Sleeper_Google, page 19
part #3 of Hunter Series
He was quiet for a moment and there was an odd look of hurt on his face. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I love him.” There was so much more but I wanted to get on with it. I didn’t want to sit down and explain that it was hard to think about not seeing Trent again, that he had somehow taken a piece of me as well. I wasn’t the kind of girl who said those things. Hell, I usually didn’t feel them and I didn’t like the sensation. Especially not when I knew Trent had been ordered to get into bed with me. What felt like devotion to me was nothing but his job.
Trent shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense. I talked to him. He didn’t mention anything about marriage. He was making plans for what happens when his contract is up.”
Wow, everyone was trying to take care of me and my wretched sexual needs today. “Exactly what plans does he have?”
“Well, they sure as hell didn’t include you marrying him, so I would like to know what changed.”
That wasn’t an answer. “What plans did he make, Trent? Plans I’m not involved in, by the way. That might have been an oversight on his part.”
Trent started to pace, not that he could get much of anywhere. Two steps forward, turn, two steps back. The restless behavior of an uncomfortable wolf. “He’s making plans to ensure that you’re okay. That you’re taken care of.”
“I can take care of myself.” A complete lie, but I was good at those.
He stopped, his eyes stark as he stared at me. “Since I spent the better part of yesterday with a sword in my gut, I will agree to disagree with you.”
“Won’t happen again. I’m a rip the bandage off kind of girl. I’ll do all the queen’s classes and then I’ll sign my contract and you won’t have to worry about me.” But I was already wondering if that same issue might not come up soon because the stress of the day was wearing on me. And my wolf was starting to understand that I wasn’t playing around. The rattling was turning into clawing and nipping. “I’ll go to the Hell plane. I’ve been told my particular brand of crazy will be accepted there.”
The elevator doors opened. My assistant Justin stood there, dressed in his best The Flash T-shirt and carrying his tablet and the thermos of blood his wife always sent with him. He smiled as he caught sight of me. “Hey, boss. I got caught up on paperwork last night and I talked to a new client.”
Trent turned on Justin and growled, the sound low and dangerous. “Not now.”
Justin stepped back. “I’ll take the next one.”
So no help from my office then. I reached out and pressed the button for the tenth floor. “Way to scare the vamps, buddy.”
He reached out and slapped the button that stopped the elevator. “I want to know why Gray changed his mind.”
I wanted lots of things, but I wasn’t getting them. There might be one thing I could goad him into telling me. “I want to know what Gray offered you.”
“He didn’t have to offer me anything.”
“But he did, didn’t he? What did he offer you? I’ll find out anyway.”
“I don’t care about the damn money,” Trent spat. “The money and the house are only ways to help keep you safe.”
With Gray, it would be a lot of money. Likely millions. He might have been a Texas Ranger at one time, the cop kind, but his bank account looked more like a left-handed ace pitcher for the other Rangers.
“Back off, Wilcox.” Because if he didn’t, I might do something I shouldn’t. He smelled so fucking good. He smelled like safety and sex and a home I hadn’t known I missed.
He shook his head. “I can’t. Do you think I can’t feel you? We connected on a base level last night. Maybe you’re too stubborn to feel it, but I do. Do you think I can’t feel how much your head is spinning right now?”
It wasn’t spinning, exactly, but there was a marked uptick in anxiety. I didn’t like small spaces, but beyond that, he was delaying me. If I kept moving, I didn’t have to think about it. I didn’t have to acknowledge that signing that contract meant giving up one of my children. It meant giving up half of myself, and all of my sanity.
What had Gray said? He’d said I should watch out for a trick and a trap. I wasn’t sure about the trick, but I’d been neatly trapped.
What was the path I was supposed to stay on? I only saw one and that was the one that led to Hell.
My hands started shaking. I tried to breathe.
Trent hit the button again and moved back into my space. “Baby, I can feel your need. Something happened last night. Something that connected us. You might not have felt it because you were so focused on Gray, but I was there, too.”
His hand came down, smoothing back my hair and sending a rush of pure energy through me. Calming energy.
I tried to shake my head because I didn’t need another connection. I was only going to be allowed one once I signed my contract. One connection, and I wouldn’t be able to see my mom or my brothers or Liv. I wouldn’t get to see Lee grow up.
I heard Trent curse and suddenly he was behind me, his arms wrapped around me. I felt the warmth of his breath on my ear. “Don’t fight me, bitch. I use that as a completely affectionate term. You’re my bitch and you’re so strong you can fight this. You just need some help.”
I gritted my teeth as his hand slipped under the band of my jeans and started moving toward my pussy. I could feel the growl in the back of my throat. There are times when I can almost feel my body shifting, as though my limbs are cracking and moving to another space, a space I understand and welcome. It doesn’t ever happen in reality, but in my mind I feel the change. Being near Trent made me feel that way. My instincts were twofold—to fight and claw and make him work for me or to get to my knees and give myself to the true alpha.
“I won’t take more than you want to give me, but I will give you everything you need,” he promised me. “Take it. I know you won’t believe this but you are my pack now. I’m on the outside with everyone else. It’s a pack of two. You’re the damn alpha female. This is yours. I owe you this.”
