Chance Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire 6) (9 page)

“Do it,” she whispered.

“Don’t,” he ground out. “Don’t tell me to do that.”

“I want your mark.”

He was graceful over her, abs contracting every time he slid his girth into her. Faster now. She was going to come soon. “Please, Chance. Mark me.”

“Fffuck, Em!” He released her skin, clenched his teeth, and squeezed his eyes closed.

So close. “Chance, Chance,” she panted mindlessly as orgasm exploded through her in bright, quick pulsing bursts.

Over her, he went hard as steal, gritting out a helpless sound as the first burst of warmth filled her. His cock throbbed inside of her, heating her from the inside out with his release. He moved gracefully over her, filling her a few more times until he sighed and sagged against her.

After pulling her to his chest, he relaxed onto the bed. They lay like that until their breath slowed and their heartbeats relaxed into steady, matching paces.

“That’s a dangerous game you played,” he murmured against her hair.

“I don’t play games,” she responded, nuzzling her cheek against his heated skin.

Chance shook his head and sighed but didn’t say anything else.

She lay entwined with him until the waning evening light turned gray through the single bedroom window. Running her fingers absently up and down his scars, she said, “I can tell you are a good man. Do you want to know how?”

Chance was quiet for a while, so she thought he’d fallen asleep.

Finally he asked, “How?” Maybe he’d just been as lost in thought as she was.

“You gave another shifter your back and got hurt, just to buy Dalton time. You take care of the ones you love. Fiercely.”

Chance brushed his fingers gently through her tangled hair, smoothing it with each stroke. “My mom wanted a big family. She’d grown up with eight brothers and sisters in the lower forty-eight, and she wanted that same dynamic for me. I was the oldest. The first born. The only boy.”

Emily winced at the pain in his voice. “How many sisters did you lose?”

“Six little gravestones. Six little funerals. Six times I watched my mom’s stomach grow, and each night, I prayed it would be a boy so I could have a brother. So my mom would stop being so sad, and so my dad wouldn’t get that sick, gaunt look every time they found out they were having another girl. When Dalton’s dad passed away, Dalton started spending more time with our family so he could be around other werewolves. His mom, my aunt, wanted that for him. She didn’t want him growing up feeling different or alone without his dad around. She wanted a pack for him. And I remember the first summer Dalton spent with us, my mom smiled more, and my dad lost the hollowness in his eyes. And I…I finally got a brother.”

Emily bit her tears back and snuggled closer to his skin.

“When Dalton lost his first baby to the werewolf curse, his mate pushed him away the same day. She cut him off, and he’d already bonded with her. He lost everything all at once, and he wouldn’t let anyone in. Wouldn’t let anyone
see
him. No one but me.”

“So when you were standing under him, trying to prop him up to loosen that hanging rope, you weren’t just trying to save your packmate or your cousin. You were trying to save your brother.”

“Yeah.” Chance swallowed hard. “Your dad did that, Em. I want to mark you. I want it so bad I can’t think straight, but you can’t ask me that again until I feel like you’re ready.”

“Because I’m my father’s daughter.”

“No, because two days ago, you were hunting me. Hunting my family. My brother, my friends, the little baby girl of our pack. Your life just did a complete one-eighty, and I’m so fucking glad you are here with me, giving me a shot at being with you. But I am fueled by animal instincts, and you aren’t. This doesn’t feel fast to me, Em, but in human time, it’s really fast. I don’t want to be a reaction.”

“Chance, you aren’t a reaction. My head is clear, and I’m not with you to betray my family for hurting me.”

“I know. I can tell from the way you look at me and talk to me.”

“Then why are you still questioning my loyalty?”

“That’s not what this is,” he said, easing back and gripping her hair at the base of her neck. “It’s really not. It’s me being careful for the both of us. It’s me taking care of you while you heal from the scars your family left on your insides. And someday, when you’re not going through this huge transition and you aren’t running on emotion, I hope you’ll ask me for the mark again when we’re both ready for the commitment.” He smiled and clamped his teeth onto her shoulder. “And then I’ll mean it. I’ll do it right, and we’ll throw a party afterward and celebrate with your new pack.”

