The Scent of Seduction (5 page)

Nicole didn't see anything obvious. The interior of the cabin was the same pine panelling as the office. There was a lovely queen-sized bed with an antique white quilt, creamy yellow curtains in the windows, and a small love seat in front of a real wood-burning stove. A small but functional galley-style kitchen sat against the back wall. Nicole wasn't sure, but it looked as though there wasn't a single smart appliance anywhere. It was as though she'd stepped back in time and was greeted by a romantic getaway designed thirty years ago.

Not catching the joke, she looked up at Jaryn. “What? It looks nice."

"It's the honeymoon suite,” he whispered in Nicole's ear.

She spun around to scan the room again. Nothing overtly screamed honeymoon.

"How do you know?"

"Because this is shabby chic, and all the rest of the cabins have a more distinctive mountain wilderness flair."

Nicole almost burst out laughing. Hearing those words come out of the big Alpha male's mouth seemed so out of character, not to mention the way he'd said them with complete confidence. “And you know about interior design how?"

Jaryn leaned against the wall and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “In addition to being pack Alpha, I also happen to be an architect. So, I frequently work with interior designers. You learn things,” he said with a shrug.

"Architect? Really? That's...well, pretty cool actually.” She took a couple of steps towards Jaryn and let a little giggle escape. “So you're saying that had Landon given me one of the other cabins, I would be greeted by a singing bass?"

"Not quite, but you would definitely encounter a much more rustic western atmosphere with lots of cast iron and horseshoes."

She looked up and was mesmerised by the smile that transformed Jaryn's face. His strong features softened and laugh lines appeared at the corners of his silver eyes. “He did this on purpose, didn't he?"

"Landon?” Jaryn asked.

"Yeah."

"Probably. He was trying to show you respect as the mate of his Alpha. Plus the kid's a softie."

Nicole let out a breath and a little smile kicked up the corners of her mouth. It was sweet, if not a touch presumptuous. She eyed the inviting bed. It was elegant-looking, like it belonged to some Victorian-era Parisian aristocrat who'd escaped to the country. But she couldn't picture her and Jaryn rolling around on those sheets locked in a passionate battle. She heard Jaryn shut the cabin door then sensed his presence behind her. He placed his warm hands on her shoulders. He gave a tender squeeze then slid his touch down her arms to gather her in and embrace her from behind. As he placed another one of those soft kisses on her skin, his lips grazing the side of her neck, a shiver raced across her body.

"Let's get you tucked in bed.” He walked over to the bed and pulled the quilt and top sheet back.

Her body sagged and her eyes burned from exhaustion. Her feet moved forwards on his command, then she sat heavily on the thick mattress. Jaryn knelt at her feet and untied the laces of her shoes. Her hands automatically went to the button of her jeans, but froze as she realised Jaryn was still kneeling in front of her.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Let's get you comfortable, otherwise you won't have a good rest."

Jaryn unfastened her jeans and she lifted her hips so he could pull them down. To his credit, his eyes didn't linger on her lace panties, although she did notice that he inhaled an extra long breath before standing to tuck the quilt around her. He closed the curtains then came back and sat on the edge of the mattress. His hand smoothed her hair away from her face and his thumb caressed her cheekbone.

"I want nothing more than to kiss you right this second, but I'm going to wait until you're wide awake. Our first kiss will begin the bonding process, and I want you to desire and cherish the sensations it will bring as much as I will. So all I'll do right now is say rest well, Nicole Holland, and I will see you this evening."

Jaryn apparently couldn't forgo a small touch because once again his firm lips landed on her forehead, lingering for several seconds, before he quickly stood and exited the cabin. Nicole turned on her side and closed her eyes. As sleep quickly overtook her, she wondered if she would dream of the man calling himself her mate.

Jaryn sat across from Nicole in the quiet restaurant. The hostess had seated them in the back corner, so they had some privacy. He gazed at her burgundy hair as the light from the flickering candle in the centre of the table highlighted the various red hues. Her forest green eyes lit from within at his contemplation. The spell was broken as the waitress delivered their drinks. He watched Nicole take a long drink of her water, her throat moving as she swallowed. He wanted to kiss the soft pale skin, especially that spot at the base where her pulse beat rapidly. Nicole put her glass down and he reached for her hand before she could place it back in her lap.

