Guarding Mari (7 page)

Daniel touched her shoulders, a warm, reassuring gesture. “You are strong, beautiful, and Ryback made a terrible decision in letting you live for this long.”

“Why do you say that?”

At a gentle brush of his lips against hers, some of the tension left her. “He let you get stronger.” His hands moved from her shoulders to cup her face. Her body craved his touch. Together they could take the monster out then get back to living their lives together. “Do you remember what I said to you in the motel?”

Mari’s lips twitched into a half smile. “I’m guessing you didn’t mean all the things you promised to me in the dark?”

A teasing grin crossed his lips, the look in his eyes darkly male and enticing as hell. “Believe me, I fully intend to keep every one of them. You were in touch with your wolf in a way that takes years to master. It makes you dangerous, unpredictable and we can use that against him.”

Is Ryback tracking us? If the rogue stays downwind, it’s gonna be more difficult to catch his scent
. He carefully turned on the road, making sure to take it slowly. They were high in the mountains. The thick snow on the ground made him thankful for the 4x4 Adam gave them. It wouldn’t do much good if they ended up wrecking the car before they reached their destination. Daniel’s car would have been useless on these roads. It would have been easier to travel in their wolf forms, but they’d needed supplies, and it was impossible to carry a sniper rifle without thumbs. The chances were high they wouldn’t need it, but when she slept, he planned on standing guard. It didn’t make any sense leaving the small cabin during the night which meant his sleeping mate would be defenseless.

As if she called to him, Daniel glanced over at his silent mate; she hadn’t spoken since they’d left the Black Paw Pack compound. Instead, she spent a majority of the traveling time gazing out of the window.
Does she even know where we are, or is she trapped in her own memories?
  The mood had changed dramatically from earlier. The playfulness vanished completely. Instead, an unbreakable tension filled the car. The hair on the backs of his arms stood on end. He reached out and brushed his fingers against her knee. She glanced over at him, sadness in her grey eyes.

“Are you okay?”

She shrugged looking back out the window, her elbow resting on the door, her hand tucked under her chin. “I was thinking.”

He’d never stop blaming himself for that night. If he’d been faster, killing Ryback in the desert instead of getting hurt, then maybe Mari never would have been infected. Out of tragedy, something beautiful had happened. He’d been blessed with a mate who’d waited for him. One he hadn’t deserved. “About him?”

“I wish I wasn’t but yeah. I’ve tried to not think about him, hoped he’d died. It’s a horrible way for a doctor to think, but he’s a monster, a killer. He’s hurt so many people. The thing is, I know I would never have met you if he hadn’t ended up in the morgue.” The way she sighed tore at his heart. Her words echoed his thoughts perfectly. “The world is a fucked up place.”

“Yes, it is.” He turned another corner, heading higher up into the mountains. “There’s the cabin. Me, William, and Adam used to spend a lot of time here when we were kids. I’ve got no clue what states it’s in.” The cabin had been tiny with three young wolves playing in it. “You know this used to be a lot smaller.” He studied the building through the windshield.

“Adam spent some time up here with Kat, helping her with her wolf, so he sent some of the pack up here to add to it.”

She wasn’t kidding. When he was a kid, the building had one room, now there were three. “What did they add?”

“A bedroom and a kitchen, Kat told me it’s pretty cozy, but if we want to have a bath or shower, we need to jump into the lake. You remember where it is?”

“It won’t take me long to find it. I don’t think we’ll be here long enough to worry about relaxing.”

Her expression went dark and Daniel mentally kicked himself. They’d been talking about something besides Ryback, and he’d brought him back up again.

“Why do you think he’ll come for me now? It’s been three years.”

“He’ll want to finish what he started with you; you’re the one who got away. The body he left was an open challenge, daring me to try and stop him. The only thing we have to worry about is giving him an opportunity. That is why we’ve left the pack. We can’t risk anyone else getting hurt.” He parked up the car and turned the engine off. “Do you trust me?” He reached out and touched her cheek.

