The Covert Wolf (11 page)

But the hard facts couldn’t be denied. She hated Draicon wolves, especially males. And he was a red-blooded, very powerful male Draicon in his sexual prime longing to mate. He represented everything dangerous to Sienna’s life.

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. Never had he lost sexual control like this. It was the pretty Fae with the red, wet mouth and the beguiling sensuality simmering just below the surface.

Getting close to Miss Sienna McClare threatened more than loss of his common sense. He was dipping dangerously close to a precipice.

He was starting to care for her. And he could not afford to care for any woman, let anyone into his heart.

Especially not a Fae who denied her Draicon half, and wanted nothing to do with his world.

* * *

Dinner was strained, neither of them saying much. Though the beef burrito was excellent and the rice seasoned just right, she ate little. Sienna seemed shaken by the intimacy of what happened. Hell, he was shaken, as well. He’d never felt anything so right, so perfect. Sex for him was a necessity, fulfilling his body’s urgent needs.

Not this head-spinning sensation of craving and wanting her so badly he felt like he’d die without having her.

Now as they walked to Tim’s shop, he regretted her insistence on accompanying him. His instincts screamed danger. Even though Sienna had tossed up a glamour of an elderly couple enjoying a twilight stroll and window-shopping, it wasn’t enough. The need to keep her safe overwhelmed him. And with every step that brought them closer to the store, his senses screamed to send her back to the hotel.

Streetlamps glowed with a soft golden light. Matt tensed as they drew near. The street was empty. Something foul and thick clogged the air, making him want to gag.

Sienna held a hand to her nose. “Sweet mercy, what is that?”

“I don’t know.” He gently pushed her behind him, every nerve alert. “Stay behind me.”

The door to the shop was closed, the shade still drawn, now on both the door and the display window, the lights out. The stench grew stronger. Adrenaline pumped through his body. He turned and looked at Sienna.

“I’m going in. No matter what happens, stay here. If you feel threatened or see anything wrong, call 911.”

“This isn’t a police matter.”

“Do it,” he ordered.

“Wait. You’re not going in as wolf? Isn’t that safer?”

He didn’t answer. Matt drew out his weapon. He touched the door’s bottom with the toe of his boot.

It creaked open. Awareness shot through him with knifelike precision.

“Be careful,” she whispered.

He nodded and pushed the door open wide.

Glass crunched beneath his boot heels. Through a pall of smoke, he saw smashed display cases, their contents emptied onto the floor. Exquisite, expensive jewelry lay in a pile, ripped apart as if by strong hands. The walls were slightly blackened, soot covering them. His wolf shrank back with the odor of acrid smoke, something dark and foul….

Burned flesh.

Matt sidestepped, checked the corner, cupping his pistol. The stench was stronger in back. Through a fog of smoke, he saw something on the floor. A large shape, clawlike fingers curled up, back arched to the sky.

Tim. What was left of him.

He coughed and resisted the urge to retch.

Then the smoke cleared a little and he saw the words scrawled on the floor by the body.

Feau teinl.

Senses screaming with awareness, he quickly searched the store. Not wanting to leave Sienna alone, he exited the shop.

In the dimming light, her eyes were huge.

“Tim?” Her face was pale as moonlight. Matt steeled himself, holstered his pistol and placed his fingers on her trembling, slight shoulders.

“He’s dead.”

Matt scanned the street. Whoever did it could still linger, watching the store to glimpse new arrivals. Demons couldn’t read Old Sidhe, but they wouldn’t desert the shop. They were nearby, watching…

Waiting.

A shadowy figure hovered in the doorway of a store across the narrow street. Matt’s nostrils flared. He pushed Sienna behind him. “Get back to the hotel. Now. Use that glamour of yours and disguise yourself.”

“But you—”

“I’ll be fine. Go.”

When she’d cleared the street and made it to the parallel side street, she shifted into the form of a teenager with wild pink hair. Good girl, he thought silently.

In the reflection of the store window, he saw his own glamour fade, replaced by a tall man dressed in black jeans, black T-shirt and black leather jacket.

Then he turned toward the shadows. The figure stepped out into a soft pool of light cast by a streetlamp.

A woman with long, red hair and a sultry air about her lithe body. Dressed in a long mink coat, she gave a little smile.

