Leader of the Pack (2 page)

She shifted away, never allowing him at her back. “Today I believe in anything.”

Another circle around her. Another long-drawn in breath. “Good, that will make things easier.”

“
Make what easier?”

Her eyes narrowed when he stopped in front of her. But he ignored her question, time enough for that later. Time enough to explain just how drastically her life had changed the moment she’d walked into this deserted house. The mating fire racing through his veins demanded he carry her away from the danger. It demanded that he claim her. Take her over and over, until she didn’t know day from night or tomorrow from yesterday. He tamped down the animal, knowing he couldn’t do that. At least not yet. “My name is Jared Stone. I’m a special agent for the FBI.”

“
Oh, thank goodness.” She took a step in his direction, all signs of apprehension gone. “I’m a deputy sheriff for Boone County. Does this mean your office is finally taking me seriously? I reported my friend missing two days ago. She’s a reporter for the
Chronicle
.”

Jared started as she identified herself as a law enforcement officer. On the one hand, it delighted him. She would fit into his life perfectly. But his protective instincts went into overdrive at the mere thought of her dangerous job. What had she planned to do, place the vamp under arrest and ask politely would he mind going to jail for the rest of his unnatural life?

He’d been working the case for over six months now. The kidnapper – for no dead bodies had surfaced – eluded him at every turn. Women from different walks of life were being taken. And as far as he could tell, they were always taken at night. His suspicions that he was dealing with more than your average, everyday run-of-the-mill psychopath were confirmed when a young were from his pack disappeared a week ago. A wolf would have obliterated a human serial killer from the face of the earth. There was only one supernatural being who could have kidnapped, or worse, murdered a wolf, even a young wolf. A vampire. Werewolves and vampires had battled for the top of the food chain for centuries. Neither species had an advantage over the others.

But both were determined not to share their existence with the world at large. Perhaps it was time to enlist some supernatural help. He’d been reluctant at first. How he hated the thought of being beholden to a vampire. But with Emily now in the picture, he didn’t have a choice. He needed to stop this and stop it fast. Even if it meant asking a blood sucking vamp for assistance.

“
What’s your name, baby?” he asked, his voice husky and warm.

“
My name is Emily, Emily Smith.”

“
Emily.” He whispered her name, seductive and inviting.

An unnatural sound rose from the bowels of the house. The beast in him jumped to full alert. Something stirred below. “Damn,” he muttered. He couldn’t stay here, not now. Not with Emily. Had he been alone, he would have taken his chances with whatever the vamp sent his way, but his mate’s safety was far too important. He grabbed her arm. “We’ve got to go.”

“
Wait.” Emily dug in her heels but the effort proved futile against his masculine strength. He dragged her along as if she were a Kewpie doll he’d won at the state fair. “I need to see what’s in the basement.”

At the foot of the front steps, Jared stopped and looked at her. “Why? What do you think is down there?”

She tugged on her wrist again. He didn’t let go. Instead, he locked their fingers together. “It might be my friend.”

“
Your friend is not here.” The only human Jared smelled was Emily.

“
Then it might be the man who took my friend.”

He edged closer, trying to intimidate her with his stare and his size. “And do you think that man’s a vampire?”

“
Well,” she hesitated. “Let’s just say I’m reserving judgment.”

A tender smile crossed his face as he cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. “Just don’t believe everything you read in books. Some stories are just to scare little boys and girls.”

This time they both heard a thud, much closer than before. Time was up. They were leaving. Now.

“
How do you feel about werewolves?” he grinned as he swung her up in his arms, his bright blue eyes turning an amazing color of gold for one brief moment.

CHAPTER TWO

The stranger’s long strides ate up the ground as he made his way effortlessly through the dense undergrowth of the dark woods. Soon they were far away from the house and its suspected nocturnal owners.

Emily inched her way further up his body, anchoring herself in placed with her arms around his neck. She felt so light, so secure in his embrace. When was the last time she’d felt a man’s arms around her, much less found herself swept up in such an embrace? Well, never.

She was not the type of woman to incite grandiose romantic gestures. Hell, most times she couldn’t even entice a man to fuck her. She had no illusions about her appearance. Unfortunately, she was a plain Jane with what she considered a below average physique. Rachel was always telling her she was crazy and would kill to have her curves. But Emily believed her rounded stomach and not so firm thighs made for a less than stellar combination when looking for love, romance or even sex.

But this man was either suffering from some overblown he-man syndrome or the wave of protectiveness she felt emanating from him was the real deal. God, she hoped it was the later.

The heat of his body burned through the layers of clothing separating them. He wore jeans with a long trench coat over a silk shirt which was opened almost to his waist. All in black. He too had been dressed for reconnaissance but looked a hell of lot sexier than she did in her black knit turtleneck and black jeans. The luxurious mat of coal black hair covering the wall of his muscled chest called to her. She nuzzled her face in the soft, furry pelt and breathed in his scent. Earthy. Masculine. Primitive.

Before she could stop herself, her tongue came out to taste the tan column of his throat, some wild, animal instinct guided her movements. Instantly she felt him stumble and their headlong flight came to an abrupt halt.

“
Do not do that.” His nostrils flared and the raw tone of his voice sent shivers up her spine.

“
Do what?” She looked at him through a curtain of sensual haze. She didn’t know what was happening to her. She was burning up with fever. Sexual heat. Was it the adrenalin rush? The sense of danger lurking just out of sight?

All she knew was that she wanted this man more than she wanted her next breath. Emily thought of the vow she and Rachel had made about meeting Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome and smiled, a wickedly feminine smile. Here she was, a modern day damsel in distress being rescued by a white knight in shining armor. No, he was a werewolf, right? Wasn’t that what he’d insinuated back at the house?

