Lorelei (2 page)

Yes, she was one curvaceous package that he’d like to unwrap—when she wasn’t pointing a gun at his head.

Though, his cock didn’t seem to mind he was in imminent danger.

Come to think of it, neither did his wolf. In fact… his beast rumbled in approval of the female, encouraging him to get closer to her. The rapid thump of her heartbeat assaulted his ears and he sensed her fear and unease. He drew in another lungful of her scent, pulling it into him and savoring the sweetness.

His dick hardened fully, pressing against his jeans, and he nearly whimpered with the pleasure and pain.

He wanted her. Needed her. Had. To. Have. Her.

She trembled. From fear? From desire?

Another wave of her flavors hit him and he realized… it was both.

She drew in a deep breath and when she exhaled… When she exhaled, he realized why he wanted her so damned much and why he couldn’t get enough of her aroma.

Because… not only did air escape her, she also released a tiny tendril of magic. It wasn’t a lot, not a full push of her hidden power, but her skin took on a luminescent glow. A glow that encompassed her from head to toe and the familiar snaking symbols that covered her had him aching to stroke her.

A Mark.

Not an Alpha Mark, not a single entwined design that labeled her as a human female meant to mate a pair of alpha wolves. No, she was Warden Born, a human woman destined to mate with a Warden Pair.

Coincidentally, those lovely symbols didn’t appear until she came near her mates.

Zeke drew in the surrounding scents, hunting for others in the vicinity. His wolf added its own abilities to the mix, determined to discover if she truly belonged to them. Already it felt possessive and was resolved to keep her from anyone other than himself and his partner, Dylan.

Mine.

No.
Ours.

He hadn’t had high hopes for the annual Gathering. It was the first time Warden Pairs were encouraged to meet the summoned females, after all. But now…

Now, the woman before him tilted her head to the side, eyes sparkling with anger, fear, and panic. But when she spoke her voice was smooth and unwavering. “You are going to slowly back away from the palm tree.”

The words made him want to kiss her.

Damn, a feisty woman made his dick hard.

Instead of doing as she asked, he began his own interrogation.

“What’s your name?” he murmured.

“Back the hell up. What’s yours?” Her eyebrows lowered, eyes promising a whole lotta pain if he didn’t listen to her.

He was never good at listening.

“Zeke Roberts.” He traced the line of the gun’s barrel with his gaze. “And based on your violent tendencies, I’m guessing you don’t know why you’re here.”

“You haven’t seen violence,” she snapped back, her hints of fear replaced by red hot anger.

Her body glowed brighter with the new emotion, the strength forcing her magic forward.

“Yeah, B,” he agreed with her even if it was a lie. Werewolves weren’t exactly gentle creatures. At the moment, he imagined his little mate
had
experienced her own rounds of brutality. “You’re probably right.”

“B?”

“I could call you Back the Hell Up, but it’s a mouthful.” He grinned, just a small teasing smirk. Even if his heart rate was picking up the longer she held that pink monstrosity to his forehead, he had to pretend he was unconcerned. “So until you tell me your name, it’s B or Beautiful. Your choice.”

It was her turn to snort and it was wrong that the sound got him hotter.

“It doesn’t matter. Step back and then you’re gonna tell me how to get the hell out of here.”

He wasn’t gonna tell her anything, but he didn’t say that. At least, not yet.

A soft buzz reached him, and the sound had him hunting the source. He glanced down and noted she clutched a cell phone in her free hand. A cell phone that was very familiar and had been missing since yesterday. A cell phone he’d been tracking via an app on his Warden partner’s phone. At least it’d made its way into good hands.

And if she’d been reading the messages from Scarlet, their Ruling Alpha Mate… he internally winced. Internally, because he was sure if he suddenly moved he’d be one dead Warden.

The buzz on his stolen phone was echoed by his partner’s phone clutched in his right hand. On its heels came another. And then a third.

He wondered if one of their Ruling Alphas got “new” and “reply” mixed up again.

Her aim steady, she raised the phone and stroked her thumb over the screen. It took no time for her to bring up the newest messages. Her eyes traveled over the words, sliding from side to side, and he wondered what their HBIC had to say now.

