Wolf on the Road (12 page)

Jake grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back, devouring her with kisses that ran from her chin to the hollow of her throat. Mali quailed, and she clutched Jake first against her neck and then her chest where he slid tongue in a circle over the top of her nipple. Even through the fabric, the heat emanating from Jake pulsed through Mali, forcing her to sigh as she held him there. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, pulling Jake’s scent into her lungs.

She ran a hand down his chest, and to the crotch of his jeans where rubbed her palm against his cock. He moaned as he stiffened. “Getting kinda tight in there?” Mali asked.

“Just a little,” he whispered as he helped her hand grip his zipper. “Help me out?”

She blushed a deep crimson, and hesitated. “Are you sure?” Mali asked. “I’ll promise you this, if we go here, I’m not coming out of it without a real prize. Get me?”

Jake was staring straight into her eyes. “Oh, I get it. Lucky thing about werewolves is that we tend to understand that you can’t always contain the animal.” As he spoke, Mali noticed that Jake’s eyes were starting to grow more intense in their violet coloring, and the tiny flecks of gold that danced like tiny sparks flying off a flame were entrancing. She couldn’t look away, but she didn’t much need to see what she was doing to take down a zipper.

The smell of pine from outside the windows that opened into the Jamesburg town square, and the smooth wood underneath her, along with the chill of marble tile under her toes gave Mali a full-body sensation. Tingles ran from the fingertips she had just used to pull down Jake’s zipper, all the way to her toes. Electricity squiggled up and down her back, and once again the red flush crept up her neck and the goosebumps prickled her belly and her arms. “No matter what happens, we’ve got each other, right?”

Before Jake could answer, Mali slid off the bench and pulled Jake down on top of her. The heat of his body between her thighs felt more than good; it felt
right
.

He kissed her again, down one side of her face, and that time when he sucked her ear, she pushed her hips upward, grinding Jake’s cock against her sex. A trill of excitement shot through her, and then when Jake moved his hand between them, cupping his hand gently around her pussy and gently rubbing her with his thumb, she let her head fall back against the floor, and let out a long, gasping sigh. A deep thrum of pleasure coursed through her body, and she opened her mouth to let out another moan, only this time, Jake’s name came out of her in a sweet whisper.

“He-he-hello there! Howdly doodly, brother!” A cheerful voice came from a door that opened at the end of the hallway. “Oh wow, don’t mind me. I’ve certainly done my share of that sort of thing in here.”

Jake’s eyes got just about as wide as the Grand Canyon. Mali kicked Jake off and scooted backwards until she clunked her head against the bench they’d been sitting on moments before. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and rubbed hard where she’d hit. “I, uh,” she stammered, but couldn’t find enough control of her tongue to do more than that.

Erik strolled over to where she was sitting and extended a hand. “Erik Danniken, nice to meet you. I already know my brother, but you’re more interesting anyway.”

“Interesting?” Mali asked, dumbly, as she took his hand and shook. To her surprise, he hauled her to her feet and embraced her in a giant, almost smothering hug. “Welcome to the family,” Erik said. “Unless I’m misreading you two about to go at it on the floor when I walked in, you’re about to find out what makes Dannikens who we are.”

Erik smiled broadly as his brother blushed. “It isn’t like that,” Jake said. “Well, I mean, not that I don’t
want
it to be like that, we just haven’t gotten to that point in our relationship yet. Don’t get me wrong, I
do
want that, but, you know how it goes.”

“He doesn’t,” another voice, this one female, joined in. A moment later, Izzy, Erik’s long-suffering human mate, walked into the hallway. “But I do.” The woman, who stood about two heads shorter than Erik, shoved him out of the way and grabbed Mali’s shoulders. “It’s good to meet you,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot about you and how you’re... well... you know, changed? Is that the right word?”

Erik, at the mention of her transformation, became visibly uncomfortable. “Uh, yeah, about that,” he began before trailing off. He was trying to find the words, which Mali found sort of funny, because she’d never seen someone visibly looking around to try and find words before. Erik scratched his chin, and then looked around as though the words were flying around his head and he had to catch the right ones.

“Wait,” Jake finally said, breaking the silence that had descended on the merry foursome. “Why aren’t you surprised at all to see us? Why weren’t you surprised that I called you? That we escaped?”

