Mated to War (10 page)

Chapter Seventeen

“Is she all right, kitten?”
Judge inquired, moving to his mate’s side as soon as she entered the room and
handing her a shot of whiskey.

“What’s everyone doing here?”
she asked softly. Though he knew she was speaking to him, her suspicious gaze
didn’t waver from Devil.

Judge couldn’t blame her for her
reaction. His brother had done nothing but antagonize her since she’d entered
the hotel and his life. But what Devil didn’t realize was that he and Charli
had something in common. The catalyst of Charli’s gambling and his distrusting,
wary attitude were identical—need for control. It was something he might
consider sharing with the man, but first he had to get to the bottom of
Charli’s panic in the car.

Before he could explain, Devil
spoke, glaring at Judge. “We were having dinner with Viper and Nikki when the
call for a family meeting came through.”

Judge shrugged in response. He
knew he didn’t have to explain why he had only called upon two of his brothers,
and he definitely wasn’t going to apologize for protecting his mate from any
further distress. She came first in every decision he now made.

While he and Devil continued to
stare at each another, Gabby, Nikki, and Jewel moved to Charli’s side and
pulled her into an embrace. Just as he, Devil, Viper, and Chaos were brothers,
these women were becoming sisters in their own right. Their growing
relationship had nothing to do with being mated to brothers, but on a mutual
fondness for one another.

As if to confirm his way of
thinking, Gabby held Charli’s hand, pulled her toward the sofa, and said, “Come
on, honey. Why don’t we let these two play their game of testosterone ping pong
while you tell us what happened.” As she passed her mate, her gaze held nothing
but disappointment. “It’s not like anyone’s going to win that game, but much
could be lost.”

Judge couldn’t have confirmed
later who looked away first, and in all honesty he didn’t care. The pull of
their mates had both men moving simultaneously toward the only women who had
power over their actions. The women had banded together, all squeezing onto his
three-seat sofa, forcing the men to scatter around the room on the remaining
chairs.

While he understood the women’s
message, he ignored it. His mate was upset and she needed him. He sat on the
coffee table in front of the sofa, facing Charli. Grabbing one of her hands in
each of his, he shut everyone out and focused completely on his mate.

“Why don’t you tell us about the
vision, kitten?” he encouraged. His heart stammered when she lifted her gaze to
meet his. The trust that lay behind her violet eyes humbled him.

“It was Emily. She was tied to a
chair, blindfolded,” Charli responded with a trembling voice. “He had her,
Judge. He had Emily. How?”

“I don’t know, but we’re going
to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Judge vowed. Turning to his brothers, he
added, “We’ll be moving to the pride lands tomorrow. You’ll have to do without
me until that bastard’s in jail.”
Or dead
,
he left unsaid but hanging in the air between the other men in the room.

“Gabby and I’ll come with you,”
Devil stated.

Though Judge understood what lay
behind Devil’s statement, Charli didn’t. Her head flew up and her suspicion was
high. “Why? You don’t like or trust me, Devil. What, do you think I’ve spent
the last two years trying to shield Emily from the danger that I’m just going
to hand her over now?”

“You really don’t have a high
regard for me, do you, Charli?”

“Do you think I should? You’ve
treated me with nothing but suspicion,” Charli replied. “And I understand that
you’re just trying to protect your family, but so am I. I won’t allow anything
to happen to my sister, and I’ll be honest, I don’t think you’re the best
person to help me with that.”

Judge was proud of his mate. Few
people had the courage to speak to Devil in that manner. He knew she feared the
vampire, but still she did what she thought necessary to protect her family.
She was not only going to be an amazing mother but also alpha female to the
pride. The respect he held for her impossibly grew.

Devil bowed slightly. “Touché,
Charli. You are correct in your assessment. I have been so blinded by my need
to protect my family that I failed to see what was right in front of me,” Devil
admitted, surprising everyone in the room. He was a man who rarely admitted his
error. Turning his loving gaze onto Gabby, he added, “I nearly lost my own
mate, compliments of my righteous attitude. You’d think I would have learned
from that.”

Everyone in the room, apart from
Gabby, was looking at Devil with opened mouths, shock the common emotion. Gabby
stood from the sofa, love beaming from her whole being. She threw her arms
around her mate and stated, “I love you.”

Pulling back from her embrace
slightly, Devil looked into Gabby’s eyes with a slight smirk. “What, no
I told you so
?”

“Maybe later, but right now we
have a plan to develop. Emily’s safety and Charli and Judge’s peace of mind
depend on it,” Gabby said.

