Operation Saving Daniel (Entangled Covet) (3 page)

Chapter Three

Darkness fell as Daniel drove out of the city. It was the night of the new moon and the sky was empty, though this close to London, the lights formed a dull orange glow to the east, like a false promise of dawn.

All day long, totally inappropriate thoughts of Lissa had infiltrated his mind, flooding his brain with images of her, mostly naked images, or wearing nothing but a red ribbon…

Even a few stolen hours in the lab away from Sophia hadn’t eliminated Lissa from his head. But at least he’d managed to check out his DNA, and everything seemed in order, no drastic changes. The shock of seeing Lissa again must have jolted his sleeping beast awake, but he’d be ready next time.

Now, Ethan had called a meeting and Daniel couldn’t allow himself to be distracted. No doubt Sophia had reported their lunch with Lissa and for all he hated Ethan, the man possessed a keen intelligence. Daniel would have to concentrate on his every word and action if he wasn’t to give himself away.

He climbed out of the car and stood breathing in the night. Even without the moon, the magic called to him, lured him from the open parking area and into the gloom of the surrounding forest. As he stepped beneath the canopy of ancient oaks, the darkness enshrouded him. He relaxed his control and deep inside his beast awoke, uncoiling, stretching sleepily.

Around him, the night came alive, all his senses alert. Shadowy outlines formed in the dense blackness and the subtle sounds of the forest whispered in his ears, the rustle of small things moving in the undergrowth, no doubt sensing his presence and fleeing for their lives. His nostrils filled with the rich, heavy scent of growing things mingled with the odor of decay. This forest had been old a thousand years ago.

Daniel made his way easily through the trees, weaving between the gnarled oaks. The breeze sighed against his face, carrying the thick feral stench of the pack and his beast rose up inside him together with a wild longing to be free. He fought the need, pushed it down; he would not let what he had become control him. Because then he would truly be one of them, and he would never allow that to happen.

Something shifted in his peripheral vision, and he stopped abruptly. A figure darted through the trees—a woman. She was running as though for her life, long blond hair spread out behind her like a banner. Her panting breaths, the
thud
of her heart, filled his ears and he could smell the rank sweat of her fear.

Two men raced after her, their raucous laughter splitting the night. They were close behind their prey. She stumbled, crashing to the ground, and they were on her.

Daniel tried to turn away. This wasn’t his business. Sarah was the pack omega, the weakest member, and according to pack law she was anyone’s for the taking. No one would help her.

In the past, Daniel had kept out of pack politics. Now, he thought back to the times he had seen Sarah, bruised and cowering, at meetings. Her scream tore through the space between them, and a scalding wave of guilt washed over him, threatening to drag him under.

What was the saying?
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing…

Well, he’d become fucking good at doing nothing. He’d told himself that he couldn’t go against them openly—not yet. But there had to be lines he wouldn’t cross. And he recognized almost with relief that this was one of them.

Sarah screamed again and fury rose inside him.

He released the last tenuous hold on his control and power flowed over him as he leaped for the closest man. He smashed into what felt like a solid wall, the momentum crashing them both to the ground. The man beneath him didn’t move, and Daniel rolled off and jumped to his feet. Spinning on his heel, he kicked out at the second man, letting instinct take over. The kick launched the man into the air and he slammed into a tree trunk behind, then slumped to the ground. Daniel stood staring down at the unconscious bodies, and inside his beast roared its approval.

The woman, Sarah, crouched close by, her eyes wide with fear as she tried to scoot back from him. She smelled of blood and food and his beast roared again. Terror flared in her eyes and Daniel drew back his control, wrapping it around himself. “Get out of here,” he snarled.

She blinked up at him.

“Now!”

He waited until she had vanished through the trees before turning back to the bodies. They were alive and would heal. He wasn’t sure whether he was happy about that or not. These were two of the worst scum in the pack. They deserved to die.

“Impressive.”

Daniel went still at the sound of a voice close by. A man stood in the shadows, and he recognized Joe, one of the two pack Betas who were second in command to Ethan. Shit, he was in trouble.

Joe strolled over, coming to a halt beside the first unconscious man. He nudged him with his boot, then glanced up at Daniel. “You broke his neck with one kick.”

Daniel kept his mouth closed. He’d spent a lot of effort convincing the rest of the pack that he was low down in the order, that he was no threat. Keeping a low profile, not drawing any attention to himself had been the plan. Now, with one impetuous act, he’d blasted that masquerade right out of the running.

“Ethan is waiting for you,” Joe said, pulling him from his not too pleasant thoughts. “I’ll take care of this.” He nodded toward the two bodies.

