paddled the water with her hands, moving faster and faster until her arms went weak. Nosh roared with fake indignation. She caught the amusement in his tone and smiled.

As she dropped her hands, he lurched forward and grabbed her waist. She pushed at his chest in mock-horror for a second before wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Why do I feel so safe with you?”

“You ask me that a lot.”

“Because I don’t understand it.”

His topaz eyes shimmered. “Maybe you just know in your heart that I’m a good person.”

“My heart’s not very smart.” Especially when it flutters wildly for no apparent reason.

“I think your heart’s perfect.”

He traced the shape of a heart over her chest with a gentleness that made her want to melt. She’d spent the last two nights pressed up against him. She told herself she was just grateful for his warmth and protection, but in the middle of the night, when the den was silent but for the sound of his beating heart, she wondered if it was something more.

“What are you thinking?” he murmured.

“I wonder where Mazus is hiding.”

Nosh’s lips pressed together for a moment before he spoke. “We’ll find him.”

Damn, why’d she have to bring Mazus up? Maybe to avoid what she really wanted to talk about. She had no doubt that she’d formed a special connection with Nosh, but could it be more than just friendship? Did she even have the right to hope for something more?

Nosh said, “We should get out soon. I still have a lot to teach you today.”

“Okay.”

As she followed Nosh, nervous energy skittered across her belly. She wasn’t sure he could teach her anything that would actually help her. The men who had attacked her were too big, too strong, and although she wasn’t little, she didn’t have enough physical strength to fight back.

Nosh guided her to a grassy area several feet away from the pool. “I’m going to teach you a few simple techniques that you can use to get away from an attacker.”

She stood with her hip jutted out and her hands on her hips. “Okay, what do I do first?”

“First, you need to balance your weight.” He stepped right up to her and grabbed her hips. Tingles of sensation awakened the nerve endings where his hands splayed across her flesh. “Now turn slightly. One leg goes back, the other stays forward.”

As she followed the directions, she tried not to inhale the ultra-masculine scent wafting from his body. She never thought she’d find a man’s scent attractive again. Boy was she wrong.

“Now, I’m going to try to grab your wrist. As I do it, twist your wrist away so that your palm faces toward you.”

She adjusted the position of her hand.

“Good. Now, grab your hand and jab your elbow up toward my face.”

When she jutted her arm up, it connected with his mouth hard enough to make his teeth clank together.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry.”

He rubbed his mouth. “No, that was perfect. A little too perfect.”

She grinned sheepishly. “Thanks.”

“Let’s do it again. This time faster.”

They practiced the technique over and over until she could do the maneuver without thinking. On the last attempt, she connected with his nose.

She quickly pulled back. “Oops.”

He touched it gingerly. “I think you’ve mastered that one.”

“Sorry.”

“You’re doing great. Don’t apologize for defending yourself. Part of being able to fend off an attack is having the inner strength to fight back.”

She blinked back a sudden rush of emotion. “I’m not sure that I have any inner strength.”

Nosh reached for her hand. He gently rubbed his thumb across her palm. “You survived.”

“Did I?”

He held her hand. “You did. You’re here right now, fighting. You’re not hiding in your den. You’re not wallowing around like a victim. You’re a survivor.”

“Not on the inside. I’m scared all the time. I still jump at shadows and if you weren’t here with me right now, there’s no way in hell I’d be out roaming the woods alone. I’m not strong.”

“I know you don’t believe me, but you’re stronger than you think.”

She couldn’t understand why he had so much faith in her. Maybe it was an act. But he seemed so sincere. And what if he was right? Was she really afraid of taking back her power? Zane had stolen so much from her. But if she continued to hide, if she continued to be afraid of every shadow, what kind of life would she live? Wouldn’t that be like letting Zane win? He could hurt her from the grave, but only if she let him.

Nosh clasped her other hand. “If I didn’t believe in you, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

“I know,” she whispered as she tilted her head up. She sensed he wanted to kiss her and she wanted it just as much.

As he leaned down, she sighed. She’d been right about a man’s intentions for once. His lips found hers in a kiss as soft as the billowing clouds which grazed the bright blue sky. In the past, she’d let him control the intensity, but not now.

