Authors: Doris O'Connor
Lure of the Blood (7 page)
He groaned in relief when he stepped under the
hot stream of water. It felt damn good on his sore muscles, before images of
Marnie with Lucas made him tense up in frustration, his agonised howl echoing
throughout the cubicle. She couldn’t have run, could she? No matter what she
said, the vampire had clearly lost control, taking too much blood in the
process and leaving her as weak as a puppy. And he had been rough––if the
awkward way she had been sitting and the fresh bruises he had spotted forming
on her soft skin were anything to go by. His claws shattered the tiles,
imagining them to be Lucas’s throat and he turned off the shower with a muttered
curse. His sensitive ears found her movements across the hall effortlessly, and
he smiled a grim smile at the sound of her getting into the bath. Her soft moan
of feminine appreciation as she slid into the water made his cock harden
painfully again. At this rate, he would have to pay a visit to Louisa or one of
the other unmated females in his pack, if he was to stand any chance of keeping
his paws off the sighing woman in the bath across the hall, whose scent was
even now calling him. With another groan he stepped back into the shower, any
thought of other females forgotten as Marnie’s scent grew stronger still. He
was so fucked.
****
The rumble of many voices and the clinking of
cutlery guided Marnie to the dining room, next to the kitchen, some time later.
Louisa had appeared with a small bundle of clothes, just as Marnie was getting
out of the bath.
“The boss said you’d need these. They should
fit you. Breakfast is ready in ten, sugar. Everyone is intrigued to meet you,
but don’t worry, they don’t bite, much…”
Marnie had smiled weakly at that. “Everyone?”
“Sure, sugar. The pack congregates for the full
days of the moon phase, when hunting is at its most rewarding. The boss’s
estate gives us the privacy we need to run free. Anyway, I am talking too much
as usual, but as you’re here, you will find these things out soon enough. I
best go and help. See you downstairs when you’re ready.”
Tugging nervously at the neckline of the
longest summer dress she had been able to find in the bundle Louisa had given
her, Marnie forced herself to push open the saloon-style doors and stepped into
chaos. Along one wall of the huge room a buffet-style breakfast was laid out,
the smells of freshly brewed coffee and home baked bread drawing her further
into the room. Coffee, that’s what she needed to get rid of the sluggishness in
her veins, which slowed her movements and made her feel like an old woman.
Conversation hushed for a moment when she stepped into the room, and she smiled
nervously at the assembled group of men and women. The hunks from the forest
were there, and so was Jenkins. His cheeky wink in her direction caused a deep
growl behind her and she whirled around too fast, leaving her dizzy and in
danger of falling over. The strong arm about Marnie’s waist steadied her;
before Ion released her, his breath hot on her cheek, his nostrils flared and
he sniffed her ear. She couldn’t help a little sniff herself. Gone was the
dirt-smudged, barely controlled wolf she had woken up to, and in its place was
a freshly showered male packaged into tight faded jeans and a vest, which left
little to the imagination. His natural scent made her mouth water and she
longed to lean into his incredible warmth. A small body careening into her
legs had her reaching out to steady herself and she swallowed as her hand
connected with his chest, an arch of electricity shooting up her fingers. Her
startled gaze flew to his face. Had he felt that too? Ion’s face gave nothing
away, but his body went rigid and he carefully removed her hands, steering her
expertly through the open doors to one of the small tables dotted around on the
terrace.
He nodded to the men and women watching them,
smiled at the many children running around and issued a clear warning growl to
the boisterous little fellow who had almost sent Marnie flying. He settled her
onto a chair.
“Sit down and stay there, before you fall
down,” he said, and beckoning a young girl to come over he continued,” tell her
what you want for breakfast and she’ll get it for you.”
“I can do that myself; there is no need to
trouble anyone.”
The commanding look Ion gave her stopped any
further protest. “You look as though you’re going to pass out, which would
inconvenience Ruthie far more, so stay put and eat something.”