Moving Gabby to his side,
Devil’s focus returned to Charli. “Will you accept my apology and protection,
Charli?”

Charli looked at Judge,
insecurity, confusion, and pleading prominent in her eyes. Trying to ease her
uncertainty, he offered her a smile that he hoped would reassure her. With a
nod he encouraged her to accept Devil’s offer of help.

“Thank you, Devil,” Charli said,
her gaze moving to the spare room. “Emily’s safety is my number one priority.”

“I understand the need to
protect the ones you love.” Devil threw his free arm around Gabby, pulling her
further into his body. “We won’t let anything happen to Emily.”

The tension levels in the room
reduced significantly, allowing everyone to relax. Chaos grabbed one of the
stools at the breakfast bar, lowered his large frame onto it, and asked,
“Judge, are the pride lands the best place for Emily and Charli? Especially
considering the threat that already exists there.”

It was something that Judge had
also considered. He had spoken to his beta extensively about his worries today
and walked away content with Andrew’s response. “It’s the perfect place for
them, brother. Security has already been bumped up and everyone is on their
guard. No one is going to get near our lands without someone noticing.”

“And with Judge and I there,
nobody will get close to Charli and Emily,” Devil added. He then looked down at
Gabby. “Do you really think I would be taking Gabby into a situation I didn’t
believe to be completely safe?”

“Noted,” Chaos replied, nodding
his head once. “I had to ensure that all elements were taken into
consideration.”

True to form, Chaos rarely spoke
but when he did it was with such insight or forethought. Unlike his three
brothers, Chaos was reflective rather than reactive. His emotions almost never
affected his actions, but when they did, God help those around him. His
self-control was legendary, hiding his true nature. It was something his chosen
name couldn’t do. It was there to remind the large man of what he was capable
of if left uncontained.

“Good, so Devil and I’ll take
the three girls to the pride lands tomorrow morning,” Judge explained. “Viper
and Chaos will keep an eye out here and inform us if Biesterman’s nephew turns
up again. My guys have looked into him. From what they can ascertain, his
history is a little shaky up to the time he joined Delgado’s crew. It goes
along with the FBI story, especially with what they discovered about this Iris.
She does in fact work for the feds within the organized crime section. I can
only assume her ability of reading thoughts has kept her out of trouble so
far.”

“It confirms what Nikki read
from the guy. He wasn’t comfortable with everything he was saying. It didn’t
seem true to his nature.” Viper spoke for the first time that night. “Okay so
we have a plan. The four of us stay here and man the fort while you four
concentrate on keeping Emily safe. And maybe catch the asshole who’s
threatening your cubs while you’re at it.”

He was instantly reprimanded by
Gabby, who had her hand on her stomach. “Language, Viper.”

“I apologize,” Viper said,
bowing with a lot of emphasis.

“Um, actually,” Charli said,
chewing on her lower lip, “the five of us will be staying here while Judge,
Devil, and Gabby take Emily to the pride lands.”

Standing, but still holding on
to her hands, Judge hissed, “What?”

“Calm down, Judge. It will only
be for a couple of days,” Charli cajoled, attempting to pull him so he would
sit back down. He fought her silent plea.

“Like hell it will, mate. You’re
coming with me. We won’t be separated.”

“Judge, I don’t think that’s
going to help the situation any,” Chaos stated calmly. “Charli, why do you feel
the need to remain separated from Emily and Judge?”

“If I know that Emily’s safe,
then I can concentrate on trying to pinpoint where the hand over is going to
take place,” Charli explained, squeezing Judge’s hand.

“Why can’t you do that on pride
lands?” Judge demanded.

“Because I want to see what Iris
has on Delgado. It will hopefully guide my vision. And even if she’s unwilling
to share even a little of what she has, if I’m with her when I have the vision
she should be able to see it as well. She knows the area better than I do. Plus
it will probably be one of Delgado’s properties, which she’ll have knowledge
of.”

“Then Devil and Gabby can go
with Emily and I’ll stay with you,” Judge said, nodding, comfortable with the
change of plan. His mate, however, wasn’t.

“No, Judge!” Charli stated
forcibly, attempting to pull her hands from his. He wouldn’t allow her to break
the contact. Her pleading gaze turned toward Devil and Gabby. “Please don’t
take this the wrong way, but Emily doesn’t really know you two yet. She’s
comfortable with Judge and Nikki, and I don’t want to cause her undue worry.”

“We understand completely,”
Gabby reassured.

