Alpha Pack 4 - Hunters Heart (12 page)

slow and easy. You know how Chup is about strangers.”

“
You
ought to know,” Ryon said, ribbing him. “Took

you and the furball long enough to make peace.”

“Don’t remind me. There are body parts that still hurt at

the memories.” Laughing, Jax stroked the beast’s small

head. “He likes me well enough now, though.”

“I think the steak treats probably helped change his

attitude.”

“Hey, he has a fondness for women. I had to fight dirty.”

Daria leaned forward. “Can I hold him?”

Jax considered Chup warily. “I don’t know. Depends on

him.”

Just then, the creature sat up, stretched and yawned.

Ryon privately thought the thing was cute as hell, but he

wasn’t about to touch it. He’d seen the little shit almost

take off Jax’s hand once, and that had been enough to

convince him that his calling did not lie in taming animals.

Jax sat up carefully, cradling Chup against his stomach

as he let the creature become aware of Daria. It leaned

forward, sniffing curiously, eyes wide. Then it started

straining against Jax’s hold, wanting to get to her. Jax

allowed it to crawl into her lap, watching it carefully for

any sign of aggression and to make sure it didn’t hurt her

broken arm. So did Ryon, but all the creature did was to

begin making his contented little
chup-chup
noises.

It cuddled against her, whirring like a small motorboat

as she scratched its ears with her good hand, both of them

clearly in heaven. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she

said in awe. “This is just amazing.”

Jax nodded. “He’s come a long way. He rarely bites

anymore, only if someone startles him, and we’re damned

careful not to do that.”

“I’ll bet. Do you know where he came from?”

“Originally? No idea. We found him on an op a couple

of years ago when we were dispatched to eliminate some

rogue demons. Chup had been in their cave, but we’re not

sure why he was with them.”

Of course, her mind caught on one word, and she

stilled. “Demons?”

Jax cringed. “Uh, yeah. Anyhoo, he’s happy these days,

thanks to Kira working with him.”

“He sure seems to be.”

She was really taken with the creature, and Ryon

enjoyed watching her so much he hated to leave.

Eventually, Chup scrambled from her embrace and

reached for Jax in a clear plea to be taken back.

“Spoiled rotten little menace,” Jax grumbled. But he

scooped up the beast, his actions belying his words.

“Thank you for letting me hold him.”

“Hey, don’t thank me. The brat makes his own

decisions.” With a wink, he went back to his workout.

Ryon escorted her from the room, taking her outside.

She was quiet as they enjoyed a turn around the grounds,

and he could tell she was still thinking about the gremlin.

“It’s a real shame the world can’t find out creatures like

Chup exist,” she said, almost sadly. “But I understand why

that would be a disaster.”

“It
is
a shame, isn’t it? We can enjoy them here, though.

In the end, that’s the safest thing for them and the general

population.”

“Don’t you worry about Chup or the others getting

loose?”

“Some. We take precautions, though. Chup has earned

full run of the building, and Blue has improved in being

integrated, but some are still in cells in Block R—that’s

rehabilitation. We’re replacing Block R with the sanctuary

Kira and Blue are starting.”

“Blue was in a cell at one time?” She was horrified by

this news.

“For a while, until Kira joined us. When we brought

him here, he was traumatized and uncommunicative. He

was severely depressed and tried to harm himself, and we

didn’t know what else to do with him. It took Kira to make

us see that he needed compassion, not chains.”

“She sounds like a special woman.”

“She is. Kira has totally changed our ideas on dealing

with paranormal beings. Not all of them are bad, any more

than all humans are bad. Some are just confused and hurt.”

Daria thought about this. “In a way, she does what I do

—study different life-forms around her and tries to make

sure they’re thriving.”

“That’s a good comparison, yes.”

When her questions tapered off and her head started to

nod, he knew she was getting tired. “You need to rest after

your ordeal. Why don’t I show you to your quarters and

you can sleep for a while?”

“That sounds good. I guess I’m not as healed as I

thought.”

“A couple of days and you’ll feel like a million

dollars.”

At her door, he punched in the security code Nick had

texted to him while they were walking, and then told it to

her. “I’ll write it down so you can keep it with you. Once

you learn the number, it’s quicker and easier than using a

key.”

“Okay.”

He rolled her inside and found the rooms were sort of

bare, devoid of the homey touches that cheered these

functional spaces. “Sorry it’s kind of plain. This room has

never been occupied, that I know of.”

She gave him a droll look. “I’m used to camping

outside, with bears, wolves, big cats, and any number of

snakes and insects that love to inhabit my sleeping bag. I’ll

deal.”

“Good point.” In her bedroom he gave her a hand up out

of the wheelchair, and then sat her on the bed. “Do you

need me for anything else?”

“I’m fine for now, thank you.”

Damn. He was hoping she’d say yes.
Give her time,

Ryon.

Leaving her temporarily, he went and found a notepad

and pen on the bar that separated the kitchen from the

living room. Quickly, he wrote all the information he

thought she’d need and carried it back into the bedroom.

She was lying curled on her side, drowsing, when he got

there.

“I wrote down my cell phone number, the number to my

quarters down the hallway on the right, and the code to

your door. If you need anyone else here, there’s a list of

extensions in the nightstand drawer.”

“Thanks. I don’t have a cell phone anymore, though, to

call you with.”

“Use the one there,” he said, pointing to the cordless by

the bed. “We’ll run into town tomorrow and get you a

replacement.”

“Okay.” He hesitated to leave, and she gazed at him for

a long moment, lids heavy. “I really like you, Ryon.”

