One Second (Seven Series Book 7) (32 page)

Melody was a different story. She was older, and her skills were unmatched. That made her more of a target, not to mention she was a young woman, and that would attract the wrong kind of Shifter.

Austin walked for twenty minutes and blew another sharp whistle.

No reply.

Dread twisted his stomach into a knot, and when the urgency intensified, he knew something was wrong with Lexi.

He slid down a steep hill, his boot digging into the wet earth and giving him traction. Before he reached the bottom, he kicked off the slope and broke into a full run. His hands were balled into fists, his breath heavy, his stride long, and his heart pounded like a jackhammer.

A familiar dove call sounded.

Reno.

Austin kept running, his second-in-command falling at his side. They hurdled a downed tree, scaled a steep hill, and entered a darker patch of woods where the thorny bushes were merciless.

“You feel that?” Reno said in a ragged breath.

Austin didn’t answer.

He couldn’t explain why or how he knew Lexi was in trouble, but an alpha never ignored his instincts. A heat culminated within him as his wolf fought to break free, but Austin kept him caged, tapping into his abilities to lead the way. Even without his wolf’s keen sense of smell and hearing, Austin wouldn’t have any trouble locating Lexi. An unexplainable magnetic pull drew him to her—one that could only be defined as magic.

As they began to slow their pace, Austin’s wolf alerted him that they were close. He could smell a change in the air—a distinctly foreign scent of unfamiliar Shifters layered on top of the heady perfume of earth and greenery.

He grabbed Reno’s shirt and yanked him to a stop.

The smears of dark paint on Reno’s face were sweating off, something he was oblivious to as he gripped his gun and scoped the shadows up ahead.

Austin pointed to the right, signaling Reno to branch away so they could close in from opposite ends. Despite his muscular frame, Reno managed to move stealthily, without making a sound.

It didn’t seem an easy feat for Austin, who crept forward at a subdued pace, his boots pressing down on the forest bed, crackling leaves and snapping twigs. Sweat trickled down his temples, and he struggled to slow down his breathing. He stepped over a dead wolf—pure white, with an arrow through its chest.

Austin glanced at the solid white ears.

Not Lexi.

He swallowed hard and continued forward, a thin veil of moonlight slowly replacing the lost light of day.

“It’s just us, you idiot!” he heard Lexi shout.

Austin heard a man reply, but he couldn’t discern what he was saying. Just ahead, he spied a tree large enough to conceal his frame, so he pressed his left shoulder against the bark and peered around, focusing on the small crowd up ahead. The quieter his breathing became, the better he could hear them.

“I’m warning you, let her go,” April said, fury edging her voice. “You know what a Mage is capable of doing to a Shifter.”

“Is that so?” a man replied. “I think you’re forgetting what I’m capable of doing, so don’t threaten me again.”

“Just cut her,” another man said, his voice sharp. “These aren’t damsels in distress. These bitches took out
four
of our men, so leaving them alive is a liability. Nobody wants a pregnant bitch, a little girl, or a fucking Mage for their pack.”

“Speak for yourself on the little girl,” one of them piped in.

Austin narrowed his eyes and counted three men, and by the sound of it, seven had tried to capture them. To the left, one man held a blade to Melody’s throat, but she didn’t show any fear. She looked like a girl who was working out a plan, and that made Austin simultaneously proud and nervous. These weren’t helpless women.

April and Lexi stood to the right, facing Melody and her captor. April’s fingers were splayed as she closely watched the two men who were standing behind them, spread apart.

Austin perked up when he heard Reno’s dove call in the distance. It also caught April’s attention as she discreetly flicked her eyes toward the woods before straightening her back, a cocksure smile on her face.

Lexi played mediator. “Let her go, and we’ll work something out. She’s just a kid.”

“Who killed our alpha with an arrow,” he reminded her.

“Lucky shot?” Melody said, pure smartass.

April continued turning in a circle, watching the men closely. She was also looking into the woods, and when she faced Austin, he poked his head out long enough for her to spot his location.

She took a few steps to the left, giving Austin a clear shot at one of the men.

Austin placed his gun against the side of the tree and locked onto his target. Attempting to shoot the guy holding Melody was out of the question—not unless that knife came away from her throat. He knew which man Reno would have his gun on because Reno would strategize his target based on which man was a clearer shot for Austin.

That just left the man with the knife, and it was as if Lexi was reading Austin’s mind.

She inched toward the man and spoke calmly. “I’m pregnant. I can’t run anywhere, and I’m in no condition to fight. My feet are swollen, my back hurts, and I haven’t eaten in two days. Take the bow from Melody, and she won’t be a threat.”

