Tangle of Need (5 page)

“No,” she assured him. “I wouldn’t risk that when things are so
unstable. Kit and the others are going to meet us in the White Zone, and we’ll go down to the waterfall.”

“Us?”

“Riordan, Evie, and Lake are also coming.”

His wolf settled. The boys would make sure no one attempted to poach on his territory—and he’d just keep that thought to himself, he decided with a somewhat feral internal grin. “You want to have dinner with the kids?” he asked, knowing they had only a couple more minutes.

That smile again, the one she hadn’t given him before, when they’d been circling each other … and that she gave him every day now. It was a kick to his heart every single time. “Yes,” she said. “You don’t mind how much time we’re spending with them?”

“Of course not.” Toby was her brother, Marlee her cousin. They were Pack, pups to love and protect. “Since Walker’s stopped giving me the death stare, it’s actually become comfortable.” The eldest Lauren was very protective of those under his care, considered Sienna his daughter. Hawke had no doubt the other man would quietly, methodically gut him at the smallest sign that he was causing Sienna distress. His wolf approved.

Laughter wrapping him in silken ropes, the crimson fire of his mate’s touch flickering through his blood. “Lara will protect you.” Stealing another little kiss, she stepped away, paused, her next words vibrant with emotion. “I love you.”

He knew what it meant to her that she could say those words and know no one would hurt her for daring to feel, for daring to love with all the power of her strong, loyal heart. Closing the short distance between them, he answered with a kiss as tender as he knew how to give, his fingers closing possessively around her throat.

“Are you sure you have to go to that meeting?” she whispered when he lifted his head, her lips wet and luscious, her body arching toward his own.

His wolf was tempted. Sorely. “Nell and her crew will hunt us down and interrupt.” Maternal females were not to be messed with. “Then they’ll make us feel like shamed five-year-olds.” He took another kiss,
rubbing his thumb over the flutter of her pulse and reining in the urge to bite.
Later
, he promised his wolf. “I’ll see you tonight.”

He watched after her until she disappeared around the corner, the possessiveness inside him a primal craving that made him want to haul her over his shoulder and drag her to his bed. Maybe tie her to it for good measure.

“Don’t even think about it,” Riley said as he walked over to join Hawke for the Meeting of Doom.

Hawke met his senior lieutenant’s brown eyes, always so calm and stable. “The only way you could know what I was thinking was if you’d had similar thoughts yourself.”

“Mercy forgives me … most of the time.” A slow smile. “Come on, enough procrastinating.”

As they walked, Hawke said, “Adria and Riaz. Problems?”

“Personality clash, I think. They seem to work well enough together despite it.” The lieutenant glanced at him. “Why? You want me to split their shifts?”

“No, better they work it out.” He’d picked up something more violent and intense than a simple personality clash, but his wolf knew when to be discreet, so he didn’t mention it. Instead, he turned the conversation to the juveniles, and the remainder of their walk passed in shoptalk.

While meetings such as this one promised to be weren’t ever on his favorite things-to-do list, it felt good to be doing something as normal as worrying about the juveniles. Not discussing Psy surveillance or planning to defend against an attack. Not stockpiling weapons, or checking medical supplies as they waited to evacuate their vulnerable. Not even meeting with the DarkRiver leopards to assess a suspected threat.

It had been months since his wolves had had a chance to just be Pack.

However, Hawke knew the fact SnowDancer and its allies had won the battle didn’t mean their enemies wouldn’t regroup and return. But he was a wolf. He also knew how to live in the moment—a time in which he was mated to a woman who challenged, loved, and teased him; his pack was safe; and the den filled with the vibrant sounds of children’s voices once more. “How’s the planning going for the mating ceremony?”
Sienna was indelibly his, but his pack needed to have a chance to celebrate their alpha’s mating, and they’d get that chance four days from now.

“Drew suggested dancing girls.”

Hawke grinned. “How many?”

Riley shot him an unamused look. “Don’t encourage him or I swear to God I will hire a troop of strippers, complete with spangled pasties, and watch cheerfully while Sienna barbecues you.”

Wondering what else Drew had been suggesting, Hawke stifled his laugh. “Seriously, how’s it going?” Riley and Nell were sharing the overall organizational load, in charge of ensuring all the pieces came together into a cohesive whole.

“Good. My brother, when he isn’t e-mailing me brochures about Brazilian samba dancers and Vegas showgirls, has found a job for every single person who wants to be involved in the preparation.”

That was why, Hawke thought, Drew was so perfect for the position he occupied. Not quite part of the hierarchy, he was Hawke’s eyes and ears in the pack, accessible to even the weakest of their number, those who might feel intimidated approaching one of the other dominants. No one was intimidated by Drew, and that was an incredible achievement, given that the other man was SnowDancer’s tracker, charged with finding and executing rogues if the need arose. “It’ll be a good night.”

