Forbidden (30 page)

Alek's jaw dropped so fast he felt air on the back of his throat. “What?!”

She continued, her voice more uncomfortable with each passing word. “I found the photos. It's obvious the kids are magically frozen. Pretty disturbing stuff. I've got no idea what might have happened to the missing kids, but I'm afraid it's really bad. As far as I can tell, not a soul in town even questions that they're gone. Ten years, eleven kids that I've found evidence of. I managed to get one back this morning, Darrell Williams, but I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. I think his sister's still out in the wild somewhere.”

Amber's voice held barely contained fury. “Why haven't you questioned the boy yet, agent? They could be destroying evidence right now, or worse, disposing of the boy.”

Claire didn't wither under the press of emotions or magic lashing at her. “At first, I trusted that the boy was getting medical attention because his AP siblings said they were taking him to the local nurse. They don't have a healer, by the way, and haven't for over a year. The townspeople honestly believe that the Council and Wolven have abandoned them. It wasn't until late in the day that I realized I didn't know where the boy was, and then things were moving too fast.

“I found the pictures in the police station's basement after I was locked in, then Alek and I chased what I think is the perpetrator after I broke out.”

“Wait,” Alek interrupted, his scent mingled confusion and anger. “How did you break out? The basement is completely secure; unbreakable.”

She shrugged. “I suppose it's meant to hold people without tools. My pocket knife has a screwdriver. I crawled up through the heating vents.” She turned her attention back to Amber. “He has enough power to do a full-out blackout of all senses over a wide area. I think that's how he's been taking kids. And he's
fast
. We lost him just an hour or so ago; that's how we wound up here.”

She let out a frustrated growl from deep in her chest. “Everything came to a head today. Like my arrival was a lit match to a powder keg.”

There was a pause while everyone took in the information. Long minutes passed. Finally, Lucas said abruptly, “You need to go back. And Amber, you need to leave.”

“What?” Claire sounded shocked, though Amber's magic held her so firmly that her expression didn't show her emotion. “My cover is blown in a dozen different ways. You'd be sending me back to my death. And Alek's … and probably the kids.'”

“Not if Amber puts all the connections back the way she found them, with one exception. She's going to be listening in. I know you've done that before.”

“It won't work,” Amber said to Alek's great relief. “The Second will already know that the tie has been broken. He's probably looking for them right now. Even if we could think up a good enough cover story on why the pack tie was interrupted, he'd notice a new thread. He's likely discounted the old pack thread as a remnant. But this would be too obvious to miss.”

There was a slyness to the Wolven chief's voice when he replied. “It would be, so we make it even
more
obvious. We exploit the mating binding and hide the passive tie inside.”

Exploit the mating binding? “Um … say again? What do you mean?”

For the first time Lucas spoke to him directly. “Look, Alek. None of this is your fault. When we sent Claire to Luna Lake, we thought she was a strong enough alpha to handle whatever came up. Van Monk is a solid leader. But apparently this Second of yours has managed to slip through the cracks and mess with his mind.

“Your link to the Chicago pack has made you at least somewhat immune to whatever's happening. Nikoli is strong enough to resist being shut out. Claire is linked to the Texas pack, and they were already planning on trouble by letting her go undercover. You say you want to be a Wolven agent. With that responsibility comes the occasional order to do something uncomfortable. Sometimes our agents have to hurt or even kill someone for the greater good.”

He nodded. “I understand that. Wolven agents have to go into danger.”

“All I'm asking you to do is let a mating play out … have sex with a beautiful woman you're already attracted to.” Alek felt a fluttering in his chest and buzzing filled his ears. He looked at Claire and found her likewise shocked at the implication, or at least as surprised as she could look while still held in place.

Amber looked both amused and impressed at the idea. “The binding will tighten and will hide the lesser tie. I can listen to whoever is attaching and gather evidence the Council can use. My memories can be directly accessed by any of the seers.”