His lips turned up. “I like you more than a little bit,

myself.”

“Why do I feel this pull toward you?” she asked

sleepily.

“Why do any man and woman feel chemistry?” His tone

was light, but his gut clenched. He knew she wasn’t just

talking about simple man-woman attraction, and her next

words proved it.

“What I’m feeling is more than that, though I’m plenty

attracted.” She paused, her brown eyes liquid with heat.

“It’s like there’s some sort of golden thread connecting us.

Does that make sense?”

“It does, yes.” Reaching out tentatively, he brushed a

strand of black hair from her face, ready to withdraw it if

she protested. When she didn’t, instead turning her face

into his touch, his wolf practically whined in pleasure, and

the man celebrated this small progress.

He’d have to come clean, soon. He couldn’t put it off

much longer.

For now, he’d leave her with something that she’d

hopefully think about, in a good way, after he was gone.

Kneeling by the side of the bed, he brought his face close

to hers. Looked into her eyes, questioning silently, again

giving her time to call a halt to the kiss he was about to

plant on those plump lips.

Invitation was clearly etched on her pretty face, and he

closed the small gap between them, bringing their lips

together. Lightly at first, then with more pressure, fusing

their mouths. His cock went rock-hard in his jeans,

pushing insistently against its confines and demanding to

be let out to play. She wasn’t ready for more, however, so

he reined in the impulse to crawl onto the bed with her.

They explored each other, tasting, tongues dueling. She

was sweet, ambrosia on his tongue, the flavor unique to

his mate. He figured his flavor was the same for her, and

wanted to ask, but he didn’t dare. Not yet. This was a

good start, his mate welcoming his kiss, and he was

thankful for that.

Finally, he pulled back, and saw the dazed expression

on her face. She felt desire for him, the
want
plain to see,

even if he hadn’t picked it up from their bond. She desired

him, but was uncertain. Confused.

He hated that confusion and the circumstances that had

made it necessary. They should have met, fallen in love

first. Then become Bondmates later, when they were both

ready. But life didn’t always happen according to a neat

little plan, and the wolf shifter’s makeup didn’t allow a lot

of time for courting when he met his mate. Ryon’s mating

certainly hadn’t gone the way he’d always envisioned it.

“I’m going to let you rest, okay?” he asked softly.

“Will you be back later?”

His heart lightened. “I will. I’ll check on you in a while

and we’ll have a talk.”

“I’m looking forward to that. I suspect I have a few

more surprises in store.”

God, she had no idea. Giving her another kiss, he

headed out, his emotions a weird mix of trepidation and

joy.

He had a beautiful, smart, kind mate. Any man, or wolf,

would be proud to have her at his side.

Now, if she didn’t hate him for what he’d done, his life

would be perfect.

• • •

Daria’s senses reeled long after Ryon walked out the

door.

“Holy shit, that man can kiss,” she whispered to herself,

staring at the ceiling. Her body was a sensitized mass of

nerves, all straining for the man who’d left her alone when

she hadn’t wanted him to go.

His closeness, his warmth and clean manly scent, called

to her as no other man’s had, ever. The attraction was a

tangible thing between them, waiting to be explored and

unleashed. She had no doubt that they would end up in

bed, sooner rather than later. They both wanted it, and she

couldn’t think of a reason why two consenting adults

should deny the pull. He wanted her as much as she

wanted him. She felt it.

That gave her pause.
Felt
it? Yes, she had. And not just

in the “normal” way that people meant when they said they

experienced attraction for someone. It was almost as if she

could touch his attraction for her, the need and want in

him, as though she had some sort of hotline to his feelings

and emotions. How was that possible?

Raising her good arm, she examined her wrist again.

The punctures were barely visible now, and the rest of the

scratches were all but gone. Just in the few short hours

since she’d last looked. One inescapable conclusion kept

coming back to her, and it made her pulse flutter in

anxiety.

Ryon, or someone, had bitten her. They were wolf

shifters and as such, had special healing abilities. Daria

should have died. At some point after that, she had been

bitten. And now she was almost ready to go hiking, she

was so well healed. Had one of them bitten her in order to

save her life?

Okay. Assuming that was true, why would Ryon be so

reluctant to share that with her even when she’d asked

about the marks? Saving someone’s life was a great thing,

and so what if they used a bit of an advantage nature gave

them to do it? There had to be more to the story. That

would explain why he didn’t want to discuss it.

She had a suspicion she wasn’t going to like the

explanation, or else he wouldn’t be working so hard to

avoid it.

Giving in to the lingering tiredness, she dozed for an

hour or so. When she came awake, she sat up, restless.

Her arm was itching around the spot of the bite mark, and

she felt like she was about to jump out of her skin. A walk

might help, so she decided to act.

First, she did away with the annoying sling, tossing it to

the nightstand. She held her casted arm this way and that,

and experienced no pain. Padding to the bathroom, she

took care of business and then took a bath, which was a

long process since she had to be careful of her cast. Just

that small routine made her feel better. Next she dug in her

backpack for her brush and a scrunchie to make a ponytail.

Items in hand, she returned to the bathroom mirror,

brushed out the long tresses and pulled all of it back,

securing it with the stretchy band.

Scrutinizing her face, she wondered what Ryon saw

when he looked at her. When she studied herself, she

always saw a no-frills woman who never wore makeup of

any kind. But then, makeup never looked right with her

bronzed skin tone, even if she didn’t spend most of her

year in the wilderness where there was no one to

appreciate it or care. She supposed her face was nice