Savage Seduction: A Dire Wolves Mission (The Devil's Dires Book 3) (10 page)

C
harmeine had never been so distracted
, especially not from receiving an alert on her phone. But with every text notification, every snippet of words from Mammon, her obsession grew. As did her need for more. She finally understood why humans were always fixated on the handheld devices. Flirting without being in the same room carried a certain sense of freedom. One she enjoyed. And Mammon gave good flirt.

“I’ve never seen you smile so much.”

Charmeine glanced up at Ethan’s words. The man stared back, a small, almost sarcastic smile on his face.

“He’s funny. Are we almost there yet?”

Ethan glanced out the window. Traffic wasn’t moving very quickly. “Five minutes.”

“He’s going to be mad we’re late.” Charmeine looked back down as her phone buzzed again. Her mate wanted to meet up with her, to see one another in person again.

Come for a wolf run with me.

Her own inner beast practically whined, desperate to be released…and perhaps rub up against her mate. She’d seen Mammon’s wolf already, the amazing Dire Wolf bloodline obvious in every ermine spot and muscled angle, but Charmeine wasn’t as ready to let go. The Hunters were skilled at snatching their prey while they were in animal form. It was why she couldn’t run as her wolf without security, why she resisted the urge to shift. Why her wolf howled so mournfully every night.

Charmeine typed back a message letting him know she didn’t have the time that day. And she didn’t. She had a lunch with Finn that they were rushing to, and then she needed to put in what would amount to a full day’s work at the rescue. Running with her mate would have to take a backseat.

“We’re here,” Ethan said. Charmeine peered out the window as the car pulled up outside the restaurant. A pang of longing hit her, one that nearly kept her in her seat. She’d rather be at the O’Rourke estate, Mammon at her side as they argued over books. She’d rather be running through the woods in her wolf form. She’d rather be anywhere but at some fancy restaurant with people watching her every move.

With a deep sigh, she put her phone back in her purse and smoothed her hair. Her need for her mate would have to be put on hold; it was time to go to work.

“There she is.” Finn stood with a grin when she walked in, holding out his arms for a hug. Charmeine kissed his cheeks and let him pull her close, giving in to the sudden need she felt for some sort of physical contact. She’d never been particularly affectionate, especially for a wolf shifter. Sure, she and Finn had a certain physical comfort around one another, but even that was restrained and unusual. Most wolves needed touch from their packmates, craved an almost constant connection. But since the death of her parents, she’d avoided such things, had closed herself off into a little box where she could guard her heart. Until she met her mate. Mammon had her all tied up in knots inside, had her wanting things she should have been avoiding, had her needing touch and feel and connection for the first time in her life. Perhaps a day away from him would be a good thing.

“Sorry we’re late.” Charmeine ripped herself from Finn’s embrace, unbalanced by her craving for a different touch. “The conference call with the real estate team ran longer than planned.”

“How’s that going?” Finn pushed in her chair, then moved to sit across from her, even leaning in as if truly interested in what was happening with the project he saw as solely hers. A fact that made Charmeine smile. This was normal. This she was accustomed to.

“Good. We have solid options down here. It won’t be selecting the best of the worst like in other places we discussed.”

“That’s wonderful news.” Finn nodded to the waiter, giving him room to pour wine for the two of them and waiting until the staff had departed to begin again. “I need to apologize about last night. I hadn’t planned on leaving you alone with Mammon.”

Charmeine fought to keep her heart rate steady. Just hearing his name sent her mind spinning, let alone remembering the feel of him against her, the fire of his tongue on her body.

“It’s fine,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Mammon was…fine.”

Finn’s eyebrows jumped, a twitch that told her she hadn’t pulled off calm and collected as well as she’d hoped. Thankfully, he didn’t mention her tell. He took a sip of water, giving her a moment to collect herself instead. “He seems like a straight-up guy.”

Yes, he did. And yet… “How can we ever be sure, though?”

“Instinct, more than anything. Plus, I asked around about him. He’s well respected in the local shifter community.”

That didn’t calm the butterflies, though. “People lie.”

