Harlequin Nocturne March 2014 Bundle: Shadowmaster\Running with Wolves (43 page)

Not wanting to stop for even a second, they dropped to the thick plush carpet, moving, dancing, pulsating to a rhythm that was all their own. She clung to his hard body hoping if she held on long enough, tight enough, then maybe he wouldn't go.

But even as his scent—woodsy and rich with the smell of the earth and water—reached inside her, she knew this moment wouldn't last. She inhaled it deep within her, sealing it within her memory, along with the taste of him and the feel of his hands on her skin.

He pulled her in tighter, positioning her beneath him, then thrust deep within her. Her body, familiar with his, moved on its own, matching his movements. She lost herself in the sensations as they washed over her—heat, passion, fire and an overwhelming hunger. She held him, screaming as her need clawed at her, tearing her apart and finally consuming her.

He stiffened, reaching his climax, clinging to her until finally they collapsed against one another, a mass of arms and legs and heat. And as her thoughts came back with her breath, she felt almost desperate to keep him there, because she knew if she let him go, she would never smell his scent again, never feel his touch.

He would be lost to her.

She didn't know how she knew that, except that she'd been around death long enough to taste its presence hovering in the air. And right now the room was thick with it.

“Don't leave me, Jason. I have a very bad feeling about your going. I can't explain....”

He held her tight, pulling her against him, nuzzling his lips against her neck, sending shivers racing down her spine.

“I know it sounds crazy. It is crazy. But it's all I can think about. If you go, if you leave me, you won't be back.”

He pressed a kiss against her forehead, but he didn't say what she'd hoped to hear. What she needed to hear. She sighed.

“It will just be a couple of days. I promise. And I'm not leaving you alone. You have your grandparents to watch after you. And Scott. Visit them. Let them teach you about The Colony. Go shopping, fill this house with food and clothes and everything you need, and I'll be back before you have a chance to miss me.”

“But I miss you already.”

He laughed, and the warmth of it seeped through her. She was acting like a clingy female. She hated that, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't stop the fear blossoming within her. Especially when she thought of Scott. A shiver pulsed through her.

“What is it?”

“Scott,” she admitted. “He scares me.”

Jason sat up, leaning against the couch, pulling her up with him. “Why?”

She snuggled against him. “His aura is an ugly muddy dark red. Kind of like the
Abatus.
Though nothing moves within it, it's just a thick cloud that scares me.”

Jason's pale eyes held hers steady. “You can still see auras?”

“Yes. Can't you?”

“No. Once we go through the change, we no longer hear brain activity or see colors. On wolves or men.”

“But I still do. What does that mean?” She leaned her head against his chest, listening to the powerful beat of his heart.

“It means what I've always known about you, that you're special.”

She twined her fingers in the soft hair on his chest and the trail that led down his stomach. “But what does that say about Scott?”

“That he definitely bears watching and shouldn't be trusted.”

The sound of an approaching vehicle crunching gravel filled the room. “Damn,” Jason said, jumping to his feet.

“Who could that be?” Shay muttered. Not wanting a repeat of that morning, she quickly redressed, pulling her grandmother's clothes back on, though the safety pin was hopelessly lost. Seconds later, there was a knock at the door.

Jason glanced out the front window. “Do me a favor and get the door,” he said, pulling on his jeans. “I'll be back in a sec.”

Surprised, Shay watched him disappear down the hall and into the back room. She hurried to the front door and pulled it open.

A man of medium height and build with wavy dark hair, brilliant green eyes and an easy smile stood in the doorway. “You must be Shay,” he said, appreciation shining in his eyes. “I'm Malcolm. It's nice to finally meet you.”

He held out his hand and Shay took it, thinking there wasn't anything scary about this man. No aura. Nothing to give credence to all the bad things she'd been hearing about him.

“Is he yours?” Malcolm asked, and tilted his head toward Buddy lying on the porch. “Beautiful dog.”

Shay smiled. “Thank you. I suppose he's worn himself out exploring. Please, come in,” she said, stepping back. As Malcolm walked into the house, Jason appeared from the back.

In that moment everything changed. Malcolm stiffened and suddenly there was tension in the air so palpable her nerves started jumping.

