Marked Clan #2 - Red (16 page)

“One day, I’ll teach you the meaning of ‘on the house,’
chica
.” He slipped the five into his till anyway. “Good hunting.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Slate kept her promise—Serena was still alive when I returned. I hadn’t said anything explicitly against restraining her though. My mistake. I walked into my apartment and found the tiny girl bound and gagged at my kitchen table. Slate paced my bedroom, reading Poppa’s book.

“Her story seems to check out,” I said to her. She dropped the book on my bed and came into the kitchen.

“Then we attack tonight. I spoke with Lupin. He’s feeling much better. He will meet us as soon as this one gives us an address.”

She punctuated
this one
with a swift kick to the girl’s shin. She whimpered into her gag. I almost felt sorry for her. I mean, she was a victim in all this, right? She said herself she had no idea what Donald meant to do to her. Why was I having trouble finding empathy for her?

Dree pulled off Serena’s gag, and the girl thanked her. “I don’t know an exact address. I just know landmarks. It’s just east of the freeway, a few blocks from the ballpark.”

I looked at the time on my stove. It was still several hours until dark. Slate couldn’t leave yet, and we couldn’t exactly let Serena out of our sight either. I was at a loss as to what to do until then.

In the last week I’d been kidnapped, tortured, and found out my long dead aunt was not only alive but a wolf. I figured I could seriously use some R&R away from the pups. I pulled out my phone and shuffled through the contacts. Justin’s number came up. I didn’t remember adding it.

“You slick son of a bitch,” I said with a smile. He answered almost immediately.

“Hey, how are you feeling? I tried to visit you today but the cops wouldn’t let me in. They wouldn’t tell me much of anything actually.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve got a full house right now, not including the cops. Any chance we could catch a late lunch, early dinner?”

“Hold on,” he muffled the phone with his hand for a minute. “Yeah, I can get a few hours off. What did you have in mind?”

“Doc, at this point I’m
so
not picky. I just feel like if I don’t get out of here soon and do something that doesn’t involve my family and its curse, I’m going to explode.”

“Should I come by and pick you up?” he asked.

“Please. Just be aware that I have a tail that isn’t going anywhere. The cops are being extra vigilant.”

The background noise on the other line ratcheted up to the point where I could barely hear him. “I’m on my way. I’m sure we can find something to help you let off some steam. Maybe give the good officers a show while we’re at it.”

I laughed. “It’s a date, Doc. Now get your hot ass over here. I’ll let the bouncers know you’re coming.”

I hung up and saw three pairs of eyes staring at me. I’d completely forgotten they were there for the whole conversation. Two were confused, and one was smiling. For once, it wasn’t Slate.

“A doctor, eh? Nice,” Dree said, beaming from ear to ear. “You two serious?”

I retired to my bedroom and changed into some nicer clothes. Off went the Celtic Knot shirt; on went an emerald green top and my silver necklace. Dree watched me from the bed. Her eyes never left me. Apparently she wasn’t just going to drop it.

“We’ve gone on a few dates,” I said. “I haven’t run him off yet, so that’s a plus. Even with all this wolf shit.”

Dree sighed. “Right. The wolf shit. It wasn’t easy leaving you like that, you know.”

I did know, actually. I’d felt the tearing inside of her as she lay naked and vulnerable in the woods, wrenched between her human life and the wolf she’d become. I felt the two distinct versions of her fighting inside. It must be a constant battle. What about Slate? She’d been like this for decades. It was a wonder she was still sane. She was, wasn’t she? Would a sane person ask me to kill her and all the others like her?

“Yeah,” I said. “I know.”

I headed downstairs where Connor stood by the POS doodling on the sketchpad he sometimes used for flash. When he saw me, he pulled me into a bear hug.

“I’m so sorry, Bon. I should have had better security. This part of town is getting worse. I just didn’t want to admit it. It won’t happen again, I promise. I’ll always have someone guarding the floor when I’m not out here.”

He actually thought this was just a random crime spree? A hit for what, money? Never underestimate the power of denial. I pushed against him for air, but he didn’t let me go. I felt him shudder. Was he…crying?

“I promised Glenna I’d take care of you. You’re more alike than you know. I felt that as long as I could keep you around I’d have a reminder of her.”

