Wolf Tales 11 (25 page)

The power expanded in waves, a visual, physical burst of brilliant energy that blossomed about the four of them in the shadows, then suddenly compressed, tighter and tighter until an intense flash of pure power winked out and disappeared entirely.

Bay collapsed over Manda’s back. Unable to support his weight, her legs folded beneath her. They lay there, enervated, as weak as a couple of day-old kittens on the cold, hard ground.

Groaning, Stefan stared at the second hand as it suddenly seemed to pick up speed. With a flick of her wrist, Mei straddled his hips and released the leather restraints holding his cock and balls. Blood rushed through his cock in a burst of pain and pleasure so intense, the climax he’d been denied for too long wrapped his body into one, huge orgasmic convulsion.

He grasped Mei’s slim hips and held her against him, thrusting up hard inside the tight, hot sheath of her
vagina. Her muscles clamped down on him, squeezing him, pulling him deeper yet. And there, calling Stefan, calling on his energy and all that he could give, all that Mei and Xandi and Oliver were capable of sharing, was Anton.

Dear Goddess, but he loved the man. Hearing his beloved voice, knowing it was Anton who needed him, who needed all of them, made this all the more powerful.

Only Anton could do this, and do it so well—bring all of them together, combining their climaxes, sharing the power of each and every member of the pack. Anton opened each of them up to the others. Stefan felt Liana and Adam as they came together, shared Baylor, Jake, Shannon, and Manda’s energy even as he gave all of his own. The group in Colorado, even Tia and Jazzy in San Francisco. All together, shared, multiplied, freely given.

And, long moments later, when Mei lay across his body, barely conscious, and Xandi and Oliver gasped for breath beside him, Stefan marveled, once again, at the immense power of the man he loved.

Wave after wave of sensation washed over Adam as their orgasm continued to grow and expand. It was unique, unlike anything he’d ever imagined. He lost all control of his wolven form. His legs collapsed, and so did Liana’s. As they tumbled to the ground, Adam shifted so that he could pull out without hurting her. He rolled to one side in the deep grass, aware Liana had shifted at the same time.

His muscles twitched and rippled as if he still responded to Anton’s desperate call. His cock remained hard. He sensed Anton, knew he’d succeeded in connecting with each and every one of them. Adam hoped it had been enough. It had to be. For now, though, he lay in the grass, barely conscious, yet still aware of the shared sense of connection, the fact he and Liana had climaxed with the entire pack, all of them, together.

“How the fuck does he do that?” He reached for Liana and caught her hand. Turned and looked into those gorgeous gray-green eyes of hers. “The man is scary powerful.” He took a deep breath and blinked through a sudden sheen of tears. “I love you, Liana. I will always love you. And that has got to be the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

“Are you okay?” Liana’s eyes were wide with worry.

Worried about him? He nodded without getting up. He wasn’t even sure he could get up. Not yet. “I’m good, my love. What about you?”

She smiled. A slow, sexy smile that made him want her again. “Never better. As long as I don’t have to move.”

Adam nodded. “Good. Then we’ll just lie here awhile longer.” He laughed softly. “It’s a good thing Eve left us a spot without snow.”

He felt Liana’s fingers tighten around his, but she didn’t answer. There really wasn’t anything either of them needed to say. Not right now. Holding his mate’s hand, Adam lay in the circle of grass amid the pink primroses and finally remembered to hope like hell Lisa and Tala were safe.

Ric felt as if he’d been holding on to all of them forever, like fragile threads attached to balloons, each of them ready to fly away. Arousal pulsed, alive and growing as the seconds ticked by, until suddenly Anton was there, calling out to them, demanding their power, their energy. He needed it now.

All they could give. Whatever they had to share. And just like that, Ric turned loose of the threads and set the balloons free. The moment Anton asked, they delivered. Orgasm slammed into each one of them, a shared experience multiplied by the love each of them felt for the others.