His keen hearing picked up an odd vibration. A distant, but irritating wheeze, like a bellows billowing air into a…

“Fire,” he breathed. “Hellfire.”

She lifted her hands, and was breathing hard. Not so fast. He was across the street and on her before she could raise her hands to blast him.

But no heat filled her body. She was cold, long since extinguished. Matt pushed an arm beneath her throat, pinning her to the brick wall. The redhead panted, yellow ringing her eyes growing wider.

A minor demon, sent to watch the place and, as a reward, allowed to help torch the owner. She’d extinguished her energy and needed to refuel. Could have already sent out the alarm. Not as powerful.

“Where’s your master?”

“Please,” she wheezed. “Let me go, I’ll tell you. Can’t breathe…”

The redhead’s lips drew back in a snarl, showing blackened teeth. Her face changed, showing flat holes for nostrils, two glowing pits for eyes and flesh mottled and gray.

Then the features vanished, replaced by the model-good looks.

“I can give you a good time, honey. Real good. You’re handsome, sexy. I scented it on the street.”

Matt’s brain whirled as he thought of a plan. He loosened his grip a little. “Who are you? And why should I trust you won’t burn me?”

“My name’s Alberta. I won’t. Promise. You’re too good to waste. Such muscles…much better than that stringy Fae. He was boring. But not any longer. Now he’s toast.” Her laugh scraped over his nerves like a hot blade.

He seemed to consider. “I’ve heard your kind is irresistible. Incredible in bed. Very hot.”

That laugh again.

“I’ll bet you wrapped him around your fingers.” Playing the part, coaxing out information by stroking her ego, his stomach clenching in revulsion.

The demon skimmed her hands over his buttocks and squeezed. The urge to retch rose in his throat. He fought it down.

“Nothing like you. I’d like to have you between my legs. He was skinny, fumbling. Too fast. But he was a job.”

He nodded at the shop. “That was your work?”

Alberta scowled. “They wouldn’t replenish me after I exhausted my powers. But promised I could watch, when they finished with him.”

Her hand slipped lower, found his crotch. Warmth spread through his groin as she stroked. Matt’s body tightened, his cock growing hard beneath her touch. His mind remained cold and blank.

“You’re smart. I could tell that about you. He couldn’t resist you.”

Red blazed in her eyes as her hands stopped stroking. “Not enough. Stupid Fae, wouldn’t tell where it was. We tried, but he was stubborn. Now he’ll never tell.”

“Talk is cheap,” Matt murmured. “Mouths can be used for other things, much more pleasant.”

The redhead purred, lightly squeezing his erection. “I need energy. I need you, now. Let’s fuck, wolf. You’re hard all over. I promise you, you’ll never feel anything like my lips on your cock, making you come, again and again. Let me show you.”

“What about your master? Won’t he return?” Sweat beaded on his spine, his body turning rigid, his stomach churning with disgust. Had to keep up the ruse.

“Not until later. He saw you earlier.” Alberta giggled. “With that little Fae. She’s so mousy. He figured you’d be back around midnight. We have time. So let’s do it. Right now.”

“Not in my lifetime. Or yours.”

With a sharp twist, he snapped her neck. The surprised look faded from her face, then her body dissolved into ash.

Gray particles swirled in the air like smoke, floated on the wind and drifted away. It was their way. Leave no evidence behind.

Damn it. Matt jammed a hand through his hair. No more answers than before.

Just more threats.

* * *

It wasn’t safe here. No place seemed safe. Sienna couldn’t stop shaking. She sat on the bed in their hotel room, rubbing her damp hair. Even after a hot shower and scrubbing her skin until it pinked, she could still detect the stench of smoke.

And death.

Tim, poor Tim, the betrayal he’d committed was unforgivable, but to be burned by pyro demons. Yet he hadn’t uttered a word, told them the Orb’s location. Matt was firm in this.

“Trust me, if the pyro demons found the Orb, I’d be dead by now.”

The thought made her skin crawl. No more talk of death. Sienna set the towel down and hugged herself.

