Loki's Game (11 page)

Lily didn’t realize she was being steered away from the dance floor until her back hit the wall and Loren’s roaming hands squeezed the globes of her ass. Despite his wiry frame, he was much stronger than she thought. His mouth covered hers, sucking the breath from her as he suckled at her tongue. His whole body pressed against hers, and when she felt the hard ridge of his arousal press into her belly, warning bells went off. She pushed him back enough to break contact between their mouths.

“Loren, wait…” she gasped, but the catlike smile on his face told her he wasn’t finished.

“Too soon?” he asked.

“Too fast,” she replied, still breathless, even as he leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers again.

“I can make you forget all about him,” Loren whispered, and devoured her again.

As quickly as this new assault began, it came to an end when Loren abruptly flew backwards, sliding away from her across the floor. His retreat happened in slow motion. When he skidded to a stop, the sounds of the club crashed down on her in full focus, threatening to deafen her with the heavy bass-beats. Lily thought her mind had overloaded and played a nasty trick on her when Rowan’s face materialized in front of her, his massive frame blocking her view of both Loren and the still dance floor.

“Rowan?” she said, struck dumb by his presence. “What are you doing here?”

“Protecting you,” he snarled, his teeth bared in a frightening half-grimace.

“From what?”

“A mistake.”

Loren’s laughter cut through the noise of the club like a knife, piercing her skin with its icy tone as he stalked into view. “The great white knight has come to rescue the damsel in distress, I see,” he said. His eyes were dark and cold, and while Lily could only see Rowan in quarter-profile when he turned his head, she was certain his expression was much the same.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Rowan growled.

“I was sharing an evening with my date, not that it’s any of your business.” Loren causally brushed off the sleeves of his shirt and tucked the hem back into his pants, repairing the damage Rowan had done. Tension popped between them like arcs of electricity. Lily could feel it crawling over her skin, threatening to drown her in frustration and fear.

“Why come here?”

“Public place.”

“Bastard.”

“Rowan!” Lily snapped, stepping between them. The sight of him—the strong, possessive, alpha-male—sent a shock of awareness bolting through her. His handsome face, even contorted with anger, tangled her heart up in knots. “What the hell is going on?”

“Your friend,” Loren said, stepping up to sling an arm around her shoulders, “doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

Lily twisted out of his grip to glare up at him. “What did you do to him to make him not like you?” she shouted over the music.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Loren shouted back, but the hard set of his jaw told her he was lying. She didn’t have to hear his voice to know that.

“Get out of here,” Rowan said over the top of her head. His breath ruffled the small hairs across the back of her neck. She suppressed a shiver, and rounded on him. His vision was still trained hard on Loren.

“And who are you to decide that?” she asked. Again, the sight of him was like a punch in the chest, and she had to focus just to keep breathing.

“The owner,” Rowan and Loren said at the same time. She fell short on a response, gawking back and forth between them. Even in the relative dimness of the club she saw Rowan’s face pale. “And he should have known not to come in here,” Rowan added.

Lily’s mind reeled. They knew each other. And they hated each other. And Rowan owned the damned club. This must be the trouble Rowan talked about.

“All right, outside…both of you,” she shouted, and started for the front door. Rowan caught her wrist and pulled her around behind a curtain, into a dark hallway. The touch of his fingers on her skin burned; threatened to derail her completely, despite the fact that she’d only moments before been kissing another man. And enjoying it. Then the cold night air rushed over her and his touch left her. Lily turned to face the pair of them, taking a deep, hard breath to steady her jangled nerves. “Now, will one of you please explain to me what the hell is going on?”

Loren and Rowan caught each other’s stare, holding in that pattern for a long moment. Neither spoke.

“Rowan…how do you know him?”

“We go way back,” he said through clenched teeth. She was afraid of what that meant. “Your
boyfriend
,” he spat the word at her, “has a bad habit of stealing things from me.”

“First of all, Loren isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Didn’t look that way inside.”

“I work for him, you idiot. As for that kiss…I hardly had time to process it before you threw him halfway across the room!”

“My prerogative as owner,” Rowan replied, unrepentant.

“Go to hell, Keir,” Loren snapped, obviously having had enough of this game.

“Fuck you,” Rowan said. “Fucking poacher.”

“If you wanted her, you should have marked her.”

“I am not a barbarian.”

“What?” Lily interjected, but went unnoticed.

“So the chest-beating He-Man bullshit is considered civilized in your world?” Loren asked with a smirk.

“You will destroy her.”

“And it is no concern of yours.”