“I’m supposed to trust you?”

She put her hands on her hips. “She’ll do what she’s told because I’m the alpha female in the pack, and whatever I say is the golden rule.”

Damn if Austin didn’t want to kiss that woman.

The man lowered the knife a few inches. “Are you mated with the Packmaster, or are you just the alpha bitch in the pack?”

Austin’s target rubbed his face, but Austin couldn’t make out his expression in the dim light. “Jesus Christ, if she’s the alpha’s bitch, then that means she’s the one Judas wants alive. Let’s use her to draw out the Packmaster before turning her in; we’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

Lexi looked over her shoulder at the man. “Don’t call me a bitch, you little weasel.”

Melody dramatically tossed her bow to the ground and kicked it away. Her assailant lowered his knife and then yanked off her knit hat, tossing it on the ground. Melody’s disheveled hair fell about her face, concealing her expression.

The man still had a grip on Melody’s shoulder, but he raised his hand with the blade and gestured toward Lexi. “You’re coming with us, and I don’t want a struggle.”

Faster than a heartbeat, Melody reached into her quiver and pulled out an arrow, gripping it firmly and impaling the man’s leg with the pointy tip.

He roared, loosening his grip enough that she wriggled free. Austin fired his gun, and his target spun halfway around and fell to the ground. At almost the same moment, another gun fired from the opposite side, and the second man went down.

April flashed at the injured man as he wielded his knife. A blast of energy propelled him backward, slamming him against the trunk of a tree. He slumped over, the arrow still lodged in his thigh.

Without missing a beat, Austin put his gun in the holster and rushed toward them.

“Are there more?” he yelled out.

“It’s clear!” Lexi yelled back.

The first thing he did was check his target to make sure it was a clean shot. Reno didn’t need to check; he ran right to April and lifted her into his arms.

“I’m still charged,” she complained, holding her hands away as he kissed her neck.

Austin scanned the woods while trying to catch his breath. “Did any escape?”

Lexi pulled Melody against her side and kissed the top of her head. “No. Only seven moved in on us, so it was just the three left.”

“
Only
seven?” Austin asked in disbelief.

Lexi reached back and tightened her ponytail, but it seemed as if it took every ounce of effort. “I need to lie down.”

The moon drifted behind the clouds. In the blanket of darkness, Austin tenderly cupped her face in his hands and kissed her mouth. She tasted like wine and roses. She tasted like life, and he savored every breath of her.

Melody picked up her bow, dusted it off, and before she knew what hit her, Austin wrapped her in a tight hug.

“I’m proud of you, Mel. You did the smart thing.” Austin kissed the top of her head and then rumpled her hair.

“Thanks, Uncle Austin.” Melody found her hat and pulled it over her head.

“Change of plan,” he said, watching the moon appear once again. “We’re heading to the next post. It’s closer, and there’s a large tree stand that’ll easily fit four. April, take first watch on the ground. Mel, I want you high up in the tree as a lookout. Take Reno with you so he can get some shut-eye.”

“He snores,” she protested.

“Just pinch his nose,” April suggested, squealing when Reno tickled her waist.

After that it was back to business. Reno confiscated the enemies’ weapons while Austin moved some of the bodies out of sight. They didn’t tarry and quickly moved on.

When Melody got ahead of them, Austin yelled out, “Do me a favor and check in with your mother.”

Lexi put her arm around him, and he felt centered again.

“What about us?” she asked. “Where are we going to sleep tonight?”

Austin squeezed her ass. Nothing turned him on like finding out his woman had fought against seven rogues and won. “We get the bunker.”

We had spent two days living in the woods, and I was already one step away from hunting wild animals and cooking beaver burgers.

All I daydreamed about was food—
real
food. Turkey legs drowning in gravy, buttermilk biscuits filled with strawberry jam, spaghetti with spicy meatballs, fresh coleslaw, and especially chocolate pudding. Hell, I’d kill for a bag of pretzels.

“Eat it,” Austin repeated.

I shoved the bag of jerky away. “I’m not eating your rations.”

A rechargeable lantern—solar powered, with a backup hand crank—kept our bunker nicely lit. Austin had closed the hatch to give us privacy. Four bunkers were constructed in key locations, primarily to give the injured a place to heal, but I suspect Austin’s intent was to keep me hidden since I couldn’t climb or run very fast. They also provided refuge if a packmate needed a safe place to sleep and got separated from the others.

Austin glared at the bag of jerky. “You need it more than I do.”

