Four Days (Seven Series #4) (10 page)

Austin stepped in front of him and blocked his view. “I don’t see a point in having this discussion in front of your men. You and I know what’s up. You can invite me in, or I can gather up the Council and pay another visit. Now quit eyeballing my packmate.”

Lorenzo raised his voice and spoke in clipped words. “Back off,” he said over his shoulder. His men dispersed and he stepped away from the door to grant Austin entrance. “Let’s go somewhere private.”

Lorenzo gave William a slight tilt of his head, and with that silent command, William headed upstairs. The men gravitated toward the opposite end from the one Lorenzo was heading to, giving them privacy. He closed the door to his room with the Indian motif and sat in his wooden chair, leaving Austin to stand.

“If you prefer to sit…” Lorenzo waved his arm toward the rug below.

Austin slid his jaw to the side and widened his stance. “We put the word out that Ivy went missing, and I know for a fact word travels fast in this territory. Her scent is all over your car, and you haven’t attempted to contact us. That leads me to believe you’re holding her here against her will.”

Lorenzo’s impatience bled into anger. “Do I look like I need to hold a woman hostage? They flock to my door, begging for me to take them in.”

“I can guarantee Ivy’s not here of her own free will.”

“The woman is injured and—”

“Take me to her, goddammit!” Austin shouted.

Lorenzo held up his hand. “She cannot be moved. Man to man, I’m not happy about this situation any more than you are. But the fact is she needs more time in order to heal. The wounds were grave.”

“What happened?” Austin said gruffly, folding his arms.

“She was struck by a car.”

“And whose car was that?” Jericho inched forward from the shadows, walking on thin ice with his confrontational attitude.

Lorenzo rose to his feet. “Maybe you should zip up your pants and tell me who gave you the authority to shift on my land.”

Austin held out his hands. “Let’s be calm about this.”

“Careful how you allow your wolves to talk to me, Cole. Remember that my rank is higher than yours.”

Austin looked over his shoulder. “Jericho, wait outside.”

The young male scraped his long hair away from his face and scowled. After a moment of kicking at the floor like a stubborn mare, he obediently left the room.

Austin gathered up his composure and spoke with more respect. “Was it one of your men?”

Lorenzo returned to his chair. “Yes. And before you decide to single him out, I’d like to know what a female wolf from your pack was doing running down the road, miles away from her territory. What frightened her that she would expose herself to humans and put her life in mortal danger?”

The Packmaster paced toward the window and tucked his hands in his pockets. “We’ve got a pack of rogues scouting our territory.” Then he turned around and said something that sent a chill up Lorenzo’s spine. “The leader has his sights on Ivy. He aims to take down our pack, although I’m sure he’ll keep a few of the women. It’s no secret we have humans in the house, and that bastard will probably slaughter them.”

“So which does he want more, the land or the woman?”

Austin strode forward and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He didn’t have on a jacket, just a black T-shirt. Maybe he wanted the ink on his shoulders to announce a Packmaster was on the property. “Ivy identified the leader as her father’s former second-in-command. I tried speaking with her father, but he’s too pissed off about Ivy disappearing to give me any information. He doesn’t trust me.”

“Why should he? He entrusted his daughter to you and she slipped through your fingers.”

The tension in the room crackled. The only light came from a dim lamp on a small table to Lorenzo’s left.

“I need to see her.”

Lorenzo shook his head. If a Packmaster saw one of his own in such a condition, he wouldn’t think sensibly and would try to move her. Cole had no idea of the extent of her injuries, and Lorenzo needed more time to work his healing magic using remedies his grandmother had passed on to him.

“I can assure you she’s receiving excellent care. No one in my pack could ask for better treatment, and you have my word on this. But consider your situation for a moment. If you have a wolf whose goal is to claim her, maybe it’s better that she’s temporarily removed from your property. I can guarantee no rogue is going to tangle with the Church pack. Take your wolf brother home. Work things out with these outsiders. I’ll return the woman on the fourth night in better condition than when she arrived at my doorstep. If you still wish to pursue me for compensation, we can discuss it then.”

“And how do I know you’ll keep your word?”

Lorenzo considered this, pinching his chin.
What would instill faith in this alpha?
“Take my second-in-command. He’ll be a steadfast guard if you’re fighting off a rogue pack. There are no ulterior motives behind this. We both know I have no desire to claim your pathetic little shed.”