“
Our
new pack,” she corrected softly. “I’ll show you, Chance Dawson.” Tucking her arms against her chest between them, she snuggled close and sighed. “Someday I’ll prove I’m ready and I’m worthy. I’ll work really hard to be good enough.”

Chance’s growl rattled his chest and vibrated against her forearms. Resting his cheek against hers, he whispered, “Silly little bunny. You’re already more than enough.”

“Do you want to see something cool?” Emily asked.

She looked so beautiful here in the gold lamplight from the bedside table. Cheeks glowing, smile lingering on her full lips, blue eyes soft, and her hair mussed and sexy from lounging around in bed with him. He loved this. Loved that she could find happiness in just being here with him.

Chance grinned and clamped his teeth over the top edge of the sheet, then pulled it down far enough to expose her perky breasts. Perfect curves and pert, pink little nipples that begged to be played with, and now she was waiting on an answer to a question he couldn’t remember.

“Not those. Watch.” She picked up the remote from the bedside table, pointed it up at the ceiling, and hit the button. A panel moved slowly, exposing a huge skylight. Above, the night sky was cloudless and the stars looked like silver glitter on a royal blue background.

“Wow,” he whispered.

“This was the room I stayed in when I would come to visit as a kid. That skylight was always my favorite part of this place. In my room at my mom’s house, I would pretend to look through the ceiling some nights when I couldn’t sleep. I would imagine I was here. The city was my home, and it was fine. I had my friends and my mom, and she was a really good parent. Now I feel kind of guilty for asking for more time with my dad. She was always quiet about why they split up, and she didn’t offer any explanations on why I got so little time with him, but now I think maybe she was trying to protect me. I can’t imagine sending a kid to stay with someone with his views, you know? Who thought he was some sort of hero for planning the murder of a pack.” She inhaled deeply and ran her fingertips lightly down the scars on his ribcage. She’d done that a lot tonight. “But even knowing what I know now about my dad, I still missed this place. The woods, Galena, four-wheelers, snow machines. I had fun memories between the messed up stuff, you know?”

Chance stroked her hair and dragged his gaze from the stars above to look at something even prettier—his Em. “Like what?” He wanted to know every single thing about her.

“Like, my dad would take me to the gas station in town on the mornings he had to work, and we would get cherry fried pies. It was our tradition. Even now, cherry fried pies are my favorite breakfast food.”

“Because of the good memories associated with them?”

“Yeah. But now, every good memory is tainted. I feel guilty for having any good thoughts about him. I have these moments where a memory will make me smile, and I’ll immediately have this sick ache in my stomach. He wasn’t a good man.”

“But he was good to you in his own way.”

“You’re being too forgiving,” she whispered. Her smile faded, and she leaned over and pressed her lips gently onto his claw-mark scar. “I’ll never forgive him for this.”

Chance tucked her hair behind her ear. His chest hurt for what she must be going through. Sure, she’d made the right decision to stop her hunting, but it was at the expense of everything she’d ever known. Every moment, every thought, every word her father and uncle had ever spoken to her would be ruined now.

Emily rolled onto her stomach and arched her back, propping up on her elbows as she fiddled with the edge of a pillow. Her hair cascaded over her shoulder and hid part of her face. He didn’t like that—her hiding from him.

“Do you think you’ll ever be able to look at me and not think of him?” she asked in a careful tone.

“Yes.” It was the easiest answer in the world.

“How do you know?”

Chance ran his finger up the curve of her spine, then pulled her hair away from her face. “Because I already do. I see
you
, Em. Not your father. Not what he trained you to do.”

The smile was back on her mouth, spreading slowly, making his heart thump against his sternum. God, she was stunning. Em leaned forward and kissed his lips, then each of his cheeks before she nuzzled against his face and whispered, “You’re my favorite.”

