She gave a half shrug putting on a show of bravado. “I...I guess I’ll just have to hope for the best. And I won’t be alone for long. Kellen will be there.”
“Sorry sweetheart, but your ‘friend’ doesn’t look like he’ll be much help. My best guess is that they’ve got him pretty doped up to keep him quiet.” Ryne gave her a small apologetic smile as if he were sorry for bursting her bubble.
“Oh.” Cassie did feel rather deflated for a moment, but then she squared her shoulders. “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to find a way of letting you guys in, won’t I?” She walked over to the laptop and stared at the screen. “Your friend Daniel sent you the floor plans, right? And the security system. If we look at this picture of Kellen, it seems he’s in a corner room. See how the windows are situated?”
The men gathered around her and she pointed to where she was looking. “So Kellen must be in one of these corner rooms. And if we look at the security system, this appears to be the main hub and that’s...” She frowned at the screen for a moment. “Just down the hall from this room here which is one of the possible locations they’re holding Kellen.”
Bryan rubbed his chin. “It would make sense to hold a prisoner near the main security room.” He gave her an approving nod.
Cassie felt a glow of pride over Bryan’s comment and struggled to keep from beaming. “So once I get in, I can just run down the hall, turn off whatever alarms there are and then you guys come up and help me get Kellen out.”
“And deal with Marla and Aldrich.” Kane added darkly.
Bryan exhaled loudly and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I still don’t like it, but I don’t have another solution.” He pressed his lips tightly together then nodded. “Okay, let’s head to our room. If Mel’s sleeping, we don’t want to wake her. We’ll start practising just teleporting a short distance and see how it goes.”
She nodded trying to ignore the acrobatics her stomach was suddenly performing as she contemplated what she’d just agreed to do. Wiping her sweaty palms on her pant legs she reminded herself she was doing it for Kellen. The knowledge did little to ease her worries.
Chapter 19
Bryan watched Cassie try, yet again, to teleport from one side of the room to the other. They’d been at it for over two hours and this attempt was as unsuccessful as the previous ten attempts had been. The air shimmered slightly around her, but that was a far as she got. He could tell she was getting frustrated; the flush along her cheekbones, the tightness around her mouth told the story.
Ryne lounged languidly against the door frame, his thumbs hooked in his belt loops, looking totally bored while Kane paced the room, giving orders in what was probably supposed to be a helpful manner. Bryan suspected it was just making Cassie even more tense because it certainly was doing that to him. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, biting back the comment that hovered on the tip of his tongue.
“Cassandra you need to concentrate and stay focussed. Build a clear mental picture in your mind of the far side of the room. Picture the lamp, the texture of the wall paper, the feel of the carpeting beneath your feet. Gather your personal energy into a ball inside you, then let it expand and reach out into the space around you...” Kane’s voice droned on and on.
Bryan closed his eyes and tried to ignore the dull throbbing in his head. Each word Kane spoke was like hammer beating against his brain over and over and over... He inhaled deeply and tried counting to ten.
“Dammit, I’ve done that so many times, I think I’m going to puke. It isn’t working. Now will you please just shut up!” Cassie threw her hands up in despair and glared at Kane. The Alpha stood frozen in place, an expression of stunned surprise on his face.
For a moment the whole room was silent, even Cassie appearing shocked at her outburst before the outrage drained from her body and she seemed to shrink into herself. The flush left her cheeks, leaving her face pale; her eyes dark orbs staring at the powerful man before her. She pushed her hair from her face, then tucked her hands in her back pockets. Giving an apologetic shrug, she licked her lips in a nervous fashion and dropped her gaze to the floor before speaking.
“I...I’m sorry. It’s just that—”
A slow clapping came from Ryne’s direction and they all looked towards him. He’d pushed himself away from the door and walked towards Cassie with a crooked grin on his face. “Good for you, girl. If you hadn’t said it, I was going to.” He gave her a playful punch on the shoulder before sauntering over to grab a handful of peanuts from the selection of snacks on the small table in the corner.