Lucas agreed. “Correct. Right now, even with photographs, we don't have enough. It's too easy to digitally alter pictures. It would be simple for them to argue that the evil newcomer, Claire, is besmirching their good names.” They heard him sigh through the phone. “The Council is split on many things right now. If we vote to remove a pack leader from command, it has to be unanimous.”

Claire sighed. “A mating
would
explain why we disappeared. People in town have already noticed how we look at each other. Alek's brother told me to leave and I was attacked tonight by another woman in the pack who noticed Alek's unusual attention to me.”

Sounding worried, Amber interjected, “They just met a few days ago, Lucas. They might not be ready to hop into bed together on command.”

Lucas's reply was almost gentle. “Not even to catch a predator who might also be a murderer?” When he didn't get an immediate response, he added, “Amber, you sifted through Siska's mind. Anything that would make him unworthy?”

Unworthy? Of
what
? It was such an odd question that he didn't know what to think. The revelation that Amber had been sifting through his mind was harder to take. How long had she been doing that? Since they'd arrived?
What the hell!

“Other than the puppet strings, not a thing. I know I said he wouldn't work, but he's intensely honest, to the point of constant self-adjustment. He'd be a good pick overall once he's clean. I'm sure Nikoli would vouch to the rest of the Council. It would take a little work and maybe some shiny tribute to get him to release his ties, but Charles could convince him.”

“Great. Alek Siska, as Wolven chief, you're officially appointed as a new field agent for Wolven.”

“What?” Just like that? For years, Alek had been focused on joining Wolven. He'd hoped that someday he'd have enough knowledge, meet the right person, and somehow get an audience with someone high enough in the organization to even
apply
for Wolven. And now, here he was, a field agent? Surely this was a dream. He had to be about to wake up in his own bed.

“Your first official assignment is to help Agent Evans catch the bastard who is hurting kids in your town. It'll be an undercover job. If you don't want to actually be mated to Agent Evans—and trust me when I say I understand that—I'm ordering you to
pretend
you are long enough to find out the truth.”

He raised his voice so everyone in the cabin could hear him clearly. “Listen carefully: I don't want him or her dead. I want them to stand before the Council and be forced to admit every sordid detail, so
they
can make the person dead. If that bastard is your own Second or the Alpha, so be it. If they're being framed, find out who's guilty. Amber, if they need to have some memories wiped, take care of that. I have some calls to make. Amber will be your local contact from the cabin. Just think what you need and she'll handle it.”

Without saying good-bye, Lucas disconnected the call; the phone beeped quietly and the screen went black. Amber tucked the phone into her pocket and quickly moved toward a pair of boots drying by the fireplace.

“Okay, then. I hadn't planned on staying here for an extended time. I'm going to need to pick up some things at a grocery store. Not much around here, but there's a truck stop on the interstate near the Canadian border. You two need to figure out what you have to do to make this work. Once you have a plan, tell me and I'll take care of the rest. But if Lucas says I can't come back to Luna Lake, then I won't. It would be easier with me there, but he has some plan in mind and I don't want to mess with that.” She continued as she pulled on knee-high boots with laces. “I can make you forget this whole conversation, even forget you're mated. I've done that a few times before. But you'll still know who you are and what you need to do.” She finished tying her boots and looked up to see them staring at her.

“Wow, those are big eyes. Yes, I'm leaving, even if you give me that deer-in-the-headlights look. You're Wolven agents. Own it. Decide what you want and then tell me. When I come back, you'll have to leave. Figure out where you need to go.” She got up and pulled on a heavy parka hanging on a carved stand near the door. She twisted the knob and tried to open the door, but it didn't move. Amber braced herself and yanked. The door budged slightly, letting in a frigid wind—the door must have frozen shut. The healer pulled up the furred hood of her jacket and buckled it tightly across her neck. “God, I hate driving in ice.
Bon chance,
you two.”

The door opened after another yank, admitting swirls of tiny ice crystals that sparkled for a few seconds before melting into rain.

