Primal Possession (23 page)

Jayce went for the smaller guy first but didn’t bother to take out his weapons. For a human, the man was fast. He ducked low and tried to knife Jayce in the stomach while the other two came at him from both sides.

Kicking out, he slammed his boot into the guy’s sternum. At the same time he struck out with his elbow at the man on his left. The crunching sound when he connected with the man’s nose was like music to his ears.

The third guy wrapped his arms around him like a moron. Slamming his head back, Jayce connected with
this guy’s nose too. The crunching sound was quickly followed by a curse. His adrenaline spiked at the scent of everyone’s fear. Some of these bastards had known the men who’d taken Kat. They would suffer for that alone.

Minutes later almost everyone in the bar was subdued. The bartender still stood behind the bar and from what he could tell, she hadn’t made an attempt to call the police. Made sense. They probably dealt in more than one illegal enterprise.

When Jayce spotted Erin, she had two men facedown on the ground with her knees digging into their backs and her blades digging into the sides of their throats. Everyone else around her was either knocked out or cowering in fear.

He noticed one of the first men who’d tried to stand up to them had pissed his pants. Perfect. That was who they were taking for a ride. Jayce pointed to the one on Erin’s right. “That guy.”

She nodded and grabbed him by the collar before yanking him to his feet. Wordlessly, they left the bar. Jayce didn’t bother with his weapons. This guy was so scared it was pathetic. “We’re just going for a short ride and if you tell me what I want to know, I’ll let you go. Got it?”

The tall, dark-haired man nodded. “Yeah,” he whispered, barely audible enough for them to hear.

Jayce didn’t like playing games or torturing people to get information, but he would if he had to. Technically he was here for a job, but this was about so much more. He owed Kat this. The stench of fear rolling off this guy was so potent, Jayce knew that very soon he was going to have all the information he needed.

D
ecember watched as Liam readied her horse. She knew how to saddle her own horse, but she didn’t tell him that because she didn’t want to get too close to him. She felt really off-kilter today. All he had to do was lightly touch her and her entire body lit on fire.

A low burning in her belly had started and the ache between her legs was acute. The cold shower had helped a little but not much. And Liam definitely wasn’t helping. As he’d introduced her to what seemed like dozens of shifters, he’d kept his big, strong hand at the small of her back the entire time.

Barely touching her.

Yet purposely reminding her of what her body craved.
Him.

All over her. Inside her. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine what it would be like to have his big, muscular body moving over hers as pushed deep inside her. Could just imagine what he’d feel like.

Liam held out the reins for her and stared at her questioningly. “You sure you’re all right?”

“Ask me that again and I’ll scream,” she said only half jokingly. Maybe he had been on to something with that whole “in heat” thing. Not technically of course, but she couldn’t deny that she felt weird today.

Liam’s eyebrows rose but he didn’t respond. While he got his horse, she slid onto the saddle of the palomino Liam’s sister-in-law was letting her ride. It had been months since she’d been riding, but once they left the barn, she was able to clear her head for the first time in weeks. The feel of the cold wind rushing over her was somehow soothing. Liam was surprisingly quiet as he led them to a well-traveled trail. It was big enough for only one horse at a time, so she stayed behind him and enjoyed the view.

She’d bundled up in a heavy down coat, a knit cap, and thick leather gloves. In contrast, Liam wore no jacket, a fairly thin long-sleeved T-shirt, worn jeans, and boots. The thin shirt gave her a nice view of all those rippling muscles. As she watched his back muscles flex, she shifted against her saddle. The rubbing action soothed her aching a little, but she was immediately embarrassed by what she was doing.

As if he could read her mind, Liam turned around. The positively wicked smile he shot her annoyed and turned her on at the same time. “We’re almost there,” he said.

She started to ask where when he turned back around. She didn’t have to wait long, though. Moments later he directed his horse to the left down another very short trail that opened into a clearing.

A small pond was frozen over and most of the oak trees had lost the majority of their leaves, but it was a quiet little oasis. Liam slid off his horse and before she could do the same, he held on to her waist and was helping her down.

