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Authors: Heather Long

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BOOK: Desert Wolf
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How hard would it be to transform it into a koi pond? Not that he really needed one, but the stillness and lack of other animal life in his little abode seemed a violation against nature. They needed the green. They needed birds.

What did Cassius need?
Besides my commitment to his cause?

At the front door to his house, she knocked. Since she was his guest, she could probably enter without invitation, but the behavior flew in the face of her own upbringing. At Sera’s, she came and went as she pleased, but they’d known each other for decades and had been friends for nearly as long.

Maria answered the knock, a kind smile on her genial face. “Good morning.”

“Is it still morning?” She’d thought it was after lunchtime.

“It’s just now eleven,” Maria said, glancing away from the doorway as she retreated a step to invite her in. “So, yes, still morning.”

The interior smelled of Cassius—sunshine and masculinity—but with a touch of pine and…did she detect sage underscoring it all? “Thank you. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Though his scent seemed everywhere, she didn’t hear Cassius. So far, he’d proven to be very swift where she was concerned, so it might be a safe bet to assume he wasn’t present.

“Not at all. I was just making some raspberry tea for today’s lunch.”

Sovvan’s stomach growled. “I’m Sovvan, by the way.” She extended her hand and Maria eyed it for a moment, before she shook it carefully.

“Maria.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Maria. I’m sorry we didn’t have a chance to talk more yesterday.”

“It’s quite all right. Cassius is not home at the moment, but if you’d like to wait for him, I can get you something to drink.”

“I don’t suppose you have any more chili?”



,” Maria chuckled. “But it is cold. I can make you a breakfast burrito, if you like. I have some bacon grilled and some fried potatoes left from my breakfast. Pap—Cassius did not stay to eat this morning, so I have plenty, and I can whip up the eggs.”

“I don’t want to put you out.” She followed her into the kitchen. She hadn’t gotten to see it the night before. It was a lovely room, as bright as the living room they’d sat in the night before, but also done in pale marble for the counters. The appliances all seemed to be newer models, and the rich scent of brisket was far stronger in the kitchen. Her stomach let out another growl.

“No trouble. I like to cook for others.” The older woman hustled over to the stove, and it didn’t take her long to get two eggs whipped together then sizzling in a pan. “Do you like coffee or tea?”

“Honestly?” Sovvan slid onto one of the tall chairs on the other side of the counter. It looked perfect for eating breakfast in the kitchen, especially since no table setup was in evidence. The bar overlooked the kitchen, letting her chat with Maria without being in her way. “I’m not a fan of Arabica coffees. I prefer chicory.” She’d grown up on chicory, so give her a good strong roast with some cayenne and she was in heaven. “The raspberry tea you mentioned sounded good.”

Maria smiled. “It’s not chilled yet, but I’ll add some extra ice.” Five minutes later she set a plate with a breakfast burrito with a fluffy tortilla wrapped around steaming hot eggs, crumbled bacon, some fried potatoes and a heavy helping of salsa. The combination teased her senses and she licked her lips in anticipation.

“This smells wonderful.”

“¡Gracias!” Maria beamed. “I love to cook, P—Cassius doesn’t like to do a lot of fancy foods, but he indulges me when I want to make him something nice. If you have any requests, I would love to cook for you, too.”

Sovvan saved her answer by taking a bite. Several strands of silver and gray decorated the woman’s dark hair. Crow’s feet spread out form the corners of her eyes, proving she was definitely older. Her affection for Cassius populated every sentence and warmed her scent. Though she carried some of Cassius’ scent, it was passive. She was not a lover.

The food tasted as good as it smelled. “I will keep that in mind. I’m making some gumbo over at the guesthouse. Not sure if you like it, but I will have plenty if you’d like to try it.”

“Oh, I would love that. My Ernesto and I went to New Orleans years ago when we were young. We stayed a whole week, and I loved the food.”

Grinning, Sovvan filed away the information. The woman didn’t seem to possess a mean bone in her body. Open, warm, and very maternal, while also strong and determined. “I grew up there. My father was a chef, so I learned to cook early.”

“Wonderful.” Maria paused as she pulled out another set of pans. “If you would like to use my kitchen, I don’t mind sharing.”

“Deal…I’ll teach you to make gumbo if you’ll share your chili recipe with me.” The raspberry tea had the right amount of tartness to go with the rich and mild spice of the breakfast. Maria’s excitement was contagious, too.



, it would be my privilege.” Her smile faltered when the front door slammed, and a quiet worry filled her eyes. “We are in the kitchen, Cassius,” she called. Another telling sign—she didn’t wait for him to respond to her before she added, “And if you didn’t bring me my onions and peppers, I will be cross with you.”