I dusted off my sleeping bag before lying down. “I’m stuffed.”

His dark brows slanted. “Liar.”

“Well, that’s not very nice.”

“Maybe
I’m
not very nice,” he said in his sexy voice that seduced me in ways he’d never know.

Austin peeled off his shirt, and the muscles in his pecs twitched. I watched him douse a white towel with water and wash himself off. He sat in the middle of the room on the cinder block floor, the lantern on the right casting shadows on the opposite side. I admired every speck of his glorious body, from the tattoos on his shoulders to the thin trail of hair that led from his navel down to his groin. His whiskers were flirting in beard territory, but I didn’t have any complaints. The longer they got, the less they felt like sandpaper.

I rubbed one bare leg over the other, realizing I was getting aroused by something as mundane as watching my mate clean his armpits. The unventilated room had grown muggy, so ditching my pants earlier had been a no-brainer, especially since they were spattered with blood and dirt.

“Are you sure we’re safe in here?” I asked. “Maybe one of us should keep guard.”

“Axel’s men are outside the perimeter. If anyone gets through, it won’t be more than a small group, and I think we can handle that.”

I turned on my left side. “I never imagined all those years ago when we were just teens that one day I’d be sitting underground with you, carrying your child while being hunted by my father’s men.”

He tossed the towel in the corner and unfolded his sleeping bag next to mine. Once he situated himself, his eyes got warm and serious. “Do you regret it?”

I curled into him, and he wrapped his arm around me. “The only thing I regret is our first kiss.”

He drew back. “Why’s that?”

“Because afterward, you left me. For seven years.”

Austin kissed the top of my head. “Never again, Ladybug.” He tugged at my oversized shirt. “Can I take this off?”

“Pervert,” I said with a flicker of amusement. “You just want to admire my large breasts.”

He pulled the ends of my shirt, and I raised my arms in compliance. Austin and I loved lying naked together, and it had nothing to do with sex. Nothing gave me a better feeling than his warm skin against mine, as if the nearness of him could offer everlasting happiness.

I snorted and looked down at my big belly. “We don’t fit like we used to.”

“Yeah,” he whispered roughly against my ear. “We fit better.”

I licked his shoulder and nibbled on his tough skin. He growled low in his chest and slowly moved his hand down my side, pulling my thigh so my right leg draped over him.

I smiled. “Careful, honey. That’s how I got in this condition to begin with.”

His mouth grazed my shoulder, and he worked his way up the curve of my neck. I panted, desire burning so hot that my nipples ached. It had been months since we’d last been intimate, and I desperately hoped this wouldn’t end as it usually did—with a few small kisses on my lips and him getting up to leave.

When I reached up to put my arms around his neck, he unlatched my bra.

“I thought you didn’t want me anymore,” I said in a heavy breath.

Austin set me on fire when he ran his tongue across my breast and drew in my nipple. “I crave you,” he whispered, his voice filled with need. “Every minute of every day. I crave nothing else but taking you in all kinds of ways. Christ, Lexi. I don’t think I can stop.”

“Don’t stop,” I whispered.

His thumb latched around my panties and pulled them down. I nearly climaxed at just the thought of what we were about to do. We kissed as if starved for sex, our bodies rediscovering each other in a way that felt familiar and foreign all at once.

I wanted to roll on top of him but failed miserably.

“Ow.”

He stopped. “Am I hurting you?”

“Your elbow is on my hair.”

Austin moved like a predator down my body, looking up at me with those wanton eyes as he placed hot kisses across my belly. He took off his pants and then hovered over me, lightly resting his body on mine but using his arms to prop himself up.

I parted my legs and felt the blunt head of his erection pressing against me and seeking entrance. He was as hard as a diamond, and images flashed in my mind of the fantasies I’d had over the past several months about Austin taking me. He drove into me with slow precision. Our eyes locked, and that union grew so intense and pleasurable that the world could have crumbled around us and it wouldn’t have mattered.

He kissed me softly—reverently. I shivered when his hand slid from my hip to my breast, his fingers rolling my sensitive nipple until it hardened.

“Turn over,” he said, pushing me gently to my right side.

Austin entered me from behind, slow and true. While we were normally combustible in the throes of passion, this was a gentle love—a moment that marked the end of our innocence as young lovers. This was the last time we’d ever make love as the old Lexi and Austin—the couple that existed before children changed the very core of who we were to become.

“I love you,” I whispered, his kisses tickling the back of my neck as he rocked into me.

His pace quickened, as did our breaths, and I burned hotter.

No words.

