Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3) (22 page)

He understood duty, and loyalty, and sacrifice.

He’d never understood happiness.

Not until he’d held Mira in his arms, and felt her soft body melt beneath him. 

It wasn’t the sex. His lips twitched. Okay, the sex had been mind-blowing. But what was making him feel as if he were one of those men who walked around with big, loopy smiles on their faces was the unshakeable knowledge that he’d found his mate.

This glorious female was meant to be his. Utterly and completely.

Now, all he had to do was convince her that she belonged with him.

A task that should have been simple. She’d already admitted that she was half in love with him. And there was no doubt that they shared an explosive physical attraction. But she’d obviously decided that he intended to use and abandon her.

It was going to take a dedicated effort to convince her that he was never, ever letting her go.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have minded her hesitation. His wolf loved the thought of wooing his female until she was ready to commit. Mating games were a joy to his people.

But these weren’t normal circumstances, and his animal was restless at the thought of being parted from Mira before he’d managed to fully claim her.

Accepting that there was nothing he could do to force her to admit that they were meant to share eternity together, he took a quick shower before pulling on his clothes. He paused long enough to send a text to Rios, asking the younger male to prepare Sinclair’s private lair for a guest, before he was silently slipping out of the motel room.

The sun was just cresting the horizon as he completed a swift sweep around the area, making sure none of the soldiers had enough sense to double back. Only when he was certain that there was no one near, did he make a quick run to a nearby strip mall to pick up breakfast before returning to find Mira still deeply asleep.

Perching on the edge of the mattress, he studied her pale features and tumbled mass of curls that were spread over the pillows. He wished he could let her sleep. He sensed that she’d been near exhaustion as she nestled in his arms.

But events were starting to move at a ruthless speed, like a snowball rolling downhill. They had to be ready.

Leaning down, he brushed a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Hey, sweetheart, time to wake up,” he said.

Her thick lashes slowly lifted, her arms stretching over her head.

“Do I smell coffee?” she asked, arching her back as she gave a noisy yawn.

He grabbed the cup of coffee, waiting until she’d pushed herself into a seated position, her back pressed against the headboard.

“Two sugars and one cream,” he told her as he handed her the cup and reached into a white paper bag, pulling out her breakfast. “Plus, a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon.”

Her eyes widened as she sipped her coffee before accepting the bagel.

“How did you know?”

His lips twisted. He didn’t blame her for her astonishment.

Not even he had realized just how avidly he’d taken note of her every like and dislike.

Not until he’d finally accepted just how much she meant to him.

“I noticed,” he said with stark simplicity. “Just as I noticed you’re too polite to say you don’t drink alcohol, and instead of refusing, you discretely pour it into a nearby bush,” he said. The first night he’d approached her had been at a CDC office party. From the shadows, he’d watched as she’d politely taken one glass of champagne after another, only to wander toward the edge of the country club patio and toss it into the neatly trimmed hedge. He’d been fascinated by her innate kindness. “And that you bite your lower lip when you’re deep in thought,” he continued, reaching out to brush his thumb over her mouth. A flush instantly stained her cheeks, her eyes darkening with arousal. “And that you have a secret sweet tooth. And that you prefer your flowers in the garden instead of in a vase.” He bent forward, replacing his thumb with his lips. Back and forth, he brushed their mouths lightly together, his cock twitching at the sparks of pleasure that shot through him. “And that you like when I lick your-”

“Sinclair,” she breathed in flustered protest.

He chuckled. Mira was a passionate but shy lover. He fully intended to corrupt her once they were in the privacy of his lair.

Until then…

With a groan, he allowed himself one last lingering kiss, savoring the taste of coffee and sweet female temptation.

“Mm.” He reluctantly lifted his head, his fingers brushing through her tangled curls. Very, very soon he intended to have her straddling his naked body, those curls brushing his chest as he pumped deep into her. Another groan was wrenched from his throat. Damn. He had to put a leash on his fantasies, or they’d never get out of the motel room. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to continue this later,” he said.