“Then Viper and Nikki can go,
and I’ll stay with you.” Judge didn’t like the idea of his mate being alone
with Iris, fed or not.

“Well I was hoping
…
” Charli said, looking down at
her hands.

“What were you hoping, honey?”
Nikki asked.

“That maybe you or Viper would
be with me when I met up with Iris.”

Judge hissed. His mate wanted
another man with her while she went into this dangerous situation. Charli
seemed to recognize this. She quickly added, “Judge, they would be able to tell
me how much of what she was saying was true. They could read her aura and know
immediately if she was a danger to me.”

What Charli said made sense, but
he didn’t have to like it. If it wasn’t bad enough that his mate was in danger,
she was also willingly placing herself into a precarious situation to secure
her future freedom. And to make matters worse, she was turning to another man
for help, rather than him. If the threat was upon someone else’s shoulders and
this plan was put forward, Judge would have rallied for it. It was efficient to
use everyone’s abilities to their best. Viper had the skills and the power
needed for Charli to complete the task quickly, ensuring she was back by
Judge’s side sooner rather than later.

His brothers remained silent,
looking to him for guidance. He stared down at his hands. They were entwined
with Charli’s. She had weaved her fingers through his, combining their strength
against the world, making their bond harder to break.

On a defeated sigh his gaze
returned to hers. “You do everything Viper and Chaos tells you.” Pulling her
hands from his, she threw herself into his arms. He took a moment to relish the
feeling before dislodging her arms enough so he could regain her full
attention. “There will be rules that you are to follow. And no matter what, you
will not get hurt. Do I make myself clear?”

Her response came in the most
exquisite kiss he had ever experienced. Her unschooled lips found his, their
noses colliding. He took control, tilting her head to his liking. His fingers
bunched in her soft hair, tightening his hold on her. Her lips softened below
his, moving under his tutelage. Tracing her supple lips, his tongue pushed
gently at the entrance. They parted, inviting him into the depths of her body.
It was there that he became lost. Her unique flavor exploded into his mouth,
teasing his taste buds. Sinfully innocent was the way it spoke to him.
Mine
.
Her taste combined with her mewling was sending his excitement higher,
threatening the control he usually had over his orgasms. Reluctantly he pulled
back from his own personal nirvana, silently willing his cock not to embarrass
him. It was only then that he realized they were alone in his quarters.

Chapter Eighteen

Charli looked around the room
only to discover they were alone. As her gaze swept past the kitchen, disorientation
hit. Once the roof had stopped moving at warp speed she found herself lying on
her back on the sofa with Judge leaning over her. The green of his eyes overrun
by black.

“Now that I have you right where
I want you, it’s time for the rules,” he said, his mouth tightened, seriousness
filling the room. “But first, do you need to rearrange any appointments? I know
you told me that you rescheduled your meetings while Emily was in the hospital.
Do you have to do that again?”

“No. I have a woman who covers
my excess appointments. She’s happy to take them,” Charli told him, loving the
fact that Judge was worried for her business. “Her husband just got laid off,
so the extra money will come in handy. Whatever sale she makes, she gets the
profits.”

“That’s a generous deal,
kitten.”

“Her eldest has autism, so she
can’t work full time. He won’t go into daycare, and very few businesses will
allow their employees to take all the school holidays off,” she explained,
thinking about how amazingly strong Marci was. “Emily and I don’t need the
money as much as Marci.”

Judge placed a soft kiss against
her forehead. “Does your generosity know no bounds?”

Shrugging as best she could in
her position, she replied, “I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I knew I
could help others’ suffering and not do anything about it. Money holds little
interest to me. I have enough aside to provide for Emily’s future. I see no
point safeguarding more when others could use it.”

“Spoken like a true mate of one
of the Four Horsemen. We have fought against greed since our rebirths, and the
fates have paired us perfectly,” he said with a smile. But soon it was
replaced. “Now to the rules. If I can’t be with you during your meeting, you’ll
be taking not only Viper but your assigned guards as well.”

“Why would I need the guards?”
she asked, squirming. She wasn’t sure Iris would be happy with the number of
people knowing about the FBI operation growing by two.

“Because, kitten, I’m assuming
you’ll be attempting to pinpoint Delgado’s location in this meeting?” She
nodded. “Then I won’t have you left defenseless.”

“Defenseless? How?” She tried to
sit up, but Judge’s large body blocked her efforts.