“It is.”

Loren rolled his eyes and laughed, a deep, sardonic chuckle that rattled Lily’s nerves. She had no idea what this argument was really about, but at the center of it was not where she wanted to be. “Don’t give me some lame line about her being your mate.”

“Hurt her and I will tear you limb from limb,” Rowan threatened.

“I’d like to see you try.”

“There won’t be any trying, kitten.” The air shimmered around Rowan’s form. His eyes, normally that soft sea-and-sky color Lily loved, had dilated, shifting to black. His teeth looked sharper, his fingernails more like claws.

“BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!” Lily screamed, and both men froze. She swallowed around the frustrated lump in her throat. She knew how close Rowan was to losing it, knew that Loren had provoked him. No matter how she spun it in her head, Rowan was the monster she wished he wasn’t, and while the offered protection flattered her, it also frightened her.

There was something deeper happening here, she knew. She had no idea what they were really arguing about, but she knew without a doubt that she was at the crux of the fight, and was ultimately the catalyst for whatever would happen from here on out.

“Now will one of you idiots please put aside the testosterone and
calmly
explain to me what is going on? Loren?”

“Keir here is jealous because he let you get away.”

“No,” Rowan countered, his voice taking on an edge of desperation that set her nerves on high-alert. Even with what little she knew of him, she knew he was reasonable. And he did not sound reasonable right now. “He is dangerous, Lily.”

“I knew this was a mistake,” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. This had to end or someone was going to get hurt. “Look,” she started, forcing calm into her voice, “I don’t know where this misguided sense of duty has come from, but as flattering as it is on both sides, it’s a little creepy.”

“He’s jealous,” Loren said at the same moment Rowan muttered, “He is dangerous.” Throwing her hands up in disgust, Lily turned and stalked away, hailing a cab despite both their protests, and gave the driver Loren’s address so she could pick up her car.

* * * * *

Furious, Rowan turned as soon as Lily was out of sight and backed Loren against the wall of the building. His chest ached, his head throbbed, and he wanted nothing more than to drag her back, push her up against the wall, and take her in a way that left no doubt who she belonged to. But Loren had seen to it that such things wouldn’t happen.

Rowan growled, and the smaller man shrank against the brick. He never broke eye contact.

“Destroy me if you must, but if you do anything to hurt her…” he growled.

“I’m just cleaning up your mess, wolf.”

“If you hurt her, I will tear your throat out, cat.”

Loren’s lip curled into a sneer. “After six hundred years of your whining, I have a very hard time believing you will do more than fight. Besides, I might enjoy the challenge.” He brushed past Rowan and stalked toward his car. Rowan remained rooted to the spot, staring at the blank wall with a head full of violence.

Chapter Ten

Lily flung herself onto the couch and pulled a throw-pillow down over her head.
Why are men so damn impossible?
she thought. All the way home she’d alternated between fury and tears, all the while humiliated by both reactions. The humiliation only seemed to fuel the tears, which in turn led to the anger.

She growled and punched at the couch, bruising her knuckles on the wood frame beneath the fabric. Pain licked through her fingers, and she fought the urge to scream in melodramatic agony, frustration, or any other emotion that surfaced from her battered hand.

“Damn,” she whimpered, turning the word into a whine as she sat up. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she stubbornly sniffed them back. This night had turned into a monumental disaster, and both men in her life were in some way responsible. Lily glanced around the room, determined to not let her gaze land on the expensive shopping bags stacked next to her fireplace. She hadn’t touched them save to move them from the couch, and she didn’t intend to do so now. Instead, she focused on her oversized purse and its contents, spilled all over the armchair. The book she’d pilfered from Loren’s collection lay amongst the clutter, all but forgotten until her eyes found its worn leather cover.

Warning bells went off in her head as she stretched over the arm of the couch and pulled the book free from the personal wreckage. It smacked of knowledge and danger, but also of irreversible truth.

Lupus.

Wolf.

Lily turned it over in her hands, testing its weight, savoring the rasp of old leather against her fingertips. A lump rose in her throat when her thumb slipped over the uneven pages. With great effort, she swallowed it back and cracked the cover.

Pages and pages of hand-written text glared up at her. Many of the words were written so hastily and in such an old manner that for several moments she scarcely understood what it all meant, but then one word came into sharp focus and she realized exactly what it was she held.

Wolfe.

That one word was clear and unmistakable, and her heart bumped hard against her ribcage in response. The image of Rowan’s body trapped in the shimmering agony of the shift sprang to mind. She cringed.

