The Secret (2 page)

The car fell into silence again, and for once in his life, he wasn’t comfortable in it. Eventually she twisted her body so she could face him, pulling one leg up to rest her knee against the center console. The urge to touch her, to set his hand on the inside of her knee and slide it down to somewhere far more intimate, was so intense he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles went white. Even if he could talk her into pulling off the side of the road and stripping for him, they weren’t alone. He was glad when she spoke again, but less than pleased with the topic.

“At the Halloween party, you implied”—he braced himself during her brief hesitation—“you’d lost someone once. Your mate?”

He should have kept his trap shut. The party had been thrown by Julian for his hunters and their new werewolf allies. It was the night he met Sunny, the night he met all of them. He’d spoken to Gia, a human hunter recently mated to Anthony, the leader of the werewolf Hunters, and tried to tell her that once mated, a were couldn’t live alone without his other half, but he’d really wanted Sunny to understand that.

“My parents.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

This time he didn’t resist the urge to touch her. Setting his hand on her knee, he squeezed it slightly when she tried to pull away.

“You have every right to ask,” he said, softly enough he knew her less sensitive human ears wouldn’t hear the words. Hell, he wasn’t ready to acknowledge that himself, but it was getting harder to deny that the pull he felt to her was about a lot more than lust. He wanted her long-term. But was he ready for a mate? When she didn’t ask anything else, didn’t push for answers, he forced himself to tell the story instead of wondering about his feelings.

“My mother was beautiful. Talented. Frail.” He took a deep shuddering breath, the pain just as sharp now as it had been when he was a child. “She had cancer. Fought it a long time, but she died when I was ten.”

Her slim, cool fingers closed over his hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” she whispered.

He shrugged. “You would have found out soon enough.”

“That’s not all, is it?”

“No.” He wasn’t sure of the best way to continue, so he just spit it out. “My dad gave up on life after that. He died a couple months later.”

“Oh God. That had to suck for a ten-year-old.”

He lifted her hand to his lips for a soft kiss, then scraped her knuckles with his teeth. She trembled, and he shifted his grip so he could brush his thumb over the pulse point on her wrist. It was fast and erratic, and when he lifted her wrist to his mouth to taste the delicate spot, her arousal was a heady perfume on her skin.

And she wasn’t happy about it. She tugged on her hand, but he only released her after licking her wrist. Her pulse jumped under the stroke of his tongue, and her inviting scent grew stronger.

Once again safe on her side of the car, she snapped at him. “Don’t do that again.”

Fine. That left plenty of other places to taste, and he was definitely going back for seconds.

“Why?”

“Did it occur to you I might not be available?”

He gripped the steering wheel hard and struggled to control the lion side of his nature. He could only describe what he was feeling as possessive rage, which made absolutely no sense. He’d often shared women. Werelions were sensual with high sex drives, and he was no different. Even among mated pairs, there were third and fourth parties active in the relationship. Sometimes they were temporary; usually they were long-term or permanent. It was pride law. So why did he object so strongly to sharing this woman? Well, he’d share her with Declan, but that was probably because he had every intention of keeping him too.

“You’re not wearing a ring.”

She laughed, but it held more anger than joy. “That doesn’t mean I’m not involved with someone.”

He growled. Couldn’t help himself. “Get rid of him.”

“Yeah. Sure. Just as soon as hell freezes over.”

Her voice vibrated with anger, and he bit back a smile. Yeah. He’d been wrong about Sunny Nolan. Her reserve hid a passionate temper, not a lack of emotion. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, he’d test that passion. And even as he struggled with jealousy, he wondered if her lover was someone he’d want to bring into their circle.

“Well, get ready, baby, because hell just froze over.”

She twisted in her seat to face him, her anger simmering in the air between them, but she didn’t speak for several minutes.

“Are you just incapable of not hitting on women? Is that a cat thing?”

Her words were a shock, angry and disdainful. The hurt he felt was even more stunning. He couldn’t believe she thought so little of him.