“Maria, would I forget?” The level of warmth and teasing in his deep voice sent a shiver along Sovvan’s spine. “You reminded me three times, and have I ever not brought you exactly what you asked for?”

The man himself appeared on the heels of his question, and Sovvan drank in his arrival like a sponge soaking up his energy. It practically crackled around him. Dressed in a t-shirt which stretched across his taut muscles and a pair of jeans which hugged his hips, he looked even better than he had in his loose pajama bottoms the day before. Rugged, yet still primal.

“Good morning, Miss Sovvan. I see Maria is taking good care of you.” Gone was the warmth and teasing tone, to be replaced by one far more formal and guarded.

Trying to ignore her disappointment, she smiled. “Good morning, Cassius. Maria is a treasure.”

“That she is.” He set a bag down, and Maria grabbed it immediately.

“Sit,” she ordered him. “I will make you food, and don’t argue. If all you had was sweets at Alicia’s, I’ll be cross.”

To Sovvan’s shock, Cassius slid onto the chair next to hers obeying the little woman in the kitchen. “I promise, I only had coffee, but I did have a couple of apples while I was at the market.”

At the market? Shopping for vegetables?

“Oh, these are nice.” The older woman inspected each one of the vegetables before she fired up the stove and began scrambling more eggs.

“You said the best, so I got you the best.” Though he teased her, his tone remained somewhat guarded and he glanced at Sovvan. “I hope you are rested.”

“I am,” she told him, more intrigued than she cared to admit. “And I made a decision.”

Eyebrows raised, he said nothing. Her gaze locked on his and the moment seemed to elongate as all the air whooshed out of her lungs. Could she possibly be reading his wary eyes correctly? Did she really see hope in them?

Curling her hand around her icy glass, she used the coolness to ground herself in the moment. Lowering her gaze in a show of submission, she bowed her head. “You asked me for trust and for my help.” She moistened her lips. “I didn’t give you an answer last night, because you also want me to keep secrets from my Alpha.”

“I recall.” So guarded. So careful.

“I have had time to think on your request. My answer is simple.” Raising her gaze once more, she met his. “Yes.”

Chapter 9

T
he strangest sensation
raced through him at her assent—like a weakness in the blood, one he’d never truly experienced before. Air escaped him on a long exhale, and his pulse jackhammered as though he’d run a marathon, even though all he’d done was sit on the chair. Curling his fingers into a fist, he clenched his hand and ordered his heart to get it under control. Not examining his response too closely, he studied her instead. “Yes? Just like that?”

“Well, I didn’t sleep much last night, if that’s what you’re asking.” Sovvan finished her last bite as Maria set a breakfast burrito in front of him along with a tall glass of tomato juice. The hint of vodka in the glass pulled a reluctant smile from him. A Bloody Mary was his usual choice first thing in the morning, not at nearly lunchtime, but damn if a drink didn’t sound good. “And I had time to think.”

“So, you are willing to give me your word that you won’t reveal our secrets to your Alpha?”

“As long as you accept the caveat that I will use my judgment to decide if it impacts my pack or not. I will not willfully endanger them through action or inaction, as the case may be. Otherwise, what we say to each other and what I learn about Sutter Butte, I will keep to myself. Period.”

Pleasure twisted his gut, so he took a long drink. Between Claire’s call earlier and Sovvan’s agreement, the day already looked brighter. Setting the glass aside, he contemplated his next move. Yet, despite her agreement, he kept circling the
why
of her agreement. “What changed your mind?” The night before she’d been adamant about not promising to keep his secrets—a hell of an impasse, considering how much of what he wanted to do hinged on her cooperation.

Ginger, magnolia, and a hint of moss—Sovvan’s scent tickled his nose. Utterly feminine and mysterious, it reminded him of her home in New Orleans, but also beyond. The elusive wildness of the bayous and their heady scents of fresh moss and water. Two scents which promised life in the desert.

“I hadn’t decided against it, I just couldn’t commit. There’s a difference.”

“Splitting hairs.” He scowled. “Did you talk to Serafina or to your Hound?” Had someone else persuaded her? Why the hell did it matter? She’d said yes, so he should be rejoicing.

Rather than answer him, she took a drink of her tea and glanced at Maria. Though she did her best to ignore them, the sour note of her stress tainted the air. “Maria, would you give us a few moments?”

Her immediate gratitude added to Cassius’ increasingly bad mood. He should have noticed her upset before Sovvan. “

, I will be back in a little while.”

After she all but fled, Cassius shifted on his seat and faced Sovvan. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Any other time he might have found her bafflement amusing, but piled onto the rest, it only aggravated him further.

“Thank you for giving a damn about Maria. I shouldn’t have snarled in front of her. Don’t make me repeat myself, it pisses me off.”

“Are you sure? I thought that growl was a joyful noise. Maybe I should make you repeat everything twice.” It took him a minute to catch the teasing nose. What the hell was she doing?

