Amazon (The Ushers 1) (5 page)

Jack resisted his brother’s attempts to soothe him. “It isn’t some spell cast on me by a seductress, Patrick. She is my
mate.
” He sighed.

“You will find another mate, Jack,” Patrick offered. “Get this out of your head before you do something crazy like Fionn did.”

“I don’t want another mate, Paddy.” He snarled in frustration. He knew he should tell his brother that she was an Usher, but he needed to understand more what that meant. Sadly, his knowledge of the myths and prophesies was limited. He didn’t understand how the white wolf would usher change into their world, and until he did, he couldn’t risk telling his brother more.

“I’ve given you your orders Jack. I expect you to obey me in this, as in all things.” His brother’s voice was stern again.

“Yes, Alpha,” he snarled into the phone.

“Call me tomorrow with an update.” His brother indicated the conversation was over. Then, hesitantly said, “I’m sorry Jack.”

Jack hung up the phone and flung it against the wall. He watched in satisfaction as it shattered. He let back his head and howled, not caring that it might awake others in the building. He let his grief and rage wash through him.

“Trouble, big boy?”
He felt Kathy’s mind touch like champagne bubbles up his nose.

“No,”
he sent back and then pushed back at her, “
Leave me be.”

He felt her retreat, her playful touch disappearing.

He sank down on the bed, thinking about Bianca. His wolf craved her with a need he had never felt before. He knew it was more than just attraction. Patrick was wrong. She was his mate. He pictured the way her pink nipples had looked as she stood naked before him and then kneeling and scratching his ears. His wolf had enjoyed that. She was beautiful in the way that all strange things were beautiful, but more than that, she was lovely, as Sara had called her at the bar. His body ached as he thought of her in Sara’s arms, making love to her. He stirred with both arousal and jealousy at the thought. What if she wouldn’t leave Sara? What if she preferred the company of women in general? How would a guy like him, so very rough around the edges, ever win her over? He felt a twinge of foreboding as he realized his wolf intended to defy the Alpha.

He heard a knock at the door. He sniffed.
Sara.

He opened the door and stared at her. She smiled up at him, both joy and sadness in her eyes. She touched the side of his face with her palm. He saw a deep weariness in her face and wondered how she could seem so youthful and so ancient all at once.

“Wolf,” she acknowledged.

“Raven.”

“Ah, good, so Bianca told you.” She smiled, tilting her head to one side as she pushed past him into the room.

“Yes.” What did she want? He could smell the sweet spicy scent of Bianca and sex all over her, and it was making him hard. His wolf needed his mate. He felt his lips curling in a snarl.

“Bianca and I are no longer lovers, Jack,” Sara explained. “We ended that part of our friendship tonight.” He saw a touch of sorrow in her eyes, and then it cleared.

“Because of me,” he stated.

She nodded, but then shook her head. “Yes, but that’s not why I’m here. I came to offer you some reassurance. Some peace.” She smiled up at him. “I wanted to let you know that you won’t need to defy your Alpha in order to claim your mate. It’s all going to be okay.”

“How do you know?” he breathed, feeling a rush of relief at her words.

“I know things beyond what others can know. I see things, sometimes before they happen.” She shrugged. “It’s how I can let her go to you without sadness. I love her deeply, Jack. She is my companion in far more ways than what we have shared as lovers. But we’re not mates. I don’t get to have a partner in that way; that was the Mother’s gift to your people. You will be to her everything that I can’t, and I’m so happy for her, and for you. Jack, I know you have your doubts, but you are worthy of her. And it takes a great wolf to mate with an Usher—not necessarily the biggest or the baddest or the strongest, but a great brave wolf who understands that sometimes, we can create a future that is stronger than our past.”

“What does that mean?” he asked. “I don’t understand how this Usher-Guide stuff works.”