He finally let me loose, and I stepped back. His eyes were wet.

“It’s okay, Connor. Really. I’m going out for some food with the nice doctor you set me up with. In the meantime, there’s a distant relative of ours upstairs. The lady with the dark hair? Ask her about her tattoos. She has more stories than Poppa, I’m sure.”

He gave me a confused look. “The one who came in with your friend? I’ll be damned. She did look familiar. Kind of favored your mom, now that I think of it.”

“She’s a Mackenzie,” I said. “Not sure what line, but I bet she’ll tell you.”

Connor was all about family, even if he didn’t believe half of the stuff his father told him growing up. I could see the Wheels of Genealogy turning in his head as he went up to my apartment.

“Have a good time,” he said. “Be safe.”

I watched the officers outside interrogate Justin. “Don’t think I’ll have much of a choice on that last part.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

You’d be amazed how much leftover adrenaline can do for your libido. We mostly made it inside Justin’s condo before the clothes started coming off. I was still in my bra at least. It’s the little things that make the difference. The officer at the end of the hall did his best not to stare. The idea that he’d be right outside the door listening to us was kind of hot.

Justin peeled down my jeans and panties at the same time. His shirt was already off and forgotten by the door. I stepped out of my clothes and jumped to straddle his waist.

“God, you’re hot,” he said. I laughed, and locked my ankles around him. He pulled me closer and kissed me deep while he undid my bra. Before I knew it, I felt cold granite under my ass. I jumped a bit, and it was his turn to laugh.

He set me down on the countertop. I kissed his collarbone and chest as I worked to get his pants off. Go figure, this was the one day he wasn’t in scrubs. He must not have had rounds before I called him.

His pants hit the floor, and I massaged him through his boxers. He returned the favor, sliding his fingers over my mound, dipping into it just enough to get wet, and then rubbing against my clit in slow circles. I moaned against his chest.

I pulled him in closer and bit down on the side of his neck, working my way up to his earlobe. My hand slipped inside his last remaining shred of clothing. He slipped inside too, and it shot off a pleasant warmth that spread inside me as he stroked in and out.

This time he’d had enough playing around. He dropped his boxers to the floor and leaned in closer to the counter top. The hard tips of my breasts rubbed against him, and he positioned himself just barely against my lips. I scooted forward and he popped inside me. Once that happened, all reserve was lost. He pulled me forward and I enveloped him.

My legs wrapped around his back, arms on his shoulders. He pushed inside as far as he could go, and I felt every delicious inch filling me up. The condo was silent, save the sound of two hot bodies slapping against each other with lustful abandon.

His nails dug into my lower back, and I clamped down on his shoulder with my teeth. I didn’t care if I left a mark. I latched on and sucked as he thrust inside me, leaving warm ripples of pleasure with every stroke.

Our breathing got faster, his more than mine. I could do this all night, but he was getting a little tired. His thrust slowed down just a bit, and I grabbed his hair.

“Don’t stop.”

He spoke between heavy breaths. “Don’t want to, but this is more work for me.”

I sucked his earlobe into my mouth, bit down and said, “Bedroom.”

He lifted me off the counter and carried me to the bed. He stayed inside me the whole way. I leaned back and spread out on the cool sheets as he leaned down on top of me. He pulled my ankles up to his shoulders and pushed in further. I wanted to scream. Why the fuck not?

“Fuck me!” I belted at the top of my lungs. “Slam my hot, ginger pussy! Give me two orgasms and I’ll call you in the morning!”

He laughed, but didn’t stop thrusting. It wouldn’t be long for me now. The first wave was already rolling in, curling my toes and making me rake my nails down his ass. I came, screaming his name.

Justin paused as the last clenching wave hit me. I ran my hands through his hair. “Doctor’s prerogative. How do you want me?”

He slipped out and grabbed my thighs, flipping me onto my stomach. Okay then, doggy it is. I pulled myself up onto all fours, and he stood just off the edge of the bed. I held my breath as he plunged inside, and pushed back against him to meet his thrusts. His hands rested on my hips, pulling me back against him even more.