Pushing his plate away, he slapped a hand down on the bar. “You agreed to help me. Tell me why.”

“Good question, because if this is how you respond to hearing yes, I’d hate to see how much of an asshole you can be if I said no.” She crossed one leg over the other, the action lifting her foot. A gleam of gold caught his attention. He’d noticed the different polishes the day before and, today, all dressed in her bright pink blouse and long white skirt, she looked more ready for as social than a war.

Gripping his temper in both hands, he forced his respiration to calm. “I just want an answer. You didn’t feel like you could keep the information shared in discussion with me a secret yesterday. Today, you feel like you can. What changed?”

“Trust is really hard for you, isn’t it?”

“So is answering every question with a question.” He didn’t bother to withhold his growl.

Biting her lower lip, she didn’t quite smile at him. The fact she seemed to want to smile at his temper left him floundering somewhere between fury and puzzlement. He didn’t flounder well. If she didn’t answer him in…

“I thought about it. I thought about you. I thought about what it was you were seeking.” She canted her head. “You took an incredible risk not only in asking me to come here, but putting me in a position to hurt you.”

Stilling, he listened.

“Then I discussed with Faust why he didn’t enter the rounds for Ascension when he could have, and he told me there were three kinds of Hounds. The kind that need to serve, the kind that have nothing else to offer and the kind that want to serve.”

Not following her logic, he kept his opinion of Faust to himself. Hopefully she would arrive at a point soon.

“You took a risk, because you needed it. You said you
needed
me. You’ve also admitted, twice now, you’re willing to pay any price to save your pack.” The world narrowed to the pair of intelligent brown eyes, which seemed to see through to his soul. “You’re also willing to sacrifice me to achieve your goal. That part worries me, I won’t lie…but you aren’t sacrificing me to save you, you’re doing it to save your pack. Which tells me you’ll die before you let yourself fail.”

Was that a question? Did she need confirmation? “Yes.”

“Then my decision is the only one it can be. I will help you save your pack.”

“Even if it kills you?” The idea hadn’t bothered him before. Well, not truly, but suddenly he didn’t care for it as much.

“I’ll be honest. We’re going to lean on the
we survive
side of this, shall we? But the risk won’t stop me from helping.” She reached out and laid her hand on the bar near his, close enough he could feel the heat from her skin, but she didn’t touch him. All the hair on his body seemed to electrify and his awareness of her flushed a slow tidal wave of fire into his blood.

“I absolutely intend for you to survive.” The oath slipped out of him, but after he said the words, he realized he meant them. “I cannot guarantee it, but I will do everything in my power.”

“Then I can’t do any less.” A dimple appeared in her cheek when she smiled, and for the second time in the day all the oxygen evacuated his lungs. “But for this to work, you’re going to have to blood bond me enough to bring me into your pack, which means you’ll have to open yourself to me.”

“Yes,” he agreed, but pulled his hand away. “But not yet.” Not until Claire arrived. Not until he could guarantee it wouldn’t be Cassius who killed her. For a split second, hurt shimmered in her eyes and he scowled. The emotion vanished as she withdrew her hand and reached for the tea.

“I don’t bite.” The attempt at levity had little effect on his mercurial mood shift. The rage he lived with on a daily basis seemed edged in a new emotion—or maybe he should have said an old one. One he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Rising, he took her plate and his and carried them around the island, putting more distance between them. “But I do.”

Her mouth opened as though she wanted to say something more, but whatever she saw in his face silenced her.
Good.
He washed the dishes, taking the time to get his temper under control before saying, “I have three pieces to put into place.”

“Pieces? You sound like you’re playing a game.”

“Perhaps, either way, it will be to our benefit that I have them ready before we begin. How long do you think it will take you once I blood bond you to identify the issues in my pack?”

“I have no idea. It isn’t something I can put a stopwatch on.” She traced a path in the moisture along the side of her glass. “Do you have a deadline we have to meet?”

“A little under six weeks.” Since she was onboard, she needed to know.

“What happens then?”

“The Reaping.”

“Why did I know you were going to say that?” A nervous tremor ran through her voice he couldn’t comfort, the Reaping was a fact of their lives.

“Because you seem to be an astute woman. Do you understand what the Reaping is?”

“It’s a really blood battle?” She managed a hint of a smile despite her fear. Damn, she was a brave little wolf.

“Yes, and it is a good place for us to begin. You need to understand Sutter Butte. Come. I need to swim and the water is cool this time of day.”

“I am not getting this hair wet.” Her tart rejection pulled a reluctant smile from him.

“Then sit on the side of the pool and put your feet in. I’m swimming.” Leaving her to decide, he strode from the kitchen. Outside, he stripped off his clothes and then dove into the water without waiting to see if she actually followed him. He needed to shred the wild energy skating over his skin, so he sliced through the water. Laps were one way to burn off the urge to kiss her.