Cassie appeared flabbergasted by the comment and looked at Bryan obviously uncertain about what to do. In some strange way, he found it incredibly easy to interpret what she was feeling. She was surprised at her own actions and Ryne’s as well, and on some level her wolf was berating her for having mouthed off to an Alpha. That was a definite no-no in wolf society and retribution would normally be swift and severe.
He walked over to her while struggling to keep his face bland, his own feelings about what had just happened firmly in check. As Beta, his job was to enforce, support, and protect. While Cassie likely didn’t need protecting—Kane might be ticked off, but he’d not attack the girl—she definitely needed support. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he whispered words of encouragement to her. “You just impressed your new Alpha and let me tell you Ryne is hard to impress. Way to go.”
Kane glowered at all three of them and opened his mouth, most likely to protest, but the door opened at that moment and Elise walked into the room.
“Hi! How’s it going?” She’d stopped by earlier to see what they were up to, but then had left to visit with Mel.
“We’re still trying to teach Cassie to teleport.” Kane answered stiffly.
“Except your mate is being a pain in the ass and acting like he’s an expert.” Ryne added, a devilish glint in his eye.
Elise raised her eyebrows and seemed to be biting back a smile. “So what else is new?” She casually walked over to Kane and kissed his cheek.
“Elise, you’re developing an attitude—” Kane growled a warning.
“Oh hush. I know how you can get sometimes. You mean well, but you can be so stuffy.” Elise patted his shoulder and turned to Cassie. “From the emotional atmosphere in the room, I’m assuming Kane is irritating everyone, isn’t he?”
“Well...” Cassie blinked and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “He was just trying to help...”
“You don’t need to defend him Cassie,” Ryne leaned against the dresser and stuck his legs out crossing them at the ankle. He appeared immensely pleased with the turn of events.
Kane’s face darkened for a minute, then he sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. “Was I getting that bad?” He looked around somewhat sheepishly.
“Yes.” Bryan decided it was time to call a spade a spade. “Repeating the same instruction to her twenty times isn’t going to help. You’re just making Cassie more nervous and that increases the level of difficulty. From what you said she needs to be relaxed in order to be successful.”
Kane grunted in acknowledgement. “Okay. I get your point.” He looked at Cassie and gave a crooked smile. “Sorry.”
Cassie visibly relaxed and smiled back. “It wasn’t all a waste of time. The instructions were helpful...the first time you said them.”
“The first time, hmm?” Kane cocked his head and studied Cassie. “But not the next nineteen?”
Cassie shook her head and flushed. Everyone chuckled.
“Okay. I guess I’ve done my part then.”
Elise grabbed Kane’s arm, tugging lightly on it. “Good. If you’re done here, we can spend some quality time together; that was supposed to be one of the reasons for this trip after all, wasn’t it? Oh, and John’s phoned twice, and Jacob wants to tell you about his loose tooth.”
Kane looked down at her frowning. “This is supposed to be a vacation for you, but this is the second time you??
?ve been on the phone talking to the kids.”
“And you haven’t snuck in a call to John about pack business? That’s not the story he was telling me a few minutes ago when I talked to him.” A slight flush appeared on Elise’s cheeks as if her temper was starting to rise.
A muscle worked in Kane’s jaw and his lips tightened into a flat line. Bryan frowned sensing an undercurrent between the two of them. Was there trouble in paradise?
Kane put his hand in the small of Elise’s back, but she stepped away and left the room. With a sigh, Kane followed. The room was silent after they left, no doubt everyone trying to interpret what they’d just witnessed.
Finally, Ryne broke the silence. “Well, that was an interesting exchange, wasn’t it? Still, it did my heart good to see Cassie take Kane down a peg. He can get too full of himself sometimes.”
Bryan bit his lip and resisted saying that the same thing applied to Ryne. It was one of the hazards of being an Alpha, he supposed. Everyone was always turning to you for advice, expecting you to make all the major decisions; it was natural to start to think you were omnipotent. At least Ryne wasn’t as inclined to that failing as some pack leaders were.