“I had hoped you'd left the truck here for Shay, that you were already searching for the missing shipment,” Malcolm said, his voice low and dangerous, his nostrils flaring.

Jason leaned against the wall, calm, cool and confident. “I was getting ready to call you. Something's come up and I can't leave Shay alone right now.”

Shay let out a small sound of surprise as relief tore through her, but the feeling of happiness was short-lived as Malcolm's anger became tangible.

“If you value your job, you will go where you are needed. And trust me, you are not needed here. Not now. I can look after Shay. That's why I'm here.”

“Is that so?” Jason pushed off the wall and approached them. “Shay is my responsibility and you have plenty of men out there looking for that shipment right now.”

“It's your job.” Malcolm's jaw stiffened.

“Then you're right. I'm ready for a change. I'll return the truck and the keys this afternoon.”

Malcolm stared at him, disbelief widening his eyes. Without saying another word, he turned and stormed out the door, slamming it so hard behind him the windows shook.

Shaken, Shay stared after him. “Wow.”

“Yep,” Jason said, letting loose a long sigh. “I was curious to see how he would react around you if he didn't know I was here.”

“And?”

“And I didn't expect things to go the way they did.”

“I can't let you quit your job for me.”

“I didn't do it for you. I did it because Malcolm came here thinking I was gone, hoping to get you alone. He had no business doing that, no matter what his intentions were. He knew that. And instead of being reasonable when he discovered I was here, instead of being a friend and asking why I needed to stay here with you, he threatened my job. My job that I've performed for him without question or complaint for years. He is not the man I thought he was, the man he used to be.” Jason sighed. “Maybe Kate was right and he never was.”

“I'm sorry,” Shay whispered.

“Don't be. I can't leave you. Not after what you said about Scott, not after what I've just seen. Malcolm's temper is out of control. I won't leave you here with the two of them and their war. I can't take that chance.”

She walked into his arms and he held her tightly for a long moment. “Thank you,” she whispered, then stepped up on her toes and kissed him.

* * *

As Jason held her, uneasiness consumed him. He'd never seen Malcolm behave like that before. Anger was one thing, but the man was over the edge. How far would he go to get what he wanted? Could he have stolen that shipment, or worse, burned down Scott's house?

“Are you all right?” Shay asked, looking up into his face, her palm resting on his chest. “You feel...disheartened.”

“You have an uncanny ability to read my emotions.”

“Maybe I just know you well.” She smiled and leaned her head against his chest.

“I can't help thinking that if only I hadn't stayed gone for so long looking for Maggie, if I'd come back and at least tried to hang on to my responsibilities as pack leader...”

“I doubt Malcolm would have given them back to you.”

“I could have stopped him. The council would have backed me. I shouldn't have let Malcolm stay in control once I'd come home. I gave up on living. I gave up on...everything.” He placed a finger under her chin and lifted it until he could look into her beautiful blue eyes. “You gave that back to me. You've made me want to live again. I remember what it feels like to be alive. To be in love.”

Tears swam in her eyes. Happy tears? He hoped so.

“So what do we do now?” she asked.

“We can't continue to let Malcolm play his games and after what you said about Scott's aura, he is no longer an option for pack leader.”

“Why would anyone believe me?”

“Because Maggie knew things, too. And so did Dean. People trusted her, they trusted your dad and they will trust you, too.”

“It should be you, Jason. You should step up.”

“No, I had my time.”

“But you would be perfect. You are honorable, and you have a deep concern for the pack as a whole.”

“It should be you,” he said softly. “It's the natural progression of things. You are Dean's daughter, and you have a gift. A gift that can be very helpful to the pack.”

Shock crossed her face and she stepped back from him. “Me? What do I know about running the pack? I haven't even seen the town yet. I don't know anything about The Colony, the way you live, your history or this so-called gift. No. It should be you.”

“Well, in any case, whoever it will be, we have to go to the council. They need to know what's going on, they need to be the ones to deal with the proverbial shit hitting the fan.” He winked at her then led her out the door.

The moment his feet hit the porch he knew it wouldn't be that easy, and that Malcolm was already a step ahead of them.

