Saving Margaret (7 page)

He took the other bowl and followed her. The sound of a basketball game echoed from the room and he smiled. He couldn’t be so lucky. She had accepted him as her mate and she wanted to watch sports on the television. What more could a guy ask for?

He chuckled, slid onto the couch next to her, and put his feet up on the coffee table alongside hers. Maybe this evening was turning around after all.

One bite later the doorbell rang.

Fucking hell!

She hopped up. “I’m sure it’s my cousins. Dad left them guarding the house.”

“But,” he started.

It was no use. She’d already hurried to the door and opened it. The scent of male werewolf flooded the house and his hackles stood on end until he heard her carefree giggle.

“What’s up, Scott,” the young wolf, introduced earlier that day as Allan strolled into the living room. He was followed by another.

He huffed and turned back to the game.

Allan laughed and fell into a chair. “This is Kyle,” he offered, pointing to the second wolf. Kyle nodded and sunk into another chair across the room.

“Boys if you are hungry, Kyle, your mom dropped off some mac and cheese,” she said.

Both young men jumped up immediately and hurried to the kitchen.

She slipped back into her seat on the couch and cuddled next to him. Her scent calmed his strung-out nerves. Her soft curves teased him and the light citrus scent wafting from her hair threatened to drown out all logical thoughts.

I wonder what they would do if I pulled her shirt off again? Do you think they would leave?

“Them? Aren’t you forgetting her? Don’t you dare,”
his bear snarled.

She turned her head and he glanced over to meet her gaze. Her brown eyes swirled with golden sparks and her pupils dilated with desire for just a moment before she turned back to the basketball game.

At least he wasn’t the only one feeling the pull.

“Are you sure you need to be here?” Scott glanced around the crowded lobby of the Mirage. This was not ideal. There were too many variables.

He had assured her father, mother, and a passel of cousins that he would be with her the whole day, but everything about her being at work with the Council sneaking around town had him on edge. They still were no closer to figuring out who had been outside her window, either.

Last night had been miserable. The cousins had slept on the floor in the living room and he’d slept on her couch.

Frustrated was the name of his mood today.

“I’m fine. Everything has been fine all day.” She patted his arm and smiled up at him before walking away.

His irritation all but melted away at the sight of that smile. Almost.

She had a job to do. He could relate, but the overwhelming desire to throw her over his shoulder and hop a plane home sounded like a perfectly good tactical move right about now. He was a soldier. He just needed something to fight. Not knowing who or where the enemy could strike was the worst position to be in. Better to be holed up in familiar surroundings and fight on your own turf.

Fine! Everything is not fine.

He held in a growl and stared at the crowd milling around the casino floor. His military eye had scouted all possible exits and entrances when they’d first arrived. Cameras watched every inch of this place, but he wouldn’t have access to them if something happened to her.

What really threw him off today was how many different breeds of shifter mingled together in this casino. It really would be difficult to track a particular wolf in this city. Throughout the afternoon and evening, he’d caught the scent of several lions, a few wolves, and a several breeds he’d never personally encountered before. On top of that, a group of vampires and a witch were sitting together in the front of the center restaurant.

Too crowded.
He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. His six-foot eleven-inch frame intimidated human and supernatural beings alike. They gave him a wide birth and rarely did anyone ever even attempt eye contact.

His gaze followed Margaret. She was situating a few clients at a private poker table. He swallowed a jealous snarl when one of the men bent and kissed Margaret’s hand. Her gaze flitted to meet his momentarily and he could feel the sense of calm she was projecting along their newly developing bond. She’d felt his jealousy, even as weak as their bond was. She’d known.

I’m making a complete fool of myself.

“No, you are in love with your mate. Nothing wrong with that,”
his bear countered.

***

Once her clients were settled, she moved quickly to where Scott was standing and leaned against him. He responded by curling his arm around her shoulder and squeezing. His piney scent filled her nostrils and she sighed.

“You don’t have to worry, Scott. I’ve known most of these clients several years. They bring me flowers and chocolates and flirt with me every time they are in town, but that’s all it is…harmless flirtation.”

“Someone was watching you sleep outside your bedroom window. That’s not harmless.”

“Yes, a wolf. Those men are all human.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“I’m glad, but no interfering. This is my job and my reputation.”

He huffed —the very annoyed bear-ish sound that always made her giggle.

“When are you finished for the night?”

“I need to drop off a few files in my office and then I’ll be ready to go.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Of course,” she answered and smirked. “Come on.”

He followed her through an employee only door and then up an elevator to the third floor. They got off, and walked into a suite of offices. She waved at Carrie, her boss’s secretary.

“You heading out for the night, Margaret?” Carrie asked from her desk.

“Yep, just dropping off a couple of client files I’d pulled.”

“Bye, Scott.”

Margaret grinned at Scott’s curt nod to the secretary. The girl flirted with anything male, she wasn’t surprised she was batting her lashes at Scott.

“Evening, Miss Marshall.”

Margaret dropped the files on her desk and then backed out of the office, locking the door behind her.

“We’re good to go.” She waved goodbye to Carrie.

“Excellent,” he answered, looping her arm around his and practically hauling her out of the offices and back to the elevator.

The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and they stepped inside.

Margaret laughed. “Was Carrie making you nervous?”

“That woman is without shame. All she did was stare at my pants.”

“Well, you are quite the impressive male specimen.”

Scott snorted through a laugh. “If your family would quit interrupting us, I could show you how impressive.”

