Kari turned to her, dumbfounded. “Hate you? Why on earth would I hate you?”
“My son had you kidnapped, he turned you into a werewolf, and not even a week later you’re challenged by a low-level Pack member that you have to kill and then someone tried to poison you. How can you not hate us?” Jade wrung her hands, eyes not meeting Kari’s.
“Thanks, Maman. It’s always good to remind her of the bad things,” Andreas said sarcastically.
Kari took Jade’s chin in her hands and turned her face toward her own, to meet her eyes. “I don’t hate you. I was angry and scared when I was brought here. And yes, I would have preferred it if someone had asked me before simply choosing to turn my entire life upside down. But truthfully, I wouldn’t have believed it if Andreas had told me he wanted me to be a werewolf with him. I wouldn’t have gone on seeing him. I would have missed out on the way I feel about him now. The way I feel about all of you.
“There are definitely things that I need to work out with Andreas but I’m here to stay. Bizarre as it sounds to even say it, I love your son, Jade. Even after just a few days and a shaky start, I love him and I know he loves me. I trust that.
“Some really bad stuff has happened to me this last week but the best stuff of my life happened too. In the whole benefit-cost analysis, I come out ahead.”
Jade dropped to her knees and hugged her around the waist, her face pressed into Kari’s stomach. “I’m so glad. We love you too.” She looked back at Andreas, who was still lounging on the bed, naked, and smiled at him. “You did have your way with her. I can smell it.”
Kari stepped back, blushing. She had a lot to get used to. She wasn’t a prude by any means but this was just too weird. “Okay, enough of that. Way was had. It was my idea. He actually tried to put me off but I pressured him. Moving right along, is Elaine here?”
Andreas chuckled, got up and kissed her on the top of the head affectionately. He pulled on a pair of sweats and left off the shirt. Not like she’d be complaining about that.
Jade stuck her head out into the hall, where Laurent and Phillip were sitting, drinking Scotch. “Can one of you go and get Elaine?”
While Laurent jogged downstairs in search of Elaine, Jade popped back into the room and started brushing Kari’s hair, braiding it for her.
“My mother never did that. I’ve never had anyone braid my hair before. Thank you,” Kari murmured as she leaned back into Jade.
Jade kissed her temple gently. “I’m sorry, little one. Every little girl should have her hair brushed and braided by her mama. I always wanted a girl to do that for. Luckily my boys all kept long hair and let me brush it. Even Laurent let me brush his. Of course, only Phillip let me braid it. As you can see, he still wears it that way today.”
“It looks lovely too. All that gorgeous strawberry-blond hair falling down his back in the braid. Very sexy,” Kari said loud enough so that Phillip could hear.
“Hello, husband here,” Andreas grunted.
Elaine came in the room. Kari saw Phillip standing outside of the door, smiling but looking toward the stairs so she couldn’t see him blush.
“You look so much better already,” Elaine said, checking her over. “Must be the sex.” She winked.
Kari moaned and put her hands over her face. “Oy. You wolves and the sex comments! It must have been murder as a teenager to have everyone be able to smell if you had sex.”
Jade laughed. “Those girls that my boys used to hang around with couldn’t hide it from me.”
“Girls, huh?”
“Yes, the boys went to school right here in Star Lake. Laurent came to live with us when he was eleven. His mother died and his father was human and thought he’d do better in a Pack. Phillip came a bit later. He was ten, just a year younger than Sean. His mother was my best friend. She mated with a man from a Clan in France. They died in a terrible fire, on a cruise ship of all places.” She looked sad at the memory.
“Anyway, they all dated the little human girls from town. Some of them still live there. In fact, one of Andreas’s old girlfriends owns the grocery store here. We’ll have to take you over there soon. She dumped my boy for some other human. The gall of that girl.”
“Maman, that was twenty-five years ago. I think we can let it go now,” Andreas said, laughing.
“Oh really? Then why does she always give you the eye when you go into the store? I’ve seen it, Andreas. She always tries to rub those gargantuan breasts on you.”