“You can kiss my ass for that remark. But I’ll accept your offer. If he’s under my roof, give him orders to follow my command.”

Lorenzo shrugged. “That goes without saying. You’re the alpha, and he’ll instinctively submit. Keep the rest of your pack away from my land. I don’t want to call the Council myself and give them my concerns about returning an injured woman to an unstable pack.”

Austin’s cheeks reddened and it almost filled Lorenzo with pride, except that he was beginning to feel more concern. Under normal circumstances, he might have gloated over Austin’s situation, but Ivy would be returning to his home, and Lorenzo considered her safety. His wolf paced, growing anxious. He needed to shift soon to maintain balance.

Lorenzo quickly stood up and lifted his chin. “William will return home with you. I’ll go tell him the situation while you two wait outside.”

Austin held up his fingers. “Four days, Church. That’s all.”

“As always, it’s been a treat, Cole. Give my regards to Alexia.”

After Lorenzo’s packmate had summoned him from the bedroom, I ate as many of the ribs as I could stomach and tried to rest.
My body needed to shift again, but I was afraid to do it alone. Afraid my wolf would hurt herself.

I shouldn’t have trusted Lorenzo as much as I did, but he hadn’t hurt me or my wolf. If he didn’t have compassion, he wouldn’t have brought me into his home. Then again, as an influential Packmaster, hiding a wolf in his bedroom without telling his pack seemed dubious. Perhaps I was nothing more than a liability, conveniently hidden away like a dirty secret.

Pain gripped my side like an iron claw when I tried to turn over. I could only imagine how battered I must have been when they brought me in. At the very least, I must have had broken bones and a shattered pelvis. I prayed it would heal enough for me to be normal again. What man would take a crippled Shifter as his mate?

Not that I was searching for a mate. I’d be perfectly content to live with the Cole family for the rest of my days, but I feared that if this didn’t heal, I would become a burden on the pack.

The fire dimmed and shadows flickered on the walls. The bright moon peered at me through the tall windows, and the treetops moved like dark clouds, swaying in the frigid wind. Regretfully, I had thrown the covers off earlier so I could eat without getting them messy, and now my legs were chilled from the cold air penetrating through the windows. All I had to cover me was Lorenzo’s silk robe.

And of all places, I was in the Packmaster’s den. I could only imagine how many times he’d had sex in this bed. Then the memory flashed in my head of his skilled hand on my bare thigh, the heat of his breath against my lips, and the way his expression softened when he spoke to me. No one had ever touched me so tenderly, and I felt a burning desire to know that sensation again.

The door swung open and startled me out of my thoughts.

“Your Packmaster is aware of your situation,” he said flatly, locking the door behind him.

I tried to scoot up using my elbows. “What did Austin say? Is he here?”

“Lie back down,
nashoba
.” The word he used was an affectionate term for a female wolf, one I’d heard before. He sat on the edge of the bed, pinning my shoulders against the pillow. “We agreed that you’ll stay here temporarily and heal. Cole left the property. I sent him my second-in-command as a show of trust.”

I furrowed my brow. “Why would you do that?”

He pursed his lips and never looked away from me. “Tell me about the wolf who is hunting you.”

“His name is Fox. He was my father’s second-in-command.”

“Was he disloyal to your father?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to my father in some time. Austin might know the reason—”

“No, your father would not speak to Cole. He might be willing to confide in me as I’m of a higher rank and you’re in my custody.”

I gripped his arm. “Why would you get involved in Weston business?”

He leaned forward and his nostrils flared. “Because his business is currently lying between my sheets wearing my robe, so that makes it
my
business too.”

“Stay out of our affairs.”

Lorenzo licked his lips slowly. “Are you giving an alpha orders?”

“Is there something you want to say about it, Thunder?”

Something flashed in his eyes and he sat back. “I think it’s time for me to examine you again.”

My heart rocketed within my chest.

We simultaneously looked toward the window when the sound of howling wolves broke the silence outside. One howl was joined by at least three more. Lorenzo launched to his feet and strode toward the window.

“I don’t recognize those wolves.” His eyes scanned the land below, but it was too dark, and he didn’t have a clearing around the house like Austin did.

“Fox is a dangerous man.”

“Then he’s met his match.” Lorenzo pivoted on his heel and folded his sculpted arms. He stood by the window barefoot, dressed in black.

“I don’t know how many he has in his group. At least three, but there could be more. If he’s come for me, maybe…”

“Throw you out like an offering?”

