Force of Temptation

  Harley inwardly snorted. Who gave a fuck?

  Nick must have been just as uninterested, because he demanded, “Give me the girls.”

  “I’ll bet it was painful to find that they were gone,” said Hector. “I’d imagine it came as quite a shock too.”

  Harley wished he’d shut the fuck up and release the pups. Her churning stomach seemed to be full of knots, butterflies, and acid. Her cat was pacing, claws unsheathed, hissing like crazy.

  “I have to admit I was surprised you didn’t race right over here.”

  “Give me the girls,” Nick simply repeated.

  “But I’m having fun.”

  “Because you’re twisted. Not my problem.”

  Hector’s eyes went hard. “I suppose it’s a good thing that you’re standing together as a unit to die. If you shift forms and start running now, you’d make it to safety.”

  “We don’t run.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “If you detonate those bombs, you’ll kill us all,” Derren pointed out.

  “I’ll be far away from here when that happens,” Hector told him. “See, there are three ways to detonate them. One, tamper with the vests. Two, use the triggers, which I can do remotely using this.” He held up his cell phone. “Or three, wait for the timers to run out and do the job for me. In other words, there’s no way at all for you to help the little ones. No way to save yourselves, unless you choose to abandon them.”

  Sensing someone behind her, Harley twisted with a snarl, even though she recognized the scent. She and her cat were simply wound too tight.

  Cain, looking much calmer than she felt, whispered, “I might be able to defuse the vests.” At her arched brow, he continued, “Let’s just say I’ve built a lot of bombs. I won’t know how complicated these are until I’ve seen them up close. I have no chance of doing that until Hector releases the pups. He doesn’t seem inclined to do that yet. When he does, I won’t have much time to defuse the vests. I need you to do what margays do best, Harley.”

  Oh, her cat sure loved that idea.

  Jesse went rigid. “Hector has guards.”

  “And they’re watching what’s happening on the ground,” said Cain. “They won’t think to look up. It’s doubtful that they’d sense her.”

  Jesse gritted his teeth. It was easy for Cain to be so blasé about it because Harley wasn’t his mate; she wasn’t his to protect and care for. It wasn’t Cain who would fall apart without her.

  Harley held Jesse’s tortured gaze. “I’m going,” she said firmly but quietly. “Yes, I could be hurt. But if I don’t try to help, we all die anyway.”

  “He’s going to drive away any minute now. The moment he’s far enough away not to feel the backlash of the bombs, he’ll press the triggers,” Cain pointed out. “We don’t have time to wait around.”

  Harley nodded. “He won’t need to press the triggers; these are time bombs.” She could see the numbers on the little LED screens.

  Cain grimaced. “I don’t know if they’re really linked to the explosives or if they’re there to fuck with our heads—I mean, why give us the luxury of knowing how much time we have? In any case, we still have little time.”

  Harley squeezed Jesse’s hand. “I can do this.” Since they were at the rear of the large group, Hector wouldn’t hear her shifting—especially while he and Nick were arguing.

  “I know you can do it,” Jesse said gruffly, stroking his thumb over her claiming mark. “I just don’t want you to have to.”

  She gave him a quick, hard kiss. “Watch my back.”

  “Always.” Once she was gone, he’d move to the front of the crowd so he was standing behind Nick and Shaya. Then if something went wrong, he could intervene. As she started to strip, Jesse shot Cain a cold look. “Turn around.”

  With a roll of his eyes, the wolf did.

  Harley braced herself, knowing the shift was going to hurt like a bitch thanks to all her injuries. “I should have let Ally heal me.”

  “Yes, you damn well should have.”

  Bones popped and cracked as she shifted; the noises made some glance over their shoulders. Understanding flashed in their eyes, and they quickly faced front.

  As the little cat stretched, getting comfortable in her skin, Jesse crouched down and stroked his hand down her back. “Hey, kitty.” He scratched her head. “Be careful.”

  With a low purr, the cat rubbed her flank against his leg to leave her scent on her mate. She didn’t like him being around strange wolves—especially the females—but the pups were in danger. She stayed low to the ground as she padded to the nearest tree. Satisfied she hadn’t been seen, she leapt onto the branch above.

