Just One Drop (23 page)

An hour and a half into the self defense training, Jen was feeling slightly encouraged. She'd finally allowed her eyes to land on Decebel. Each time he had been working with a girl it was painfully obvious he was trying to touch her as little as possible.

Jen wished she could say the same about the guys she had been working with. She felt like she was constantly having to steer clear of an accidental – yeah, right – grope or grab. She was just glad Decebel hadn't seen.

The guy she was now training with turned her around to teach a move that would disable an attacker pinning her from behind. Jen stood still as he wrapped an arm around what she thought was going to be her neck. He stepped even closer so that their bodies touched from his chest to her calves. But instead of her neck his arm wrapped over her chest, his hand not quite making under her arm. He basically had a handful of boob. So not good.

Jen would've overlooked it if the idiot hadn't squeezed. She gasped in shock and instantly heard a growl somewhere beyond her. She knew that growl.

The wolf who held her tightened his grip painfully and Jen tried pulling away from him, which only caused what felt like his claws to descend.

That’s going to leave a mark,
she thought.

The growl, Decebel's growl, turned into a snarl. Her head snapped up as she tried desperately to get out of the wolf's groping hands. She saw Decebel look at her, then at the hand that was planted on her chest.

Decebel phased, faster than she had ever seen a wolf phase, and launched himself across the room. Suddenly everything a flurry of movement. Jen was pulled from the offending wolf's arms and into Dorin's.

"Get her out of here now.," he told Cami. "And get the Alpha. He's the only one who can call Decebel down.”

Cami nodded and turned to Delia. "Go get Sally and Jacque. Fane and the other guys are going to have to try to pull Decebel off the idiot."

Jen and Cami turned when she heard bodies slamming together. They froze. To their horror, the other guy had phased into a motley grey wolf and he and Decebel were circling each other. Decebel was much, much larger with a shiny grey pelt and one white paw.

They watched as Decebel snarled and snapped at the other wolf, trying to slip him up. Decebel got his chance when the wolf stumbled back just a little. Decebel took advantage of the mistake and launched himself forward. His teeth sunk into the smaller wolf's neck and in an amazing show of strength, Decebel raised the wolf upward and slammed him onto his side.

The other wolf struggled briefly before submitting. Decebel stepped back, releasing him. Had Jen not been scared witless, she would have laughed when he slapped the other wolf across the head, effectively knocking him unconscious.

Decebel raised his head and howled, and as if beyond their control, the other Romanian pack males howled with him.

Suddenly Jen felt a pressure fill the air that nearly drove her to her knees. The howls cut off. She watched as the full blooded wolves all knelt and a very, very pissed off Vasile thundered through the gym doors.

When Jen looked back at Decebel, she could see him struggling under the weight of his Alpha's power. A couple of times he stumbled, but continued.
Stupid barbarian.
She rolled her eyes and closed the rest of the distance between them.

She shook her head. "What were you thinking?" He snarled at her but she knew it wasn't
at
her. "Do you want them to separate us? Because that's what they're going to do if you can't keep it together."

She stopped talking when Vasile came up beside her. His eyes were glowing a deep blue. He snapped a hand out and someone placed a pair of sweat pants in it.

"Phase back." His voice was low, but no less commanding than a shout would have been. Decebel phased back and Jen quickly turned. When she no longer heard the ruffle of clothes, she turned back around to see Decebel's eyes on her, not Vasile.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

Jen hesitated as she thought about how the wolf had grabbed her – violated her, even. She'd felt his claws pierce her skin... Deciding it was probably best for every person in the vicinity if she didn't mention that little tidbit, she lied – only a little. "I'm fine."

Vasile turned to Skender. "Please give the Alphas my apologies and let them know I will discipline my pack accordingly. We will take our leave until tonight's events."

One by one the pack members filed into the breakfast room. The tables and chairs had been put away. In their place were lounging chairs. Vasile didn't sit. Alina joined him and looked just as angry. Jen watched as all the males eyeballed each other. None would concede and sit until Vasile commanded it. Once everyone was inside, Dorin pulled the door closed with an ominous click.

"At first his hand just landed on my chest, that I would've overlooked. The clincher was that he squeezed and didn't let go.” She shrugged uncomfortably. “So, it wasn't an '
oops, my bad'
or a passing '
hello
,' it was more like '
I'd like a room for the night, please,'
kind of gesture."

Before Vasile could comment Decebel was at her side, turning her to face him. Although he was very gentle with her, his touch was firm, determined.

His hand, now steady, came up and stroked her face.

"The truth, Jennifer. Did that mongrel leave any marks on you?" Decebel's words were so soft. She could tell he didn't want to have this conversation in front of everyone.

