Dire Wants (12 page)

Chapter 18

T
he intimacy they’d shared in the shower was still there, somehow, rising between them like the steam had earlier. She hadn’t been disgusted by the wolf, just startled by the sudden transformation.

He wasn’t apologizing for it, or for anything concerning Brother Wolf. Not to a witch.

Brother Wolf howled happily to the first part and ended on a growl with the second, albeit a confused one. Witch or not, they both wanted her. “Ask your questions.”

Kate did. “Earlier, you said the witch who touched me wanted to die. Why?”

Stray paused, then decided that the truth was the only option. “She knew there were powerful people ready to use her powers for evil purposes and she was tired of fighting. If she didn’t pass on her powers, she couldn’t die. She figured you wouldn’t ever be found.”

“So how was I?”

“Shimmin’s been watching you. He must know about the mark, maybe because of Seb. He’s a witch—used to be one of Rifter’s best friends until he went over to the dark side, literally. Now he’s working against us.”

Her eyes flashed with palpable anger. Kate didn’t like being played and she wasn’t afraid to show those feelings. “What would Shimmin have done to me?”

“If he’d captured you, he’d force you to do horrible things for the weretrappers.”

“You know that for sure?”

“They’re already doing it to Seb.”

“So now I know what they’ll do to me. Now, what will
you
do to me?”

“Protect you. Me and my brothers.”

“How do you know Leo Shimmin’s been after me for a while?” she asked.

“This.” He knelt, touched the four deep vertical scars on her calf, and she pulled back.

“I don’t remember the attack.”

Didn’t remember, or didn’t want to. “A wolf attacked you.”

She stared at him, swallowed hard. “One of your kind?”

“The marks would be bigger if a Dire had done this. And you never would’ve survived.” Her eyes registered shock from his words as her fingers unconsciously rubbed the scar. “It was what we call a Were, and we have every reason to believe it was sent by Leo Shimmin or his brother, Mars. Did it try to touch your back?”

She closed her eyes, shook her head a little like she was trying to push the memory back and failing. “I think . . . yes. It hurt when he touched it. It didn’t feel anything like when you touch me.”

Holy hell. Her eyes shone when she looked at him and his hand fisted at his side instead of reaching out to hold her. “I’m glad you can feel the difference. We—neither Dires nor Weres—don’t hunt humans. Or witches, typically.”

“So Leo Shimmin’s recruiting Weres to help him?”

He nodded. “His plans are . . . horrific. For humans, wolves. Witches. There’s so much more to all of this.”

* * *

Kate’s head was spinning again, but she pushed through it, had to ask, “Do you have a personal stake in all of this?”

Because, in her experience, everyone did.

“Yes. We were hoping your powers could help one of my Dire brothers.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes.”

It couldn’t be that simple. It never was. “You’re lying.”

“I’m going slowly. You’re the one who’s trying to lie to yourself about the power you have.”

Her anger got the best of her. She jerked away from him. Up until that moment he still held her calf in his hand. “Yes, I have some sort of power. But I have no way to control it—them—whatever. It just happens. Usually when I’m angry.”

Stray looked between her and the flickering lights, and she realized that she’d caused a statue to fly across the room and bean him in the side of the head. He held his lips in a grim line and said flatly, “Noted.”

She refused to apologize. Even if he’d saved her from being kidnapped, she was basically in the same position.

Granted, no one here had tried to hurt her, but what would happen when they realized she couldn’t help their brother? She pushed that thought away because there was really nothing she could do about it now.

Instead, she waited to hear what Stray wanted exactly.

“You’ve never been able to control it?” he asked.

“No.”

“You’d better be a quick study.”

And just as she started to retort, he jerked his head toward the window and howled. All the men—the wolves—jumped to attention, looking far more fierce than they had moments earlier.

Warriors, all of them, and now they surrounded her.

“What’s happening?”

“They’re here for you,” Rifter said, glancing over his shoulder at her. She touched his shoulder to see out the window and surprisingly, he allowed it. “Better that you truly believe this.”

All she saw was the glow of eyes staring back at her from the bushes.

There was controlled chaos for the next few moments while Kate struggled for breath, unable to tear her gaze away from the eyes staring back at her.

“Kate, turn away.” Stray did so himself, gently, his hands on her shoulders until she was looking up at him. “We’ve got this.”

“Are they . . . ?”