Erik recoiled. “Are you kidding me? You’re a Danniken, and she’s an illegal commodity. We don’t tend to let things like that pass us up.”

Mali bristled. “A commodity? Are you for real?” She found herself getting in Erik’s face without really even knowing she was doing it. Heat prickled under her skin. Mali’s nerves felt like they were all taking offense at the same time. Jake stuck an arm between them to keep his brother and his mate from killing each other. Erik was smiling in a way that made Jake think he knew more than he was letting on.

“Good,” Erik said. “That’s very, very good. I was worried you wouldn’t be all wolf, you know? I don’t actually know if I’ve ever met a changed human. What’s it like? I wonder if it’s different for you and for us. I mean, I don’t know what it’s like to be a dull, non-sensing human.”

Izzy whapped Erik in the back of the head with a well-aimed slap. “That’s enough of that,” she said. “You’re more senseless than I could ever be, and I’m pretty sure you know that.”

Erik looked wounded as he rubbed the back of his head and frowned. “That hurt,” he said softly. “Why’d you hit me?” Mali could almost see him pouting and couldn’t help but laugh to herself.

“Why’d you call me a commodity? And then insult Izzy?” Mali asked. She had no idea why, but she had been immediately comfortable with these two strangers. It was almost like she’d known them far longer than she had. Then again, she had gotten to be the same way with Jake, after getting used to him. Maybe it was a kindred spirits, wolfy sort of thing? Mali shook her head. “You’re lucky she just slapped you in the back of the head if you ask me.”

Izzy walked over to where Mali stood, and slapped her an enthusiastic high five. “I don’t know you, and I don’t know his brother, but I already know I like you. I’m guessing Jake is like Erik, which means he’s really a sweetheart underneath about three hundred pounds of muscular bullshit.”

The girls laughed. Mali nodded, shooting a glance at Jake as she did. “I don’t know about that,” Mali said. “He strikes me as...mmm...more about three ten?”

A peal of laughter burst from the two, and then Jake and Erik stood closer together, as though in solidarity against some great, dangerous enemy they both had to face down. “How do we put up with this?” Erik asked his brother.

“Because if we didn’t, they could whip our asses,” Jake said with a grin.

Erik shrugged. “Yeah, must be. Also, we’re lucky we’re cute. If we were as ugly as we are stupid, we’d be in trouble.” Erik preened slightly, lifting his strong chin and flexing one of his arms. When Izzy and Mali both started cracking up again, he cocked his head to the side. “Wait, did I say... dumb and ugly... wait, no that’s not...”

“You know what they say,” Jake added helpfully, “if you have small feet like us, you’ve also got a small—wait, no that’s not how it goes.”

“Sure,” Izzy said. “And apparently, the horrible butchering of idioms is somehow hereditary. But as much fun as this little reunion is, we’ve got to deal with a pint-sized problem that is about to become much bigger.”

Erik took a few steps away from Jake, then pulled his brother aside. “How
did
you get away?” Erik asked. “I had to pretend like it wasn’t a surprise, but that little bunny has caused more problems around here than I can tell you. She’s dangerous as all hell, which is strange to say but there it is.”

Jake shrugged. “I ripped some chains out of the wall, Mali and the rabbit had a fight, then she threw her into her goons and we ran up the stairs, then locked the door with a broken chair.” He explained all of this in a perfectly matter-of-fact manner, completely nonplussed with the performance or the series of incredibly ridiculous events that led to their escape. Erik, on the other hand, was staring at his brother with his mouth so wide open that Jake pushed Erik’s chin up until it was shut.

“Sorry, I thought you were going to eat one of the horseflies going around here. And remember, Mali can hear you, so you might as well not bother whispering.”

Erik closed his eyes tightly. “It’s just so
weird
.” He shook his head and then stuck his index fingers in his temples, massaging his head. Mali, looking on, thought how funny it was that they were so similar, right down to the mannerisms they made when they were irritated. She said as much to Izzy, who laughed out loud and then clapped her hand over her mouth. “They’re like the same person,” Izzy said. “Except I think Jake is hotter.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Erik said as he turned away from his brother. “His hair’s all messy and he looks like he hasn’t shaved in two or three days. I, on the other hand?”

