Spark (2 page)

“You aren’t speaking to me.”

“I’m trying not to give in to my instincts, which would have you bent over this bed and your cute little skirt hiked up around your waist. Is that what you want to hear?” he asked, turning to face her. “That my beast is so close to the surface around you that I don’t think I can honor whatever promises my Pres made to your daddy?”

“What is it that scares you the most? That you want me or that you think it’s

forbidden?”

“I know it’s forbidden. I was told to keep my hands to myself. We’ve barely been here a half hour, and already I want to screw you until neither of us can walk. Do you know what’s going to happen to me if I do that? Either your daddy is going to kill me, or I’ll be thrown out of the Steel Riders. They’ve been my home for more than six years and I don’t want to betray them.”

She hadn’t realized how hard this would be on him, and while Mina hated that

he was so torn between giving into his beast and following the rules, she also thrilled that he wanted her that much. No one had ever desired her enough to go against her father. But was it fair of her to put Spark in that position? Maybe she should call her father and put an end to things before it went too far. She’d hate for anything bad to happen to Spark just because her wolf wanted to set up house with him.

“I could call Daddy,” she offered. “If you think you can’t keep your

brotherhood’s promise to him, I can call and tell him the Steel Riders didn’t place me with a mated male.”

“I’ve never backed down from a challenge,” he said. “Besides, all you have to do is tell me no and I’ll back off.”

Mina stepped further into the room, walked up the Spark and placed her hands

on his shoulders. “But what if I don’t want to tell you no? What if my beast wants you just as much as yours wants me?”

He groaned. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I’m saying that I think you could be my mate, and while it would foil Daddy’s

plans of selling me to the highest bidder, it would thrill my wolf and me. We want you, Spark. The question is how much do you want us in return? Are we worth facing the wrath of Connal McPhearson?”

Spark’s eyebrow arched. “That’s the name of the fierce Shadow, President of the Silver Skulls?”

She smiled. “That’s his name.”

“Having a name to go with him makes him a little less…threatening. Not that I

doubt for one moment he’d rip me apart if I dared touch his precious daughter.

Everyone knows he dotes on you.”

She ran her palms up and down his chest. “This means he’ll eventually give in to me when I tell him my beast has chosen you for our mate.”

“I don’t know, Mina. I should keep my hands to myself. Just because our beasts

want one another doesn’t mean we should give into it. I’m going to do my job, which is to make sure other males keep their distance while you go through your heat, and then I’m going to hand you back over to your father, untouched.”

She frowned, not liking his answer. “Fine. Sit in here and brood then.”

Pushing away from him, she stormed through the living room, opened the

sliding glass doors, stripped off her clothes and shifted to her wolf. She gauged the distance between the second floor and the ground below and then leapt over the

balcony railing. Her paws sank into the grass and she looked up at Spark’s window.

When he saw her, she saw the curse word that sprang to his lips and he ran out of his room. Before he had a chance to catch her, she darted into the nearby wooded park.

Twigs snapped under her paws as they pounded the earth. She passed some kids

playing, not daring to stop at the coos of “Oh! A doggy!” As she rounded the corner and darted across the street, a hoop jerked tight around her neck and she was nearly lifted off all four paws. She let out a yelp and turned to face the man holding the other end. A gleeful smile split his lips as he looked her over.

“You’ll make a fine pet for someone. Heck, if you don’t get adopted soon, I just may take you home myself.”

Mina groaned, but it came out as a whine. Just what she needed. Animal control.

How the hell was she going to get out of this one without shifting and being buck naked? Not to mention, not everyone knew about shifters. She didn’t want to be the one to spill the secret to the general public. Her daddy was going to tan her ass for this already.

“Wait!” Spark yelled out, jogging across the road and coming to a stop beside

Mina. “That’s my dog.”

“Yours, huh? Well, the law is the law, and since I caught her, I have to take her in. But you’re welcome to stop by in an hour and complete the paperwork to get her back. And, of course, pay the fifty dollar fee for retrieving a pet without tags. Has she had her rabies shot? You know you’re supposed to display that tag if nothing else. It’s the law.”