When the dragon Fafnir’s descendents agreed to protect the ringe, their spirits embodied the visage of the wolfe. Sigurd did flee the cave, taking with him a scale from the Great Dragon’s bodye, jewels with which to free him from the indenture of Regin by way of proof of the dragon’s demise. For himself he did take onlye the ring as a gift to his love. The wolfe, the strong and courage-us warrior, did seek out Sigurd and remove from his possession the ringe
.

It’s all nonsense,
she told herself, and tried to ignore the meaning in the words, to write them off as the ramblings of a lunatic. It was only a coincidence. It had to be. Perhaps the reason Loren owned the book was because he bought into the myth so readily.

But the more she read, the harder it became to ignore the ring of truth in them. To further the disconcerting fear, she read words she’d already committed to memory. From that stupid website.

Fulle Moone

A forced change at the fulle-moone is a common error. The pulle of the moone is to a wolfe like the tide. A wolfe will always experiense the lunatic frensey, how-ever it does not always occur in the forme of a forced shifte. The drive to shifte, and to mate, becomes much too strong for anye but a true Alpha to resiste. Even an Alpha will experiense the draw to finde his Omega.

Lily threw the book to the coffee table and raced across the room, flipping back her calendar to the date of her “interview” with Rowan. Horror-struck, she stared at the small, darkened circle in the upper left corner of that date.

“No,” she whimpered and dropped the pages back into place. Lily refused to let herself believe any of this nonsense…at least, she kept telling herself it was. That she’d slept with him on the night of a full moon meant little. A coincidence. Still…

She picked up the book and continued to read.

Should an Alpha meete his Omega, the urge to mate will be much too stronge to ignore. The female will be drawne to the wolfe. Once the mating process begins, the change will often be involuntarie.

Lily dropped the book back to the couch and wailed in frustration. Every word of it was true. Rowan was like a drug in her system. He changed around her. And despite the time away from him, she’d still felt the urge to crawl into his arms when he came near. She’d gone into the club with Loren, kissed him even, but…

She’d forgotten about him when Rowan showed up.

Rowan told her they went way back, too. What the hell did that mean? And why did Loren have a book on wolf shifters? Lily had had her doubts about Loren, but now she had so many questions that her head swam. Before she fully registered what she was doing, she’d picked up the phone and dialed Rowan’s telephone number. He answered on the second ring.

“Tell me in ten words or less why you interfered,” she snapped.

“Loren isn’t what you think. He’s dangerous.”

“I’m sure he would say the same of you.”

“I am quite honestly shocked that he didn’t.”

“You didn’t give him the chance.”

Rowan sighed into her ear, and in her mind she could see the pained look on his face. She shook her head to clear the image. She was angry with him, damn it.

“Listen to me, Lily,” he said, his voice thick with some unnamed emotion. “You need to get away from him. He is a dangerous man, and now that he knows my connection to you I fear you may be in great danger.”

“What is going on?”

“It’s best if you don’t know.”

Lily huffed. “You expect me to quit my job based on some hunch that you won’t even explain?”

“It isn’t a hunch.”

“But you still won’t explain.”

“I wish I could.”

On the coffee table, her cell phone buzzed, signaling an incoming text message. She snapped it up and read it, debating whether she should be disgusted or amused.

“Loren is on his way over,” she blurted, because she knew it would annoy Rowan. Silence greeted her, followed by the faint sound of grinding teeth.

“I’ll be there first.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “You really are a piece of work, you know that?” On the other end of the line, Rowan tried to interrupt, but she ignored him. “First you lure me in with the promise of a job that doesn’t exist just to get me into your bed. Nice job on that one.” She let loose a derisive snort. “Then you drop a bomb on me about the existence of the supernatural and your part in it…just so I’ll sleep with you again. And after that you prattle on about me being your mate before disappearing. No contact. At all. Then you attack my boss, make assumptions as to my relationship with him, and tell me you’re going to show up here, all in the name of chivalry…” She took a deep breath, prepared to start up again when a knock at the door startled her. “He’s here,” she said instead, and jerked open the door.

And dropped the phone.

“Is he really?” Rowan said, smirking down at her. He carried a smile on his lips, but his eyes were full of concern. Lily stared up at him, at his huge frame filling her doorway. Her jaw flapped like a loose hinge while she battled the urge to leap into his arms.

“What the hell?” she muttered.