“Jason,” Shay whispered, fear thick in her voice as she stared at the truck. The tires were flat.

All of them.

Obviously, Malcolm had lost it.

“What are we going to do now?” she whispered, looking around her.

She needn't have bothered. He knew who'd done it. He just hoped Malcolm was done with his childish pranks and was long gone.

“Walk,” he said, and pulled a wicked-looking knife out of the sheath attached to his belt. He pointed at a small deer path leading into the forest. “And hope we're alone out here.”

Chapter 17

“W
here are we going?” Shay asked as she swatted away branches that kept snagging her skirt.

“Into town. It's about two miles from here. I would suggest we transform, but then you'd have nothing to wear once we got there.”

Shay cringed at the thought. “That wouldn't be good.” Though she had to admit she was tempted. She wanted to run again, to feel the earth beneath her and the freedom of running at full speed through the forest. As if he could read her thoughts, Buddy barked, running up ahead of them.

“I wouldn't mind,” Jason said, giving her a lascivious smile, and then he winked at her.

As he did, her heart melted all over again. She hoped this feeling—this happiness bursting through her right now—never went away. But she knew better. Happiness like this was fragile and fleeting.

“I still can't believe Malcolm would stoop this low,” Jason muttered, pulling back a large branch for her to pass. “Slashing tires is juvenile. What could he possibly hope to gain?”

Shay grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Did you hear that?”

He stilled, listening to the sounds around them. “What?”

“I don't know. I sensed something. Someone.”

“Stay here, I'll go ahead and check.” He stepped forward, disappearing around the bend and into the thicket of pine trees.

Shay wanted to say no, to stop him, but she did as he asked and stepped beneath a canopy of branches. After a moment, she heard a loud crash, then there was nothing but silence.

“Jason!” Shay ran after him, not stopping when the thick branches of evergreens clawed at her, tearing her clothes. That horrible sound replayed over and over in her mind as she rushed forward. Something ahead caught her eye. She hurried forward then skidded to a stop in front of a deep pit. The ground crumbled in front of her, pine needles slipping away beneath her feet. She teetered on the edge of a deep hole, pinwheeling her arms until she fell backward.

Terrified, she crawled forward and glanced down into the hole. Buddy barked from the bottom. Jason was lying next to him, his knife sticking into his leg, blood spreading across his pants and the ground beneath him.

“Oh, my God, Jason!” Sickness twisted through her as she crouched at the edge.

Lying on his back, Jason groaned while looking up at her. “It's a trap, Shay. Go. Get help. Hurry.” His voice crackled with pain.

She looked around her but didn't see anyone. “I can't leave you here alone.”

“You must.” He groaned again, and she could hear the pain in his voice, feel it in the energy coming off of him. He was hurt badly.

“Who do I go to? Who can I trust?”

“Your grandparents. They're the only ones.”

“How? I don't know where I am.” Panic tightened around her, squeezing and stealing her breath as her gaze searched the green thicket. Was Malcolm hiding out there somewhere, watching her even now? Waiting for her to leave?

“Follow the sun,” Jason said, his voice breaking.

“The sun?” Who was he kidding?

She looked up at the sky. She could do this. She had to do this. She stood. “All right, Jason. But don't you die on me. Promise me. Everyone always dies on me and I can't lose you, too.”

“Don't worry. It's not time for me to die. I haven't done enough living yet.”

Neither had she. Especially now that she knew what life could be like with him.

“I'll go, but you need to change. You need to heal, and you damn well better be up and around by the time I get back.”

“You got it,” he said, his voice barely audible.

“Watch him, Buddy,” she said, then with fear blurring her vision, she ran hard and fast continuing down the deer path they'd been following, hoping there would be no more pits or nets falling from trees or anything else that would stop her. Because she wasn't looking and she wasn't thinking, she was only praying that she'd find him help on time.

After what seemed like forever, she burst out of the forest and into a clearing that ended at the edge of a cliff. There was no more going forward, only left or right. But the sun was straight ahead. She couldn't afford to get lost. She couldn't lose the time.

“Damn!” She peered down the side of the mountain into the green abyss. Not a sign of civilization in sight.

