Renegade (Ministry of Paranormal Research & Defence) (2 page)

I looked up at Jack and I couldn't help but smile. Putting his back to the carriage may have seemed like a bad idea, but he was facing the big window behind me. Once we pulled out of the station and into the tunnel it would be an almost perfect mirror. He would be able to see the entire carriage by moving his head a little to the left and right.

He glanced down at me and winked.

C
HAPTER

2

The  tube train swayed as it negotiated the pre-war underground tunnels. I watched the carriage in the window behind Marie. The Tube wasn't particularly dangerous these days, and never really was too dangerous for a purebreed werewolf and a man carrying at least fourteen deadly weapons—and more importantly, the know-how to use them—but I didn't want trouble to start, no matter how fast I could end it.

I loved the Tube. One of my earliest memories was of my father and the Tube. We were tiny kids but Dad didn't drive, so every year for Christmas we would ride the train into London, go through London on the Tube, and then catch another train out to where our grandparents lived. Dad would have a big suitcase in each hand, me under one arm, my brother under the other, both of us hanging onto his nearest trouser pocket, with Mum close behind us, and with military precision we'd negotiate the crowds and mow down anyone foolish enough to get in our way. At least that's how I remember it. I remember my father: big, tall, strong, always smelling faintly of Old Spice and his favorite pipe tobacco—Clansman I think it was called—and nothing could get in his way. He was friendly and funny, but if you got on his bad side he could blister the paint on the wall at fifty paces.

I suddenly found myself, as I did from time to time, missing them more than I could say. It had been five years and I'd never allowed myself time to properly grieve. Dad would have been proud of me. Mum, well, mum would have worried a lot. I know that they'd both have loved Marie.

I glanced left and right, blinking away the tears that had formed. It was no surprise that I had a hatred for the vampires that burned in me like a red-hot iron.

Marie lay her hand on my stomach, concern in her eyes. She could see I was having trouble and wanted to help. Abruptly she stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes. I burst out laughing. Marie knows me too well sometimes. Laughter was probably the only thing that would have helped me at that moment.

The train slowed and came to a halt at Baker Street station and I grabbed Marie's hand.

“
Come on, our stop,” I said.

She followed me out onto the platform and I pulled her back against the wall, enfolding her in a hug.

“Thank you,” I said.

“
Thinking sad thoughts, my love?” she asked.

“
My parents. It's because of them that I love the Underground so much.”

“
I'm sorry love,” she said. “I know how you feel.”

“
I know you do, puppy” I said.

“
Yeah, I suppose the vamps robbed our cubs of both sets of grandparents.”

“
We have cubs?” I asked.

“
Well, not yet.”

Suddenly a weird thought occurred to me.

“Why do werewolves call them cubs? Surely they're puppies?”

“
Yes and no. Baby werewolves are puppies. Once they get old enough to walk they're cubs until they become adults.”

“
So like, baby, child, adult, but puppy, cub, adult?”

“
Well, more like puppy, then cub, then juvenile, then adult. Like humans have adolescent or teenager?”

“
I'll take your word for it,” I said. “So me calling you 'puppy' is like...”

“
You calling a human girlfriend 'baby', I suppose. I just think it's cute.”

“
'Girlfriend'?”

“
You'd prefer 'wife'?”

“
I was thinking 'fuck buddy'.”

She slapped me on the arm, harder than she probably intended.

“Ouch,” I said.

“
Well you shouldn't say things like that,” she said, giggling. “You might get hurt.”

“
I'll bear that in mind,” I said, rubbing my arm. “We have to move. Our train is due in six minutes.”

We crossed to the right platform and stood back against the wall. Marie had claimed my hand again and was gripping it in both of hers.

“Jack? Did I freak you out when I mentioned cubs?”

“
No, sweetheart. Why would it freak me out?”

“
Isn't it supposed to freak men out when women start talking about children?”

I shrugged.

“Maybe, I suppose.”

“
And what about the fact that they will be cubs? Human-werewolf pairings produce purebreed werewolves. Does that bother you?”

“
Can we even have kids?” I asked doubtfully.

“
Sure we can, honey,” she said. “You know Tanya and Richard?”

“
Yeah?”

“
Richard's a purebreed, Tanya's human.”

“
Are you serious?”

“
Yeah, why?”

“
I'd have put money on the other way around,” I said, laughing. “He's so laid back and she's ... she growled at me once.”

“
Pissed off stop-it-or-I'll-break-your-arm growl or sexy I-want-to-rip-off-your-clothes growl?”

I blinked, pondering the difference.

“I'm not sure, now.”

“
You're never sure, love,” she replied, squeezing my arm. “You used to think I was just being friendly every time I hugged or kissed you. Come on, what's a girl got to do? Hit you over the head? How on Earth you got a reputation as a ladies man I have no idea.”

“
I guess some women just figured out that they had to hit me over the head to get my attention,” I said. “And went ahead and did it.”

