Four Days (Seven Series #4) (7 page)

A selfish part of him wanted to experience the biggest form of vanity there was: a smaller version of himself. A life created from his genes, his spirit, and his strength. But not from those women.

Like her name, Ivy tangled in his thoughts like a stubborn vine. Lorenzo had no intentions to acquire her, but after their conversation in his car, he needed more information. Something about her intrigued him. How could such a gentle creature be so defiant, strong-willed, and yet loyal all at once?

The sound of howling wolves filled the night like an ancient song.

Later that evening, after the confrontation with Fox’s wolf, I awoke from a terrible nightmare and gasped for breath.
I switched on a low light mounted on the wall above my headboard and sat up. The dreamcatcher that hung over my bed was slightly swaying. Perhaps it had caught a gust of air when I moved.

I slept in one of the central rooms that didn’t have a window, hoping it would keep bad spirits from finding me. As a little girl, I’d kept my dreamcatcher tucked away in a drawer with a number of other things passed down to me from relatives. But one day, I had come to need its power to keep the nightmares at bay. Occasionally one of the dream demons slipped through, but not for long, as I would quickly wake up and they would vanish. My uncle had made the dreamcatcher for me over a century ago, long before I was born. He’d had a vision that one day he would have a niece who needed spiritual protection, so he had it blessed by a powerful shaman.

“Oh, brother,” I murmured, sliding my legs off the bed. My slippers were nowhere to be found, so I put on my robe and tiptoed into the quiet hallway. I passed the game room and silently descended the staircase, making the last step creak.

The dying embers in the fireplace gave off a residual glow, and dim moonlight trickled through the windows.

I noticed Wheeler fast asleep in one of the chairs by the television. With Ben’s wolf guarding the property, the men were more at ease about getting some sleep. Reno said that a tired man makes impulsive decisions, so he set all the alarms and told everyone to get some shut-eye.

Not wanting to wake Wheeler, I went into the kitchen where I caught Denver stooping in front of the open fridge. He was barefoot and shirtless with nothing on but a pair of loose grey sweatpants—the kind with a drawstring, and one of the white strings was swinging back and forth as he rummaged around on the lower shelf. I wondered how someone who ate as much junk food as he did could stay so fit.

“Just heat up the leftovers,” I suggested.

Denver stood up so fast he hit his head on the bottom of the freezer door. “Damn, woman!” he said with a start. “You should have been a mouse instead of a wolf, you know that?” He rubbed the back of his head and leaned on the door. “I’m not in the mood for a sequel.”

“I can make you some chili.”

“No meat. I’m watching my figure.” He patted his flat stomach.

I reached in a drawer for a giant spoon and then opened the freezer, pulling out a gallon of ice cream.

“Here,” I said, slapping the cold container in his hands. “Life crisis resolved.”

He peeled the lid back and inspected the carton. We often bought Neapolitan since everyone in the house liked something different.

“Works for me,” he said.

There was plenty of strawberry, and it was one of his favorites. Most of the men preferred chocolate or vanilla.

His knuckles whitened as he struggled to scoop some up, but it bent the spoon in half. “Dammit. It’s not ready to eat.”

“Patience, Denver. Sit at the table and wait for it to soften. Sometimes you can’t rush something, and if it’s worth having, then you’ll learn to wait.”

Denver got out another spoon and went to the long wooden table, taking a seat on the bench. He set the carton down and leaned back on his elbows. “Yeah, but what if by the time I’m done waiting, I don’t want it anymore?”

I smiled. “Something tells me that’s not going to happen. How’s your job going at the bar?”

“Good. The peak hours are bringing in the money. Have you thought about finding work?”

I sat to his left, facing away from the table. “I don’t have any skills.”

“Your father didn’t teach you any? What about the women in your pack?”

I played with the belt on my robe. “Life up there wasn’t as progressive as it is down here. My father was old-fashioned.”

“No offense, but it sounds like he was a dick. You don’t run into many packs these days that keep their women home to make babies and cook dinner. That’s old school. Lynn stays around the house because she put in her time at that cheap-ass human job, not to mention all the crap her ex-husband put her through. That woman needed a break.”

“I’d hardly call remodeling this house a break. The woman should be sainted.”

