Mating Brand: 3 (Mating Heat) (5 page)

She was real. It wasn’t a dream or a mating heat,
fever-induced fantasy. Charma was in his arms, frail and bleeding. The smell of
her blood had him battling to keep his skin. The animal inside wanted out to
hunt and kill every male whose stench still hung in the air. They’d attacked
her car, could have killed her. He snarled, resisting the urge but only because
it meant he’d have to put her down. It wasn’t happening. He’d kill them later.

She wiggled her arms against his chest where he’d pinned
them but she managed to get them free. He feared he’d go insane if she fought
to get away from him. He prayed she wouldn’t do it. He couldn’t stand the
thought of letting go after he’d finally found her again. Her thin arms wrapped
around his neck instead. She didn’t resist, didn’t speak, but just clung to
him.

“Brand,” Rave snarled. “Let her go. I gave my word we wouldn’t
hurt her. She’s a little thing and could get hurt if I have to force you to
release her.”

“Go away,” Brand ground out. He really feared he might kill
anyone who tried to get between him and Charma, even the cousin he loved as a
brother. “Leave us alone.”

“I know the heat is bad but damn, you can’t go around
grabbing stray cats and forcing them to allow you to rub up against them. This
is embarrassing. I told her she’d be safe.”

Brand adjusted her in his arms just to verify that she’d
definitely lost weight. His Charma had been curvy and lush. Most she-cats kept
a fuller figure than werewolf bitches. He’d loved that about her. She currently
could have passed for a lean bitch by the feel of her. A horrible thought
struck. He’d once heard that pride males shunned a mate if she was dying or
gravely ill.

“Are you sick, hon?” He was afraid to hear the answer.

“No.”

He could breathe again. “It doesn’t matter. You’re with me
and this is where you belong. I’m going to take care of you.”

She sniffed, wiping her face against him. Wetness seeped
through his sweater to his skin, assuring him she’d done it to hide her tears.
Her pain, and the possible reason behind it, tore him apart. It didn’t matter
though. Nothing did, except the fact that she was real. All the bitterness and
anger he’d suffered at her loss paled in comparison to having her back in his
life. He wouldn’t allow her to take off on him again. Once had been bad enough.

“Is he dead?”

She shook her head, clearly knowing what he asked. He lifted
his gaze to stare into her eyes—the most beautiful he’d ever seen. The love he
felt remained strong, tightening his chest. Time had passed but his feelings
hadn’t changed. She was “the one” and always would be. He knew that deep in his
soul, without doubt.

“Brand?” Rave stepped closer. “You know you’re acting
insane, right? Did you take drugs, trying to ease the heat? Talk to me, man.”
He glanced at Charma. “Don’t be alarmed, she-cat. I’ll talk him down. He might
be a little out of his head. Please don’t claw or bite the crazy wolf. He’s
harmless.”

Brand glared at his cousin. “This is Charma, Rave. My ‘I-fell-in-love-with-a-half-human-spotted-leopard-shifter’
Charma.”

“Shit.” Rave gawked, studying her. “She’s tiny, man.”

“She’s five foot one. Leopards are small. She used to weigh
a lot more.” He peered at her, noticing the change in her thin face. “Where’s
my love handles? You know how much I enjoyed them.” His mood darkened, though,
when he inhaled that stench coming off her. “I’m going to kill your mate when
he comes after you. You’re never going to leave me. I’ll chain you to my bed,
dig a big-ass moat around my house and fill it with alligators to eat any damn
cats who show up.
And
barricade every door and window.”

She appeared a little stunned. “Brand—”

“Did you say
mate
? She’s mated?” Rave coughed. “I’m
sure I heard you say that.”

A snarl tore from Brand’s throat that he couldn’t hold back.
Fury gripped him but he tried to regain control. His fangs wouldn’t retract for
anything but his claws remained sheathed while he stared into Charma’s eyes.

“He doesn’t matter. You still love me, don’t you? I want you
to kill me if you say no. That’s what you’d be doing anyway.”

“I love you, Brand. I always have.” Fresh tears filled her
eyes. “I never stopped. I had to warn your pack about the joining call. You’re
in danger.”

