Bonded (12 page)

A pleased rumble
rose from his chest and he rolled onto his back taking her with
him, enjoying the feel of her blanketing his body. Tangling his
fingers in her hair, he raised her head to kiss her and she
responded with enthusiasm, gripping his shoulders, then caressing
his chest. His groin stirred to life as she wiggled on top of him
and then worked her hands beneath the waistband of his boxers. He
found the hem of the t-shirt she was sleeping in and slipped his
hand underneath.

The need to
connect with someone—with her—surged within him. She felt so soft
and warm while inside he was cold and empty. Lately it had been
like he was only half alive, as if something vital was missing and
now, with her in his arms, the lifelessness was fading.

He ran his hands
up and down her back, relearning the feel of her, the curve of her
hips, the sweetness of her breasts. She straddled his thighs,
pleasuring him with her hand while he kneaded her soft buttocks. It
felt so good...

Like an inferno, a
sudden frantic need seemed to burst to life inside both of them.
Clothing was pushed aside and a frenzied coupling began. It was
wild and fast and unrestrained. Flesh hitting against flesh,
panting breaths, moans of delight. Tension coiled low in his belly
then her body clamped down hard around him. Her cries of ecstasy
sent him over the edge and he gripped her hips tightly, thrusting
hard and deep before spilling his seed with a groan of
pleasure.

When he came back
to himself, she was sprawled on top of him, her hair spilling over
his chest, her legs entangled with his. The contrast between her
creamy skin and his darker tan seemed incredibly erotic and
unexpectedly he felt himself hardening yet again.

“Hey,” he
whispered.

“Hey yourself.”
Brandi lifted her head up to look at him with a glowing expression,
curls damply clinging to her face. “That’s quite the way you have
of starting the day.” A smile played over her lips as she gently
traced the bridge of his nose with her finger tip.

“Yeah, well I’d
hate to be boring and just say good morning like everyone else.” He
quirked a smile at her, all the animosity of their last meeting
having faded away. Instead a cocoon of comfort had wrapped itself
around him. Lightly he ran his hands up and down her back, enjoying
the feel of her warm silky skin.

“I’ve never
associated the word boring with you.” She pressed a kiss to the
corner of his mouth, then studied him with concerned eyes. “How are
you doing this morning?”

For a moment he
was lost in the green depths, then the question brought the
previous day’s events slamming home to him and he felt a heavy
sadness settle on him, erasing the delightfully sated feeling
brought on by the morning’s activities. He sighed heavily and ran a
hand through his hair. “Fine. I’ll be fine.”

She watched him
for a minute while making idle patterns on his collar bone. He
sensed her waiting for him to expand on his statement, but wouldn’t
give in to her silent expectations. Sharing his feelings wasn’t
something he did easily and he’d exposed himself more than enough
last night. Finally she nodded and sat up, sliding off him.

“Good.” Her
clipped tone let him know she was hurt by the way he’d suddenly
shut her out. For a moment he considered telling her his emotions
were still raw at the memory of what had happened. That he still
blamed himself. That the mother’s words still echoed in his ears.
He even opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. He was an Enforcer.
Enforcers couldn’t afford to have feelings or show weakness.

Looking around she
found her t-shirt and slipped it on. “Do you mind if I shower
first? I have to get to work.”

“Work?”

“Yeah. Not only do
we have to explain why three families suddenly decided to move from
the area without a word to anyone, but we now have several deaths
to explain.” She pulled her hair back from her face and frowned.
“Perhaps we can say the three families moved to start a joint
business venture—”

“Two. Not three
families. Two. I missed one, remember.” He pointed the fact out,
bitterness rising inside him.

“Well, it’s three
now. The remaining members of the third family will be secretly
airlifted out so no one will know they didn’t leave together. I’ve
already fabricated a story to explain the death of the Alpha. A
rumour will be spread that it was a chainsaw accident. He was
clearing trees in his woodlot and his family is having a private
funeral out of state. Closed casket.”

