For Life (18 page)

Josie recognized Bob Abbey instantly, having dealt with him a time or two since moving to the mountains. The slender male, with his crew cut and several noticeable scars on his face, moved with the typical smell of an aggressive pack leader.

“What the fuck are you doing in my pack?” he snarled, walking straight up to Josie and then stabbing his finger into Josie’s chest. “And with one of my bitches too. This better be real damned good.”

Josie focused on Bob Abbey’s thoughts more than his words. It surprised him that Bob wished Josie would have hauled ass just a little bit faster so they wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.

“You didn’t refer to her as one of your mated bitches,” Josie said, ignoring the finger stabbing him in the chest and keeping his voice quiet enough that the two males lingering by their cars would really have to strain to overhear him.

“And you aren’t answering my question.” Bob wasn’t scared of Josie. If anything, he thought Josie smelled a bit on the cocky side and might need to be knocked down a bit so he would learn to show some respect. “You’ve got two seconds to make me believe there’s a damn good reason why you’re here on my streets with Maura.

Otherwise, I’m personally hauling you out of here.”

“You don’t have to haul me. I’ll go with you.” Josie listened when Bob’s thoughts came to a standstill as shock from Josie’s words hit. One on one, without using the gift, Bob could possibly make him sweat. “The honorable thing to do is talk to you anyway.

Do you want me to ride with you? Or follow you?”

Bob didn’t think before acting. Fortunately, Josie half expected the pack leader to make a show of putting him in his place. Bob attacked with his fist, aiming straight for Josie’s nose. Even ducking as quickly as he did, Bob still made contact, his knuckles brushing the side of Josie’s head. It could have been a deadly blow.

Bob glared at him when his fist didn’t connect where he’d planned. Maura jumped out of the car, her scent hitting him at the same moment that Bob looked past him.

“Don’t hurt him!” Maura screamed and ran toward Josie.

He would have been flattered, if there was a chance in hell that Bob Abbey actually could hurt him.

“Little bitch,” he growled when she reached his side and grabbed his arm. “What are you trying to do?”

90

For Life

Bob doesn
’
t even care what I want
.
Her pain over her pack’s indifference stabbed at his heart.
All this time I thought he was a friend
.
But no
!
I bet he knows Pete is dead
.
The only
reason he
’
s attacking you is so that he looks good in front of Steve and Willie
.
For Maura, he would make this a quick exit. But also for her, he would take the time to speak with her pack leader before leaving.

Bob ignored Maura, and her hands wrapped around his arm. Seeing her snuggled into Josie’s coat with his scent smothering her pissed Bob off more than hearing a Malta werewolf drove through his pack with one of their bitches.

What the hell do these bitches see in these Malta males
?
She
’
s fucking mated with the
pompous jerk. Like that coat she
’
s drowning in could hide his sex dripping out of her
.
He won
’
t
even deny killing Pete Wagner
.
I can
’
t have these werewolves pushing us around like this
. His thoughts poured out of him with so much spiciness it was worse than if someone had spilled hot pepper all over the place.

“Your time is up.” Bob glared at Josie. “Explain to me right now what the fuck is going on. And don’t you dare leave out one little detail.”

“Bob Abbey, pack leader of the
lunewulfs
, honor the traditions of all werewolves and I will offer every detail that brings us to this moment.” Josie straightened as he spoke, clearing his thoughts so his scent wouldn’t be readable. Keeping his facial expression in check also made it harder to sniff out his intentions.

Bob straightened as well, although at full height he was still several inches shorter than Josie. “If you wished to honor any tradition, I wouldn’t have had to make members of my pack stop the two of you in the middle of the road.”

“Honor will be kept intact here. Would you have me discuss this matter with you in the middle of your street?”

“By all means,” Bob growled, waving his arm to the side of the road.