"Before we get to the heavy discussion, tell me about you,” he said.

"What do you want to know?"

"Why don't we start with the basics?"

"I'm thirty-five years old. I'm originally from Chicago, but went to University of Wisconsin in Madison. I majored in natural science, and have a Master's degree in education.” Nicole took a deep breath and looked across at Jaryn before she slowly said, “And for the past year and a half, I've been a prisoner of a shifter named Adam Broyles."

Jaryn clenched his water glass so tightly, he was surprised it didn't shatter. He knew something had happened to his mate to make her so skittish, but he never suspected that she'd been held hostage. He studied her dark-green eyes, so sure he'd find evidence of the trauma she'd experienced. Her scent was rich with determination, mixed with a touch of anxiety, but there was no terror. No emptiness. Nothing to really indicate the ordeal she'd gone through.

"Can you talk about it?"

Nicole nodded. “I promised them I would. That I'd find help."

He'd figure out exactly what she meant by ‘them’ later. He could see that Nicole needed to unload her burden, and as her mate it was part of his job to be there for her. Jaryn saw her hand shake as she lifted her glass of water. He reached across the table and enfolded her other hand between his. “Take your time. Why don't you start at the beginning?"

"Adam is wolf shifter living in the Northwoods area of Wisconsin. I'm not sure what he has can be called a pack, since almost everyone there is being held against their will. Adam likes to call it recruiting, but I believe there's a more accurate term for what he does. I was living and teaching in Wausau when I met Adam at a singles’ Valentine's Day party some friends were having. We talked for a little bit, but I wasn't completely comfortable around him so I tried to extricate myself as smoothly as possible.

"Somehow he got my phone number and started calling all the time. It was a little unnerving, but he never said anything that really raised a red flag. In fact, part of me was flattered that this handsome, rich man was paying me—a high school teacher—so much attention. I finally agreed to go out with him about a month after we met. That night, instead of taking me home, he drove me back to his compound. He locked me in a small chamber. He...he..."

Jaryn could see that Nicole was starting to unravel. He stood then went over to her side of the table, lifted her from her chair and settled her on his lap. He didn't care about the other diners. All that mattered was that his mate was hurting, and if being in his arms would ease her pain, then he'd move heaven and hell to make it happen. She curled into his chest and he slowly rubbed her back until she stopped shaking.

This Adam sounded psychotic, and the treatment of his mate at his hands ensured that retribution would be had. Heat surged through his body and he seethed with rage at the thought of his mate being anywhere near such a creature. Every primal instinct to protect what was his coursed through him.

"I have you, Nicole. He can't hurt you anymore. Just tell me, and we'll take care of it. Did he...did he violate you?"

"Yes, but probably not in the way that you mean. He never raped me, at least not that I know of.” She lifted her head from Jaryn's chest. “There are quite a few blocks of time that I can't account for. Times when I'd be in one place then wake up in a completely different area of the compound. For a while, I was convinced he was drugging me with the food, so I stopped eating, but then he made me watch as he punished those that served the food. I couldn't stand being the reason another person was whipped, so I ate what was put in front of me.” Nicole unconsciously rubbed the scar on the back of her neck. “Then there was the time..."

Jaryn took Nicole's hand in his, placed a small kiss on the pads of her fingers then held her hand in his lap. He moved her mane of hair aside and frowned when he saw the scar on the back of her neck, directly over her spine. It had clearly been made by some type of incision, since it was too neat to be from an attack. About two inches long, it was slightly red and puffy. He sniffed at the puckered skin, but there was no trace of disease—only a lingering medicinal scent. He gave it a little lick, hoping that maybe his saliva might help the healing process.

Nicole's eyes went wide. “What did you do?"

"I licked it. As your mate, my saliva holds special healing properties for you. It's part of the mate bond. Why?"