What did he mean by that? “You will?”

“Just go,” Joe said. “We’ll talk later.”

Was that good or bad?

There were pack members who reveled in violence. Who loved the killing. But there were also decent men and women among them. People like him, who had been forcibly inducted into the pack because they held some value and were considered useful. People who were no doubt kept in check by threats to their family and friends. Joe was too high up in the hierarchy to be one of those, but maybe he also wasn’t entirely happy with the way things were run.

Daniel could only hope so, because if Joe told anyone what he’d seen, Daniel was in deep shit. Ethan, the Alpha, was over two hundred years old and had led the pack for most of that time, ruling through fear and intimidation. Those stronger than himself were killed before they could become a real threat.

He nodded once, turned, and walked away. Up ahead, through the stand of trees, he could make out the flickering of torches. The warm scent of the pack and the buzz of power drew him on.

Two men guarded the entrance to the meeting place. Daniel raised his arms and stood motionless as one of the guards patted him down, checking for silver weapons, then nodded him through.

At the far side of the clearing stood a carved wooden throne where Ethan lounged, long legs stretched out in front of him. Daniel approached the Alpha, his head down as fitted a submissive wolf, only peering up as he came to a halt in front of the throne.

Ethan was a big man, tall and bulky with heavy muscle. He wore his black hair pulled back in a ponytail, revealing the harsh lines of his face, his gray eyes so dark they were almost black. Sophia stood by his right side, slightly behind him, her hand resting on his shoulder. She was the second of the pack Betas, and after Ethan, the next most powerful in the pack. Or so she thought. Daniel swallowed down his hatred.

“Good of you to join us,” Ethan said, his tone low and silky soft.

“I was finishing up supervision of some tests. You told me that was priority.”

Werewolves feared few things, and they could heal almost any kind of damage. Except damage cause by silver, which poisoned their systems. A wound caused by a silver weapon could fester and take an age to heal. Silver bullets could kill.

Daniel was a geneticist—the best in his field—that was what had drawn Ethan’s attention. He’d changed Daniel against his will, brought him into the pack, and coerced him into working on a cure for the silver poisoning that would make the werewolves indestructible.

“Your last trials failed. What makes you think they will succeed this time?” Ethan asked.

The trials hadn’t failed. They’d been a complete success, something he had managed to keep from Sophia despite the way she dogged his every footstep. Daniel presumed only his usefulness kept him alive. That would end once the experiments were completed, because Ethan didn’t trust him. Sophia was his guard, assigned to observe and report his every move. God, he hated that sadistic bitch.

“The next trials will succeed,” he said confidently, aware Ethan could sense a lie.

“Sophia tells me you had a visitor today,” Ethan said.

“No one important.”

“Hmm. Perhaps just in case, you should put the woman off by announcing your engagement to Sophia.”

Shock held him rigid, despite the fact that he’d suspected this was coming. He glanced to where she stood, her scarlet-tipped talons still resting on Ethan’s shoulder, a smug, self-satisfied smile on her lips. He could guess whose idea this had been. Sophia had been hot for him since he’d been changed—she’d made that more than clear. The fact that he hated her only made her more determined. She preferred her partners unwilling. But marry Sophia? He’d rather marry a snake.

On the other hand, an engagement might put his family’s minds at rest. While he was aware his sisters didn’t like Sophia, they wanted him to be happy and might leave him alone if they believed he truly cared for her. He’d go and see Julia. Ask her to welcome Sophia into the family. Tell her he loved her.

Lie through his teeth.

And an engagement might make it easier to keep Lissa at arm’s length.

Which brought him right back to the woman he’d thought about all afternoon. What he wouldn’t do for one more night with her. To lose himself for a while and forget the pile of crap his life had turned into. He couldn’t risk it, had to keep his distance. If Sophia realized how he felt about Lissa, she would be in real danger, another hostage to be held against him.

“Why not?” he said. “I’ll go shopping for the ring tomorrow. We can announce it at my mother’s party next week.”

Ethan considered him. “You sound less than happy.”

“I’m fucking delirious. Who wouldn’t be with the prospect of such a sweet bride?”

“This wouldn’t be necessary if you would just accept you’re one of us. Embrace your wolf.”

Yeah, it was official—Ethan and Sophia had discussed him. “I’ll never work with you willingly.”

“Why not?” Ethan rested his hands on his thighs and leaned forward. “I feel your need, the yearning to be fully part of us.”

An image of Barbara’s broken body flashed across his mind. “You know why not.”

Ethan sat back and pursed his lips. “That was an error of judgment.”

