The Gathering (29 page)

When she impaled herself on his cock, he
sighed and closed his eyes, his hands coming to rest on her hips.
“Have mercy on me, Rayna. I feel half dead.”

She grinned and slowly raised herself up,
setting a slow pace as she took him. The heat from his body scalded
her flesh, his kisses hot and wet on her breasts. The feel of his
hands caressing her flesh caused goose bumps to pimple her
skin.

The marks on his neck, the ones she made with
her claws and teeth shined up at her. She stared at them, her wolf
howling inside her head at the knowledge that he was hers.
Always.

Lowering her head, she licked the bite mark,
heard a growl rumble in his chest as his hands tightened on her
hips. She sucked his flesh into her mouth, scored it lightly with
her teeth before whispering “mine” against his neck.

That one small word, mine, was enough to
bring his wolf to the surface. She saw him shining in Garrett’s
eyes, the amber glow reflecting back at her as he flipped her onto
her back and buried himself inside of her.

Rayna wrapped her legs around him, held him
to her as he loved her. Every stroke of his flesh sent shocks of
pleasure surging up her spine. Her heart beat against her ribcage
like a trapped butterfly and sent her pulse racing. When he moaned,
his rhythm becoming erratic, she lifted her hips, finding the right
position to follow him over the precipice when he climaxed. Their
mingled shouts echoed off the walls.

When her heart rate returned to normal, Rayna
held him to her. He was heavy but the feel of him so close,
surrounding her so completely, she couldn’t bring herself to have
him move.

His quiet snores moments later let her know
asking him wasn’t an option. He was asleep, his body still
connected with hers.

She smiled and slid her upper body a little
to one side. Kissing him on the cheek, she closed her eyes, content
for the first time in weeks.

* * * *

The news reports were right out of a horror
movie. The video footage taken at the park of her claiming
werewolves were real, along with clips of shifters tearing into
innocent humans, was leaked onto the Internet by morning. They went
viral in hours.

Rayna flipped through the TV channels and
could only stare in horror as the scene from the park was played on
every news station she stopped on. The police were reporting it as
wild dogs that had gone mad and attacked anyone that moved but
Eyewitness reports gave another version. Rayna knew many wouldn’t
believe those people. You had to see it to believe it. She knew
that first hand.

The speculation ranged from the bizarre to
mundane. The world would make up their own mind about what really
happened. But how many preternatural creatures were seeing this?
Seeing those videos? How many would show themselves now that the
world knew they existed?

Many would probably venture into the knowing
world, their fates unknown. Regardless of how everything turned
out, Victor would get his wish. The world would know that
preternatural creatures existed. She almost felt bad he wasn’t
alive to see it. Almost.

She’d been shocked when Garrett told her
Victor’s pack had turned on him in the end. She wasn’t sure why. It
was a known fact, power, to most of the wolves, would cause them to
do anything, even feed on the very person who clothed and gave you
refuge.

Thinking of Victor made her think of the new
Breed Leader. Who was he? Had she met him? Regardless of who he
was, she hoped to never set eyes on him. She was through with the
Collective and hoped they were through with her as well.

Turning when someone walked into the room,
she smiled as she saw Garrett. Just the sight of him caused her
wolf to stir. She flipped the TV off. “How is Judith?”

“Better. She’s laid up in Chad’s bed being
attended to like a queen.”

“I think there’s something going on between
the two of them?”

Garrett laughed. “You think?” He kissed her
forehead before wrapping his arms around her. “Chad says we can
head back to Wolf’s Creek anytime we want.”

Rayna looked up at him. “I’m ready now, but…”
She paused. She wasn’t sure what he’d think of her idea and was
almost scared to find out.

“But what?” he asked when she didn’t say
anything else.

She managed a weak smile. “We need to go back
to Victor’s first.” The look on his face showed his confusion. She
inhaled a quick breath. “Sabriel is still there. We can’t just
leave him in that pit. Besides, we promised to take him to
Lydia.”