“And the dead
father and injured boy?”

Brandi shook her
head, her brow furrowed as she became lost in the intricate web of
lies she was spinning. “No. They won’t be mentioned. We’ll let
people assume—”

“What do you mean,
they won’t be mentioned? They’re more important than that bastard
of an Alpha!” He sat up and stared at her, uncaring that the
blankets had fallen from his hips. The heat that had hardened his
body just moments ago had been replaced by ice water as he listened
to her callous words.

“They’ll be in our
official report to Lycan Link, but to the human world, they’ll have
just moved away.”

The story soured
his stomach. That a murder and the assault of an innocent child
could be swept under the carpet as if it had never happened was
wrong and he said so.

“So the local
human population will never know what a bunch of bas—”

She cut him off.
“That’s right. They’ll never know. That’s how it’s done, how it’s
always been done. You know that as well as I do, Reno.”

He climbed out of
bed and pulled on his shorts. The topic of conversation had ruined
the sense of intimacy between them. “It still sucks. These
weres—the ones that stood by and did nothing—will continue to live
in the community and their neighbours will never know what scum
they are.”

Brandi sighed and
tried to explain again. “This is the best way to handle the
situation, Reno. Mentioning the father’s death and that a child was
injured brings too much publicity. When an adult dies, it can be
passed off any number of ways, but when a child’s involved, people
start to ask questions, and we can’t let that happen. Lycan Link
will be apprised of the situation and the remaining pack members
will be dealt with appropriately according to our laws. I shouldn’t
have to tell you that.”

By now she was
standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. Vaguely he
noted how cute she looked with tousled ringlets cascading around
her face and the short t-shirt she wore exposing her legs, but the
issue between them cancelled out any appreciation he might have had
for the sight.

Instead, some
devil inside—his own guilt perhaps—pushed him to keep questioning
her, arguing with her reasoning. He knew she was right, but at that
moment he couldn’t let the matter go. In the end, he stormed out of
the room cursing DCs and went in search of Damien.

Chapter 7

A month later,
Brandi sat in her small apartment, her arms wrapped around her
knees, rocking back and forth. Tears streamed down her face,
punctuated by the occasional hiccup. Oh God, this couldn’t be
happening, there had to be some mistake. There was no way she and
Reno had made a...

She couldn’t even
get the words to form in her mind, let alone say them out loud, yet
all the evidence pointed that way. The emotional roller coaster she
was on, the trouble she had sleeping. Her stomach clenched again
and she fought against being sick but it was a losing battle.

Racing to the
bathroom, she heaved into the toilet, the meagre contents of her
stomach exiting in a disgusting swill. By the time the ordeal was
finished, her limbs were shaking and her skin felt clammy. She
flushed away the evidence then stumbled to the sink to wipe her
face and rinse her mouth of the foul acidic taste. Damn. Why did
her stomach have to be her weak spot? Whether she was excited,
nervous or scared, the pernickety organ made itself known, usually
in a most inelegant way.

Leaning against
the wall, she slid down to the floor, allowing the coolness of the
tile to creep into her. The stark whiteness of the room was somehow
soothing and the forest green towels lulled her with the impression
of nature. Eventually, her breathing slowed and the clammy feeling
was replaced by a more normal temperature.

When she was sure
the risk of being ill had passed, she made her way back to the
living room. The springs of her cheap sofa creaked softly as she
sank down onto the cushioned surface, reminding her that her rookie
wages didn’t allow for luxuries yet. Just a few weeks ago, she’d
bemoaned having to budget but what did that matter in the face of a
situation such as this?

Pulling her legs
up, she returned to the comforting fetal position she’d assumed
soon after arriving home from the clinic, and continued to ponder
her fate.

At first, she
hadn’t been able to figure out what was wrong. The stress of exams
and a new job had possibly thrown her off-kilter, but after several
months, that explanation had worn itself out. And now... Well, the
evidence was right there in front of her.

