Cole’s Redemption (10 page)

“Uh, no worries there.” Don’t provide a real-life finger snack for the gremlin—check.
“What about Sariel? You said he’s Kalen’s brother, right?”

“Half-brother, but yeah. He’s also a Seelie prince,” Zan said.

“Seelie, as in Fae?” Her eyes rounded. “I’ve never met one in real life!”

“Well, you will. His nickname is Blue because his hair and wings are this cool jewel
tone of blue. He’s really literal, doesn’t get a lot of human slang and terms. We
have a lot of fun with him, and he’s really a great guy. You’ll like him and Kalen.”

“I’ll reserve judgment on the Sorcerer for now,” she said dryly. “He popped into my
holding cell to basically inform me I was being watched and if I stepped one toe out
of line he’d turn me into a slug. I believe salt was mentioned as well.”

Zan actually growled, which she thought was funny. “He won’t try any such thing, or
he’ll answer to me.”

Reaching across the table, she patted his hand. “He was sort of kidding. I think.
Anyway, I’m not going to push my luck around him.”

Her touch, and the assurance, seemed to settle him. At the contact, the golden bond
between them sang. It was almost a living thing, humming with electricity, firing
along her nerve endings to the most primal part of her. The she-wolf inside of her
stirred, rumbling in need. They both wanted him again, to feel him as they did before.
His cock buried deep inside as they took what was theirs. She could hardly wait to
get out of here.

They finished their beers and waved good-bye to Jacee, who smiled as they left. She
thought about the coyote having a fling with Zan’s best friend and wondered how she’d
feel if she ran into someone who’d slept with her mate.

Her wolf snarled, letting her know she’d tear out the bitch’s throat.

Guess that answered
that
question.

Back in his truck, she slid into the passenger’s side. He didn’t start the engine,
though, and so she looked at him, waiting. Slowly, he turned to face her. Reached
over and traced a finger down her cheek.

“You’re very beautiful,” he said, the words husky.

Her heart did a strange happy dance in her chest. “As nice as that is to hear, I’m
surprised that you’d pay me any sort of compliment.”

“Why? Because of your attacking Nick?”

“That’s a big enough reason, don’t you think?”

“Yes. But there are extenuating circumstances. We both know that, and I’m willing
to bet your perspective will change.”

“You have a lot of faith.”

“Healer. It’s an occupational hazard.”

With that, he scooted close. Cupped a hand behind her head and pulled her in for a
kiss. He smelled so good, warm and spicy, and she inhaled his scent, hungry for more
of him.

“Care to take this somewhere else?”

She sucked in a breath. Her body was on a steady burn to taste him, to savor his skin.
“Yes.”

Desire darkened his brown eyes, and he started the truck. Even though they’d been
together last night, she couldn’t wait to have him again. In seconds, they were on
the road, and she felt a thrill of excitement. She was going to be with her mate,
and while they were still getting to know each other, their encounters weren’t just
fucking among strangers who’d go their separate ways. That pleased her to no end.
He was hers.

As she enjoyed the drive, something occurred to her. “Your voice! It’s not flat anymore.
You can hear, can’t you?”

Glancing at her, he nodded and graced her with a big smile. “I can. I wasn’t going
to say anything yet because I was afraid it might not be permanent, but if you noticed,
maybe it’s real. I was thinking it might have something to do with you being a born
shifter. I think the bond had a good physical effect on me.”

“I hope so. I’d like nothing better than if our bond healed you.”

“You mean that.” It wasn’t a question.

“I do.”

He drove until they came to a side road leading into the forest, a county road not
well traveled from the looks of it. The truck bumped along for a few minutes, and
he finally turned off onto a narrow lane that was little more than a dirt path. At
the end, the lane became a pretty meadow with a terrific view of the snow-capped peaks
of the Rockies and the Shoshone below.

“Gorgeous,” she breathed.

“There are lots of parking spots around—not that I’ve brought women to them often.
I mean rarely ever.” His cheeks colored.

“Maybe you’d better stop that line of bull while you’re ahead. The part about there
not being many, that is.”