“As her mate, my Guidance and protection will extend to you. You will be connected to me metaphysically, not unlike a mate or family member, as I am connected to her. She is destined to Usher your kind into a new era. She is the first Usher, and there will be resistance—she’s going to have to defend herself.” Sara frowned and then shrugged, the same odd shrug she’d done at the reception desk when he’d arrived. Jack realized then that her shrug was a nervous tic, something she did when she was upset or frightened. “But you will be by her side, and you’ll protect her. I’ll do my best to protect both of you, though my first allegiance is to her. I don’t know exactly what will happen. When I need to know, I will. My protection, such as it is, isn’t physical. I’m no bodyguard. It’s more metaphysical.”

“I like that you’ll help me keep her safe.” He ran a rough hand across his forehead. “I like you, Sara.” He realized it was true. The animal within him trusted this bird and wanted to be friendly with her.

“I like you, too, Jack. You’ll be a good mate to her.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied with a heavy smile. “It’s all happening quickly now. Things in your life and hers are going to be turned upside down. I’m sorry for that. If I could, I’d spare you the pain. Honestly, I don’t ever wish you harm. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go cuddle your mate while she sleeps.” She winked saucily, and he growled. She laughed at him and turned to leave.

“Good night, Jack.”

“Good night, Sara,” he whispered, watching her disappear down the stairs.

Of all the strange things the day had brought, Sara was the one who puzzled him the most. She seemed all at once sad and amused, ancient and young, familiar yet foreign. He could appreciate her beauty, but her foreignness unnerved him. The human parts of him shuddered at the thought of the secrets she harbored. His wolf accepted her as a friend, an ally, in spite of her relationship with his mate. He decided to trust his wolf in this.

He closed the door and turned to his own bed. He removed his jeans and tucked himself into the frilly pink bedding. He was hard as a rock, his thoughts on Bianca. Having acknowledged that she would be his mate, his thoughts turned to claiming her. He reached down and took himself in hand. He felt his flesh leap as his fantasy drew upon his memory of her naked body. So beautiful and pale, her elegant white tattoos curling across her back to dip around her collarbones and down her breasts, much as his marked his own. He imagined how she’d feel underneath him—he would take her from behind, so he could mark the back of her neck. His fantasy forming in his mind, he felt his own longing and lust surging within him. He imagined the embrace of her body, her sweet feminine heat. She’d be tight around him, gripping him like a fist. He felt a trickle of fluid oozing from the tip of his cock, and he swept his thumb over it, slicking it over the bulbous head. He imagined her abandoning herself to their mating instinct, urging his wolf to mark her. And as she approached climax, he’d lean forward and bite, hard enough to break the skin and mark her, his teeth leaving the most sacred tattoo of all there at the back of her neck. A mate’s mark would heal but never fade. His mark would push her over the edge, and her shuddering fulfillment would bring him along. As the images filled his mind, he felt his balls tighten and pull up close to his body. He thrust against his hand a few more times before his orgasm leapt through him, a guttural groan tearing from his lips as the viscous white liquid spurted from his body in an arc, landing on his chest. Spent, he got up, grabbed a towel from the bathroom, and wiped himself clean before climbing back into the bed and falling into dreams of a snowy wolf.

J
ACK
A
WOKE
T
O
T
HE
S
MELLS
of bacon and coffee, his stomach rumbling. He heard the sounds of other guests moving about the building. He wondered if Bianca was still there. The thought of her was all it took to get him out of bed. He showered quickly and got dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, feeling oddly peaceful as he went about his morning routine, like the future was taken care of, thanks to Sara’s reassurance that it would be okay. He found himself in a funny spot, one where he was taking what would happen with Bianca on a matter of faith. Because he needed her. He stroked a hand across his stubbled chin, considered shaving, but decided to leave it be, hoping Bianca liked beards.

