Guarding Mari (6 page)

Kat’s green eyes shone brightly, her excitement hard to miss. “You’ve got a guest. Should be arriving any minute. You need to get to the meeting hall.”

She frowned. Nobody from her old life knew where she lived, even her parents only had her phone number. “Who?”

***

The last time he’d been at the compound, he’d said good-bye to his mate. He remembered the day like it was yesterday. The place hadn’t changed. The patches of earth used for wheat and vegetables were still the same. The path that led up to the mountain still partially hidden by trees and overgrown bushes. Daniel, Adam, and William had spent most of their childhood racing up and down the path.
Do the younger cubs still do that?
  He couldn’t see the water, but the sea crashed into the rocks. The salty sea air filled his nose. Damn, he missed this place. He scanned the makeshift houses—all of them had the same design, uniform. Inside was a different story. The pack added its own unique touches.
Did she stay in the place I left her, all those years ago?

Her scent was branded into his memory. It haunted him, but the sea air masked it, making it impossible to single out. He growled. There wasn’t any point in getting impatient now. Unfortunately, his wolf didn’t want to listen to him. Daniel stalked to the meeting rooms. Adam had asked him to meet there. A few cubs glanced up as he made his way through the compound. A shrill whistle cut through the air and caught his attention. Jesse waved at him from the fields and he waved back. There would be time to talk to her later.

He pushed the thick oak door open and the gentle hum of the air condition greeted him. The meeting hall wasn’t very big, but there was more than enough room for the thirty pack members who called the compound home. Used for gatherings and mealtime, the room included long tables lining the walls and a separate entrance leading into a kitchen.

“You’ve got a look on your face.” Adam grinned at him, getting to his feet.

He laughed. “This place is full of memories; do you remember Alyson Hart and the casserole incident? I didn’t think we’d ever get rid of the burnt smell in here.”

Adam offered his hand, and he slipped his into the firm grip. The wolves snarled at each other, alphas facing off. Daniel wouldn’t be able to stay for long. They rivaled each other in height and power these days, Adam might have been an alpha for longer, but Daniel was a fast study. He let go of his friend’s hand and cast out his senses like a fisherman’s net. Since his wolf danced underneath his skin, it made sense to use his enhanced abilities.

“She’ll be here in a minute. Kat went to get her.” He sounded amused and Daniel fought the urge to start pacing. He couldn’t ignore the fact Mari might not be happy to see him. He wished he brought better news with him. It would have been easy to focus on the negative but he refused to linger on it. He changed the subject instead.

“How’s mated life?”

Adam grinned at him. “Pretty damn good. Kat’s still adjusting, but life’s never been so good before.” As if he’d sensed his nervousness, his former alpha frowned. “Does she know you’re coming today?”

“I thought I’d surprise her.” The door opened behind him, and her scent drifted over him, teasing him, urging him to turn around and see her.

“You’re definitely going to do that. Maybe I should have removed the tables and other breakables?” Daniel ignored him, focusing on the distinctively feminine smell of his mate.

“Daniel?”

Daniel turned around to see her, Mari, the woman who owned his heart and soul. Her dark hair had been cut short and showed off delicate cheekbones and full lips. Her blue-grey eyes held him transfixed. All he could see was her. The moment must have run through his mind a thousand times—what he would do when he saw her again. Fear rooted him to the spot. He wanted to close the distance between them, to take her into his arms and never let her go. What if she didn’t want him anymore? She stalked toward him, the sway of her hips vanishing as she broke into a run, launching herself at him like a little pixie bullet. Adam and Kat left them as his feisty woman claimed his lips with a passion and intensity that shook him to his very core.

Home, it felt like coming home.

He kissed her with equal passion, a tangle of tongues and nibbled lips. He held her tight, loving the way she molded perfectly against him. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his jeans and pushed the denim fabric around his ankles in a heartbeat, followed by his boxers. His cock nudged the crux of her jeans.