The way her lips brushed against his palm made his heart race. How could one simple touch inspire so much love? He craved her touch. Daniel would fight for every moment with her. They’d already lost so much time. “Of course I do.”

“I would rather die than let him hurt you again.” She nodded, but he didn’t have a clue if she believed him. Thank the Goddess, the bond between Ryback and Mari had been eclipsed by the mating bond. Daniel knew she didn’t have any respect for Ryback, and any connection between them was unwelcomed and unwanted.

“Let’s get the bags out and get settled in the cabin. I want to hear what you’ve been up to since I saw you last.” He pushed his door open and got out. Cold air froze the air in his lungs, and he slapped his hands together to get some life back into them. Daniel’s compound, created and built the year before, could be found at the base of the mountain, closer to the town and far away from the harsher elements. It had been a long time since he’d needed to worry about a biting cold that nibbled at his toes.

Body wound like a spring, Mari couldn’t relax. He put the food away in the kitchen and she went to work lighting the fire. Piled up next to the fireplace were logs, left by Adam, and it didn’t take her long before a healthy fire roared to life. She took off her gloves and jacket, curled up on the floor in front of it, and watched as it flickered and licked the stone. How many times had she closed her eyes and dreamed of this moment? When they could finally be together?

Some of the tension left her body at the sound of him in the kitchen.
It’s the way it’s supposed to be
. When she moved to his compound, she could find a job in the town, maybe get back to helping people. She didn’t want to start a new life with him if it turned out to be an echo of her life with the Black Paw Pack. She needed normalcy. Before she’d been turned into a wolf, she’d been a damn good doctor. Daniel left the kitchen and lay down behind her, pulling her into the curve of his body. His scent drifted over her like a memory come to life. They watched the fire in silence, and she let the gentle rise and fall of her mate’s chest lure her to a peaceful sleep.

There were only faint embers in the fireplace when she opened her eyes again. She pushed herself up and a blanket fell down to her waist. She smiled at the thought of Daniel taking care of her.

I don’t think I’ve ever slept that well before
. She stretched and scanned the small room in a quick search for her mate. It took a second for her eyes enough to see the dark shape tucked in the alcove in front of the window, a space big enough for one where he could watch for Ryback. The gun rested against his shoulder and the curtains were partially drawn. Daniel’s eyes were closed. The beats of his heart were slow and his breathing easy. She placed another log onto the fire and made her way to the kitchen to fill the kettle up.

How much sleep is he running on?
Not much, she guessed, especially not when he figured out that Mari was Ryback’s most likely next target. She collected one of the bottles of water, filled up the pot, and hooked it over the thin strip of metal that had been drilled into the wall above the fire. Waiting for the kettle to whistle, she knelt on the floor and checked on Daniel.

He hadn’t changed, not really. The man who saved her life the night Ryback attacked her. Who’d guided her first change and loved her without knowing her at all. Broader across the shoulders, with blond hair cut shorter than three years ago. Back then, it had brushed his shoulders, but with a body like his, nobody would have thought of him as anything but a man. The slight curl was still there. It made him look softer, less than a hunter. She smiled, reaching out and brushing a lock of hair away from his forehead.

“What do you think you’re doing?” A gruff whisper made her smile even more.

“Admiring my sleeping mate.” She trailed her fingers down his arm.

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

“You weren’t? It’s okay to relax; I doubt he’ll attack tonight. Even if he wants me, he’ll want to draw this out. That’s who Ryback is. He told me once he liked it when his prey runs. If he tried to take me now, finish what he started, it would be anti-climactic. Neither one of us knows if he’s already here, watching and waiting. Though it’s possible, if he followed you to me. Ryback is fueled by fear and he wants us scared.” The memory made her shiver, the words he’d whispered at her the night her world changed.

Daniel studied her in the half-light. “Is he out there?”

Mari frowned. How would she know if he wasn’t even sure? “I can’t feel him but then I’ve never tried before.” A whistle interrupted her; the kettle boiled. Using a hook above the fireplace she set it on the stone hearth.