Alina walked over to Jen and pulled her to the side. Decebel looked back at every male in the room and growled. They instantly all turned their backs. He glanced back at Jen. Alina was helping her lift her shirt. When Jen noticed him, she stopped her shirt from going any higher.

She cleared her throat. "Wolf, you haven't earned any special privileges. So unless you're handing out Benjamins, you don't get to watch the show."

At the moment his thoughts about her were far from inappropriate, no matter what part he saw. But he understood she didn't feel comfortable with him seeing her unclothed. He relented and turned around.

The other girls walked over to form a semi-circle around her while he waited impatiently. He nearly spun when he heard Sally's gasp.

"Your play by play is really helping keep everyone calm, guys," Jen said sarcastically. "Just chill out. It's not like I'll have his marks on me forever."

She realized the mistake of her words a second after they were out of her mouth. Decebel's wolf would consider that as the other wolf marking her, claiming her. Jen knew he hadn't been – he was just a perverted guy.

Decebel pushed all the girls out of his way and was standing in front of her faster than Jen could blink. She froze as she looked up at his face, his dark features accentuated by anger. She felt him pull her shirt down to cover her. She still couldn't move.

"Once again, Jennifer, you make light of something that is serious." Decebel's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why?"

"I'm not saying what he did was okay, but I could have handled it. He was just being a guy. He saw an opportunity to get some free action and took it. I'm perfectly capable of kicking a guy in the balls, B. I didn't need you to go all fangs and claws on him."

Every guy in the room cringed at Jen's words except Decebel. He was unmovable at this point.

"He was just
being a guy
? He was just BEING A GUY?" Decebel roared. "He touched you! He had his hands on you, on your -"

"Girly bits?" Jen offered oh so helpfully.

Decebel's mouth tightened. "Yes, Jennifer. He had his hand on your girly bits. That is not 'just being a guy,' that's being an ass."

Jen should have just shut up and cut her losses, but backing down had never been her strong suit.

Jacque watched, fascinated by the argument ensuing in front of her. She didn't think either of them truly realized how passionate they were about each other. Though, she wasn't sure they were going to survive their mating without one of them strangling the other. The words that Jen was spewing at the moment were seriously taking the odds of survival out of her corner.

"Are you mad because he got there first, wolf? 'Cause if that's the case I feel it necessary to remind you that your opportunity is coming."

The sputters, coughs, and curses that rippled through the room were punctuated by Sally surprising everyone with a loud, "What the HELL, JEN? Shut up."

Jen didn't take her eyes off of Decebel as she answered what was certainly rhetorical. "What? I'm just reminding him that, ultimately, I'm his."

"Yeah, well, emphasizing that another wolf had his hands on you at all, not just that it happened in front of your mate, is not really helping matters," Sally shot back.

Everyone was in motion except Jen and Decebel. Vasile was the last to leave the room. Before he closed the door he looked back at Decebel, who didn't look away from Jen. "I understand why you did it, Beta. It may be that because he left marks on her skin you won't be punished for your impudence."

Decebel watched Jennifer return his stare without flinching. He couldn't remember a time in his long life that he had been this angry. He started to shake with the urge to phase, remembering the wolf's hand on his mate.

Jennifer took a step towards him, completely undaunted by his lack of control. She placed her hands on either side of his face and before he even realized it, stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

Decebel wished he could say that he hesitated to consider the consequences of their actions, but in that moment nothing could have calmed his wolf the way that intimate touch did. His arms went around her small waist, pulling her closer. As her body met his Decebel tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He heard her moan and growled in response. When their tongues met he nearly smiled. She hadn't hesitantly tried to slip it in his mouth, not his woman. She plunged confidently, daring him to respond.

He felt her wince when he pulled her closer, her chest tightly pressed to him. That brought his thoughts back to her injury. Possessiveness surged forward, muddling his brain, and his kiss turned desperate. He lifted her by the waist and pressed her against a wall, never once taking his lips from hers.

Jen wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up, then wrapped her legs around his waist. This bold move allowed him to push through the fog. He gentled the kiss and after a few small lingering ones, pulled back.

Decebel noticed how beautiful she looked, her lips red and swollen from his kiss, her eyes half closed as she tried to catch her breath. Slowly she unwrapped her legs and lowered herself to the ground. He couldn’t deny the attraction he felt at her confidence. She didn't blush or apologize for having become so passionate, she didn't try to hide the desire that filled her eyes, and she didn't drop her arms to grant them some space. She held on tight and sultrily smiled.

"That was yummy."

Decebel chuckled. "Of all the things you could say: passionate, amazing, incredible, unbelievable, and you come up with yummy?"