“Too fucking right.”

He caught a movement behind Ethan; Joe had come back. He caught Daniel’s gaze and gave a small shake of his head as if to say get a grip. And he was right, now was not the time to antagonize Ethan. Daniel gritted his teeth and forced down his anger.

But with each month that passed, his wolf became stronger, less inclined to act the submissive to Ethan’s Alpha. But it was imperative that Ethan did not suspect that until Daniel was ready to make his move.

Along with the cure for silver poisoning, Daniel had been working on a few experiments of his own. You had to fight with your strengths, so he had used his mind and investigated the changes in his body. He’d found things that couldn’t be defined by science, which he’d come to think of as magic. But he’d also discovered changes to his DNA, and those he did understand. He’d analyzed the DNA changes and taken them one step further. Or maybe more than one step. Werewolves grew in power as they aged. By manipulating his DNA, he reckoned he’d aged himself around a hundred years since he’d been bitten. Sometimes it felt like much, much more. Part of him accepted this was the only way to ensure his family’s survival. The rest of him loathed and feared what he was becoming—a fucking genetically modified werewolf.

Freaking super wolf.

Soon, he would go up against Ethan. But Daniel had never killed anyone before, wasn’t sure he could go through with the taking of a life. Two lives, because Sophia was such a vindictive bitch that his family wouldn’t be safe while she was alive.

There was a strong chance he wouldn’t survive the confrontation, and he believed he’d accepted the idea of his own death if it would save the people he loved. More than accepted. With each injection, he was making himself more like the wolves he despised. How much further would he have to go before he was truly evil? He didn’t want to live that way.

But Lissa was back—and God help him—he didn’t want to die either.

Shit.

Chapter Four

Lissa woke from a dream of Daniel, with warm breath fanning her cheeks. Peeling open an eyelid, she found herself face-to-face with Spot. The little dog was curled up beside her, his head resting on the pillow inches from hers, his doggy breath filling her nostrils.

“Ugh.”

But she didn’t have the heart to push him away. Besides, she didn’t want to move. A whole load of little hammers had taken residence inside her head and were trying to beat their way out of her skull. Way too much wine had been consumed last night. Luckily, she was staying in Julia’s spare room, so she hadn’t had to go far afterward.

Rolling onto her side, she glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was after nine. Julia was a journalist and had an early morning interview, but she was expected back before lunch. The dreaded makeover was planned to start this afternoon, though secretly, Lissa was looking forward to the outing. It was years since she’d had any pampering or new clothes.

Money was no problem. Her job had paid relatively well and she’d hardly spent any of her wages. There wasn’t a lot to spend it on when you were situated in a remote village with no Internet and miles from the nearest shops.

The doorbell rang and she jumped. It was probably the postman. Julia had mentioned she was expecting a package and Lissa forced herself out of bed. After shutting Spot in the bedroom—he had a thing about postmen—she stumbled down the stairs. Catching a glimpse of herself as she passed the mirror, she stopped abruptly and stared. Then wished she hadn’t.

Was that really her? Scary. She stuck her tongue out and thought briefly about putting on some clothes. But the bell rang again and her T-shirt reached mid-thigh, so she was perfectly decent. Good enough for the postman anyway.

She put on the chain, opened the door an inch, and discovered the postman bore a remarkable resemblance to Daniel.

Her mouth dropped open, and her gaze dropped to her bare feet. Her toenails looked like they’d been gnawed by a crocodile. She added a pedicure to the list of things to do and curled her toes into the carpet while her mind searched frantically for something intelligent to say. Or anything to say. It didn’t have to be intelligent. The silence stretched between them as he stared at her, his face without expression.

“Lissa?”

He sounded as though he didn’t believe she was there. Had it not occurred to him that she’d stay with Julia? She always did when she was in the country, but maybe he wasn’t aware of that. “Yup, that’s my name. Same as yesterday.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m staying with Julia.”

“God forbid.”

She bristled. “What do you mean by that?”

“You were always a terrible influence on each other.”

“Was not.

“Was.”

She couldn’t cope with him right now. He looked so perfect and she looked like she’d just dragged herself out of bed, and hadn’t brushed her hair or her teeth. Suddenly, she was extremely aware of how little she had on. He was dressed in another of his boring businessman suits, identical to yesterday, with an identical white shirt. His tie was a different color—this one a very conservative dark blue and his hair was neatly brushed, his shoes shined. But despite stuffy businessmen not being her taste, the sight of him standing there was having a weird effect on her. All her nerve endings tingling at once, heat flooding her belly. She cleared her throat.

