The Scent of Seduction (7 page)

Jaryn smiled and leant back in his chair. “Good morning to you too, Shaun."

"Well?"

"Have a seat. I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of a new business venture for the pack, and then there's—"

"Jaryn! So help me God...” Shaun clenched his fists at his sides.

Jaryn couldn't help the smile from spreading across his face even further. It was one of his greatest perverse pleasures to rile up Shaun. That, and thoughts of his dinner with Nicole last night had immensely lightened his mood from a few moments ago at the prospect of tackling the accounting.

"Her name is Nicole Holland, and I met her yesterday at the bank when I was there to make the deposit from the Anderson project."

Shaun came into the room and sat in the chair across the desk from Jaryn. “So that's why I couldn't reach you for the pack run? Everyone was looking for you. Is she a shifter?"

"No, Nicole is human. Well, mostly human. Sorry about bailing on the pack run. I meant to message you, but one thing led to another and the day got away from me. Then it was time to meet Nicole for our date, and quite frankly I forgot about everything else."

"What do you mean mostly human? It's kind of an either-or situation."

"She swears up and down that she's one hundred per cent human, but her body responded to mine as if it recognised her mate, and I can sense wolf in her somewhere. It's faint but definitely present."

"Maybe she had a wolf shifter in her family several generations removed or something? So what happened?"

"We shared a very nice dinner at Cureso's."

"Did you claim her?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Jaryn stood and started pacing. “It's complicated."

Shaun scoffed. “No it's not. If you're lucky enough to find your mate then you claim them. You've waited your whole life to find your mate. Why would you procrastinate on something like that?"

"How about because I only met her yesterday? I am not a slave to my wolf. And she's more than a prize I won in the genetic lottery. When I claim my mate, I want us to be more to each other than strangers giving into our baser instincts.” Jaryn thought about Nicole's experience at the hands of Broyles. His eyesight wolfed out.

Shaun stiffened in the chair. “What's wrong?"

"There is something I haven't told you yet."

"Oh fuck, don't tell me she's married. Damn, I hate it when that happens. Not that it occurs often, but it just fucks up the lives of everyone involved."

"She's not married."

"A lesbian? No, that wouldn't make sense. The fates wouldn't destine a wolf to mate with another who didn't share the same sexuality."

Jaryn raised an eyebrow and stared at Shaun. “May I remind you of Eric?"

Shaun waved his hand. “That's different. Eric had locked himself so deep in the closet even he couldn't find the key. It was clear from the day they met that Carl was Eric's mate. It was his own fault that the stubborn jackass wouldn't admit it."

Jaryn conceded the point. Eric had been more than a little shocked when he'd identified Carl as his mate. Jaryn really had never understood what had made Eric keep his sexuality so deeply buried. Then again, Eric was quite a bit older than Jaryn. The wolf had grown up in a different time—a time when living openly as a gay man could have serious repercussions.

It had taken a while but the two were now deeply in love with each other, and Jaryn smiled every time he saw them laughing and holding hands together. At pack meetings, the two could frequently be found snuggling together on one of the couches. Jaryn hoped that Eric and Carl had many happy years together before them.

"So what's the problem?” Shaun asked.

Shaun's voice brought Jaryn back the problems of the present. “She had a less than pleasant experience with another shifter where she came from. She's running from a bad situation with one wolf, and suddenly finds herself being told that she's the mate of another. It's made her somewhat resistant."

Shaun frowned. “What do you mean running?"

"When we met, I immediately scented her anxiety and came to find out...” Jaryn took a deep breath and turned to face his Beta. “For the past year and half, she's been held prisoner by a wolf in the Northwoods. I suspect he's the person we've been searching for."

"Are you shitting me?” Shaun exclaimed.

"According to Nicole, this wolf—Broyles—has been ‘recruiting’ shifters and humans alike for a long time. He runs an isolated compound, and I suspect there may be more to his little fiefdom than simply building a pack by whatever means necessary.” He thought of the scar on the back of Nicole's neck and clenched his hands.