  Silently the cat crept along the branch as she hunted her prey. He was close but not close enough. She could hear him. See him. Her upper lip curled.

  She swung and leapt from one tree to another, moving closer and closer to her prey. So close that she could scent him now—he smelled of decay and corruption.

  He said, “You thought I wanted the eagles to take you all out, Nick, didn’t you? No. They were just to keep you busy. I can kill all of you with the single press of a button.”

  “That doesn’t make you powerful,” said the Alpha male.

  “It does make me someone you should fear.”

  “And yet, I don’t.”

  Inside the cat, Harley urged the margay to hurry. One more leap had the cat reaching the tree closest to her prey. She slowly and carefully padded along the branch above him. He didn’t sense her. He was focused on the Alpha male, speaking more words she didn’t understand.

  “Admit it, Nick. You fear me now that your pups’ lives are in my hands.”

  The Alpha male growled. “For the last time, give me the girls.”

  “But I’m enjoying the panic and anxiety that’s broadcasted all over your face.”

  The cat pounced.

  Jesse watched as the margay landed hard on Hector’s shoulders, claws out and tearing through skin and muscle. Hector stumbled with a shocked, pain-filled curse, releasing the pups, who ran to the Alpha pair. He grabbed the little cat with sharp claws and launched her at a tree with such force that something cracked. She slumped to the ground, unmoving. And Jesse . . . a red haze fell over his vision as the rage he’d buried welled up and streamed through every vein.

  With a guttural roar, Jesse charged over the border and lunged at Hector. He shifted midair and knocked the male to the ground.

  The large gray wolf stood over his enemy, snarling, and tried to rip into his throat. He couldn’t. The half shifter gripped the wolf’s head and held it in place. Furious and caught up in bloodlust, the wolf shook his head to get free. The other male held tight.

  Growling, the wolf used his back paws to slice at the male’s stomach. Cloth and skin tore. The scent of blood rose in the air. The wolf growled in satisfaction. But then a polar bear knocked the wolf aside with a roar. At the same time, bones cracked and popped as the other male shifted.

  Shaking his head, the gray wolf righted himself and circled the polar bear and the large white wolf. Several others joined the gray wolf, snapping their teeth at the two enemies. Roaring again, the polar bear swiped at them. One wolf hit a tree with a yelp. The others all pounced.

  The polar batted and clawed at them while the large white wolf bit and body-slammed them. Some wolves fell. Some clung tight with teeth and claws, ripping into flesh and fur. The fallen wolves rose and lunged again, attacking the two enemies from all sides. Bloodying them. Weakening them. Killing them. Soon, both of them collapsed. More wolves tore into them and—

  “Jesse! Jesse!”

  The gray wolf growled, again sinking his teeth into the white wolf’s flesh.

  “Jesse, he’s practically dead! Go to Harley! Check she’s okay!”

  Harley.

  The name penetrated his red haze, tickling at the last memory he had of his mate. She’d been hurt. His pack mate was right. He needed to see her. The wolf withdre
w, even though he was still shaking with rage.

  Panting and bleeding, Jesse stood with a wince. He distantly noted that the second guard was dead, having met the same fate as Hector and the first guard, but Jesse was only interested in Harley.

  He did as Zander suggested and hurried to where the little cat lay, surrounded by some of their pack. He shoved his way through the wolves. And froze, heart skipping a beat. He felt the blood leave his face. Her body was twisted at an angle that was far from fucking natural. And she wasn’t moving.

  She. Was. Not. Moving.

  His stomach heaved and the breath left his lungs. His wolf . . . well, he went apeshit again. And Jesse thought he might just do the same.

  “She’s not dead, Jesse,” said Roni. “Don’t fucking lose it on me. She’s in bad shape and she needs to hear your voice right now.”

  Swallowing hard, Jesse knelt beside his mate. Her brown eyes looked at him, tired and glassy. He couldn’t speak. Hell, he couldn’t think. Fear was choking him and twisting his insides, ripping into him more painfully than the polar bear’s claws and Hector’s fangs.