She took a hasty sip of coffee, pretending her heart wasn’t racing, and her body wasn’t heating with desire.

“I haven’t agreed to continue anything,” she warned.

His wolf growled deep inside his chest. The animal didn’t comprehend her stubborn refusal to admit what was obvious to him.

Hell, his human half didn’t fully comprehend.

“You will,” he said, refusing to accept any other outcome.

She rolled her eyes, her lips twitching. “Arrogant ass.”

“Wolf,” he corrected. “Arrogant wolf.”

“Same thing,” she teased.

Rare happiness surged through him at the mere sight of the shimmer in her hazel eyes. Damn. Somehow, the need to ensure that this female was not only safe but also pleased in his company was rapidly becoming the purpose of his existence.

Which meant the sooner he finished his duty to his people, the sooner they could concentrate on each other.

“Not even close,” he assured her with a smile. Then, rising to his feet, he pointed at the bagel. “Eat.”

Obviously hungry, she dug into her breakfast, finishing the bagel and coffee before she headed into the bathroom for a shower.

Sinclair forced himself to concentrate on cleaning the room, even taking her old clothing to the incinerator at the back of the motel. He wanted to make certain that they didn’t leave any evidence of their brief stay.

Plus, if he didn’t keep himself occupied, there was nothing that was going to stop him from joining Mira beneath the hot spray of water.

Twenty minutes later, she came out of the bathroom. She was wearing the gray sweats that had been left by the grizzly the night before, and her hair had been tugged into a tight braid.

She looked like the young farm girl, who had no doubt arrived in Fort Collins with wide eyes and a belief she was going to do great things.

“Do you think the SAU has stopped looking for me?” she asked, pulling on her shoes.

“No. Which is why you’re going to my lair,” he informed her, crossing toward the door. “They won’t be able to find you there.”

Expecting her to join him, Sinclair frowned as she planted her fists on her hips.

“What did you say?” she demanded.

“You heard me.”

“Fine.” She moved, but not toward the door. Instead, she crossed toward the desk and began pulling open drawers.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for a telephone book.”

“Why?”

“I’m calling for a taxi.”

Sinclair sucked in a startled breath. “Have you lost your mind?”

She glared at him, the soft, teasing woman who’d gone into the shower suddenly replaced with a stubborn, steely-eyed female who looked ready to sock him in the jaw.

“Obviously, I have, or I would never have shared a bed with you.”

He resisted the urge to point out that she’d shared a hell of a lot more than just a bed. He was pretty sure it would only piss her off.

Instead, he held up his hands, his expression softening. “Mira-”

“Don’t you dare patronize me,” she snapped, pulling a mangled phonebook out of the middle drawer.

He stepped forward. She was serious. She was actually going to call for a taxi.

“I’m trying to protect you,” he said, not bothering to disguise his frustration.

“If I want your protection, I’ll ask for it.”

Sinclair trembled, battling against his instinct to toss her over his shoulder and carry her to his lair.

He could be Alpha to his people. They understood their hierarchy within the Pack. But a mate fell into a completely different category.

He couldn’t order her to obey.

Dammit.

“What do you want from me?” he rasped.

She held his narrowed glare. “Respect.”

Sinclair flinched. What was she talking about? He’d always deeply admired her. Even he’d been denying his deepening interest in her as a female, he’d always held her in the highest esteem.

“Of course, I respect you,” he snapped, his voice edged with outrage.

She tilted her chin. “Then stop treating me like some helpless damsel in distress.”

His lips flattened, his hands clenching at his side. “This isn’t a game, Mira. These people will kill you.”

“It’s never been a game,” she reminded him. “I’ve understood from the beginning this would be dangerous. That didn’t stop me.”

She was right, of course. From the night he’d first approached her, he’d put her in danger.

“I should have stopped it,” he said.

No big surprise, she refused to back down. Mira could be kind and sweet and astoundingly generous.

