Wolf Tales 11 (9 page)

At least they’d gotten word Tia was all right. “She’ll be okay, Ric. Luc said the wound’s not too serious, that they got the bullet when she shifted.”

Ulrich didn’t move. He did nothing to acknowledge what Millie’d said. Impatiently patient, she waited. Finally, his head dipped and his voice broke when he answered her.

“Yeah, but Luc said she started bleeding again. That he’s worried the bullet might have nicked an artery.”

“But they have the bleeding under control. Logan will be there in less than an hour. He’s good, Ric. He’ll make sure she’s okay. They can’t risk involving the police until Lisa and Tala are safe. Not at this point.”

Ulrich still didn’t look her way, but he nodded his head. “I know. I just wish we were closer. I wish I could be there and see for my own eyes that she’s all right.” Finally he turned and leaned his butt against the railing. Gave Millie that crooked little grin she’d grown to love. “I know what you’re thinking, Millie m’love. You’re thinking I’m an overprotective old man.”

Shaking her head, she laughed softly. “Never. I don’t think you can ever worry too much about your children. I’ve had Manda and Adam on my mind all day, ever since Luc called, thinking how I would feel if it were one of them in this position. I know what it was like when Adam lost his mate and he was hurting so terribly, and there was nothing I could do to help him. And when Manda told me what it was like all those years she was held prisoner, treated so horribly by a man she’d thought was rescuing
her. My heart bled for my children, even though they’re grown now. I bled because I wasn’t there for them when they needed me. I’m still their mother, just as you’re still Tia’s father.”

She laughed softly. “And you, my love, are most certainly not old. Besides, Luc might be her mate, but he’s there with her now and can see she’s safe. Plus, it’s different for him. He sees her as an adult, as his mate. Unlike you, he didn’t change her diapers. He doesn’t see her as a helpless baby.”

Laughing, Ulrich rested his arms on her shoulders. “He almost did. He came into our family when she was just six years old. I often wonder if he remembers what she was like at that age, now that she’s the grown woman he loves.”

Millie kissed his chin and then brushed her lips over his. “Do you think he had any idea then that they’d end up together?”

“Hard to say what he thought. Poor guy was so traumatized by what he’d done. I question if he’s ever really forgiven himself for killing Tia’s mother. Camille forgave him, and so did Tia, but I’ve always wondered if Luc has forgiven himself.”

“He’s a good man, Ric, but even good men can have their own demons. He’s learned to deal with it, and that’s what counts. I worry more about Tia, if anything happens to Tala and Lisa. She was there with them when they were taken. She’s okay. Hurting and injured, but she’s safe and we know she’ll heal. I don’t want to think what it could do to her, to have two women she loves so dearly end up injured or worse. I hope Anton’s plan works, as much as I hope Eve’s paying attention to the mess our girls are in.”

“Hey, guys! Any word?”

“Sheesh, Matt.” Millie slapped her hand over her chest. “You scared me half to death.”

“Sorry about that, Millie. I thought you heard us coming.”

Matt Rodgers led his bonded mates, Deacon March and Daciana Lupei, through the powdery snow around the side of the cabin. “We’ve got the pens cleaned and everything’s under control with the wolves. They’ve all been fed. We had the volunteers close up early today so they could get home before dark. It’s going to be really cold and icy.” He glanced at his mates. “We didn’t want anyone driving home late. I hope that’s okay with you.”

Millie nodded her approval. “Thanks, Matt. You guys made a good decision. I’m sorry I haven’t been around, but things have just been so unsettled.”

“Plus, there’s no word yet,” Ulrich said, answering his question. “Nothing beyond the fact that Tia’s with Luc and they got the bullet out of her hip. Anton, Keisha, Logan, and Jazzy should be there shortly.”

“And Igmutaka,” Millie added.

“The spirit guide?” Ulrich folded his arms across his chest. “Why’s he going?”

“Stefan called just a few minutes ago. That’s what I came out here to tell you. He said Igmutaka has a link with Mik’s daughter. He can sense the baby’s fear and the connection with Tala, proof she’s still alive. Igmutaka showed up in human form at the house and informed Anton he was going to San Francisco with them. With a powerful link like that, there was no way Anton was going to turn him down.”

