Her Wanted Wolf (32 page)

“I won’t risk anybody else.” He skimmed his eyes over his pack brothers
and sisters. “We need every able-bodied were to protect the women and young. Dubois
will sail for Louisiana. He has land where we can shelter until we establish a
permanent den.”

“Or we can stay aboard this belly-churning tub, while we slip in and out
of the city until we find them. We won’t leave you behind any more than you
would leave any of us to Rifkin’s mercy.” One of the older weres thrust his
chin out, daring Micah to object.

“Thank you for the sentiment, Renn, but we have a problem. Milo was the
one who doled out the funds for supplies. That’s been cut off since he we
didn’t nab him as planned. We’re going to need food and fuel for this barge.”

“If we had thought to bring my purse from the cave we would have access to
money.” Aimee chimed, in wanting to contribute something.

Micah stiffened beside her. Shoot, she couldn’t get her hands on the
money, but he was ready to go all Neanderthal on her and reject it.

“You mean that little bag with the shiny beads and stuff?” one of the
women piped in. She shifted nervously when everyone looked her way; visibly
regretting she brought attention to herself. “I have it in my bundle. I thought
you might want it back.”

“I won’t take Lunedare money,” Micah gritted out, his lips a tight
stubborn line.

Heaven save her from prideful weres. “It’s not Lunedare money, it’s my
money. As your mate I am now a member of this pack, so it’s Redmaven money.”

“She’s got you there, son. There has never been a man born who can win an
argument with a woman if she tosses female logic at you. Might as well give
in.” Renn chortled, his lips separated to show teeth worn down by age.

“It’d be a loan. We can pay her back, one day. Though I don’t know how,”
Micah muttered heavily.

“Hell boy, we old-timers know where the gold deposits are on Redmaven
land, it’s just a matter of getting it out,” Renn informed him helpfully.

“Are you forgetting we can’t set a paw or foot on our former territory?”
Micah reminded him, his tone dry as dust.

“I have hopes to run free over it again. Now take what your mate has
offered, and let’s get on with it. The sooner you cull the mutts from our pack,
the faster I can get the hell off this up-chuck dinghy.” Renn ambled off on
unsteady feet, looking a little green. The rest of the Redmavens followed Renn,
now that they’d found a way to solve their current problem.

“How do we go about getting the funds we need?” The sourness in Micah’s
tone put a grin on Aimee’s face. You would think he was about to a take a dose
of nasty medicine.

“Got a Bank of America anywhere near here?”

“I’ll find one, but you keep an account of what we take.”

“To the last penny. I might even charge you interest. A nice fat 20
percent.” Aimee rocked back on her heels and waited for his reaction.

Micah’s brows shot up. “That’s highway robbery.”

“Well you insisted on it being a loan, so I feel bound to charge you
interest. I am however open for negotiations. What are you going to put up to
secure the loan?” She ran her hand over his upper arm suggestively.

Micah’s lips twitched as he fought to stifle a grin. “I feel so cheap.
Come on Shylock. Let me show you my collateral.”

Chapter Twenty-three

Drew stretched his body out to the fullest and vaulted over the tree
trunk barring his way. He landed lightly and, without pausing, he continued to
wind his way through the thick brush at full speed. Familiar with every nook
and cranny in his territory, he deliberately chose the most perilous path to
test the mettle of the wolves he ran with.

It was a final test to see how well the paired weres worked together.

The pairings weren’t always a comfortable fit, Rafe and Ishbel being the
most fractious. Something was bubbling between those two. He didn’t care what
the hell it was, as long as it didn’t interfere with their mission.

The women would be at the forefront of any skirmish and Drew still wasn’t
comfortable with the idea. His ears still rang from the
discussions
they’d
had before a compromise they could all live with was reached. The women would
get his men to within a hairsbreadth of a target and then fall back to cover
the male weres’ backs once the fighting started.

The two-wolf teams finally achieved the crucial skill of anticipating
their partner’s next move on a silent run. He was satisfied that they were
cohesive units. Drew knew he should be exhausted but the renewed sense of hope
and purpose that the Silverwolves’ gifts would afford them, energized him.