He turned in his resting spot, stretching his legs. “It’s rare for the gift to be given to someone who’s unwilling. You’ve ignored the bond between the two of you for a long time but there is one. You might be able to reverse it, figure out where he is.”

He’d told her about the bond before, but the thought of being connected to Ryback in any shape or form made her feel sick. She stalked walk away from the window, from him. “I wouldn’t even know how. I never wanted or needed to learn.” She’d refused the gift and blocked it—if will had anything to do with the so-called bond, she kept her side closed.

He tugged her back against his chest, his hands around her waist. The way he touched her drowned out the uneasiness which settled deep in her bones. “You don’t have to do it. It’s okay.” She turned in his arms, finding his lips, turning her fear to a desperate need. Her mate moaned when she unzipped his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. “This isn’t a good idea. I should keep watch.”

“I refuse to let him steal anymore moments between us.” His sweater and T-shirt quickly joined his jacket on the floor. As indecision stopped him, she caught one of his nipples between her teeth. A smile teased her lips around his nipple as he hissed a mixture of surprise and pain. A hard ridge, proof of his desire, pressed against her stomach.

He roughly yanked her up.
He isn’t going to tell me no, is he
? Couldn’t he read the desire in her eyes, smell her need? “This isn’t going to be another mindless fuck on the floor, sweetheart.”

“Then what is it going to be?” She rubbed against him as he slipped off her jacket and top, teasing him. He didn’t stop until she just stood in her bra and panties. With gentle hands, he guided her to the bedroom, pushing her down until she sat on the edge. Need ran through her, wetness pooling between her legs, a faint tremor hard to miss. Daniel ran a hand up, starting at her hip, cupping her breast through the lace fabric of her bra. She pressed herself against him; brushing her nipples against his chest sent tiny shards of desire through her. Daniel pulled the straps on her bra down and with questing fingers reached behind her, unclasped it, pulled it away, and dropped it to floor.

Her eyes drifted closed as he dropped to his knees.

Goddess I could get drunk on her scent
. Daniel breathed in deeply, rubbing his nose against the damp front of her panties before pulling them down. They’d barely touched, but they didn’t need to. He’d been in a state of constant arousal since the morning. The three years they’d been apart had been torture. Neither of them took another lover. Once mated, an intimate touch from someone else wouldn’t bring release. Which meant both of them had been celibate. He’d thrown himself into visiting the gym, working out and focusing on anything but the memory of her. He went up onto his knees, holding her hips, trailing kisses across her stomach.

How long would it take before touching her wasn’t the first thing that crossed his mind whenever he saw her? Daniel couldn’t picture a life where he didn’t want her with every part of his being. She ran her fingers through his hair, the gesture sweet and possessive. “Open up for me.”

A slight pause and then she spread her legs a little wider. He placed his mouth over the curve of her sex, flicking out his tongue and tasting the sweet juices that could drive him mad. As he dipped his tongue inside of her, her hold on his hand tightened. Mari balanced on the edge of oblivion. He caught the cluster of nerves between her legs and ruthlessly went to work teasing her.

His name left her lips as her body went rigid; he went back to kissing the sensitive parts of her thighs. Daniel wanted to draw out the moment, to push her to the edge and deny her release. How much would she be able to take before she started to beg?

He traced his fingers up her legs, glancing up the line of her body. As she leaned back, her hands had taken the weight. Mari was easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and it had little to do with her being his mate. She’d been brave, strong, and confident, even before Ryback changed her. The fight to survive had flared in her eyes, a moment before she’d stabbed Ryback in his. She took to being a wolf so quickly. With one hand around her waist to hold her in place, he went back to tasting his mate completely, working his tongue in and out, swirling it around her clit. He growled possessively, “Mine.”

“Daniel....”

He ignored her. The edge of pleading made him want to push her further. Her labia glistened, her scent intoxicating. “Do you want me to touch you here?” The barest touch of his fingers against her wet entrance and she jerked away from him like he’d hit her with an electrical current. His arm held her in place. “I can see how much you want me to push my fingers inside.” Daniel groaned out the words, his control hanging by a thread. “Have you thought of these moments when we were apart?”