“True that,” he said. “I’m glad Lexi talked her into going to school to learn a new profession. She’ll make some real money as an interior decorator in the Breed world. If she makes the right connections, she could end up bringing in more money than us.”

I glanced at him with hesitation. “They might not hire a human.”

He held up his middle finger. “Then those will be the bastards with the ugly houses. Waitressing isn’t your scene, but what about furniture restoration? You kicked ass at refinishing some of the old junk in this house, and there are plenty of ancients who have a lot of antique furniture they need fixed up.”

I leaned against his arm and smiled. “I enjoy bringing out the beauty in something, but I don’t think I could do that as a profession. It’s just a hobby.”

“Sure you can,” he said, lightly tugging my braid. “Maybe you don’t have those kinds of jobs back where you came from, but the cities are full of them. I’ll ask around on the Breed side of town and see if I can pull a few strings. If not, then you can do contract work, and Austin will help you get that sorted out. You need to get your feet wet and earn a living. You also need to get out of the house and meet people.”

I laughed and pinched his arm. “You boys are enough entertainment for me.”

“No, I mean you need to meet
men
.” Denver stood up and turned around. “Not saying you need to mate with anyone. But girl, go on a date. Twirl around in a pretty dress and see a movie. You’re young, intelligent, strong, and beautiful. That means you’ll have your choice of some of the best wolves in the territory.”

As I stood up, I handed Denver his spoon. “Perhaps when you can take the advice you give, I’ll be more inclined to listen. Try to leave some for everyone else.” I left the kitchen and shivered as I made my way back into the living room.

Unlike most people, I enjoyed the absence of noise, and walking the house late at night was one of my most favorite things. Sleeping was pointless, so I approached the window and peered into the darkness. My wolf was even more restless than before. She wasn’t just whining to get out anymore—she was scratching and biting at the door.

Something in the distance caught my eye, and I leaned in so close that my nose touched the frosty glass.

Fox lingered by the private road and waved for me to come out.
Where’s Ben?
My chest tightened at the idea that Fox might have done something to him.

I punched the code to disable the alarm on the front door only; Reno had programmed different codes that would disable one entrance but not the entire house.

The frozen air licked at my skin as I walked barefoot down the porch steps, hugging my body. Cold air was merely a discomfort, and all pain was temporary.

As I drifted toward him, he walked forward and closed the distance between us. Fox had a mixture of black and silver hair he kept trimmed short. He had a thick nose, deep-set eyes, and three creases on his forehead from all the eyebrow raising he did. In human years, he looked like a man in his late forties, but in Shifter years, Fox was a man in his prime. An older wolf, but by no means a weak one.

He had a confident stride—a kind of swagger with each swing of his arms. When he finally stopped a few feet away, his blues eyes traveled down. “Your feet seem to be missing shoes.”

“And your head seems to be missing an ear.”

Irritation flashed in his eyes when he reached up and touched his mangled left ear. Some of it had healed, but he hadn’t shifted soon enough.

“Don’t try anything,” I warned. “My wolf will protect me.”

He laughed, and a cloud of breath escaped his mouth. “That’s rich. I’m afraid I’ve never met your wolf, but I’m sure she’s a sweet little bitch. One who’s never fought to the death like I have, so don’t threaten me with your animal.”

“We’re also not alone out here,” I said.

“Yes, we are. Your guard dog left an hour ago. Guess he’s not as loyal as they come.”

“If you did anything to him—”

“Do you know how long it took me to find you here?” Fox widened his belligerent stance and tucked the tips of his fingers in his jean pockets. “Your father didn’t mention a damn thing as to where you went. Your Packmaster has false plates on his car that aren’t registered, so all we had to go on was that you were in Texas.”

“We?” I flipped my braid behind my back and folded my arms.

“Me and Gil. Maybe you never noticed, but he was always more loyal to me than he was to Ivan. Your packmate got in a few good bites, but Gil’s on the mend.” Fox’s eyes drifted behind me and scoped out the property. “Nice place you’ve got here, Ivy.
Real
nice.”

“Why are you here, Fox?”

“For
you
, Poison Ivy.”

My eyes narrowed. “Don’t call me that.”

His laugh died off with a moan, as it often did. “It’s a fitting name.”

My eyes darted around, searching the woods.