The thought popped unbidden into his mind, and he snarled into the water as he reached the side, then pushed off to swim back. He couldn’t touch the woman, and he wanted to kiss her?

Dammit, he didn’t need another problem to complicate things.

S
ovvan trailed
after him to the poolside. The heat from the stones warmed her feet. A breeze stirred her skirt as she sidestepped his discarded clothes. Nudity didn’t bother her, and she had to admit, the view was worth any discomfort. Gathering her skirt, she took a step into the water. It was colder than she expected and lapped around her calves as she took a seat. The combination of near frigid water on her feet and the hot stone beneath her ass created a weird, but comfortable dichotomy.

Cassius did a dozen laps before he surfaced in the middle of the pool and stood. The water had to be about four feet deep but against his six foot plus frame, it left most of his torso out of the water.

“Feel better?” Getting to know him would be a challenge, but one she planned to enjoy. The conflict of it all wasn’t worth shying away from.

“It’ll do. So tell me what you know about the Reaping, I don’t want to repeat anything you’ve already heard.” He stayed in the middle of the pool, face tilted to the sun. Maybe swimming was how he played.

“I know some stories,” she said, swirling her feet in the water. “Most of them rumors really. We don’t have a lot of Sutter Butte transplants in Delta Crescent.” Some from Hudson River, one or two who’d mated in and even one from the Yukon, though she kept more to herself.

“Do you have a lot of outsiders from other packs that migrate into Delta Crescent?”

Sovvan shrugged. “Probably the same as any of the others. Wolves who mated in—or were looking for something different. The occasional Lone Wolf who puts down roots and applies to Serafina to stay.”

“Very few transplants come to Sutter Butte. Those who do…are usually tricked or think they will find something here that doesn’t exist.” No bitterness marred his words, yet instinct told her the statement didn’t sit well with him. “We’re not particularly friendly to outsiders.”

“Really?” She couldn’t help it, her first hour in his territory a mob tried to kill her. “I hadn’t noticed.”

The corners of his very firm lips dipped as he frowned. “We’re not particularly friendly to our own packmates, so why would we be friendly to outsiders?”

“Cassius, for this to work, you’re going to have to learn to take a joke and you’re also going to have to accept the idea that my thoughts of pack and yours are pretty alien and might even be incompatible. Why don’t you pretend I’m someone who knows nothing about you or your pack, and you tell me what I need to know to survive in it?” They had to start somewhere. “Oh, and explain the Reaping. Faust mentioned it has something to do with celebrating the battles fought at the founding of the pack, but not much more beyond that.”

She should have brought a band with her to pull her hair up. The heat kept her neck too warm. Gathering a handful, she brush it all around and over one shoulder to let the breeze touch her skin.

“Well, you’re female, so to survive you need to find a sponsoring family who will adopt you and protect you, or better still a mate because you’re old enough to have one. Even if you don’t find a proper mate, a lover will fit the bill.”

“How very caveman.” Was he serious? A lover to defend her?

“You asked.” He didn’t apologize for the statement either. “You wanted to know how to survive in my pack. If you don’t have protection, you fight. Everyone in the pack has a place, and they have to earn it. There’s defense of our lands, there’s supplying our needs, and finally, there’s answering the call to blood.”

Massaging her temple, she tried to keep the disbelief out of her expression. “I am under your protection, so I don’t need to fight or find a lover.”

With a hint of a grin, his gaze roved over her. “No, you don’t have to find a lover…though I assure you, you wouldn’t have any trouble in that department.”

“Good to know. Move along.” Had he just hit on her? Heat scorched her skin everywhere he’d looked and moisture pooled between her thighs. The man was fine, no escaping the fact. He was also strong, and her wolf wasn’t a fool. Strength had appeal. Virile strength, even more so, considering her own issues.

Throwing his head back, Cassius laughed. His deep, masculine chuckle captivated her. Even more, the look of surprise on his face charmed her. Was the surprise at her dismissal of his teasing come-on or for his laughter?

“Let me define protection…fathers protect their offspring, as they do their mates. Depending on the age of the wolf, one may also extend protection to parents and siblings. Family groups tend to bind together through mating and pool their resources. Sutter Butte currently has five large family groups. To attack one is to attack all, and they will respond in kind. The heads of those families answer to me.” His expression sobered. “If one of their family were to break the law, for example, the head of their family has a choice, they can discipline the action and then hope I agree with it, ask me for mercy or present their family member to me or themselves for the punishment.”

It sounded like the mafia. A very weird mafia. “Wait…they can present themselves? And that does what? Abrogate the crime of the family member if they take the punishment?”

BOOK: Desert Wolf
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