Rayna had thought of Sabriel when she woke.
With the events of the day before, everything had blurred together.
Lying in bed as the sun began to rise, she’d had time to process
everything that had happened. She remembered him then, down in that
pit, beaten and battered. Remembered how much pain he’d been in.
Had they done something worse to him when she was taken away?

Garrett stared at her for long moments before
he nodded his head. “You’re right. I forgot. I did tell him I’d be
back.”

She sighed. “Good. Let’s go see if Chad and
the queen are ready. The sooner we get Sabriel, and can get home,
the better I’m going to feel.”

“Not so fast,” he said, grabbing her arm as
she tried to pass him. “I’m not letting you within a mile of that
house. I’ll pick up the others from the park and we’ll go.”

Rayna opened her mouth to protest but one
look from Garrett and she decided not to argue. “Fine. Just make it
quick. I don’t want to stay in Bluff’s Point any longer than we
have to.”

* * * *

The clean mountain air tickled Rayna’s
senses. It caused the wolf to pace restlessly, especially when the
sound of multiple howls echoed across the mountain, but she was on
edge, too. She had been since Garrett and the others had returned
from Victor’s without Sabriel.

They had little trouble getting inside the
house, Garrett said. Nicolas was there and had let them in. The new
Breed Leader expressed his apologies to Garrett for endangering his
mate but to hear Garrett tell it, the man was just being nice to
keep from having his ass kicked. Garrett didn’t trust any of them
and he probably never would. She didn’t blame him.

Hearing Sabriel hadn’t been there, Rayna
automatically thought the worst. Garrett assured her he was safe.
According to Nicolas, he’d been let go. He assumed he’d gone home.
A home Rayna couldn’t remember how to find. They had no choice but
to return to the mountain.

When they reached the house, the lawn was
full of people. Rayna knew immediately their pack had grown.
Uneasiness caused her to stiffen.

Garrett’s arm around her shoulder tightened.
“She’s not here anymore. Whatever they want, we’ll deal with
it.”

They exited the car, Chad helping Judith. She
was still sore but was on her way to recovering. Bryce smiled as he
approached them. “It’s good to have you back, Garrett.” He looked
at her and smiled. “You too, of course.”

Garrett raised an eyebrow at the crowd
gathered. “I would say its good to be back but seeing all these
people, I have to wonder. Did you recruit while I was away?”

Bryce laughed. “Not exactly. More like they
recruited themselves.”

Rayna saw movement near the house, her eyes
widening when she saw who it was. “Jacob!” She ran toward him,
laughing as she embraced him. When she took a step back, he was
blushing bright red. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Same here.” He threw a quick glance in
Garrett’s direction before looking at the people lingering around
the yard. “You don’t think Garrett will make the others go, do
you?”

Rayna looked at their expectant faces. They
were scared. Seeing them shift on their feet while huddled in small
groups told her as much. “Are these Carmen’s wolves?”

“Yes.”

Thinking of Carmen caused the guilt to
resurface. She reminded herself again that Carmen would have danced
on her corpse given the chance. She shook the thought away. “Are
they anything like her?”

“No. They just did as told, same as me.”

She smiled up at him. “Then I see no
problem.”

Garrett joined them moments later, embracing
Jacob before nodding his head to Carmen’s pack. “I have enough to
handle as it is, Jacob, without taking on more wolves. Are you
trying to kill me?”

Jacob grinned. “I’d find a more interesting
way than this to kill you.”

“I’m sure you would.”

They managed to get inside the house and the
questions started. An hour later, Rayna was tired of talking. She
excused herself and made her way to the kitchen.

Entering the darkened room, she flipped on
the light and jumped, startled, when she saw someone standing by
the counter. Her pulse leaped when her gaze landed on his face.
“Sabriel?”

He smiled and crossed the room. “I didn’t
want to interrupt the party taking place in the living room to
announce my presence.”

Rayna stared at him and couldn’t explain the
joy she felt. She wasn’t sure if it was her own or if Sabriel was
projecting again. His moods were manifested onto her for some
reason. She’d yet to find out why or how he accomplished it.

