Josie's Miracle (White River Wolves Series, #1) (4 page)

That was all Ryker needed to hear. Holding her firmly by the hips, he leaned down and captured her mouth with his.  Biting her lip, he tilted her hips and pushed his hard, straining cock deep inside her.  As he began to move, he growled, “Mine. Mine.”  Pulling out, he pushed into her again and again.  He wanted this.  He wanted to spill inside his mate, biting her and bonding them together.  Suddenly Josie rose up, wrapping her arms around him and Ryker felt her teeth sink deep into his shoulder.  Letting out a roar, he let himself go, slamming into her faster and harder.  As he came, Ryker bit into her shoulder, claiming her for the world to see. 

When Ryker released Josie’s shoulder, he raised his head and looked into her eyes.  He could get lost in her amazing, deep brown eyes.  Lifting a hand, he traced a finger down her temple, over her cheekbone, stopping on her kiss swollen lips.  “I don’t want to leave you,” he confessed as he leaned forward to kiss her again.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she whispered, “I don’t want you to leave.”  Gathering her in his arms, Ryker took Josie over to the waiting bathtub and slowly lowered her into it.  Turning the water back on, he grabbed a sponge that sat on the side of the tub.  After pouring some bath soap on it, he gently rubbed the sponge over her skin.  Starting with Josie’s arms, he moved down her breasts and over her stomach.  Lifting each sexy, silky-smooth leg out of the water, he washed them both before moving on to her back.  When he had touched every inch of her body with the sponge, Ryker urged her up out of the water and quickly dried her off.  He had taken up too much time, and wanted to tuck her into bed before he left.  Wrapping her in a dry towel, he lifted her up in his arms and made his way to her bedroom.  Sitting Josie on the bed, he found her warm fleece pajamas in a drawer where she said they were and helped her into them. 

Pulling back the covers, Ryker waited until Josie slid into bed, then he pulled the covers around her, tucking her in.  “I have to go,” he told her.  “I don’t want to, but Storm should have news by now and we need to get on the road.” 

Nodding, Josie clasped one of his large hands in hers, placing a kiss on his scarred knuckle.  “Go,” she urged with a smile.  “Go find Chloe.  Find her and get her back to her family.  I will be here when you are done.” 

Leaning in for one last kiss, Ryker reluctantly let go of Josie’s hand.  Taking out his cell phone, he asked her for her number.  Typing it in, he called her cell.  Josie had left it downstairs on the counter, but the number would be there in the morning.  Standing, Ryker double checked the balcony doors and made sure all of the windows were locked. 

“Be safe,” he heard Josie whisper as he left her bedroom.  Going through every room in the house, Ryker checked the locks on all of the windows and doors.  As he left through the front door, he caught Slade’s scent.  After making sure the door was locked, he found Slade who promised to watch over Josie for Ryker.  Taking one last walk around Josie’s house to make sure everything on the outside was secure, Ryker made his way back to his truck where Storm was waiting. 

“Anything?” he asked as he climbed in and started the engine.  Putting the vehicle in gear and leaving the compound was more difficult than he had thought it would be, but he got it done.  As Storm filled him in on possible leads, Ryker only half listened.  His mind was on the beautiful brunette he had left nestled in bed waiting for his return.

C
hase Montgomery stood by the window in his office, hands clenched tightly into fists.  Sighing heavily, he stepped forward and leaned an arm against the window, resting his forehead against the cool glass.

Angel was here...on his land.  Growling lowly, he squeezed his eyes shut, breathing roughly.  His mate was out there in the darkness, only a couple of miles away.  She and her team were investigating the attempted kidnapping of Phoenix’s son, Hunter.  Even though it had happened on his land, Chase had passed the investigation to Angel.  She was more than capable of handling it.  But that was not the real reason he had given up control.  Chase could not handle being around Angel right now.  He was so close to the edge that if he were near her, if he caught her scent, there was no way he would be able to hold back. 

The mating bite on his shoulder throbbed sending a shot of pure lust straight to his dick.  His body was in a constant state of arousal since Angel had bitten him starting the mate bonding process.  Angel was running from him, but she would not be able to stay away long.  He would not allow it. 

