Wolf Tales 11 (12 page)

Anton wanted their power, their energy. The pack alpha knew it would be stronger if they mated as wolves, knew that the call of the night would throb within their veins if they were beneath the naked branches of trees stripped bare for winter. The sound and scent of wild creatures, even though they lived within the confines of pens and cages, would add another level of arousal to the mating of the four Chanku.

Baylor had no doubt Anton could tap into their energy. He’d sensed the man in his mind on more than one occasion, a subtle connection of one alpha to another. Bay had never once resented the fact Anton checked in on them on occasion without announcing himself. No, he saw it as the über-alpha’s right, his duty to protect and monitor his pack.

None of them had ever denied Anton’s leadership of the packs. They certainly weren’t going to start now. Bay thought of the man, of the pressure he took so willingly on to himself. He wore the mantle of leadership well, and he’d proved himself capable on many occasions.

But this time was different. This time the lives at risk were special—Lisa and Tala. The sisters Bay had known since their births, the young women with whom he shared a convoluted bond of flesh and blood and Chanku heritage. Only Manda was closer. She was his heart, his soul, the very breath that kept him alive.

He gazed into her slumberous amber eyes and sensed the climax hovering so close. He opened his thoughts and found her waiting, wondering why he’d not joined with her on this more intimate level.

A level only one mate could share with another. Not merely sensations, not just the sense of muscles contracting and blood rushing, of need growing and expanding, of making love through two sets of eyes, two minds, two hearts. No, this was something more, something deeper, a spiritual sharing that went beyond anything either Manda or Bay could ever explain.

Why should they? There was no reason to wonder, merely to accept. They not only made love, they
were
love. A single entity ripe with power, two bodies so closely linked they had become one soul, one single organism.

Bay blinked and tried to focus. He wanted to watch her, his Manda, his love. Wanted to see the faraway look in her eyes as all her focus centered on the crescendo building slowly and surely within their bodies. He blinked, tried so hard to focus on her eyes, but she swam in a sea of tears.

His? Hers? Emotions surged, so raw, so close to the surface he knew a momentary panic, that he should be so entirely naked to anyone, even himself.

Then she smiled and touched his cheek with her fingertip, carried a glistening tear from his face to her lips. The pink tip of her tongue slipped out and she tasted him, tasted the tears on his cheek, but it felt to Bay as if she’d licked the length of his cock. Lightning raced from her sweet mouth to his balls and forced a groan out of him.

He tilted his hips and drove deep inside, parting her sensitive folds, sliding over the hard mouth of her womb. Manda’s lips parted, startled into a smile as he thrust again, so hard, so fast. He never wanted this to end. If only he could find that perfect moment of completion and hold it forever. He wanted … more. Always more, always Manda.

He groaned and gave over to sensation, gave in to the rush of orgasm, the almost painful sweetness of his climax. Manda’s sleek thighs tightened across his buttocks, her strong arms wrapped around his neck, and she lifted her hips, seeking him, forcing him deeper until there was no sense of separation, no way anything or anyone could ever part them.

His cock jerked, his seed spilled, and her sleek muscles contracted and milked him, holding him deep, taking everything he had to offer. Her lips were close against his ear, and even though their minds were linked and their thoughts
shared as one, he smiled with the words she whispered, over and over, a promise that bound them both.

“I love you forever, forever mine. I will always love you.”

He wanted to keep her like this for all time—connected, bodies damp with sweat, muscles clenching, his balls aching from the powerful blast of orgasm. Never ending … if only they could stay this way forever.

But there was a dinner to attend, secrets to learn, and a run to be made through a wild tangle of woods. Tonight they would make love as feral creatures—wild and tumultuous sex beneath a dark winter’s sky, and they would share their energy, the very essence of who and what they were, in order to protect the pack. It would be wonderful and he knew his body would feel replete when the last tremors of his climax subsided.

But it couldn’t compare. Could never compare to what they’d shared over these last few moments—the sense that they were the only two people in the world, making love, being love, existing solely to love one another.

His ragged breathing began to slow, his heartbeat found a steady cadence once again, and Baylor Quinn tucked the memory of these past few moments deep within his heart. He nuzzled Manda’s slim throat and reluctantly separated his body from hers.