“No. Take me home so I can fight with my pack.”

He laughed quietly and pulled his hair back. “You are in no condition to fight. My men are on alert; you have nothing to fear.”

“Who said I was afraid? The more fear you give a man, the more power he’ll have over you.” Fox was no longer the demon who haunted my dreams. He was not the bump in the night.

Lorenzo didn’t reply. He walked to the fireplace and put a fresh log on the fire.

I needed to get up, do
something
. I didn’t like feeling useless, so I slid my legs over the edge of the bed and began to get up.

“Woman—”

“Don’t
woman
me, Mr. Church.” I sat up with my shoulders proud and straight. “Pain is only temporary. What I need to do is move before I turn into one of your antiques. Now help me stand or watch me fall. Your choice.”

Lorenzo bent down and gently slid his arms beneath mine. With careful ease, he pulled me to my feet, and I leaned against his body for a moment until I felt like I could balance.

My cheek rested against his left bicep, and the light flickering from the fireplace illuminated the menacing tattoo of a skull and crossbones on his left arm. “Why do you have such a morbid marking? Most Packmasters choose symbols or custom designs.”

“Perhaps I’m a pirate,” he murmured against my hair.

“You must spend an awful lot of time coming up with methods to intimidate your pack. Aside from your beta, not one person has come up here to check on you. Don’t they care?”

“Care?” I felt him ask, the word rumbling against his chest.

“Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to shut off emotions. You should care or else…”

“Or else?” He leaned back and studied me closely.

“Or else you’ll end up like my father. He was a better man when my mother was alive, but he never had sons. It’s what he had hoped for and it hardened him. Now I can look back and see where fissures were formed in the pack.”

He kept his right arm hooked around my back and brushed away a stray hair. “And what is your point, little wolf?”

“Love makes a man more loyal than fear. If you were mortally wounded and lying on the ground with enemies surrounding you and all was lost, how many of your men would risk their lives to die by your side? If they only gain respect out of fear, then why should they care if you die? But if they respect you out of love, then that wolf will lay down his life for you. If you don’t love something, then it can be easily replaced, like your car. Wouldn’t you rather be irreplaceable to your pack?”

Lorenzo leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. The kiss was so fleeting that I didn’t have time to realize what he’d done. He didn’t give me time to process it either.

“Let’s walk.” He turned, and I braved small steps until we reached the window.

The air grew colder the nearer we approached, and I shuddered, drawing closer to Lorenzo. The unfamiliar howls had died off, and I squinted from the sharp light of the moon.

“I don’t like the moon,” I said absently.

“And why is that?”

“It robs the stars of all their brightness. Haven’t you noticed at its peak, it steals the brilliance out of the night sky and blackens it? The moon is showy and wants all the attention, never allowing the others to shine.” I patted his flat stomach. “You know a little about that, don’t you, Thunder Wolf?”

He made a soft sound and, not being able to see his face, I couldn’t tell if it was a grunt or a laugh.

“I’m leaving early in the morning to speak with your father.”

I tried to push him away and he gripped tighter. “No you aren’t!”

“I think it’s time we find out how sly this Fox is. You can argue or listen. Let me know when you’ve made your decision.”

I poked him hard in the side and he sucked in a quick breath. “You are a callous wolf.”

“And you are a cantankerous wolf,” he said with a gentle squeeze of his arm.

Our silhouettes flickered on the dark windowpane from the firelight behind us. “You could ruin my standing with my father. Austin should be the one—”

“Cole is busy protecting his pack from rogues. He can’t afford to lose one man.”

“So you’re going to leave me alone?”

He turned me around and I winced each time I moved my left leg. “A Packmaster doesn’t respect a man who prefers to do business over the phone. A face-to-face is out of respect. My car is fast, and I’ll leave before your shiny friend up there has gone to bed,” he said, pointing back at the moon.

We reached the bed and Lorenzo helped me in, draping a dark blanket over my legs. “You’ll shift tonight twice more, and tomorrow you’ll do nothing but rest. Food will be brought up—the kind that will keep and not require anyone to bring you more. No one is allowed up here, so under no circumstances will you open that door.”

“Yes, Thunder.”

Lorenzo peeled off his shirt and knelt on the bearskin rug.

“You still haven’t told anyone I’m up here, have you? What if there’s an attack? If you sent your second-in-command to stay with Austin, who is in charge?”