For a moment he stood there, gripping her and just staring like he wanted to take her right there on the ground. And she was afraid she might let him. God help her, this man was quicksand. Only days before, she’d been keeping him at arm’s length. Now she wanted him to wrap those big arms around her and never let go. What was wrong with her?

Liam suddenly cleared his throat and dropped his hands as if she’d burned him. He tilted his head toward a large, fallen tree. “Will you tether the horses to that log?”

Mouth full of cotton, she nodded and swallowed while he grabbed a backpack off his horse. After securing the two animals, she found Liam by the frozen pond laying out a purple and white quilt that looked handmade.

Fallen leaves and dried grass crunched beneath her boots as she neared him, but he didn’t look up as he pulled a thermos and two mugs out of the backpack.

“You can sit if you want,” Liam mumbled, barely loud enough for her to hear.

Crossing her legs, she sat on the edge of the quilt as Liam zipped his pack up. She frowned when he wouldn’t look at her until she realized he was nervous.

He wiped his hands on his jeans and finally met her gaze. “I hope this is okay.”

Smiling, she scooted closer so that their knees touched. “This is really sweet, Liam.” And totally unexpected.

He blew out a long sigh. “Ana said you’d like this…. Not that I didn’t want to do it,” he rushed on.

She bit back a smile as he fumbled around with opening the thermos. The scent of hot chocolate teased her nose and made her stomach rumble. He poured her a cupful and practically shoved the mug into her hands.

“Why are you being so weird?” December asked before blowing on the hot liquid.

He nervously rubbed a hand over his head, ruffling his dark hair. “I…I’ve never done this before.”

“Done what?”

“Tried to…” Liam shook his head. “I’ve never really tried to impress a woman.”

She jerked back at his bold admission. The stark honesty touched her. “Like ever?”

He was silent for a moment before he shook his head. “I’ve never been with a human and when she-wolves are attracted to males, they don’t need, uh…never mind.”

She had an idea where he was headed and she didn’t want to talk about
that
any more than he seemed to want to. Time for a subject change. “Okay, then, you’re one hundred and…”

“Eight,” he supplied, looking relieved she’d turned topics.

“One hundred and eight, and you’ve never been on a date. I don’t know how I feel about being your guinea pig.” She gave him a playful smile before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

When December smiled at him like that, Liam forgot to breathe. He felt like a jackass admitting he’d never tried to impress a woman before, but he figured if he screwed up, maybe she’d be more forgiving if she knew he was trying.

He’d always thought human traditions were stupid until now. His inner wolf still wanted to claim and mark her more than he wanted his next breath, but he wanted to get to know her better first. His brother had been right. Hearing her story last night about a dog named Bubblegum still made him smile. Though his canines ached even now
to sink into December’s soft flesh, she deserved to be courted and treated right. As he tried to think of something semi-intelligent to say, she beat him to it.

“How come your pack is called the Armstrong-Cordona pack but some of the men you introduced me to today have different last names?” She asked the question so fast, as if she’d been practicing it for a while.

He eyed her curiously. “Is this normal date talk?”

Her cheeks flushed. “Nothing between us has been normal, so why start now? Besides, I’m curious.”

He shrugged. “There’s no big secret. It’s true that most packs are families—like Ana and her sisters and cousins—so they usually carry the same family name, but that’s not always the case, like with our pack. My brother and I decided to form one with other lone wolves, but joining a pack doesn’t mean you lose your identity. And having an Alpha means you always have someone to protect you.”

“So you’re not an alpha too? Could’ve fooled me,” she murmured. Her breath curled in front of her, mixing with the rising heat of the hot drink.

“I’m an alpha in nature but not pack Alpha. There’s a difference. I might disagree with my brother sometimes, but Connor is my leader and he’s one of the best Alphas I’ve known.”

She thoughtfully chewed her bottom lip for a moment. “So, what about betas and warriors…and the enforcer? ‘The enforcer’ is a new term, but I’ve heard the others before. What do they mean?”

