Sarah McCarty (11 page)
“Easy.”
It was Slade who held her.
She turned her head to the side, easing the pressure on her nose. The shaking she’d been holding back commenced when his hand moved to her waist, anchoring her against him.
“Slade.”
“I’ve got you.”
“I was just trying to give him the gun,” the man who’d called himself Caleb said.
She didn’t look over. What would be the point?
“Shut up, Caleb.”
Caleb
. “That’s really your brother?” Jane asked.
. “That’s really your brother?” Jane asked.
“Yeah.”
She couldn’t see anyone’s expression. She was really glad they couldn’t see hers. For once, the darkness was working for her. “Oh my God, I almost shot your brother.”
“Serves his ass right for sneaking up on you.”
The muscles under her cheek flexed as Slade reached beyond her, but his hand didn’t leave her head, just held her to him in an odd combination of possession and comfort.
“As soon as I get my muscles unlocked, I’m putting you over m y knee.”
The threat rumbled under her ear, over her head.
“For what?” What century did he think this was? “I never said I would leave you here.”
“Not to mention almost taking out Derek here,” Caleb interjected dryly.
That sounded way too serious. “I was saving Slade’s life.”
Slade’s fingers tightened on her braid and tugged. She looked up into twin flames, glowing eerily in the dark. His eyes?
“You don’t ever risk your life, sweetness. Not for me, not for anything.”
She’d had enough. “I’ll do whatever the hell I want, but I assure you, I’ll not be risking it again for you.”
Another chuckle. This time from Caleb. “You met her when?”
“For real? Last night.”
“For real?”
Jane felt Slade’s shrug against her cheek. “We’ve been chatting over the Internet.”
“You met your mate through an online hook up?”
“Mate?” Jane asked incredulously.
“Mate?” echoed Slade.
“Seriously,” Jane snapped, “What century do you all think you’re in?”
“The century doesn’t matter,” Derek said, suddenly closer. “A mate is a mate is a mate.”
“Good God, I need to go home.” Grabbing the flashlight, Jane flashed it up at Slade. “You don’t believe in this, do you?”
There was no missing the shock on Slade’s expression.
“Oh my God, you believe this.”
“I swear, you Johnsons are slow on the uptake,” Derek muttered.
“And you would have known sooner?” Slade shot back.
“Hell yes. A wolf would have known on first contact.”
Yes, a wolf would have
, Slade realized. Whereas he had had to have Jane’s mysterious importance to him put into perspective. Slade blinked. Then smiled. Jane was his mate. That explained everything. The sense of rightness when he focused on her, the perfection of her scent, the wildness that surged inside at the thought of anyone hurting her. The fact that he was willing to sacrifice his family for her in that wild impulse to let her go ... Hell, he should have known right then. Nothing came between a Johnson and family. Only a mate could do that. A mate was everything to a vampire. Because her life meant more to him than anything. Her life was his.
, Slade realized. Whereas he had had to have Jane’s mysterious importance to him put into perspective. Slade blinked. Then smiled. Jane was his mate. That explained everything. The sense of rightness when he focused on her, the perfection of her scent, the wildness that surged inside at the thought of anyone hurting her. The fact that he was willing to sacrifice his family for her in that wild impulse to let her go ... Hell, he should have known right then. Nothing came between a Johnson and family. Only a mate could do that. A mate was everything to a vampire. Because her life meant more to him than anything. Her life was his.
“You’re looking a little shell-shocked, Slade. The scientist in you having a bit of trouble with reality?”
“Shut up, Derek.”
“I think you should all know,” Jane interrupted, “that I don’t like the turn of this ridiculous conversation.”
He just bet. Against him, Jane still shook like a leaf. The kind of shaking that came from running too long on nerves and fear. From pushing oneself beyond the point of endurance. Exhaustion, adrenaline, and fear were taking their toll. He should have known she wouldn’t have left him. Jane wasn’t the type to cut and run. “Did you sit on top of that box all day, sweetness?”