“There are plenty of women I don’t hit on.” He was bewildered by her accusation. His cat was stung by the derision in her voice. He liked women, but he sure as hell didn’t take every one that caught his eye to bed. Even lions were more discriminating than that.

“You flirted with every female at Julian’s party. Including Gia, who was obviously taken.”

“None of that was serious flirting. It was more along the lines of being friendly.”

“Yeah, right. You aren’t being very friendly when you order me to quit seeing someone,” she pointed out. “How many women does that work on?”

Was it possible she was jealous?
He shrugged, attempting to hide how much he liked the thought. “No idea. I’ve never tried it before.”

She snorted. “And, yet, you’re trying now.”

His reaction was immediate and instinctive.
Because you’re mine.
Fuck. He couldn’t deny it any longer. The urge to claim her was overwhelming. She was his mate. He refused to turn and look at her. As soon as he’d crossed that line in his mind, his cock swelled to painful, demanding fullness. He was afraid if he faced her now, he wouldn’t be able to fight the need to pull off to the side of the road, take her into the woods, and make his claim a physical reality.

They had too much company for that. Both wolves wanted her; that was an undeniable fact, and later he intended to invite Declan to join in. But she would be his, first and last. Always.
Fuck
. Convincing her wouldn’t be easy, but he was confident she would come around.

He had an even bigger problem. According to pride law, once he took a mate he had to bring at least one more male into the group. There was no denying he wanted that male to be Declan. But traditionally, he should also take a third, another lion shifter. Since Declan was a wolf, he wouldn’t really have an option not to. The fourth didn’t have to be his lover, however. In fact, fourths were usually younger brothers. His just happened to be single and close to their destination. Thank God he wouldn’t have to share her with anyone who might tempt his new possessive streak. It wasn’t the best solution, but it would be enough to prevent any challenges. And just in time for Christmas.

“Well?” she pushed.

No way in hell was he touching that subject now. “How long have you been a tracker?”

She faced forward again and stared out the window so long he didn’t expect an answer. “Ten years.”

“So you were what when you started? Sixteen?”

“Fishing for information?”

“Just making small talk. Long drive.” They still had at least another ten hours on the road ahead of them if they didn’t stop for the night. If he didn’t have two werewolves tagging along, he’d play tired and find a convenient motel. One with a big bed. Hell, that’s what he would do if Asa wasn’t along.

He looked at Sunny from the corner of his eye. In a tight black sweater that showcased high, full breasts, along with tight black jeans, she made his mouth water. Her hair was a curious mix of blonde and brown. She had it up in a high ponytail, and he wondered how she’d react if he pulled it free to spear his fingers through its lengths.

“You’re drooling,” she said tartly.

“Not yet. Might when I get you naked though.”

She huffed. “Not likely.”

He grinned. He liked that acerbic tone. And the challenge it represented. “Maybe I’ll wrap you up. A Christmas present to myself.”

This time she rolled her eyes. “I don’t do Christmas, cat.”

He’d noticed her discomfort with the decor and music, the general holiday cheer when they’d stopped to eat. “Why not?”

“No reason to,” she said softly.

He retrieved her hand, squeezed it. “You do now.”

He expected her to argue, but she didn’t. Leaning her head back against the rest, she closed her eyes and ignored him for the rest of the drive.

Chapter Two

Declan Roberts tried to concentrate on finding his missing brother, Arthur. Whether he meant to stop Arthur from going after Tim Burns, the man who’d killed his mate, on his own or help, he wasn’t sure. He told himself he only kept coming this far south to protect his brother. But it was a lie. He watched the taillights of the SUV in front of them while Asa drove. Silent. Not inviting conversation. Declan sighed. Endings sucked.

He could see Carlos and Sunny were talking in the vehicle in front of them, and he was jealous as hell. They were the other reason he kept coming here. He wanted to be in that vehicle. With both of them. Privy to all their secrets, their desires. And he wanted to be the one to grant them.

He was so fucked.

He’d met Sunny a few months ago when the human hunters joined with the werewolf Hunters. He’d been paired to work with her. Over that time, his fascination with her had grown way beyond sexual.