Locking up his room, he went downstairs to the dining room. A few of the other guests, mostly couples, were sitting about in the various common areas, drinking coffee and chatting. He glanced around, looking for a sign of her. He sniffed the air, but the smells of food were masking other smells. He poured himself a cup of coffee and stepped out on the front porch for a better scent. He breathed in deeply. He could smell her wolf—she was nearby. He sat down on the steps and waited.

“Good morning.”

He heard her voice behind him and turned.

“Hi.” He stood, looking at her, taking in the sight of her.

Her eyes were rimmed in red. She’d been crying. He stepped toward her and cupped her cheek with his hand, offering her what tactile comfort he could. She sniffed a little, and he watched a tear fall from her eyes and splash on the ground between them. His wolf was agitated seeing her distress. He thought back to Sara’s words of warning last night, that he and Bianca would both face personal upheaval.

“I’m sorry. My being here is trouble for you.” He scrubbed a hand across his face. “No, I’m not sorry. I’m glad I came here. But it hurts me to see you hurting.”

“I know, Jack.” She smiled up at him through her tears. “Why don’t we share that cup of coffee you’ve got there and talk about it?”

“I’d like that.” He handed over the cup. “We haven’t said the word out loud. Not to each other.”

“Mate?” she replied with a wry smile over the cup.

“Yeah.” He didn’t smile back. “It’s kind of a big deal, isn’t it?”

“Well, if you haven’t noticed,
I’m
kind of a big deal.” There was no arrogance to her voice, just a simple resignation.

“I noticed.”

“I guess you did.” She handed the cup back to him, her fingers lightly brushing his, sending a whisper of warmth up his spine.

“Is it a problem, for you to be here, at the inn?”

“You mean because I’m no longer fucking the manager?” She laughed, the bitterness of her laughter belying the deliberate crudeness of her words. “No, it’s not a problem. I’ve lived here with Sara for five years, and she’s my best friend. She’s hardly going to kick me out of her life because I’m not sleeping with her. She’s not like that.”

“Well, I guess I did mean something like that, as callous as it sounds, but I didn’t think she was like that. Where are you going to live now?” he asked.

A very animal part of him wanted to drag her upstairs to the pink gingham room and mark her and then drag her back to Maryland with him forever and not look back, yet he knew that was an impossibility. He would not claim her until he found a way to do so without disobeying his Alpha—Jack was a veteran, trained by the US Navy, and a badass Were to boot. Patrick wouldn’t stand a chance, and he couldn’t kill his brother. He gestured for her to sit and then joined her on the steps.

“I’ll go to my Alpha. I’ll stay at the compound—there is always a place for me there.”

“Tell me about her.” He genuinely wanted to know about this woman who was Alpha of a pack of females.

“Monica was the mate of an Alpha wolf out west somewhere, a long time ago. Longer than you or I have been alive. He was killed, and his brother ascended. She was ghost-wolf—can you imagine how powerful she must have been for the mate bond not to take her when her mate, her Alpha, was killed? Sara came to her and told her to come east, that when her wolf returned from its spirit walk, she would know her true path. Since then, she has taken in all ghost-wolves who come to her. We provide protection while they mourn their mates until their wolves return—you’ve met Ellen, so you understand. We also take in wolves like myself or Kathy, who would have been killed or ostracized if born to another pack.” Here, Bianca took a long deep breath, as if deciding whether or not to continue.

“Sara came to my mother when she was pregnant, told her I was an albino, and urged her to come to Monica. She did, and in Monica’s pack, I’m treated no differently than any other wolf. I’ve risen in the ranks by virtue of my size, strength, and abilities, and the color of my fur doesn’t hinder me. Monica is efficient and practical, and intolerance is not accepted among Amazons. She has given me leave to deal with my detractors as I see fit. I’ve been challenged—a lot. I’ve been blooded a few times, but I’ve never lost a fight.”

Jack considered her words. She’d killed other wolves. So had he, for that matter. It was part of pack dynamics, and you didn’t rise to the top without taking your hits. He had always separated himself into his military mode when fighting, but she was different—he sensed a street-fighter hovering beneath her surface. He didn’t know whether that turned him on or scared the hell out of him.

