Out Of The Shadows (7 page)

“Nick?” Ret perched on the edge of the desk. “Sorry—Jai mentioned that she’d had a bit of trouble but he wasn’t specific.”

Dane felt a swell of gratitude for Jai for looking out for his sister, protecting her when he wasn’t sure what Dane wanted the others to know about the situation.

“Nick was her boyfriend,” he said. “He was abusive to her and so she moved out.”

Ret looked disgusted. “Has she got somewhere to stay while she gets sorted out? There’s a room at my house if you need it.”

“Jai is letting her use his spare room, but thanks for the offer.”

“If we can help in any way, or if you need any time off, just let me know,” Ret told him.

For a while it seemed that everything was getting back to normal. Dane warned Nick that he wasn’t to contact Sasha when he and Jai went to collect the rest of her belongings from Nick’s house.

“I mean it, Nicky. You don’t come near her, or even speak to her,” Dane informed the man. “Am I making myself clear?”

Stubborn, Nick folded his arms across his chest.. “None of your business what I do,” he pointed out.

Dane grabbed the front of Nick’s shirt in his fist, hauling the man closer until they were nose to nose.

“Don’t push me, Nicky. Now, I’ll tell you again,” he said slowly. “If you bother her in any way, you’ll have me to deal with, and it’s really not a wise idea to piss me off.”

For a while it appeared that Nick had listened to him and was keeping away from Sasha, but that didn’t last.   

“I saw Nick today,” Sasha told them when she got home from work a couple of days later. “He was standing outside the shop, watching me through the window.”

“Did he say or do anything?” Jai asked.

Sasha shook her head. “No, he just watched me. When I asked the security guard to go and get rid of him, he’d already gone.”

“Is it the first time he’s done this?” When he saw Sasha hesitate, he knew that it wasn’t. “Sasha?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen him,” she admitted, “but there have been a few times recently that I thought I could feel someone watching me.”

Dane jumped to his feet angrily. “I think it’s about time we had another little chat, Nick and I,” he said.

Sasha glared. “What do you mean by another?” she demanded. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t need you to fight my battles for me? I can take care of myself.”

“But I’m just looking out for you,” Dane protested. “You’re my sister.”

Sasha sighed. “I know, and I appreciate it but I don’t need a babysitter.”

Dane knew it had irritated her when she was little how everyone would treat her like a fragile little doll because she wasn’t a were, and now here he was doing the same.

“Fine,” he said reluctantly. “I want you to promise that you'll tell me if he appears again.”
And if he so much as lays a finger on you I’ll break him in half
, he added silently.

* * * *

One morning, about a week later, Ret came out of his office and headed for Jai’s desk.

“I have an assignment for you. Michael is going to see Eric McIntyre and it’s your turn to do bodyguard duty.”

Jai groaned inwardly. These visits were a regular occurrence, with Alphas meeting if they needed to discuss business or pack alliances, or just as social visits. As Alphas, their status required that they were given protection when they travelled. As hosts, Eric’s pack would provide an escort when they reached town, but the visiting Alpha would also bring a couple of their own people. Recently, they had all been home visits, the other Alphas coming to them; they hadn’t had an out of town visit for a few months. The guards took turns on the out of town jobs and Jai’s number had come up this time.

“I was going to suggest you take Dane along,” Ret continued. “I’m sure protocols aren’t much different from his old pack, but it’ll give him a chance to see how we do things here.” He glanced at Dane. “If you want to pass because of Sasha, one of the others can go instead.”

Dane shook his head. “It’s fine, I can go. She keeps telling me she doesn’t want me hanging around looking after her,” he pointed out. “Besides, I know you’ll keep an eye out for Sash if she needs anything.”

He had introduced her to the guards a few days earlier and they had all taken a shine to her, reacting with the same brotherly protectiveness that Jai had. If anything happened, they would be there in a heartbeat to help her and he knew it.

Jai smiled inwardly as Dane spoke. This trip might be work, but it was still going to be more fun if it was with Dane.

“Very well, you leave at ten o’clock,” Ret informed them, going back to his office.

