Werewolves in Love 2: Yours, Mine and Howls (22 page)

They were sitting at the table in Sindri’s domain once again, the little brownie resolutely attempting to shovel food down their throats.

She told Michael about seeing Aaron in the restaurant the day they got to Fremont, and about the argument.

“And you’re sure the guy who shot Cade was the guy in the restaurant with Aaron?”

“I’m positive. Same voice, same sce— Same voice.” She remembered something Cade had said. “Cade seemed to know who the guy was. At least, he seemed to think Stapkis had sent him.”

“It makes sense. I’ve got Seth taking pictures of the body. We’ll email them to Seattle and see if he’s one of theirs.” He took another swig of coffee, watching her intently. “How are you doing?”

“Aside from killing a guy and watching Cade nearly die, I guess I’m doing okay.” She pushed her plate away and leaned on the table, her head in her hands.

“You’ve never killed anybody before,” Michael said gently.

No, but if she hadn’t done it, Cade would be dead instead of High Voice Guy. What really bothered her was she couldn’t explain how she broke a werewolf’s neck. The scrutiny she’d dodged for thirteen years loomed. She shook her head without looking up and said dully, “What am I going to tell the cops?”

Michael snorted. She raised her head to look at him, confused.

“The cops won’t find out about this. Once we’ve identified him, we’ll dispose of the body. And that’s that.”

She couldn’t believe what she heard. “What if someone comes looking for him? Won’t someone talk? What about his family?”

Michael shrugged, clearly unconcerned. He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his golden head. “The wolf dishonored his family and his pack, if he had one. No one will expect his body back. He’s not entitled to burial under our custom. His family won’t speak of him, not even to each other. And none of our wolves will say anything. You saved our Alpha’s life. They’ll do anything for you now.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t considered the ramifications of her actions. She’d been doing a lot of that lately. Every time she meant to stop doing it, something else happened to make her do it again.

“Meanwhile,” Michael continued, “there’s one other thing I’d like to know.”

“Okay.”

“How the hell did you manage to break the wolf’s neck?”

Just when she thought she’d dodged it again.

Her eyes met Sindri’s. He shook his head so slightly she didn’t know if she imagined it.

“I don’t know,” she said calmly. “By the time Cade couldn’t fight anymore, the other guy was pretty beat-up himself. It must’ve been that and adrenaline that let me do it. I jumped on him and the next thing I knew, he was dead.”

Michael looked at her with an unreadable expression. “You were that freaked out?”

“Well, yeah! Cade was about to get killed!”

He was staring at her shrewdly. “So you risked your life to save him. You do that kind of thing often?”

“No. Why?”

“I’m just trying to figure out how you feel about my Alpha.”

“That’s none of your business, Michael.”

“Yes, it is, Ally.” His tone wasn’t unkind. “Packs aren’t like human families; we don’t have human attitudes about privacy. Everything that affects Cade affects us—he belongs to us. I’m just looking out for him.”

“Fine. Once I’ve had a shower, and we know how Cade is doing, you can drill me about my intentions.”

He grinned. “Cade’s right. You’re a smartass.”

“Whatever.” She stood. “I’m going to take a shower.”

He’d hurt worse, but only in combat. He couldn’t move and he couldn’t speak and he couldn’t tell if he was awake or not. He floated just below the surface of consciousness. Voices sounded muffled, distant.

At some point, he sensed Sindri in the room. It comforted him. The brownie put a strong, gnarled hand to his neck and lifted his head. Something warm and tangy slid down his throat, and he gulped reflexively. He tried to open his eyes but couldn’t manage it.

If he was alive, did that mean Ally was too?

Later—minutes? Hours?—he opened his eyes. The moonlight coming in through the window fell across Mama’s sofa. Sindri lay fast asleep with his head in Declan MacSorley’s lap.

What the hell?

MacSorley sat with his head back against the wall, eyes closed as he stroked the dozing Sindri’s hair.

He opened his eyes and returned Cade’s stare. “You’re dreaming,
barn,
” he said with a sad, exhausted smile. “Sleep. Your mate will be here soon.”

Bullshit.
This was no dream. He struggled to speak.

No use. The pain and Sindri’s medicine took him under, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Dec napped on the sofa. She stood beside the bed, watching Cade sleep. Brushing the hair from his eyes, she smiled with relief to feel his warmth. Sindri must’ve given him that tea stuff.