She reached for him, a wordless plea that had him bending close, kissing her once more. She closed her eyes and sighed, but when he searched her thoughts, there were barriers where none had been before.

He frowned. “You’re blocking me. Why? Did I hurt you?”

She blushed. Shook her head. “No. I didn’t want you to see.”

He tilted her chin up with his fingers. “See what?”

“It’s silly.” She glanced away, then, after a long moment, looked him in the eye. Finally, she smiled and
shrugged. “I didn’t want you to see how much that affected me. Making love, just the two of us. Nothing fancy, nothing out of the ordinary. Just you and me and it was … it was perfect, okay?” She bit her lip, almost as if she expected him to laugh at her.

“You’re kidding, right? You’d hide that from me?” He leaned close and kissed her sweetly, deeply. Then he tugged her fingers and pulled her to her feet. “We need another shower, I think. And then we have to get moving. And while you’re scrubbing my back and telling me what a wonderful lover I am, I’ll remind you that, yes, it was perfect. Because you’re perfect.”

She laughed and he swatted her behind. Then he followed her into the shower, feeling lighter, more hopeful, than he’d felt since this morning when a man from his past had totally upended the present.

“You’re sure? Liana was absolutely positive they could shift even at this point in their pregnancies?” Mik shot a glance at Tinker and AJ. “If she’s wrong …”

Anton glanced at the sheets of paper in front of him. He’d been taking notes only he could read, but Mik often wondered if he wrote things down more to organize his thoughts than to actually refer to the illegible notes. “She’s been our Goddess since time began. Maybe not the best, according to Liana, but she’s been around long enough to know more about our physiology than anyone else. I don’t think we should set any plan in motion that requires the girls shift, but I do want them to know that, should their lives be in danger, it’s a viable option.”

AJ nodded. “I can agree with that. Damn. I just want Tala out of this mess.”

Anton raised his head. “AJ, I wasn’t kidding when I told you we can abort at any time. Just go in and get them out. It’s entirely up to you. And to the women, obviously, since they’re the ones at risk.”

Mik shook his head. “Tala’d kill us if we pulled the plug right now. She’s more concerned about the threat to the president than she is about her and Lisa. As much as I hate leaving them with those bastards, I have to agree that we need to find out who’s behind this.”

Anton glanced at Tinker. “Tink, you’ve been pretty quiet. What’s your honest feeling about what we’re doing?”

“Honestly? You sure you want the truth, Anton?”

The menace in Tinker’s softly growled question had Mik’s feral senses leaping to attention. He noticed that everyone in the room had suddenly gone on alert. Only Anton remained entirely calm and at ease. He nodded his head. “I always want the truth, Martin. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Tink gave a sharp jerk of his head. “I’d like to rip your throat out for even suggesting that we leave them with those sons a’ bitches, but like Mik says—I know if we pulled the girls now, they’d never forgive us.” He brushed his hand over his eyes and stared at the tabletop, slowly shaking his head. Anton rested his hand on Tinker’s shoulder when Tink slowly added, “Lisa and Tala … they’ve got more balls than any of us, but damn, that doesn’t mean I have to like what we’re planning.”

“What, exactly, are we planning?” Luc walked in with Tia and Logan. Jazzy and Keisha followed behind.

“Tia!” Anton stood up and drew her into a hug. “How are you? Did Logan manage to repair the damage?”

“Logan is absolutely brilliant. Remember, though, I already knew that since he’s the one who delivered my babies.” She kissed Anton and then leaned over and gave Tinker a kiss as well. She smiled ruefully at Mik and AJ. “I’m sorry, Tink, guys. We should have been paying closer attention. We weren’t at all prepared for anything like what happened.”

Tinker patted her fingers where they rested on his shoulder and tilted his head so he could see Tia standing
behind him. “Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t your fault. I’m just glad you’re okay. We’ll get the girls. Don’t worry.”

Anton shuffled his stack of notes. “Luc, you asked what we’re planning. I’ve been waiting to give everyone a rundown until you got here, since the original information comes from you and I want to be sure I’ve got it right.”