*****

A
ngel and her team canvased the area surrounding the body of the dead man they had found from Josie’s directions.  “Shit, remind me not to piss the doc off,” Jaxson said as he searched through the man’s pockets looking for anything that would give them a clue as to who he was and what he was doing on White River land.  The man was lying in a pool of blood, from bite marks and deep gashes caused by Josie’s claws.  “No ID,” he remarked.  “Nothing at all on him.  There was nothing in his coat either.”

“I found his truck, boss,” Nico yelled as he jogged back toward Angel.  “It’s bare.  Not a damn thing in it except a steel cage in the back.  Not even registration.”

“No sign of anyone else out there, Angel,” Rikki reported as she and Flame approached the group.  “The man was definitely here by himself.”

“He may have been here alone, but he was part of something bigger,” Flame retorted.  Her eyes flashed in anger.  “He had to be.  There is no way he did all of this on his own.” 

Hands on her hips, Angel’s gaze swept across the acres of land around them.  “I agree.  He may have been able to infiltrate pack lands, but how did he find out about shifters in the first place?  Something else is going on here.  I believe the immediate danger has been taken care of, but there is a much bigger threat out there.”

Taking one last look at the dead body at her feet, she ordered, “Nico, go tell Chase what we know, which isn’t much.  We will continue looking into this, but for now the danger has been neutralized.  The rest of you are with me.  We need to clean up this mess.  It needs to look like nothing happened.” 

Breathing deeply, Angel shut out the pain and frustration she could feel coming from Chase not too far from her.  Fighting the urge to use her gift of telepathy and merge with him, she pushed thoughts of Chase from her mind.  Now was not the time to dwell on what could not be.  She had to put her children above her own desires.  Until she could make sure they were all free of the General, there could be no Chase and Angel.

W
hen Josie woke up the next morning, her first thought was that something was missing.  Frowning in confusion, she slid her hand over to the far side of the bed, instinctively searching for something.  Then memories of the night before slammed into her full force.  Hunter had been kidnapped.  She had stopped the man that had taken the child, but had ended up causing his death.  Even though the idea of what she had done caused her emotional heartache, Josie could not bring herself to regret killing Hunter’s kidnapper.  The alternative would have been much worse. 

Her eyes widened when she remembered what happened after she had taken Hunter to the hospital.  After putting stitches in Hunter’s leg, she met her mate, Ryker.  Tall, gorgeous, powerful Ryker.  He was a council enforcer, who was at this very moment tracking down a pack of rogue wolves. 

Slowly reaching up, Josie touched the bite mark on her neck from Ryker.  The one that would tell everyone they were mates.  A smile spread across her face as she remembered how lovingly Ryker had taken care of her after they claimed each other.  Not only did he bathe her, but he dried her off, clothed her in warm pajamas, and snuggled her into bed. 

Remembering that Ryker programmed her number into his phone, Josie jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to see if he had contacted her yet.  Pulling up the number he had called from, she assigned his name to it.  Disappointment set in when there was no call or text from him.  Laughing to herself when she realized she was acting like a giddy teenager, Josie ran back upstairs and took a quick shower.  After drying off, she quickly fixed her hair in a messy bun, put on a trace of makeup, and dressed in a pair of jeans and a bright red, warm sweater.  She needed to stop by and check on Hunter and Serenity.  After that she had an appointment at her office with Janie, a woman who been held captive at one of the General’s facilities.  She was having a difficult time moving on, so Josie made sure to see her at least once a week. 

Josie checked her phone again after making her way back downstairs.  Still nothing.  A glance at the clock showed it was already past 10 in the morning.  Telling herself Ryker was on a mission and probably could not call, she mentally kicked herself for acting like a young girl in love.  After eating a small breakfast, Josie grabbed her keys and phone, then left the house, making sure to lock the door behind her.  Slade and Charlotte were waiting outside to escort her to Phoenix and Serenity’s.  The walk was short, but Josie enjoyed the cold, brisk air on the way.

“Congratulations, Doc,” Slade said with a grin before leaving Josie at Serenity’s door to parole the area while Josie was visiting.  Lightly touching her mate mark again, Josie smiled. 

Ringing the doorbell, Josie waited for someone to answer while her thoughts were once again consumed by Ryker.  When the door opened, she pushed thoughts of him to the back of her mind and concentrated on the woman and child in front of her.