“How old is Monica?” he asked. “And is the pack all females?”

“Hard to say. You know how looks can be deceiving. I believe she’s about two hundred years old. And no, there are males in the pack, as well, but many more women than men, as men are the ones more likely to be killed young and leave behind a strong mate.”

“And Sara?” he asked. “How old is she?”

“Sara is timeless. I’ve asked—Goddess, probably a thousand times—I’ve asked how old she is, and she just shrugs and says that it doesn’t matter. But I’ve known her my whole life, and she’s always looked just exactly the same. Sometimes, she disappears for years at a time, but she always comes back to me.” He saw a sad smile flicker across Bianca’s face.

“Tell me,” Jack said.

“She was this wonderful friend when I was a little girl. I could say anything to her, tell her anything—my hopes, my fears, everything. I can hear her, like pack-mates sort of, and sometimes see things the way she does, if she projects a vision to me. As I got older, we became even closer. Goddess, Jack, she was so lonely before I was born. I’m the purpose for her life, and until I was born, she had no one with whom she could share her thoughts. Birds are not like Pack, not at all. She can’t even share her thoughts with her family.”

“Goddess, Bianca.” He felt Sara’s loneliness as though it were his own, shuddering under the weight of it.

“I know, right?” She looked at him, her eyes softening at the agony of compassion on his face. “We’re blessed beyond reason to be wolf, to be able to feel the pack in our souls; we’re truly never alone, not like she was.” She smiled. “I’m fifty years old now. About ten years ago, Sara left for a few years. She does that sometimes, says she needs time to be with her family; she has a brother and a sister who have their own tasks. When she came back, it was like this grand epic thing, having her near enough to touch thoughts again. We became almost love-drunk with our connection to each other.”

“And that’s how you became lovers?” he asked, feeling a twinge of jealousy at the closeness the women shared.

“Yes. She’s always told me that my mate would come to me someday. I shrugged it off, thinking it an eventuality. You know, fifty is still pretty young for a wolf. And then…”

“I arrived. At Sara’s inn.” He finished the sentence for her. “Did she know who I was immediately?”

“She’s known who you are since before you were born—she realized when she saw your name on your credit card that you were one of ‘those’ Murphys.”

“Goddamn.” His heart went out to Sara. Her life seemed so lonely, and he’d arrived yesterday and made it more so. “Do you resent me?” he asked, looking into Bianca’s pale eyes.

“No. How could I? I don’t love you yet, Jack. But I hope I will, eventually. My wolf wants you. She’s preening like mad just being close to you.”

“I can sense her, a little bit.” He smirked. “It’s easier to sense her now that I’ve seen you as wolf. My wolf is strutting, too.”

“Ha! We have more in common than I would have guessed. Look, I’d really like to get to know you a little today, okay? We have Pack business to do. We can keep ourselves occupied by taking care of that, and hopefully, our wolves will behave.”

“My Alpha has forbidden me to claim you,” he confessed, brushing a lock of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. Her hair was so soft against his skin, it felt almost ephemeral.

“I know. Sara told me.” She shrugged and then met his eyes. “Lust aside, Jack, I don’t feel that I’m ready to be claimed. Sara says you’re my mate. My wolf believes it. But I’m a woman, too. I want it to be a choice. And Sara assures me that you’ll be free to claim me when it is time.”

“How?” he asked, frustrated. “And how will we know it’s time?”

“I don’t know, exactly. She tries not to tell me too much about the future, and I don’t intrude on that part of her mind. But Sara is never wrong about these things. She seems to think by the end of the day, we’ll be crazy about one another.”

“Bianca, I want you,” he said, his brown eyes darkening with desire. “I don’t know when I’ve wanted a woman like this before.” He set down the coffee cup, took her hand in his, and held it to the aching part of his anatomy.