“
Yeah, don't want to talk about that part of your history,” she said, pouting.

“
Hey, you started it,” I said. “And, from another point of view, you finished it.”

“
I did, didn't I?” she said, a cute little smile touching her lips.

“
For good,” I said, a statement and a promise.

The train pulled in and we boarded the mostly-empty carriage.

“Where are we going?” asked Marie, once she was seated and I was stationed in front of her.

“
A little place I know in Hammersmith,” I replied.

The train journey took a good ten minutes, most of which was above ground, so Marie and I spent the time watching the scenery go by. I sat down next to her, my arm around her waist, pointing out things we could see along the train route.

C
HAPTER

3

I woke up and stretched. I hated being apart from Jack, especially when it came to being in bed. It's not just the sex—although the sex was incredible, I thought with a little thrill of pleasure at the memories—it's going to sleep next to him, wrapped in his arms, curled up safe and warm, knowing he'll be there when I wake.

There's a word for wolves who mate with humans. It's not a nice word, at least to werewolves. Humans think it's a nice word, but it's a mortal insult. It also means a wolf who is stupid, easily led, and gullible.

Doggy.

Some of the older, more traditional werewolves in Liam's pack think of me that way. They refer to Jack as 'my human', in a tone of voice that makes it clear that they mean 'my owner'.

The problem is that they're right. More than once I've found myself wagging my tail when he speaks to me in my wolf form. There's another phrase they use, and I know that's true, too. If he whistled I'd come running.

Lying there in bed I tried to convince myself that I didn't care. It wasn't working. The pack is very important to a werewolf. Any wolf who didn't conform to the pack rarely survived long enough to have young, so conformism had been evolved into us. For thousands of years the pack was everything. We had little, if any, contact with humans. But every so often a wolf would fall for a human. The pack wouldn't ostracize the wolf for it, but they would talk behind their back. Did he buy her a ring or a collar? Does she take him for walkies? It doesn't matter what position they use, it's always doggy style. Does he let the doggy sleep in the bed?

I kicked off the covers and stood up. Suddenly I didn't want to lay in bed. I padded quietly to the door that separated our two rooms and laid my forehead against it. My man was just on the other side of this door. It was unlocked, I knew that. My man was in bed, asleep. He was probably laying on his back, one hand tucked under the pillow, that peaceful, tranquil look on his face, the one that you never found there when he was awake. I reached a decision. I could stand here moping and feel sorry for myself, or...

I opened the door and peered around it. Jack looked like he'd been fighting in his sleep again. He does that sometimes, his arms and legs making tiny twitching movements, his face locked into a scowl of concentration. I never ask him what he dreams about, but last night looked like it had been bad. The covers were pushed off, the sheets were tangled around his legs.

I closed the door behind me and crept quietly to the bed. As I reached out to lift the covers his eyes flicked open.

“And what do you think you're doing?” he asked, trying to give me a stern look.

“
Getting in bed with my man,” I replied, slipping in next to him.

I buried myself in his arms, his scent surrounding me, filling my nostrils, pouring down into my lungs. I sighed contentedly.

“I missed you,” I whispered against his chest.

“
I missed you, too, love,” he whispered back. “But the rule was no sleeping together.”

“
I'm not going to sleep,” I said. “Nobody said anything about sleep.”

I was asleep before he had a chance to reply.

When I woke up Jack had pulled the covers up around us and was dreamily stroking my hair.

“Hello again,” he said.

“
Morning,” I mumbled. “I don't wanna get up.”

“
Then don't,” he said, kissing my forehead. “Let's stay in bed,  all warm and naked, pressed up against each other all day. How does that sound?”

I laughed.

“I figure we'll be able to keep that 'no sex' promise for at least,” he stared up at the ceiling, his lips moving as if he was working something out, “oh, at least twenty five, maybe twenty-six minutes.”

“
That long?” I replied, lightly scratching my fingernails across his chest. “I think I'll be jumping you in the next five minutes. Maybe four.”

“
Then we'd better move,” he said.

I groaned and lay my cheek against his shoulder.

“Do we have to?”

“
Don't you want to go have breakfast?”

“
Yeah, I'm ravenous. Where are we eating?”

“
Little place I know,” he replied.

I smiled. Jack knows little places all over the world, it seems.

“Okay,” I said. “We better get dressed. Did you see your gift?”

Jack nodded, glancing at the table. That had been Jack's idea. We'd picked out each others' outfits for each day, and left them wrapped up and labeled. I had a feeling Jack was going to get a kick out of his gift today.

“Okay, I'll go,” I said.

“
I think you need to wait a second,” he said.

He slowly rolled me onto my back and leaned over me, propped up on his hands. He moved until he was between my legs. Something warm and hard touched the inside of my thigh.

“Oh, Jack,” I breathed, squirming until his erection was pressed up against me.

His smile was bright and mischievous.

“What is it you want, love?” I asked, wiggling my hips.

“
It's not me,” he said, his smile widening. “It's ... the kiss monster!”