The Covert Wolf (26 page)

As she went into the bedroom, his cell rang. Great timing.

It was his C.O. Matt explained about the Orb. His heart dropped to his stomach as he listened to Curt. Report back to base in twenty-four hours and bring the purse with him if he couldn’t uncloak the Orb. They’d destroy the purse.

The orders were from top brass. Entire squad was on standby. No specifics, but it had to do with intel regarding the missing explosives, the Semtex smuggled out from Libya, and homegrown terrorists planning to blow up a civilian compound.

They were navy SEALs first, paranorms second.

Matt hung up and heard a distinct thump. He glanced out the window to see Sienna racing away from the cabin. Damn it!

A possessive growl rumbled from his chest. Wolf clawed to the surface. He tried to repress it, calling on his icy control, but it spilled past, rumbling like a volcano. It was this forest, the wildness, the heady scent of Sienna in his nostrils, the quivering need inside him to mate and claim.

The calm and levelheaded SEAL vanished, pushed aside by the male werewolf who scented his headstrong and stubborn female endangering herself. Matt bounded out of the cabin, shifting as he ran.

Chapter 16

S
ienna had to get away. From Matt. She felt invaded, dominated by the powerful Draicon. In danger of losing her identity.

You’re a coward,
a small voice taunted.
Running from the best thing that’s ever happened to you.

But she needed space, needed to break free. Running, Sienna followed a trail through the heather until she reached the open plain. Pine and yellow aspen flanked the edge. This had been a favorite place as a child. She loved to sit here, entranced by the quietness of the mountains rising like ancient guardians of the forest and its inhabitants.

The granite boulder was still there. A cool wind teased her hair, ruffling the hem of her gown. Sienna sat, hugging her knees.

The forest was the same, yet different. She couldn’t place it.

It no longer welcomed her, felt like home. Something dark tainted the land, or perhaps it was her. She was no longer the same.

I don’t know where I belong anymore.

The thought pierced her like a steel blade. A physical ache began in her chest. Sienna rested her cheek against her knees, lost and alone. Just like the day when her aunt had gently, but firmly, ordered her out of the colony.

You do not belong to our people any longer. The time has come for you to find your own way, my beloved daughter of our spirit.

Thanks, O Mighty Ruler. Say, can you give me some postage-paid envelopes so I can drop a line and let you know I’m still alive and kicking?

Not that you give a damn.

A dirt trail wended through the flat meadow, flanked by thick pines. Her senses pricked with awareness. Undergrowth rustled. A large timber wolf stood in the path. Her stomach churned with anxiety as the wolf bared its teeth, threw its chest out, its tail standing straight.

Its dark gaze locked on to hers, and then he growled. The sound was unmistakable. Mine. Maintaining that proud, arrogant stance.

She’d run away from Matt. And he was very angry.

Sienna’s palms flattened against the rock.

Suddenly the wolf stopped. Sparks floated in the air. In the wolf’s place stood a man, more than six feet tall. Wind ruffled his thick, dark hair. He was naked.

Emotion glittered in his blue eyes.

“You’re mine,” Matt said softly. “You won’t run from me again, Sienna. Understand?”

Dry-throated, she could only manage a nod. Arousal pumped through her as she gazed at him, the proud, straight limbs, the wide shoulders and chest. Sweat glistened on his muscles. A powerful man whose concern was for her and her safety.

No Fae ever made her feel this wild yearning. No Fae ever sent heat spiraling through her, making her center moist and ready for him. Only this Draicon did, with his spicy scent and the hard edge of sexuality, sharp as a knife blade.

Matt’s nostrils flared. He’d caught the scent of her arousal. From the nest of thick, dark hair at his groin, his erection jutted out as stiff as a thick tree limb.

Sienna trembled with sexual anticipation.

This time, there would be no turning back. Wolf that he was, he would hunt her down like prey until he claimed her, naked and writhing with pleasure beneath him. A wildness flowed from him, intensified by the rawness of the land.

Intent smoldered in his steely gaze. He crossed the distance between them and leaned forward, caging her with his strong arms.

Breathing heavily, he looked as wild as the mountains ringing them. Tension threaded through his body.

