Lycan Packs 1: Lycan Instinct (27 page)

“Mmm.” Her muttered agreement made him laugh. He swatted her butt as he rose from the bed.

Where did he find the energy to move? she wondered, struggling to gather enough strength just to turn over.

By the time he returned, wearing nothing but his unbuttoned pants, she’d managed to don an oversized University of Illinois T-shirt and sit cross-legged on the bed. He carried a tray with two steaming cups and a couple of dinner rolls.

“Thanks.” She warmed her hands on the cup before taking a sip.

“My sister went there,” he said with a gesture toward her shirt.

“Tell me about her. If it’s not too painful, I mean. It’s okay, if you don’t want to.”

With a sad smile, he leaned against the headboard. “She was the perfect little sister. A never-ending source of joy and frustration.”

Mackenzie had to laugh. “Spoken like a true big brother, no doubt.”

He grinned, but sorrow still shadowed the golden light of his eyes.

“At first she’d tag along, following us everywhere. She drove us crazy. But later on, we were the ones trying to keep up with her. Ariana was barely in her teens when our parents were killed. My brothers and I were away at college, but we all played a part in raising her.

“She was beautiful.” When he looked at her, she added, “That’s obvious from the portrait I saw in your home.”

“Yes, she was, even more so on the inside. Her heart was pure...and easily bruised. She was always bringing home strays...” His voice trailed off. His head fell back, eyes closed. “Then she brought home one for which she’d later pay with her life.”

Mackenzie laced her fingers with his, giving him what comfort and understanding she could. Two lost souls finding solace together.

He reached for his coffee and downed half of it. “Ariana met him her senior year of college.”

“Who?”

His expression became haunted, and his knuckles whitened briefly around the cup.

“Please.”

“Anton Sagristano. She convinced me to give him a job. L.I. was barely off the ground, so I agreed on the condition that she wait a couple years before making any commitments. I figured she’d grow out of it, and until then, Gabe could keep an eye on him. She believed herself in love. Maybe she was.” He shrugged. “She agreed to wait.”

“Anton was Lycan?”

“Yes. But he was a loner, unassociated with any pack, unfamiliar with pack laws and protocol.”

“Protocol?” Mackenzie took a roll and bit off a chunk.

“Similar to past human rituals. There’s a period of courtship...dating. With Lycans, finding the right mate is crucial. When we mate, we mate for life.”

The bite lodged in her throat, and Mackenzie coughed.

Rafe obligingly rubbed her back. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she croaked. “Mate?”

“I guess you could say it’s like marriage. Many Lycan couples follow through with the human tradition of exchanging vows. But in our culture it isn’t necessary, and there’s no word for divorce in our language. Having a mate is more than a legal bond to the pack. That’s why choosing the correct mate is so important. The match requires the pack alpha’s approval.”

“Oh.” She took another bite, but the buttery roll now tasted like sawdust. He couldn’t have made it clearer. Lycan couples mated for life. So where did that leave her? Right where she’d always been. A pain pulsed in her chest. She’d known their relationship would be temporary. Discounting his race, there were still too many differences for them to remain together for long. Hadn’t she tried to tell him that? All they had was lust. She could live with that. She’d have to live with that.

“Anyway, Ariana and Anton became engaged. With my approval, albeit reluctantly. She wanted time to plan a wedding, so the ceremony and mating would take place the next spring.”

“They were married?”

He shook his head. “A month before the scheduled date, Gabriel uncovered some disturbing information. We’d recently changed to a new, secure, tracking system that monitored file access within our research facility. That was the tip that led to the discovery of a plan to sell trade secrets.”

“And that evidence fingered Anton,” she said with conviction.

Rafe nodded. “Some other data had already gone missing, but we couldn’t prove who was responsible. With the new information, however, that changed. I planned to confront him at work the next day and break it to Ariana later. But she must have overheard our conversation, because we found a note telling us she’d handle it. By the time I made it to Anton’s place, my sister was gone...and so was Anton.”

“This Lycan. He’s the one you think is doing all of this?”

He nodded and sipped his coffee.

“Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry about what I said before.” She waited for him to look at her. “I should never have implied you were at fault in any way for why he’s out there killing.”

“In a way, I am. The truth is she was my responsibility.” His gaze was hard. “Don’t think for a minute that I don’t have blood on my hands.”

“Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t know what would happen.” Even as she said the words, she felt like a hypocrite. Hadn’t she blamed herself for not being there for her mother? Hadn’t her own actions caused her father’s death? She was making up for that now, doing the best she could to put other predators behind bars. She’d just have to work harder to catch this one.

But first things first. Mackenzie saw the pain in his eyes, the grief still there despite the passage of time, and decided to change the subject.

“Speaking of blood, we really need to talk about your penchant for hickies.”

He blinked and raised a brow.

She gave him what she hoped was a seductive smile and pulled her T-shirt over her head.

His reaction was unexpected. Concern replaced the sadness as he looked at her left breast. In a tender—almost reverent—move, he touched the mark. “I was rough before. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

“I didn’t...I felt a little pain, sure, but I also felt a lot of pleasure.” She laid a hand on his cheek. “You didn’t hurt me. Just be careful where you put them, okay? I mean, at least this one’s easier to hide than the last time.”

“I’ll try to curb my urges.” His lips curved into a smile so sexy she ached.

“Well,” she said, tugging him closer, “I really like the pleasure, so don’t curb them all.”

Mackenzie awoke the next morning with a warm, hard body curved along her side and a heavy arm draped across her middle. Slowly, she turned her head so she could watch Rafe sleep. A tender smile played with her lips. This was her first opportunity to observe him up close and at her leisure. He slept peacefully, his face softened in slumber.

He was an amazing man. As she’d suspected when she first met him, he was much more than what he presented to the world. Burdened with a secret, he still faced life openly. Successful, powerful, and arrogant to a point, he’d overcome adversity to build an empire that protected both his family and the animals he championed. A personal nature preserve, he’d said of his home.

He loved his family; that was obvious. He cared about his own as well as others. He’d suffered loss and survived without becoming bitter.

She’d thought he would be like others she’d met in his position. Wealthy, ambitious, shallow, and selfish. Money made people greedy. Power made them prideful. Hadn’t her last boyfriend proven that? Kenneth Hahn sought fame and fortune, and in many cases, he achieved his goals. He had money and power. His pride made him bitter over his one loss. Her.

He’d planned their future together after college. Him on the bench someday. Her on his arm...not by his side. They were never a team, although he’d presented it to her that way at first. It had taken her a while to realize she’d been part of the team only when she did everything his way. In the beginning, she’d tried to fulfill his desires, be what he’d wanted her to be, but that had led to more demands, more control.

Hahn had even wanted her to have plastic surgery to remove the scars. He didn’t understand that she kept them to remind her of what happened when she made mistakes, disobeyed, or broke the rules. She’d been unable to live up to his ideal, learned it was futile to even try, so she’d ended the relationship.

Rafe, on the other hand, showed a willingness to look beyond the surface of a person. Even though he questioned the limits she’d set in life, he did show some respect for the law and what he called pack protocol.

And because of that, she’d have to let him go when the time came. She’d taken the step with eyes wide open and known then that nothing permanent would come of it. She shouldn’t feel upset now with the realization that she’d been right.

When the case was solved, the thrill would be gone. The challenge over. He’d move on and someday find his Lycan mate. She’d have her job, another case, another criminal to track down, and maybe one day the trail would lead to her mother’s killer.

If she kept that in mind, she’d be okay. And they could enjoy each other’s company as long as it lasted.

He mumbled a protest when she moved to get out of bed, but his eyes remained closed. Quietly, so as not to disturb him, she grabbed some clothes and made her way into the bathroom.

Deciding on a bath, she filled the tub and pulled her hair up in a loose bun before slipping into the warm bubbles. By the time the water cooled, she was relaxed and ready to start a new day.

She’d planned to go into the station even though today was her day off; however, she could spare some time this morning to repay Rafe for his dinner. She couldn’t cook a gourmet meal, but eggs and toast weren’t beyond her abilities.