There’d been a girl once, one who was his, but she’d died long before he could claim her. If they’d had a mate bond, even a sexual bond, he probably wouldn’t have survived the loss. But they hadn’t, and he had. Eventually.

With time he’d moved on. Joined the Hunters. He’d discovered women. He glanced at Asa. And men. Then he’d met Sunny. She was beautiful and tough, with a sensual allure she seemed unaware of. It’d taken a long time to get her to open up, even a little. A long time before she’d let him see the keen mind she hid, before she’d let him see the heat in her eyes. He knew what movies she liked. What books and art. How she voted. But always, her past was a secret. A mystery that was almost as big a draw as the woman.

He wanted to know her inside and out. And not just her. His desire for the werelion who’d been working with them the last couple of months kept growing, but he hadn’t decided yet if he wanted to pursue it. It was too silent in the Excursion, so he turned on the radio, gave up on finding a station not playing Christmas music, and settled on Rudolph with a Southern twang.

“Do you think you can have them both?” Asa asked softly, like he was afraid of breaking a spell.

Ah, they were finally going to discuss it.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.”

Asa looked at him, grinning, shaking his head. It wasn’t the bitter look he’d feared. “You won’t be able to control the lion.”

He chuckled. “Don’t be so sure of that.”

If it came down to a relationship, he didn’t believe either he or Carlos would top for long. They’d always struggle for that position. Sunny would become a buffer between them. Someone their animal natures would agree to protect, leaving them to each other.

“Carlos is—”

Declan looked over sharply when Asa broke off.

Asa held up a hand. “Hey, I don’t want him for myself. No worries there. Cut out the growling and I’ll go on.”

Declan hadn’t even been aware he was growling. Shit. He was too far gone for anyone to go back now. He wanted Sunny. He wanted Carlos. They both wanted him. They hid it well but every now and then one of them would let their guard slip a bit and the heat would show in their eyes and scent. It was going to happen. Simple equation. Right?

“Like I was saying, Carlos is an enigma. We don’t know much about him except he’s the king’s brother. We don’t know much about the way lion dens work, either. But they aren’t like wolves.” He paused. “Have you heard of pride law?”

“No.”

“I don’t know much about it.” He shrugged, but Declan didn’t miss the curiosity in his voice. “But what I got was when a male lion takes a mate, it isn’t just one, and the plus is male. Males. More than one, usually. And they all belong to the dominant male in the group.”

And just where the hell had Asa gotten this information?

“And you heard this how?”

Asa didn’t respond, and after a moment, Declan remembered. “I see,” he said softly.

According to werewolf tradition, males were unabashedly heterosexual. Macho, alpha men who only wanted women. Tradition could go hang. Gay and bi werewolves were careful to keep their private lives private, but that didn’t mean they didn’t indulge. Hell, he and Asa had done the on-again off-again thing for longer than he cared to remember. And he remembered a time not long ago, when they were off, when his friend had gotten involved with someone. He didn’t know much about it. Just that it had ended badly. He’d bet anything now that that someone was a lion.

Asa gave him a sharp grin. “I keep coming down here ’cause I keep catching his scent. And
hers
. She’s down there somewhere, Dec.”

Declan leaned back against his door, suddenly not feeling guilty that he was going after Sunny and Carlos with no intention of bringing Asa along for the ride. He laughed. “You could have said something. I might have felt less guilty.”

Asa sent him an incredulous look. “Are you kidding? And miss watching you squirm?”

He threw an empty coffee cup at him, but laughing, Asa easily sent it sailing into the backseat.

“So, you’re okay with this?”

“Yeah.”

“Who is this guy? Why didn’t you say anything? I would’ve helped, you know.”

Asa shrugged. “I know. It’s just I got the feeling even if he did mate, he wasn’t bringing a wolf into his circle.”

Well, didn’t that suck? Did Carlos feel the same way?

“Sorry, man,” he said softly.

Neither spoke for a long time.

“There’s the woman, though. My mate,” Asa finally said.

“Who is she?”

Scowling, Asa shook his head. “No idea. I just know she’s there. I catch a faint whiff on the air sometimes.”