"It doesn't burn anymore. One morning, about a week ago, I woke up and found a taped bandage back there. I have no idea how the incision got there. When I confronted Adam, he told me that my time was up. That it was his mating mark and from that moment on I belonged to him. A few of the others helped me escape a couple of nights later. I've been driving for the last two days, and only stopped in the bank here because I'd run out of the cash I'd stolen from Adam's safe."

He worried about the missing blocks of time from her memory, and if he thought too hard about what may have happened, there'd be nothing to stop his wolf from hunting down this Adam Broyles and tearing the man limb from limb. There was a very good chance that this man was the one he'd been searching for. They hadn't received any information about him kidnapping humans, too, but from what he'd gathered from Nicole so far, this Adam Broyles fit the profile. Before they explored that any further, he needed to reassure his mate.

"It'll be all right. This Adam lied to you. I'm not sure what happened to cause this scar, but I can assure you it's not a mating mark. The only true way to gain a mating mark is the introduction of a shifter's saliva with a bite here"—he placed a gentle kiss on the curve of Nicole's neck where it met her shoulder—"at the moment of climax. Then my body will knot inside yours. My seed and special enzymes in my semen will bathe your womb, and our bond will be complete. This will only happen between two true mates. A shifter cannot force a mating on someone. The soul will not recognise the claiming, and the bond will not form."

Nicole turned and slipped her arms around Jaryn's neck. “So what you're saying is that whatever else Adam did to me, I don't belong...he can't force me to...he used scare tactics to threaten me into submission?"

"That's right. He can't hurt you anymore. My pack will protect you with our lives. I promise to investigate this Adam person and find out exactly what kind of operation he's running. In fact, I think he may actually be the person I've been trying to track down for some time.” He saw Nicole's eyes widen and her delicate auburn eyebrows arch. “I'm a member of the ASC—you've heard of them right?” Nicole nodded. “Well, over the last several years, there've been shifters disappearing from all over the country. The ASC asked me and two other men of my pack, Shaun and Cooper, to examine all the individual investigations to try and find some pattern. To find out exactly what had been happening to the shifters. From what you've said so far, it sounds probable that you may hold the key to unlock this mystery once and for all."

"Oh my God! It has to be him. I can't believe it! I promised the others that I'd try and find help, but I never imagined I'd actually find the one person who..."

"I'd like to think that maybe our meeting was organised by the universe for two purposes. The first, and always most important, is that we found each other. The second is that with your information and my resources, we can finally put an end to the kidnappings."

Jaryn gave Nicole a hug. “Do you feel better now?” He smiled at her nod. “Good, then why don't we get back to our meal? They make fabulous food here, and I'd hate for you to miss out on the experience.” He stood and placed Nicole back in her chair. He slid her closer to the table, kissed the top of her head, and as he moved to the other side of the table, gave Mike—the owner and fellow pack member—a nod indicating that all was well and they were ready to continue with their dinner. He settled himself at the table and took a sip of water. “Why don't we talk about more pleasant things? Tell me more about teaching."

"How did you know I was a teacher?"

"You said earlier that you had a Master's degree in education. I assumed that meant you were a teacher. Was I wrong?"

Nicole shook her head then smiled. “I was a high school teacher. I love working with the teenagers. They can be a real handful sometimes, but every once in a while you see a glimmer in one of the kids’ eyes and know you've sparked an interest. Maybe provided them with inspiration for their own career choices."

The waitress delivered their entrees and Jaryn's mouth watered at the delicious smells wafting up from the steak on his plate. “Thank you, Susan.” He saw the pleasure on Nicole's face at the fare put in front of her and smiled. “You'll be very happy with your choice. The smoked turkey is excellent.” He raised his wine glass. “May I present a toast?” Nicole lifted her glass of wine. “To a future filled with everything we've ever dreamed of."

He clinked their glasses together and took a sip of the Cabernet Sauvignon. He'd purposely kept the toast vague, but Jaryn knew exactly what he dreamed of for his future.

"You love teaching. I can see it in your eyes. They sparkled just now as you were talking."