She flicked
another glance at the paper on the table. It was crumpled and
partially stained on one side—evidence that in a fit of panic she’d
thrown it in the garbage and pushed the container into a corner.
However, after circling her small apartment several times, logic
had prevailed and she’d fished the page back out of the trash. It
was childish to think that not looking at the evidence would solve
the problem. What was done was done and she had to face up to
it.

The blood test was
positive. At her insistence, the Lycan Link doctor had double
checked the results. There’d been no mistake, no lab error.
Thankfully, he was bound to keep the information confidential; it
wasn’t the sort of news she wanted spread around. Wouldn’t the
office gossips have a field day if they ever found out?

She could just
picture how everyone would huddle around the photocopier,
whispering about the juicy tidbit of news. And then they’d scurry
off to tell someone else, spreading the sordid tale like an
insidious plague until every employee at Lycan Link knew what had
happened. People would stop and stare at her as she walked down the
halls, each one wondering what Reno had seen in her, how he’d
react, and who would be brave enough to tell him.

And what
would
Reno do when the news finally reached him? What would
he say? Would he hate her? Fly into a rage? Think she’d tried to
trap him? The idea of facing his anger had her curling into an even
tighter ball, fear spiking her nerve ends into
hyper-sensitivity.

She rubbed her
temples and tried to stay calm. Maybe he’d be pleased. You never
know, there was always a chance his reaction might not be negative.
The corners of her mouth curved into a small smile at the idea of
Reno looking at her with the light of happiness shining in his
eyes. He’d suddenly realize this was what he’d wanted all along and
sweep her into his arms...

Brandi snorted.
Was her brain completely fried? There was no evidence to support
such an idea. The chance of Reno being happy about this turn of
events was negligible. He was a career Enforcer after all. No ties,
no pack. There was no room for her in his life.

She took a deep
breath and blew it out slowly. Okay, he might not be happy but,
what if by some miracle, the news didn’t horrify him? How did she
feel about it? Did she really want to be joined to him like this
for the rest of her life?

By his own
admission he was a potential rogue and for all that she might scoff
at the whole ‘rogue mystique’ there was more than a grain of truth
to it. True rogues didn’t form lasting bonds. They didn’t integrate
with a pack. They were loners who clung to the edges of society
more comfortable in their wolf skin than their human. And rogues
could be extremely unpredictable and dangerous. She’d read about
that and viewed the evidence with her own eyes when she’d toured
Langstaff. The damage Reno had inflicted there had made her
shudder. Mind you, there’d been good cause but still...

The kettle she’d
put on earlier started to whistle and she got up and made herself
some tea, hoping the soothing beverage would help. Cradling the cup
in her hand, she wandered to the window and stared out at the
gloomy day. Everything was grey and dull and muddy. The streets
were empty, many of the shops already closed for the day. There
were no people to watch, nothing to distract her from her problems
or perk up her spirits. With a sigh, she turned away from the
depressing scene and stared around the empty apartment. If only she
had a roommate to talk to.

No sooner had she
completed the thought, than an idea popped into her head and she
hurried over to the phone. Tabi! They hadn’t talked in months, but
she’d been there when this whole mess with Reno had started so
maybe...

Impatiently she
listened to the phone ringing and gave a sigh of relief when
someone picked up.

“Hello?”

“Tabi? It’s
Brandi.” She tried to sound normal, to keep the worry from her
voice. Small talk first and then she’d broach the subject.

“Oh, hi! I was
going to call you this weekend but here you are!”

Brandi found
herself smiling as the other girl’s bubbly nature came through in
her words. “Well, I—” She didn’t get to say anymore though as Tabi
kept right on talking.

“You’ll never
guess what happened! You know how I got a job at one of Lycan
Link’s outposts? Well, first of all it’s so dull here; the only
excitement is watching the corn grow. And their computer system is
totally ancient. I couldn’t believe it the first day I walked in
but I guess that’s why they needed me here. Anyway, I’ve been
working all this overtime with this other guy named Finn. He’s such
a nerd but...”