“Yeah, good luck with that. My family has the worst timing on the planet. Most of us have seen everybody in at least one compromising position.”

He scowled and escorted her off the elevator. They walked quickly to his truck and he helped her into the passenger seat before getting into the driver’s side.

“Oh, and Dad called. We need to stop by the Michaels for a meeting before we go back to my house.”

“Did they find the stalker?”

“No,” she sighed. “It’s about Peter and Renata. Dad has something to tell you.”

“What?”

She shook her head. He wasn’t getting anything else out of her. Scott would be pissed, but her father had made her promise to let him be the one to break the news.

***

A quick drive from the strip had Scott and Margaret in the Michaels’s driveway. They walked up the stone path to the Michaels front door. It opened before either of them could knock. Maggie met Margaret’s gaze and nodded. They followed her inside and found a place to stand in the corner of the large living room.

“What has he said so far?” Margaret asked her friend.

“Just giving out patrolling assignments for the next couple of days.

“Scott, any unusual activity at the casino?” Her father’s voice projected from the back of the room.

She snapped her gaze to Scott’s face and narrowed her eyes, waiting for him to speak.

“Sir, nothing seemed out of place. It was an uneventful day.”

“Very well. Margaret, you may continue to go to work, but only under Scott’s supervision. The Council has at least two agents in the city. Until we can eliminate the threat, he and pack will be watching your every move.”

“Dad,” she protested.

“You don’t get a choice in this one, honey.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Scott, I need to speak with you privately with my brothers. Connor and William, I need you to stay as well.”

The younger men and all the women dispersed to the kitchen or out into the back patio area. Margaret stretched up toward Scott. He leaned down with a smile and gave her a gentle kiss.

“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

She shook her head and ducked out of the room.

***

He watched her disappear up the stairs and frowned. She was hiding something and he didn’t like it. Secrets were dangerous. Mates did not keep secrets from each other —ever.

Scott sunk into an armchair next to William Michaels, Chase’s father.

“We have located Peter Demakis and have put plans in motion to take him back from the Council agents that arrested him,” Keith started.

“So you know who Margaret’s stalker is?” Scott perked up.

“No, both men are unfamiliar. Which is why we suspect there are other agents separate from these two.”

“How many people would the Council have sent to collect one woman?” Scott asked.

“The woman you speak of is Renata Antipas. She is descended from Reginald and Carlotta Antipas, great-grandchildren of the original werewolf royal family. She is old, powerful, and very pissed off.”

“Chase told me she had history with his Uncle.”

William growled next to him. “More like she was in love with him. The Council made sure he didn’t survive that hunt. They didn’t want one of the precious royals to breed with just anybody.”

“What about Chase and Sam?”

“Yes, same problem. Renata knew, but she was fighting so hard against her wolf already, it was hard to tell them apart.” Keith interrupted. “Sam and Chase’s mating is the catalyst for all recent Council movement. Peter made sure the mating was completed the night of the hunt. If he hadn’t, Chase would have been eliminated by the Council immediately.”

“They would have killed him?” Scott asked, quelling a rumbling growl.

William nodded. “Chase knew the risks.”

“Renata losing her mind over the pairing is only part of our trouble. The Council is the bigger part,” Keith continued.

“Are Chase and Samantha safe?”

“Yes,” Keith answered. “They are of little consequence to the Council now. The process has begun to eliminate Peter and Renata. Samantha will not be recognized as royal any longer. Their grandparents, however, are trying to get their hands on the other three girls.”

“What’s keeping them from killing Peter now?”

“They can’t find Renata,” Keith answered.

“So now what?”

“We are starting a war, Scott. North American supernaturals are breaking from the Council.”

“What about the other royals that are here?” Scott swallowed nervously. Politics were not his forte. He hated all of it. These wolves were planning a mutiny against the very powers that governed the existence of supernatural beings.

“Everything will go down within a few weeks.”

“My parents knew what you were doing, didn’t they?”

Keith nodded.

“You expected the agents to arrest Peter, but this other guy has y’all stumped.”

Nathan, one of Keith’s brothers spoke, “We needed you to know what was going on. The only reason they would be stalking Margaret is if they suspect the entire pack of disloyalty. A direct threat to the Pack Beta’s family is a warning to everyone in the pack.”

“All the more reason for me to take Margaret and leave,” Scott argued.
These wolves were going to get everyone killed. What were they thinking? A war with the Council?

“No, everything must continue as normal. If we make them suspicious we won’t have a chance. Just watch her carefully, please.” The strain in Keith’s voice was evident. His daughter was being targeted, but pack loyalty to the Demakis royals overrode everything.

“I have to put the safety of the whole pack first, Scott. I know you think I’m being callus, but if we don’t move forward from where we are, the Council will come down on all of us with an iron fist. My brothers and I will be forced to split up and each placed in new packs. If they find out Siobhan is a witch, they’ll take her from Connor and her kids. Or they could just kill us. Our family is hanging in the balance and we aren’t the only pack in this predicament.”

“I don’t get the timing. Why now?”

“It was Peter’s call. He’s been planning the break for years, but the timeline got fast-forwarded when Sam mated with Chase. He can’t ignore the Council any longer. He broke the unwritten law. He let his daughter mate outside the royal line. They are coming.”

“What do the other royals say?”

“Melinda Demakis Faeux, Peter’s sister, has already pledged her support and her mate, John Faeux as well is on our side. They head up the New York and east coast region packs for the Council. The cougar prides in the Midwest and the lion prides in Texas have also have sent word they will stand with us as well. Your parents spoke for the bears.”