A banging echoed on the front door, and the change in Emily was instant. In a flash, she had one leg off the bed, one knee resting on the mattress, and she held a long buck knife with the dull edge of the blade resting tightly against her forearm. Her eyes had gone fiery and every muscle was tensed, ready. Holy shit, where had she been hiding that huge knife?

Another pounding knock sounded, hard enough that the walls rattled.

“Chance, get your ass out here,” Link yelled. “Now!”

Aw, shit. “Stay here.”

“Who is it?” Em asked.

Chance ghosted her an empty smile. She was going to hate this. “That would be my alpha.”

“Oh, my gosh, Lincoln McCall is here?” she whisper screamed. Her grip tightened on the handle of her knife.

“It’ll be fine.” Probably.

Chance shoved his legs into his jeans and jogged to the door as Link huffed and puffed and threatened to bring the entire damned house down.

What he saw on Link’s face when he opened the door was nothing shy of terrifying. Snow-white eyes, his lips twisted in a feral snarl, and his hands clenched at his sides like he was trying desperately hard not to sock Chance in the jaw. Hello, Crazy McCall.

“Good evening,” Chance said.

Link’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “Tell me you didn’t claim her.”

“That’s none of your damned—”

“Tell me now, or I’m going to go look at her back myself.”

“No, I didn’t claim her. Yet.”

“Yet,” Link said, angling back a step as he gripped his hands onto his waist. “Yet! Are you fucking kidding me right now? You do realize what she is, right? Because I refuse to believe you are this naïve.”

“You don’t know her.”

“I know she’s a fucking Hell Hunter. I know she’s the daughter of Emanuel fucking Vega, who tried to murder Dalton and burn Kate alive, and if you think he was going to stop there, you’re wrong. Her father was going to hunt us, hang and burn us, pair by pair. I have a kid, Chance. Do you get that? Fina is barely walking, completely unable to defend herself without the protection of the pack, and you’re fucking a Hell Hunter, the very people trained to kill us.”

“I know, but Link, she isn’t like her dad.”

Link scoffed and jogged down the stairs.

“Are we done?” Chance asked, confused.

“No!” Link picked up a huge trap off the ground below and shook it, the metal chain clinking with the movement. “She’s hunting us still! Does this look familiar, Chance? It should. She’s got an entire pile of these exact traps sitting by that mountain of ashes over there.”

“What’s he saying?” Emily asked from behind Chance.

He cast a glance over his shoulder. She was wearing jeans and a black tank top, no bra. It was too cold for her to be out here in that. Chance dragged his gaze to the trap in Link’s hand, then back to her. “He’s saying you’re still hunting us.”

Em looked genuinely confused. “No, I’m not.”

With an irritated sigh, Chance climbed down the stairs. Em followed closely behind. Pretty brave for a human because Link was on a warpath and looked like a freaking demon right now.

“Can I see that?” Chance asked, holding out his hand.

Link dropped it in the mud and shoved it toward Chance with the toe of his boot. Sure enough, it looked just like her traps by the burn pile.

“How did you even know we were here?”

Link gestured grandly to his green Bronco. Milling in front of it was the rest of the pack—Dalton, Kate, Nicole, and in her arms, little Fina. “I called a pack meeting, only I couldn’t reach you.”

“I spilled,” Kate said in a hoarse, guilty-as-hell voice. “I’m a terrible liar, and Link is scary right now.”

“What the hell, Kate?” Chance asked.

“Oh, it’s her fault for spilling secrets, Chance? There shouldn’t have been any secrets in the first place! We’re a pack. What does that mean to you? No, don’t even fucking answer that right now. I’ll tell you what it means to me. It means we protect each other and don’t hide shit, especially secrets that could burn our entire pack to the ground!”

“I was going to bring her to you tomorrow morning before I left for Silver Summit. I’ve already asked her to meet with my pack so you can get to know her.
Her
, not who you assume she is.”

Link dragged his furious, glowing gaze to Emily. “Is this your trap? No lies. I can hear them.”

Emily frowned down at the sprung contraption at Chance’s feet. The porch light reflected off the sharp, metal teeth. “Yes,” she murmured. “Where did you find it?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Link,” Nicole admonished from behind.