“Weres.”

Like the ones that attacked me.

The harsh breathing began again as her memory released what had happened on the night of her attack—she saw herself dragged into the bushes by a wolf, his claws digging into her calf as she struggled to gain some footing, her hands desperately holding on to grass and dirt that gave way far too easily.

And then . . . nothing. She was alone in the woods, her calf bleeding and the police surrounding her.

“Kate, come on. Stay with me.”

She broke her reverie and saw Stray, his eyes half lupine already, and she licked her lips, her throat tight and dry. “I’m okay.”

“Liam!” Rifter called. When Kate turned, she saw a handsome man stride into the living room, probably just a little younger than she was. His face bore the telltale marks of a recent fight, but his bearing was as regal as that of the men she was surrounded by, even though he wasn’t nearly as tall.

It was like being in a forest of redwoods.

Stray put a hand on the back of her neck—warm and soothing. He began to massage some of the tension out even as it rose in the room.

“Liam’s a Were,” Stray told her.

And he was going to fight—for her. Possibly get hurt protecting her. And there was no hesitation on any of their parts. Forget lions as kings of the jungle; these wolves were spectacular. They were magnificent creatures that owned the night, the way she wanted Stray to own her.

Her cheeks blushed hot thinking about that, and Stray chuckled, and dammit, he had to stop reading her mind.

“Sorry, but that was nice,” he murmured. He didn’t seem concerned about the other wolves stalking the house and, as she watched, Liam shifted and went out the back door in wolf form, following Rifter.

Vice shifted too, stripping down to nothing without hesitation. His skin bore many tattoos and piercings until he shifted into a pure white wolf, the complete opposite of Stray’s black-coated Brother Wolf. As she watched, Vice went out the door too, and Stray looked like he was having a hard time staying back.

“I’ve got to help them,” Stray said quietly. “The door’s locked. They can’t get in. I promise. Gwen is upstairs—you’re not alone.”

Stray looked reluctant to leave her, but he was having a hard time holding back. “Go. I’ll be okay,” she promised, and only then did he back away slowly. Stripped and shifted so fast she nearly missed it.

She went to the window immediately, drawn like a moth to the flame despite all the warnings she’d been given. But it was the only way for her to be close to Stray now.

A surge went through her body as Stray leapt into the fray—mastering every wolf he came across. The other Dires and Liam were all fighting with equal measure, but it was Stray she couldn’t take her eyes off, even when she began to grow light-headed. The buzzing noise in her ears made her press her palms against them, but it didn’t stop.

She shook her head and realized it wasn’t a buzzing—someone was calling to her. And it wasn’t Stray.

Come to me, sweet one. I’ve waited for you for so long . . . I never thought I’d get you back.

She recognized the voice on some level, although it wasn’t anyone she ever remembered meeting. No, it was a different sort of recognition, as ancient as her powers supposedly were.

“I’m staying here,” she said out loud, even tore herself away from the window.

But to her horror, she turned back and headed toward the locked sliding glass door.

Please, I’ve missed you.

She’d missed him, too . . .

“No. This isn’t right.” She told herself to resist, but it was nearly impossible. She took several more steps forward and opened the sliding glass door, knowing she shouldn’t be involved in this fray but unable to stop herself from moving.

Stray, please . . .

Her bare feet curled in the cold grass as she continued on a path as though she were being led on a leash.

Good, that’s my girl. Leave this prison and come home to me . . .

Home. That sounded really nice. The voice was right—the Dires were keeping her in prison.

Can’t trust the Dires at all.

“No. Wait, yes.” She struggled to keep some sense in her head but still kept moving along the exterior of the fight, until she saw one of the wolves heading in her direction.

She closed her eyes as the wolf with the bright white coat charged, only to feel the brush of wind and fur as it flew past her . . . and into the chest of the wolf ready to attack her from behind.

And still, she walked on, toward the woods and the magical voice that caressed her like a light summer’s breeze, her resolve to stay loyal to her familiar and the man who’d rescued her broken like a brittle tree branch in the dead of winter.

Chapter 19

K
ate was outside. By herself, walking through the grass with bare feet and no protection.

What the hell . . .

He turned tail and bounded toward her as Vice took down the Were who’d been coming up behind her. She was still walking, though, unhurriedly and into the path of two Weres who’d come out of the woods like they’d been lying in wait for her.