“I’m really sorry. She never leaves home without her collar, but she jumped a

second story balcony for this little jaunt.” Spark glared down at her and she gave him a wolfy grin in return. He looked ready to tan her ass, but she gave him a playful yip and jumped up, placing her paws on his chest.

“Not very well-behaved, is she?” the animal control officer asked.

“No, she isn’t.” Spark narrowed his eyes. “You said an hour?”

“It will take me about that long to return to headquarters and get her processed, but don’t worry. We don’t allow anyone to adopt a new dog for at least forty-eight hours so the owners have time to come claim them.”

Uh-oh. Mina hadn’t thought of that. She licked Spark’s jaw as an apology and

then followed the officer to the waiting truck. He loaded her into one of the on-board kennels and locked the gate. She gave Spark a forlorn look and wished she could take it all back. If she’d known how much trouble she’d get into, and that she’d end up costing Spark money, she never would have run. Her brief moment of freedom hadn’t been

worth the embarrassment of being hauled off to doggy jail.

An eerie feeling settled over her; she looked out through the bars and saw the

one face she wanted to avoid. Striker had somehow managed to find her, and Mina knew that could only spell trouble—for Spark
and
her. Striker hadn’t made it a secret that he wanted her. If he claimed her as his mate, his place in the pack would be assured and Mina’s daddy would have no choice but to relinquish Mina’s inheritance to the smarmy wolf.

Mina hoped like hell Striker didn’t follow them to the pound. The last thing she wanted was a face-off while she was so vulnerable. If she bit his ass like she really wanted to do, they’d probably put her to sleep for aggression. She just had to hope that Spark beat him there.

It didn’t take long to reach the pound and the sounds of barking and howls filled the air. Mina wanted to cover her ears and wish herself anywhere but here, but instead she found herself led through the outdoor kennels and placed into an open cage. She didn’t know how long she’d paced the cell, but eventually the officer came to retrieve her. She was happy to leave the cage and her heart soared at the thought of seeing Spark again. Except it wasn’t Spark’s glowering countenance she saw.

Oh fudge.

“Mr. Striker, I have to tell you, another fella came up to me while I was catching her and claimed she belonged to him. But since you have a picture of you with her and a bunch of other wolf-hybrids, I have no reason to doubt your story. Can you imagine?

He tried to tell me she jumped from a second-story balcony.”

“Well, I appreciate you getting Mina back for me,” Striker told the man, reaching for the leash around Mina’s neck.

Oh, hell no!
She growled low and menacingly, and backed away from Striker.

“Seems she doesn’t like you much,” the officer commented.

“Ah, she just needs a reminder of who she belongs to.” Striker narrowed his eyes at Mina. “Because I know she wouldn’t want to
hurt
anyone. Right, Mina?”

Is he threatening Spark? Or me?

“Don’t you think it’s time you went home, where you belong?” Striker asked and

then jerked on her leash. “Come on.”

Mina knew she had two options. Put up a fight and maybe get her ass sent to the gas chamber, or follow Striker outside and pray for an opportunity to escape. Neither was an option she was overly fond of. Striker began to drag her through the center to the front door. Before he could shove her outside, a welcome sight greeted her. Mina yipped and strained at the end of the leash, trying to get to Spark.

“Mina?” Spark asked and then glared at Striker. “What the hell are you doing

with her?”

Striker pointed to the Silver Skulls patch on his cut. “She belongs with her own kind. I’ve waited a long time to make Mina my mate, and now seems like the perfect time.”

“You mean now that Shadow isn’t around to stop you,” Spark countered. “He

left her in my care and she’s damn well going home with me.”

Striker let out a belly laugh. “As if the alpha would leave his precious daughter in your hands. Oh, I have no doubt he assigned her care over to your club, but I seriously doubt he chose you specifically.” Striker sniffed the air around Sparks.

“Especially since you’re not mated.”

“I won’t let you walk out of here with her.”