“You said you don’t belong anywhere. No one will accept you, Fae or Draicon. I’m telling you now, you do belong. With me. I don’t give a damn about your origins, your bloodlines. Your people. They don’t matter. All I care about is you.”

Thickness lodged in her throat at the blazing sincerity of his declaration. At the raw emotion etched on his harsh features.

“The wolf inside me wants to mate. But the man just wants to love and cherish you.”

Matt pushed a hand through his thick hair.

“Every time I catch your scent, it drives me crazy. All I can think about is you. I don’t care what you are—Fae, Draicon—hell, all I care about is
who
you are, Sienna. My Sienna.”

Captivated, she stared at his mouth, the firmness of his jaw, the dark stubble shadowing his cheeks.

“Love me. I need you.” Sienna slid a palm over his stubbled cheek.

As she lifted her mouth in total surrender, he caught her in a powerful embrace. The kiss was brutal, savage, and she welcomed it, sliding her arms around his neck to draw him closer. His mouth worked over hers savagely, his tongue thrusting deep inside as his hands slid down the small of her back, cupping her bottom. Matt lifted her skirts, his hands sliding between her legs, and made a growling sound of approval at finding her naked and wet for him.

For all his need, he was gentle as he lowered her to the rock, pushing up her skirts. He mounted her, catching her wrists in his hands as he settled his hips between her opened legs.

“Now,” he said thickly, and pushed forward.

A gasp fell from her parted lips as the head of his penis made contact. He was hard as steel, soft as velvet. He nudged farther inside, his gaze locked to hers as cool air flowed over their bodies. She laced her fingers through his, holding on to him. Wildness flared in his blue eyes as he thrust hard. He lifted her and changed his position, angling his thrusts. Heat built inside her, a gathering tension. Tightening her fingers through his, she stared at him gazing fiercely down at her. The tension wound higher and higher as she wrapped her thighs around his pounding hips.

Her cries of release echoed through the meadow. Matt growled, arching as he spilled himself deep inside her. Wild emotions raced through her, a kaleidoscope of thoughts spinning past…

Gotta make it good for her, damn, she’s tight, so good, so good, my Sienna…

Then the thoughts faded, along with the warmth. She felt emptied and drained, and oddly alone. Matt pulled out and glanced down ruefully.

“Oh, hell,” he said softly. “No condom.”

A smile quivered on her lips. “It’s okay. I’m in the safe part of my cycle.”

He rested beside her, touching her cheek. She turned to him.

“Did you feel that? It was like…we were bonding. Sharing our intimate thoughts. Just for a minute. It was amazing. Intense, and I felt like I was a part of your mind.”

Heart racing, she watched his expression. “A little. Maybe. I lost myself for a while.” He gave a twisted smile. “Kept feeling my wolf wanting to take over. Down, boy.”

Sienna ran a hand over his flank, feeling him shiver. “Maybe you should put some clothes on. It’s cold out here.”

Intent flared on his face. “I’m not done with you. Yet.”

Matt slid an arm around her waist, loaning her his strength, his vitality. She rested against him, admitting the truth. The Draicon she never wanted, the man she feared, had burrowed into her heart.

Wind ruffled their hair, rustling the brilliant yellow aspen leaves. Snow lay like powdered sugar sprinkled on the mountaintops. There weren’t words, only emotion as she turned to him, lifting her face to his. He loved her slowly this time, savoring her with each kiss, each flick of his tongue over her skin. When they’d clung to each other, shuddering as they climaxed, she felt an odd tingle race down her spine. A spark of magick and energy.

Then it faded like the sun winking below the mountains.

They returned to the cabin. Her tiny home seemed cold and desolate.

The earlier euphoria of making love faded as she went into the kitchen to make coffee. Matt helped, his expression thoughtful.

“There’s something I need to check out tonight. Before you set foot inside the Fae compound again.”

He told her what he’d seen last night, the odd orange glow from the cliffs, the scent of malevolence coming from the standing stones.

“I haven’t been inside the colony since leaving.” Sienna studied the distant cliffs of the Fae territory. “Take me with you, Matt. I can help.”

