The Burning Claw: Book 10, The Grey Wolves Series (15 page)

“What’s the news?” Vasile spoke up, getting down to business, as usual, and silencing the scathing retort Jen was formulating in her mind.

Peri had planned on telling Vasile her theory, but she’d wanted to first get Jen’s thoughts on the rumors she’d heard. Her suspicions weren’t something she was ready to share with the others—not yet.

“One of my loyal pixies has heard something of interest. You know that the high fae monitor the number of wolves alive at any given time. Obviously, a few of you might sometimes manage to slip through the cracks.”

Jen coughed and it sounded an awful lot like
Coldspring.

Peri glanced at the female Alpha. “You should be thanking me that the rogue Coldspring pack went unnoticed. The events that transpired there led you to your very own fleabag. Your welcome.” She turned back to Vasile. “What are the known packs currently operating in the United States?”

“Thought you said,” Jacque began but Peri shut her up with a snap of her fingers.

“Denver, Colorado, Springfield, Missouri, and Coldspring, Texas,” he answered without having to think about it.

“And lone wolves?” Peri asked him.

Vasile shook his head. “None have been brought to my attention. It’s been years since I’ve had to deal with one”

Peri let out a resigned sigh. “That’s what I thought.”

“Please tell me you are going somewhere with this and you didn’t just call us down here to verify something we already knew,” Decebel growled out.

She glanced at the Serbia Alpha—surprised at the comment, which sounded more like something that should have come from Jen’s mouth.

“He’s cranky,” Jen said by way of apology.

“Please don’t tell us why he’s cranky,” Jacque said quickly.

Jen rolled her eyes. “Get your head out of my gutter, Red. It’s nothing that interesting. He’s cranky because—”

“Jennifer,” Decebel growled.

She looked at her mate. “I should make that my ringtone. ‘Jennifer,’ ” she mimicked in a sing-songy growl, attempting to imitate her mate’s deep voice. There were several coughs of laughter around the room. Peri had to admit, Jen’s impression of her mate was freaking hilarious.

“He’s pissy because one of the doghouses fell apart.” She started laughing before she could even finish the sentence. “One second—” She paused, gasping for her air between laughs. “It was there and then…plop.” She slapped her hand on the table she was standing next to. “It was no more. Perhaps, it didn’t help his mood that I busted out my phone and found a sound bite of the bugle song they play at funerals. I had it wailing as Dec picked through the crumbled remains of his first doghouse.”

Peri’s shoulders shook as she tried to keep her laughter from joining the others. Decebel had his head bowed and his hand was pinching the bridge of his nose. He was holding it together by a thread, which only made Peri laugh harder.

Apparently, the Alpha was done being laughed at because a surge of his power rushed the room. Fane, Jacque, and Wadim were the only ones affected to the point of stumbling. Decebel outranked them. But Vasile, Alina, Cypher, Lilly, the fae, and his mate, simply stood still under its assault.

Peri narrowed her eyes at him. “Done?”

“Are you?” he snapped back.

“Touché,” she conceded. “Now, back to the why behind the questions. The pixies have found more wolves.” She paused and watched as her words sunk in. “Wolves that we believe do not belong to any of the known packs. I’ll know for sure after I’ve investigated further, but we are fairly certain that they are rogues.”

“Where?” Cypher spoke for the first time. As a supernatural leader, he could understand the dangers of having supernaturals running about unpoliced.

“A quaint town in South Carolina called Oceanside.”

“Let me guess,” Jacque said. “It’s by the ocean.”

Peri shook her head. “Actually, no, it’s inland, closer to the mountains.”

“Oh, really?”

“No, not really. Of course, it’s by the ocean. Just because you nearly died does not give you a license to make stupid statements that waste oxygen.”

“Damn,” Jen muttered. “Did your doghouse fall apart too?”

Jacque snorted. “Good one,” she said as she high-fived her blonde friend.

“Do you know how many there are? Alina asked.

“Doghouses? Just the one now,” Jen continued.

Now it was the female Alpha’s turn to growl. “You know what I mean,” she barked.

The high fae cleared her throat. “So far my little spies have counted four—two males and two females.”

“Mated pairs?” Fane asked from his spot, leaning up against the wall behind his mate.