“Yes, but he doesn’t fit the Hunter type. Especially not with what he told us about his own background.”

True, Mammon admitting he was a Dire Wolf seemed like the act of an honest, straightforward man. There could be consequences should that fact get out, ramifications for him and the rest of his pack. He’d trusted her and Finn…or had he played them into thinking he was giving something important away, something that could be used as leverage?

“Money can make anyone a type.” Charmeine ran a finger around the edge of her water glass as a heavy cloak of what felt too much like fear blanketed her.

“Is that your phone?” Finn pointed to her purse where something was definitely buzzing. The urge to look, to check for messages, was strong. But not strong enough.

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” She pasted on her best smile and picked up her menu, ignoring another buzz from her bag. “Should we order soon? I’ve been craving something sweet since I woke up.”

“
A
nd you got
the extra blankets?” Charmeine checked over her list one last time.

Ethan stretched and cracked his neck. “Blankets, bottles, six types of pacifiers, pink slippers with glittery decorations, and a princess nightgown. All purchased, unpacked, and in place.”

He made her life so much easier. “Thank you. With four intakes and the surprise of little Emerson—”

“Stop,” Ethan chuckled and shook his head. “It was a busy day, and having a small child show up with a family we had recorded as only made up of two adults threw a wrench in our plans. But we did it…everyone is in, safe, and comfortable for the night.”

Charmeine grinned. As tired as she was, there was still a sense of pride within her. A happiness that grew from knowing she’d done her job well. “Another day down.”

“Another day down.” Ethan yawned and nodded toward the front entrance. “Are you heading back to the house?”

“No. I want to get a few more things done before I call it a night. But you should go.”

Ethan paused, obviously torn between his need for sleep and whatever loyalty had kept him by her side for so many years. “Are you sure? I can wait for you.”

“No. Go back to Finn’s. I’m just going to catch up on some paperwork.”

Ethan nodded once. “If you say so, boss. Don’t work too late.”

“Have a good night.” Charmeine watched him walk away before heading for her office at the front of the building. She’d needed a place to work without being distracted, so she’d chosen an exam room off an unused hallway. It wasn’t ideal, but it was private enough for her to be able to concentrate, which was all she could really hope for.

The sun had long ago set, the families mostly bedded down for the night. It had been a good day. One she hoped she could call an end to within the next few hours.

Her phone buzzed right as she turned toward the wing where the new families had been placed. She pulled it from her pocket, her heart heavy, her stomach suddenly in knots. Another text from Mammon. Another one ignored. She’d been so busy, so backlogged, that she just hadn’t taken the time to keep up the conversation. At least, that’s what she told herself.

But still, her heart leaped every time she read his flirty words.

Twenty-four hours ago, we were discussing Judy Bloom. And then…

Charmeine sighed.
And then,
all right. And then she’d lost herself to the heavy, aching need within her to claim that man. To the primal desires that fogged her mind and ran rampant all over her heart.

Not tonight.

Don’t you work? How can you possibly spend your entire day texting me when you should be doing something productive?

This IS productive. Talking to you is the most productive thing I’ve ever done.

Oooh, that was a good one. Charmeine nearly bought that line.
You can’t charm me.

I can try.

She bit her lip, thinking over what to reply, but a sudden scream broke the silence of the night and sent her heart racing for an entirely different reason. Without thought, she ran down the hall, growling with every step. Not here, not tonight. Not on her watch. The Hunters had better not be trying to attack, or she’d lose her mind. They weren’t ready for a full assault.

But there was no attack, no bad guys to vanquish or threat to handle. There was just a little girl in a pink nightgown clinging to a stuffed wolf…and crying.

“Emerson?” Charmeine slid to her knees, grabbing ahold of the shaking child and pulling her into a hug. “What’s wrong, baby? Why are you screaming?”

“I thought they were back.”

“Who?” But she knew. She always knew. Every child, every adult, every shifter affected by the Apex Hunters had the same bad dreams. She knew their nightmares. She’d lived them.

Emerson cuddled closer, gasping through her tears. “The bad guys who killed my parents. I kept seeing them. I thought they were here.”