*****

A
fter spending half an hour with Serenity and Hunter, Josie went to the hospital with Slade and Charlotte shadowing her this time.  If she had not known they were there, she would have missed them; they were that good.

Smiling as she walked through the front doors, Josie greeted everyone with a cheery wave.  After grabbing a cup of coffee, she went to her office to get ready for her appointment.  Turning her phone off, she put it in her desk drawer.  Her patient needed her undivided attention and Josie did not want any distractions.  Waiting for a call from Ryker was definitely a distraction. 

While she waited, she sipped her coffee and thought about her patient.  Janie had been kicked out of her pack almost four years ago for being a latent wolf shifter.  For some reason that Josie had not figured out yet, Janie was unable to shift into her wolf form.  Josie could not imagine not being able to run through the forest on all fours.  It was one of the most exhilarating experiences.  But nothing Josie tried had helped Janie shift.

After being kicked out of her pack, Janie had made it on her own for a year before the General’s men captured her.  She was held by them for a full two years before being rescued by RARE.  During that time, Janie had been raped and beaten by four different men.  She was eight months pregnant when RARE rescued her, and now had a healthy, vibrant seven month old daughter named Alayna.  Josie was not sure Janie would have survived if it was not for Alayna.  She gave Janie a reason to live. 

Lost in thought, the phone on her desk rang twice before she picked it up.  “Why aren’t you answering your damn cell?”  Ryker demanded.  As the sound of his voice flowed over her, Josie’s day finally felt right.  But that did not mean she was going to let him speak to her that way.

“Why did you wait this long to call?” she shot back.  She was 54 years old, dammit.  While that may not be old in wolf years, it meant she had been an adult for several years and no one was going to treat her like a child.  Ryker better learn that lesson now. 

“I was investigating some information we received on the rouge wolf pack.  Information that didn’t pan out,” he growled.  “I was worried, Josie.  I can’t be there for you right now. I need to know you are okay.”

Slowly letting go of her anger, Josie responded, “I’m sorry, Ryker.  I’m fine.  But you cannot speak to me like I am a child.  I am a grown woman.  I love that you want to be here for me and protect me, but your choice of words and tone of voice need to change.”

Ryker let out a frustrated sigh.  “It’s hard to be away from you, Josie.  It’s hard to concentrate on my job because I am worried about you.  I need my full attention on tracking down this pack.  Instead it is on you. I am wondering if you are safe.  Wondering if Slade and Charlotte are doing a good enough job guarding you.  If there are any males around you that I need to kill.”

Laughing softly, Josie told him, “There are definitely no other males you need to worry about.  Look, Ryker, you need to concentrate on your job, and I need to concentrate on mine.  I can’t be the doctor I need to be for my patients when I am sitting around waiting to hear from you.”

“I know,” Ryker reluctantly agreed, swearing softly.  “I need to go, sweetheart.  Storm just got a hit on the pack.  I am going to go silent until this job is done.  Call me if you need me, otherwise I will be there as soon as I can.” 

Fighting the tears that threatened, Josie told Ryker goodbye and hung up the phone.  She knew it was for the best, but that did not make her feel any better. 

“Do I need to come back at another time?” a voice asked hesitantly from the open doorway.  Realizing Janie had shown up early, Josie straightened her spine and promised herself she would do what she did best.  She would throw herself into her job and try to ignore the fact that she now had a mate who she would not be talking to for several days.

As pain filled her heart, Josie rose from her chair and gestured to Janie to take a seat on the couch.  Smiling fully, Josie sat beside Janie and talked for the next two hours about Janie’s daughter, Alayna, her roommate, Flame, and anything else Janie wanted to talk about.  Not once did Janie mention her time in captivity, but Josie knew she would one day.  And Josie would be there for her when that day came.  Janie needed her, the White River wolves needed her.  Maybe, someday, Ryker would need her, too. 

O
ne week later, Ryker still was not any closer to finding the rogue wolf pack.  Every lead he and Storm were fed turned out to be false.  Right now he sat in the back corner of a seedy bar, pretending to nurse a beer.  The last lead they were given said the pack liked to come to this hole in the wall dive.  Storm was playing pool, flirting outrageously with some obviously cracked-out humans.  She was trying to get them to leak information, but Ryker was positive this was another dead end.