“I never stopped loving you either.” He blinked back his own
tears. “You came here and risked your life to save mine, didn’t you, hon?”

She nodded. “The prides are going to attack your pack
tomorrow night. I couldn’t let you die.”

Dozens of questions filled his head. How had she known it
was his pack that was in danger? Did that mean she’d always known where to find
him, yet stayed away? The stabbing sensation to his heart hurt but as he stared
into her eyes it eased. She said she loved him and she’d left the creep she’d
mated to warn him when she thought he was in danger.

She picked me over her mate.
That soothed him
somewhat.

“Clusterfuck,” Rave growled. “That’s what this is.”

Brand turned his gaze on his cousin. “It’s not that big of a
deal. I’ll kill the pussy if he comes after her. She’s always been mine.”

Rave ran his fingers through his hair, gave him a frustrated
look and clenched his teeth. “I’m not talking about you and her. We’ve got to
warn the pack and prepare for the arrival of the pride. They obviously don’t
know this is the absolute worst time for them to attack us. It’s going to be a
slaughter with all the aggression going on during the heat.”

Charma couldn’t believe that Brand held her once again. His wonderful
scent had changed slightly from what she remembered but it had been nine years.
Memories could fade and obviously had. He seemed bigger than she remembered,
bulkier, beefier and even stronger. She dangled from his arms where he kept her
face level with his. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and she didn’t ever
want to let go. She even fought the urge to wrap her legs around his waist,
regardless of her skirt, just to press even tighter against him.

“At least thirty pride males will come,” she informed them,
not sure if she’d mentioned that already after her shock of seeing Brand. “You
need to flee the area if that’s too many and the mating heat has weakened your
pack. They can’t stay for more than a week. Your people can safely return after
that time. I’ve never heard of a joining call lasting longer than that. The
males will clash amongst themselves. We don’t have a pack mentality. Pride
males keep a wide berth of each other unless they are family. They kill each
other after extended contact, especially when they aren’t in the same pride.
There’s no sense of hierarchy so they will fight for dominance.”

Brand stared into her eyes. “The slaughter wouldn’t be ours.
It will be the pride males. We’re really aggressive right now, more so than any
other time of the year, and our hold on our humanity is barely there. The only
fleeing that will be going on is from the pride that shows up here.”

She accepted that. Werewolves were known for fighting more
fiercely than pride males. Cats could be flat-out lazy. She knew that from
living with one. She relaxed. “You would have been fine if I hadn’t come to
warn you?”

“No. They could have attacked and taken out many of us if we
weren’t expecting them. A lone wolf against a large group of cats would assure
his death. We’re under orders to stay in twos right now but even then, two
against thirty would be grim odds,” Rave answered.

“A lot of us are ignoring the order too.” Brand shot the
other male a raised eyebrow. “I don’t see you with your shadow.”

“He stopped to check on the bar. I don’t see you with yours
either. Where is my youngest brother?” Rave arched an eyebrow.

“Hanging out in my basement. I didn’t want to bring him
along since I knew something bad had happened. Jeff called.” Brand stared at
Charma and sighed. “You could have been killed coming here.”

“I knew the risk. I even expected that might happen. I just
hoped your pack would allow me to warn them first.” She wouldn’t lie to him.

He opened his mouth as if to speak but quickly closed it.
His harsh features softened as he stared at her. “You’re safe, Charma. Nobody
is ever going to hurt you.”

She believed him.

“I’m never letting you go. Deal with that. You ran out on me
once but don’t try to do it again. I want you to swear that you won’t leave me.
You’re mine and always have been. You don’t belong to that
pussy
.” He
snarled the last word. “I looked for you.”

That news stunned her. “You did?”

He growled softly. “Did you believe I wouldn’t? I was afraid
to use your name in case it put you in danger but I put out feelers for a woman
with your looks. No one ever reported a sighting.”

“I never leave my pride’s territory. It’s forbidden.”

“I hate to interrupt,” Rave muttered, “but we need to get
her out of the center of town. We’ve got a lot of strange wolves roaming during
mating heat and her being a she-cat… They already attacked her once.” He
glanced at her car. “And we probably should hide her car before her pride
arrives.” He met her gaze. “I take it you don’t want them to know you warned
us?”