“So what should I try next?” Cassie brought Bryan’s attention back to the main problem; teaching her to teleport on command.
“Perhaps, this isn’t a good idea.” He began to express his doubts again. “You’re still too new to all of this and—”
“At the moment it’s our only course of action.” Ryne cut off his protests. He frowned and stared around the room. “I’m no expert on this, but it seems to me that teleporting across of small room isn’t the best way to start. On some level her brain is probably telling her it’s a dumb idea; why waste energy teleporting when you could walk over there in two seconds?”
“That makes sense.” Cassie’s face brightened. “I was sort of feeling that way. Um...what if I tried going from this room to the bathroom?
Bryan nodded. “And we’ll lock the door so you can’t just walk in.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Ryne straightened from his perch on the edge of the dresser. “Just one more thing. I’m leaving. Cassie doesn’t know me that well and I sense some tension coming towards me.” He paused and looked at Cassie, his brow slightly quirked.
She flushed and stared at the floor, but said nothing. Bryan looked between the two, rather impressed that Ryne had picked up on that; he wasn’t always the most sensitive of men. And it was true, Cassie still associated Ryne with the savage creature she’d first encountered. A few hours in his company wouldn’t change a three year belief.
“Okay.” Bryan nodded. “It makes sense to me. She needs to be relaxed for this to work. Once she has the basics down, I’ll give you a call and you can come back. Then we can practise having her teleport in less ideal conditions.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll go check on Mel and see how she’s feeling.” He walked across the room, pausing briefly as he passed by Cassie to give her hair a gentle tug. “You can do it, kid.” With that he moved to the door, then stopped one more time. “And Bryan, if she needs to be relaxed, a little sex might help.” He gave Bryan a wink and shut the door.
Cassie looked at Bryan, her mouth hanging open.
“See?” He shrugged. “I told you he wasn’t such a bad guy.”
“Not such a...” She sputtered. “He just suggested we...” Apparently she was incapable of finishing her sentences.
He grinned at her impishly, suddenly pulling her close, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. “Well, he’s right you know. Sex can be very relaxing.”
She gave a slight shiver and Bryan leaned back, watching her face, keeping his own expression casually teasing. He was curious as to how she’d respond. Twice now they’d almost kissed, but then stopped. Last night in her backyard he’d let his scruples take over; they’d just met and he was in a position of authority over her; it hadn’t seemed right. And then this morning on the plane, having learned they might already be connected, he’d been curious, but the pilot had interrupted and he’d remembered they were in public...
But now, they were alone. How did Cassie really feel? His hands rested lightly on her back and he gently stroked her. A flash of hunger passed over her, her eyes darkening, pupils widening. He could feel her heart rate accelerate, her breathing hitch and his own responded in kind. She pressed her hands against his chest, her fingers spreading, caressing, testing the feel of him. Biting his lip, he stifled a groan; the heat from her palms burned into him. There was stirring in his groin as his own body reacted. He’d meant this as an experiment, a bit of joke, but...
Her mouth opened fractionally and the tip of her tongue snuck out, wetting her lips. He felt himself leaning closer, sensed she was lifting herself on her toes, her chin tilting upward as if reaching for him and then... She stopped.
Instead of caressing his chest, she was now pushing away. He loosened his arms and she stepped back clearing her throat. “I...um...I think I should keep practising my teleporting.”
He kept his own disappointment in check and nodded, keeping his arms limp at his side despite the fact that they ached to grab her and draw her close once again. She kept her gaze fixed on him as she backed towards the bathroom.
“I’ll just...um...lock myself in here and see if I can pop myself back into this room.” Her back was now pressed against the bathroom door. She fumbled with the handle and then slipped inside. He heard the lock snick into place and exhaled loudly, not realizing he’d been holding his breath.