With a growl, Link said, “It was on my land. My mate almost stepped in it when we were taking Fina for a walk tonight. Silly me, I thought the threat of Hell Hunters died with Emanuel Vega.”

“Oh, my gosh, are you okay?” Em asked Nicole.

“Don’t talk to her!”

“I didn’t set this! I haven’t set any traps on your land. Chance and I just sprung all of mine today so there would be no accidents. I wasn’t hunting you. Not yet. I was working on Chance.” Emily winced. “Shit. That sounded bad.”

“No, it sounded just right, except the part about you trapping on my land.”

“I. Didn’t. Set. That. Trap. I’ve never been on your land.”

Link took a couple steps back, white eyes locked on Em’s.

“Truth,” Chance added helpfully.

“I literally want to strangle you right now, Chance. You’re not helping.”

“I like her,” Kate called.

Link silenced her with a look.

“Look,” Em pleaded, “I’m not like my dad. I cut ties with them after I started getting to know Chance, and I’m working through some shit, but I’m not a Hell Hunter anymore. And I really like Chance—”

“Don’t talk.”

“Link,” Chance warned. “You’re going to have to watch how you speak to her.”

“You remember that night, don’t you? You remember Vega and his Hell Hunters hanging Dalton and pouring gasoline on his cabin
with Kate in it
.”

“I don’t need a recap, Link. Emily wasn’t there. The sins of her father died with him. She’s mine.”

“Fuck it all,” Link growled. He paced away and back, then toward the others again. “What am I supposed to do with this? I’m trying to be a good alpha, but this is something I can’t allow.”

“Link, don’t do this until you know her,” Chance said desperately.

“I forbid you to claim her.”

“Link, don’t!” Nicole yelled, approaching with Fina cuddled close against her chest. “You aren’t listening to him. Chance said she’s his.
His
, Link.”

“He’ll have to turn that off.”

“It doesn’t work like that, and you know it,” Dalton gritted out. “Chance isn’t a risk taker. He never has been when it comes to the people he cares about. If he says she’s safe, she is.”

“I will never allow her to be a part of this pack,” Link barked out. “No Hell Hunter has ever paired up with a werewolf in our entire history, and for a reason. We won’t be merging our lineage here. Not in my pack.”

“Link,” Nicole murmured, resting a hand on his wrist.

A flash of regret took Link’s eyes, but in an instant, it was replaced by a fierce determination. “You’ll let her go, Chance. That’s an order.” Link turned and strode off for his Bronco. “This was a courtesy visit, Hell Hunter. If I find another trap on my land, I’ll rip your throat out.”

“Chance, I didn’t set that,” Em said, gripping the back of his shirt. “Please believe me. I didn’t put a trap on his land. I wasn’t there yet.”

Chance couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. The weight of Link’s order pressed heavily onto his shoulders. It felt like someone had dropped a bulldozer on his chest.

“Chance?” Emily said in a scared squeak. “Please believe me.”

“I believe you,” he rasped out, “but I’m bound to them.” His throat closed over the words.

“Chance!” Link called, holding open the back door to his Bronco. “Let’s go.”

“Please don’t leave like this,” she said, tears streaking down her face.

His body hurt to stay. Each muscle cried out for him to move under Link’s glare. Kate was crying, her face buried against Dalton, and his cousin looked like he was about to retch. Maybe it was from the power Link was letting off, or maybe it was because he knew how hard it was to rip a devoted heart away from a mate.

“I can’t…” A pained sound wrenched from his chest. He was dying. That was the only thing that made sense for how badly this hurt. Death from the inside. He forced himself to kiss her forehead. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, then walked toward the truck with reluctant steps, struggling to maintain control over his body.

He forced himself not to look back at her because her tear-streaked cheeks would gut him the rest of the way. Without a word, he climbed into the back seat beside Kate and kept his gaze on his clenched hands in his lap.

“You’ll thank me for this later, Chance,” Link said.

“He definitely won’t,” Nicole murmured from the front seat. Turning to face Chance, she asked, “Is she your mate?”