“It won’t matter. I fled my pride. They’ll want me dead
regardless of what I do. I knew there would be no turning back and that my life
there ended the second I drove away.”

Two werewolves in skin approached. Charma’s hold on Brand
tightened and she stared at them fearfully. Brand growled in response. His hold
on her adjusted, one arm releasing her waist as claws slid out of the
fingertips of the hand he used to point at the males.

“Stay there. Don’t come any closer.”

Charma stared at the blond guy who stopped in his tracks,
recognizing him but not the man with him. “Yon?”

His dark gaze fixed on her and he frowned. “How do you know
me?”

“The pride council sent your pictures and you were one of
them.” She glanced at Brand. “That’s how I knew this was your pack. They had your
picture too. I saw you and knew I had to come.”

“Fuck,” Rave groaned. “They have pictures of us? Really? I
feel totally out of the loop. Should we have pictures of them?”

“No. We’re more of a threat to them than they are to us,”
Brand stated. “Guys, this is Charma. If you look at her twice, I’m going to
hurt you. You feel me?”

“Shit!” Yon groaned. “Another one? Really? Good thing your
aunt was sent away. She’d go nuts if she saw you holding a she-cat that way. I’m
guessing you’re spending your heat with her?”

“She’s mine.” Brand’s voice deepened into a dangerous tone. “Forever.
She’s going to be my mate.”

Shock tore through Charma. It was one thing to announce it
to a male relative but he seemed to be telling pack members he planned to claim
her. He turned his head and their gazes met.

“Won’t they shun you? Don’t get exiled from your pack for
me.” She kept her voice low. “Please? I couldn’t stand it if you are attacked
for protecting me.”

He emitted a soft rumbling sound but it wasn’t scary. He
used to do that when she said something that annoyed him but she knew he’d
never hurt her. Not Brand. He shook his head and wrapped his arm around her
again to hug her tightly.

“They won’t kick me out and they sure as hell won’t fight
me.”

She turned her head, still uncertain, but the other men didn’t
seem aggressive. The blond actually winked.

“She’s cute but too thin. She looks like a bitch. I’ve never
seen a she-cat so small but I haven’t seen many this close.”

“She’s lost weight.” Brand pushed away from the car. “Do me
a favor and hide her vehicle. I’m sure her mate will be searching for her.”

“Mate?” The blond gasped and his dark gaze widened. “She’s
mated already but
you’re
going to mate her? Are you nuts? She’s taken.”

“By me.” Brand turned his head to address Rave. “Stash her
car, okay? I want to take her home.”

Rave nodded. “Go. Keep Braden from the running and I’ll call
you in a few hours. I’m going to get in touch with my brothers and we’ll hold a
pack meeting early in the morning to warn everyone of what’s coming. I’m
worried they’ll suspect she warned us when they realize she’s gone. They might
attack earlier than planned.”

“They won’t,” she informed him softly. “They’ll think I ran
for other reasons. No one knew about Brand and me. I was too careful and didn’t
even take pictures of him with me when I returned to my pride. It would have
put him in danger.”

“Who is going to attack us?” Yon sounded confused. “What did
I miss? It didn’t take me that long to get here after we heard there was
trouble brewing in town.”

“Brand, take her home with you and I’ll deal with this.”
Rave hesitated. “Did you run here or drive?”

“Ran.”

He held out his keys. “Take the bike. Just leave the keys
under the seat. I’ll pick it up later. I don’t want you walking back with all
our visitors in town. They’ll scent her. The bike will get you there faster.”

“Thanks.” Brand slowly lowered her to the pavement beside
the bike. He caught the keys Rave tossed to him.

“My keys are still in the ignition of my car,” she informed
them.

“They could move it anyway.” Brand straddled the bike and
turned his head. “Get on, Charma.”

She didn’t allow her skirt to stop her, regardless of how
high the material hiked up her thighs. She hugged Brand tightly from behind,
not wanting to let him go. He started the bike. She knew the other werewolves
watched them curiously but she avoided their gazes.

Brand lived close to town in a wooded area on a hill. Other
houses lined the street but a good distance separated them. He parked the bike
next to a red truck but didn’t move as the engine died. His hands abruptly
covered hers where she hugged his waist.