Wolf at the Door: Salvation Pack, Book 1 (14 page)

She dragged herself over by the end of the sofa and sat back against it. The smell of the leather fabric was mixed with the nasty odor of blood and death. She breathed through her mouth instead of her nose, hoping to settle her upset stomach.

The gun was still clenched in her right hand. She had no idea how many bullets this thing held, but she hoped she had some left.

A gigantic wolf leapt through the open door. The low, deadly growl sent a shiver through her entire body. The massive animal was covered in fur in every shade of brown, some strands so dark they appeared almost black. He padded over to the dead body and stared down at it silently, his quiet more frightening than his growling.

He turned to her and his golden-brown eyes were filled with the promise of death. She slowly raised the gun and held it steady. She didn’t want to kill anyone else but she would if she had to. The silence outside made her jittery. Where was everyone? Had Louis and the rest of the men been killed? And where was Jacque?

Gwen swallowed hard. “I’ll kill you.” The proof was only a few feet away. She would use the gun if she had to.

The wolf turned his head to one side, silently studying her. Her fingers tightened on the trigger. The wolf suddenly began to change. Thick, rich fur disappeared, replaced by skin pulled over large bones and rippling muscles. His jaw shrank and his flattened skull changed into one more human, one she knew well.

“Here’s your chance,
chère
. Kill me if you must.”

Jacque LaForge stood before her, completely naked and totally magnificent. With his long, thick legs, heavy chest and massive arms, he was the picture of primal masculinity.

“What’s going on?” Louis stepped inside the room, followed by the rest of the men. All of them were in various stages of undress. Armand and Louis were totally naked, but Cole and Gator had pulled on jeans.

She looked away but knew she’d never forget the sight of such primal men. They’d fought for themselves and for her. She swallowed and turned back to Jacque who was still watching her. “What’s it going to be,
chère
? You want to kill me, here’s your chance.”

“I should kill you.” Her bottom lip trembled as she carefully set the gun on the floor and buried her face in her hands.

Strong arms lifted her. “It’s okay, Gwen. I’ve got you.” She laid her cheek against Jacque’s bare chest, wanting to forget the last day of her life. Such a short time but everything was different, everything had changed. So much violence and death.

“I killed him.” She needed him to understand that.

“Shh. I know,
chère
. And I’m sorry it came to that.”

The creak of the bedspring told her where they were and then the mattress was supporting her back. She moaned as her battered body protested.

“Are you hurt?” His tone was sharp and she flinched. He swore under his breath. “I need to know if he harmed you.”

She started to shake her head but stopped when the pain beat against her skull. “No, he didn’t hurt me. I just ache all over.” She hated admitting weakness, but there was no hiding it. “And my head hurts.”

“I know,
chère
. You just close your eyes and rest.”

That sounded like a splendid idea. Her eyelids were already half closed. A picture of the wolf she’d shot flashed in her brain and her eyes popped open. “Stay with me.”

Jacque pulled the covers over her and settled on the mattress beside her. He kissed her forehead, her temple and her cheek. “Of course, I’ll stay. You rest. You’re safe now.”

Gwen relaxed and let her eyes close. Jacque’s heat, his closeness comforted her and drove the nightmares away.

Jacque waited until he knew Gwen was fully asleep. Her fingernails were torn and jagged and her hands bore small cuts. Her hair was damp and plastered to her skull. She needed a long soak in a tub of hot water, but she needed sleep more.

He fingered a lock of her silky hair and frowned. Her face was pale, the bruise that marred it a sickly black and purple shade. Even in sleep, her forehead was wrinkled in pain. He leaned down and kissed her again. He wanted to stay with her but knew the men would be waiting for him.

He eased away from her and she gave a little moan of displeasure before rooting around on the mattress and heaving a sigh. Jacque grabbed a pair of jeans from the wardrobe and slipped them on. With one last glance at Gwen, he pulled the door shut and padded to the kitchen.