“I was on my way over anyway. I had to be certain you were safe.” He reached out and traced the ridge of her cheek with a gentle fingertip. The smart comment she had prepared died in her throat. Fear was etched deep into the lines of his face, coloring his features with a smoky film. “Come with me, Lily.” Her mouth went dry, and while her body screamed
yes, yes, yes!
she remained rooted to the spot, puzzling him out.

“Where?”

“Anywhere but here.”

“But Loren—”

“Will kill you.” Desperation mingled with fear bolted through his features, and the matter-of-fact way he said it left little room for argument or disbelief. “Please.” She didn’t know what to do. Anything that could frighten Rowan that much was definitely worth worrying about, but she
did
run out on Loren. And she
did
still work for him. “Tell him you’re staying with a friend.”

“But I have to –”

“And if you insist on going back, I will see that you get to work in the morning,” Rowan offered. “Please do this for me.” He held up his hands in a frustrating and familiar gesture. “Hands off, I promise.”

“If I don’t show up, he’ll suspect something.”

“I highly doubt he’s oblivious to the situation now,” Rowan said flatly.

She had no doubt he’d keep that promise, whether she wanted him to or not. Groaning, she turned and swept her things back into her purse.

“Where are you taking me?”

“My guest room. Pack a few things…and hurry.” The urgency in his voice propelled her into motion, but his big hand on her wrist stopped her. “Take those,” he said, pointing to the untouched shopping bags. Her whole body burned with embarrassment, but she had no time to explain or to apologize as he blew past her and scooped them up. She scarcely had time to sling her purse over her shoulder and step into her shoes before he pulled her out the door.

“You going to tell me what’s going on?”

“On the way. Come on.” Rowan shoved her into the passenger’s seat of his car and slammed the door.

It wasn’t until they reached the city limits that she realized she’d left the book on her sofa.

* * * * *

Loren stared at the book lying on the couch. Thieving bitch. She had to be working for the wolf, otherwise she wouldn’t have given it a second thought. And of course she was staying the night with a friend. He’d seen the unfamiliar car drive away. Loren swallowed and mentally dampened the rising rage.

The itch started in his feet and swept through his body like fire. For a moment, the world went black, and when he opened his eyes the color had drained from it. He sniffed, testing the air and tasting the bitter tang of wolf. He felt, rather than heard, the growl that escaped his muzzle, and snorted against the stench. She swore she was over him, but this time she really had gone too far.

Loren padded silently back through the house into the spare bedroom and leapt through the broken window. With any luck, she’d not know of his intrusion.

The power coursed through his lithe feline form as he stretched and broke into a sprint. He knew these woods well, enjoyed hunting them, and upon picking up the wolf’s scent leading to her nearly a month ago, had used them to discover just how easy it was for a simple human to be persuaded. Unfortunately, that persuasion worked on both sides.

It was time to up the stakes.

* * * * *

Lily stared at the closed door, fuming. Rowan, ever the damned gentleman, ushered her in and quickly put walls and planks of hinged, brass-handled wood between them.
Damn chivalry,
she thought
. Damn it to hell.

The entire car ride back to his home was silent and filled with tension. The air practically sparked between them as he opened the door and ushered her inside, holding all of her things in one hand. She still felt the need to apologize to him for not being gracious about his gifts, but she still couldn’t bring herself to do it. And it didn’t help that he hadn’t even given her the opportunity to speak before pulling the door closed and disappearing into the depths of the building.

“I’m losing my mind,” she said out loud. One moment she was ready to throttle him for hijacking her night, but as soon as she stopped to think about it she wanted to sneak into his bed and surprise him. The attraction didn’t make sense. Neither did the repulsion.

She resolutely ignored her subconscious as it attempted to remind her of the book.

Turning, Lily paced the room, stubbornly glancing back and forth between the door and the bags. It had been almost a month since he purchased those things for her. She couldn’t even remember what was in each of the bags. Still, her pride refused to let her pull out the bright paper and unwrap them. Lily told herself it was because she wanted a shower first, to wash away the grime of a failed evening.

Then it hit her that she didn’t have anything to wear to bed. Growling, she stalked over to the bags, snatched them up, and upended them into the center of the king-size guest bed. Tissue-wrapped items fell out and bounced across the duvet, some falling open to reveal expensive shoes while others flattened as the air puffed out of them.

She recognized the two dresses, the scrap of fabric that was much too short to be called a skirt he had insisted she let him buy, the pair of black pants and…

Wait a minute.

A piece of pink tissue tumbled open to reveal something small, soft, and black. Lily didn’t remember seeing him purchase anything black. Nudging the paper away, she lifted the item by its thin straps, and gasped at the sight.