“And if I don’t want to?”
“Don’t be a fool, little one. I’ll be watching
and if need be, I’ll force-feed you myself.”
The harsh expression on his face left Marnie no
doubt that he would follow through on that threat. As seemingly every eye in
the vicinity was watching them, she nodded her agreement. With one last heated
look, he walked away from her.
“Phew, you really don’t want to goad him like
that.” Ruthie’s nervous laughter made her drag her gaze away from the poetry in
motion that was Ion’s retreating backside and pay attention to the teenager.
“I don’t take kindly to being ordered around.”
“Yes, well, he’s the alpha. What he says goes.”
Marnie’s head was starting to hurt again.
Seriously?
“So he says jump and you all say how high? But
that’s ridiculous.”
The girl just shrugged her shoulders. “It’s the
way it is. Someone has to be in charge and the alpha it is. Now, please tell me
what you want for breakfast. He’s watching us and he doesn’t look happy.”
Sure enough, Ion’s expression could have turned
eggs sour in their shells and as their eyes connected, he raised one eyebrow in
a silent challenge and Marnie sighed. Clearly this was a battle not worth
fighting. She told Ruthie what she wanted. So much for being an independent
woman, forging her path. And heaven help her, if there wasn’t a small part of
her that revelled in being taken care of.
Glancing around the room, she observed Ion’s
interaction with his pack. It was clear immediately that he was completely in
charge. An aura of quiet strength and leashed power surrounded him and he seemed
to communicate with unspoken demands, which were quietly followed. The men, all
of them tall, broad-shouldered and sporting the same tattoo she had spotted on
Ion’s arm only that morning, were pure eye candy and the women were stunningly
beautiful. It shouldn’t have come as surprise to her that she recognised many
of them from the club. She had known he ran a tight ship at the club. That was
one of the main reasons why she had agreed to let Ellie drag her along for
auditions. She had to smile to herself at the shy mouse she had been then. She
had noticed Ion of course, he was hard not to notice quite frankly, but only in
a
Wow, he’s hot but completely out of your league
way
.
And
besides, he was her boss––nothing good could have ever come from it. So how on
earth had she ended up here in the middle of a pack of wolves, having been used
as a glorified snack bar by a goddamn vampire, no less? Thoughts of Lucas had
her tugging at her hair nervously to make sure it was still covering those ugly
marks on her neck. She could only pray they would fade soon and (
please, God
)
not leave any scars. That was another thing. Ion had said Lucas could be very
persuasive. Had he used that persuasion to weave the sexual hold he’d had over
her? Certainly her behaviour around him had been completely out of character.
And if so, how dare he? Fresh anger at the vamp made her blood boil. How dare
he treat her like his plaything, toying with her emotions and making her feel
responsible for the man he’d killed! Goosebumps broke out all over her skin,
recalling his statement that he had stopped the man from raping her. She ought
to be grateful for that, but he didn’t have to kill him in such a brutal way,
damn it.
A sudden commotion across the room shook her
out of her musings. One of the hunks that had helped move the truck was talking
in hushed, urgent tones to Ion. The look he threw in her direction made an icy
fist close round her heart. As she watched, the hunks left one by one, their
faces grim, their bodies alert and with one last considering look in her
direction, Ion too, left. The streaks of grey and brown darting past the
terrace moments later made Marnie almost drop her coffee cup. Wolves…
As she watched them disappear into the tree
line, the largest of them stopped and turned, sniffing the air. His eyes went
boring into hers across the clearing and Marnie had the strangest sense of…
connection
.
The wolf threw his head back and howled mournfully before melting into the
trees. Marnie released the breath she had not been aware of holding.
Now, what was wrong?