“I don’t know whether you
realize this, but when you have your visions, you’re at your most vulnerable.
Anyone could attack you or abduct you and there wouldn’t be anything you could
do about it.” Judge’s words scared her. And still he continued to paint a
dreary picture. “What’s stopping someone from coming up behind you and sticking
you with a needle? Or clocking you over the head while your attention is
elsewhere? No, you will be protected. If not by me, then my guys.”

As he spoke his tension seemed
to rise with each word. Bringing her hand up to his cheek, Charli cajoled, “If
it eases your mind, I’ll keep the guards with me.”

“Thank you.” Judge’s shoulders
relaxed. “Now for your next rule. Once the meeting’s over, you’ll return to the
pride lands with the guards. Emily and I won’t be separated from you any longer
than we need to be.”

“But I thought the location of
the pride lands needs to remain a secret,” Charli queried, once again worried
that her troubled past was going to impact those she cared about.

“Kitten, we employ many of the
pride members here in the hotel. Two of those are your guards.” Judge’s
expression softened as he brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. “Marcus
is actually the pride enforcer, our version of a sheriff. Outside of myself and
my brothers, you’re safest with him. He will bring you home to me.”

“But what happens if Iris has
already left and is unable to meet me tomorrow?”

Lifting himself off of her, he
held out his hand. “Well, let’s go ring her and find out, shall we?”

Taking his offered hand, Charli
allowed Judge to pull her up from the sofa. Her chest landed flush against his.
She looked up into his eyes, and her breath hitched. There was an emotion in
them that she couldn’t name. It had a profound effect on her body. Her pussy
leaked and her nipples pebbled. But, most noticeable, her heart slammed against
her ribs, attempting to hammer its way out so it could return to its owner. And
there was no doubt in Charli’s mind that this gorgeous man owned her heart. She
had no strength to deny his pull anymore. She was in love with Judge.

“Come on, kitten,” Judge said,
stepping back and pulling her from her moment of revelations. “Let’s make that
call before I carry you off to bed.”

Everything in her wanted to
scream “yes, please,” but instead she nodded and allowed him to guide her to
the phone.

****

Half an hour later, Charli crawled
into bed, appreciating the cool sheets on her overheated body. The kiss she’d
shared with Judge earlier still had her hormones singing. What started out as a
gentle chorus in her mind had turned into the high-pitched wailings of an aria
reverberating through her whole being, begging her to ease her need. Her
hormones wanted Judge. Hell, who was she kidding? Her whole body wanted him.

But he wasn’t here. Not yet,
anyway. Once she’d called Iris and made arrangements to meet her the next
morning, a few things came to light. Iris had been ordered back to Atlanta to
share what she and Biesterman had discovered so far on the case. Her flight was
at noon. It meant that the meeting had been set for seven in the morning.

Due to the early hour of the
appointment, Judge had announced that he would be present while she spoke to
Iris. He immediately got on the phone and conference-called his brothers. They
were still discussing the plan when Judge had sent her to bed. Her constant
yawning hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Now she lay on the bed,
restless. The nightshirt she wore, while usually loose, allowing her room to
move, suddenly felt restrictive and tight. The material scraped against her
hardened nipples as beads of sweat escaped her pores. Judge’s scent surrounded
her, drowning her in need.

Forcing her overheated body from
the bed, she moved toward the bathroom. She turned the cold tap on, allowing
the icy water to cascade over her skin. She wet a facecloth and draped it over
the back of her neck. Still flames engulfed her body, making it hard to
breathe.

Looking at herself in the
mirror, she was surprised by the woman staring back at her. Gone were the wary,
distant eyes, replaced by bright violet ones. Where her skin was once pale and
listless it was now firm and radiant with a touch of color. Judge had done that
to her. She didn’t need the fates to tell her that.

Though it would seem they still
had much to show her. Suddenly her hands clasped the cool porcelain of the
basin. Her vision clouded and the bathroom disappeared.

Darkness
surrounded her. The room was lit only by the moonlight coming in through the
open curtains. Charli was backed against a hard surface. Her wrists were
grasped above her head, shackled to the wall by her captor’s hand. At her
front, her body was held immobile by his solid frame. The man’s mouth came down
hard on hers.

A
moan escaped her when Judge nipped at her lower lip. He took her surprise as
permission to push past her lips. Their tongues immediately started performing
the usual mating ritual, dancing and dueling for supremacy. Though they both
knew she would happily submit.

His
hand disappeared from where it held hers above her head. But still they refused
to drop. She somehow knew they were to stay where he had placed them otherwise
the sweet, pleasurable torture he was inflicting would stop. And she doubted
even an earthquake had the power to entice her to give up what Judge was
offering.