“There haven’t!”

“If you say so.”

“Have
you
ever been parking?” he countered.

“I plead the Fifth.”

“Sure you do. Thought so.”

This time, she silenced him by initiating the kiss. His mouth was glorious, just firm
enough, made for kissing. He devoured her mouth, slipping his tongue inside, stroking
everywhere. Driving her crazy. She could imagine how good that would feel laving her
elsewhere.

“Even last night seems like it’s been too long,” she murmured. “I
need
.”

“For me too. Let me taste you?”

“Please.”

Lifting her shirt, he reached for the front clasp of her bra. Flicked it open and
let her breasts spill free. From that alone, her sex was throbbing. Born shifters
were highly sexual creatures, and she was glad Zan was, too. They weren’t shy about
their bodies, especially not once they found their mates.

They might not know each other well—but that wouldn’t stop them from burning up the
sheets.

Bending, he took a nipple in his mouth and sucked it to a tight point. Little shocks
went through her as he repeated the attention on the other nipple. Then switched again.
Just when she thought she’d go mad from want, he turned his focus to getting her jeans
unzipped and pulled to her hips. Slipping a hand in front, he palmed the pale, silky
curls.

“Mmm. I couldn’t tell what you were like here, last night, in your half form. Just
the way I like it—a trimmed triangle but bare where it counts.”

She loved the way a bare sex heightened pleasure and was glad he found this pleasing.
Her legs spread for him, and he delved between them, stroking her clit and diving
one finger into her channel.

“So good.”

“Let’s get these off, baby. I want you to ride me.”

Getting off her jeans inside a truck wasn’t easy, but at least it was a big cab. In
short order, she was naked from the waist down, and he was the same. She stared at
his lean, powerful thighs. And the trimmed bush with the cock jutting proudly from
the curls like an exclamation point. It was at least eight inches, flushed red and
purple, and gorgeous. Heavy balls were nestled underneath, resting on the leather
seats.

Reclining his driver’s seat, he gestured to his lap. “Climb aboard, sweetheart. Take
me for a ride.”

“Gladly.”

Moving over, she straddled him. Positioned the head of his cock at the entrance between
her folds. Gradually, she sank down, adjusting every couple of inches for his width.
She’d never felt so stretched, so full. Moments later, he was buried deep inside her,
to the hilt. There had never been anything as good as this connection. The thread
of their bond glowed, almost in approval.

“Fuck me, baby,” he begged hoarsely.

She began to pump on his length. Up and down, spreading her cream on his cock. Loving
his moans and her own as she added her sounds of pleasure to his. All too soon, a
familiar quickening began in her sex. The throbbing heat became too much, and she
shouted her climax, channel spasming around his length.

This triggered his release, and he joined her, his big hands spanned around her waist,
helping her ride him, slamming her onto his cock. When he was spent, he kissed her
lips and held her on him for a long moment.

He groaned. “I suppose we should get back to reality.”

“Why?”

“Good point. But I’m afraid people would miss us, and they’d find us stuck together,
expired from multiple orgasms.”

Laughing, she climbed from his lap. She was messy and yanked on her clothing quickly
to avoid screwing up his nice seats. He did the same, then kissed her once more for
good measure.

Selene found herself wishing they could just drive away. Leave her father and the
Alpha Pack behind and forget about all of it. But she’d promised to try to give this
a chance, and she would.

As she’d said, she was a wolf of her word. And there were worse fates than spending
times like this with Zander Cole.

N
ow the test would begin.

Zan drove them back to the compound, knowing life around there was truly about to
change. For himself, at least. He knew the others were going to be wary of his mate
at first. Some, like Ryon and Aric, might even be a bit hostile.

But this would work. It had to. As long as his hearing was truly back, he wanted desperately
to remain with Alpha Pack, to be a productive member of their team, and for that,
his mate had to be part of his world. If she couldn’t or wouldn’t stay, what the hell
would he do? He’d have to follow her. But he wouldn’t think about that now.

