Her disappointment in him sat heavy in the air, and Marcus didn’t like it. “Well, if your opinion of me is really that low, it’s going to make my goal to seduce you even harder.”
She did a double take. “What’s that now?”
“Come on, Roni, are you really going to pretend you didn’t sense me circling you the past few months?”
She spluttered. “That was just you being your usual flirtatious self. I’m not your type. You like foo-foo females.”
“Foo-foo?” he chuckled.
“High maintenance, perfect appearance, devoted to spas, needs constant reinforcement, and—oh my God—do they ever shut up?” She’d expected him to be offended, but he laughed. “You lay on all that charm, give them your attention, but you don’t commit to them. You just kind of . . . float around them.”
He couldn’t argue with that. All of Marcus’s past relationships could be described as short, simple, and sweet. But he wasn’t equipped to cope with serious relationships or to meet the emotional needs of others. How could he be, when the only example of love he’d ever known was warped and twisted?
Roni shrugged. “But maybe you’re just saving your commitment for your true mate.”
In truth, the thought of mating absolutely terrified Marcus; his upbringing had showed him that a mating could be more of a trap than a blessing. Having watched as Trey, Dante, and Shaya found their mates, he’d seen how the bond could be something worth protecting. It might have given him hope if it weren’t for the conversation he’d had many years ago with the Seer within his sister’s pack.
She’d told him that he would find his mate, had even described her to him—small, slim, strawberry-blonde hair, and huge baby blue eyes. But the Seer had also told him other things about her, about what lay ahead for them, and the thought of having a future like that scared the shit out of him.
Returning his focus to the conversation, he said, “My problem is that I seem to attract clingy females.” He wasn’t lying; it was indeed one of his problems, just not the main one. “I’m not just talking physically clingy, I mean—”
“Females who need constant attention, get extremely jealous, take everything personally, and don’t accept responsibility for their own feelings—their unhappiness, rage, and envy are all your fault?”
So damn astute. “Yeah.”
“Zara was a classic example. It’s not all that shocking that you attract them, since they tend to go for strong, competent people. You know, their needy behavior can be a form of control and manipulation in some situations; it forces their partner to be their caretaker and address their every need.”
He really liked that brain. “You think I’m strong and competent?” She simply rolled her eyes. “So, we’ve established why I keep things casual. What about you?” She didn’t respond to his prodding. Pulling up outside Phoenix Pack territory, he turned his gaze on her as he waited for whoever was on security duty to open the gates. “Talk to me, Roni. It’s not so bad to ‘share.’ Try it. You might like it.”
It was the dare in his eyes that made her elaborate. “I’m not good at relationships because I don’t know how to be an ‘us.’ I’m not touchy-feely, and I’m not the type to feed a male ego by lavishing it with affection.” Male shifters liked to feel needed, and Roni didn’t like to need anyone. “When a guy senses how dominant I am, his instinct is to try to control me in order to firmly establish that he’s ‘the boss.’ Let’s just hope my mate won’t do that.”
What Roni didn’t say was that she was probably too messed up to even sense her mate. Jaime had once said her mother had compared the mating bond to a frequency. If it were jammed by things such as doubts or fears, it couldn’t be picked up. Roni knew she was guarded, knew she found it extremely difficult to let people in. How could someone who struggled to allow new people into their life sense their mate?
“It stands to reason that your mate can accept you as you are,” Marcus assured her as he drove through the now open gates, nodding at Cam in greeting. “That he’ll want you any way he can have you.” Although that wasn’t always a good thing; his parents’ mating was proof of that. But he wasn’t interested in darkening the mood, so he flashed her another smile. “And that delectable ass of yours totally makes up for your flaws.”
She didn’t know whether to scowl or thank him for the compliment. She went with scowling, which only made him laugh again. She was sure she’d never met anyone who liked to laugh as much as Marcus did. Yet despite that playfulness, there was an intensity about him that even her extremely dominant brothers couldn’t match.