A white knight, a werewolf – her body creamed imagining the possibilities.

His eyes narrowed and for a moment she wondered if he could read her mind. His arms tightened, pressing her closer. He panted. The short, uneven breaths sounded loudly in the early morning stillness. “I have very little control at the moment,” he said between clenched teeth. “Your smell has aroused me to the point of pain. I do not wish to take you like an animal on the ground.”

He could smell her? Embarrassment momentarily flooded her, reddening her checks. But then the wilder side, the side she had never shown to anyone else rushed to the forefront. “What kind of animal?” she asked.

Surely that wasn’t her voice, asking that question? What was wrong with her? Ever since the man had stepped from the shadows she had felt this instant pull. This raw, savage desire.

“
A wolf.” Jared lowered her legs and pressed her belly against the hard bulge made by his raging erection. His bright blue eyes held hers. “I would place you on the ground, on all fours, your buttocks high in the air, waiting for me. You could feel me behind you, my body burning against yours. My fingers would caress your pink, pouting pussy, preparing you. You would be hot and wet, ready for me. Only me.”

“
Oh yes, Jared, yes.” Emily clenched her thighs as he spoke. Sweet wetness gathered between her thighs. She was hot and ready for him now.

A sound unlike any she had ever heard erupted from deep within his throat seconds before his mouth devoured hers. She welcomed him, opening her mouth wide as he plunged his tongue deep inside. She clenched the collar of his shirt and urged him closer. Her tongue dueled with his. She found the roof of his mouth, the straight even line of his teeth. She couldn’t get enough. When he lifted his head she moaned for more.

“
Are you sure, baby? Oh, God please be sure.” She trembled at the look in his eyes. They were dark blue with a golden light streaking across the turbulent surface. An unnatural power flared in their depths.

“
I’m going to take you. I’m going to take you hard and fast.”

“
God, yes.” She read the intent on his face and a wary blend of fear and excitement snaked through her body. There would be no preliminaries. Just hot, wild, animal lust.

At her words, rough hands pulled the clothes from her body. The down-filled vest landed somewhere to her right. He tossed her gun holster across a low hanging branch. Impatient with the barriers he encountered, he rent her black turtle neck from throat to waist. The savageness of his actions should have frightened her but instead it fed her hunger, making it stronger and darker. She didn’t fear his strength but savored it because she knew the fire raged in him as well.

Her black jeans vanished. She had not idea how her bra, shoes and socks came off. With a savage yank, he ripped her panties away. She stood naked before him. The rosy areoles of her breasts, cooled by the autumn air, crinkled into bumpy islands of pink. Before she could be embarrassed about being naked, his mouth closed over one taut peak with a savage growl.

His hands trembled as he quickly stripped away his own clothes, using them to form a crude pallet on the ground. He placed her on her hands and knees just as he had threatened. Just as he had promised.

His sculpted body loomed above her like the pagan god of her fantasies. Strong muscular thighs nudged her legs apart. He spread her wide, opening her for his possession. Never had she felt more exposed, more vulnerable, more aroused.

He ran his hands over the heart-shaped globe of her buttocks before separating her with his thumbs. Long, thick masculine fingers tunneled through her core. Bringing his hand to his nose, he inhaled her scent. “My woman.”

“
Jared?” A slight edge of unease entered her voice as she recognized the savage possessiveness of his words.

“
Hush,” he murmured. He pulled her to him until his balls smashed against the hot entrance of her body. His erection throbbed and pulsed atop the curve of her buttocks. He trailed openmouthed kisses up her spine, his tongue tracing the long column. His hair roughened chest chaffed her back as he moved. He reached beneath her and cupped her breasts as they hung free, swaying like firm, ripe melons. He pinched her nipples between his thumb and forefinger, squeezing and pulling them until she moaned. A new gush of moisture coated his sac. The desire that ran through her electrified her. She felt like a harem slave about to be plundered by the sultan, a captive maiden about to be ravished by a pirate.

A wolf about to be claimed by its mate.

His hands cupped her shoulders and eased her head to the ground, raising her buttocks even higher in the air. She felt him shift and her legs were forced further apart. He nuzzled her neck with his mouth as he dragged the tip of his cock along her creamy passage and coated himself with her juices. A long, endless shudder passed through her body. She wanted him inside. Deep inside.

“
You are mine, Emily Smith. Now and forever.”

His teeth penetrated the nape of her neck the same instant his cock penetrated her pussy.

“
Mine, mine, mine,” he repeated in rhythm to his thrusts. Her vision blurred from the ecstasy he created. He plunged over and over again without missing a beat, giving her all of himself. She belonged to him and he belonged to her.

Lovers.

Mates.

His hold on her allowed for no movement, she was being possessed and coming so hard she thought she would die. Before the shudders even faded, his thumb was on her clit, kneading it. She cried out for mercy but none was given. As his fingers wrung another climax from her body, she felt him jettison inside her with one last thrust. His howl of fulfillment echoed throughout the forest.

CHAPTER THREE

“
You bit me! I can’t believe you actually bit me!” Emily screeched. She emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but the white terrycloth robe he’d left hanging behind the door.

After they had made love a second time, Jared had picked her up, shoved her into what remained of her clothing and carried her to his big blue SUV parked along the deserted road leading away from the vampire’s lair. Emily, her body limp and sated by their loving, had dozed for most of the way, for which Jared gave his eternal thanks. He didn’t want to explain why he lived so deep in the woods. At least not just yet.