Bianca inhaled sharply as her hand explored the heat and hardness at the front of his jeans. Her head tipped back, and her eyes closed as she imagined how he would feel inside her. She felt a rush of moisture between her legs and made an inarticulate sound of desire and frustration. He would smell it, know she wanted him, too.

“Ahh, goddess, Jack.” She pulled her hand away, reaching up to stroke his stubbled face. “I can’t concentrate when you do things like that.”

“Good.” He framed her face with his hands, taking her lips with his own.

She leaned into his kiss. He was intoxicating. As a woman who had spent much of her life around other women, she found his sheer maleness overwhelming. He made no apologies for his lust, only demands that she requite it. He nipped at her lips, a low almost-growl coming from his throat. She’d never felt anything quite as intense, short of an orgasm, as the waves of need emanating from him, wrapping around her and drawing her into him. She opened to his explorations, feeling a tug on the hair at the back of her head sending another rush of heat through her body.

“Jack…Jack!” she said against his lips, pushing at his chest. He pulled back and grinned at the rush of pink into her face as she blushed. “Not here, okay?” She glanced around them at the public setting.

“Here, there, anywhere. You want me as much as I want you. And it’s not just our wolves,” he said through an uneven breath, all cocky, alpha-male attitude.

“Maybe so. But I’m more than my hormones, mate, and I suspect you are, too. This is Sara’s home, and she deserves better than this. Besides, we have work to do. Let’s go inside and have some breakfast.” She stood, brushing off her jeans with her hands, and then reached a hand out to help him up.

They made their way into the dining room, where the other guests were settling in at the table. Breakfast was bacon and eggs, blueberry waffles, and a grilled sausage with plenty of sage, just the way she liked it. He piled his plate high, and she did the same. Shifting to run as they had the night before used a lot of energy. She tucked into her breakfast with enthusiasm, happy to see him do the same.

“The cook here makes the best homemade sausage. Sara found her about a year ago, and the food has been amazing ever since. She’s an Amazon. Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to meet her.”

They made small talk with the other guests around them, and Bianca learned that Jack lived in Maryland, just outside Annapolis. He talked with affection of the Chesapeake Bay and growing up with three brothers. He was closest to Ted, but Paddy was the head of the family. A light nod in her direction confirmed her guess that Paddy was Alpha of their pack. The baby of the family was Fionn, the ladies’ man.

“Are they all handsome as sin, or is that just you?” Bianca teased.

“Ha! Um, thank you. I’ve never thought of myself as handsome, but I like that you do.” His eyes smoldered as he looked at her. “Patrick is kinda short—” he leaned in to qualify the words in a voice too low for human ears “—for a wolf, but the ladies don’t seem to mind. Teddy and I look like twins, and Fionn looks like he should be in magazines.”

“No sisters, then?” she asked.

“No, our line is almost exclusively male. There was an aunt a few generations back.” He shrugged. “But no girls since then, except…” Jack’s voice trailed off, and he shook his head, indicating that something he had to say wasn’t fit for mixed company.

“Speaking of sisters, tell me about Kathy.”

“Ah, Kathy.” She grinned. “She’s something else. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. You know she’s so tiny and cute, everyone just loves her, and she is not above using that to her advantage.”

“Heh, I noticed.” He grinned.

“People tend to overlook her because of her size, and she has learned to capitalize on that mistake, as well. When she wants your attention, she’ll have it. The rest of the time, she’s like a fly on the wall. It makes her an invaluable part of my team.” She thought about her petite red-headed friend. Kathy had joined the pack a few years back. Her airtight control over her mental energies had made her something of a mystery to the other wolves, but she’d earned her place in Amazon over the last years.

“I can see how someone with her skills would be useful. Interesting. Someone like her would never have had that type of opportunity within my organization.” His choice of words made it sound like they were talking about business colleagues, which she supposed was true enough, and she smiled at how easily he made Pack life sound so normal.