Charmeine shushed the little girl, rocking her in her arms. “No, baby. Not here. They’re definitely not here.”

“How do you know?”

And wasn’t that the worst possible question? “I don’t. Not for sure. But I have faith. We’re guarded here. I don’t think they can get in.”

The little girl nodded but still held on, which suited Charmeine fine. She rocked and shushed and hummed, calming both of them down. Other shifters peeked out into the hall but left the two alone, all of them understanding the situation. All of them having had the same bad dreams, probably. Watching their families die over and over behind their eyes, waking up screaming or having soiled their bed. The fear and the disgust throwing them into a state of panic so strong, there was no way around it. Yeah. They all knew.

When Emerson finally sagged in her arms, sleepy and ready to go back to bed, Charmeine scooped her up and rose to her feet. The poor baby weighed almost nothing, the couple she’d come in with having no idea how long she’d been alone before they found her. A single survivor of an attack on a tiny little nothing of a pack—just as Charmeine had been.

She carried the girl to her bed, making sure to tuck her and her stuffed wolf in nice and tight. Her mind spiraling around memories of Finn’s mom doing the same thing for her. Of her own mom…

“Miss Charmeine?”

Two big, brown eyes stared up at her, tears ready to fall, making Charmeine’s heart hurt to the point of breaking. “Yes, Emerson?”

“Why did they do this to us?”

Fighting back tears of her own, Charmeine ran her fingers over Emerson’s cheek. The little girl’s scars were almost hidden in the dark, but Charmeine had seen them enough to picture them clearly. Deep, dark tracks all the way from her scalp to her throat. Claw marks. Ones that had never healed and never would, that would forever remind the girl of all she’d been through. All she’d lost. But Charmeine knew those jagged tracks were nothing compared to the scars inside.

“They’re bad people, Emerson. There’s no rhyme or reason to why…just hate and anger brewing within them to the point of evil.”

“How do we stop them?”

“We love.” Charmeine’s heart jumped, her thoughts flittering toward Mammon. “The only cure for hate is love. Don’t let them make you hate or turn you bitter or angry. Don’t let them win.”

“I’ll try, but they scare me.” The little girl yawned and cuddled her wolf closer.

Charmeine kissed the girl’s forehead and stood to leave, her thoughts focused on one thing.
They scare me, too.

Words she could never admit. Not to the refugees she supported, and certainly not to anyone she knew. Well, maybe…

Once back in the hall, Charmeine pulled her phone from her pocket. She didn’t even look at the texts waiting for her, assuming they were all from Mammon. She was too tired, physically and mentally, to flirt or tease. She needed more than words on a screen. Craved something deeper. She stepped into a closet meant to hold janitorial supplies, one they hadn’t filled yet, and she pressed a button on her phone.

And then she waited.

“Hello?” Mammon’s surprised voice was a balm to her weary soul, something she hadn’t truly realized she needed until it wrapped around her.

“Hi. It’s me…Charmeine.”

He chuckled softly. “I know, baby.”

The endearment caused a fire to simmer low in her gut. A good one. “You sounded surprised.”

“I was more taken aback that this damn phone rang. I didn’t know people still used them to actually speak.”

Charmeine huffed a soft laugh, letting the stress roll off her shoulders with every second. “Yeah, there
is
a lot of texting and emailing in the world.”

He hummed, a deep throaty sound that had her dying to crawl through the phone and curl up with him. To be in the dark with him, alone and safe. To allow him to protect her, even if for just a moment.

“I like texting. So long as it’s with you,” Mammon said, his voice deep and smooth. “But I like this whole speaking thing much more. Though not as much as being in the same room with you. That’d have to be my favorite.”

Hers too, not that she was ready to tell him that. Still, there were things she needed to say. Words she owed him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, hoping she sounded as sincere as the words felt to her.

“For what?”

“For what I said the other night. How I…dismissed you.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Char. Not for protecting yourself. Not ever. Besides, cuddling’s totally overrated. I’d take a blow job any day over that.”

Charmeine laughed, the sound slightly sad and weak, running her fingers along dusty shelves as she paced. If only she knew, if she could be sure.