“Don’t sweat it,” he interrupted. “We have a sense of humor. Luckily we only lost two of the pack. How are you holding up?”
“Good.”
He studied her shirt. “You fought?”
“One of your enforcers touched me and his hands were bloody.”
“Brand is going to kill him.”
“It wasn’t in a bad way. He kind of put me in a closet to keep me safe.”
His phone beeped again and he removed it, read the screen. He typed a response. “That’s good. We don’t need any more deaths today. Sorry. It’s my brother.”
“Braden?” She hoped he’d say yes.
“Yeah.”
“Ask him how my sister is.”
His head snapped up. “What?”
“He has my sister.”
“Why?”
She sighed, telling him the facts she knew. Rave appeared grim as he typed. He paused, reading the response. “She’s fine. Her ankle was twisted but that’s about it. She said to tell you hi and she’s okay.”
Charma resisted the urge to lunge and tear the phone out of his hands. “May I talk to her?”
“Hang on.” He texted something else and then the phone rang. He held it out. “Here you go.”
Her hands trembled as she accepted it. “Bree?”
“I’m okay. Are you okay?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Fear and worry raged at hearing her sister’s voice.
“I thought the pride was tracking you. Garrett said you ran away. Did he hurt you again?”
“No. It’s a long story. Are you hurt? Randy said his brother had you.”
Her sister paused. “He’s dead. Braden saved me.” Her voice lowered. “He’s a werewolf.”
“I know. He’s treating you okay?”
“Yeah. He packed my ankle with ice and we’re hanging out in a basement. He said you mated his cousin. How is that possible? Is he lying to me?”
“No.” Charma glanced at Rave. His gaze kept darting up at the ceiling. “Listen, now isn’t the time to talk all this out. You stay with Braden and I’ll be there as soon as it’s safe.”
“Okay.”
“May I talk to him?”
“Sure. Love you.”
“I love you too,” Charma said, and waited for Braden to take the phone.
“Yes?”
“Please protect my sister.”
“I will.”
“And Braden?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t touch her. Do you hear me?”
“I do.”
“We’ll be there as soon as it’s safe to travel. Bye.” She hung up and handed the phone to Rave. “Thank you. I was really worried. He’ll keep her safe, won’t he?”
“Yeah.” He darted another glance at the ceiling.
“Go. I’m fine. You’re worried about the woman upstairs. That’s obvious.”
He seemed unsure.
“I’m fine. Brand is right outside.”
He strode away toward the living room. Charma watched him go and leaned against the counter. She closed her eyes. Things could have gone so much worse. Bree could have gotten hurt, or had a werewolf who hated cats find her instead of Braden. Brand could have died. Randy could have taken her away.
“Hey, cat.”
The male voice drew her attention as she opened her eyes to stare at an unfamiliar werewolf. “What, wolf? You hungry? We only have bologna left to make sandwiches but I saw a box of corndogs in the freezer. They’d only take about a minute or two in the microwave.”
He looked scary as his eyes narrowed. She guessed him to be in his sixties but shifters looked a lot younger than they really were. He directed an unfriendly glare her way and a sense of danger stabbed at her.
“I’m Charma, Brand’s mate.”
“I know who you are.”
“Do you want a sandwich or corndogs?”
His nose flared. “Corndogs. I want six. I’m hungry.”
She spun around. “I’m on it. Keep your pants on.” She was grateful he wasn’t naked. “Ketchup?”
The silence caused a chill to run up her spine and she realized she probably shouldn’t have turned her back on him. It was too late though. She jerked open the freezer and removed the box then faced him. He hadn’t moved any closer, but he didn’t appear any friendlier either.
“Mustard,” he finally answered. “I’m Raymond Borl—and I don’t trust your kind.”
He got points with her for blunt honesty. “I don’t blame you.” She tore open the box and counted out the corndogs. “I’m not real fond of prides myself. I’m half human.” She held his gaze. “Chips? There are some bags in that cupboard behind you if you want some.”
He hesitated. “Just that.” Long seconds ticked by. “Thank you.”
“Thanks for not attacking me when you seemed to want to. Brand would be furious, and he’s got a temper.”
“No shit.” The older man sat on a barstool at the counter. “All those boys are hotheads but they run a fair pack. I came from one that wasn’t so hot.”
She microwaved the corndogs. “Everyone deserves a fresh start somewhere.”
“I guess they do.”
They appraised each other and the older werewolf hunched in his chair. “Don’t repeat this…but my joints are killing me.” He flexed his fingers. “Is there any booze to be found? I could use a shot of whiskey or something to ease some of the pain.”
Brand was prepared to tear Raymond’s head off when he walked into the kitchen. He was too close to Charma, and he didn’t like that one bit. He was glad he hadn’t instantly reacted instead of waiting to hear some of their exchange. “There’s a full bar downstairs. Hit it up when she hands you that food. I’m curious why you’re here.”
“I told you I didn’t want to hear my son-by-mate nailing my daughter. He filled my basement with some of his friends to protect the house, so I came to fight.”
“We appreciate that.” Brand stood next to Charma, feeling better that she was within reach in case the cagey bastard decided to attack her.