I wanted him deeper. I grabbed his wrists for leverage, and pulled his hips hard against my ass. He pushed in as far as he could, and then pulled out almost entirely before slamming into me again and again. I let go of his hands, and he grabbed my shoulders.

“I’m coming,” he said in a breathy whisper.

“On my ass!” I said. “Mark me!”

He pulled out just as he finished, and a warm splash of his seed covered my lower back. It felt so dirty, and so right. That was a first for me. What the fuck possessed me to do it, and why did I not care at all?

We collapsed on the bed, and he wrapped his arm around me. I lay there enjoying the afterglow and the feel of his still-hard manhood against my back. He pushed my hair out of the way and planted gentle kisses on the back of my neck. Then he stopped.

“How did that heal so quickly?” he said out of the blue.

I pulled away from him. “What?”

“Your wound. The…wow, I guess it’s like a tattoo almost? How did that heal so quickly?”

I came here to forget all that, not be reminded of it. I went to the bathroom and started the water in the shower. I saw the mark in the mirror. It was a raised scar, white against my already pale skin, with a clearly defined pattern. The rune that binds.

Justin came in as I looked at it. “Look, I’m sorry. Professional curiosity. Your other wounds didn’t heal that fast. Can I ask what happened?”

I shook my head and stepped into the shower. I saw him through the translucent door debating whether to join me, but eventually he left. It was a good choice—the mood was spoiled.

Was I part wolf now? I certainly felt them, their thoughts and memories. What good would it do me though? If I went catatonic every time a wolf touched my skin, I’d be no good hunting anymore. I felt like one of those goats that just freeze up and drop when they’re scared. I was easy prey.

Dree said she had experienced it though. Maybe there was a way to control it, like a reflex. I needed a way to block it off, or the next time one of Donald’s wolves touched me, I might just wake up with the full set of runes and a very different outlook on life.

Chapter Thirty

The policeman outside Justin’s condo didn’t give any indication he’d been listening to our activities, but I could tell by his careful refusal to look me in the eye that he’d heard something. Justin drove me back, but I didn’t say goodbye. I wasn’t mad at him, per se, but his little snafu just told me this shit with Donald had to be dealt with…now.

The last thing I expected to hear when I stepped into my apartment was laughter. Connor, Slate, and Dree sat at my kitchen table around a bottle of scotch. They must have been at it for a while, judging from the color on Connor’s cheeks.

I stopped dead in my doorway. Seeing Connor drunk wasn’t odd by any stretch of the imagination, but I realized as I stood there that the laughter came from Slate. She downed the last of a glass of scotch and let loose a deep, hearty guffaw. I was speechless.

Connor waved me over, but I didn’t move. “Bon! Oh, Bon, Lorelei here was just telling me a story about Poppa’s cousin, Angus. He pissed off the wrong girl and she tied him to a tree, naked, in front of the college dean’s house!”

Slate poured herself another drink and added, in an uncharacteristically light tone of voice, “Only the dean wasn’t home. The one who found him was the dean’s mother-in-law. Damn near gave the old bat a heart attack when she went to water the plants first thing in the morning.”

Connor laughed hard enough that tears streamed down his cheeks. I was too shocked at the situation to do much of anything other than shut my door and walk over to them. Dree smiled and watched the two Mackenzies, but didn’t have a drink in front of her.

“It was a pleasure drinking you under the table,” Slate said to Connor. “But PJ and I have some things we need to do tonight.”

She stood, stone sober, and helped me get my uncle to his feet. They gave out from under him, so Dree ended up taking over on my end. The two wolves lifted Connor like a child and laid him out on my bed. He never stopped laughing. I sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand.

“I’m glad you had a good time,” I said.

Connor squeezed my hand and pulled me on top of him for a bear hug. “Oh, Bon, thank you. I don’t know where you found her, but she’s a breath of fresh air. Knows more about our family than anyone I’ve ever met. Scary weird how much she looks like Glenna though.”

I extracted myself from his hug and patted him on the belly. “Get some sleep, Connor. I get the feeling Lorelei isn’t going anywhere for a while. You two can get sauced again soon.”

Enjoy it while you can. I’m going to eventually have to kill her. But can I still do it? She’s my blood, tainted or not. And Connor seems to have taken a serious shining to her.