Slater's Enchanting Mate, Iron Wolves MC 4 (2 page)

Not looking behind her, she shimmied down the tree, her bloodied body didn’t register until she hit the ground. If the wolves scented her they’d kill her. Of course, they were already filled with bloodlust and on a rampage. The thought had her little feet stumbling. What could she do? Pushing back the fear, she left the safety of the tree, using the same route she’d taken only hours before to sneak into the party. The festive lit hall no longer resembled a fairy tale.

Her feet slipped in a puddle, and she went down, only to realize the puddle wasn’t water.

“Oh, Goddess, no,” she whispered, rolling away from the sightless eyes of one of her pack. Crab walking backward, her back hit the stone wall. Looking around, mangled bodies and blood filled the room. Her once pristine gown and body was now bright red and sticky. The copper scented room made her gag, but she held it in, knowing it was too late for all those before her. She held still, opening her senses. Her parents were in the clearing. With a destination in mind, she rose, and kept against the wall until she could see out the door leading to where she’d last seen her parents. There stood the dozens of wolves with a few who’d shifted to men. Her mother knelt next to her father’s lifeless form, her beautiful gown now stained like LeeLee’s own. She couldn’t hear what the men said to her mother clearly, only saw her mother shaking her head, then saw her mother’s hand shift into that of her wolf. Before any of the men surrounding her could stop her mama, she used the razor sharp claws and slit her own throat.

LeeLee screamed, the sound escaped before she could call it back, making the men’s focus turn to her. As one, they all lifted their head, but she’d ducked back inside. Her entire world was gone.

“Catch her,” the leader growled.

No way could she outrun them. Her feet slipped in the blood, her red hair came free from the braid, yet she didn’t let it slow her. When she hit the woods on the edge of the property, the feel of her wolf rising up comforted her. Fear lent her strength and her wolf seemed to understand she needed her. LeeLee closed her eyes, allowing the animal to take over. Pain hit. Bones shifting, changing, becoming something else, and then she was running on four paws.

The sound of men’s voices and shouts blended into the background along with the other animals in the forest. She blocked out all sounds, focusing on escape. Her wolf was in charge and she allowed her to take the lead. Nothing could harm her while in her fur.

“Damn it, LeeLee, wake up,” Slater ran his hands over her flanks, making her whimper.

Slater closed his eyes in relief when LeeLee opened those stunning blue eyes. Damn, how the hell had he fallen for the little wolf? Of course, she was a shifter. A shifter stuck in wolf form, but he had no clue what she looked like in her human form. No idea what her likes were. What she sounded like. For all he knew she could be six feet tall, hate hockey, which would be a no go for him, and drink nothing but coconut water. Another no go for him. He likes his beer, hockey, and his women to be smaller than him. Call him a chauvinist. He admitted his faults, and made no apologies for them. Hell, who was he kidding, he gloried in his attributes. Most women loved him. This little wolf couldn’t seem to get away from him fast enough, and it pissed him the fuck off.

A glance over his shoulder, his completely human and freezing shoulder, and he could see the wolves were shaking off their injuries, tails tucked and were leaving, except for the ones his mate…whoa, slow your roll buddy, he admonished himself. Slater ran a hand over his red hair as he knelt next to the bloodied wolf. Damn, her fur was coated in blood. He looked up at the darkening sky. They’d ran for hours.

He still didn’t know how he’d lost her. Being one of the best trackers, it confused, pissed him the hell off, and turned him on. Which was completely inappropriate given the situation.

“What the hell am I gonna do with you, LeeLee?” He asked, hoping some divine intervention came to him.

Her pitiful growl made him smile. “Well, since you can’t do much more than that, I’d say you are at a disadvantage. Of course, so am I in my skin.” He shivered. “Wish I had old fire breather’s powers right about now.”

She blinked up at him.

Keanu Raine had been a member of his smokejumpers’ team until he retired to marry Cammie, and was a fire elemental. The man could create fire out of thin air, or take most small fires and put them out. Yeah, he would totally be down for a little ball of fire right about now.

“Stay put while I see if I can’t find some dry wood to build us a fire. Maybe someone will come looking for us.” Doubtful, what with everyone at the hospital with Cammie having the baby and all, but he wasn’t going to tell LeeLee that. He’d been heading to visit his cousin Laikyn O’Neil and her mate Kellen. He’d met Kellen years before when he’d bought his SideWinder and needed it jacked up. They owned one of the most exclusive auto customizing shops that catered to those who could afford them.

As he was gathering up wood, his mind locked onto his alpha, Niall Malik. They had the help of the Fey, and if he was lucky, his alpha would be able to send help.

“
Slater, what the hell, man? I didn’t expect to hear from you for a while. What’s up, the Iron Wolves not treating you right?”
Niall’s shocked tone nearly had him dropping the wood in his arms.