  Jesse reached out to touch her but then fisted his hand, worried his touch wouldn’t be gentle enough. Her breathing was shallow. Too shallow. Each time she inhaled, something in her chest rattled. He wanted to hold her, but he was scared to move her in case he caused her any more pain than she was already in.

  “Jesse, talk to her; keep her here,” said Marcus.

  Clearing his dry throat, Jesse forced out his words. “Baby . . . mother of fuck. We need Ally.” He glanced around, frantic, but he couldn’t see her. He noticed Cain trying to carefully remove the explosive vest from a shaking Willow while Shaya tried to keep both little girls calm. Their tears and fear only fueled the fire in Jesse’s gut. Anxious, his wolf paced and snarled and raked his claws. “We need Ally,” he repeated.

  “I know,” began Roni, “but she got hurt really bad too and now she’s unconscious again.”

  Shit. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Well, where’s Taryn?”

  It was Bracken who responded. “Trying to heal Ally, which is proving difficult because not only is Taryn hurt as well, but she’s healed so many injuries tonight she’s pretty weak. She’s barely conscious herself.”

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Jesse stroked one of the cat’s soft paws. Her eyes closed. His heart jumped. “Stay with me, Harley,” he said, panicked. “Okay? Stay with me.”

  Nothing. If anything, her breathing turned weaker. His gut twisted in terror.

  “That’s it, talk to her,” Roni encouraged him.

  Jesse swallowed hard. “One of the healers will come, Harley.” His voice came out coarse with emotion. “Any second now, they’ll come.” They had to come. Someone had to do something because he couldn’t fucking lose her. “You just have to hang on for a minute, all right? Just hang on for me.” Fuck, he needed to hear her voice. Needed to look into her eyes. “Shift back, Harley.”

  “I don’t think she has the energy, Jesse,” said Roni. “It’s better if she doesn’t waste what energy she has left trying to shift.”

  “Feed her your own energy,” said Marcus.

  “I can’t,” Jesse rasped, throat constricting. “There’s no bond.” Unless either of the healers came to help, Harley was going to die right there in front of him. He knew it; he could feel her slipping away. Could hear her heart stuttering and her breathing becoming even slower. She was leaving him. Dying. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

  Not a damn thing.

  “Cain’s struggling with the vests,” said Bracken. “I don’t know if he can really help.”

  Which meant they could all be dead in moments anyway. But it was Harley’s life that was important to him. And he was losing her. He’d never felt as utterly powerless as he did in that very moment. Never felt so fucking useless. He was her mate, dammit; he should be able to help her. But he couldn’t.

  The metallic taste of fear soured his mouth. The insidious emotion had his own heart racing so badly, he thought the damn organ would explode in his chest. But there was no shock, he thought with a frown. Not even a small element of surprise. An all-consuming, soul-deep agony, yes. A haunting, gut-wrenching fear, yes. But no shock.

  A part of him had been expecting this to happen, he then understood. Part of him had been waiting for his mate to be taken from him, just like it had happened once before. And so, he realized bitterly, he’d unconsciously held a small part of himself back from Harley.

  God, he was such a fucking idiot. He’d thought he was completely open to her, thought he’d given her all of him. But no, he’d held back this one little piece out of blind terror that he’d have to go through the sheer agony of losing her—an agony he’d felt as a kid and hadn’t ever wanted to experience again. But in protecting himself emotionally, he’d left her physically vulnerable. And now she was dying. Fading away right in front of him.

  “Harley, I’m so fucking sorry, baby, I didn’t know I was doing it,” he swore, voice breaking. “I swear to God, I didn’t know.” Her eyes slowly opened but just as quickly closed again. His wolf howled, shaking with rage and pain.

  “Didn’t know what?” asked Eli.

  Ignoring his pack mate, Jesse stroked her paw again and repeated in a shaky whisper, “I didn’t know.” If he had, she—

  White-hot pain blasted in his head, slicing through his brain. He squeezed his eyes shut as his vision grayed and sleep lured him. He fought it, determined to stay with Harley. And then he felt her. Not her body. Not her mind. He felt her pain, her exhaustion, and how hard she was fighting the darkness pulling at her. Before now, he’d sensed her emotions. Now he shared them as they vibrated up and down the bond that seemed to be strengthening with every second. He couldn’t see it, but he felt it—a sort of tug on his consciousness.