His fingers slipped over my clitoris and I was utterly lost.
I gave over to my wolf, letting her have her way. I’d forced her back and down for most of the day, so now she came roaring back. My hands went around, searching for his body, for something to hold on to. If I could have, I would have broken free and jumped the man. My need was that great, but he was stronger than me. My wolf thrilled at that. She loved the fact that he was so big and rough and he could handle me.
“Do you have any idea how good you smell?” His words rumbled over my skin.
I didn’t bother with a reply because I was far too busy rubbing myself against his hand like a horny teenager. I let my head fall back against his shoulder, nestling there.
“Yes, that’s what I want,” he whispered. “Let me take care of you. Let me be what you need.”
The hand that wasn’t down my jeans cupped my breast and I was completely surrounded by him. Not Gray this time. I couldn’t trick myself into believing I was getting worked over hard by anyone but Trent Wilcox, werewolf sex god.
“Let go, baby. Don’t fight me.” His fingers found my nipple, twisting to the point of pain. A nice nip that let my wolf know he was in control. As if that wasn’t enough to get me panting, he set his teeth on the back of my neck.
I shivered at the sensation. My wolf was ready to submit. No. I was ready to submit. I gave over and let him take control entirely.
He pressed down on my clit and my whole body shook. Pure pleasure washed over me and raced through my veins. I did feel the connection to him in that moment. I could feel the joy and satisfaction he got from making me come.
Except it wasn’t only about sex. There was something else there, simmering below his surface. While I could feel his cock hard against the small of my back, a sense of peace emanated from him.
He was happy to be here, happy to be with me. Touching me filled something inside him.
“That’s what I wanted,” he whispered as he eased his touch. He was still rubbing but lightly, as though he knew I needed a moment but didn’t want to lose our connection. I felt him kiss the lobe of my ear. “Do you need more? We can go to my room and I’ll take care of you for hours, Kelsey. Donovan will have to understand. I make the decisions now and I won’t let him come between us. You won’t think about anything but your next orgasm. We’ll hole up and cuddle and drink and eat and fuck for days. Better yet, let me take you away from here. We’ll go out into the forest and just be for a while. You and me. We need that time.”
But we wouldn’t get it because the elevator shifted and before Trent could react, the doors opened.
“Hey, something went wrong with the….” Casey was standing there, his jaw dropping when he realized what he was seeing. “Holy shit.”
Naturally Casey could override the elevator and put me in a position where I was caught with my pants down. Not down really, but with someone’s hand in them. Unfortunately, Casey wasn’t alone.
Gray was standing there and I remembered what Donovan had said. He’d said something about Gray finding someone who could transport him here. Gray was a dark prophet, but when it came to travel, he was as human as the rest of us.
His father, however, was not.
Papa Sloane stood there in his perfectly pressed suit, everything about him utterly human with the singular exception of his eyes. They turned a brilliant ruby red when he caught sight of me.
I worried for a moment that Gray’s father would kill Trent. I pushed away from him, thinking to try to save him, but the attack came from a different direction. As I started to open my mouth to explain, Gray growled and threw himself in the elevator.
A hand reached for mine, dragging me out as the doors closed. Marcus looked down at me, an almost amused smile on his face. “Well, you’ve done it now, bella.”
Yep. I’d fucked everything up. There was a horrible sound from the elevator and I hoped both men survived.
Chapter Twelve
“Would you like to explain yourself, slut?” Lord Sloane stared down at me like I was some kind of insect he was about to squash under his ridiculously overpriced loafers. In his human form, he opted for designer wear. He looked like a captain of industry, a man in the prime of his life, though I happened to know he was millennia old.
Marcus’s shoulders squared. “You would do well to remember where you are, Lord Sloane. You are here on the sufferance of His Majesty King Daniel, and he won’t take well to you calling his close circle by filthy names.”
I managed to get to my feet. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve been called worse, babe.” It was so hard to change habits. “I’m sorry. I meant, Mr. Vorenus.”
“Marcus will do, bella.” He gave me an encouraging smile.
“And you wonder why I speak the truth,” Sloane said with a grimace. “I want to know why a lowborn beast has my family in such upheaval that I have to leave my kingdom to ensure both my sons don’t fuck up here. Nemcox doesn’t even enjoy female company and yet he’s so eager to put you under contract. I would like to know why.”
I wasn’t about to tell him. I needed Nemcox to keep his damn mouth shut. If Papa Sloane knew that he had an ace in his deck, he would use it. He wouldn’t care about Gray’s happiness or think to use the information to put me in a corner. He would go straight to Merlin and then I would spend the rest of my life trying to protect my father. Lee. Little Lee.
My head hurt.
Still, the red-eyed demon required some kind of an answer. “I think it’s my feminine charm.”
Marcus stepped in front of me as though attempting to place himself in the path of danger. “Lord Sloane, I think perhaps you should wait in the king’s office while I speak to my…to Ms. Owens. You’ll find Hugo Wells is already there and waiting. He has some legal questions for you.”