“Wanna read it aloud for the rest of the class?” He kept his voice low and easy.

“You know about this stuff, right?” Her voice trembled and his wolf snarled at him over her fear. As if he could hold her or soothe her when the woman was threatening his life.

Damned beast had some high expectations.

“What stuff?” he returned. Best to play dumb until he could figure out exactly what she knew… and didn’t.

“This HBIC person. Werewolves or shifters or whatever. This hotel. All of it. You know about it. I’m not crazy, right?” The wavering of her words made him ache to hold her close. Her terror was practically a physical thing, punching him in the gut and shoving the air from his lungs.

“You’re not crazy,” he murmured. “And I’d be happy to explain everything if you come out of there.”

Explain things and more. He was excited about the more. Not that he’d push their mating on her. If anything, Dylan would want to postpone sealing their bond for years if that’s what she needed. Zeke was voting for an hour. Two at the most.

“I don’t need explanations. I need to be gone.” She swallowed hard, her throat rippling with the move. He wanted to lick her there, lick her and then let his mouth slide to her shoulder and… “I want out, but first you’re gonna help me find Rebecca and Paisley.” Her grip on the weapon tightened. “Get them for me and no one gets hurt.”

Shit.

“Not Lorelei? If you’ve been reading the texts and emails, you know it’s a set of three sisters.” He had a sinking feeling he knew the answer to his question already, but he’d like his suspicions confirmed before he fucked himself over. Was he looking at Lorelei Twynham?

Her eyes widened, the color brightening due to her magic a bare moment before it settled back to its natural hue. “That’s not necessary.”

“Because you’re Lorelei Twynham.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped back and the words stung his skin. They cut into his flesh, and he swallowed the groan that came with the pain.

Damn, their little mate was fierce, her magic strong and unforgiving when she was annoyed. Zeke swore his dick was gonna break through his jeans.

“Alright. If that’s the way you wanna play it.” He drew a deep breath, tasting her flavors once again before he allowed himself to speak and fuck up his and Dylan’s lives for a little while. A long while if they ended up dragged before the Ruling Alphas.

He just prayed the mate bond would alleviate some of her anger when all was said and done.

“I’m gonna move back real slow and you’re gonna come out. I’ll get you to Rebecca.”
Eventually
. “They’re still looking for Paisley and,” he smirked, “Lorelei.”

“Why are you people looking for us? Them. I mean, why are you people looking for
them
?”

Zeke figured some honesty was called for. “They’re cousins to our Ruling Alpha Mate.” He flicked his gaze to the cell phone and back to her. “The HBIC. She thinks she’s funny.” He shrugged. “Most the time she’s pretty hilarious.”

“We don’t… They don’t have any werewolf cousins. I’m pretty sure it’s something
they’d
know.”

“Considering the only ones who could mate a pair of wolves are human, I’m thinking
they
would have cousins who are human and Alpha Marked, and didn’t realize it.” She still gave him a skeptical glare, so he returned them to his initial idea. “It doesn’t matter because you’re going to come out of there and I’ll get you to Rebecca.”

“I want to leave.”

“I understand.” He still wasn’t gonna listen.

“With my sis— With Rebecca and Paisley.”

“I know. C’mon out. I’m not happy about you pointing a gun at me, but if anyone else sees, they’ll be a lot more than unhappy.” And then he’d have to kill everyone who growled at her.

That’d really piss off the Ruling Alphas. He wondered if the fact that he was protecting his mate—who also happened to be the Ruling Alpha Mate’s cousin—mattered.

He figured it’d depend on how many he had to kill.

Lorelei—even if she wouldn’t give him her name—pulled the gun from his head. “Step back.”

He did as she ordered, not worried that she’d bolt. He stood not three feet from her and she’d have to get past him to flee. And really, other than a direct hit to the heart or head, a gunshot would annoy him more than hurt him.

When she emerged, he got another good look at their mate. Damn, she was a lot like Rebecca Twynham, yet so different. She was a tiny thing, generous curves in all the right places and despite her short size, she had enough attitude to make her seem six feet tall.

A nice, explosive package. Just what a strong Warden Pair needed.

He eased farther away, giving her more space as he gestured toward the nearby bank of elevators. “We’ll head to the tenth floor.”