As if on cue, several more Weres came up from behind and jumped him. He turned and let Brother Wolf fight viciously, until there was nothing left of those wolves but blood and fur.

But in the time it took to kill the Weres, the two who’d spotted Kate had grabbed hold of her and spirited her off toward the woods, their jaws on her arms, and she had no choice but to go.

For sure, Shimmin and Seb would want her alive—but they didn’t care if she was scarred. Stray felt her pain as deeply as she did, wasn’t surprised to find his own paws dripping with blood.

Brother Wolf ran to her, his gait sure and strong, got ahead of her and circled the three of them, a warning to let her go. They wanted to comply, but they had their orders.

He smelled their fear—they weren’t possessed. And they were no doubt told to bring Kate to Seb and Shimmin in one piece.

And Kate remained still, not a hint of recognition in her eyes, even when she gazed on Brother Wolf.

It made no sense, but once he saw her eyes, he knew—she was in some kind of a trance.

Kate, come on—stop it
, he told her. She shook her head and stared between him and the other wolves on either side of her.

There was nothing else he could do for her for the time being except kill the attacking Weres, which Brother Wolf did in clean, warrior fashion before letting out a howl of victory that matched his brothers’.

She’d called to him, even through the haze, and something inside of him surged with a combination of pride and fear. Because no matter what, he needed to protect her, whether he wanted to or not.

Good thing he wanted to.

He was enraged—couldn’t see straight—and he trusted Brother Wolf to make the right decisions, because the beast knew Kate was his as much as Stray’s—and neither planned on letting her get taken.

This wasn’t just a fight to save the witch—it was an all-out death match to save his familiar.

The following minutes were vicious and satisfying. When he pounced, it was blood and fur and fang, sharp, lethal wounds that made the Weres cry out in pain during their death throes.

At some point, Vice was there, spiriting Kate out of the fighting, but Stray sensed her close. Watching him fight for her, kill for her.

Protecting you.

Protecting me,
she answered back.

And suddenly, another black Dire was by his side, fighting as though for his life. Killian took down another couple of Weres who came at Stray from the left, which allowed him to nudge Kate out of the way of the more brutal part of the fight.

Whether or not Killian was out here protecting him or because the urge to fight was too strong, Stray didn’t know. He forced his head back into the frenzy as Brother Wolf helped the rest of the Weres to meet a quick end.

When the dead Weres lay scattered around him, he howled. Then he turned to note that, at some point during the fight, Vice had shifted back and now held Kate against his very naked form.

Stray growled at that intimacy, even though it was simply a wolf helping another.

You’re acting like a mated wolf.

Brother Wolf laughed in his ear, and he told the wolf to shut up.

And still he advanced toward Vice as though he were stalking the Dire.

“Easy, boy—she got a little weak. I’m just holding her up,” Vice told him.

Stray and Brother Wolf weren’t satisfied with Vice’s answer and so Vice let her go. Indeed, when he did so, Kate dropped nearly to the ground until Stray shifted and caught her, cradled her against him almost reverently.

“There’s so much more going on here it’s not even funny,” Vice said. “Get her in—we’ll take care of the bodies.”

Spelled Weres shifted back to human forms. Regular Weres who died in wolf form stayed that way. The Dires would know soon enough which they were dealing with. Not that it mattered. Seb had sent these to collect Kate.

Stray didn’t sense the witch himself in these woods, but who knew what new tricks Seb had?

“Seems like I’m always saving you, baby brother.”

Stray growled at Killian even as he held Kate closer to him. “You weren’t needed.”

“Did you want me to stand down and let the trappers take your witch?”

“Her name is Kate.”

“Huh. Well, you realize you can’t mate with a witch, right? Hell, I don’t even think you can mate with the Dire women from our pack.”

He was about to lunge at Killian when Kate woke up.

“Stray, what’s going on? Why am I out here?” she asked, turned toward the house that was only ten feet behind her but that she couldn’t see at all. Not until they allowed it.

He looked down at her. She looked up at him like . . .

Like she could actually love him. And that was completely ridiculous. Even so, his body stilled and for a second he couldn’t hear anything beyond Brother Wolf’s long, mournful howl. He fought the urge to shift, to run, to do anything but what he had to do, which was gather Kate more tightly in his arms and get her back into the house before the trappers got wind of her being outside and vulnerable.

They were all so goddamned vulnerable.