Kari snorted at that.
Andreas just rolled his eyes.
“Kari, your vital signs are great. You’re healthier now than you were when we brought you here on Thursday.”
“Cool. Can I eat solid food now?”
“I don’t see why not. Just keep it simple for tonight. No steak or anything like that. Tomorrow you can have a normal breakfast. I’m going home tonight but if you don’t feel well, don’t hesitate to call. In an emergency, Sean has a medical degree too, and there’s a shifter who’s a doctor in Moses Lake.”
“Is he one of ours? A Cherchez?”
“No, he’s a bear.”
“Huh?” Kari asked.
“There are more than just werewolves, Kari. There are werebears and werecats—which are generally cougars here in the US, but there are werejaguars in South America and weretigers in Africa and Asia.”
“Get out!” Kari said, wide-eyed.
“I’m serious.”
“Do you all hang out together?”
Andreas laughed. “No, not really. In human form we might be in the same restaurant in a city. But just as bears and wolves and cats wouldn’t get along in nature, different species of shapeshifters generally avoid each other.”
“This is so bizarre. I had no idea. How come no one knows?”
“It keeps us alive, Kari. If humans knew they’d want to kill us or experiment on us. Cage us and exploit us. Keeping our existence silent is the safest way to stay alive.”
“Next thing you’ll be telling me that there are vampires and mummies too.”
“Not that I know of.” Andreas shrugged. “But who knows? There could be but they’ve kept quiet like we have. We’ve stayed safe all these generations because we’ve kept to ourselves. If there are vampires, my guess is that they keep quiet out of self-preservation.”
“Okay, okay, enough for one night. I’m starving and Elaine needs to go. Let’s rock.” She went to the open door, winking an eye at Phillip as she walked past.
Anna was pleased to see her up and around and made a big deal of getting her settled at the table. She brought out a big bowl of soup and motioned for Kari to wait. “Let me take a bite of everything first.”
“No. I’m sorry but this isn’t going to play out this way,” Kari told her with a shake of her head.
Andreas looked tired. “Kari, you have to let someone taste your food and drink first. You could be poisoned again.”
“I will not live that way. I will not suspect my Pack like that. It’s disrespectful. And I won’t live in fear. It’s ridiculous and you wouldn’t do it.”
“What I would or wouldn’t do is not at issue,” Andreas said.
“Oh please, can the cavewolf routine. Of course it’s at issue. You wouldn’t do it for exactly the same reasons I won’t. Isn’t that right? And don’t lie.”
He rolled his eyes at her. “It’s my job to protect you and every other member of this Pack. You especially.”
“You are so avoiding the question. G’head, answer it. Or don’t. I know the answer already anyway.” She pulled the soup bowl to her and put a heaping spoonful in her mouth, narrowing an eye at him.
He sighed. “Do you make everything so difficult, Kari? I don’t know if my heart can stand it,” he said.
She snorted. “Yeah, whatever. You want me to go back to Seattle then? I’ll probably be safe outside of the Pack and you can have a nice quiet life with old big boobs at the A&P.”
Jade burst out laughing and Skye and Sean looked at them, puzzled. “Cle
arly we missed something good,” Sean murmured.
Andreas narrowed his eyes back at Kari. A battle of the wills had erupted and he didn’t like it one bit that this tiny scrap of a woman held him by the short hairs. She was right in a sense. One couldn’t live forever in fear. And having a taster would eventually make people feel alienated from their Alpha pair. On the other hand, she was his Mate and he wanted her safe.
“Oh my god, Anna. This cornbread is so good I could eat the whole pan!”
Andreas stifled a groan of annoyance. Hell, Anna ran off to get Kari more food without even looking in Andreas’s direction. His little wolf had won them all over in just a few short days. Well, all but one anyway.
“You’re ignoring your safety,” Andreas urged.
She waved her hand at him dismissively as she cleaned the bowl out. “Look, are we back to that again?”
“We never left—” He was interrupted when Kari turned to Sean and Skye.
“What do you two think?” she asked, gulping half her glass of milk.