Peri huffed. “They’re spies, not dogs. They can’t smell the lingering scent of hanky panky.”

“Wait, is that a thing?” Jacque’s head pulled back and her eyes darted around the room. “Can dogs really do that?”

Peri looked over at Lilly, who’d been quietly observing. “You do realize that she came forth from
your
loins, right?”

“Can you please refrain from talking about my mother-in-law’s loins,” Fane groaned.

“Ugh.” Jacque turned and handed Slate to Fane. “It’s even creepier when you say it. Never say my mother-in-law’s loins again. Ever.” She pointed a finger in Fane’s face.

“Things are getting awkward,” Jen sung and grinned. “I love it.”

Peri didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Getting this bunch together was like putting a flame in the middle of a room full of dynamite. Once one fuse was lit, they all caught fire until someone finally blew.

“What’s our next move?” Cypher asked, drawing the waning attention of the others.

“Wadim,” Vasile said and motioned to the wolf. “You find out everything you can about Oceanside. I want population, demographics, layout of the city. I also want any information on new driver’s license registrations. That might tell us if these wolves are just passing through the town, or if they claim it as their permanent territory. Get me numbers on any brutal animal attacks in the area, regardless whether the victims are human or animal. We need to find out where they’re hunting. “Peri,” Vasile said and looked at the high fae. “I know you have other things going on with your new healers and that whole messy situation but—”

“I’m not going anywhere, Alpha. My pixies won’t do business with you overgrown hairballs without my intervention, so you sort of need me.”

“And it’s good to know her ego is thoroughly intact,” Jacque murmured.

“Hey, you ungrateful little redhead ass, she totally held you and your furry prince to this realm all by herself. Without her you’d be pushing up daisies right now, so I think she’s allowed a little ego stroking,” Jen pointed out.

“Jen, as thoughtful as it is for you to defend me, I can handle it.” Peri crossed her arms in front of her and shot Jacque an annoyed look.

“I wasn’t doing it for your benefit, Peri Fairy. I was just dying for the chance to call Jacque an ass and talk about you stroking something.” Jen high-fived herself. “Mission accomplished.”

“Decebel, put a muzzle on your she-wolf before I turn her into a coat for little Thia. Now,” Peri breathed out. “As I was saying, if you want the continued help of the pixies, then you will need my assistance.”

Vasile nodded. “Then do what you do. Get us as much information about these wolves as you can.”

“Maybe we should send some wolves there too, you know, to get a good look at these rogues,” Jen suggested.

Decebel shook his head and answered before Vasile. “They would smell us from a mile away. It might spook them if there are suddenly new wolves in the area.”

“Point,” Jen said as she patted Thia, who was now asleep on her shoulder.

The room was quiet, which Peri found to be amusing considering the occupants that filled it. She knew it wouldn’t last long. It didn’t.

“I wish there was more we could do,” Lilly said, taking Cypher’s hand in hers. “I feel useless.”

“You haven’t seen anything?” Jacque asked her mom.

Lilly shook her head. “All’s quiet.”

“On the wolf front,” Jen said softly and snickered to herself. She looked over at Jacque, “See what I did there? On the wolf front instead of—”

“The Western front,” Jacque interrupted. “Yes, Jen. I acknowledge that you are clever and funny.”

“Just as long as we’re clear,’’ Jen nodded.

Peri turned to Lilly, deciding that attempting to reign the two girls in was simply an impossibility. “You will be helping soon enough watching your grandson. I suspect that if we find Sally in this Oceanside town, Jacque will be one of the first to force me to take her there.”

Jacque held her fist in the air. “You totally get me. P, we are like this.” Jacque opened her fist and then twisted her forefinger and middle finger together. She ended with, “Fairy dust is thicker than water.”

Decebel glanced over at Peri. “Did you drop her when she was unconscious, maybe bumped her head a little too hard when you were moving her from one place to another?”

“I think it’s a side effect of leaving the plane of the living. Brain cells die in the transition from death back to life and there’s just no repairing them.”

“With that said” —Vasile clapped his hands together and his voice rose to force the attention to himself— “Wadim and Peri will gather information and we will meet back here in twenty-four hours.”

“Twenty-four hours?” Wadim asked, eyes as wide as saucers.