With a smile splitting her face, she dressed and then opened the door. The bed was empty. He better not be ruining her chance to surprise him by making breakfast already.

Still barefoot, she eased down the hall and heard his voice, soft at first, then clearer.

“Yes, I can talk. She’s in the bath.”

Mackenzie stopped to listen. He’d pulled his pants on and stood in the kitchen, his hip propped against the counter, his back to her.

“Luc,” Rafe said, his tone dropping to one of warning. “Get your mind on business. It’s gone beyond supposition. From what I saw of her notes on the case, I’m almost certain Anton’s involved. You know how he uses A.S. or T.S. as initials for all of his aliases?” He paused, switching the phone to the other ear. “She had a copy of an auto rental receipt with the name, Tony Soprano. Yeah, I watch TV, too. So he’s not very original. He probably got a kick out of it. Just run down the name. See if he used it anywhere else.”

Rafe’s words sliced her heart. He’d kept that observation from her.

“No, I need you on this. I can’t stay with her every minute. She’ll want to go back to work tomorrow, and I’ve put off preparations for this week’s Securities Conference long enough. We’re unveiling the Cyber-Guard software. What?

“No, leave the GPD on her car for now, but as soon as this is over...right.”

Her hands fisted. Her mind went numb. Rage. Pure, overwhelming fury flowed in her veins.

“I’ll debrief Gabe at L.I. today. See you then.” He flipped the phone closed.

Mackenzie’s legs felt like overcooked noodles. She’d wonder later how she had the strength to stand much less move, but she stepped forward, this time not bothering to remain quiet.

“You lying bastard.” The words were all the more venomous for the softness with which they were uttered.

“Mackenzie.” He turned—lines of surprise, then concern, were evident in his expression. He moved toward her.

“Don’t touch me.” She held up her hands even as she fought to hold back the tears. “You recognized an alias and kept that fact from me.”

He stilled under the force of her accusation.

“All this time I thought, he trusts me. Look at what he’s shared with me. I mean, what secret could be bigger, more important, than being a wolf? Why not trust him? Tell him about the case, my fears, and my family. But you were just playing me.” The words caught in her throat. “Using me. Did you investigate me, too?”

He didn’t wince. Not an eyelash moved and that told her all she needed to know.

“You spied on me. You bugged my car. How long?”

“Mac—”

“
How long
?” Like a gunshot, her voice exploded for the first time.

“When Luc drove your car to the hospital. Mackenzie, I—”

“I want you out of here. Get the rest of your clothes and get out.” She walked to the door and stared out the window while he went to her room to retrieve his things. When he reappeared, she ignored the pained look on his face and let the pain in her own heart fuel the anger.

His hand rose to touch her. She stepped back.

“I won’t let it end like this,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s not your decision to make. I want you to leave.
Now
.”

She collapsed to her knees the moment the door closed behind him. Untold minutes and a flood of tears later, she dragged herself to her feet. After slipping her shoes on, she went to her car and, like a woman on a mission, searched the vehicle from headlights to tailpipe. When she found the GPS device, she removed the tiny black box, carried it back to her apartment, and beat it into a soup of plastic shards and wires.

Luc handed Rafe a fax sheet and cast an inquisitive glance at Gabe before reporting, “One Tony Soprano landed at O’Hare the week prior to Robertson’s murder. He rented a nondescript sedan, which has since been returned.”

The brothers were in a soundproof room beneath the Lykos Institute. Outside the door, an army of men and women, all Lycans, manned the best money could buy in high-tech surveillance and communications equipment. Moments earlier, they’d paused in curious observance as Rafe stalked through the area, his usual unshakable demeanor obviously cracked. He was looking for a fight and made sure everyone there knew it.

“I talked to the rental agent,” Luc continued in a cautious tone. “Physical description fits. He hadn’t changed his look since Atlantic City, at least not yet. Probably has by now though.”

“That explains how he got here,” Gabe said.

Rafe snarled. “But it doesn’t answer the damn question of where he is now.”