Sinking down onto the bed, he propped himself against the headboard and contemplated what had just happened. Ryne had been teasing—sort of—when he suggested they have sex. And he had been teasing as well—sort of—when he grabbed Cassie just now. Well, perhaps his wolf hadn’t been teasing, but that was a different matter.
What was curious was Cassie’s reaction. She’d wanted him and it hadn’t just been the animal inside her. This time her eyes had been clear; she was aware of what was going on. It excited him to think she returned his interest and he was interested, he couldn’t deny the fact any longer. Lying to oneself was a pointless exercise.
Hmm... He rubbed the back of his neck and considered his new pack mate. Cassie had an exotic look about her with her warm skin tones and long dark hair. Her full red lips begged to be kissed and he remembered his own sliding over hers at the park, tasting, nibbling... Swallowing hard, he thought of how expressive her eyes could be; heavy lidded with desire, clouded with fear and doubt, sparkling with mischief.
A smile crept over his face as he recalled how she’d inadvertently put Kane in his place. He suspected once she relaxed a bit, she’d be a bit of a fire-cracker. The girl hadn’t had much chance for fun over the past few years. Basically living hand to mouth, dealing with Kellen—the man was a problem gambler and would likely try the patience of a saint when his addiction got the better of him—Bryan shook his head. Cassie’s life hadn’t been easy since she fled the Greyson Estate. Yet she wasn’t whining and snivelling like a spoilt little rich girl. She’d found a way to survive. And even now, when her only real friend—her ‘pack mate’ as Kellen seemed to be—was messing around with her life, she was still loyal to him.
He sighed and crossed his arms behind his head. She’d be a great addition to the pack and he’d enjoy tutoring her in the ways of their people. A mischievous grin spread over his face as he contemplated how their ‘lessons’ might turn out. If she was indeed his predestined mate, there really wasn’t anything he could do about it except accept his fate. It wouldn’t be such a hardship, being mated to her...
A faint disturbance in the air around him caught his attention and he sat up expectantly staring at a spot near the bed. For a moment, he could almost see Cassie standing beside him, but then the image faded. He held his breath, holding back the impulse to call out her name, to go see how she was. Breaking her concentration at this time wouldn’t help.
Seconds ticked by. A mi
nute passed and then another. His muscles were clenched as he kept himself tightly in check. Finally the air shimmered again and in the blink of an eye she stood before him.
“Cassie! You did it!” He jumped off the bed and pulled her into his arms and swung her around in a circle before setting her down. Leaning back, he looked at her face and frowned. She seemed to be in shock. For a moment she stood stiffly in the circle of his arms and then her whole body slumped, sobs wracking her frame. “Shh! It’s okay. You’re fine.” He rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair, her back, whispering assurances as she wept.
When her crying seemed to ease, he released his tight grip and eased her back in his arms. Keeping one arm around her, he brought his other hand up and cupped her face, wiping the tears from her cheek with his thumb. “Hey, you should be happy. You teleported at will! Why all the tears?”
She sniffled and clenched her hand against his shirt, the material bunching in her fingers. “Because I did it. It worked and that means...” She looked away biting her lip and blinking rapidly.
“It means what?” He queried, studying her face intently, trying to interpret the range of emotions that passed over it. Emotional pain radiated from her and he winced, feeling the hurt himself.
“It means I really am a werewolf.” She buried her face against his chest as she whispered her answer.
“So?” Bryan frowned, puzzled at what she was trying to convey. “You knew that already.”
“I know.” She flicked a glance up at him, before averting her eyes. “It’s crazy, but even though I knew it, I didn’t really believe it. I kept thinking—hoping—that my uncle was wrong. Even when I was a wolf in the park yesterday, I kept praying that it was just some weird hallucination, but now...” She sighed heavily. “I can’t deny it any longer. I’m not human.”
“No...” He responded slowly, not really able to grasp why it mattered, but trying his best to understand. “You’re not. You’re a werewolf just like me and all my friends and family. Is that really so bad?”