Mina pulled on the leash again, trying to get to Spark. She didn’t care if she

damn near strangled herself; she wanted to be with him and not the asshole holding the leash. The officer inside seemed to notice the commotion out front and came to

investigate. Mina doubled her efforts to get to Spark, and did everything to convey a dog anxious to see her master.

“What’s the problem?” the officer asked.

“Why did you give my dog away?” Spark asked. “You assured me I had 48

hours to pick her up and it hasn’t even been an hour.”

“Well,” the officer blustered. “He had pictures of himself with the dog. Much

more concrete evidence than your word that she belongs to you.”

Spark gestured toward Mina. “And who does it look like she belongs to? Does

that look like a dog anxious to go with the man you signed her over to?”

The officer scratched his head. “Now that you mention it, she did growl and

snap at him inside, but I didn’t think much of it. But seeing her with you, I can tell the difference in a dog that wants to go somewhere and one who doesn’t.”

“I want my dog,” Spark said, almost growling the words.

Oohhh… So sexy!
Mina yipped and tried to reach Spark again.

“I’m afraid there’s not much I can do. The papers were all signed and everything is legally taken care of. I can’t take her back now, not unless he wants to surrender her,”

the officer said.

Striker laughed. “Fat chance. Mina is mine and I’m taking her home now.”

Striker began dragging her through the parking lot to one of the trucks owned by the Silver Skulls. She fought as hard as she could, even biting him on the ankle when he came close enough. When he reached for Mina and tried to lift her into the truck, she bit his arm and growled, leaving no doubt that she meant business.

“Bitch!” Striker backhanded her hard enough that she let out a yelp and went

rolling.

“Now, see here!” The officer hurried over. “If you don’t hand that dog over

immediately, I’m going to have you arrested for animal cruelty.”

Mina played up the part of an injured dog, whining and wagging her tail, as she belly crawled toward the officer. Striker dropped her leash, sneered at her and called her another nasty name, then jumped in the truck and peeled out of the lot. Spark rushed to her side, running his hands over her fur as he checked her over. She licked his cheek in appreciation and didn’t put up a fuss as he picked her up.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about your paperwork,” Spark said. “Mina is coming

with me.”

“I suppose that’s the least I can do. I didn’t mean for her to get hurt. We take that kind of thing very seriously around here.”

Spark put her in the passenger’s seat of her car, then buckled himself into the driver’s seat. He gave her a rather intense stare.

“We’re going to discuss your running away when we get back to the hotel,

understood? This could have ended very badly, and all because you decided to rebel and run off in a snit.”

She whined at him and curled up on the seat, curling her tail over her nose.

Spark reached over and rubbed her behind her ears, as if to reassure her, then

pulled out of the parking lot. He drove straight to the hotel, pulling around back and putting up the top on the car. Reaching into the backseat, he pulled out a sundress and tossed it toward her.

“You’re going to have to shift and dress in the car. There’s a no pet policy at this hotel. Someone already complained about a dog leaping off my balcony and I had to let them check the place out and see that I didn’t have any doggy paraphernalia. Your little stunt has gotten us into quite a bit of trouble.”

Mina called to her human self and shifted back, not missing the heated look in

Spark’s eyes as he visually caressed her curves. She tugged the dress over her head and smoothed it down over her hips. The fact he’d never looked away wasn’t lost on her, but she doubted it meant he was going to claim her as his mate, even though it would certainly solve the issue with Striker. Mina had no doubt the man would be back, making a pest of himself.

Spark closed and locked the hotel room door before turning to face Mina. He

was…furious? Terrified? Perhaps a bit of both. There was a slight bruise forming on her cheek under her right eye where Striker had backhanded her. He’d love to get his hands on the male wolf and beat the shit out of him. Spark had seen his mother abused enough over the years to know never to lay a hand on a woman in anger, and Striker had known damn well that Mina was more than just a wolf when he’d lashed out at her. Spark didn’t care if she had bitten the asshole; she hadn’t deserved to get hit in return.

He tenderly cupped her jaw and stroked his thumb across her cheek. “We should