Drew glanced over his shoulder, listened to Sabine’s labored breathing,
and tamped down the inclination to shorten his stride. She wouldn’t thank him
for it because she kept apace with him, in spite of her shorter gait. He
changed his direction without warning. Reading his unvoiced cues, she responded
instantaneously and followed him up the rocky crest.

The triangular ridge marking his destination rose out of the sea of green
like a shark’s fin. Drew let out a howl of triumph before he charged over the
last crest with his companions panting at his paws.

Drew broke through the trees and raced to the rippling pools carved into
the rock-face by a series of graduated waterfalls. Fed by melted snow from the
higher elevations, the gushing water was ice cold and a welcome sight after his
run. He dipped his head into one of the shallow basins to allow the pure sweet
water to flow over his tongue. He drank deeply to quench his thirst.

Hearing soft footfalls behind him, Drew looked over his haunch at Sabine
and gestured with his head for her join him before he jumped into the swimming
hole. The frigid water cooled his heated body and washed away the muscle
fatigue he’d acquired over the last couple of days.

Water buffeted his body, as his pack members dived in after him, pushing
him deeper. He allowed himself to sink until his paws touched the white
limestone silt lining the bottom of the swimming hole. Twisting his body, Drew
aimed his muzzle at the surface and paddled upward. His head broke through the
water and he drew crisp air into his starved lungs.

Yips and taunting challenges issued as the weres splashed and frolicked
around him. They were taking advantage of the respite from the punishing
mock-skirmishes Rafe had put them through over the past week. He hoped it would
ease some of the strain waiting for word of Aimee’s location laid on them.

Drew looked around for Sabine and saw her climbing out of the pool. She
shook out her fur and sent large, gemlike globules of water flying through the
air before she shifted.

Shit, her backside was a black, blue, and yellow mural.

Drew watched her climb up to a sun-heated slab of shale hanging over one
of the higher basins, seeming to need some distance from the rest of them. She
dropped down on the stone, lay on her back, closed her eyes, and lifted her
face to the sky.

Shifting, he navigated the slippery lichen-covered formations and joined
Sabine on her rocky bed.

“What’s wrong?” He took her hand in his.

“Nothing, just a little tired. Do you think we’ll be able to do what you
need us to do?”

Drew frowned. He’d never seen her uncertain about her abilities before.
“Are you kidding me? With you shielding us, we literally bit the opposing team
on their hairy asses before they caught wind of us. Gustav sings your praises
to anyone who’ll listen.” He cupped her chin and looked into her eyes, trying
to gauge her mood. “Are you having second thoughts?”

The look she shot was both impatient and admonishing. “No. It’s just that
I’ve realized how easily one of my pack sisters could receive a mortal wound.
Learning to fight amongst ourselves was a lot easier than sparring with your
men. These exercises leave us a little battered and bruised.”

“Yeah, things can get a little chaotic in the heat of a battle, but if
it’s any consolation, your women gave as good as they got. I’m still sore from
Kai barreling into my gut and flipping me onto my ass. Neat maneuver.” He
touched a fading abrasion on her hip. “You women have a million of them under
all that silky fur, don’t you?”

She grinned, her smile full of her pride in her pack. “Yes we do. You
never gave me the details why Bardo wants your hide on his wall.”

Drew’s lips twisted into a grimace. “Bardo is jonesing for some payback.
It all started when Justice snatched Saffa and the leadership of the packs from
under his nose. Then there is the little matter of his public humiliation
because Justice pissed on him in front of the assembled packs.”

“Don’t you mean he pissed him off?” Drew’s brows flew up at her use of
the slang she’d picked up from his men. She was a fast learner.

“No, I mean, Justice lifted his hind leg and whizzed all over Bardo.”
Idly, he took up a lock of her hair and brushed it behind her ear.

Sabine slapped at his hand like she swatted a fly. “An effective insult,
but not very diplomatic of our supreme alpha.”

“He hadn’t claimed the position yet, but the woman he loves was
threatened. Tact tends to go out the window in a situation like that.”

“So Bardo lost face before the packs.” Sabine pursed her lips but and her
expression lightened with laughter.