Josie lowered his head, a silent nod, which Bob interpreted as him showing

submission. Like that would ever happen. Bob walked over to where he had parked his truck alongside the road and stepped onto the shoveled sidewalk. Josie knew this pack hadn’t been here more than five years or so. Must be nice as fucking hell for Werewolf Affairs to fund their pack with enough money to have such nice roads and landscaping.

Josie walked around the front of Bob’s truck, aware of the two other
lunewulf
males moving in on either side of him. Like any attack would occur with Maura clinging to his arm. Her nervousness aggravated him and he glanced down into her concerned blue eyes.

He isn
’
t going to let me leave with you
. She almost moved her lips when she thought her worries to him.

Josie squeezed her hand. “Everything will be okay. I promise you that.” For a moment he wasn’t able to hide the overwhelming surge of happiness that attacked him.

Maura was afraid that Bob would prevent her from being with Josie. She wanted him. No bitch had ever gotten under his skin so damned quickly. Once they were out of here, he would give her the time she needed to think. He would need that time too.

91

Lorie O’Clare

Soon he would figure out why he knew beyond any doubt that this bitch would be by his side—forever. And when he did, he would share his thoughts with her, even if it killed him. Maura deserved that.

“How long have you two been seeing each other?” Bob demanded, scowling at the intimate way Maura held on to him.

“The first time I met him was when I ran with Heidi.” Maura straightened, giving Bob her full attention. “But I honored my mating, Bob. You know that I did. Not once did I ever cheat on Pete. And you and everyone else in this pack knew he was cheating on me so bad the stench was unbearable.”

“You honored your mating?” Bob questioned. “Look at you two. You’ve mated

with this Malta werewolf while the stench of your dead mate fills your den. I sure as hell haven’t seen him in this pack before. Explain this to me.”

“Maura speaks the truth. She was in our territory yesterday after her mate dumped her off on the side of the highway.”

“What?” Bob hissed.

“She slept in a cave and I found her yesterday morning. Since then she’s been with me. After speaking with Maura and confirming this is what she wants as well, I approach you now for your blessing with this mating.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Bob ran his hand over his closely trimmed hair and blew out a breath of exasperation. “Explain to me how Pete was killed in his den.”

“His neck was broken.” Josie figured that much was obvious.

Bob glared at him.
I should let her go and wash my hands of this mess
. “Do you admit that you killed a member of my pack?”

“I promised Maura widow status. She deserved that much after what she had been put through.”

“The law does not lie in your paws!” Bob turned to see where the two males stood, watching and listening on either end of his truck. “The Wagner den has right to retribution. You speak of honor and tradition. Now you will uphold what is their right.

You’ve killed in cold blood without a challenge, werewolf. They now have a right to draw first blood.”

“Oh God,” Maura sighed.

“I will stand before them.”

Maura let go of his arm, turning to face him, looking more stunned than Bob. She swatted her hair from her face, her expression flushed with emotions. “Josie. No. Pete had three male littermates. They all live here. You can’t.”

Bob studied the intimate level of concern Maura showed for Josie.
There will be no
out for the Malta werewolves on this one
.
If he refuses
,
he admittedly shows no honor
.
The
Wagner den will rip him to shreds
.
Finally the Malta pack will be put in their place
.
And about
time too
.
These males strolling in here and walking off with our bitches is going to stop
.
His misled satisfaction didn’t show in his concerned expression.

92

For Life

“I’ll notify the Wagner den that you acknowledge killing their littermate.” Bob nodded, rising up on his heels while fisting his hands against his hips. He looked very satisfied, thinking his troubles would soon be over. “Our laws and traditions state that the den has the right to draw first blood to satisfy the death of one of their own.”

“We follow the same laws and traditions,” Josie growled. It was only due to the male’s rank that he didn’t say a few other things that came to mind. Like the asshole got what was his for the many times he brutalized Maura. Where was her den? Did they have a right to first blood? And since she had no den, did that make her fair play as a punching bag?

“How can you talk so nonchalantly about something so bloody and violent?”