“How’s my girl?” Dec asked groggily from behind her.

She shrugged without turning around. “This is ludicrous,” she whispered.

She didn’t have to look at Dec to know he’d cocked an eyebrow. Just like Dylan, and just like Cade.

“What’s ludicrous, love?”

“Feeling this way about a guy I’ve known for a week.”

“Oh, I’m sure it feels strange.” He yawned. “And I’ll grant it’s unusual, but I don’t know I’d call it ludicrous. Seems rather intense to me.”

“It’s just that I— I mean, I don’t, I’ve never…” Why did she find it so difficult to discuss her own feelings? Why couldn’t she talk about things normal women talked about?

“You’ve never fallen for a man, or a wolf, like this before, and you haven’t had many lovers, and you’re not used to being around someone so much stronger than you, and you’re scared.”

She put a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. “Shit,” she whispered. “Am I that obvious?”

“I’ve known you four years, love. There’s not much I don’t see.”

“Oh, right. I forgot. You’ve noticed my weirdness.” That didn’t bother her anymore. She sat on the edge of the bed, next to Cade’s hip. His deep, regular breathing didn’t falter as she stroked his beard with the back of her hand.

“There’s very little I haven’t seen in my life, Allison Kendall. But I can safely say I’ve never seen anything like you.”

She turned her head to look at him. “How old are you, Dec?”

His mouth quirked in a half smile, half grimace. “Older than I look, younger than I feel.”

“Are you Cade’s father?” She’d seen such love in his eyes when he talked about Eirny MacDougall…

Dec laughed quietly. “No, I’m not.”

“It’s just that I never noticed, ’til we got here, that you look a lot like Dylan, and Cade too. Same hair, same eyes, same—”

“I’m his uncle.”

She’d already suspected a family relationship, but it still surprised her. They regarded each other in silence for a moment.

“So you’re Louis’ brother?”

“No. Eirny’s.”

“Okay, then—wait. Eirny was from Iceland. You’re Irish.”

“It’s a long story,” he said curtly.

“Hmm.” She bit her lip, considering. “Okay. I guess we don’t need to get into it right now. I didn’t know Eirny was a wolf’s daughter.”

“Neither does Cade.” Dec walked over to the bed to gently lift one of Cade’s eyelids, then let it fall. “I don’t want him to find out this way,” he murmured, “but I think he’s safely out of it.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“I want to. We got off to a bad start. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity, but other things keep popping up. Like you, for instance.” He smiled down at her.

“Me? What, you mean my little roll in the sack?”

He cocked an eyebrow clear up into his hairline. “Little roll in the sack? Girl, I know you’ve not had many lovers, but you’re not stupid.”

Suddenly restless and self-conscious, she stood up to pace.

He blocked her path.

Rather than go around him, she crossed her arms, thrust out a hip and stared at the floor. “Dec,” she said in as petulant a voice as Dylan ever mustered, “I’m really tired of people talking about my sex life and asking how I feel about Cade.”

She felt his gaze boring into the top of her head. “I know how you feel about Cade. Do you know how
Cade
feels about
you
?”

She winced. “I’m not sure he feels anything. I know he wants me, or he did, but he doesn’t— He’s not interested in anything long-term. I mean, he flat out said it, so—”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“What exactly did he say?”

“He just— He—” She stopped at the familiar tightening in her throat, the trembling mouth, the eternal damn stomachache.

“Do we have to talk about this, Dec? I’m tired, and my heart hurts, and there’s more important stuff going on than what Cade and I did, or what he feels, and…”

Dec wrapped his arms around her in a loose bear hug. He laughed as she banged her head against his chest.

“Ally girl, it’s all…related, if you will. I know it’s none of my business. I’m askin’ because I care about you, and I think my nephew might be an idiot. What exactly did he say to make you think you were just a momentary tumble?”

“Oh, nothing important,” she mumbled into his sternum. “Just that he’d never marry unless he found his mate, and if he found her he’d never—”

Her vocal chords locked up and skidded to a halt while her mind raced on ahead. A choking noise escaped her. It sounded a bit like “eep”. She pushed Dec away to find him staring at her with a patient, almost pitying expression. She stared back, slack-jawed.