“You’re wearing a lot of clothes,” he whispered against her lips before moving her to the table and laying her down. Daniel wanted to touch every part of her, to take it slow and savor the moment, but, after three years, his restraint hung by a thread. He unzipped her jeans, tugged them and her panties down and off.

Her eyes were half closed; the scent of her desire teased him as he rolled on a condom he’d retrieved from his jeans. He mentally high-fived himself at remembering. He hadn’t dreamed they’d reach this point so soon but three years was a long time to go without the touch of his mate. He grabbed her ankles and pulled her to him, spearing her. Her wetness encased him in one swift motion.

A roar of triumph escaped him and she whimpered in need.

He half collapsed onto her, taking her hands and pinning them above her head, burying his head against the curve of her neck, nibbling at the sweet spot, remembering how much she’d responded the first time he kissed her there. “You are mine,” he growled. “And you have all of me, Mari.” He moved his hips, dipping in and out, shallow hits before he thrust inside of her welcoming warmth.

She cried out.

The sweet sound clutched his heart. Her body shuddered underneath him, her eyes snapped open, a vivid blue, and she screamed. She went impossibly wet and tight. Daniel spiraled after her, moving hard and fast as his orgasm exploded at the base of his spine, spreading over his body like wildfire, “Oh, Goddess, Mari.”

His minx of a mate grinned up at him. “Hello.” She wriggled out of her shirt and bra. He darted forward, catching her nipple between his teeth. Her fingers were in his hair as she arched, pushing her chest against his questing mouth before Daniel pulled away. The change between human and wolf, seamless and beautiful. Her fur a thin dusky gold and the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She jumped off the table landing on her paws. She glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes full of mischief, she waited. Daniel stripped out of the rest of his clothes. Her challenge was clear and unmistakable.

Catch me if you can, Greyborn.

Mari darted through the undergrowth. The twigs slapped against her hindquarters and it spurred her on. Daniel wasn’t her alpha and besides one night in a motel room and five minutes ago, when he’d tamed her spirit and her restless wolf, she demanded solid proof. If he’d thought she’d just roll onto her back and show her belly, he couldn’t have been more wrong. Daniel needed to be the wolf who tamed both sides of her. The human part of her wanted him with every ounce of her being. She couldn’t believe what they’d done in the meetinghouse. She’d never be able to go in there and not picture him thrusting inside of her on top of the table. She could have gone several more rounds with him even before they left the compound. Three years of using her fingers and toys to take off the edge had grown boring quickly.

She skidded to a stop. Her ears twitched, catching the sounds of the forest around her. A twig snapped to her left, and she took off to the right. The sound of activity exploded behind her as the grey wolf pounced on leaves. She mentally smiled to herself, ducked under a low branch and kept running. Birds flew in all directions as she broke through the undergrowth. She kept away from the water. The cliff was a dead end anyway, but she didn’t plan on making it easy for him. She made her way to the fallen tree and leaped onto the trunk running up the length. There was a split second of warning before a wolf leapt out in front of her. Grey might have been a cold color, but on Daniel it was beautiful, soft, and warm. Mari launched herself at him again, but this time, ready for her, he rolled underneath, getting behind her with a skill every hunter had. He nipped at her neck, throwing her off balance, pressing himself against her, flooding her senses with a sensual overload. A power unique to his alpha status poured into her. It coaxed at her, tantalizing as freshly cooked fudge. She gave herself over to him, letting her wolf retreat back inside of her.

The sharp teeth at the base of her neck morphed into soft kisses, dancing down her spine. Claws became hands cupping her butt cheeks. “Do you submit to me?”

Mari rubbed her face into the grass and closed her eyes, “Always.” She wriggled her butt in invitation, but a sharp slap nearly knocked the lust right out of her. “What did you do that for?” She turned around to see Daniel sitting on the grass.

“Because, if I didn’t, we would be making love again, and we really need to talk.”

Personally, she had a problem with that. There were plenty of fantasies she’d rather be living out, rather than talking. “I guess it’s too much to ask if you just came here for me.”