The dead werewolf was gone from the living room and the mess had been cleaned up. He knew the bodies outside would be hidden and waiting to be disposed of. The door needed to be fixed but it was propped up against the frame, covering the opening for now.

“How is she?” Louis stopped pacing across the floor and glared. He’d pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt, but hadn’t buttoned it.

“Sleeping.” He didn’t want to fight with Louis, not now. His brother was dressed, but Gwen had seen both Louis and Armand naked. Not a huge deal in their world when nudity was common when they shifted form, but for some reason it raised Jacque’s hackles. “What’s the damage?”

Gator dug around in the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs and a package of bacon. “Six dead here. All assassins from your father’s pack.” He opened the freezer, rummaged around and hauled out a bag of frozen hash browns.

“What about Andre?” Armand was sitting at the table, his elbows resting on the edge.

“Dead.” Jacque was glad to be able to give his cousin that much good news. “You can get rid of the body later.” He knew Armand would have to see for himself the bastard was dead.

Cole poured coffee into five mugs and started handing them around. After the fight they were all ravenous. Shifting took a lot of energy and, when you added the fight on top of it, they all needed to fuel up.

Jacque took a sip of coffee and gave Cole a grateful nod of thanks. “Where did Gwen get the gun?” He’d never forget the fear in his gut when he’d seen the shattered door. Even now he could feel the echo of it. She’d killed a werewolf. She’d had to save herself and that wasn’t to be borne.

“Quite a resourceful woman, your Gwen.” Cole leaned against the counter out of Gator’s way as the other man started hauling pans out of the cupboard. “She found the hiding spot in the floor in your office.”

That didn’t surprise Jacque. Gwen was an incredibly intelligent woman and would have assumed they’d have weapons somewhere here. “How did she get it open?” That’s what he really wanted to know.

Cole jerked his head toward the gun, which sat in the middle of the kitchen table. Jacque went to the table and started to smile. His letter opener sat beside the gun and the tip was bent at an angle. “She pried it open.” Which also explained her torn nails and cut hands.

“She did.” Cole sounded as impressed as he was. “She also managed to shoot the bastard who attacked her in the heart.”

Jacque picked up the letter opener and held it in his hand. He couldn’t begin to imagine her desperation. Being alone and unarmed, having to protect herself against a creature that only days before she hadn’t even known existed.

“She’s safe. That’s all that matters.” Cole carried his coffee over to the table and stopped long enough to slap Jacque on the shoulder. “After we eat, we’ll take care of the bodies and do another scout of the perimeter.”

Jacque knew Cole was right. Gwen was safe. Right now they needed to concentrate on more pressing matters. “He’ll be sending more men after her, and soon.” He didn’t have to say who. They all knew Pierre LaForge was behind this. He’d loathed his father for years but that hatred had grown tenfold today.

“As soon as Andre and his men don’t check in they’ll mount another attack. I give it two or three days tops.” Louis slumped down on a chair and rubbed his hands over his face. “I had to leave her. I couldn’t let Armand fight six werewolves alone.”

Jacque knew Gwen’s attack would eat at his brother. “You did what you had to do. The house was the safest place for her.”

“But it wasn’t enough.” Louis raised his gaze. “I let her down. I let
you
down.”

Jacque shook his head. “No. I allowed myself to be drawn out. It was a trap and I fell into it.”

“Screw it.” Gator had bacon and hash browns sizzling in two large skillets on the stove and was currently whipping eggs in a bowl. “We all fell for it. You may be alpha of this small pack, but it’s not like the LaForge pack back in Louisiana. We all have a say here. If you’re handing out blame, there’s plenty of blame to go around.”

Jacque glanced around the room at the men who’d followed him when he’d broken with their former pack. He couldn’t ask for better men, better brothers. Gator’s feelings were reflected in their faces and he knew without having to ask they all felt the same.