“I couldn’t let them get you.”
“Let them?”
“It was all my fault.”
“What was?”
“I found the transceiver. I didn’t think until afterward that just anybody could pick up the call.”
“Only Caleb would pick up.”
“Well, I didn’t know that, did I?” she snapped. “I don’t know anything about the technology, and then there was this horrible growl. And you said the werewolves were coming, and I realized I might have led them straight to you.”
And she was shaking all over again, just thinking about it. Slade opened his hand over Jane’s back, feeling the fragility of muscles and bone. Finding the thread of her energy, he followed deeper, until he could slow the flow of adrenaline and regulate her metabolism, while his own mind raced, the ramifications of her confession weakening his knees. She’d thought she’d signed his death warrant, so she’d stayed to cancel it. Her delicate body pitted against vampire fangs and werewolf claws. They would have cut through her human flesh like a hot knife through butter.
“You should have run right then.”
“Right.” Her voice was tight with tension. “And leave you alone and helpless?”
“Yes.”
“No.” The syllable ended in a squeak.
You’re hurting her, Slade
, Caleb pointed out mentally.
, Caleb pointed out mentally.
He looked down. His hands were digging into Jane’s sides.
Shit
. He never lost control. He eased his grip. To Jane he said, “Sorry.” To Caleb he snapped, “Who the hell growled at her?”
Shit
. He never lost control. He eased his grip. To Jane he said, “Sorry.” To Caleb he snapped, “Who the hell growled at her?”
Caleb’s features were very stark in the black and white of his night vision. Caleb shrugged. “Derek didn’t like what she had to say at the time.”
Jane’s body jerked slightly. Slade knew that she strained to see through the dark. “The giant’s a werewolf?”
“Yes.”
Shit
. “You could have given her time before revealing that.”
. “You could have given her time before revealing that.”
“Maybe.” With a tip of his hat Jane couldn’t see, Derek smiled. “One of the good guys, ma’am.”
“Oh.”
Jane didn’t relax. Slade couldn’t blame her.
“The bad guys are coming, though. We ran into a couple on the way over.”
The last was phrased causally for Jane’s benefit. It didn’t stop her panic from flicking across Slade’s senses. He brushed his lips across the top of her head, inhaling her scent, letting the rightness settle into him anew. “It’s okay,” he whispered to her before asking Caleb. “I assume you’ve got that under control?”
“Not much to control, but enough of an amusement that a couple of the D’Nally pups decided to indulge.”
Derek touched his hand to the transceiver in his ear. “We need to go.”
Trouble
. The warning from Derek whispered in his head.
. The warning from Derek whispered in his head.
Slade nodded, taking another breath, inhaling again the scent that was uniquely Jane’s, that slid so perfectly over his senses. Spring. Hope. Perfection. She was all those things. How had he not recognized earlier what she was to him? “Sweetness, I’m going to pick you up now, and I don’t want you fighting me.”
She swatted at his hand with typical Jane exasperation. “Good grief, I don’t need to be carried.”
Yes. She did. He was hiding her weariness from her through their mental connection, but her legs were just too weak to carry her at the speed they needed right now. Bending, he slipped his arm behind her thighs. “I know.”
She stopped him with a hand under his chin. “Maybe you didn’t hear me correctly. I’m not going to be carried like a child. Especially in front of your brother and a werewolf.” The way she said “werewolf” held more than a hint of disgust.
Derek snorted. “You been filling her head with tales, Johnson?”
He’d implied they were dangerous predators and connected to Sanctuary. Deadly. Jane didn’t have the night vision to see any difference in Derek. In truth, Derek’s handsomeness equaled his lethal talents. But women didn’t see the latter. At least at first glance. “The truth was scary enough.”
“Shine that flashlight over here, cutie,” Derek ordered.