“What's wrong with you?” a voice asked from behind her.

Shay swung around as an older woman with long dark braids streaked with silver strands came walking around the bend, a large burlap bag slung over her shoulder.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Shay said, rushing toward her.

“You look lost,” the woman said, walking past her to a large rock outcropping on the edge of the cliff.

“Lost. Yes. You could say that. And—”

“Scared.” The woman took off her bag, placed it on the ground, squatted over it and started rummaging inside.

“Yes, that, too. I'm so glad I found you. I've been frantic. I need help. I have to find the way to my grandparents'. Can you—”

The woman pulled a large reddish crystal out of her bag, followed by a black and then a green one. She closed her eyes and started mumbling over them.

“Please,” Shay said. “I need—”

The woman held up a hand stopping her, then continued chanting.

Shay swallowed a deep breath, trying to hold back the anxiety threatening to consume her. If she lost it, if she became a babbling idiot, she wouldn't be able to help Jason. She had to stay calm. Rational. Reasonable.

Oh, the hell with it.

She bent toward the woman, reaching for her, but before she could touch her shoulder, the woman stood and turned to her.

“How can Jaya help you?”

“My friend fell. He's hurt,” Shay blurted, afraid the woman would stop her again.

“Then your instincts led you right, Shay Mallory.”

They did?
“How do you know who I am?”

The woman laughed, her deep voice rumbling through her chest. “Everyone knew you were coming. You're the only stranger we've had 'round these parts in years. Who else could you be?” She bent back over the rocks, her hands moving, hovering, palms down, almost touching the crystal surface as words, rich and guttural, rose from inside her.

Impatience reared its ugly head and had Shay bouncing up onto the balls of her feet. Was this woman going to help her or not?

“I'm sorry to interfere with—” Shay threw her arms out “—with whatever it is you're doing, but I need you to tell me how to find my grandparents' house.”

The woman continued to ignore her, swaying back and forth, her eyes screwed shut.

Unable to wait any longer, Shay stepped forward and tapped her on the shoulder. “Please, if you could just let me use your cell phone so I can call—” She stopped, realizing she had no idea what their phone number was. Or if they even had a phone.

The woman's dark eyes shot open and pinned her with a steely glare. “Cell phone? You think I have one of those modern contraptions that spread radiation all over this beautiful green earth? Those people who use those things without thought to the delicate balance of nature are destroying this wonderful place we live in. You will never catch Jaya using one of those things.” She closed her eyes and started swaying again.

Shay looked around her, searching for a truck or a car or even a motorcycle, anything this woman could have used to get way out here on this mountain.

“I walked,” she said, staring at her through an eye opened just a crack. “The same way I do every day.”

“I need help. Please. My friend—”

“I wouldn't lift a hair off my dog's head to help that Malcolm Daniels.” She spat his name out of her mouth as if it burned her tongue. “Not after what he done to my Celia. I told my girl to stay away from him, that he was bad news. He let the power go to his head and he got lost, that one. But she has never listened to me, not since she was old enough to crawl. No matter how many times I warned her to stay away, she didn't. And now she got burned.”

Leaving the crystals on the outcropping, the woman picked up her bag and started to walk down the path, still mumbling about Celia and her heartbreak at the hands of Malcolm. Geez, did everyone hate that man?

“But it's not Malcolm who's hurt,” Shay called, hurrying after her, surprised by the older woman's speed.

“Of course it's Malcolm. Celia left because you were coming. Because he insisted he was gonna marry you.”

“But I'm not going to marry Malcolm. I'm with Jason. He's the one I'm going to marry.”

“Jason?” The woman stopped and turned. Her eyes grew wide.

“Yes, Jason is the one who needs help.”

“Oh, this is bad. Very bad indeed.” She started walking back the way Shay had come. Back toward the trees and the deer path that led to the pit.

“Why?” Shay asked, confused and frustrated all at the same time. “I mean,
I
know why it's bad but why do
you
think it's bad?”

“Bad for Jason,” the woman muttered, holding up a purple rock hanging from a long chain around her neck and kissing it.