Amber stepped into the storm and shut the door.

Alek and Claire were alone.

The ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner seemed to boom louder with each passing second. He hadn't a clue what to say. His mind was putty.

“So…” Claire said, dragging the word out. “
Congratulations?
” She sounded unsure. “Welcome to Wolven.”

He grabbed a chair from the dining room table next to him and sat down heavily. “Can he just
do
that? I don't know the first thing about being a Wolven agent. I haven't even gone through the academy.”

Claire shrugged and then turned to walk toward the kitchen, saying over her shoulder, “Lucas Santiago is the chief and a former Council member. I think he can do whatever he wants.”

As the rush of adrenaline faded, the enormity of the situation fell on him like a lead weight. “What the hell am I going to do?” He put his head in his hands and tried to remember how to breathe.

The scent came first, spiced chocolate and musk. When he opened his eyes, a beer bottle had appeared on the table before him. Claire clinked the one in her hand against it. “Wing it. Like me.” She took a long drink and then put a hand on his. The tingles threatened to overwhelm his brain. “I'm sorry. For everything.”

He couldn't do anything other than stare at that tiny hand, so pale, perfect. He wanted to lick it, taste her skin. “What's everything?”

“Oh, I don't know. Siphoning your magic, lying to you, exposing what's happening in your town … ruining your life? Pick one.”

Those eyes. So earnest. So very blue, like the ice swirling against the window. He could drown in those eyes. She'd said words, but they didn't make sense in his brain. “What?”

Claire kept staring at him and her jaw went slack, her lips parting just a bit. He leaned forward. He had to touch them. Couldn't help himself.

She jerked back her hand like it was on fire and pushed back her chair, nearly tripping over it to back away. “I'm sorry. I keep doing that.”

“What?” His brain was clearing. The farther away she was, the more he could think.

“You're mated to me. You're going to be attracted to me. I keep putting you in a position where you can't think. You'll be distracted and won't be able to investigate.” She stopped in front of the fire, keeping her back to him. “That's not fair to you.”

He slipped off the loaner shoes, which were killing his arches, and padded across the room on stocking feet until he was only inches behind her. He slipped his arms around her waist. She flinched so hard she would have fallen into the fire but for his grip on her. He whispered into her ear, slow, letting his breath raise goose bumps on her skin. “Let me decide what's fair to me. Maybe I don't want to think right now.”

“Alek…”

She smelled of musky desire and fear. The desire was stronger, enough to make him instantly hard. She moaned when he pulled her tight against the weight of his erection. The pressure of her body against him was intoxicating. When he nosed her hair aside and began to lick her neck, a small sob crept out of her throat. Her fingers dug into his arm and one hand lifted to slide across his hair and pull his mouth tighter to her. He felt a surge of some emotion well up inside him. It was more than lust, but different from any version of love he'd known. It was … completeness. It spread through him, urging him on to include her, needing her to be part of this. Not just as a recipient, but a participant.

He didn't remember turning her around. Maybe she'd done it on her own. But he remembered the instant their mouths met. She tasted of hops and honey and chocolate fire.

There was nothing beneath the zippered sweater except her skin, soft and warm under his roaming hands. But he needed more. His mouth still on hers, tongues tangled, he gently lowered her to the Oriental rug in front of the fire. Her gasp, her tightened fingers on his back, emboldened him. He raised his head to look at her face as he unzipped her sweater, then lowered his gaze to stare at her perfectly formed breasts, just large enough to fit in his hand. Her nipples were already taut and the rush of cool air made them pucker, looking like they were begging to be kissed.

He obliged.

The gasp turned to a moan. She tugged on the back of his shirt. “Off.”

He sat up long enough to pull the shirt over his head. Claire's hands glided over the skin of his chest, setting his mind on fire. He let out a little growl. She lingered on his shoulders and then pulled him forward. He found her mouth again, then settled his weight between her muscled legs. The pants would have to go next, but this was good for now.