She turned to look at Cade, sleeping so quietly, weak and wounded. She remembered how forceful and strong he’d been in that bed last night, how he’d stared at her face as he carefully explained that if he found his mate, he wouldn’t let her go.

She remembered his fury when he saw her packed suitcase this morning.

I never question the women I sleep with…I’m interested in you.

She’d said,
I can mess you up
.

He’d said,
I think you already did.

“You think I’m his
mate?
” she squeaked.

Where did Sindri keep the paper bags? That’s what you needed for hyperventilation, right? Rapid, shallow breaths into a paper bag. Deep breaths just made it worse. A pediatrician told her that, years ago.

Alphas were arrogant. They did what they wanted and didn’t stop to ask for permission or forgiveness. But if she was his mate, then that meant he’d claimed her. He’d slept with her, thereby allowing the mate bond to bind him to her completely, before he’d even confirmed that she’d accept him. That was beyond arrogant. If she rejected him, he’d spend the rest of his life emotionally and physiologically tethered to a woman he couldn’t have.

“Oh, I
know
you’re his mate, darlin’. Every wolf on this ranch knows it. I was just trying to help
you
figure it out. Cade should’ve mentioned it. I thought if you knew, you might not be so anxious to leave.”

She turned slowly to look up at him again. “The whole ranch knows about that too?”

“Probably. Seth told me right after it happened. It tore him up pretty good.”

“I know.” God, not more tears. “It wasn’t his fault. It was mine.” She rubbed her temples. “This is very, very weird, Dec.”

“It’s not the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you, though, is it?” He looked at her shrewdly, appraisingly, again. It made her feel transparent.

“No, it’s not, but—oh. Oh hell. Does Dylan know?” She hugged herself tightly and sat down on the bed again, leaning back against Cade. He hadn’t stirred. His body warmed her through her flannel lounge pants. The size and the solidness of him soothed her.

She tried to ignore the tiny seed of joy taking root deep inside. But it was sending out tentative little shoots, and she could feel them poking up through her defenses—her caution, her prudence, her restraint and reserve. As she contemplated the prospect of life as Cade’s mate, the only thing comparable to her budding joy was her blooming panic. Because she found the prospect very freaking damned scary.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure he can handle it.”

“Who? Oh. Dylan. Right. He understands a lot more than I give him credit for.” She shifted, planting her arm on the other side of Cade’s body. With her free hand, she brushed the hair out of his eyes once more.

“Well, the whole falling-in-love-in-a-week thing makes more sense now.” She kept her voice low, even though Cade showed no sign of waking.

Dec sat down on the couch again, elbows on his knees. “You think so?”

“Well, yeah. Isn’t there some kind of reciprocal response when a werewolf bonds to a woman? When the physiological switch in his brain gets flipped, it triggers something in her. At least, that’s what I’ve read. I never knew a bonded wolf.”

“That’s what it looks like in many cases,” he said slowly. “Wolves don’t find mates that often, so it’s hard to say. I’ve been around a hell of a long time, and I haven’t met that many who did. And there have been women who rejected wolves.”

“Yeah, and werewolves who went psycho from it.”

“I know a psycho wolf when I see one, and Cade’s not.”

“Dec,” she whispered as her fingers traced the line of Cade’s jaw, “I don’t know what to do.”

“At least you have a choice. Cade doesn’t, but you do,” he mused. “What the hell was he thinking? If you’d rejected him before you slept with him, it would’ve been hard enough. But if you reject him after he’s claimed you, it’s…it’s unimaginable. That’s the kind of recklessness I’d expect of his mother, not him.”

She grinned tenderly at the unconscious werewolf. At
her
unconscious werewolf. “He’s not reckless—he’s arrogant. It probably never occurred to him that I’d reject him. That’s why he got so incensed when I tried to leave. There’s no control freak like an alpha.”

“Can you live with that? You wouldn’t be the boss in this house, love.”

“Maybe I’m tired of being the boss. I might like someone else driving for a change.”

Dec snickered. “You might find that’s more difficult than it sounds. It’s just one of the things you’re going to have to think long and hard about, Ally girl.”

He dropped a kiss on her forehead and gazed for another moment at his sleeping nephew. “I’m going to eat and then crash for a few hours. Get some sleep yourself, please.”