“Wow.” Daci climbed the steps and took a seat on the porch swing. “He must be Mik’s baby’s spirit guide, just like he was Mik’s grandfather’s. That’s pretty cool.” She cocked an eyebrow at Ulrich. “We still on for tonight? All five of us together?”

Ulrich shrugged and focused on Millie. “It’s entirely up to Millie. Anton wants all the sexual energy we can create. Do you think there’ll be more if we’re together, or would you be better off with just a couple of us. Or the two of us?”

Millie let her gaze slide over Ric’s rugged features. She’d heard all about Anton’s plan, and she’d taken his directions to heart—to let the ones in San Francisco worry about saving the girls while the various packmates around the country worried about powering up the operation.

Thank goodness sexual energy was something all of them appeared to posses in excess. She winked as she moved beyond Ric to give Matt a very careful perusal. He boldly returned her smile, proof he was definitely gaining more confidence. Millie took a lot of the credit for Matt’s amazing transformation.

She shifted her gaze from Matt to Deacon. At six and a half feet tall with a wide, bony frame, Deacon, aka Christopher March, still needed to fill out all his angles and edges. He’d definitely gained some weight and muscle since settling here in Colorado, but Millie suspected it would be a few more years before he finally reached his prime.

Still, he was one big, sexy young man, and the look he gave Millie told her he was just as interested in what five of them could figure out to do together as Matt was.

Of course, Matt and Millie had been lovers for months, now, an arrangement Ulrich had set up when Matt was still so shy he could barely look at Millie without blushing. That certainly wasn’t a problem any longer, but Millie had never been with Deacon, and she’d definitely not made love with Daci. She’d been much too inhibited for that.

Now, though, Daci boldly challenged her with an open smile and the subtle suggestion of what they might be able to discover. She hadn’t been with women all that much, either, as far as Millie knew. One thing they all seemed to agree on was the excitement of discovery.

Sometimes the learning process generated more heat than anyone expected. This might be the night to see where their imaginations—and their libidos—took them.
Knowing they were working toward a common goal added an extra level of arousal to the idea of group sex.

Millie glanced over her shoulder and caught Ric grinning at her like a damned fool. “So, it appears you’ve been hitchhiking along on my thoughts. Like what you see?”

He laughed out loud, the first real laughter she’d heard from him all day. “I love what I see. Might I suggest we go for a run later, come back and shower, and meet over at Daci, Matt, and Deacon’s cabin for a glass of wine … or two. They might have less space overall, but they’ve definitely got a bigger bed.”

Daci stood up and grabbed both her guys’ hands. “Works for me, but guess that means we need to go change the sheets and clean house a bit.” She leaned close, stood on her toes, and planted a big kiss on Ulrich. “Your suggestion, so you get to bring the wine.”

“I promise to bring one you like, Ms. Lupei. We’ll meet all of you out here at six. That should give us time to shift, run, hunt, eat, and shower.” He chuckled, and Millie couldn’t wait to get him alone and see what he had in mind. The man never seemed to run out of ideas.

“Anton’s got us on a pretty tight schedule,” he said, and there was no denying the challenge in his voice. “So, after we run, we need time to build up enough good, healthy lust to produce one large, simultaneous orgasm, minds open and broadcasting, at nine fifty-five Mountain time tonight. Timing is everything. Well, timing and skill. You kids up to it?”

Instead of answering outright, Matt sauntered across the deck. He was about an inch shorter than Ulrich, but he carried himself tall and straight and his broad shoulders and lean, muscular build made him appear larger than he actually was. He stopped in front of Ric, but he flashed a big wink at Millie. Then he looped an arm around Ulrich’s shoulders and pulled him close for a kiss.

Ric’s surprise at Matt’s uncharacteristically bold move quickly gave way to arousal. Millie felt his response all the way to her toes, and when Matt cupped her mate’s genitals through the soft denim jeans he was wearing, she almost climaxed on the spot. Ric’s arms went around Matt’s waist and he thrust his hips forward, pressing against the younger man’s big hand and long fingers gripping his crotch.

Suddenly Matt broke the kiss and stepped away from Ric. Both men were breathing hard, though Matt tried to disguise his own arousal. “See you at six,” he said, as if they’d just made a date to play golf. Then without another word, he and his mates turned and clattered down the steps. The three of them disappeared around the corner of the cabin.

Ric turned to Millie with a stunned smile on his face. “Shit,” he said. “How could we ever think that kid was a beta?”