“Betas are simply weaker shifters in their animal form. They’re not as big as everyone else and they depend on alphas and warriors to protect them. Warriors, on the other hand, are guardians for everyone. Born fighters.”

“You’re a warrior, right?”

Smiling, he nodded. “Yeah.”

“So you’re an alpha but you’re also a warrior?”

Again he nodded.

“So all warriors are alpha in nature, but not all alphas are warriors?”

“You got it.”

“Then what about Kat’s ex? The…enforcer? What’s his deal? Or what is he?”

That was an interesting question and not one Liam was sure he had the answer to. “Ah, enforcers are…sort of a different breed altogether. Each shifter Council around the world—whether ursine or feline or whatever—has the equivalent of an enforcer working for them. Some have more than one—and in Australia, the lupine Council has two—but here in North America all we have is Jayce. They’re similar to warriors but tougher, harder to kill, and born to that role. I don’t know all the science behind it or even how he gained his title, but I do know that he’s at least five hundred years old and really hard to kill.”

Her brow furrowed slightly. “I see.”

He figured she didn’t completely understand what he was saying and he didn’t want to talk about himself anyway. He wanted to know about her. “How long have you lived in Fontana?”

Her head tilted slightly to the side at his question, sending a waterfall of her thick, red hair tumbling over her shoulder. “Since I was seventeen.”

“Why’d you move here?”

She dropped his gaze as she answered. “Because my brother got a job here.”

There was more to it than that and he wanted to know exactly what. “Where’d you move from?”

A subtle mask slid into place, making her expression completely unreadable. “I don’t want to talk about it. Tell me more about your family. What happened to your parents?”

Something dark settled in his chest. He didn’t like talking about the past and it was obvious she didn’t want to talk about hers, but if he wanted her to open up to him, he needed to give her a reason to trust him. Give and take, he reminded himself. “My father died when I was eight. If it wasn’t for Connor, I wouldn’t have survived.”

Now her face was an open book. He hated pity, but that wasn’t what he saw on hers; it was sadness and…understanding. “I didn’t think your brother was that much older than you.”

“He’s two years older.”

“And he took care of you? Didn’t you have any other family?”

“Our entire pack was killed.” He managed to keep any inflection out of his voice, but he could tell she wasn’t fooled. The pain of losing his father and the rest of his pack still tore at his insides. Time might have healed most of the wound, but the scar was still there.

She set her cup down and scooted a few inches closer. Placing her hand on his, she didn’t say anything. Didn’t ask how they died. But her touch was exactly what he needed. His inner wolf craved the soothing contact. Her silence made him want to open up. “Connor and I were out playing. We lived in the Highlands at the time and as the cubs of the pack Alpha, we had freedom to run and play as long as we stayed within a couple miles of our home. My mother…died a year before and it broke our father’s heart. It’s like he lost sight of protecting his pack and when a group of fae decided
they wanted our territory, the pack was too weak to defend itself. Everyone there was slaughtered.” If they hadn’t been out playing that day and if their father hadn’t telepathically warned them to stay away, they’d be dead too. Some days Liam hated his father for turning so weak after their mother died. He’d emotionally abandoned them a year before his death, but actually losing him had ripped Liam’s heart out. But he didn’t tell her any of that. Some things he couldn’t bear to say out loud.

December’s hands suddenly squeezed his, the action a soothing balm over emotions he thought he’d buried long ago. “I lost my parents when I was eight too. Car accident, nothing as violent as what happened to your pack, but I actually do understand what it’s like to feel so alone at such a young age.”

His own heart twisted for her loss. He didn’t know much about her family life, but she’d only ever mentioned Parker and it was obvious they depended on each other. “At least you had your brother.”

She paused, then nodded. “I did. He’s the best big brother.” He was under the impression she was going to say something else, but instead she pursed her lips together, as if forcing herself not to speak.

For a while neither of them spoke. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It was hard to care when she stared at him with those intoxicating blue eyes that seemed to darken each second that ticked by.

It started out as a trickle, but as time stretched out between them, her lust was almost a live thing as it wrapped around him, strong and seductive. Everything male inside him flared to life at the scent.