“Julia’s not here.”

“Damn.”

“Did you want her for something important? I can pass on a message.”

“No. Maybe.” A look of uncertainty crossed his face, the first real expression she had seen. For a second she got a brief glimpse of the old Daniel, and her heart rate quickened.

She bit her lip, then heaved a sigh, unlatched the chain and stood aside. “Come in, Daniel.”

Without waiting for an answer, she turned around and headed for the kitchen. Things might be better once she’d had a cup of coffee. And maybe a couple of painkillers. Or a good strong hair of the dog. She wondered whether Julia had any brandy in the flat.

The kitchen seemed much smaller with Daniel in it. He was so big. Heat washed over her again, flushing her skin. Hands moist, she resisted the urge to wipe them down her T-shirt. Instead, she turned away and spent a few minutes fiddling with the coffeemaker as she got her body’s extremely inconvenient reactions under some sort of control. “So why are you here?” she asked.

“I came to ask Julia to talk to the others. Make sure they are nice to Sophia at the party next weekend.”

Her hands clenched at her side, but she was pretty sure there was no other sign of the quite irrational pain that swept through her at his words. “She’s your girlfriend; why wouldn’t they be nice?”

“Because they hate her.” The words were spoken with a complete lack of expression. But he must care, otherwise why was he here?

“Why would they hate her?” What was she expecting, that he would turn around and say because she’s a bitch?

“Maybe because I love her.”

His tone was totally deadpan—he might have been commenting on the weather—all the same, there was that flash of pain again. She hated that. She turned back to face him, but his expression matched his tone. He didn’t look like a man in love.

“How strange. I’m sorry, Daniel, but she didn’t come across as particularly loveable. I mean she didn’t exactly put herself out to be friendly or anything.”

“You have to get to know her.”

“And I’ll have to take your word for that.” She definitely had no plans for getting to know Sophia. “You know your sisters are only interfering because they care.” Something flickered across his face, some emotion she couldn’t identify. “And it’s not only Sophia. They’re worried about you.”

“Why the hell would they be worried about me? My life is great—going really well—I’m perfectly okay.”

“Yeah, too perfect. You’re a goddamn robot, Danny.”

“Don’t call me that,” he snarled.

Definite crack in the armor. Putting her hands on her hips, legs apart, she faced off with him. “Or you’ll do what?”

He gritted his teeth and something shifted behind his eyes. She suspected there was a whole load of things he’d like to do, some of them quite violent. Then she watched fascinated as the emotion smoothed away and he wrapped his control around himself like a cloak.

“So have you decided whether you’re going to the party?”

The change in subject took her by surprise, and she peered into his face. “Do you want me to?”

“No.”

She should have been hurt by his abrupt answer, but she was more curious. Either he didn’t give a toss about her, so why would he care one way or the other. Or, he did care and was doing his best to hide it. “Why not?”

“Because you and Julia together were always trouble.” He studied her, his eyes narrowed, his brows drawn together. “You’re planning something. The two of you.”

“Why would you say that? And what could we possibly be planning?”

“Just keep out of it, Lissa. Go back to wherever it is you’ve been for the last ten years and butt out of my life.”

His tone was no longer deadpan and his body bristled with tension. Hands fisted at his side, jaw clenched—the emotion was back. Truth was, there was a whole maelstrom of emotions going on that, maybe, were better kept locked in. But Daniel had been one of the most alive people she’d ever known, and it was her duty to help him.

“Why would I do that?” she asked.

“You’ve managed it very well so far.”

Could she detect a trace of bitterness? He couldn’t know how many times had she thought about coming back. But always, in the end, she’d been too scared. This way, she had a happy memory to look back on without reality to tarnish its glossy image.

Over the years she’d come to understand that she was damaged. Rejected by her mother at an early age, ignored by her father, she was pretty much a textbook case. She’d come to think of herself as unlovable and been unwilling to risk the pain of testing that theory.

But she had never really considered that she would hurt Daniel if she left. Guilt washed over her. Because the truth was, ten years ago she hadn’t thought about him, only herself.

“I missed you.” Where the hell had those words come from?

Daniel stepped back, folded his arms across his chest, and studied her as though he was thinking something similar. “Excuse me if I find that hard to believe. You slept with me, and afterward, you walked away without a backward glance.”

There wasn’t a lot she could say to that, so Lissa busied her hands with making the coffee. When she turned back around, he was leaning against the cabinet, and she put both cups down beside him.

“I think I’ll go put some clothes on,” she said.

He shrugged one elegant shoulder. “Don’t bother on my account. I’ve seen you in less. Much less.”