“My wolf wants to take a bite out of it. I can’t say I’m opposed to the idea.”
“I’m not your type,” she again insisted.
He didn’t deny it, since it would only insult her intelligence. “And yet, I want nothing more than to strip you naked and have my wicked way with you.” She said nothing. “You want me as much as I want you, Roni.” Pulling up inside the concealed parking area, he leaned toward her. Raw need pulsed between them, drawing him closer. “Admit it. I dare you.”
Roni was no coward. Had he been anyone else, she would have admitted the truth. But with Marcus, she couldn’t be sure that this wasn’t just harmless flirting. Uncomfortable with the way he was staring at her, she dropped her gaze . . . and it fell on his mouth. That sinful, erotic mouth that was most likely very talented.
When she didn’t answer, Marcus persisted. “Roni?”
“Sorry, I was just imagining putting a moth in your mouth. I saw it in a movie once.”
He had to smile. “I’ll let you live in denial a little longer,” he told her as they exited the car—though if her brother and Beta weren’t due to enter the lot any second, he might not have been so well behaved. “But we both know that’s exactly what you’re doing.”
She huffed as she followed him up the steps that were carved into the cliff face. “You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
Opening the door wide, he smiled at her. “You like that.”
He was right, she did.
CHAPTER FOUR
Once the entire hunting party was seated at the kitchen table, Rhett began to talk as he flicked through a pile of papers.
“Okay, the name of the jackal pack in question is Glacier, consisting of only ten jackals. The Alpha is Sergio Milano and, according to the proverbial paper trail, he’s thirty-five years old, lives above the successful Italian restaurant he owns—which is basically the only territory his pack has—and drives a silver Lexus. He’s also unmated, very powerful, and the most respected of the jackal shifters. Dig deeper, and you’ll find that he also enjoys smuggling weapons for humans in his free time.”
“Sounds delightful,” commented Taryn dryly, glancing at the photo of said Alpha that was being passed around. “Do you recognize him?” she asked Trey.
He studied it closely. “Never seen him before.” He was surprisingly composed, but Roni had to wonder if it was more of a case of “the calm before the storm.”
“Any indication that he’s into human trafficking?” asked Dante.
Rhett shook his head, which seemed to relax Taryn slightly.
Roni frowned as Marcus draped an arm over the back of her chair and loomed over her shoulder as she studied the photograph of Sergio. The close proximity had her senses going haywire, particularly as his mouth was near the sensitive spot behind her ear, and his hot breath was playing havoc with it.
“Well then, let’s go talk to Sergio.”
Marcus stiffened. His Alpha had sounded so cool and casual, but there was no way Marcus was buying that act. Trey had a notorious temper and his wolf tended to turn feral during battles. “We can’t go in there, all guns blazing.”
“I know.”
“You’re too calm. I don’t like it.”
Trey’s smile was feral. “Of course I am. I’m about to watch the life bleed out of the fucker who’s responsible for trying to kidnap Kye.”
Now that was
the Trey they all knew and loved.
Dante sighed. “We don’t know that this guy’s responsible. From what we can tell, there’s no motive.”
“The Alpha sent a request for an alliance via the pack web five months ago,” Rhett informed them. Pack webs were social networks. Much like a person’s Facebook page might be exclusive to their friends—enabling only them to write on their “wall”—a pack’s web page was exclusive to the members of their pack. And just as people could check out the Facebook profiles of others, packs were able to view the profiles of other packs through the webs. “Maybe Sergio wasn’t too happy that we turned it down.”
Ryan snorted. “Everyone turns down alliances with jackals. Even other jackals don’t like to mix with them because they know how untrustworthy their own kind are.”
“It seems a little extreme to go after your kid because you didn’t agree to an alliance,” said Derren.
“My thoughts exactly.” Taryn folded her arms across her chest. “Like Ryan said, jackals hardly ever make alliances. They wouldn’t have been surprised that we turned it down.”