“Very bad,” Shay agreed. “He fell in a large hole in the ground and landed on his knife. He's hurt and bleeding right now. I need to get him help and I have no idea where I even am.” She was beginning to shriek, her words echoing through the trees around her.

The woman stopped walking. “Well, why didn't you say that in the first place?”

Shay blew out a deep breath. “I can't imagine.”

“Show me where he is.”

“No offense, but he needs a doctor and someone who can get him out of that hole. I need to get to a phone.”

“No. You need Jaya or your instincts wouldn't have brought you to me.”

Shay sighed. “Fine. Follow me.” She hurried back into the forest hoping she was doing the right thing. Because if she wasn't, if she was too late...

When they arrived back at the pit, Shay peered inside. Buddy stared up at her and whined. Her stomach dropped. “Jason's not there.”

“Over here, child,” Jaya said, her tone heavy.

Shay turned to find her leaning over a wolf's body lying beneath a tall Redwood. Her heart caught in her throat. “Is he—” She couldn't form the words, couldn't stop the fear reeling inside her, sending her staggering toward them.

Jaya didn't answer, just started running her hands over his body, her eyes closed, her lips moving in a low chant that Shay could barely hear. The woman pulled more crystals out of her burlap bag and placed them around Jason, resting the palm of her hands over each one as she repeated words over and over in a language Shay didn't recognize.

Shay dropped to the ground next to them and gingerly lifted the wolf's head onto her lap. He whimpered and Shay's heart broke at how weak it sounded. “Please, don't let him die.”

“Here, put this on his wound.” Jaya handed her an amber jar.

Shay twisted open the lid and found green paste inside. She stuck her finger into it and scooped out a thick glob that spread easily across the open wound on Jason's upper leg.

“His pulse is weak,” Jaya said. “He's lost too much blood.”

“We need to get him to a hospital,” Shay insisted.

Jaya didn't acknowledge her words; instead she took the purple crystal from around her neck and placed it around Jason's, whispering more of her healing chants.

Shay rested her hand on his shoulder as tears welled in her eyes and fell onto her cheeks. “Don't die on me, Jason. You promised.”

Footsteps approached on the path beside her. She turned, hoping help had finally come. Instead, Malcolm stood at the edge of the pit, his face a blank mask, blood smeared across the front of his shirt.

Jason's blood?

“If you want Jason to live, Shay, you will marry me right now.”

“What?” Shay stared at him, disbelief muddling her mind as she tried to comprehend his meaning.

“After the ceremony, I will get him the help he needs.”

“You did this to him?”

He shrugged, his eyes narrowing.

Fury surged through her, tightening her muscles and quickening her heart. “Jason believed in you. Stood up for you. He was your friend.”

“As I am his. That is why I'm hoping you'll do the right thing for him, for the pack, for all of us and marry me.”

Shay got to her feet, not wanting her tension and anger to touch Jason. “You mean the right thing for you.”

“I'm sorry it has come to this. I tried to send him away, to distract him, but he wouldn't do as he was told.”

“He needs to get to the hospital now.”

“Jaya,” he said, looking past Shay and ignoring her pleas. “You will officiate the ceremony and bear witness of this marriage to the council.”

“And if I don't?” Jaya said without leaving Jason's side. Without taking her hands off his shuddering body.

“You mean other than watching Jason die?” He shrugged his imperious shoulders.

Jaya's eyes narrowed into fine slits.

“Jason needs help. Let Jaya heal him,” Shay demanded, even as panic and desperation clutched her by the shoulders. There was no use reasoning with the man. He was crazy, he was...unreachable.

“As soon as we get the marriage ceremony over with, Jaya can do what she does best and heal him. I'm confident she'll pull him through.”

“And if she doesn't?” Shay countered.

“Then you'll at least know you did everything you could. Now get over here, old woman, and marry us or I'll end his suffering right now.”

Nausea turned Shay's stomach as Jaya rose, leaving Jason and walking toward Malcolm. Shay followed, knowing he was telling the truth, certain that if she didn't do exactly what he wanted he would let Jason die, or worse, kill him in front of her. How could anyone have followed a man who looked like this? How could Jason have trusted him?