Chapter Eight
The scent of sun-kissed human hit him the
minute Ion stepped out of his truck, and his worry over what he’d learned
warred with his instant awareness of her. Ion’s legs followed his nose without
any conscious effort on his part, around the house, through the gardens, and
out to the overgrown patch the pack youngsters used as their playground. He
barely acknowledged the young ones’ mothers huddled together in a corner, nor
did he pay attention to the toddler throwing himself at his legs. He simply
scooped him up and tossed him in the air, not once breaking his stride, knowing
that Jenkins’ youngest would land on his feet and scramble away giggling. Where
the hell was she? A newborn’s cry, mingled with the exasperated tones of his
mother, brought a fleeting smile to his lips. The newest addition to the pack
was a fractious and feisty little thing and there was rarely any peace to be
had when she was around.
Leaping over the last bush, Ion landed softly on
the balls of his feet and for once even his wolf was stunned into silence. The
sun behind Marnie rendered her dress transparent, every one of her delicious
curves clearly visible, but it was the tender expression on her face that
lodged a lump in his throat and made his wolf roll over in submission. As he
watched, little Leah’s crying subsided to a mere mewling as Marnie expertly
took the baby off her anxiously hovering mother and laid her across the length
of her forearm. Her hand supported the little girl’s head; her other hand drew
soothing circles over the three-week-old’s back. The baby quieted further when
Marnie began to sing an ancient lullaby, her voice soft and soothing. Her body
swayed gently, to and fro and up and down.
Her eyes briefly connected with his, their
expression so soft and yielding his wolf rolled over again as though she had
just stroked his soft underbelly and something shifted deep inside of him. A
sense of peace and rightness settled over Ion, as he continued to watch. She had
turned her back on him and shifted a now-sleepy Leah high on her shoulder, so
that he could just about see the little shock of black hair and one eye
desperately trying to stay open as Marnie talked to Leah’s mother, her voice
light and happy.
“No, not really, they always settle easier with
someone else. No great miracle in that. Go and have a rest while you can. I’m
quite happy to keep her here.”
He nodded his consent to the baby’s mother and
with a grateful smile and one last stroke of her baby’s downy hair she padded
away, every line of her body screaming exhaustion.
“I’m not sure she would have taken me up on my
offer had you not turned up, Ion. Why has she been allowed to run herself
ragged?”
Ion took a step back at the sudden steel in
those amber eyes and his insides tightened uncomfortably at her next words.
“You’re supposed to be the all-high and mighty
alpha. Surely that extends to protecting your most vulnerable. Leah’s mum won’t
be good for anybody, if she doesn’t get some support. Is that not the whole
point of a pack, to look out for each other, or does your concern only extend
to the males?”
His wolf growled low at the suggestion that he
may be neglecting his duties and Ion’s temper prickled, the fine hair on his
neck raised as he took a step towards her, every fibre of his being meant to
intimidate. But instead of submitting, the little human just rolled her eyes
and closed the gap between them, her voice clear and angry.
“Oh, stop that ridiculous noise. Your wolf
doesn’t scare me and neither do your macho antics. Save them for some of the
young females who have been sniffing around you. What are you going to do about
this?”
Marnie had never looked more beautiful to him
than at that moment, all fired up, ready to go into battle for the females of
his pack, just like his mate should be doing. Whoa, where had that thought come
from? She wasn’t his mate, no matter how much his wolf growled,
Mine.
“Well, cat got your tongue, wolf? Fleas
scrambled your brain? I don’t necessarily expect big, bad you to babysit, but
surely there has to be someone in charge of the females. One of your relatives,
maybe; a sister, mother?”
Her voice trailed off at the expression on his
face and she swallowed, taking a few steps back, her eyes darting across the
shrubbery nervously as though she had just realised that they were very much
alone all of a sudden. The youngsters had been scooped up by their mothers the
minute his wolf had growled his first warning and his gaze dropped to the
rapidly beating pulse in her neck, his smile turning wicked at her whispered,
“Ion, I’m holding the baby,” as she backed away further.