“Maybe I should put you in charge.”

“Not a bad idea,” I murmured. I watched Lorenzo lower his head as if in prayer.

After a short rest, he prepared a drink mixed with medicine. Lorenzo coaxed my wolf out and I shifted twice more. When I awoke late in the evening, I found myself alone.

To the left of the bed was a food cart filled with all kinds of things to eat. But what caught my attention was a small tub of cream cheese sitting on the nightstand and a dreamcatcher hanging in front of the window.

***

Lorenzo lifted his mirrored sunglasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He’d been driving for hours, heading toward Oklahoma to speak with Ivy’s father, Ivan Kizer. Lorenzo had instructed the high-ranking wolves to keep the pack on full alert in his absence. He wanted to get home before dark, so he didn’t stop for food. The human state troopers loved pulling over expensive cars, so he had taken his oversized black truck to blend in with the locals—the one with the skull and crossbones on the back window.

Why am I going through all this trouble for a woman who’s not even in my pack?
The obtrusive thoughts drifted away when he recalled how elegant Ivy looked with her loose hair brushing against her body like a soft whisper. Maybe it was her regal posture or how she’d lift her chin with pride, but he began to suspect that his instincts were right about Ivy. She was an alpha female. He’d met quite a few in his time, but most were outgoing and loud. Ivy had a quiet intelligence about her, although in his presence, she was hardly quiet. She accepted her lowly rank in the pack, yet he couldn’t help but think about her behavior at the restaurant when she’d supported her Packmaster. Even Alexia, Austin’s mate, hadn’t made such a move. But then again, Alexia was ignorant of their ways and didn’t understand the nuances that went on within a pack.

Ivy did, and it impressed him immensely.

He’d never met such a pure spirit—an unpicked flower whose petals were wild but whose roots were strong. If her father had recently handed her over, then she’d just gone through the change. Lorenzo wondered if she’d experienced her first heat cycle. He shifted in his seat as the thought of her flooded his veins with desire. It felt as if his pants were constricting him.
Hell
.

Why of all packs did she have to end up with the Cole brothers? Just the thought that one of those mongrels might be the one to mark her purity made his insides twist into knots. It was not as if Shifter women went to their mating ceremonies as virgins, but they often abstained until they went through their first change. The age of maturity to a Shifter was based on when their animal’s spirit linked with their own. That often occurred in their late teens or early twenties, varying by individual. It was only a matter of time before a man would try to bed her.

Lorenzo spotted the turnoff to Ivan’s house and headed up a long driveway. He noticed a couple of sports cars in the crowd of vehicles, as well as a giant garage farther ahead. He zipped up his leather jacket to the collar and stepped out, the blustering wind biting at his face like icy fangs. Wind chimes released a melodic cry from the porch, swinging chaotically as if giving a warning.

He stepped up to the door and knocked several times.

When it eased open, a man with salt-and-pepper hair appeared in the doorway. He scratched his scruffy beard and looked him over. Lorenzo could sense he was the alpha, and Ivan looked like a rough man who had lived a long life.

“You must be Church,” he said in a Southern drawl. His voice was as rough as he looked. “I didn’t know you were an injun.”

Lorenzo bristled at the racist word. How peculiar for a man who had mated with one and had a daughter of mixed descent.

“Well, well.” Ivan assessed Lorenzo from head to foot. “Come inside before your nose falls off. Damn cold this winter. Makes me glad for central heating,” he said with a cackle. “I can remember the days when we spent mornings chopping wood and shoveling snow.”

Lorenzo closed the door behind him and felt the immediate warmth of the house. It had a Southern flair and seemed unusually quiet for a pack den.

“Just about everyone’s in town. I cleared ’em out so I wouldn’t have suspicious eyes looking over my new guest. Come with me,” he said, leading Lorenzo into a smaller room.

Musty books with weathered and torn spines filled the bookshelves. On some of the shelves along the wall were curious artifacts, such as a tarantula in a glass orb, a small skull, rocks, coins, and spurs. Antlers from various animals were mounted on the wooden walls as trophies. Lorenzo lifted a realistic-looking scorpion and touched the tip of its tail.

“I had it preserved,” Ivan said, taking a seat in a red chair with a small table beside it. He began packing a pipe. “Damn thing killed one of the pups in my pack. I let that be a reminder to the women to keep an eye on their children. You don’t say much, do you? Sit down.”