Maura glared at him, then turned her back and frowned at Bob. “All three males have the right to first blood against Josie? What? Is he supposed to stand there with his tail between his legs and let them attack?”

“That is the law,” Bob said, nodding.

“They’ll kill him!”

“The laws of our kind have existed for hundreds and hundreds of years for good reason.” Turning her until she faced him, Josie stared into her fiery blue eyes. “They work and we will continue to follow them.”

“I don’t believe this.” She threw her hands up in the air and his oversized coat slid down her shoulders when she lowered her arms. Catching it before it slipped to the ground, she quickly wrapped it around her as she stared at him, willing him to hear her thoughts and reconsider what he was about to do.
Isn
’
t there something you can do
?
Use
your powers
,
damn it
.
Josie
—
don
’
t leave me
,
please
.

“At least the Malta werewolf and I agree that our laws are effective.” Bob still sounded quite satisfied with the direction all of this headed. His happiness mixed with her spicy outrage, creating an odd array of smells around them. “At midnight tonight, you will meet in our ceremony park. Maura knows how to get there.”

Josie tilted his head, thinking the pack leader overlooked one issue in his excitement over first blood. “I intended to speak with you today,” he began quietly, allowing Bob the moment to remember what it was he overlooked.

Bob looked at him, shifted his gaze quickly to Maura, then returned his attention back to Josie.

“And as I’ve mentioned already,” Josie continued, “I want your blessing, for Maura’s sake, for our mating.”

Bob shook his head. “Go with your damned blessing. Just be at the ceremony park at midnight. You wanted Maura to have her widow status. Now you can give it to her personally.”

Bob walked over to his truck and Josie took Maura’s shoulder, guiding her to his car. He anticipated an escort to the edge of the
lunewulf
territory, and that was exactly what they got.

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Lorie O’Clare

“Tell me you aren’t going to spill blood like some righteous martyr? Absolutely none of that made any sense back there. And you really don’t strike me as the type to play willing victim.”

“I can’t promise no blood will be spilled.” They headed up the mountain, entering into Malta territory. His cell phone buzzed for the hundredth time. Without even bothering to check the number, he sent it to voicemail. He half expected a full army to be waiting for him, claws bared, when they got to his den. “But I’m pretty sure I won’t die tonight.”

“You’re going to use your gift to make sure they can’t hurt you?” She sounded hopeful.

“I use my gift just like you use your nose to breathe or your ears to hear.” He sighed, trying to find a satisfactory way to explain how the gift worked for him. “It’s always part of me. And it’s always in use. Possibly the better question would be if I’m going to control the gift tonight.”

Josie slowed when they reached the road leading up to his den. It was still daylight and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, which would keep it bright out longer. Maura would stand out, a
lunewulf
among Malta werewolves. One hot, sexy fucking
lunewulf
.

Already, as they took the curves in the road at about five miles an hour, he sensed the pack talking about the bitch who was seen with him in Valle earlier. The whispered thoughts crept along with the breeze, seeping into his brain.

It wasn’t always easy to distinguish whose thoughts he heard, especially when he didn’t see anyone around. As they drove by, werewolves in their dens pondered everything from what they should have for dinner to whether they should take a run or stay home and try to get laid.

“Okay. Are you going to control your gift tonight?” She studied his face, her thoughts not even heading in the direction of trying to understand how he did what he did. “Do you know what’s going to happen tonight?”

“You’re something else. You know that?” He stroked the side of her chin, then ran her hair over his fingers. “Thank you for not asking me to explain the gift. It would be like trying to tell someone what a rose smells like when they have no sense of smell.

And no. I don’t know what is going to happen tonight.”

Thoughts from his pack members grew stronger. He and Maura were the topic of discussion for several werewolves who stood outside one of the dens as they drove by.

He listened to their thoughts and wished he could hear what they said.

“I’m sure you could predict what will happen.” She pouted, making his dick hard.