Her Wanted Wolf (40 page)

“Sabi, is all well?”

“Yes, listen, we’ve sighted the were who has Aimee’s spoor on him.” She
looked over at Drew as she continued to speak. “He’s headed north by sea. I
think you and Rafe should try to pick up his scent trail by back-tracking along
the route we took down here to see if he comes ashore at any point between here
and the spot we first caught her scent.”

Ishbel snorted. “I would, but I don’t know if I can get this inflexible
mass of muscles to agree to anything I suggest. I knew something was wrong and
told him to drive around until we spotted you and Drew, but did he listen? No.”

“I was following my alpha’s instructions.” Sabine heard Rafe’s aggrieved
response in the background.

“What are you, a mindless drone?” Ishbel’s riposte shot from the little
device. “Are you sure you don’t want us to come to you, at the very least we
could lure them away.”

Drew held out his hand and she handed him the phone. He pushed a button
and she heard Rafe and Ishbel bickering.

“Ishbel tell Rafe to turn on the speaker so we
all
can follow this
conversation.”

“Yeah.” Rafe’s tight voice echoed from the cell phone.

“Sabine suggests you and Ishbel head back up the coast.”

“Like hell I will.”

“I’ll be right behind you. Like I said, I’ve acquired transportation, but
I’m going to ditch it and get something less showy as soon as I feel we’re well
out of Bardo’s reach. I’ll keep my phone on so you can tell us where to meet
you. If you get wind of the S.O.B. who has Aimee’s spoor on him, get a fix on
his location, and keep him under surveillance. We’re going to have a little a
chat with him.” The deadly intent in Drew’s voice didn’t bode well for this
Micah.

“Looking forward to that. See you in a bit.”

Drew disconnected the call and made another. “Royal, Savannah is lousy
with Redmavens. It seems their alpha has arrived, so I want you to tighten the
noose. Have my fighters form a net around the city, so no Redmaven gets out.
Good, yeah, yeah, fine. I owe you one.”

He snapped the phone shut, dropped it on the seat between them, and
hauled her to his side by the arm.

“So you were worried about me?” His thumb flicked over the pulse point in
her wrist. It sent her heartbeat into a thready dance.

“Yes, and what about it?”

“You care about me, don’t you, Sabine?”

“Yes, I do” Her disgruntled answer elicited a snort from Drew.

“Don’t make it sound like it’s like swallowing a dose of nasty tasting
medicine,” he teased. Seeing the warm regard in his eyes, she rested her
forehead on his shoulder.

“That’s one way of putting it. I am in a bit of quandary. You make me
want to stray from the destiny laid out for me.” She blew out air and looked
over at him. “I didn’t get any peanut brittle.”

Her reply elicited a hearty laugh from her mate. She couldn’t help but
chuckle too. It was where she wanted to be and where she belonged.

His hand tightened on her arm. “If I get you some, will you accept my
mate’s mark?” The hint of demand beneath the amusement in his voice made her
pause.

She didn’t know what to say. The spot where he’d put his brand pulsed and
a hollow ache settled in the center of her chest. The yearning for the proof of
their bond on her body grew daily.

Drew could laugh. He wasn’t the one who had to admit she might have been
hasty about rejecting his mark. Did he covet the link as much as she did?

Ever honest, she blurted out, “Maybe…”

“Then soon.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brushed his lips
over the crown of her head. “The pleasure we’ve shared will pale in comparison
to what is to come. Now that’s a new experience I can’t wait to share with
you.”

Rife with carnal promises, the rumble of his voice sent vibrations
rippling through her body. Now she ached in places she shouldn’t while a rabid
wolf was on the hunt for them. But then the unexpected was to be expected with
her mate.

And, to be perfectly honest, she liked
it that way.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Sabine glanced over the muddy field packed with vehicles of every
description. The colorful array reminded her of a swarm of hard-shelled bugs.
The sky hovered between the brilliant orangey-pink of a dying evening and the
moody gray and blues of dusk as Drew searched for another car to
borrow
.

She’d be glad when they reconnected with Ishbel and Rafe. The fear-fed
adrenaline rush from evading the Redmavens had worn off. All she wanted was a
bath, a bed and a lot of food.