“The best,” Riley said quietly, then took a deep breath. “We’re here.”

Hawke folded his arms and stared at the door with a sour expression. “I hate these meetings.”

“We should make Drew attend instead. Teach him a lesson.”

They both stared at each other and grinned. Yeah, he thought, pushing through the door, it was nice to be doing something as ordinary as grousing about a meeting with the maternals.

ALICE

FROM: Lara<
[email protected]
>

TO: Ashaya<
[email protected]
>;

Sascha<
[email protected]
>;

Tammy<
[email protected]
>;

Amara<
[email protected]
>

DATE: Aug 26, 2081 at 11.00 a.m.

SUBJECT: Patient A

I thought you’d all appreciate a quick update on Patient A. She remains unresponsive, in a comalike state. I say coma
like
, because frankly, she confuses the instruments. However, I can say with certainty that she isn’t brain-dead, so that remains a positive indicator.

I’d almost think J had imagined his conversation with her, except he’s not the imagining type.

I’m making sure her limbs are exercised and that she’s getting the nutrients she needs. Otherwise, I’m at a loss.

Let me know if any of you have had a breakthrough.

FROM: Ashaya<
[email protected]
>

TO: Lara<
[email protected]
>

CC: Sascha<
[email protected]
>;

Tammy<
[email protected]
>;

Amara<
[email protected]
>

DATE: Aug 26, 2081 at 1.00 p.m.

SUBJECT: re: Patient A

Amara and I are continuing to work on the chemical traces discovered in her blood. We hope to find clues as to an antidote that’ll work better than our emergency formulation, but some of the chemicals appear to be unknown.

FROM: Amara<
[email protected]
>

TO: Ashaya<
[email protected]
>

DATE: Aug 26, 2081 at 1.02 p.m.

SUBJECT: re: re: Patient A

Not unknown. Simply uncategorized. You and I both now know about them.

FROM: Sascha<
[email protected]
>

TO: Lara<
[email protected]
>

CC: Tammy<
[email protected]
>;

Amara<
[email protected]
>;

Ashaya<
[email protected]
>

DATE: Aug 26, 2081 at 4.45 p.m.

SUBJECT: re: re: Patient A

I’d like to see her. My empathic senses have been in a heightened state since the birth and there’s a higher chance I may sense something, especially since she did wake up once. One thing I know for certain: there
is
someone within her body. We just have to find a way to set her free.

Chapter 5

ADRIA DIDN’T KNOW
how she’d survived the rest of the trip up to the hydro station; the silence in the SUV had been excruciating. The journey down, the mountains bathed in the gentle afternoon sunlight, was better—she chose to ride in Mack’s vehicle, having been able to fix the problem that had stalled it. Her excuse about needing to be with him in case the truck broke down again was accepted without question. Mack’s trainee rode with Riaz, and Mack, with his silver-threaded curls and skin of warm brown marked by quiet laugh lines, was a man comfortable with silences.

Back in the den, she didn’t stop until she was in her quarters with the door safely shut. Only then did she collapse on the bed. “Christ, Adria.” Shaking from the impact of a day that had spiraled out of control from the instant she’d run into Riaz, she just sat there, trying to get a grip on her emotions.

The knock on the door was familiar, but she ignored it. Her visitor persisted, having obviously scented her presence, until she muttered, “It’s open.”

Indigo, dressed in jeans paired with a plain white tee that flattered the curves of her tall body, closed the door and leaned back on it. “Hurts me to say this, Ri, but you look worse than you did after you caught the plague when you were seventeen.”

The “plague” had been a nasty case of food poisoning. “Thanks for the pick-me-up.” She scowled at the woman who had been her friend most of her life. “Now go away.”

Rolling her eyes, Indigo strode across the room to sit beside her instead. “Martin’s not been hassling you, has he?”

“No. I made it clear we were done.” He hadn’t taken the news with any grace, all traces of the funny, gentle man she’d fallen for corroded to nothingness by years of slow bitterness. But Martin wasn’t the male on her mind right then. “You had a thing with Riaz, right?”

Indigo blinked at the blunt question. “Yes, but years ago, well before he left for Europe. We were friends.”

It wasn’t such a strange thing to hear from a changeling. Sharing intimate skin privileges was an integral part of their nature, and there was nothing wrong with being with a friend who cared enough about you to ensure your pleasure. It didn’t matter if the lovers knew their friendship would never lead to a relationship—friendship was a precious thing to a wolf, to be cherished on its own merits.