After he parked, he walked around to her side, helped her down. She looked at him
as though no male had ever done that before, and to hear her talk of her clan, he
wasn’t surprised. He offered his hand and was pleased when she accepted it, clasping
her fingers around his.

“Hungry?”

“Starved. But I’m nervous, too, so I’m not sure how the food is going to settle.”

“It’ll all be fine. Don’t worry.”

She didn’t seem convinced. It wasn’t until they got to the dining room that he understood
her nerves. No one was rude or outright hostile, but . . . they were normally so open
and friendly, whereas today they were reserved and watchful. He and Selene took a
seat at one of the family-style dining tables, and nobody sat with them. At first.

They were filling their plates with spaghetti when a shadow fell over the table. Zan
almost groaned when he looked up to see Belial standing there expectantly, as though
waiting for an invite to sit down.

“Belial,” he said in greeting. Not the friendliest, but this one had quite the history
with the Pack. He was seductive, manipulative. And if rumor could be believed, he
came with a pretty sad story.

“Zan! Can I sit with you guys?”

He looked so hopeful. Zan sighed. “Sure.”

The newcomer sat and grabbed a plate. Selene, who’d been observing with interest,
said, “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

“Belial, this is my new mate, Selene Westfall. Selene, Belial.”

“Nice to meet—wait a second. Westfall? As in our commander, Nick?”

“I’m his daughter,” she said, somewhat shortly. “What about you? You’re not a wolf.”

“Nope. I’m a basilisk shifter.” He waggled his dark brows. “Scared now?”

“Should I be?” She seemed unperturbed that one of the rarest, deadliest types of shifters
was sitting with them, calmly eating pasta.

Belial considered this. “Probably, around others like me, considering the deadly venom
thing. But in my case, I’m rehabbed. Got my rabies shots and everything. Just got
sprung from Block R a couple of weeks ago.”

“Congrats.”

He beamed at her. “Thank you. So, what do you do?”

“Do?” She stared at him, at a loss.

“You know, in your clan.”

“Oh! I’m an enforcer, or I was. That was before I left my uncle, our Alpha, without
really telling him where I was going and for how long.”

“News flash—Alphas don’t like when their top people disappear. Especially if they’re
family.”

“Tell me. I’ve got to call him before long.” She made a face that told without saying
how she felt about that task.

“What are your plans?” the basilisk asked between bites of spaghetti.

“Stay for a while, try to fit in.”

The young shifter blinked. “Fit in among misfits? That’s a good one!”

Selene chuckled. “You have a point.”

“Well, hello,” a familiar, friendly voice said to Selene.

Looking up, she smiled. “You must be Blue—I mean, Prince Sariel.”

“I see I’m famous,” he said good-naturedly, easing himself down by Belial. The basilisk
scooted over, shooting Blue a nervous look. As well he should—for all that Belial
was rare and dangerous, Blue, an eleven-thousand-year-old Fae, was even more so.

“Of course you’re famous. You’re royalty, after all.”

Some of Blue’s humor faded. “Used to be, but no longer.”

“I’m sorry,” she told him, sympathy etched on her face.

“It’s of no importance. At least I don’t have all of those boring council meetings
anymore.”

They ate in companionable silence for a bit, or rather, everyone ate except Blue.
The prince just pushed his spaghetti around, eating an occasional noodle to be polite.
Zan knew, because he’d seen the act time and again.

“You don’t eat much.” Selene studied his plate.

He shrugged. “I don’t tolerate the food on this plane very well. But Melina may have
finally figured out why.”

“Hey, that’s good news. Right?” Zan asked when Blue didn’t respond.

“Maybe. She says she thinks the problem is psychological. That it stems from me missing
my family in the Seelie realm.”

“Like grief, or depression?” Zan frowned.

“I suppose so. Who knows?”

“If that’s the case, what can she do to help you? Give you medication?”

“Not without knowing how human drugs will affect me. Of course, the best medicine
would be to find a way for me to visit my brothers, or for them to come here. Perhaps
Kalen and I will be able to figure out how to open a portal like the one I was dumped
through in the first place.”