  Invigorated, heart pounding with a newfound hope, Jesse forced energy down the bond. He had no clue if he was doing it right, but he kept going. His wolf urged him on, too anxious to feel any satisfaction about the bond yet. “Take it, Harley, accept it.” Because she was stubborn enough to fight him out of concern that she’d drain him. And that was exactly what she did. He punched the ground, growling, “Accept it.”

  A tiny hand touched his shoulder. “Don’t cry, Jesse. It’ll be okay.”

  Jesse looked at Cassidy, becoming aware that his cheeks were wet.

  “I just need to touch her,” said Cassidy.

  He realized then that she was no longer wearing the vest. He watched as she bent over and laid her small hand on the cat’s flank. An echo of a strange tingling sensation reverberated up the mating bond as the healing energy moved through Harley. He winced as a few things snapped back into place and the cat yelped.

  After a minute, Ally crouched behind Cassidy. “You can stop now, sweetie.”

  Cassidy’s brow creased. “She’s not fully healed yet.”

  “I know, but I’ll do the rest,” Ally assured her. “You need to sleep.”

  “No, I—” A yawn cut Cassidy’s protest short. “Okay.” She sighed as Cain lifted her carefully. “I told you you’d take off my jacket,” she said to him sleepily. “In my vision, it looked like a jacket. But it was a vest.”

  “That’s okay,” Cain told her. “You just sleep.”

  As Ally put a hand on Harley, Jesse felt healing energy hum through her once again. This energy was stronger and worked faster. The moment the Seer moved aside, he scooped up the little cat and held her close, doing his best not to suffocate her. He was still shaking from the bone-deep terror of losing her. He needed to feel her. Smell her. Hear her heartbeat loud and clear.

  He buried his face in her soft fur. “Shift for me, baby.” The cat growled low in her throat, and he felt Harley’s amusement. Apparently the margay wanted some attention first. Typical. And a relief, because it meant she was okay. That was all he cared about. He inhaled her again and again, letting it chase away the panic eating at him and his wolf.
br />   Shaya appeared with Nick close behind, who was cuddling a sleeping Willow. “She’s okay?”

  “Yes, she is,” said Roni, “thanks to Cassidy and Ally.”

  Shaya turned to Cain. “I know I said it a billion times already, but thank you for saving my girls.” She wrapped her arms around him. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”

  The guy frowned. “You’re crushing Cassidy.”

  “Oh.” Shaya stepped back, sniffling. “Sorry.”

  As she went to take the little girl, Cain held Cassidy tighter and gruffly said, “I’ve got her.”

  Jesse nuzzled the cat’s head. “Shift for me.” The margay growled again, and he smiled.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Skimming his fingers up and down his mate’s naked back, Jesse kissed her shoulder. Not a single scar marred her soft flesh. There was no evidence whatsoever that she’d been ripped into by talons and had almost died earlier. No physical evidence, anyway. His fear, however, was still fresh in his system. “You okay?” he asked. She was too quiet. Too still.

  “Stop worrying,” Harley mumbled softly into the pillow. She could feel his anxiety as if it was her own. “I’m just tired.”

  Stop worrying? “You almost fell asleep standing up in the shower.”

  “Because I’m tired. Let me sleep.”

  “I’m not stopping you.” Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. He was intentionally keeping her awake. Every time she seemed to be drifting off, he panicked, remembering that moment when he’d felt a fatal, permanent sleep pulling at her. He stroked his hand over her hair. “I felt how hard you were fighting to stay.”

  “Of course I was fighting.” She’d known what it would have done to him to lose another mate. She hadn’t been able to stand the idea of him going through such torture, and that had helped her fight as hard as her cat.

  “I really didn’t know, Harley.”

  Well aware of what he was talking about, she pinned his gaze. “I know you would never have intentionally held anything back. Don’t be angry at yourself. Being fully open to someone isn’t as easy as it sounds.”