Kissing Sin (4 page)

I’d already said I wasn’t, but I couldn’t exactly stay here, either. Or ask him to carry me—a horse would be too easily seen in the thinning trees. “I’m a wolf, and stronger than I look.”

“I know.” He grimaced and rubbed a hand across his ribs, though it was amusement rather than pain that shone in his brown eyes. “And I have the bruises to prove it.”

A smile teased my lips. “Sorry, but I haven’t had much experience riding stallions.”

“Then that’s something we’ll definitely have to remedy.”

Warmth fled like quicksilver through my veins. I raised an eyebrow and said, “And what if it takes more than one lesson?”

“Then I shall have to stay until you are proficient.”

Couldn’t be sad about that. If nothing else, having Kade around for a while would have the added benefit of driving my brother crazy with lust. And after the teasing he’d been giving me about my love life—or lack thereof—he certainly deserved having mahogany perfection slapped in his face.

Kade led the way down the mountain, and I kept my gaze centered on his broad and muscular back. The sharp descent had my stomach wavering more than a few times, especially when I inadvertently glanced at the drop to the side of us. But I made it down without puking, and the sheer relief had me trembling.

Or maybe that was exhaustion settling in.

The sun had well and truly risen by the time we reached the house, and by then, my feet felt like lead and every step was an effort.

Kade wasn’t in much better shape. He leaned a brawny arm against a fence post, sweat gleaming on his forehead and cheeks as he eyed the weatherboard house. “I can’t hear anyone. Can you smell anyone?”

All
I
could smell was eucalyptus and sweat—his
and
mine. “No.”

“I’ll check the garage, you check the house.”

I glanced up to ensure none of those circling eagles were in sight, then unlatched the gate and stumbled to the nearest window. The room was pale yellow in color and dominated by a luxurious—and empty—bed. I almost wept at the sight. God, I needed to rest.
Sleep.

I pushed away from the window and walked around to the back of the house. The door was locked. I felt around the frame, looked under the mat, and finally found the spare key under the blood-colored geraniums filling the window box.

The door creaked as I opened it. I winced, and didn’t move. The old house was still, but not entirely quiet. A clock ticked steadily in one of the rooms, and the aroma of mothballs and lavender vied for attention on the air.

Kade came up behind me, pressing warmth into my spine as he stopped. “Anything?”

His breath caressed my ear, sending little shivers of delight lapping across my skin. My body might be exhausted, but my hormones certainly weren’t. I shook my head and pulled away from him again. “You?”

“No car, and the garage doors don’t look as if they’ve been opened for a few days.”

“Then we might have found a refuge for a few hours.”

“Hopefully.” He took the key from me, then locked the door and hung the key on a handy nearby hook. “I don’t think I could have walked much farther.”

The first doorway off the small hall led into the kitchen. Kade went inside while I continued to explore. The house was small, little more than the kitchen, a living room, bathroom, and two bedrooms. All the walls were either pastel or covered in flowery wallpaper, and there was lace everywhere. Combined with the overwhelming scent of mothballs, it was pretty evident older people lived here—a fact backed up by the clothes I discovered hanging in the closet.

Still, thieves couldn’t afford to be choosy.

I retraced my steps to the bathroom. After running the water to ensure it was hot, I jumped in the shower and cleaned myself up, feeling a hundred percent better once I had. I dried myself, then wrapped the towel around me, and returned to the kitchen.

“How do you like your coffee?” Kade said as I walked in.

“Hot, preferably.”

His gaze skated down me, and a luscious smile teased his lips. “You smell almost edible.” He poured hot water into two mugs, then slid one across to me.

“So does that.” I plonked down on the nearest stool and sniffed the coffee appreciably. “It looks like our unwitting hosts have been gone for a few days.”

He nodded. “A fact backed up by the lack of perishables in the fridge.”

I sipped at the coffee, then asked, “Is there a phone here?” It was the only thing I hadn’t seen on my search.

“On the wall behind you.” He studied me for a second, then added, “There’s someone in your life you need to ring urgently?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Would it make a difference if there is?”

His expression tightened a little. “Of course it would.”

“I thought stallions were into collecting harems?”

“Yeah, but unlike our animal counterparts, we draw the line at stealing other stallion’s mares.”

“Ah.” I drank some coffee, letting him wonder for a little while. “So how many women have you got in your herd?”

“Four before I was captured.”

“A nice even number.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seemed shocked.”

“Wolves tend to have several mates at any one time—at least until we find our soul mate.”

“So at the moment?”

“I’m playing the field. But I’ve had up to five mates.” Though not at the same time. Male wolves tended to get a little testy about sharing
that
way.

“And when you find your soul mate?”

“We’re monogamous.”

“Unlike us stallions.”

It was a warning—a gentle one, but a warning all the same. A smile touched my lips. “When I take on a permanent mate, it’ll be a man from my own race. I want to have babies one day.” Though my vampire half might already have snatched that desire away from my grasp. Rhoan, my twin, had discovered two weeks ago he was infertile. I’d been undergoing similar tests, but whether I’d gotten the test results was anyone’s guess, as I could remember going there, but not leaving.

“So, the people you must ring are…?”

“The pack-mate I live with, and my boss.”

“Meaning you’re sleeping with your boss?”

I choked on my coffee. “No,” I said, when I could. “I work for the Directorate of Other Races. They tend to get a little concerned when one of their people disappears—even if it is a lowly paper pusher like myself.”

“Then I’ll go have a shower while you ring them.”