“I think I know all I need to know about your kind.”
“I assure you, ma’am, women swoon when they see me.”
Slade shot Derek a glare. “And he insists it’s not from fear.”
“Though we’re abstaining from comment,” Caleb added. “Don’t want to bruise his fragile ego.”
Jane being Jane had to see for herself. She flashed the light in Derek’s direction. Of course, the damn bastard was smiling his prettiest.
Jane gasped. “He’s handsome.”
Slade snatched the flashlight from her hand. “The hell he is!”
Derek laughed. “The McClarens are a very handsome pack.” With a jerk of his chin he motioned to Slade and said, “And for sure, before you commit yourself to that one there, you might want to check us out.”
To Jane’s credit, all she did was blink.
“She’s not checking you out in any manner,” Slade shot back.
“That’s true,” Jane snapped. “And the only thing I’m committing to is quitting my job.”
“And we’re more than willing to help you with that,” Caleb interjected, “but we need to leave. Now.”
Slade looked over at Caleb. “How close?”
“Tobias said the sentinels are down, but they got a message off. They’ll be behind us soon.”
“Then we’ve got to move.”
He tipped Jane’s face up. “Where’d you put my transceiver?”
While Jane couldn’t see him, he could clearly see the nervous dart of her eyes to the right. Amidst the dirt and rock and bits of straw there were pieces of plastic.
“You smashed it?”
“I didn’t know if it had a tracking device.”
It had. His brother just hadn’t needed it to find him. Their mental connection assured, with a little hunting, they could find each other. It was going to take weeks to build a new one. The hardest part would be getting the parts. Sanctuary had started tracking electronic parts orders to track him.
“Shit.”
Jane took the flashlight from his hand. “You can build a new one.”
Turning the flashlight on Caleb’s face, she gasped. “He does look like you.”
“Just more handsome,” Caleb tacked on.
Jane tipped her head to the side to assess the claim. “Your features are more even, but they’re not as compelling.”
This time it was Caleb’s turn to blink. Then he laughed and grabbed up his pack. “Don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone put it quite like that before.”
“No doubt.” She pushed away from Slade, her fingertips pressing into his chest, heat from her touch sinking deliciously into his skin even after the contact broke. “I’m not going with you.”
“The hell you’re not.”
Reaching over, she grabbed her bag off the ground. “You risked your life for me, I saved yours.” She took a step back toward the door. “We’re even.”
There wasn’t a prayer in hell she was wandering off by herself. “Technically you didn’t save mine, because I wasn’t in any danger.”
“I called your brother. If I hadn’t called your brother, the sentinels would have gotten here and you would have been dead.”
“She’s got you there,” Derek pointed out.
If he didn’t take charge, the woman was going to fall flat on her face. “Shut up, Derek.”
“Just agreeing with the lady.”
Slade slipped his arm back around Jane. On her other side, Caleb took her hand, steadying her as she weaved.
“Sorry. I got dizzy there for a second.”
A quick mental check revealed she was hypoglycemic.
“Did you bring food?” Slade asked Caleb.
“Allie sent a snack. I tossed it in your SUV”
“Good.” Slade took a step forward. Immediately, Jane stepped away. Just as quickly, he scooped her up into his arms, holding her despite her squeal. Or maybe because of her squeal. There was something infinitely appealing about pulling decidedly feminine sounds from the ever-practical Jane. Her arms came around his neck, and then, as if she realized what she’d done, dropped to her chest. “Put me down.”
“In a minute.”
“I can walk.”
“I can carry you faster.”
Her nails dug into his chest in warning. “I’m not going with you.”
He smiled down into the face of her determination and shook his head. She had a lot to learn about him. First off, that he took care of what was his. “I wasn’t aware I was giving you a choice.”
6
“Y
ou
knocked her out?”
ou
knocked her out?”
Sitting in the backseat with Jane in his arms, Slade met Caleb’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Yeah.”
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