“But they may have felt offended,” Nick pointed out. “Alphas have been known to do shocking things when their pride’s hurt. Still, I’d have to agree that going after Kye seems extreme in this context.”
“Then I guess we need to visit the Glacier Pack and have a chat”—Marcus gave Trey a pointed look—“with the Alpha.”
Trey rose from his seat, his grin a little . . . well, evil. “No time like the present.”
When they pulled up outside Milano’s Italian restaurant in the Phoenix Pack’s gold, nine-seater Chevrolet Tahoe a few hours later, Roni was beyond irritated. She had spent the entire time crushed between Marcus and the window, and he’d spent the entire time teasing her with subtle touches, sensual smiles, and hot stares—the asshole.
“Smells good.” Marcus inhaled the aroma seeping from the restaurant. “Do you think they’ll let us eat here afterward? I’m hungry.”
Roni snorted. “You’re always hungry.” She’d never known anyone to eat so much yet look so good.
Marcus smiled as Roni slipped a lollipop into her mouth. It made her look deceptively vulnerable and harmless . . . like a little schoolgirl.
“This could get bad,” warned Ryan, indicating the large amount of various breeds of shifters that were hanging around. “Jackals or not, these shifters could decide to involve themselves in any fight that might ensue.”
Nick’s expression said, “Who gives a fuck?” The guy was out for blood after what happened to his mate, and Marcus didn’t blame him. If anyone fucked with his mate, even though he wasn’t looking forward to finding her, they’d be dead before they could blink.
It almost looked choreographed the way Nick, Trey, and Taryn entered through the double doors with Derren and Dante closely covering them as Roni, Marcus, and Ryan covered the rear. It was a sight that caught everyone’s attention, and every single shifter in the establishment froze.
Nick and Trey both had reputations for being powerful and dangerous. To see both presenting a united front while looking, well, rabid . . . it spelled trouble. The fact that they were accompanied by six very dominant wolves, all of whom looked supremely pissed, made for an extremely intimidating sight that had everyone’s “fight or flight” instinct kicking in.
Within seconds, the establishment was empty, apart from several jackals. Marcus immediately spotted Sergio Milano. He was seated at a corner table, surrounded by people who were most likely pack members. The surprisingly slight Alpha looked indifferent, but his amber eyes gleamed with irritation as the wolves came to stand before him. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
Nick smiled. “Of course. That’s why we’re here.”
“Displaying such bold, antagonistic behavior toward an Alpha on their territory isn’t a wise move.”
Trey arched a brow. “Neither is attempting to kidnap my son.” No response. “You don’t look surprised.”
“It wasn’t us.”
Taryn’s hands fisted. “But you knew about it.”
“Every jackal in the shifter community heard about it. Our grapevine works at high speed.”
“Then I’m assuming you also know who it was.”
Sergio stared blankly at Taryn, who let out a low growl. Responding to his mate’s anger, Trey slammed his hands on the table, causing Sergio’s pack to jump to their feet. But Marcus knew they wouldn’t move without a signal from their Alpha.
“This isn’t an interrogation, Sergio. If it was, my Beta would be snapping your limbs like twigs while my mate then beat you bloody with them. You tell me straight up who tried to kidnap my son.”
Sergio studied his fingernails. “You might remember I proposed an alliance between our packs, Trey. Had you accepted, we could have saved ourselves all this drama.”
“You want an alliance in exchange for information?”
Sergio’s smile was devious. “It’s just business.”
Roni sidled up to her brother and pointed her lollipop at Sergio. “You’ve got to give it to the guy, Nick: he has balls. Of course, we can always fix that by scooping them out with a rusty spoon and shoving them down his throat.” She spoke to Sergio then. “I’ll bet that’ll leave a familiar taste in your mouth.”
“Bitch, you—” His words were abruptly cut off as Nick plucked him out of his seat by his throat and slammed him high against the wall while the other jackals yelped and cackled.