He walked out. I enjoyed the sight, then grabbed the phone and dialed Jack’s work number. All I got was a computer voice telling me the number did not exist. His home number got the same result, as did my home number, so I tried their mobile phone numbers. Both were either turned off or out of range.

That bad feeling reappeared, sitting like a lump in the pit of my stomach.

Kade came back a few minutes later, as deliciously naked as before, but looking and smelling fresher.

“Nothing,” I muttered, throwing the phone on the bench.

He frowned. “The phone’s not working?”

“It’s working, but the calls aren’t going through.”

“Then try again later. It’s still very early.”

Not for Jack. And not for Rhoan. He’d probably be in a state of panic by now, and I seriously doubted whether sleep would be on his agenda.

“Why don’t you try?”

Kade reached for the phone and dialed a number. He listened for several minutes then pressed the end button. “Recorded message telling me it’s the wrong number.”

I nodded. “So who did you try ringing? One of your mares?”

“No. After all this time, they’d be with someone else.”

“So who?”

“Are all wolves this nosy?”

I shrugged. “I like to know a little about the man I eventually intend to fuck.”

Heat flared in the depths of his velvet eyes. “Eventually?”

I nodded. “Escape first, fun later.”

“A plan I could live with.”

“Good.” Because as much as I was attracted, I wanted safety more. We might have found ourselves somewhere to have a bit of a breather, but I very much doubted we could stay here for long. The orsini looked like hunters, and I had a bad feeling they wouldn’t be fooled by our little walk through the river. “So, who were you calling?”

He grinned. “My business partner.”

“And your business is…?”

He studied me for a moment, his dark gaze somewhat assessing, then said, “I’m a building contractor.”

“Houses or offices?”

“Houses. Ever heard of J. K. Constructions?”

“Not a whisper.”

“Not surprising, really. We’re one of the smaller building contractors in South Australia.”

The cold lump in my stomach got larger. “You’re from Adelaide?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I’m from Victoria.”

He stared at me for a moment, then closed his eyes. “Fuck.”

“Yeah. And maybe
that’s
the reason the phone wouldn’t work.” Because we were no longer in the same state, which meant I’d have to use the proper state code to get through to either Jack’s phone or Rhoan’s cell. Unlike many cell phone systems the world over, Australia’s didn’t automatically get shunted to voice mail if the caller was out of range.

I picked up the phone and dialed Jack’s work number, this time adding Victoria’s STD code. It barely rang once before it was answered.

“Parnell here.”

I closed my eyes, never in my life more relieved to hear my boss’s gruff tones. “Jack, it’s Riley.”

“Jesus, girl, where are you? We found your car—”

I cut him off. “I have no idea where I am, but I need you to come and get us.”

“Us?” His voice was sharp.

“Yeah. Long story, but I’m here with a shifter by the name of Kade Williams. He helped me escape what I think was another gene research lab.”

Jack’s next few sentences were long, loud, and inventive.

Kade chuckled softly. “The man has a fine line in swearing.”

“Where are you?” Jack eventually asked.

“That’s the problem—I don’t know. But we’re not in Victoria or South Australia.”

“I’ll do a tr—”

“Riley? Are you all right?” Rhoan’s warm tones replaced Jack’s, and I closed my eyes at the hoarse tiredness in my brother’s voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“So what happened? We found your car crashed into a tree. Blood was everywhere, and we’d thought the worst.”

I couldn’t remember the crash. Couldn’t remember getting hurt. And I was mighty pissed that I’d crashed my car—I’d only had the damn thing a week.

“I’m fine,” I repeated. “But I can’t remember anything about the last eight days.”

“Got it,” Jack said in the background. “They’re in New South Wales.”

“New South is a mighty big state,” Rhoan grumbled. “Care to define it a bit more?”

“I’m working on it.”

“So,” Rhoan said to me, “did I hear you say you were there with a shifter?”

My gaze went to Kade’s and I grinned. “You certainly did.”

“And he’s being good to you?”

“Oh, I intend to be very good to you,” Kade murmured wickedly.

Oh lordy…
Were all stallions this damn hot?

“He made me coffee,” I said, “and that’s a fine start.”

“Uh-huh,” Rhoan said. “Just remind him you’ve got a ferocious pack-mate who will stomp all over him if he so much as bends a fingernail.”

Kade snorted softly, and I grinned. “He’s quaking in his boots as we speak.”

“Good.” Rhoan hesitated. “So, did this place do anything to you?”

“I don’t know. They were milking Kade and the other stallions, though.”

Silence met this remark, and my smile grew.

“He’s a horse-shifter?”

“Yes.”

“Damn. You get all the luck.”

I laughed softly—and knew that’s exactly what Rhoan had intended. “This from the man who currently has how many mates?”

“Only three.”

Which was two too many in Liander’s view, but both he and I knew my brother wasn’t ready to settle down yet.

“Trace is in,” Jack said. “They’re in Bullaburra.”

“Which is where?” Rhoan asked, before I could.

“In the Blue Mountains. Tell them to stay put. It may take a few hours to get things moving, but we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“Leave your mobiles on,” I said, “so we can contact you if we have to move.”

“Will do. You be careful.”

“Natch. See you soon.” I hung up and met Kade’s gaze.

“You’re close to your pack-mate,” he said.

“Very. We’re wolves, and pack is all to a wolf.” Especially when there was only him and me in the pack, thanks to the fact our mother’s pack had thrown us out when we’d reached maturity. “But we’re not physically close, if that’s what you’re getting at.”