* * * *

Two hours later, Dane stood beside Jai in the rail station with Michael and his wife. They looked for their escorts who would be waiting at the other side of the ticket barriers. Their hosts weren’t hard to spot, at least not to another wolf. To the other passengers disembarking the first class carriage, the man and woman looked like anyone else. The man towered above the crowd with his six-foot-three, muscled frame, the slender brunette looked small next to him, but it was clear that she would be able to take care of herself should she need to.

“Alpha, welcome,” the man said, going to greet them but speaking directly to Michael. As the lower rank, he tilted his head in a subtle imitation of the neck-bearing wolf greeting used when they were in private. “I’m Max, and this is Elizabeth.”

“Michael, please, and this is my wife, Amy.” The Alpha accepted Max’s greeting before introducing Jai and Dane and following them out to the car.

The introductions had been more for his benefit than the others’, Dane realised as they got into the car. Jai chatted with the two guards, whom he knew from previous visits, whilst Max drove. Dane listened to them, and for a moment it made him feel homesick for his old pack. It was easy to simply immerse himself in life within his new pack, with Jai, but visits such as these made him think of life outside of this town and these people. It was not as though they would ever take him back if they found out about Jai, but then again he didn’t know if his current pack would accept him if he told them. The only thing he did know was that, whatever happened, he wouldn’t give up Jai. It was difficult for his mind to process the fact that Jai had become so important to him in such a short space of time.

* * * *

They arrived at Eric’s house about five minutes later and Max got out to open the door for Amy. Leading them inside, Eric shook hands with the Alpha before greeting Amy warmly. Molly, Eric’s wife, hugged her and the two women traded complements on outfits and new hairstyles like old friends. At his invitation, Michael sat down in the armchair opposite Eric, making himself comfortable.

“I think that Michael and I can manage on our own from here,” Eric told the guards. “I will call you when I require you to return, Max.”

Michael glanced up at his guards also. “We will be fine.”

“Well, we’ll leave you to talk as well,” Amy told them. She gave her husband a peck on the cheek and left, getting her coat. Molly batted her eyelashes at Eric and he handed over a silver credit card, rolling his eyes and smiling. “We’re going shopping.”

Elizabeth hurried to catch up with them. “Do you need me to drive you?”

Molly shook her head and held up a set of keys.. “No need, we’re taking Eric’s car,” she said.

As the two women left, the guards followed them out of the house.

“Jai, it’s good to see you again,” Elizabeth said. “Come on, let’s get out of here and let them talk in peace. We can go for a few drinks while we wait.”

“Same place as usual?” Jai asked, thinking of the pub that the local pack frequented.

Elizabeth smiled. “Of course,” she said, heading for the car. “Come on; the Alphas will call us if they need us.”

When the reached the pub, a typical village pub with mock-Tudor beams and hanging baskets of flowers, Jai caught Dane’s arm and held him back. He let the other get inside, saying he’d catch them up in a moment and pressed Dane back into the shadows of the hedgerows. Where they had parked, in the small car park behind the pub, no one could see them and there was something he had needed since they set off. With one hand to the back of Dane’s head, he drew his mate close enough to press a hungry kiss to his mouth. Dane responded with the same ferociousness.

“This is so unprofessional,” Dane murmured, drawing back a fraction. “We’re working.”

“Well, we’d best be going inside, then,” Jai said, reluctantly breaking the kiss and turning to head into the pub.

“Sorry—I needed to make a call,” Dane told Max as they walked in. “I thought I’d better call from outside. Less noise.”

Max didn’t question further, just put their drink orders in at the bar. If he thought anything wasn’t right, he kept it to himself. This would be so much easier if Dane was out, Jai thought for the thousandth time. He needed more than the moments he managed to steal during the day, and the nights he could convince Dane to stay with him. It didn’t matter, though, as there was no way he would ever force Dane to out himself. He was content with the fact he was openly bisexual, but that didn’t mean that Dane would be and he had no inclination to see Dane hurt in any way.