“I have no doubt you can handle it,” Vasile assured the younger wolf and patted him on the shoulder. Peri didn’t see any consolation in Wadim’s face. Twenty-four hours certainly wasn’t much time, but time was of the essence.
Setting unrealistic deadlines would get peoples’ butts in high gear and that’s exactly what they needed
, Peri thought. High. Freaking. Gear.

“We’re also going to get everyone back into their own dens. Romania pack members need to be back here,” Vasile continued. “Decebel?”He looked at the other Alpha.

“I agree,” Decebel nodded. “Now that Jacque and Fane are better, we can all get moved back into our respective homes.” Jen started to say something but her mate held up a finger. “You can visit her anytime you want. Playdates and all that.”

“When you say playdates, it doesn’t sound near as kid-friendly as when Jacque says playdates,” Jen grinned.

Jacque groaned. “By all means, get me back to my own bedroom and away from the sex fiend.”

“It takes one to know one,” Jen cooed.

Peri rolled her eyes. “The next time their lives are in peril and I have some grand plan to swoop in and rescue them, someone remind me of this moment.”

“And all the other ones when they’ve been annoying?” Wadim asked. “I have a record of them.”

“Ha, ha, history boy,” Jen said dryly. “You might want to sleep with one eye open.”

“Already do,” Wadim said absently as he typed away on his keyboard. “I’ve been dragged out of bed too many times by Peri to sleep with both of them closed.”

Peri glanced over to Vasile. “I’m going to go visit my mate while everyone gets themselves situated back in their own quarters, and then I’m going to take care of getting more info on our new wolves. You have fun with that.” She pointed to the group. Jacque was batting Jen’s hand away from Wadim’s head while Decebel pried Thia from his mate’s free arm while at the same time telling her to keep her hands off of other males.

Vasile glanced at his mate, who had an amused expression on her face, and then back to Peri. “Thanks,” he muttered.

Peri bowed theatrically. “I aim to please, Alpha.” She gave another bow to Alina and then flashed from the room.

Chapter 8

“Even though I am moving, I feel that time is standing still. Tucked away in these rooms with Drake where nothing and no one can touch us, everything else has simply ceased to exist.” ~Bethany

B
ethany watched Drake as he made them each a turkey sandwich. Over the past few days of living with him, she’d began to notice that his movements were always precise and deliberate. He didn’t allow himself to lose control in any capacity, even over the subtlest shift of weight. She wondered if it was because of the way his previous Alpha treated him. Bethany had wanted to ask, but at the same time, she didn’t want to pry into his personal life.

“My personal life is your business.” His voice drifted from the kitchen island to the bar where she sat resting her elbows on the counter. “You have every right to know anything you want to about me.” He turned to face her, a plate in each hand. His eyes were intense and gentle all at the same time.

She watched him as he walked over to her, his steps smooth and confident. He placed one plate down in front of her and the other in front of an empty barstool next to her. Then he grabbed them both a bottled water from the fridge.

“Losing control is a dangerous thing for any male of my species. My previous Alpha is a testament to that,” he began. Drake motioned to her sandwich. Bethany picked it up and took a bite as he continued to talk. “But it’s especially dangerous for an unmated male.”

“Because of the darkness?” she asked in between bites.

Drake took a swig of his water as he nodded. “Sounds cliché doesn’t it?”

She shook her head quickly. “No. No, not at all. Everyone has darkness.” She set the sandwich down and dusted the crumbs from her hands. “I’ve lived with darkness for a very long time, Drake. And in that time I’ve realized that it isn’t only the monsters that have the darkness within them. We all have a touch of darkness in us. How could we not? Without the darkness, we wouldn’t recognize the light.”

A small smile tugged at his lips. “So you think there is light in me as well?”

Bethany nodded. “It’s there, whether you see it or not.” Their eyes met and she felt her heartbeat speed up. It wasn’t the first time that she’d felt herself respond to him on a level that she didn’t understand. For the most part, Drake made her feel every bit his equal. But then there were instances like this one when her heartbeat would pick up, her palms would begin to sweat, and her chest would tighten. It was in those instances that she felt completely out of her league.