Zeke didn’t mention that Rebecca was on the eighteenth.

Or that he and Dylan were on the tenth.

*

Dylan Clarke towel dried his hair, running the terrycloth over his soaked strands. Even the heated shower hadn’t soothed the tension in his body. He rolled his head, easing it from side to side as he fought to banish the unease that slithered through him.

Something was different. Not right or wrong, but… different.

His body pulsed with some unfamiliar need, and he dropped the towel to the ground, freeing his hands so he could stretch his arms over his head. Something was building inside him, extending its unseen claws into his flesh.

His wolf howled and wagged its tail in excitement. Okay, so it only freaked out his human half. The beast was happy as hell over what lingered in the air.

Dylan wished he could feel the same.

He shook his head. Sometimes his animal wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box. It growled at him, reminding him that Dylan’s human half had the brains, but his inner beast had the brawn.

Not that he wasn’t a strong male in his own right, but the wolf… Between his wolf and Warden magic, there was a reason everyone kept their distance.

Everyone… Another shake of his head, dispelling the pang in his heart. It wasn’t just wolves that stayed away from their Warden Pair, it was the female Warden Born at the Gathering as well.

He sighed. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Maybe the five families were correct, maybe Wardens weren’t truly meant to mate with human females. He hated to admit the crazed old fools had a point.

His wolf growled and snarled at him, anxious to tear into his flesh and rip those idiotic thoughts from his head.

Yeah, yeah.

He snared the towel from the ground and ran it over his chest once more. He had to get his shit together before Zeke returned. They were scheduled to attend the day’s first round of Tests of Proximity.

The Ruling Alpha Mate had been correct when she’d described the event as werewolf speed dating.
Sit, sniff, next!

It’d be a little different because they were Wardens. It was more like sit, glow in the dark, let’s mate.

Dylan stared at his hand, wondering if his skin would pulse and glow like the Ruling Wardens’. When Emmett and Levy were with their mate, Whitney, they all adopted an ethereal light that surrounded the trio. That was also when Whitney’s marks throbbed with her magic.

It was… the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

How could that be wrong? He shook his head. He couldn’t believe it and yet…

The power that threesome wielded was deadly and dangerous, and Whitney was the most frightening of all. That female got a little pissy and… Dylan shuddered.

He was still torn on the issue. The five families had sacrificed so many to hide all evidence of the Warden Born, but he couldn’t imagine Whitney Wickham was a mistake. That she hadn’t been created with a purpose.

He sighed and padded toward the dresser. Zeke should be back with his phone soon and then they could get going. He still didn’t understand how his partner lost his cell phone.

Wait. He did. Zeke was Zeke.

Dylan chuckled and drew out a pair of socks and boxers. It took no time to tug those on before he headed to the closet for his pressed slacks and button down shirt. He knew his friend would “rock out” with his chucks and ripped jeans.

He laid his clothing for the day on the king sized bed, fighting to ignore the tacky floral pattern and the way it clashed with his clothes. They needed to get a new decorator. Hotel Garou was home to the annual Gathering as well as a prime vacation spot for werewolves. It should look better than this.

He snared the slacks and slid them on, the tailored fit hugging his body in the right places while giving him room to move in others. Perfect. Considering what he’d paid for them, they damned well better be.

The beep and scrape of metal on metal announced that Zeke had returned. Dylan glanced at the clock and noted the time. His friend had just enough time to swap his crappy flip-flops for his equally crappy chucks and then they’d be on their way.

The low, deep murmur of Zeke’s voice reached him, but he ignored it. The man was probably talking to himself. Again.

“C’mon, Z. We don’t have much time left.” Dylan raised his voice. He snatched his shirt from the bed and slipped his arms into the sleeves. Padding toward the bedroom’s double doors, he called out again. “We gotta meet with—”

Dylan sucked in a harsh breath, the wind suddenly leaving his lungs and stealing his oxygen. He trembled, shaking from head to toe, and he reached for the wall to steady himself. With the sudden weakness also came a fierce rush of arousal. His cock went from soft to rock hard in an instant and he winced, realizing the tailor hadn’t quite given him enough room
there
.