Sergio struggled against Nick’s hold. “What the fuck!”
“Let me explain something,” rumbled Nick, power and rage pouring from him. “We’re not here to chat, or negotiate, or interrogate. We’re here to get the facts. You’re going to give us what we want. If you don’t, I’ll destroy you and every single jackal in this building.”
Now Sergio looked suitably afraid. It was impossible not to while Nick was glaring at him with homicidal urges in his eyes.
Taryn squinted up at him. “Glad it’s not me up there. I get nosebleeds in high altitudes. Do you?”
“You’re still not talking.” Trey took one menacing step forward.
“I heard it was the Scorpio Pack,” Sergio blurted out.
“Go on,” prodded Nick.
“Can you put me down?”
“No.”
Sergio sighed in resignation. “I don’t know for sure; I’m not in contact with them. They were blacklisted a few years ago.”
A pack could be blacklisted for a number of reasons, usually crime-related. They would then be mostly isolated from shifter society, losing their territory and alliances and no longer recognized as a pack by the shifter council.
“You sound disgusted with them,” observed Dante.
“I am. They were blacklisted, for God’s sake.”
Taryn snorted. “It’s not like your pack is squeaky-clean.”
“But there’s not a thing anyone could pin on me. For a pack to be sloppy enough to have evidence brought against them is worthy of disgust.”
“Well, since you have so little respect for them, you won’t mind telling me where I can find them.” Nick gave Sergio’s neck a cautioning squeeze.
“I don’t know,” he wheezed. “After they were blacklisted, they were forced to go on the road, so they’re never in one place for very long.”
“Why was the pack blacklisted?” Marcus asked.
“They were running an illegal fighting ring for shifters. It went on for years. At some point, they started including humans. The humans were willing, but they were getting badly hurt. Then some started . . . disappearing. Before it could attract the attention of the extremists, someone tipped off the council, and they blacklisted the pack.”
Taryn’s brows arched. “Wow, great story. In what chapter do you tell us where the fuck they are?”
“I told you, I don’t know where they are.”
“Then what do you know?”
He was silent for a moment. He closed his eyes as he said, “S. N. M.” br />
Dante’s brow furrowed. “What?”
Opening his eyes, Sergio elaborated. “It’s a website: snm.com. You should find some answers there. But you might not like what you see.”
Nick allowed Sergio to slide down the wall. “There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Sergio cupped his throat. “All of you get out of here. And don’t step a single foot on my territory again.”
Nick actually smiled. “Provided you told me the truth, there’s nothing for you to worry about. Except for the matter of the female trying to creep up on my sister. Unless you want said female to die, call her off.”
“Nick,” whined Roni, who had easily sensed the jackal trying to blindside her. “Why did you have to tip him off? I was looking forward to having some fun with her.”
There was no way Marcus would have allowed the female jackal to touch her, but he knew telling her that he’d planned to intervene and protect her wouldn’t have worked out well for him.
Sergio shook his head slightly at the female, and she halted . . . but not before baring her teeth at Roni. His little wolf laughed.
“Aw, isn’t she cute?”
Considering she’d used the same tone that one might use when referring to a newborn bunny, it was totally understandable that the jackal jumped at Roni. Marcus had seen it coming, and he was fast as he moved to leap between them. But Roni was faster. Quick as fucking lightning, she grabbed the flailing female by the throat and slammed her onto the floor, pinning her there. And she hadn’t even lost her lollipop in the struggle. His wolf growled his approval.
Roni shook her head sadly at the jackal, wagging her lollipop. “My, my, my, we are behaving very stupidly today, aren’t we?”
One of the male jackals stepped forward. “Let her go!” Marcus blocked his path.
“Well, now, that’s up to her.” Roni cocked her head at the female. “Are you going to use what few brain cells you have and be a good girl if I let you up?” The jackal nodded, her eyes fearful. “For your sake, you better not be bullshitting me.” The female quickly scampered.