“Oh no, thank you. We’ll just watch,” Skye said and Sean nodded.
“Smart boys,” Jade murmured as she watched the interplay between Andreas and Kari.
“Cowards,” Kari muttered and then turned back to Andreas. “I’m not ignoring my safety. I’m very aware of all of the bad things that can happen to me. I’m a woman, I was born aware of all the bad things that could happen to me. But I won’t, will not, give in to this bullshit, petty, cowardly terrorist who tried to poison me. It’s divisive to the Pack. I won’t have it and I’m not going to argue about it any further.”
Sean applauded, smiling at her, and Phillip and Laurent joined him. “She’s right, Andreas. I hate to take sides, I know how worried you must be and so am I. But she’s doing what an Alpha does—putting the Pack first. Let’s make her as safe as we can without giving in. Our Pack is our family. We cannot let this betrayer undermine that.”
“But...”
“No buts, Andreas. She’s right. She’s an Alpha. It’s her job to lead this Pack, be strong for this Pack, every bit as much as it is yours. If she shows distrust to all for the act of one, they’ll feel slighted,” Jade said.
Devon and Perri walked into the room and sat down at the table. “What did we miss?” he asked.
Sean just laughed.
* * *
The next morning Kari decided to call Jack and check in. She rarely went more than a day without talking to him and she missed him. Not wanting to wake Andreas, she eased out of bed and headed to the office. She smiled when she saw the roaring fire already built up in the great room. Gregory and Anna were wonderful that way. She wasn’t sure if the lodge could survive without their care.
Still, she was disappointed when she got Jack’s voice mail. She wanted to share all the excitement of meeting Andreas, even though she’d have to be very circumspect in giving the details. She left a brief message with the phone number for the lodge.
“Hey, little wolf. Where’d you go?” Andreas asked as she tried to sneak back into the room.
“I’m sorry I woke you. I wanted to call my brother.”
He held the blankets back and motioned his head that she get into bed and she obliged, snuggling against the hard heat of his body.
“You didn’t. I woke up while you were gone. Funny how fast I’ve gotten used to you in my bed next to me. How did Jack take the news about us?” He kissed the top of her head.
“I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. He’s out. I left a message.” It still made her sad. Jack was all she had in the world aside from the Pack. She had this great news but couldn’t share it. As it was, she’d have to edit out 90 percent of the story. Loneliness welled up inside her, despite her joy at finding Andreas.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll talk with him soon. So, what’s on the agenda today other than lots of sex?”
“I need to go into Seattle. I haven’t been to work in a week. My apartment has been empty all this time. I need to tie up loose ends.”
“Let’s negotiate. I’ll come with you to your apartment. We’ll give your notice and I’ll help you move anything you wish and bring it back here. In fact, call your boss from here and quit.”
She sat up and leaned against the headboard. “Um, no. How is that negotiation? If I recall correctly, negotiation means each side puts forth a plan and both people give a little to get a little. You just told me what to do. Here’s what I’m going to do. I’ll go back to my apartment and figure out some way of getting out of my last three months of the lease. Then I’ll figure out what to move here and what to get rid of. I’ll probably need to spend the night down there. I’ll meet with my boss face-to-face and work out something that doesn’t leave him in the lurch. I can’t just quit over the phone, Andreas. Jonas gave me a chance when a lot of others wouldn’t even read my résumé. I won’t just abandon him. You can come with me but not into the office when I’m talking to him. I’m an adult woman. I don’t need you there.”
“I thought you’d want me there.” His eyes flashed with hurt and it sliced through her, even though he was being bossy.
She reached out to caress his cheek, smiling softly. “Don’t pout, Andreas. I do want you there for most of it. You can’t get your feelings hurt every time I express my need to be independent. I like working. I like my boss and my job. But I’m quitting and moving up here to be with you. You have to let me deal with my responsibilities in my own way. I’m willing to give, and give a lot. But you can’t have everything your way. Big bad Alpha wolf or not.”