Hearing a soft
thunk
, she turned to see Drew slide behind the
wheel of a car. Sabine watched him pull down a bundle of electronic components
from under the dash. He stroked the wire like the strings of a harp before he
located whatever he needed to start the vehicle. She envied the ease with which
he manipulated mechanical devices to suit his needs.

He unlocked the passenger side door. “Hop in babe, we’ve got ourselves a
ride.”

She took her seat then winced as something sharp bit into her back.
Sabine wiggled to find a comfortable spot. “Is this the best you could do?”

Drew’s brows shot up. “What are you, a budding car snob?” He maneuvered
the car out of the lot and unerringly slipped into another never-ending flow of
travelers.

“I don’t care one jot about cars, but these seats are terrible.” She was
inexplicably irritable and anxious to see her sister.

“Why are you so crabby all of a sudden?” The question was valid. Her buoyant
mood after their near brush with Bardo had evaporated.

After they’d left the detritus-filled city behind, her senses opened up.
She caught intermittent whiffs of Micah’s musky masculine scent. Giddy that
they were on the right track, she’d chattered at Drew but for the last half-hour
a niggling uneasiness clawed at her perceptions. There was no hint of Redmaven
spoor on the wind currents so she couldn’t understand her growing apprehension.

“Do you have a feeling like something is not quite right?” Sabine asked
softly, staring out into the gloom broken by the blinding streaks of light left
behind by the passing cars.

Drew sent her a perplexed look. “Not more than the ordinary. What’s off
for you?”

Sabine shrugged. “Nothing. It’s nothing really. Maybe my senses are
overloaded by everything I’ve had to filter through lately. There were many
alien odors to identify, isolate and memorize.”

Drew’s eyes narrowed. He studied the traffic streaming over the opposite
side of the road, before he glanced at the little mirror to observe whatever
was coming up behind him.

His nostrils flared wide. “I don’t pick up on anything.”

She nodded in agreement. “Neither do I, not really.”

“Sabine, we live by our instincts, survived because of our
hyperawareness. The Silverwolves are especially talented in that area. If you
feel all is not as it should be, it isn’t. Let operate on the premise that you’re
right, okay.”

“You’re believe me even though I’m not sure myself?” Secretly pleased
with his belief in her, Sabine placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed. Drew
removed one of his hands from the steering wheel and threaded his fingers
through hers.

“Yep. Here is a new phrase for you to learn.
Shit happens
. And
lately it’s been happening to us more than most.”

“Don’t say anything to Ishbel about my uneasiness. I want to see if she
feels the same way I do without me bringing it to her attention.” She needed
confirmation that this silent, unseen, odorless irritant existed. If her
sister’s senses were prickling uncomfortably as much as hers were, they’d have
to seek out the source.

“We’ll be with them within a half an hour. Rafe said the town we’re
heading to has a heavy concentration of the rogue were’s spoor. We’ll check
into a hotel and go hunting for him when the town settles down for the night.”

Silence filled the small car, a sense of togetherness, bolstered by the
fact that she and Drew were now on the same level of alertness, which lessened
her agitation.

* *
* *

Drew pulled up beside the car Royal had loaned them on the deserted verge
along the highway.

Sabine saw the uncertainty in her sister’s eyes and she immediately knew
they shared the same disquietude.

Scrambling from the respective cars they’d been in, they hurried over to
hug each other. “You feel it too, don’t you?” Sabine asked.

Ishbel nodded. “Yes. What do you think is causing it?”

They gripped each other’s forearms, needing the familial connection. They
were bombarded by something indefinable. Ishbel was the only one there who
understood what she felt.

Ishbel shook her head. “I don’t know what to look or listen for, or try
to sniff it out.”

“I’d say it’s our sense of smell. It’s the one we can manipulate.”

Drew opened the back passenger door of the car. “Into the car, ladies,
and let’s get moving. We’re out in the open here.” They complied, and he joined
Rafe in the front of the car.

Rafe slid seamlessly into the northbound traffic. “Any sign of the were
we’re hunting?”