“
You’re not going to believe this, but I never made it there. I was chasing a female wolf and we sort of got lost in the woods up here. She’s injured and…
” he trailed off, showing Niall where they were through their link.

“
Let me see if Jenna can help get you both. She’s a little drained, so it might be a while. Do you think you and the female will be okay for a couple hours?”

Slater looked at the steady rise and fall of LeeLee’s sides. Her breathing didn’t seem labored. “
Yeah, but not too long. We are in the wilds, man. I don’t want to freeze my balls off.”

“Why don’t you shift back?”
Niall’s question was simple, but how could he explain he was afraid he’d want to hump an injured wolf. Yeah, best to stay human and let the female stay wolf. Two different species kept him in check.

A chuckle came through their link. “
I can see where that would be a problem. You need to work on your walls, man.”

Slater sent him the image of the jackbird, the action of him pumping his fist and then flipping Niall the bird, making his alpha laugh even harder.

“
Nah, you’re not my type. I’ll let you know when Jenna is coming. In case you haven’t met her, you might want to brace yourself. She’s sort of an acquired taste. I’m thinking the alpha of the Iron Wolves is still cursing her.”

“I’ve met Kellen a few times. I’m pretty sure he can hold his own against any female,” Slater laughed.

“You say that now, but wait till you meet her.”

Slater shivered.
“Could you let Kellen and Laikyn know that I’m not gonna be coming their way after all? At least not for a while.”

“Consider it done. Remember what I said about the Fey. She’s a force to be reckoned with, but someone you definitely want to have on your side.”

He was going to ask what the hell his alpha meant, but his skin was beginning to turn a nice shade of blue. Slater was pretty sure that wasn’t good. With a quick agreement to not piss off the Fey, he promised to keep Niall updated.

“Hey, girl. I’m going to snuggle up to your back once I get this fire started. We need to keep warm, but the cavalry is coming.”

The fire pit he created began to smoke and then a small flame came to life. “Yes. I make fire.” He pumped his fist, knowing he sounded like a caveman.

He looked over, sure he’d heard LeeLee snort, but the animal had her eyes closed. Dammit, he was jumping around in the freezing cold with his junk hanging out, acting a fool, and he was more than likely not putting on a good show. He looked down at the anatomy part in question, thinking the cold surely made it shrink a couple inches, happy to see it looked the same size as normal. Nothing could be done about the blue hue to his skin since he was a natural red head, although he did tan so he wasn’t pasty white like most gingers. Again he shrugged, and let his hands fan out over the flames. He resisted the urge to turn around and warm his ass. A man did have standards.

Once the flames were crackling nicely and he had enough wood to keep it going, he stood in one fluid motion, ignoring the stiffness in his cold limbs. Picking up the sleeping LeeLee, he carried her closer to the fire, yet far enough away she wouldn’t get burned if a stray flame leapt out.

Settling her onto the ground he’d covered with some leaves, he curved his body around her back. The soft fur like a blanket to his front. Slater ignored the fact his ass was cold, knowing she was now warming from the front to the back.

Slater used his arm to rest his head, warmth seeped into his body. Exhaustion pulled him into a restless sleep. The feel and sound of a thrashing wolf woke him, her claws raking across his calf had him jumping into a crouch, wondering what or who was attacking.

Then, he noticed she was sleeping. Fearing he’d hurt her or she him, he tucked himself behind her again, grabbing her front legs in his hands, murmuring in her ear for her to wake up. It took a few minutes, sweat beaded his brow, but finally he felt the stiffness leave her body. If asked he couldn’t say what he’d murmured, only that he kept up the litany of words.

LeeLee lay panting like she’d ran a marathon instead of sleeping for the last couple hours. When he was sure she no longer dreamt, he moved away from her back. He knelt in front of her, the wounds in her sides not healing as quickly as most shifters, pissing him off. The curse words he wanted to yell he kept inside his head. “You okay now?” he asked, holding out a hand testing her before laying it on her head.

She tried to lift up, but fell back.

“Jenna should be here shortly. I wish I knew what you were dreaming about. When you are able to shift, you will tell me.”

If a wolf could roll her eyes, LeeLee did before she sighed and fell back to sleep. Slater looked at the four furrows lining his calf and called his own wolf, figuring he was safe enough now that he’d slept and warmed up, or at least LeeLee was safe from his humping ways. He snorted in his wolf form, the sound coming out sounding all kinds of wrong, but he gave no fucks since no one was around to hear.

He sat down on his hindquarters and waited. A shimmer of air alerted him to the fact they were no longer alone. The small woman standing too close to LeeLee smelled like Fey. He allowed the shift back to man, nudity not an issue for their kind.