She didn’t miss the twitch of a smile even as he tried to hide it. “All right, I’ll try. What’ll you do with your new company? Right now it’s running itself. Not much is happening but you’ll want to develop your own stuff, won’t you?”
“I’d forgotten that you bought me my own company. I’ll have to look it over. I’d really like to write games. It’s been something that I’ve dabbled in but haven’t been able to do as much as I’ve wanted to.”
“So do it. I’m a very rich man. Well, we’re very rich. You have the time and money to do it, so follow your dreams.”
“I still have to leave my job gracefully. It’s about loyalty. You of all people should be able to understand that.” She moved to stand but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him.
“You’re right. I do. Let’s get ready and get on the road. And by getting ready, I mean let’s have sex,” he said with a grin.
Managing this big man was going to be a full-time job. She laughed as he made quick work of divesting her of her robe. The best job in the world.
* * *
Her apartment seemed so cold and small after being at the lodge. She spoke to her landlord, who was unhappy about releasing her from the lease early, so they decided they’d hold the place for a few months, leaving some of the furniture there so that Pack members could use it if they needed to stay in Seattle.
There were thirty-eight messages on her machine and her mail was being held in the apartment manager’s office. Work had called a few times. Jack had called the day before. And Frank, the man she’d sort of been seeing but had pretty much broken it off with, had called.
Before Andreas could say anything about that, she grabbed the phone, called work and arranged to meet with her boss in an hour. When she turned to go into the bedroom to pack up her clothes, Andreas stood in her way, glowering. “Who is Frank?”
“He’s a man I used to date. I hadn’t gone out with him for a few weeks. Nice enough guy, but not for me.”
“I should say not! I’m for you,” he said arrogantly.
She laughed, patting his arm. “Of course you are, love.”
She went into the bedroom and started packing clothes into the boxes they’d brought with them. Michael had brought a few bits and pieces to the lodge but the bulk of her stuff was still there. Andreas smiled appreciatively as he watched her put her lingerie into a box.
“You have very good taste in underwea
r. Now, what exactly happened with this Frank?”
“Thanks, I love fancy panties. Do you want a detailed sexual history and if so, will you be giving me yours?” she said flippantly, folding things and putting them into boxes.
“Okay, fine.”
“You really want that?”
“Yes.”
She sighed. “Okay, suit yourself. In detail, then. We had sex once, it was okay. His dick was thin. The experience was not very satisfying. I like some girth on a man. He had an okay technique in bed. Seemed to like doing it and put some effort into making me feel good—which is more than I can say for many men. He was totally silent when we fucked, which I found to be unnerving. We broke up because, among other things, he had an odd obsession with porn. Loved it. Had stacks and stacks of it. Just creeped me out that the guy probably had thousands of dollars’ worth of porno.
“Before Frank, back in Atlanta, I went out with Geoff Pierce for two years. The sex was pretty good. We were young but eager to learn and try new things. I broke it off when I moved out here. I have no doubt that he’s married now. He’s that kind of guy, which is lovely but not what I wanted from him.
“Um, before that there were a few guys here and there. I was a virgin until I was nineteen. Matt Smith was my first. A totally mediocre experience. He didn’t seem to know that most women can’t climax during intercourse without some sort of direct clitoral stimulation. In fact, he didn’t make much of an attempt to find out where my clit was, the selfish pig. He was not an oral sex guy. Well, giving anyway, he liked getting. And frankly, I may just be twenty-four and all, but if a man wants you to go downtown, the bus had better travel both ways, if you know what I mean.
“All in all, I’ve had intercourse with four men, including you. Not very exciting or wild. Is that what you wanted?” She turned to him, stifling a smile at his pale face.
“More than I wanted. Thanks for the visuals.”
“You did ask. I tried to stop you. For what it’s worth, I don’t really want your sexual history, unless you’ve had sex with people I know. And then again, maybe not even then,” she said.
The thought of her having a sexual life before him unnerved him to a certain extent. He also knew it would be a good time to tell her about his sexual experience with the other females in the Pack, but the need to have her right that moment pushed all of that out of his head.