* * * *

Three hours and numerous drinks later, Jai smiled as he watched Elizabeth and Dane. The woman had been flirting with him since they got to the pub, but he seemed completely unaware of it. That didn’t stop her trying, however. She laughed and touched his arm as he made a joke, pressing closer to him and batting her eyelashes.

Max came to sit beside him, his gaze following the same path as Jai’s.

“So, are you going to tell me?”

Jai frowned. “Tell you what?”

“Oh, come on; I’m not as daft as I look,” Max told him. “He’s yours, isn’t he? I’ve seen the looks that you keep giving each other, not to mention the fact that he doesn’t even seem to notice that Elizabeth has done everything but flash her tits at him.”

“I can’t believe she hasn’t given up by now,” Jai agreed.

Max grinned. “So, he is yours?”

“Don’t mention it to anyone, will you? He’s going to be panicked enough when he knows you’ve figured it out.”

* * * *

Dane glanced at Jai, who chatted with Max, and sighed. At one of the tables across the pub sat two people, holding hands, talking, looking at each other with such affection it was clear to everyone that they were a couple. He wished he could be like that with his mate. It wasn’t fair to Jai, forcing him to hide away, even though he was at ease with his sexuality.

At that moment, Max and Jai’s phones rang, the noise startling Dane out of his thoughts.

“That was Michael,” Jai told the others after a very brief conversation. “He and Eric are having a few drinks and won’t be needing us anytime soon.”

Max pocketed his own phone. “Molly has been cooking up a storm and so they’re having dinner as well. It looks as though they’re staying the night and leaving tomorrow morning.”

He looked at Jai and Ret. “You two are welcome to stay at my place for the night, or there is a suite we hold at the Plaza in town for visitors.”

“If not, you could stay at my house,” Elizabeth interjected, her eyes fixed on Dane as she spoke.

The two opted for the hotel and Elizabeth looked on in disbelief, pouting, until Jai took pity on her. He excused them for a moment and took Dane aside.

“You have to let her know you aren’t interested,” he said. “She’s been coming onto you since we got here, as if you haven’t noticed.”

Dane sighed, glancing across at her then back to Jai. “What am I supposed to tell her?”

“Say that you’re already seeing someone,” he suggested. “Or you could tell her the truth. Max knows, by the way; he guessed. He won’t say anything.”

He saw the worry on Dane’s face and had to fight the urge to take him into his arms and reassure him.

“I’ll come with you, if you want.”

Dane took in a deep, shaking breath and nodded. He and Jai went back to Elizabeth.

“So, how about that drink?” she asked. When he didn’t respond, she looked between them curiously.

“I can’t,” Dane told her. “Look, Elizabeth, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to lead you on. I, um…no, Jai, I have to do this,” he said as Jai looked ready to to intervene. He gulped in a breath. “I’m with Jai. Like a couple, I mean. He’s my mate.”

Elizabeth groaned and covered her face with her hands. “I just made a bloody fool of myself, didn’t I? And you all just let me.” She glared up at Max, at the lack of reaction to their announcement. “You knew? You could have said something: thanks for nothing!”

She strode out to the car but Max stopped Jai going after her. “Leave her to calm down.”

* * * *

The two wolves took them to the hotel, going via Max’s house to collect his car. He led them to the hotel, getting them checked in and taking them to the hotel shop so that they could get a few necessities since they had nothing with them for an overnight stay. The pack had an account with the shop for visitors. Max left then, leaving the first vehicle with them for use the next morning.

When they were finally alone in their suite, Jai heaved a sigh of relief.
At last.
The stolen moment in the car park had done nothing to quash the desire he had been hiding for his mate all day. He had found himself counting down the minutes on the journey home, the need to get Dane alone, into bed, riding him hard.

Dane watched as Jai locked the door, dropping his phone and keys on the table in the seating area. He took a quick look around their suite, smiling in approval at the pack’s choice, before going back to Jai. The moment he stepped through the door, he was pulled into a tight embrace as Jai closed his mouth over Dane’s. The kiss was born of desperation, passionate and rough, a way of taking the edge off.