“It was something to see, Bardo and Justice ripping into each other
before Gretchen, Saffa’s grandmother, called a halt to the fight. Justice was
frustrated that he couldn’t put Bardo down permanently, but he delivered the
ultimate insult in front the assembled packs. It would make any wolf more than
a little pissy. No pun intended.”

“It would make Bardo’s hold on the leadership of his pack somewhat
tenuous. It would explain why he’s hunting us so obsessively.”

“Yeah, he needs something really remarkable to shore up his position. You
Silverwolves would fit the bill perfectly.” Drew reclined beside Sabine, slid
his arm under her shoulders, and pulled her close.

“I can understand that, but why take Aimee?”

Drew grimaced. “Bardo couldn’t find an opening in Justice’s defenses. He
struck at Justice through his closest allies, the Lunedares.”

“It just occurred to me that all the Silverwolf women of breeding age
will be going to help retrieve your sister. There are bound to be casualties,”
Sabine stated solemnly, looking over the wolves romping in the water. A
troubled expression clouded her eyes. “If by some fluke, we all don’t make it
back there will be no one left to ensure the continuity of our bloodline. One
of my pack sisters should remain behind safe in the Lunedare den.”

“Good thinking. You can stay behind and oversee the wellbeing of the pack
until I get back.”

The look she gave him said,
nice try, but not happening
. “If I
stay, you stay,” she challenged.

“I am the alpha of my pack. There is no question of me remaining behind.
Just saying, if someone has to stay behind, it might as well be you.” He laid
his hand on her belly. “I’d hoped your breeding cycle would have started, and
I’d get you with child before we had to begin our hunt. A son.” At the rising
of Sabine’s silvery eyebrow, he grinned. “Or daughter, to make sure something
of me remains if
I
don’t make it back. It’d be a reason for you to stay,
don’t you think?”

A sly taunting smirk spread across her face. “What are you saying? The
Lunedares’ alpha is going to let the mangy Redmavens get the better of him?”

“Fuck that, it’s…I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I can’t promise I won’t get hurt, any more than you can, but as you know
I’m a very slippery she-wolf. You’d still be chasing me if we hadn’t needed
you.” She shot him a taunting glance, her lips curving into a taunting smirk.

“Yeah, about that, I never did punish you properly for shredding my ego.”
He captured Sabine’s lips with his. Drew slid his tongue against hers in sexy
licks and laps, which he knew would ignite the fiery need always simmering
between them.

Drew tightened his hand on Sabine’s hips and pulled her closer to nestle
his manly pride against the soft cushion of her belly. He eased back when she
flinched.

Sabine’s lips curved into a purely feminine smile, the one that meant a
woman was about to lead a man around by his cock. She pushed the crests of her
breasts into his chest. A groan rumbled up from his throat.

Drew looked down at her and the bruise on her upper arm doused the
rampant need racing through him. He held her away from him. “Behave yourself,”
he ground out.

Chest to chest, groin to groin, with their legs tangled together, the
unconscious intimacy of her act made him horny as hell.

Pleased, he grinned. “You cuddle up to me like it’s the most natural
thing now. I must be growing on you.”

“You must be. I don’t find you as arrogant, domineering or hard headed as
I thought you’d be.” Her dry as dust tone had him laughing aloud.

That’s his girl. She gave an inch, but grudgingly. “Would it be so hard
to admit that you want me?” He nipped her earlobe and got the expected
response. She shivered and the fragrance she exuded changed subtly, to
something richer, riper, sweeter, and sexier.

His touch did that to her, and the knowledge hardened his cock even more.
Drew spent hours acquainting himself with the most sensitive points on her
body. Now his slightest caress on the right spot brought her to full arousal.

Giving in to the need to draw out more of her essence, he reached one
hand down to brush his fingertips over the tender skin behind her knee resting
on his hip. With the fingers of his other hand, he flicked a nail over her
nipple. Yes, there it was, the sensual muskiness, rife with her arousal. He
dragged the scent into his lungs like a drug.

“If I have to be good, stop toying with me,” Sabine grumbled, her cheeks
flushed a ruddy pink. What really riveted his attention was her nipples bloomed
into hard nubs. Hell, he loved her big puffy nipples.