“Not yet, but Redmavens have spent some time in and around this town.
Ishbel caught Aimee’s trail too, mostly in places you’d gather supplies.” At
Drew’s sharply indrawn breath, he paused. “I didn’t mention this earlier to get
your hopes up because it didn’t pan out. We got strongest hits in Target and
Wal-Mart. The hinky thing is, we tried to track her, but lost her. Ishbel and I
hunted for the Redmaven hideout using the scent trail we picked up down in
Savannah, but it ended abruptly, too.”

Drew’s phone pealed loudly. He retrieved it from his pocket and frowned
at the device before he took the call.

“Lunedare. Who is this?” Drew’s benign expression hardened, icicles
formed in his eyes, and his lips pulled back into a ferocious grimace. Fury
rolled off him in menacing waves.

“Where’s my sister!” Drew barked into the phone.

Sabine picked up the voice at the other end of the line, but didn’t
recognize it.

“I don’t bargain with mutts. Let me talk to Aimee and I
might
let
you live.”

Drew’s jaw clenched, he didn’t like what he heard.

“Where and when. Don’t fuck me over on this, Redmaven. If I have to wait
a moment beyond the designated time I will skin you alive and make a pair of
boots out of your hide.” He cut the call and a cold mimicry of a smile spread
across his face. It chilled Sabine to the bone, in spite of the fact she knew
her mate to be a good man.

“It seems the were we’ve been tracking wants to have a meet, and I’m to
come alone.” The brown depth of Drew’s eyes burned with fury as he turned to
face Rafe. “We know that’s not going to happen, since we are all showing up for
the party. We have three hours to explore every nook and cranny by the pier
where he wants to meet. I want to know it so well, we’ll be able to approach or
leave the waterfront from several angles.” He paused and a feral smile spread
across his face. “This Micah Redmaven does not move beyond the periphery of our
awareness. I want us to know where he is the moment he sets foot on dry land.”

Drew was in full alpha mode. They were on a hunt now and nothing would
stand in his way. Sabine fidgeted, she should feel celebratory, but somehow she
couldn’t push the apprehension to the back of her mind far enough to relax.

Chapter Twenty-nine

It was a pretty night. The moon shed pale beams over the water in the
bay, kicked up into dancing waves by a soft breeze. The sultry air had cooled,
and a couple was taking a walk along the seashore. Anyone who happened to catch
sight of them heading for the old pier wouldn’t give them a second glance,
thinking they were taking a romantic stroll.

To them, it was ideal night for a hunt. The air was freshened by the
wind, making scents easy to identify, and long shadows created pockets of
darkness for concealment.

Sabine knew that in a few minutes, she and Drew would go their separate
ways, and her trepidation grew as the moment neared. She let out a soft gasp
when he spun her into a dark alleyway, pushed her back up against the wall, and
fastened his mouth on hers. He unleashed his emotions in his kiss. It was
fierce, demanding, and savage in its fervency.

Their tongues tangled as they drank each other in. Sabine wrapped her
arms around her mate and ran her hands over the length of his back. She
relished the fact that he was here, safe in her arms, with a frantic greed.

Drew pulled his mouth away, rested his forehead on hers, and let out a sigh.
“Listen to me. I don’t want you to take any unnecessary chances. I’m not asking
you as the dominant alpha here because you seem to have a problem following
orders. It’s as your mate I’m making this request. For all we know I may be
walking into a trap. Let it play out. I must believe you won’t deviate from the
plans we’ve laid out. Promise me.”

Sabine looked up at Drew. The steeliness in his eyes wouldn’t allow a
refusal.

It didn’t feel right to watch him stroll off to meet an unknown
adversary. Sabine wanted to get a good reading of what kind of were he was
meeting. Something was off, and never having doubted the instincts she’d always
relied on, her uncertainty made her afraid for Drew.

“Retreat if you’re in danger.” Drew shook his head as if it was an image
he didn’t want to visualize. “If that’s not possible, send up a howl.”

Letting out an impatient huff, Sabine tried to push him back, but he
wouldn’t budge. “I can take care of myself.”

He gripped her forearms and held her up against him. Between his hard
body and the wall, she couldn’t escape. “Why are we here?”