His jaw turned to stone. “No. If something happens to you…” As she started to protest, he cupped her cheek. “I know you can take care of yourself. You’re a tough, kick-ass female. But I’ve also seen a grown jag die screaming in pain when pyro demons burned him to death. Adam was a SEAL. He seemed invulnerable, like me. We used to joke that nothing could stop us, the dog and the cat. And then…he died.”

Silence draped the air. She understood. Matt was part of an elite team of commandos with paranormal powers. He’d felt invincible. And then the illusion was burned forever by a stream of fire.

She wasn’t a SEAL. But she knew the land, knew every ravine, rock and tree, and the Fae customs and habits. Matt didn’t.

She placed a hand over his wrist, feeling the steady rhythm of his pulse. “I’m not going to die. They’re my people and if something strange is happening, I need to know.”

“You will know after I do some recon. I’ve warded your cabin with enough magick to blast a legion of demons straight to hell. You’re safe here, until I return.”

“And what if you don’t return?”

“I will.” His expression hardened. “It’ll take more than Fae to bring me down. But there’s something going on in that colony of yours. And I intend to find out what it is.”

* * *

Matt dressed in black BDUs and strapped on the MC-4 parachute. The cliffs of the Fae compound stood tall and jagged. He could easily rappel down, but a niggling instinct nudged him into taking the chute.

Never knew when a night crawler with sharp teeth and claws might cut your rope.

He loved jumping out of planes during a HALO dive. Some of the guys had to conquer fear of heights. Matt craved the thrill of free-falling, arms and legs spread as the wind slapped his body. It felt like flying, a pure rush of adrenaline-fueled excitement before he pulled the cord.

Guess I’m a junkie.

And you think you can settle into mundane pack life as a wolf?

Matt shoved aside the thought.

He gave a backward glance at Sienna, asleep on the bed, one hand tucked beneath her cheek. The ache in his chest went deep, speaking of feelings he didn’t dare acknowledge.

He went outside, quietly closing the door behind him.

Crisp, cool pine-scented air greeted him. The sky was lit with starlight and the nearly full moon. He headed toward the Fae colony, wending through the trees, cursing the brilliance of the moonlight. Rather have full darkness for concealment. A deer grazing in the brush looked up, flicked its large ears, immobilized by fear as it apparently caught his wolf scent. Matt’s lips twitched.

“You’re safe from me. I have different game to hunt.”

He found the path, and as he crossed the border, a tingling raced along his upper arm.

Matt glanced downward. On his right biceps, where the brambles had scratched him, the mark of a wolf glowed white. It pulsed with magick, a good, clean feeling.

He crossed over the invisible border, and it faded. Interesting. A pass of admission. He followed the path to the clearing where he’d seen the Fae sing and dance. He gazed upward at the cliffs.

Something was up there and he was going after it.

After he assembled his rock-climbing equipment, he scanned the forest. Nothing. Not a scent of Fae, only the dead embers of last night’s fire. No birds, insects or animals rustling through the undergrowth. This area seemed dead of wildlife.

For a colony of Fae that cherished nature, it was mighty odd.

His instincts honed to razor sharpness, Matt kept alert. Even the rock here seemed lifeless, drained of energy.

He climbed steadily toward the rock recess where he’d seen the flickering light, muscles flexing with each step. Matt reached the small ledge where he’d seen the Fae vanish last night and pulled himself up.

The sharp tang of sulfur and decay slammed into his nostrils. Hugging the shadows, he investigated the small cave. Matt squatted down, studying a ring of stones surrounding burned embers. Something long and white poked through the gray ashes.

Revulsion churned inside him. He picked up the bone with gloved hands. Not human, but close. This bone was lightweight, almost hollow, like a paranorm capable of flight. Like a Fae…

He set the bone down, stooped down to peer deeper into the cave. Hair stood on the nape of his neck. A low growl rumbled from his throat.

He wasn’t alone. Matt unsheathed his knife at his ankle.

A rush of hot air, a low, piercing scream broke the silent darkness. He dodged just as the creature rushed him. It pivoted, turning, holding out its hands.

The pointed ears, slender body and pale skin indicated Fae. But this was no ordinary Fae. Malevolence tainted its scent, turning it foul. Red lips pulled back in a sneer, the Fae displayed prominent teeth, sharp and pointed.

Two wings protruded from knobby points on its back.