“Have messy hair and look like you haven’t shaved in two or three days,” Jake answered. “And I have these cheekbones that look like—”

“They’re chiseled out of marble. Just like mine,” Erik grinned broadly, looking like a kid who was very proud of a clever rank he’d just thrown at someone. “My eyes are kind of squinty though, and yours are a little farther apart. I hear that’s supposed to be more classically attractive.”

“True,” Jake nodded in agreement. “And I think my eyes have better color. More intense. Your biceps, though, those are really impressive.”

“Now, now, you’ve  definitely got the better shoulders of the two of us,” Jake said thoughtfully. “And I think that—”

Izzy cleared her throat. Both big, bad werewolves turned to face her at the same time. “What?” they asked in unison.

“Okay well, the fact that you two apparently want to oil each other up and hit the gym, we
do
have some serious business to attend?”

“We’ll finish this later,” Jake said.

“I’m absolutely sure they will,” Mali added before she and Izzy broke up in another burst of laughter. “And I’ll be watching, you can bet your ass.”

The sound of heavy footsteps either walking quickly or running slowly, echoed down the hallway. Izzy and Mali both turned toward the door, which led all the way into the city council chamber. “Professor Duggan?” Izzy asked, as a stumpy, rotund figure with a tremendously large moustache waddled into the hallway. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“Alpha! You need to come down here right
now
!” The little man was huffing and puffing so hard his entire head was beet red, like someone dumped a pitcher of Kool-Aid over him. Sweat ran down his round cheeks and soaked into the shirt of his white dress shirt, making a wet doughnut around his neck. “Something is happening, and I’m not sure I can explain it without having a coronary!”

“Sounds like you already did,” Erik said, walking over to the little man and crouching in front of him. “What’s wrong?”

“Th-that-that rabbit! The one with the metal teeth! She’s in the council chambers with some uncouth in-in-in...uncouth persons and she’s being very rude!”

Right before their eyes, Duggan began puffing up like a blowfish. “She... she’s threatening to call the law into Jamesburg, and you know what’ll happen if she does that!”

“They’ll arrest me for being too sexy for my shirt?” Erik said, grinning proudly. When no one laughed, he cleared his throat. “Right, uh, don’t worry. We’ll take care of this. Right, Jake?”

Jake nodded. “I’ll be damned if I let anything hurt her.”

“Yeah, and I’ll be damned if—”

Erik was cut off by a wild screech. It was followed by a scream so piercing that it caused physical pain to hear. A moment later, the courthouse’s old, terrible-sounding PA system fuzzed to life. “Get in here, Danniken! Both of you! All three... four? Whatever, however many there are of you, get in here
now
!”

Jake and Erik glanced at Mali and Izzy. “Guess we don’t have a choice,” Mali said. “I can’t believe this is happening. It’s just so...”

“Surreal?” the same screeching voice shouted. “Oh and I’ve got some extra insurance. Talk, pup!”

“Mommy?” Erik and Izzy both stiffened.

“I’ll kill that goddamn rabbit,” Izzy said before turning straight around and charging down the hall.

“Leave some for me!” Erik yelled after her.

––––––––

A
new scent hit Mali’s nose as she and Jake tore down the hallway, weaving through the labyrinthine courthouse in pursuit of Erik, Izzy, and that damned rabbit who apparently had their son. It was coppery and astringent, and at first she couldn’t place it. It came along with a sense of foreboding she couldn’t shake.

“I’m smelling fear,” she said aloud, not really meaning to do so.

“Coppery smell, sorta like blood?” Jake asked as the two wheeled to a stop at an intersection of doors. “That’s fear all right. Can you tell where it’s coming from? I don’t have the slightest clue where to go, and I’m a little confused that there’s no noises from anywhere. How did they get so far ahead of us?”

Jake was breathing heavily, his chest and shoulders rising and falling with each deep breath. Mali placed a hand on his shoulder and let it slide down to his thickly muscled forearm. She squeezed and tilted her head to smile at him. “It’s gonna be fine,” she said.

“I’m trying to believe that,” he said. “I can’t help but think something’s going to come down, and soon. I don’t want to admit to myself how scared I am, much less you.”

“Why?” she asked, sniffing the air. “If all that stuff about you wanting to be my mate is true, you’re gonna need to get used to trusting me.”