“We’re pack. I don’t always agree with the decisions made but in the end, that’s what it comes down to.”
Brand removed the paper plate from the microwave and held it while he added mustard. “Here you go. You can’t miss the bar. I suggest the whiskey.”
Charma remained silent until they were alone. She stepped in front of him and lifted her chin. “How are you holding up?”
“Good.” He didn’t want to think about the tasks he’d just performed, one of them being cleaning up the mess in the attic. The carpet would need to be replaced. “Where’s the pup?”
“Rave had a chore for him. I was fine. He heard from Braden and I got to talk to my sister. She’s okay.”
He was grateful. “I’m glad, hon. I hated you being so worried about her and stuck here. We’ll be able to go home in a few hours. The carnage outside is mostly dealt with and the families of the deceased in our pack have been notified. Just don’t go downstairs and open the big chest freezer. Both bodies were put in there until their families can collect them. We were lucky we didn’t lose more.”
Her expression almost made him laugh. “Their kin will want to bury them in the pack cemetery. It’s not safe to travel yet until we make certain our territory is cleared of all pride. Some of them are severely injured and probably in hiding. The enforcers and a few of my cousins are tracking them. We only burned the pride members who died. I hope that doesn’t offend you.”
“No. Of course I hurt for their families, but only enforcers were sent for the joining. They know the risks. It’s a sad fact of life that most of them don’t have a long lifespan.” She bit her lip, staring up at him.
“What is it?”
“Do you have to keep being an enforcer for your pack? I mean,” she rushed on, “I know you’d always want to fight to defend your family but could you step down from the other duties?”
He liked that she worried a
bout his safety. “I could.”
“Your uncle wouldn’t be angry?”
“Nope. He’d understand. Most do after we mate, unless we were born to it. Kane and Klax will always be enforcers. Those two are naturals.”
She remembered the twins. “I’m glad they’re on your side.”
“Ours,” he reminded her. “This is our pack. Why don’t we head upstairs and shower? I know I could use one, and that dried blood on you is going to drive me insane.”
She nodded. “I think I’ve fed almost everyone.”
“They can fix something themselves if they show up.” He held out his hand. “Just don’t stare at the blood on the carpet up there. There’s nothing I could do about it today. That’s going to require ordering new, plus the pads. I’ll come back in a few days to take care of it.”
It was a reminder to both of them about Randy and how close he’d come to taking her away from Brand. She clasped his hand. “Lead the way.”
The fighting had worn him out but not enough to dull his desire to get Charma naked. He locked the door once they were inside the attic, grateful for the privacy. The broken window had helped air out the stench of a recent kill but not by much. He was torn between the desire to just take her home and the need to remain at the alpha house for a few more hours. His dick decided, though, when his mate walked into the bathroom, stripping. The sight of her bare back was enough to make him groan.
She turned her head, meeting his gaze. “You coming?”
“Yeah. I plan to.” He grinned, hurrying to join her.
She laughed. “You know that isn’t what I meant. I was distracted but now…” Her nose flared. “You smell so good.”
The sight of her fangs spurred him to tear off his pants and pin her against the wall once she’d stripped bare. He didn’t care if they both had blood on them. He just wanted to kiss her.
“Water,” she urged as he lifted her high enough to press his hips between the parted thighs she’d wrapped around him.
He groaned but turned, releasing her with one hand to yank open the shower door and step inside. She clung to him the entire time. It only took seconds to turn on the water and pin her against the tile. Warm water sluiced down their bodies. His mate found his lips, kissed him.
It took control not to just bury himself balls-deep in her. It quickly slipped away, though, when her nails dug into his shoulders, urging him on. He lifted her a little higher, pressed her back firmly against the tile and drove home.
Her pussy clamped around him. He growled and tore his mouth away from hers to avoid drawing blood. Her cries of pleasure assured him that he wasn’t causing pain while he fucked her hard and deep.
The sharp stab of her fangs biting into the top of his shoulder sent him into the mother of all orgasms. He locked his knees to keep them both upright as he rode out her climax. Her muscles clenched and unclenched around his shaft, milking every drop of cum from him. He shook from the force of it.
“Wow,” Charma panted.
Slowly coming down from the high, he nuzzled her throat and opened his mouth, his tongue tracing the column down to her shoulder. His fangs were out so he used them to gently nip her skin. She shivered in his arms and gasped. His dick had started to soften but it instantly hardened again, ready for another round.
“Mating heat,” he rasped. “I’m not done with you.”
“Good. Put me down though.”
“No.” He liked her exactly where she was—in his arms, pinned against the wall. He loved having her thighs wrapped around his hips. He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. “The heat has backed off enough to allow me to take my time, hon.”
He started to move again, almost withdrew his cock completely, paused and then drove home, deep. Watching the way her eyes narrowed and her features twisted with ecstasy turned him on even more. Her fingernails kneaded his shoulders, a reminder of her leopard blood. She ran her tongue over her lips to wet them and moaned while he kept up the leisurely pace.
“Faster,” she ordered.
“No. I want to enjoy watching your every expression this time.”