“We’re alone,” he assured me. “My men have orders to stay back. I wanted to speak to you privately and give you a chance.”

Rage intensified within me like a hurricane. “A chance for
what?
”

He pulled his hands out of his pockets and squeezed his fists. “To come with me voluntarily. See, you have a choice. You can either join my pack of your own free will, or we can battle this out and I’ll take you, the land, and whatever women you’ve got.”

“There’s a child in there,” I hissed.

He waggled a brow. “How old?”

I slapped him in the face so hard that it stung my hand.

Fox kept his eyes shut for just a moment before settling them back on me. “Come with me and save your pack.”

“You’re a
liar
. No matter what I do, you’ll still come after this land because it’s something you covet. The envy in your eyes is greener than the grass below my feet. Don’t give me an ultimatum when we both know you’re going to fight my pack regardless. This is my family, and you’re not welcome here.”

With lightning speed, he reached out and snatched my braid, yanking me forward. I yelped and, in a swirl of magic, shifted into my wolf.

***

At three in the morning, Lorenzo awoke to an insistent pounding on his door. He threw the fur blanket away from his nude body and groggily got out of bed.
Why couldn’t they call on William to settle their disputes?
The banging sounded again and he cracked his door, holding it open with his right hand above his head.

“Unless someone has declared war on our land, don’t knock on my door at this hour.”

William’s brown eyes were wild. “I hit a wolf with my car. A Shifter.”

“And this is my problem because?”

He rubbed his face, panic rising. “It’s a female.”

Lorenzo swung the door wide and turned around to put on his black pants. “Lead me to her.”

They hurried down the hall and toward the stairs. No one roused from their rooms, as the pack had grown accustomed to late-night arguments or gatherings downstairs.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they hurried out the front door. Cold wind bit against Lorenzo’s bare chest and he clenched his fists.

“I don’t recognize her from any of the neighboring packs, but… Jesus hell, I’m sorry, Enzo.”

“You better pray that she’s a rogue wolf.”

If she belonged to one of the local packs, it could mean trouble. The Packmaster would seek compensation or revenge. Her father or mate had the option of challenging the man who hurt or killed her, and it was a challenge that ended in death.

When they neared the BMW, William popped the trunk. Lorenzo walked behind the car and glared at William. “You locked her in the
trunk?
”

He shrugged. “I didn’t want to get blood on my seats.”

Lorenzo smacked him hard in the head and raised the trunk lid.

Silver fur
. He hadn’t seen many wolves in his lifetime with the purity of this color. Her snout and neck were as white as snow, but the rest of her body was the most elegant shade of silver he’d ever beheld.

Lorenzo’s eyes lowered and spotted the blood on her hindquarters. He bent down and ran his arms beneath her, only slightly rousing her from unconsciousness.

She bared her white teeth.

“Submit, female. I’m here to help.”

With that, a growl escaped and made him chuckle.

“Stubborn bitch,” William remarked. “If she doesn’t shift for you, then we’ll be dealing with a dead body by morning.”

Lorenzo lifted her limp body from the car and shifted her weight in his arms. The wolf cried out in pain and he shushed her. William closed the trunk and they walked together toward the house.

“What happened?” Lorenzo asked.

“I was heading out toward the Weston territory and—”

“Why?”

William coughed into his hand. “You wanted me to find out about that woman, right?”

“By breaking into their house?
Fool!
One of the men in the pack is a PI, and I can promise you he’s rigged up that house with security alarms. I don’t need such trivial things because I have the numbers to protect this house; they don’t.”

“I used to break into homes for a living. You don’t think I can get past a security checkpoint? Most Packmasters keep their private office on the lower level, and since the pack usually sleeps upstairs, seems the perfect opportunity.”

They climbed the steps and William held open the door. Lorenzo stopped and lowered his voice. “I don’t have time to argue about this. Find out what you can about the woman, but stay
off
their property. This isn’t like the old world you lived in. If you get caught, you’ll pull my pack down with you.”

Every muscle in Lorenzo’s strong arms turned rock solid as they climbed the stairs. She was a strong female with a lot of muscle tone.

“Anyhow,” William continued in a quiet voice, “she darted out of nowhere. I tried to turn the wheel, but it happened too fast.”