As their day continued on, they talked in little spurts about anything and everything. Drake filled her in on current events, as well as important past events that had happened while she’d been imprisoned underground. At one point, he even got out his laptop and started pulling up pictures of the World Trade Center towers and told her all that had happened in New York City the very year she’d been snatched. Bethany had missed so much by being tucked away by the vampires. Who knew how much the world could change in eleven years?

By the time the sunlight was fading, Bethany’s head was hurting and it felt as though it might explode from all the new information she was absorbing, and her stomach was beginning to hurt right along with it. She pressed a hand to her lower abdomen and cringed.

“You okay?” Drake asked as he placed a hand on her leg.

She nodded. “Just have a stomach ache.”

“Perhaps, it’s time we get some rest?” Drake suggested.

Bethany stood up from the couch where they’d been sitting for the past several hours. She put her hands over her head and stretched up onto her toes. Drake watched her in that intense way of his, and she found that she liked it when his eyes followed her movements.

“I’m going to take a bath, if that’s all right?” she asked, thinking that a good soak might make her stomach feel better. A knock at the door interrupted Drake’s response. Instinctively, Bethany took a step toward the door. Her hand was reaching for the door handle when a strong arm came around her waist and smoothly moved her behind an equally strong body. Drake’s movements were so quiet that she hadn’t even heard him behind her.

The knock came again and he growled in clear irritation.

“Do not growl at me you mangy, ticking time bomb. Open this door. We’ve got business.” Jen’s voice came through the door practically slapping them both in the face.

Drake glanced over his shoulder at her and Bethany shrugged and then mouthed “open it.”

Drake let out another growl as he snatched the handle and jerked the door open. Jen strode into the room as seamlessly as if she’d been the one to open the door.

“Bethany,” —she nodded to her— “good to see he hasn’t eaten you.” Jen looked over at Drake. “Your Alpha wants to see you in his office.”

Drake looked from Jen to Bethany and back again. Bethany could tell that he didn’t want to leave her alone, but she could also tell that Jen wasn’t feeling gracious and her patience was about gone. She walked over to Drake and placed a hand on his chest, just over his heart. Then she used the bond that she was still getting used to.
“I’ll be fine. You go do what you need to, and I’ll be here when you return.”

Drake stared down at her for several seconds before finally wrapping his large hand around the back of her neck and pulling her to him. He pressed his lips to her forehead and then she felt his breath blow out over her. She shivered under the sensation.

“I’ll be back soon,” Drake murmured and then turned on his heel, exiting the room and closing the door sharply behind him.

Bethany looked at Jen and she opened her mouth to ask a question but Jen held up a finger to stop her. Bethany snapped her mouth shut and waited. After a few minutes the Alpha female let out a sigh and sank down onto the couch. “Good grief, I didn’t think he’d ever get out of earshot.” Jen rubbed her hands together and looked up at Bethany. “Now, tell me how things are going. Do you have any questions? You’re looking a little tired. Is he letting you rest? I’ll skin him alive if he’s not giving you time to rest.” Jen’s words poured out of her faster than Bethany could answer so she waited until she was sure nothing more was going to be said before she finally spoke.

“I’m fine,” the young girl responded. “Tired, but not because Drake isn’t letting me sleep. Still trying to get my days and nights worked out, or at least that’s what Drake says must be happening. Since I was underground for so long, my body had lost all sense of…circadian rhythm, I think that’s what Drake called it.”

Jen’s mouth opened in an ‘O’ movement, but she didn’t say anything.

“As for questions, well, Drake’s been answering anything I ask.”

“What about girl questions?” Jen interjected.

Bethany’s head tilted. “Girl questions?”

“Yep,” Jen said, making the ‘p’ pop. “You know, questions that you might not feel comfortable asking Drake.”

“I haven’t,” Bethany started to answer but then paused. There had been some things that she didn’t understand but hadn’t known how to bring them up to Drake. Her stomach cramped again, reminding her of the bath she had been wanting to take. So instead of diving into those concerns she said, “My stomach is hurting and I was just about to take a bath before you got here. Do you mind giving me a few minutes?”

Jen shook her head. “Chick, it’s your place. Do your thing. Do what you need. I’m not saying I won’t talk to you through the door, but by all means, soak that tummy ache away.”