Millie reached up on her toes and kissed him softly on lips still damp from Matt’s mouth. “He was. I think he outgrew it.”

“Shit again.” Laughing, Ric slowly shook his head. “You’re not kidding.” He gazed toward the kids’ cabin, barely visible through the trees. “I think Anton might get more than he expected.”

Millie grabbed Ric’s hand to drag him inside. “Well, I don’t know about Anton, but I can almost guarantee we’re going to get more than we expected.” She flashed him a wink. “I’m definitely looking forward to tonight.”

It felt as if someone had a jackhammer working right between her eyes. The pain, the noise, the total disorientation were terrifying. Tala didn’t move. She couldn’t. Her arms and legs felt weighted down with lead, her eyes must have been glued shut, and nothing worked right.

Nothing except her kidneys, obviously. Damn but she had to pee. How long had she been like this? Questions. So damned many questions, and her brain too muggy to answer any of them. She tried to figure out where she was, why she couldn’t move, what day, week, year, place she could possibly be.

Memories rushed into her mind—memories she immediately recognized as old history, no matter how clear they were. She wasn’t still a whore working a cheap town in New Mexico. She didn’t live in fear of her pimp.

No. She was not Mary Ellen Quinn. She was Tala, mated to Mik, to AJ. Carrying their babies.

Dear Goddess. The babies!
She searched for the bright mental signatures she already recognized as her unborn son and daughter. AJ’s little boy. Mik’s daughter, and damn but she felt sorry for that little girl, because Mik probably wouldn’t let her date until she was at least forty.

There! Sleepy but okay.
She breathed softly, unwilling
to make any moves, unsure why, but knowing somehow that she needed to continue the façade of unconsciousness. She concentrated on the babies. Felt their thoughts, both of them curious and wondering what had happened, why they felt so strange.

Well, hell. She wondered the same thing. She tried to reach out for AJ and Mik, but a sharp, knife-edged pain in her head put a quick stop to that. Maybe if she tried something close and used the family link she had with her sister? Maybe Lisa was nearby. Maybe she could hear and explain.

First Tala reassured her babies. Everything would be fine, she told them. As soon as she figured out what was going on.

She sensed them, stronger now. Her son was nervous, but her daughter seemed amazingly calm.

Why? What makes you so brave, little one?

Igmutaka.

What the …?
The spirit guide? You know him?
Tala bit back a smile. She’d known that old spirit guide a lot better than she’d wanted when he’d taken over her body and tried to keep her as his own, but that wasn’t anything she had to share with her baby girl. Not yet, anyway.

Of course I know him. He is my guide. He watches over me. He’s coming to protect us all.

Interesting.
Definitely interesting, but in a good way, or bad? She was going to have to keep tabs on this, obviously, but she reassured her babies and promised them all would be well.

Now, where the hell was Lisa?

She sent out a light, questing thought.

Tala? Oh Goddess, Tala. I thought you were dead.

I’m okay. I think. Where are we?

I’m not sure. A hotel somewhere, in the city, I think. I tried reaching Tinker but the pain was excruciating. We must have been drugged. Are you tied? I think I have those
plastic restraints on my ankles and wrists. It’s hard to know for sure. I’m afraid to open my eyes or move. I don’t want anyone to know I’m conscious.

I know. I couldn’t reach Mik or AJ, either. Is anyone guarding us?

At least one man. I heard him cough a little while ago. I thought I heard voices, but it’s just the television in another room.

Lisa, I’m going to have to let someone know I’m awake pretty soon. I’ve got two sets of feet playing soccer with my bladder. I’ve really got to pee.

Okay. I have no idea how long we’ve been here, but I think it’s been a few hours at least.

She almost laughed at how ridiculous it felt, worrying about bodily functions at a time like this, but,
If you can hold it, let me go first. I’ll open my thoughts so you can see what I see, but I’d really hate to wet the bed.

When Lisa agreed, Tala blinked slowly, as if coming out of a deep sleep.
Are you with me?

I am. Just forget I’m even here.

Tala glanced slowly around the room. She and Lisa were lying beside each other on a king-size bed. Lisa still looked unconscious. Tala gazed at her sister a moment, checking for injuries, but she seemed to be okay, and she’d guessed right. Both of them had their wrists and ankles restrained with those plastic ties the police used in place of regular handcuffs.