The bathroom door opened. Steam drifted out and in the cloud, Matt emerged, a towel slung low on his lean hips. Water beaded in the dark hairs on his powerful chest. His limbs were long and muscled, dusted with dark hair, his feet sturdy. Breath caught in her lungs. Gods, he was magnificent. Remembering the sharp pleasure he’d given her, she felt her body grow hot and tight. She’d wanted him so badly. Until that growl…reminding her of his true origins. And then she’d run, scared. Afraid, not because he was Draicon, but scared of her own response to this sexy wolf.

He ran a hand through his damp hair. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Forgot my clothing.”

Everything female cried out in disappointment as he retrieved his jeans and shirt, and vanished back into the bathroom.

When he came out, fully dressed, he joined her. Cleaning his weapon, his jaw taut.

“What does
Feau teinl
mean?”

She searched her memory. “It’s Old Sidhe. ‘Forever gone.’”

Grunting, he slid a magazine into the pistol.

“Who said that?”

“Tim did. It was written…by his body.”

“He must have written it as parting words about dying. His soul, flying into the Other Side and leaving this plain. They tortured him for information, didn’t they?”

Matt glanced up. “Yes.”

“Won’t the police investigate and find out?”

“No. I got rid of the body and planted misinformation to keep them from suspecting anything. They’ll see a burned store and nothing else.”

He carefully set the pistol down on the nightstand, within reach. Then he turned, all seriousness.

“I’m taking you off this mission. I’ve made a call to my C.O. and he agrees. Fae agreement or not, it’s gotten too heated. What they did to Tim…they won’t hesitate to do to you. I can take care of it myself.”

Her heart dropped to her stomach, then he added, “The conditions still stand. When I recover the Orb, you’ll be allowed to show it to your people. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

To march the Orb in triumph back to her aunt, hear the wild cheers of the celebrating Fae. Once, it was. The thought of victory soured. It was no longer enough.

She had to push on. Because allowing Matt to go solo, knowing something could happen and she wouldn’t be there to help… Sienna swallowed, remembering the burns he’d suffered in the witch’s house.

“You need me.”

His expression softened. “I need you to be safe more. And I can’t guarantee your safety, Sienna. Not if I’m to do my job. Seeing what they did to him…if anything happened to you.”

“He was very brave in the end.”

Matt nodded.

Imaginary screams echoed in her head, the terror of Tim as the demons had sprayed him with fire, trying to make him surrender the Orb’s location. She would tell the Fae of his courage.

After she went running back to the colony, like a coward? And yet, he was right. The stakes were much higher. She could have it all and stay safe, away from creatures that breathed fire and brought pain. The Orb, the acceptance.

Without any of the effort.

Thinking of Tim, she shuddered. A distant memory pricked, teasing like a feather stroked across her mind. The raw stench of burning flesh, the terrified screams…

Fire scared her. Even the friendly, welcoming ones the Fae burned in celebration. She’d always hovered on the fringes, thinking it was her mixed blood.

Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe whatever happened when she was very young was tied into her fear.

For a wild moment, she wanted to race back to her cabin in the woods, shut the door and pull the covers over her head. He was giving her the chance.

Then she looked up at his face and the grim set of his jaw.

The thought of facing a pyro demon, smelling her own flesh charring, feeling the hot pain, made her stomach clench. But leaving Matt alone, to bravely search out the Orb and possibly die…

Scared her more.
I can do this,
she told herself.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Parker. I signed up for this assignment and I’m not the type to back off when things get a little hot. Or a few hundred degrees Fahrenheit, to be more precise. I’m sticking with you. Got it?”

His expression didn’t change, but she sensed a subtle shift in him. As if their relationship had crossed an important threshold. “That’s Lieutenant Parker to you.”

At his teasing tone, Sienna lifted her chin. “Aye, aye, Lassie.”

“Hey, quit it with the dog jokes.” Then he grew serious again. “Fire terrifies you. I can’t promise it won’t happen again. Because now the demons will be even more infuriated. They’ll see us as their only lead to finding the Orb. Don’t make such a quick decision, pixie. I want you to feel free to leave, if you want, because it’s not going to be easy. So if you feel the need to pull out, just say the word.”

“I have two words. I’m. Staying.”

He gave a small smile. “Okay. Get packed. I want to move out ASAP.”

Not moving, she waited a moment, wanting to feel him next to her, feel the heat radiating from his big body. Wanting to touch him for reassurance. But if she did, it would lead to other things.