That didn’t seem likely, though, a fact that was reflected on Blue’s sad face. Everyone
hated seeing him down, especially Zan. He was a Healer, but he couldn’t fix broken
hearts.

Another visitor came over. Seemed the group was finally letting curiosity and their
natural warmth overcome their reservations.

“Hello, I’m Kira, Jax’s mate,” the petite blond said, holding out her hand.

Selene took it, and they shook. “I’m Zan’s surprise mate, Selene Westfall.”

“Oh, we’ve heard.” She smiled. “I just wanted to welcome you and let you know that
some of us girls like to get together over a glass of wine occasionally, except for
Mac, of course—she’s all about juice and milk these days. Anyway, we wondered if you’d
like to come to our next gathering.”

Selene looked to Zan, and he nodded in encouragement. He realized she’d be hesitant.
She didn’t know anyone here, so she had to wonder if the offer was sincere. Suddenly,
he recalled that they should be able to use mind-speak now that they were mated, and
he tried it out.

You can trust these women, Selene. They would never do anything to harm or humiliate
you.
Her face reflected surprise, and if he wasn’t mistaken, pleasure. Whether at the
new form of communication or the information itself, he didn’t know.

You think so?

Yes, absolutely. If they’re inviting you into their circle, accept.

All right. I’ll trust your word.

She’d trust
his
word. He liked that, and so did his wolf.

“Thanks, I’d like to join you,” she said to Kira. Her smile didn’t quite reach her
eyes, as she didn’t yet want to let down her guard, but she was making an effort.

Zan wondered if part of her had been starved for this sort of companionship with friends.
Considering what she’d told him about her birth pack so far, he wouldn’t be surprised
if folks just weren’t all that warm and fuzzy.

Kira returned to her table, and Zan saw her discreetly poke her mate in the ribs.
He grunted, frowned, but then rose and made his way over to where they sat. Zan knew
that accepting Selene would be harder for the men on the team than the women, because
she’d tried to harm Nick. Jax’s gesture would go a long way toward swaying the rest
of the guys. But it still stung a bit that he’d needed a push from Kira to hold out
the olive branch.

“I’m Jaxon Law, Kira’s mate,” he told her.

“Jax is a Timebender and a PreCog,” Belial supplied helpfully. “Isn’t that cool? They
can all do neat stuff. Aric can set shit on fire and he’s a Telekinetic, Ryon’s a
Channeler who talks to dead people, Hammer is a Tracer, Kalen’s a Sorcerer and Necromancer,
Micah’s a Dreamwalker, and then—”

“Belial,” Jax interrupted. He arched a brow, and the basilisk deflated.

“Oh. Sorry.”

With a sigh, Jax returned his attention to Selene. “Anyway, despite the rough start,
I hope you’ll find a place here with Zan. He’s my best friend and a great guy, and
you could do a lot worse than to be saddled with his ass.”

“Thanks, I think.” Zan scowled at him.

“You’re welcome.” With a nod at Selene, he returned to his table.

As Zan hoped, Jax’s gesture brought the rest of the guys and their mates around to
say hello. Kalen, Mac, Ryon, and Daria she’d already met, but she was greeted by Rowan,
Aric, Micah, Hammer, Nix, A.J. and Noah. After they’d gone, Belial continued to happily
be a fountain of information.

“That’s everyone except Raven DeLuca,” he said, flipping his bangs from his face.
“He’s stuck in wolf form and relegated to Block R, maybe forever.”

A light seemed to dawn on her face. “Is he the one who’s howling and snarling down
there?”

“One and the same. He was a Navy SEAL in Zan’s unit. Right, Zan?”

“Yeah. After we were turned in Afghanistan, he shifted in the hospital and never returned
to human form, the poor bastard. He’s pretty much out of his mind. It’s so bad, the
doctors might not be able to let him go to the new building that’s almost finished
for the residents who need special care. They’re trying to work it out.”

“That’s horrible!” she gasped. “Do they know why he’s stuck?”