“Bastard.”
He laughed, knowing she didn’t mean it. He’d missed playing with her. She’d snap soon, always did during her heat, and he couldn’t wait. Charma was aggressive as hell and he kept teasing her until she hissed.
He tensed, believing he was prepared for what she’d do. He was wrong.
His old Charma would have bitten him again, urging his wolf to surface. Instead she used his shoulders to lift up suddenly, the slippery, wet tile against her back helping her dislodge his dick, and she bucked sharply. His feet slipped and he fell back but tried to protect her as they went down. Charma released his waist with her legs and his back hit the other side of the stall. He landed on his ass on the tile, with her coming down on top of his thighs.
He was stunned for a second but took note that he wasn’t injured. Just his pride.
She laughed and rose, her hand reaching between them to grab the base of his shaft. She straddled his lap higher and adjusted his dick at the entrance of her pussy. She released him to grip one of his biceps and ground her hips down, taking every inch of him.
He didn’t even mind when she wrapped her other hand around the back of his neck, getting a good hold on his hair, and began to frantically ride him. It felt too good to do anything but enjoy it. He watched her face when she tipped her head back, seemingly oblivious to the water that rained down on them.
Brand gripped her hips, helping her move on him faster, and used his feet against the opposite wall to brace so they didn’t slide around. He glanced between them, loving the way her breasts bounced. He wanted to catch one of her nipples with his mouth but he couldn’t dip his head enough with her fisting his hair. White-hot bliss seared through him as he started coming again when she did.
“Brand!” she yelled and slumped against him. Her grip on his hair eased.
He adjusted his hold, hugging her tightly while they recovered.
“Did I hurt you?” She kept her face down, resting it against his chest.
“Never. Do I have any hair left?”
“Sorry.” She laughed though.
“Liar.”
“You were just out there fighting so don’t bitch about a little hair tugging.”
“How about being body slammed in the shower? I think the drain is going to leave an imprint in my left ass cheek.”
She laughed harder. “I hit my knees on the way down so we can compare bruises later.”
His hands slid down from her hips to cup her ass and he squeezed. “Are you hurt?”
She raised her chin and grinned at him. “It hurts so good.”
He sobered, staring into her eyes. “Damn, I missed you.”
Her mood changed from playful to serious. “I’d rather die than live without you.”
“Me too. We agree. Only neither of us is allowed to die. We have a lot of time to catch up on.”
“It’s a deal.”
Epilogue
Four weeks later
Charma paced the living room, glancing at the clock for the hundredth time in half an hour. She had to trust that Brand would be home for dinner. She’d said it would be ready at five o’clock. She glanced again at the time. He had less than twenty minutes before the pot roast came out of the oven.
“Calm down,” Bree ordered. “They’re going to walk through that door at any second.”
“We haven’t heard anything.” That made her afraid.
“They didn’t want anyone tracing their whereabouts. You know that. That’s why they left their cell phones at home. The last thing the Harris Pack needs is another war with the pride council.”
“They could have bought one of those disposable cell phones.”
“They didn’t want any incoming calls on this line from that area. Come on, Charma. You know all this. It’s going to be fine. Have some faith.”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “I wish I c
ould have talked him out of this. It was insane.”
“He’s got all his cousins with him. They insisted on going, and he’s got the twin enforcers too. They scare the crap out of me every time they look my way.”
That distracted Charma enough to stop pacing and stare at her baby sister. “Are you happy living with werewolves? No one treats you bad, do they?”
Bree scoffed. “Not more than once. I ran down to Rave’s bike shop yesterday to drop off something I found at the alpha house that belongs to him, and one of his employees made a rude comment. Rave grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and made him kiss the counter.” She winced. “That’s what he called it, but the guy lost a few teeth. I was assured they’d grow back but it was brutal. Rave offered them to me to make a necklace. I said no thanks. Werewolves are more aggressive than leopards.”
“What did the guy say to you?”
Bree smiled. “I think he’s been punished enough. I’m not going to tell you. You’ll get angry and tell Brand. He’s already on the hunt for one male. I made Rave swear not to repeat it to anyone. I was afraid Braden and his other brothers would go after the guy too. He’d lose more than a few teeth for those crude comments.”
It was a reminder that Brand wasn’t home and she glanced at the clock.
“It’s going to be fine,” Bree murmured. “You don’t see me freaking out.”
“You’re younger and can’t imagine all the horrible things that I’m picturing. I remember when you used to think Garrett was hot. He is so not.”
Her sister winced. “That’s an understatement if Brand gets his way.”
“I asked him to rethink this.”
The front door opened and Charma spun, raking her gaze over Brand as he entered the room. She flinched at the sight of a fresh wound near his temple but he otherwise looked okay. She rushed forward and leapt, her arms wrapping around his shoulders.
“You’re home!”
“Always.” He hugged her, pulling her farther up in his arms. “We Harrises kicked ass and nobody on our side was hurt.”
They were moving, and she realized he’d carried her down the hallway and kicked the new bedroom door closed, giving them privacy. She lifted her head, staring into his eyes. “Is it done and over with?”