But when she decided to dig in her heels, she had the temperament of an angry mule.

“Either I’m your partner you trust to be at your side, or I’m a burden that you need to keep tucked in your private lair,” she warned.

Feeling the noose tighten around his neck, Sinclair made one last effort to make her concede to his urgings that she travel to his lair.

“This is my battle,” he reminded her. “The shifters are the ones who have made an enemy of the SAU.”

She arched her brows. “I thought it was
our
battle. Wasn’t that why you sought me out in the first place? So we could work together to reveal the truth?”

He released his breath with a loud hiss. “Don’t use logic on me.”

Tossing aside the telephone book, she moved to stand directly in front of him.

“I deserve this, Sinclair,” she said in soft, but determined tones. “I was the one to discover the emails that led to Dr. Lowman. And the one to find his possible location.”

He reached to grasp her upper arms, breathing deeply of her floral scent.

“If something happened to you…”

She reached up to lightly touch his face as his words trailed away. He couldn’t bear to think about a world without this woman in it.

“You can’t protect me every second of every day,” she said.

His muscles clenched, a dark fear settling in the pit of his gut.

“Yeah, but I don’t have to deliberately take you into the line of fire.”

Her fingers trailed down the rough curve of his jaw. He still needed to shave. Not that Mira had seemed to mind the rasp of his whiskers when they were in bed.

“There’s not going to be a line of fire.” She intruded into his much more pleasant thoughts. “No one knows where we’re going.”

Sinclair was momentarily caught between his fierce need to tuck this female away in a safe location, and the knowledge that she would never fully give herself to him if he tried steal her free will.

She’d made her point. She’d earned this. And if she decided she wanted see her efforts through to the end, then what right did he have to tell her no?

Even if his wolf was going nuts.

“I’m going to regret this,” he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out his cellphone.

Punching in Rios’s number, he waited for the jaguar to answer.

“Hey, Rios, there’s been a change of plans,” he grudgingly told his friend, turning to pace across the carpet. “No. We’re fine. But we’re heading straight to Nebraska. Mira’s coming with me.” He grimaced at Rios’s predictable response. “It doesn’t seem to matter if its smart or not.” He could feel Mira’s gaze burning a hole in his back. Time to change the subject. “Tell Bree that I want her to start getting the press conference arranged, but don’t actually start it until you hear from me. I hope to have some proof that will ensure no one can doubt we’re telling the truth.”

Rios agreed, clearly struggling to contain his very cat-like curiosity. He was smart enough to sense that Sinclair wasn’t in the mood to explain why he was allowing his soon-to-be mate to put herself in danger.

Replacing the phone in his pocket, he turned to meet Mira’s watchful gaze.

“Did you say something about a press conference?” she demanded.

“Yes.” He moved back toward the door. Now that she was firmly stuck in the middle of his plans, there was no reason to keep them a secret. “While you were at the air base, our people started to assert our independence. We’ve announced that we will no longer be prisoners.”

Her lips parted, a strange expression rippling over her lovely face.

“I thought Donaldson and Markham were becoming more and more on edge,” she said. “I assumed that it was frustration because I wasn’t finding the doctor.”

He felt a sharp surge of satisfaction at the thought of Markham sweating.

The bastard had treated his people like animals, not only caging them but also forcing them to fight in pits. And worse, he’d been trying to discover how to create his own shifters by doing unspeakable medical testing on them.

“They’re losing their hold over my people,” he explained. “Which means that this is the most dangerous time for all of us. Soon, they will decide the only way to control us is through death.”

She gasped in horror. “No.”

His expression hardened. “Before they can arrange a genocide, we intend to expose the truth.”

A shiver shook her body. “It’s no wonder they were so anxious to find the doctor. If he knows what happened in the Verona Clinic…”

Her words trailed away as they silently considered the stakes of what they were doing.

If they could find Dr. Lowman and have him stand before the cameras to admit that the humans were responsible for the virus, then the SAU would lose all credibility. They would, essentially, be destroyed.