If this had happened back in Louisiana, his father would have been handing out blame left and right. Men would be turning on friends and brothers to keep from taking the fall. But someone would have paid, probably with his life. No, coming here was the best decision he’d ever made in his life and he’d never regret it. How could he? It had brought Gwen into his life.

His heart ached to be with her, but this was where he needed to be right now. Being a leader of strong men wasn’t easy and he struggled daily to find a balance. Having Gwen at his side, giving him a haven from his responsibilities would be such a blessing in his life. But would she be willing to take on such a role? Only time would tell.

For now, he let his guilt go. It wouldn’t do him, or any of them, any good to hold on to it and let it fester. The trick was to learn from what had happened. “We’ll need to set up a perimeter.”

“I think it’s time we went high tech.” Armand leaned forward and set his mug on the table. “We don’t have time to rig an elaborate setup before we have more company, but we could set up some motion sensors and trip wires. Something to give us some advance notice without having to constantly patrol the entire area. It would save our energy for fighting.”

“What do you need?” Money wasn’t a problem for them. Unlike many of their breed, they’d taken to technology as it progressed, investing in it and in other commodities. Between the five of them they had millions to draw upon.

“I’ll make a run to town later and see if I can get what I need there. It will be a basic set up, but it will do for now. Once this is over, I’ll take a trip to a couple major cities and get everything we need to do a proper job. I’ll spread out the spending so it doesn’t get anyone looking in our direction.” Secrecy and security were the two words they lived by.

“Sounds good. Take Louis with you. I don’t want anyone going out alone until this threat has passed.”

“Yes, mother,” Gator quipped.

Jacque scowled at him and then reluctantly smiled when the rest of the men laughed. “What can I do to help?” Jacque asked Gator. The faster they ate, the faster they could deal with the mess outside.

“You can work the toaster. I’m putting the eggs on now.”

The rest of the men got up and pitched in while he put bread in the toaster and pushed down the handle. Jacque enjoyed these moments of quiet camaraderie. He just wished Gwen were here to experience it with him. He wanted her to trust these men as much as he did, wanted her to stay with him.

The toast popped up and he removed it, adding more slices of bread before buttering the warm, brown pieces. Within five minutes, the meal was on the table. Platters of bacon, eggs and hash browns, along with coffee, juice and toast. It would hold them over for a few hours. Gwen had to be starving. He’d make sure she ate something when she woke. Her stomach would still be queasy, but maybe she could hold down some soup.

“Pick up some canned soup when you go into town.”

“What kind?” Armand asked.

Jacque thought about it and realized he had no idea what kind she might like. “Get one of everything.”

Armand smiled. “Will do.”

“She might like something sweet too. Chocolate,” Louis added. “We should get her some chocolate. Women like that.”

Jacque nodded, wishing he’d thought of that. “Get whatever you think she might like.” Having a woman in their midst was certainly going to change things. He was looking forward to it.

The rest of the meal passed in silence, but it was a comfortable one. When they were finished, they worked together, loading the dishwasher and clearing the table.

Cole hung the dishcloth over the kitchen faucet to dry. “We’ll see to the disposing of the bodies, you stay with Gwen.”

Jacque glanced at the others and they nodded, even Louis. He was grateful his brother seemed to be slowly coming to accept his claim on Gwen. It made all of their lives much easier. “Thanks.” One little word, but one he’d never heard his father utter in all his long years. Jacque didn’t believe it made him weak to acknowledge the kindness the other men were giving him. It made him stronger, made the pack stronger.

He walked silently down the hall and paused at the doorway to his bedroom. He eased it open and stared at the woman lying in his bed. Gwen was sleeping soundly, her body curled into a little ball beneath the covers. Her lips were parted on a silent snore. He hoped she’d sleep for a while. She needed the rest to recover her strength.

He eased the door closed again and went to his office. The corner of the rug was pulled back and the top of the small compartment lay abandoned on the floor beside the secret cubbyhole. He replaced it and rolled the edge of the rug back into place, once again marveling at her resilience.