Maybe that was the problem; she couldn’t get past the fact that they’d been up close and naked together. That was why her heart was fluttering and—she glanced down—her traitorous nipples were hard little peaks pointing straight at him. The air around him crackled with electricity, prickling across her skin, so she rubbed her hands down her bare arms.

That night refused to be banished from her brain. Neither of them had been experienced, but somehow they had fit together perfectly, moved together, and understood instinctively exactly how to please the other. It had been the best sex she had ever had, then or since. The test against which everyone else had been measured and found wanting.

It was what had made her give up on other men in the end, because she’d finally recognized the thing missing, that she’d had in abundance with Daniel, was love.

Hard to believe looking at him now. He was so unapproachable and icy cold.

Or was he?

Something had changed in the last few minutes, and when she peered into his face, his eyes were no longer chilled. She reached for her coffee, and changed her mind. Her hand was trembling, and she didn’t want to give away how much his nearness affected her.

“I’ll tell Julia what you said. I’m sure she’ll do her best to be nice to your girlfriend.”

“Why do I find that unlikely?” He considered her, his head cocked to one side. “So what is this plan, I wonder? Could you be considering seducing me away from the woman I love?” His tone was still even but there was a definite glint in his eyes.

“Of course not.” Her face flushed with heat. A sure sign to anyone who knew her that she’d just told a huge whopper. And Daniel knew her.

He quirked an eyebrow. “That’s it. You plan to seduce me.”

It wasn’t a question, but she answered it anyway. “No, I don’t.” Well, she didn’t plan to actually seduce him, just compromise him a little. God that sounded bad.

“So what makes you think I can be seduced?” he asked and his tone had changed. Before it had been frosty, clipped, now it reminded her of warm, sticky honey.

His gaze lowered to run over her body, lingering on her breasts, and her traitorous nipples tightened even more. Then lower to the length of her bare legs, and she had to fight the urge to yank the T-shirt down. When his gaze reached her feet, a slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips. A smile, which caused the flutters to sink from her heart to her belly.

“Or that you could be the one to seduce me for that matter. Others have tried.”

Yeah, she’d bet they had. He was probably fighting them off. He wasn’t only gorgeous, he was a challenge.

She rallied her forces. “I have absolutely no intention of seducing you.”

“Really? So why are you blushing like you’re about to catch fire?”

Was she? Oh yeah. She sniffed and tried for a righteous expression. “Actually, I’m embarrassed that you should think that. And embarrassed to be half-naked with a man I hardly know.”

“Oh, you know me,” he said. “And no need to be embarrassed. It’s not the first time you’ve tried to seduce me. Or the first time I’ve seen you naked.”

Grinding her teeth together, she resisted the urge to deny the whole seduction thing one more time. She tried to tell herself this was good because he didn’t seem like a robot anymore. Unless it was some sort of sex robot. Time to get him out of there. “What do you want?”

“Maybe I’m interested to find out if you’ve learned anything since that night. You don’t look like you have but appearances can be deceiving.”

“Have you?”

He smiled. “Oh yes. I’ve learned a lot.”

The words made her insides melt, and the muscles tighten in her belly. She clenched her legs together, but it only intensified the feelings.

Daniel took a step toward her, then paused and breathed in deeply, almost seeming to sniff the air. “You want me.”

Shit. Please tell her he couldn’t smell that.

The kitchen filled with a strange tension, the air crackling with that same energy she had sensed earlier. She couldn’t seem to drag enough air into her lungs. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. What had happened to staying cool and detached? Suddenly, she wanted robot Dan back.

He was close enough to touch and she reached out and pressed her palms flat against his shirt as if she could stop his forward movement. Through the thin silk, she could feel the rock-hard muscles—he must really work out—and the heat radiating from his body. He was hot. So freaking hot.

Ignoring her hand on his chest, he just kept coming and she backed up against the counter behind her. Briefly, she thought of telling him no, but she couldn’t seem to get the word out of her constricted throat.

As she took a deep, relaxing breath, her nostrils filled with the scent of him. Some sharp, exotic aftershave and beneath that a hot musky, almost animal smell that made her sex clench with need. As if he could sense it, he growled low in his throat.

Oh wow, when he lost it, he really lost it. Under that cool, controlled exterior, there was a volcano waiting to explode.

Did she want to be close by when that happened?

It looked like she wasn’t going to have a choice. She suspected her body had already made the decision for her. She was up against the counter, and he was close. Her hands were still between them, but she wasn’t trying to push him away anymore. Instead, her fingers curled into his shirt.