“Thank you for coming, Jennaveve. I hope you are well.” Her scent reminded him of honey with a slight hint of mint.

She nodded, waving her hand and he found himself completely clothed. He’d been too distracted and injured to worry over clothing. “Thank you.”

“Let’s take her back to my place. It’s going to take more than just me to fix her.” The young woman before him sounded weary.

At closer examination, she looked as if she’d been through hell and back.

“Why thank you, sir. You sure do know how to make a woman feel good.” Jenna placed her hands on her shapely hips, her lips curved up into a smile. “I have been doing a lot of work for you silly wolves. You’d think y’all would know how to stay out of trouble,” she tsked.

Slater narrowed his eyes. “Who was hurt?”

She waved away his concern. “Nobody you’d know. Kellen Stiles is a very stubborn male though. Now, let’s get this little gal fixed up. Come, take my hand, and no funny business. I know you have all these rampant emotions going through your head, but no humping my leg either.” She flashed him a smile.

He decided he liked this Fey, especially if she was able to joke about the alpha of the Iron Wolves. The big bad alpha was enough to send most men, and wolves running in fear. Putting his hand and trust into hers, he gasped at the power emanating from the contact. She made a swirling motion with her free hand, causing the sleeping LeeLee to float up toward them. “Now, place your palm on her,” she instructed.

When Jenna did the same, the world as he knew it fell away. He’d never transported, wasn’t sure he ever wanted to do it again, even if it was a matter of life and death. The room they entered was warm, and on this side of feminine with jewel toned walls of all colors, reminding him of marbles he’d collected as a kid.

“Let’s place her on the pallet in front of the fire.” He blinked to clear his vision. Fire? Slater looked around, not seeing anything that resembled one, and then his eyes widened as a stone hearth the size of his bedroom appeared along one wall. “Right there will do just fine. Do you think she’ll mind lying on fur? It’s faux of course.” Jenna moved around the room, leaving him holding a sleeping wolf.

He walked over, placing LeeLee on the thick pallet, wishing he could lay down with her.

“Where are we?” he asked, staring at the woman moving around gathering up things.

“My home,” she said simply. Since arriving, her energy levels seemed to rise.

Crossing his arms over his chest, his bare chest he noticed, he glared. “Obviously this is your home, but where exactly is it? I don’t smell anything remotely like South Dakota. If I were near my home, I’d smell it. If I were near somewhere I’d been before my nose would tell me. I don’t recognize any scents except LeeLee.”

“There,” she waved.

He jumped as a shirt was put on him, one that had him nearly laughing out loud. “Do I look like a fan of Prince?”

“Hey, he deserves respect, boy.” She started humming the tune to Purple Rain.

Slater seriously wondered if she was batshit crazy, and had an insane urge to pull his hair out.

“Please don’t do that. Your hair is gorgeous. And, you are a natural ginger. That is a rarity. Of course, I am not at all interested in you sexually you understand, but I can admire a gorgeous creature. Being my age, I’ve seen many beautiful men. You remind me so much of your cousin Laikyn. She too is a beauty. I believe you are both gingers. Again, I am not interested in her that way either. Her mate would go all dom alpha on me, and then I’d have to spank him and he’d…” she turned to look at Slater. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

He swallowed. “Are you talking about spanking Kellen Stiles?”

“Not like really spanking him. I mean, that would just be silly. He’s a grown man. Aha, found it.”

He rubbed his temples. Following the Fey woman’s train or trains of thought was enough to give him a headache. At the last minute he put up a stone wall so she wouldn’t read his thoughts. He’d gotten lax around all the humans he dealt with on a daily basis.

“Jenna, are you back. I told you to stay and rest up more.”

If his wolf wasn’t already falling for the injured wolf, the man would have had some serious fantasies about the gorgeous woman sashaying in through the wall. Slater looked behind the newcomer, and yes, he verified she did indeed enter through the wall.

Raising his hand. “Are we in Neatherland, or wherever Peter Pan was from?”

“Do you not know your fairytales? Peter Pan was from Neverland,” the newcomer said.

Her midnight black hair shined and was so dark he saw hints of blue in its depths, with blue eyes he swore rivaled his wolf. Her smile held sadness.

“My apologies. I am at a loss here.” He moved closer to LeeLee.

Her whisper soft voice soothed him. “Jennaveve, have you not explained to him that he was not in Kansas anymore?”

The small Fey placed more things on a table he swore wasn’t there minutes before. “You’d think he’d figure it out. You are in the Fey Realm. It’s parallel to the human one.”

Slater, who’d just started to feel less dizzy let his ass hit the ground. It was either that, or toss his cookies. “Damn, warn a man before you up and remove him from one world to another.” His voice came out a hoarse whisper. Automatically his hand went out to LeeLee, feeling for her steady breathing.