“Stray, I can walk,” she insisted. But he didn’t listen, got her through the open front door that he kicked closed behind them and watched her head jerk as she realized they’d gone from nothingness to house in seconds. “What’s going on here? I couldn’t see the house at all. Do I have night blindness or something?”

“Something like that,” he muttered, keeping her in hand before letting her down in the living room, easing her to the couch gently. Her arms were bleeding, her clothing torn and she was shaking, although he didn’t think she realized it.

Rifter, Vice and Kill, along with Liam, were still outside, taking care of the bodies. He glanced out the window, but Kate was tugging at his arm.

“You’re magnificent,” she whispered, staring into his eyes, which hadn’t yet made the transition from beast to man like the rest of him. “Your eyes are—”

“Scary?”

“Beautiful.”

He flinched at that, stepped back and bristled at the compliment the way he did everything unpleasant in life and pretended it didn’t exist. Shoved it down if it started to bubble up, because he wasn’t used to compliments. Never would be.

Goddamn, it hurt though. He liked that she seemed to accept him. But he’d learned a long time ago that people were liars. Especially witches.

He looked down and saw the blood coming through the sleeves of the sweatshirt. There were also bite marks on her hands, and he felt sick to his stomach. “They hurt you.”

“But your wolf saved me. I called and you came.”

“I’m not a goddamned pet,” he growled, his voice rough, his eyes no doubt still full of battle.

“I can’t help it. Can’t control it,” she told him.

“It’s happening because you want me,” he stated bluntly. Although it was the truth, she still flushed, but admitted, “That’s not going to stop.”

He yanked on a pair of jeans as she said, “You want me too. I can feel it.”

“I need your help and you need mine. Lady, you’re going to be wanted for the rest of your goddamned days. So welcome to my world.”

She didn’t look comforted at all.

* * *

There was a new wolf here and he looked a lot like Stray, but slightly harder. And he bore the same exact scar Stray had down his chest.

Kate swallowed hard when he looked at her and smiled, well, wolfishly, until Stray ordered him the hell out (Stray’s words). The wolf didn’t argue, went down the hall as a young woman bounded down the stairs and into the room, a bundle of clothing under her arm.

From the look on her face, she’d been worried as anything. The way she looked at Rifter—and he at her—made Kate’s heart ache.

She was tall and lithe with long blond hair, and she touched Rifter on her way over, then put her hand out to Kate and said, “I’m Gwen. Let me clean up those cuts.”

Stray had mentioned her earlier—she was a doctor. Still, Kate looked at Stray and Gwen understood. “We’ll just be right in the bathroom there. We’ll leave the door open and you can still see Stray.”

That was better. Wordlessly, she nodded and let Gwen lead her toward the bathroom.

With Stray’s arms around her, she felt as if nothing bad could get to her.

But something had.

She’d burrowed her face against his bare chest, wanted to do so again, no matter how angry at her he seemed to be.

What worried her most was that she had no memory of walking outside to begin with.

“I brought you another pair of jeans and a sweater and sneakers of mine,” Gwen told Kate as she sat her on the closed toilet seat and began opening gauze pads and prepping ointments and what looked like a shot of antibiotics. The bathroom door was partially opened and Kate could see Stray talking with the other men. Wolves. She refocused on Gwen, who was saying, “I’ll send Cain out shopping tomorrow. It’s too risky for you to go back to your apartment for your things.”

“So I let them go, just like my old life. But that was never really mine to begin with,” she said and realized she didn’t sound sad, but rather accepting.

“I was there, Kate. I mean, I’m still there,” Gwen told her, putting the clothes down on the edge of the sink.

“You’re a wolf, like Stray.”

“Half Dire, half human,” she confirmed. “Mated to Rifter.”

“The king.”

Gwen nodded. “Three weeks ago, I was a doctor and I thought I was dying. I would’ve too, if I hadn’t shifted into a wolf and saved myself. It’s certainly not the life I expected. I had zero preparation, but I know I wouldn’t trade it.”

“Because you lived?”

“Because I met Rifter,” she said and Kate immediately flashed to Stray. “Rifter made everything better.”

“Stray’s trying, but I’m making it worse,” Kate confessed.

“You’re just scared.”

“Shouldn’t I be?”

Gwen glanced up at her, the woman’s eyes glowing with a little bit of the wolf. “Not if you’re our friend.”