“I will always come for you, sweetheart, always.” There was no mistaking the seriousness in his eyes and no point in arguing with him. “You are the other half of me. You are the piece which makes sense and, if anything happened to you, it would kill me.”

She scooted forward, bare skin brushing against damp grass. She reached out, touching his face.

“I’m not going anywhere, Daniel. I’m right here.”
Why is he being so serious?
  The times she’d imagined them together had never played out like this.

He glanced over his shoulder, looking anxious. What had happened to worry him so much? “Maybe we should have this conversation back at the compound.” His words sent fear spiking through her, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

She reached out for him, cupping a chin dusted with fine hair. The wolf inside wanted to comfort her mate as much as Mari did. “Talk to me, what happened?”

He took a deep breath and Mari crawled onto his lap. Fear coated her tongue, a bubbling in the pit of her stomach. It felt like his emotions bled into her and, if Daniel was scared, what hope did she have? “A few weeks ago, the day after Adam and Kat left, the wolves in my pack found a body, a human female, naked and very dead, on the edges of our compound.”

She frowned. “What happened to her?” Daniel’s grip tightened around her waist, the hug more about comfort than sex.

“Ryback happened to her.”

His words hit her like ice water. She pulled away from him, needing a distance he gave her. No, no, it couldn’t be possible. It couldn’t be him.

 
“Please don’t hurt me.” She moved her hands out behind her. God, there has to be a weapon somewhere. She refused to stand there and let this thing kill her. Her questing hand touched something solid and hot.

More interested in torturing her and prolonging the moment, the monster didn’t see what her hands or what she had in them. Mari picked up the cup of still-hot coffee and smashed it on him. The scalding liquid splashed her, but her attacker took a face full. He reared back, roaring in rage, and she fled.

It didn’t seem possible that a nightmare unfolded behind her. In the well-lit corridor, with its clean floors, it could have been any other night. Instead, her heart pounded against her ribs. The stairs, I just need to get to the stairs. The air in her lungs burnt. A security guard, someone, anyone who can help me. The double doors slammed open behind her and another terrible roar spurred her to run faster.

I will not die. Survival. It was all she had left.

Trapped. Pain erupted like fire through her shoulder. She screamed. A heavy body struck her from behind, and she hit the shiny floor. The blow claimed the last of her oxygen.

“I told you I like it when they run.” The words growled into her ear filled her with dread. “There isn’t time for my usual flair, but I’ll be drinking down your screams soon enough. It will have to do.”

“Let her go.”

“Mari, look at me.” Daniel’s voice brought her back from the nightmare. His warm arms curled around her; a tremor went through her that had nothing to do with the cold.

“How do you know it’s him?” She prayed for it to be a mistake, even if she knew the man who held her with the utmost care never made them.

“The way he killed her—I’ve found enough of his kills to know his distinct style. There’s no way it could have been anyone else. I caught his scent there, revolting and nauseating, like he’d deliberately marked the spot. He wanted me to know who did it. Are you okay?” Concern flashed in his eyes as he searched hers. Hands on her shoulders, his wolf nudged against hers, a mental touch showing their reformed bond. “He won’t get you. He isn’t going to hurt anyone else ever again.”

The hairs on her arms stood on end. Years had passed since she thought of him at all, the monster who murdered a harmless old man. Ryback, a serial killer and a wolf, a dangerous combination. So much had changed in one night, some she would never want to take back, her mate for one. “What are you planning to do?”

She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. “I’m going after him.” His words rumbled in his chest and she closed her eyes, leaning into him. He could kill Ryback, she knew that. He’d been trained to track down and kill rogues. That night he chose to save her instead of finishing the assignment. How many people had died because he’d carried her up to the hospital floor to get help?

“You’re not leaving without me.”

“Mari....”

She pulled away from him. There was a conflicted look in his eyes. She didn’t blame him; the idea of him tracking down Ryback by himself left a bitter taste in her mouth. “Get the thought of leaving me behind out of your head. This isn’t just your fight, it’s ours, and we both need to finish it.” She shrugged. “I’m the perfect bait. Since it’s me he wants.”