Shaun stood so quickly that the chair screeched across the floor. “That mother fucker! We have to go to the council. We need more information. You have to make Nicole tell you everything she knows."

Jaryn held up his hand to halt his Beta's tirade. “She's already agreed to help. I'll talk with Nicole, but you have to understand that what she went though is going to be difficult for her to talk about. We can't browbeat it out of her. Not to mention the gaps in her memory—"

"Wait, what gaps? You didn't say anything about gaps."

"I was getting there. There are several voids in Nicole's memory. She said she'd be in one place of the compound then, as if time had simply stopped, she'd wake up in another. There's no way for us to get information about what happened during those times, but at least now we have somewhere to start. I want you to investigate Adam Broyles. Call our old contacts and get their support if you need access to classified databases. I want to know everything about him. Where he came from, where he went to school, who his associates are. We're going to take this bastard down for interfering with the lives of others.” His world went grey and his fists balled at his sides. “And when I get my claws on him for hurting my mate...” Jaryn growled.

"Consider it done.” Shaun turned and left the office.

Nicole stuck her head out the door of her little cabin to check the weather. She tilted her head back and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face. Maybe she could even forgo her jacket today...

"Can I help you with something Ms Holland?"

Nicole opened her eyes to see Landon watching her with a smile on his youthful face. “Good morning. Can you recommend someplace where I can get breakfast?” She touched the face of her comm-unit, which Jaryn had given her a few days ago so they could keep in touch. She read the time. “Maybe I should say brunch."

The device was the latest and greatest in technological advancements, way better than the one she'd been able to afford on her teacher's salary. The nano-based unit was transparent and could be manipulated in an infinite number of configurations to suit the user's needs. Currently it was moulded around her wrist. However, with a few quick adjustments she could have a flat panel tablet with immediate access to the world network or, just as easily, a telecommunication device with integrated ear piece. Another convenience was that the entire device was powered by solar energy, so she never had to worry about charging a battery.

"The diner is where most everyone gets their grub. It's only a couple of blocks away. Just turn left onto Main. You can't miss it. Has the original neon lighting from the nineteen-fifties. They'll even serve you breakfast for dinner with a smile."

"Perfect! Looks like it's going to be a nice day. Is it always like this, this time of year?"

Landon nodded. “Mostly. Where are you from?"

"I grew up in Chicago, went to school in Madison and have been living in Wausau."

Landon scrunched up his face. “Where the heck is Wausau?"

Nicole giggled at Landon's perplexed expression. “It's in the northern half of Wisconsin."

"Cool. I bet you get wicked winters there. That means when things turn white around here it shouldn't scare you too much."

Nicole liked the sound of Landon's laughter. The kid was friendly and if his behaviour around Jaryn had been any indication, he had a great deal of respect for the Alpha of his pack. That eased a little bit of the tension in Nicole. After constantly seeing the hopelessness and resignation in the eyes of the inhabitants of Adam's compound, it was nice to see genuine affection and respect in Jaryn's pack members. Landon's eyes were as bright and happy as a teenager's should be.

"Hey, Landon, where's the high school around here?"

"A couple of miles away over off Pine Canyon Road. Why?"

"Well, if your Alpha has his way, then I'll be making my home here. And I'm a high school teacher. Natural science. You never know—come next semester I could be your teacher."

Nicole almost lost it as Landon's face, flushed from laughter, went white. He swallowed hard.

"Um, excuse me, Ms Holland, but I think I hear someone calling."

Nicole tilted her head. “Really? I don't hear anything."

Landon nodded quickly. “Oh, yes, there was definitely...I gotta go!"

The teenager took off running towards the office.

"I am evil.” Nicole shrugged and tucked the key to her cabin in the pocket of her jeans. It was kinda cool that the motel still used real keys. It added to the nostalgic atmosphere and reminded Nicole of simpler times when she was a child. The trick would be remembering to take it with her when she left. She'd become so used to the scanners most modern buildings used. She pulled the door closed then took off walking down the driveway. The gravel crunched under her sneakers, and she heard birds singing in the trees surrounding the motel.