The urge to taste him overwhelmed her fear. She slipped the tip of her tongue out to skim the seam of his lips. When they parted, she darted between his lips to taste his sensual mouth. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she pulled him closer. Hot and wet, her tongue melded to his in a sensual dance that made her toes curl. When she finally pulled away to catch her breath, he was staring with an intensity that hardened her nipples and moistened the soft folds between her thighs.

Nosh’s voice came out hoarse. “Gwen.”

“Yes?”

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to have to find a patch of snow to cool off in.”

She glanced at the rigid flesh between his legs and flushed. She quickly looked away but not before a twitch of trepidation shimmied down her spine. She was safe. She knew it in her mind, but her body tensed with fear.

Nosh stayed rooted in place. “Look at me.”

She slowly raised her head to meet his eyes. The compassion and caring in them almost brought her to her knees.

His voice dropped, “I would never take anything you weren’t willing to give.”

“I know. My heart knows. But… I’m still scared.”

“Men aren’t out of control creatures. We can become aroused and still control ourselves. Anyone who says differently is a liar.”

“Some men can’t. Some don’t care if you say no… even if you scream no.”

He grimaced. “Any man who doesn’t stop when you say no is a bastard. If that ever happens again, I want you to be ready to beat the shit out of him.”

***

As Nosh picked his way down the trail back toward the den, he silently counted to one hundred both backward and forward. Gwen’s soft, sensual kiss almost killed him. It was everything he could do to keep himself from laying her on the grass to make love to her.

Ninety-nine, Ninety-eight…

He couldn’t stop thinking about the curve of her voluptuous breasts as they’d pressed against his chest. Obsessed with her scent, he wanted to drop to his knees and kiss the soft, damp part of her femininity until she mewed with pleasure.

Ninety-four… wait… ninety-six? Shit. He’d lost count again.

He’d wanted to teach her a few more moves, but he was so hard, he was afraid he’d make a damn fool of himself. He’d just promised that he could control himself around her, so to lose control was out of the question. He needed to be careful. She trusted him, but it was a tenuous bond. One wrong move and he’d lose her trust forever.

By the time they’d reached the den, his painful erection had receded. It was a good thing he’d chosen to run so far on the way out because it had given him enough time to get his head together on the way home.

After walking through the gate, he ran into Lucian. Gwen waited patiently by his side while the men talked.

Lucian said, “We were able to pick up Mazus’s scent today.”

“Where?”

“Up near Black Hawk Falls.”

“What was he doing over there?”

“No idea. We weren’t sure how fresh the scent was, but it was enough to track him down the mountain.”

“Where did the trail end?”

“Near the cave Ryker likes to use. We checked it, but didn’t find any evidence that he’d been there recently.”

“Okay. Who’s on patrol tonight?”

“Edon and Fadian along with the rest of the night crew.”

“We have to find him.” He glanced at Gwen who was pretending to ignore the conversation, but he knew she was hanging on every word.

Lucian said, “We will. It’s only a matter of time before he comes out of hiding. I’ve sent men out to Ryker’s pack to warn them.”

“What about Kyran’s pack out at Phantom Lake?”

“Tate’s on his way to warn him right now.”

“Good work. You’ve done everything you could. Like you said, we just have to wait.”

Gwen grumbled, “I hate waiting.”

“Me too, but we have no choice. We can’t send more than a handful of men out at any given point in time. We need to be able to defend the den,” Nosh said.

“I know. I just hate feeling so helpless.”

Lucian said, “Nosh won’t let Mazus get within a thousand feet of you. As long as you’re with him, you’re safe.”

Gwen gave Nosh a look of such trust that it broke his heart. He needed to work harder to convince her that she wasn’t defenseless. He wouldn’t be around forever to protect her from harm.

Lucian said, “I need to get back to my post. Have a good night.”

“You too,” Nosh and Gwen said at the same time.

Gwen smiled softly. “I’m tired.”

“Come on.”

When she looped her hand around his arm, he swallowed back the need to pull her into a sensual embrace. He didn’t know how he could lay by her side tonight and not die from wanting her. He’d have to count backward from ten thousand to occupy his mind.

He pushed back the curtain to his room. “Home sweet home.”

“I’ll start the stew.”

He walked to the bed and shook out the blankets. He couldn’t help but notice that they’d fallen into a domestic routine over the last few days. At some point, he’d need to find a mate. The other wolves had always said that he’d know without question when he’d met his perfect mate. But, he hadn’t had that lightning bolt of awareness course through his veins yet. Maybe it wasn’t Gwen.