Belial shook his head. “No. And it’s not like they haven’t tried to heal him. Even
Zan’s had a shot at it, and nothing doing. That wolf is totally messed up in the head.”

Selene sat back in her chair and grew quiet for a few moments. Finally, she said,
“Okay. Raven was turned during the fight with the rogue werewolves.”

“Yes,” Zan affirmed.

“And then he went to the hospital, where he was recovering, at least at first?”

“Correct.” She grew silent again. “What?”

“I know I’m just the newbie on the block, but would it be possible for me to see Raven?”

All of Zan’s protective instincts surged to the fore, and his reaction was swift.
“Absolutely not.”

That earned him a dangerous look. “Want to try that again, in a different tone?”

Shit. “What I mean is, Raven is extremely unstable and very dangerous. As in, nobody
can get close enough to him to even touch him. Sedatives don’t work on him, either.
So he’s trapped in his misery, and six years of hell have made him mean. So I’d prefer
that you stay far away from him.”

“But what if I can help?”

He blinked at her. “What light could you shed on his condition that nobody else has
ever been able to?”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” she quipped. “Don’t forget, my clan is different from what
you guys are used to.”

“So?”

“Did it ever occur to you that I may have seen something like this before?”

His heart sped up, and hope bloomed. “You can really help him?”

“I should clarify I don’t know if I can physically
help
him, but I might know what’s
wrong
with him. Give me a chance to meet him. If I’m right, the doctors will at least have
a new avenue to pursue.”

“All right. Let’s talk to Mac and Melina, see what we can do.” Seriously? He didn’t
want her anywhere near Raven, the poor lunatic. But if she really could give them
a clue what was wrong with their fallen friend, he had to let her try.

Finishing their meal, they headed for Kira’s table, since she was in charge of rehab
and the soon-to-be-opened building, Sanctuary. Selene quickly gave her the rundown
of their conversation about Raven, and Kira got excited.

“Come on,” she said, jumping to her feet, meal forgotten. “Let’s go talk to Melina
about this.”

Jax wasn’t about to let
his
mate go anywhere near Raven without him, either, so the four of them walked quickly
to the infirmary. But the doc wasn’t easy to convince.

“No. I can’t take a chance with our own Pack getting near him, much less a newcomer.”

“Just a few moments?” Selene entreated. “The story Zan told me very much resembles
something that happened to one of my own clan members a few years ago. If I’m right,
it’ll give you a direction to help with his healing.”

The tiny doc was skeptical. “We’ve been studying him for six years and—”

“Without success. So, what will it hurt?”

“He’s dangerous.”

“Is he restrained?”

“Yes, but—”

“Five minutes. Please?”

“Dammit.” When Melina blew out a breath, they knew Selene had won. “Fine. Five minutes,
though I don’t know what can be accomplished in that time.”

Rising, Melina moved from behind her desk and led them out of the infirmary. Down
the corridor to Block R, the most barren place in the building. Zan was glad the new
Sanctuary would be far more welcoming than this place. A better environment for the
residents.

As soon as they went through the solid double doors to the block, the howling assaulted
their ears. The mournful racket was soul-wrenching, and Zan hated it every time he
came down here to speak to Raven, who never seemed to hear him. They reached the correct
cell, and Melina typed a code into the box beside the door. It slid open, and she
went in first.

Zan and the others followed her, keeping a respectful distance. The howling stopped,
but the large black wolf in front of them began a low, ominous growl that rumbled
in his chest like thunder.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Selene crooned, crouching. Making herself as nonthreatening
as possible as the wolf continued to growl, head down. “Aren’t you a big, beautiful
boy? Are you lonely in here? Of course you are. What if I told you that I understand?
That we’ll do everything in our power to find her?”

At that, for the first time in Zan’s memory, Raven stopped growling. Completely. He
looked at Selene, right in the eye.

And incredibly, he gave a soft whine.

“Holy shit,” Zan whispered. “That’s it.”

“What? What’s going on?” Melina demanded, her gaze bouncing between Zan, Selene, and
Raven.