On Main Street, she passed by the local hardware store and was surprised to see the clerk at the counter wave to her enthusiastically. Nicole waved back, albeit in a more reserved fashion. She stopped at the end of the block and a building at the end of the street caught her attention. The large structure was obviously the city hall. And if the small town was anything like Nicole suspected, it was probably also the courthouse. The three storey structure with a central tower had a kind of gothic look to it. It also appeared as though Main Street dead-ended at the building.

She looked around and noticed several other old buildings. Some were made of stone, others wood. A few even had that look of buildings from the old west she'd seen in movies over the years, with the tall storefronts. There was no doubt that this town had a great deal of historical significance to the region, and Nicole made a mental to note to ask Jaryn exactly when it had been established.

She looked down the cross street at the intersection where she stood to make sure there was no traffic, not that she'd seen much so far. Across the road stood a group of women, who all stood in a tight circle, talking. Nicole saw more than one glance in her direction, and she smiled at them. The dark-haired young woman in the middle of the group waved back, but the others quickly pulled her away down the street.

"Nice to meet you too,” she mumbled.

Nicole crossed the intersection and sure enough, down one more block on the north corner she saw the neon lights advertising the diner lit up against the blue sky, just as Landon said. It was the same diner she'd seen when Jaryn had taken her to the hotel the other day. She headed for the entrance with a bounce in her step. As soon as she stepped in, delicious smells filled the air. The distinct aroma of coffee in the air made her eyes open wide, and the scent of fresh baked pie made her stomach rumble.

Nicole slid into a booth and picked up the old-style menu tucked against the wall behind the carafe of sweetener. The vinyl creaked as she opened it, and the familiar smell of maple syrup wafted up from the plastic.

"Pancakes do sound good,” she whispered.

"Hi, honey, you'll love Clint's short stack. Famous around these mountains. So soft and fluffy they'll melt right in your mouth."

Nicole looked up and smiled at the waitress. Her short blonde hair and bright blue eyes seemed friendly. She wore a traditional diner uniform. Maybe they were keeping with the 1950s theme? Sarah, Nicole's friend back home who taught U.S. history at the same school where Nicole worked, always talked about how even though a little more than three quarters of a century had passed since the time after the last World War, there was something about the period that still spoke to the American people and reminded them of simpler times and good old-fashioned fun. Looking around the diner, Nicole finally understood what Sarah had been trying to explain. In here she felt young, innocent and free-spirited.

Wonder if they pump something into the air system?

"Sounds great. Can I have a glass of orange juice and a coffee as well?"

"Anything for Jaryn's mate. I'll bring out your coffee right away, and the food will be right up! Oh, by the way, I'm Gillian."

The waitress took off before Nicole had a chance to correct her. She looked around the diner and felt her face heat as she found several other patrons’ stares trained her way. Nicole ducked her head and played with the salt shaker sitting on the table. The sound of a car door slamming outside caught her attention, and she looked out through the large windows into the street. Stonepass’ main thoroughfare stretched out before her, and Nicole decided to do a little bit of people-watching while waiting for her food to arrive.

Her coffee arrived and Nicole set about doctoring the heavenly smelling brew. It seemed as though the population of the small town was taking advantage of the nice fall day, as there were several people walking up and down the sidewalks. Young, old and everywhere in between. She didn't know how many of the residents were part of Jaryn's pack. Did the humans and shifters coexist peacefully, or were there hidden tensions beneath the affable facade?

Having grown up in Chicago then attending school in Madison, Nicole was more familiar with larger cities. She'd only been in Wausau for a little over four years. But even that Wisconsin town still had a population around forty-five thousand. Stonepass was probably a fraction of that. She'd tried to establish relationships with some of the others sequestered with her on Adam's compound, but they were only allowed so much freedom. She thought of Kenneth, and hoped the young man was doing okay.