Her
feet flew up from the ground and her hands were dislodged from the wall. Her
body floated as she was settled into Judge’s arms. She had no care what was
happening as long as he continued to kiss her with such need and intensity. Her
pussy wept in agreement while her eyes shed tears of joy. Outside of her
mother, no one had ever shown her such devotion.

Within
a blink of the eye, Judge’s lips came away from hers before her world tilted.
As the spinning in her head receded, she opened her eyes to find she was
staring at the carpet she had often observed as soft and lush. Trying to right
herself, she discovered she couldn’t get up. She was helpless, imprisoned by
her mate. It was then that she noticed Judge’s feet.

“What
are you doing, Judge?” she asked, wriggling as she suddenly recognized her
predicament. She lay naked across her mate’s knees with one hand held behind
her back, while her other one was wedged against Judge’s body. Pressure between
her shoulder blades held her down. Her backside was in the air.

“It’s
time to pay the price for stealing my car, running from me, and placing
yourself in danger by gambling at other casinos,” Judge stated from above her.
“Do you have any idea how worried I get every time I consider what could have
happened to you?”

“I’m
sorry. I won’t do it again,” she pleaded, though with no real meaning. She
trusted this man thoroughly. “Please, Judge.”

“Take
this like a good girl, and I promise to give you what you want.” His finger
entered her sodden pussy. “I think you’re enjoying this, kitten. Aren’t you?”

Moaning
was all she could offer in response to his invasion. With each thrust of his
hand his knuckles connected with her clit, sending her higher toward her
completion. Stars burst behind her closed eyelids, blinding her. Then they were
gone, as were his fingers. Before she could protest, something connected with
one side of her backside. She screamed in surprise, more at the noise than the
sting. Another smack landed on her other cheek. This one stung even more. The
only thing keeping her in place was the fact that her mind registered it was
Judge who was inflicting the punishment. Anyone else, she would have fought
against with everything she had.

More
slaps rained down over her bottom as it went up in flames. The heat radiated
out toward her pussy, which was pulsing in need. The stars returned behind her
eyelids, only this time they brought some friends. Her body shuddered as it
climbed higher, reaching for the heavens.

Again
she was denied her completion. The spanking stopped and she was lifted from
Judge’s lap. It was the worst kind of punishment. He placed her body facedown
on the bed and stepped away, leaving her cold with his desertion. But before
she could protest, his warmth returned. Only this time the heat was compliments
of his body rather than his clothing. He pulled her up on her knees, again
leaving her backside hanging in the air.

With
a kiss to her back, Judge said softly, “You took your punishment well, kitten.
No more running and placing yourself in danger, okay?” She nodded against the
bedding. “Good girl. Now this is for stealing my heart.”

With
that, he impaled her. His hard, thick cock was embedded deep within her,
sending her flying over the edge. Her scream hung in the air as she flew to the
heavens. She barely registered someone shouting her name. She didn’t care. She
was in bliss, and nothing could destroy that. Or so she thought.

She was jolted back to the
bathroom in Judge’s quarters by a pounding noise. She made a startled sound as
more bangs sounded. She realized what was happening, but by then it was too
late.

“Stand back, Charli, I’m coming
in.” In the next instant, Judge broke through the closed door and was by her
side. “Are you all right?”

She nodded numbly, staring at
the ruined door. She couldn’t remember locking it, but the splintered wooden
frame would suggest otherwise. Hands rubbed up and down her arms, causing her
focus to turn to the man in front of her.

“You had me worried,” he said
sternly. Still his hands remained gentle on her arms. “What happened?”

“I had a vision.”

His back straightened. “Was it
Delgado? Did he hurt you? You’re shaking.”

Heat filled her cheeks. How
could she possibly tell him that she was still experiencing the aftereffects of
his loving? Did she even have the words in her vocabulary to explain herself?

But she didn’t need to find
them. Judge took a deep breath in, a sign that he was trying to control his
temper. A low, rumbling growl sounded as he backed her up against the bathroom
cabinet. Her backside made contact with a cold, unforgiving surface, reminding
her of the spanking she had just envisioned. Her pussy leaked. Her nipples
pebbled against her nightshirt.

“Tell me what your vision was
about, kitten.” His chest came into contact with hers, eliciting a moan from
her. “Tell me!”

“It was of our future together.”
She gasped as he grabbed her breasts and began to massage them.

“Did you like what you saw?”

“Yes.” Another moan escaped her.
She arched into his hold as his fingers toyed with her nipples.

“What are you saying?”