He glanced around the table, making eye contact with each of them. “Here’s what we know. The president and First Lady are due at the Civic Auditorium at eight tonight. The kidnappers want us on site at seven thirty. They requested two human and wolf teams. Their plan is remarkably simple. They want the wolves to lose control and attack the president. If his wife gets in the way … too bad.”

“What? That’s absolutely …”

“Think of it.” Anton shook his head. “We’ve guarded them before and the president was really impressed with how well trained the wolves were. In fact, Mik, wasn’t that a job where Tala was the handler and both you and AJ stood guard?”

“That’s right. Six months ago when he was giving a talk at an auto plant that was reopening. Wolves are amazingly effective for crowd control.” He shook his head. “But we’d never lose control and attack anyone. What do those idiots think we are?”

“Killers. They know we’ve killed while on assignment. The deaths have always been laid on the wolves doing their job, but in this case, since it would be obvious that the animals had gone totally out of control, they would be put down, the whole thing chalked up to a horrible accident, maybe something the president was wearing, a perfume the First Lady has on. Point being, dead president, maybe even dead First Lady. No one to blame but dumb animals. Of course, our business would be irreparably harmed and a couple of you would have to die, but what the hell, right?”

When he gazed at all of them, Anton’s expression was totally at odds with his flip comments. “There’s one good thing about this—they don’t know that we are the wolves. They’re still thinking we work with highly trained animals, so our unique abilities are unknown. Now, obviously, what they expect is not going to happen, but the ones behind this plan can’t know until the last minute that we’re not following orders. So here’s what we’re going to do.”

He glanced at Keisha. She shoved her long hair over her shoulder. Then she rolled it up and slipped on a wig. Her long black curls were hidden beneath a shorter, straightened style. When she subtly altered her stance and expression, even Luc gasped.

“Eerie, isn’t it?” Anton folded his arms across his chest and stared at his mate. “My love, you look almost exactly like the president’s wife.” He glanced about the room. “Keisha will be attending tonight’s concert on the president’s arm as his wife, who will be safely stashed until the evening is over. He is aware of, and approves of the plan. AJ, I want you in uniform as a guard with Nick and Luc on leashes with breakaway collars. I’m going to take the second position with Tinker on leash.”

He glanced at Keisha and smiled. “Lose the wig, sweetheart. You’re really freaking me out.”

She laughed and some of the tension in the room melted away. Anton shuffled his notes again and looked up. “What’s interesting, after looking through the paperwork Luc got today, is that all of our clearances to work as guards for tonight are in perfect order. I’ve checked with the White House staff, and absolutely nothing is out of the ordinary, which means this has all been approved. It’s gone through the proper channels. Whoever is behind this is close to the top.”

He let them think about that as he focused on Mik. “I want you and Logan at the Four Seasons. We’ve reserved
the suite next to the one where the women are being held.” He glanced at Tinker. “Tink, I know you want to be there to pick up Lisa, but I need you to guard the president. If things get ugly, we may have to depend on your physical strength. You and Mik are equals when it comes to muscle, and the one thing we don’t know for sure is if we’re the only hit that’s planned.”

Mik glanced at AJ and Tink. “What are you getting at?”

“I’ve got Baylor and Jake and their women checking out some men, including a current White House staffer and two guys from Bay’s old agency. They’re dining in a very public place tonight in Washington, DC. Bay’s orders are to observe, eavesdrop, and let me know if they hear anything at all suspicious. I’ve got a very strong hunch that there might be a backup plan in place in case we fail—or maybe we’re the backup if someone else fails. I wish I could be certain, but I’m not, so we all need to be alert. Jazzy has offered to stay here with Tia and the babies.”

Mik caught Igmutaka’s eye. The spirit guide stood against the wall, apart from the rest of the pack, yet obviously paying very close attention to what was going on. He nodded at Mik but said nothing, so Mik asked the question for him. “What about Igmutaka? What’s the plan for him?”

Anton glanced at Igmutaka and smiled. “He and Beth will be checking into the room next to the one where the girls are being held. Igmutaka is visiting royalty from a small but very wealthy country. Beth is his assistant. With her darker coloring and dark hair, she and Igmutaka will have to pass for residents of an obscure island nation. They’re traveling with a pair of wolves—Mik, you and Logan will be acting the part of very large, extremely protective watchdogs.”