Austin loved talking during sex, but we had transcended beyond the need for words in this moment. I’d never felt more alive—more loved—and Austin stimulated nerves I thought had gone into hibernation.

He curved his arm around my belly and touched every place on my body that I should have been insecure about but wasn’t. Austin made me feel sexy. His teeth scraped the back of my neck, and I groaned, the tight pulses of my release intensifying.

He moved hard and fast, and I gripped his left hand to anchor myself. I needed to cry out, but it wasn’t safe, so I whimpered in frustration.

“Don’t move,” he said in a rough voice. “I’ll take care of you. I know what you like… I know what you need.” I thought I also heard him say something about me being wet, but his words began to mix with primal growls.

Austin buried himself deep, his pace slowing and becoming more sensual. A feverish desire licked over my body, and every muscle clenched when I came—a burst of pleasure rippling through me so suddenly that I gasped and pushed against him.

He cursed under his breath. “Keep doing that.”

So I pushed my backside against him harder, and he stilled for only a moment, his fingernails biting into my hip.

Austin made his final series of thrusts, every muscle tensing before he collapsed behind me. After a moment, he pulled out, and I looked over my shoulder. We fell into a deep kiss, our tongues moving in a slow dance.

He finally broke away and tucked a pillow behind my head so I could roll over. I gazed up at the ceiling, my heart still pounding against my chest.

“Each time I think it won’t get better than that, it gets better,” he said, opening a bottle of water and guzzling it down.

I glanced at my round belly. “I’m not a woman anymore. I’m an obstacle course.”

He chuckled. “Damn right. And I feel like I just won gold.”

I slapped his chest with the back of my hand as he scooted next to me, tracing his finger over the slope of my belly.

“I didn’t think you’d want it in your condition,” he murmured.

Seriously?
That man had no idea.

“Austin, you should take your own advice and eat something. We don’t need our Packmaster fainting from malnutrition.”

He surrendered with a reluctant sigh. “Fine.”

I pulled a thin blanket over myself, and my feet poked out from the opposite end.

“You can’t be cold,” he said. “It’s like a volcano in here.”

Maybe I was a little embarrassed to be completely naked in front of him without my old body—the sexy one with the small breasts and a figure that didn’t resemble a lowercase
d
. Being in the throes of passion was one thing, but lying there when he felt no more desire reminded me of how much I’d changed.

“I always wanted curves,” I said with a mirthless laugh. “Little did I know.”

He ripped the blanket away. “You’ve never been more beautiful, so quit pouting.”

Austin placed three long sticks of beef jerky across my belly and began eating.

“Are you telling me I’m not allowed to pout when my mate is using my body as a dining table?”

He chewed off a meaty bite. “You should have brought a red-checkered tablecloth instead of that blanket. We could have made it romantic.”

When he sang the opening lines to “Sex on Fire” in his smoky voice, I thumped him on the head with a stick of jerky.

“Do you think we stand a chance?” I asked.

He nodded. “We’re holding our own. Word is they took over some of the smaller packs but are having trouble with the larger ones. I’m going to check in with Reno later. It’s his job to keep communication rolling with the other packs in the territory.”

“What about the Council?”

He swallowed a bite and lifted another piece from my stomach. “They’re busy fighting their own battles. I don’t know what’s happening elsewhere in Texas, but we need to concentrate on breaking them down. If we run them out, then they’ll just go after another state.”

I handed him the last piece of meat. “I’m not so sure. This might be a kick in the pants for their morale. They probably expected to fail with Colorado, but after all this time to have no victory? There’ll be dissention in the ranks. Men can’t respect a leader who doesn’t make sound choices. If Judas fails, then his time will come to an end.”

“You don’t have any feelings about that?”

“Why? Because he’s genetically related to me? No. If you want to know the truth, I feel ashamed. People know, and I don’t want them to judge you, me, or especially our pack for something beyond my control. I’m just so disappointed in the universe.”

He laughed softly and wiped off his hand before snuggling close. “Why’s that, Ladybug?”

I sighed, pulling the extra pillow behind my head. “Because the universe doesn’t want me to have a father. Why couldn’t he have been someone amazing? I would have even settled for ordinary.”

“Hmm,” he pondered, his finger tracing across my lip. “Maybe Austin Cole is all the amazing you need. The fates know what’s best, and it made you a stronger woman. A woman like you could have only been born from a powerful alpha, and men like us are faced with temptation early on in life when we’re trying to figure out who we are. He chose the wrong path and decided to live as a rogue; that has nothing to do with who you are. Just knowing the hell you’ve survived makes me want to be a better mate to you and a better father for our child.”