Bethany grinned. She liked Jen, even if she was a little bit much to take in. “Oh, and by the way,” Bethany said as she walked into the bedroom and pulled out one of the drawers of the dresser. “Thank you for sending me clothes.” She grabbed a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, bra, and panties and then headed for the bathroom. As soon as she shut the door, she heard Jen’s voice on the other side.

“So, have you and grumpy-butt kissed yet?”

D
rake’s hand was about to knock on the door to his Alpha’s office when he heard her voice in his mind.

“I’m going to take that bath I mentioned earlier so don’t worry when I, uh…”

He smiled.
“Don’t freak out when you close the bond?”
he offered.

“Yes, exactly. Don’t freak out.”

“How is your stomach?”
Drake asked quickly before she could shut him out.

“Still hurting, but I’ll live.”

He felt her slip away from him, but not completely. She was still there, within his reach, and it brought him a level of comfort that he never thought he’d have. Drake focused back on the door in front of him and gave it two hard knocks and then waited.

The door opened and Decebel stood on the other side looking back at him.

“Drake.” Decebel’s deep voice vibrated as he stepped to the side to let him in.

“Alpha,” Drake said and bared his neck briefly.

They both stood staring at one another, as if waiting for the other to act.

“Did you need something?” Decebel finally asked after several minutes of silence.

“Your mate told me that you wanted to see me,” Drake answered as an uneasy feeling began to grow in his stomach.

“Did she now?” Decebel asked, a sly smile forming on his lips.

“You didn’t ask to see me, did you?”

His Alpha chuckled. “I believe the conversation went something like this. ‘Dec, I’m going to go check on Bethany and make sure Drake hasn’t scared her half to death. Don’t you think you should check on Drake?’ I answered with, ‘Drake will come find me when he’s ready. Why don’t we leave them be for now.’ And then she countered with, ‘Okay, I’m going to go check on Bethany now and you are going to talk to Drake.’ ”

“Do all your conversations end with your mate doing whatever she wants?” Drake grumbled.

Decebel laughed. “You just wait, my brother. Your female will have you wrapped around her little finger and before you know it you will be building doghouses for dogs you don’t even own.”

Drake chuckled. “Not every female is as high maintenance as yours, Dec, no offense.”

“True, but I don’t think there is anything such as a low maintenance female she-wolf.” Decebel walked over to a cabinet and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of amber liquid. “Since you’re here and my female has managed to manipulate us both, why not have a drink and fill me in on how things are going?”

Drake wanted to get back to Bethany, but then again she was taking a bath and it wasn’t like she was going to let him assist with that. Maybe one day. He quickly shook his head. He couldn’t think like that. He was already incredibly attracted to her simply because she was his mate, not to mention that she was beautiful and kind.

“You have that look,” Decebel said as he held out a half-filled glass to Drake.

“What look?”

“The look that a wolf gets when he’s found his mate.” Decebel met his eyes. Drake knew his Alpha understood what he was going through.

“How do you keep from claiming what’s yours?” Drake finally asked. And that was when the dam broke. “I’ve waited for her for so long and now there she is and yet I can’t touch her. She’s a grown woman but damn, Alpha, she’s a child in many ways too. And then my wolf is going crazy over the fact that she’s been in danger all these years, being treated like a damn juice box! She’s my mate. No one should have ever touched her in any way.” Drake’s voice broke. He slammed the glass down on the end table by the couch and began to pace. His fingers ran restlessly through his hair and his chest felt as though a ton of bricks had descended upon it. “On the outside I’m calm. But inside I’m going crazy.” He rubbed his hands down his face and his pacing increased.  “I want to give her space and yet at the same time I want to hold her and never let her go. Being near her is torture, but so is being away from her. I’m so scared I’m going to frighten her by being too forward. I feel like I’m going to screw things up before they even have a chance.” By the time all of the words had poured out of him, Drake was leaning on his hands against the wall, his head bent and his shoulders heaving.

“It nearly drove me crazy when I met Jennifer.” His Alpha’s voice broke through the sharp silence. “I knew she was my mate, and yet there were no mating signs. My wolf was snarling inside of me to take her, to claim her, to mark her, but I couldn’t.
She
drove me crazy. I was terrified of what having her meant and yet terrified of losing her as well.”