Fully entering the room, she crossed to where
he stood. “How long have you been here? Have you seen Lydia?”

“I arrived a few hours ago and yes, I’ve seen
her. We’ve had a lot of catching up to do.” His gaze lingered on
her face before slowly traveling down her body. Heat followed and
Rayna swallowed a lump forming in her throat. “You look well.” He
looked back at her face and smiled. “Mostly.”

Rayna laughed. “Considering a werewolf tried
to take me apart piece by piece, I guess I do.” He said nothing
after that, just stood staring at her, and those strange feelings
he was able to make her feel once again skated across her flesh.
She felt a whisper soft touch against her cheek. A light caress
brush her lips and heat pooled so fast and intense into her body
her stomach clenched tight. Her eyes fluttered closed, her breaths
coming in short gasps as phantom touches stroked every inch of her
body. When invisible hands slid across the inside of her thigh, she
gasped and opened her eyes, taking a step backwards. “How do you do
that?”

His mouth was open enough for her to see his
fangs. She stared at them for long moments wondering what they’d
feel like piercing her flesh. Looking back at his face she realized
he’d moved closer, close enough that a deep breath would bring
their bodies together. Her heart raced. Thoughts she shouldn’t be
having whispered things she shouldn’t want. Things she would kill
Garrett for even considering about someone else.

She turned away, sucking in a deep breath
when she saw Garrett standing in the doorway. Rayna’s face heated
within seconds, her heart slamming against her ribcage. She tried
to smile. “Sabriel’s here.”

Garrett crossed his arms across his chest and
leaned a shoulder on the doorframe. “I can see that.” He nodded his
head in Sabriel’s direction. “I didn’t realize you would find your
way to the mountain so quick.”

“I’ve only just arrived a short time
ago.”

They stood staring at each other and Rayna
could almost feel the tension between them. It sparked the air and
sent the hair on her arms dancing.

Sabriel stepped around her and she refused to
look at him. “If you’ll excuse me, I told Lydia I wouldn’t be gone
long.”

When he left the room, Rayna found it hard to
look at Garrett but forced herself to do so. His blank stare caused
a mass of butterflies to erupt in her stomach. He was making her
nervous. What was he thinking about so hard?

She broke eye contact with him and walked to
the refrigerator. “Are you hungry?” When he didn’t answer, she
turned to look at him. He was still staring at her. “What?”

He stalked across the room, a harsh growl
emanating from his chest as he did, and she backed up against the
refrigerator at the look in his eyes. He reached her, his hands
claiming either side of her face before leaning toward her, his
breath mingling with her own. “What is going on between you and
that vampire, Rayna?”

“Nothing.” The growl grew louder. Garrett’s
eyes changed, the wolf showing himself and his incessant growl
vibrated against her chest. The hairs on her body stood on end and
she felt her wolf answer in a languid slide of fur rasping against
her bones.

She felt it stretch along her limbs and push
against her flesh. Garrett’s growl grew louder and her wolf pushed
harder.

“You belong to me. That wolf of yours belongs
to me.”

“I know that.” Her wolf knew it too. She was
restless, trying to surface in order to reach him. Her mate.

“If you know that, then explain to me what I
just saw.”

“What did you see?”

“He was doing something to you, wasn’t he? I
could see it on your face.”

Rayna swallowed, trying to catch her breath.
She didn’t know how to answer him. What did he want her to say? If
she told him the truth… well, she didn’t even want to think about
what he might do. She knew what she would do had their situations
been reversed. The thought made her queasy. “He’s got this funky
power, is all.”

“What kind of power?”

She shrugged her shoulder. “I don’t know how
to explain it.”

“Try.”

“Okay.” She sighed and tried to think of the
least damning thing to say. “I can read his moods.”

“Meaning?”

“Well, if he’s angry if feels like needles on
my flesh.” The pressure he had on her face loosened and the
butterflies in her stomach eased up on their dance. She licked her
lips. “Sometimes, if he’s happy about something, its softer. Almost
like a caress.”

The pressure returned. “And what was he
making you feel just then?”