Hugo likely had some form of lecture already planned about all the ways he could keep me from signing away my soul. Unfortunately, I couldn’t allow that to happen.
“I’ll need the wards kept down. I require a satan if we’re going to get this contract finished.” Papa Sloane straightened his tie. “I’m certainly not going to trust in some academic. If we’re going to do this, I want an ironclad contract. I won’t be tricked into giving the bitch access to my kingdom simply so the king can find a loophole that brings her back after she’s collected enough information. A satan will ensure the validity of the contract upfront.”
A satan is a class of demon. They act as the plane’s lawyers and the be-all, end-all arbiters of contracts. Satans can be requested by either party and the satan’s word is law. I could have Hugo draw up my contract, but it would be enforced or rejected by Hell’s cutest cherubs. Though I’ve been told they bite.
“I doubt that will be necessary,” Marcus murmured. “But you can certainly call one if it becomes so. Casey, would you escort our guest to the king’s office?”
Casey’s eyes went wide. “You mean the Hell lord?”
“Yes, I mean our guest, Lord Sloane,” Marcus replied.
Casey swallowed and managed a nod. “This way, Lord Sloane.”
When they were halfway down the hall, I turned to Marcus. “Go easy on him. You should have seen the way he stood up to Nemcox. He invoked all kinds of rights and got him to back down. He’s a good kid.”
Marcus sighed and shook his head. There was a terrible howling roar from somewhere below us, but Marcus ignored it completely. “I will take that into account. Now would you like to explain to me why you’re planning on throwing out all your training and becoming the Sloanes’ pet Hunter?”
“Nemcox knows something about Lee. Do you know what happened with the spell we were trying to use on Neil Roberts?”
“Yes.” His whole face softened. “Have you enjoyed talking to your father? I suspect you see much of yourself in him.”
“I loved it right up to the point that Nemcox told me the wizard guy is the one who actually ordered my father’s death and that the queen’s incarceration and Roberts’s time in Hell were mere byproducts of what he wanted.”
A long sigh issued from Marcus. “I told you he wasn’t directly responsible for your father’s death. My question is why would Myrddin want a bodyguard’s death? How was your father important to him?”
The floor beneath me shook. “Should I go after them?”
“Not at all. Let them sort these things out. I believe Lieutenant Sloane is only now realizing what has to happen, and he’s dealing with some unsavory emotions. It’s one thing to accept sharing your partner on an intellectual basis, quite another to see it in action. Please go on. If I’m to help you, I need to know everything you can tell me.”
The floor shook again and I wondered exactly what those two were trying to do to each other. And if they’d taken off their shirts to do it. I looked back to the man I’d seen as my savior the last few years. “You would still help me?”
“I will always help you, bella. Always. I’m sad that our time together is coming to an end, but I will care about you the rest of my very long life and I will forever wish you well.” His eyes closed briefly as a howl shook the walls around us. There was a wry look on his face when he opened them. “I believe you will need all the good wishes in the world if you are to survive those two. I have to admit there’s a part of me that delighted in seeing the lieutenant lose his cool over finding you with another man. It was certainly due.”
My heart ached. Being this close to Marcus made me remember how easy it had been to be his woman. “Marcus, I’m so sorry I put you through that.”
He reached out and his hand cupped my cheek, swiping away a tear I didn’t know I’d shed. “No. You should never be sorry for seeking out what you need. You didn’t try to hide this from me and I always knew things could go this way. I shall seek some peace and see what happens over the next few decades, but if you call me, I’ll be here.”
I knew what he meant. He would go to Venice and let Evangeline grow up. She was Lee’s little sister and she might be Marcus’s prophesized companion, the one who would take him with her when she died. Apparently immortality wasn’t as cool as it sounded.
“Now tell me why you believe the wizard wanted to hurt your father,” Marcus prompted. “We don’t have much time. The king will be up here and he will demand explanations.”
“According to Nemcox, this Merlin dude did some prophecy of his own and according to him, my dad and one other person were the only two beings in the world who could thwart his plans.”
Marcus frowned. “My darling girl, I’m not sure how to handle this. My first instinct is to say Nemcox is lying. Myrddin serves the sword and the crown. Daniel has both.”
“Why would he lie?” Yeah, I knew that was a stupid question the minute it left my mouth.
“He’s a demon and he wants you out of the way. If you enter Hell under a contract, you’ll cease to be effective here and might even be pressed into serving your new house. More than that, we all know Gray’s father desires a child between the two of you. Again, if the child is born on the Hell plane, he will not only be a royal, but he will have no protections and no standing with the Council.”
I tried to work through the problem, examining all of the points of contention. I came upon one truth that was incontrovertible. “But he can’t lie in a contract. That would void the contract.”
Marcus looked at me like he was shocked by my naïveté. “I assure you the demon will follow the letter of the contract. He will never tell the wizard that your father’s soul has a new body. Nowhere in the contract will it state the reasons why this is dangerous.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think he’s lying.” I’d watched him as he’d figured out who Little Lee was, and I’d watched him figure something else out. “Is there any way Lee, the one we know now, is more than human? Nemcox was afraid of him.”