Ric heard Millie’s cry and Daci’s short, sharp scream. Matt groaned and Deacon cursed and drove into Ric, taking
him deeper, harder, fucking him to the point of pain and beyond. Then Daci swallowed his cock. Her throat convulsed around his full length, tipping all of them over the top.

It was a most amazing experience. Ric felt as if he watched from a distance—five bodies writhing together, linked in orgasmic excess, directed by a man hundreds of miles away. It took forever for the final convulsions to end, for their bodies to relax enough to consider the orgasm over. For long moments they lay there, unmoving, stripped of whatever energy they’d been able to produce.

Anton had grabbed all of it. He’d somehow managed to reach out at precisely the right moment and pull every last bit away from them, into himself.

Ric unclenched his fist and caught Millie’s hand in his. She squeezed his fingers as the same thoughts united them—had Anton’s plan worked? Was everyone safe?

Tia wanted to turn around so that she was facing Jazzy, but her body refused to obey. Ripples of pure pleasure still rolled across her skin and deep inside her body, as if her orgasm had become the sea and she was merely bobbing on the surface at the whim of the ebb and flow of the tide. The candles had burned almost completely down, the room was almost entirely dark.

Her cheek rested on Jazzy’s groin. Jazzy’s breasts were squished beneath her belly. She heard Jazzy’s indrawn breath, felt a cool rush of air between her legs as Jazzy exhaled. “Logan says they’ve got Tala and Lisa. They’re safe, but no one knows what’s going on at the auditorium. Power just went out in the hotel.”

“The hotel? I thought he was only shutting down the auditorium.” Tia carefully rolled off Jazzy and landed with a thump on the floor in front of the couch. “I promised Luc I wouldn’t try and contact him. I don’t want to get in the way of whatever happens there.”

“Well, we know Anton got everyone’s energy. He sure sucked up all of mine. Damn. I feel like a wet noodle, but he definitely got it.” Jazzy sat up and leaned against the couch. “Got it, shared it, and made it even stronger. The man’s amazing.”

Tia laughed as she hunted under the pile of magazines on the coffee table for the remote control. “Amazing and downright scary. Let’s see what the local news says.”

She aimed at the TV and pushed the button. Nothing happened. “Jazzy? Try the lamp next to the couch.”

Jazzy pulled the chain. “Nothing. Didn’t you have the CD player going earlier?” She stood up and walked over to the door into the kitchen and tried the light. “Power’s out here, too. Crap. I wonder what’s happening?”

Tia reached into a drawer beside the TV and pulled out a flashlight. “I’m going to check on the girls. Stay in contact with Logan. This is starting to make me nervous.”

She was back within the minute. “They’re both out, sort of like our lights. Any word from Logan?”

“Yeah. The power went out citywide at eight fifty-five. As far as he can tell, no cell phones, no regular phones, nothing. And no word from the auditorium. They’ve got the three guys who kidnapped Lisa and Tala tied up, and they’re waiting at the hotel for the police. Mik’s shifted and he’s handling things in human form. Igmutaka and Beth are on their way to the auditorium to make sure Anton and the others are okay.”

“Why aren’t they just connecting mentally, the way you and Logan are?” Tia sat next to her on the couch.

Jazzy took her hand and squeezed. “No one wants to interrupt Anton or the guys. Be patient. They’ll let us know as soon as they can.”

AJ reacted. He didn’t think, didn’t question Anton’s command. He launched himself into the air and leapt over
the heads of the people sitting between him and the man Anton had told him to stop. What had simply been a rather large, well-built middle-aged man in a dark suit had suddenly become a target. A dangerous and threatening target.

He was aware of Keisha placing herself in front of the president and shoving him to the ground as the man rose and reached for something in his pocket. Then AJ was on him, knocking him to the floor, scattering chairs and bodies in all directions while the driving rhythm of heavy bass guitar and pounding drums masked the noise.

Startled screams, the sharp retort of gunfire, and the frenzied commotion of people scrambling out of the way played a discordant counterpoint to the rock band on stage. Then, as the band members suddenly realized they might be in danger, they scattered like ants.

The music faded away to the final notes of guitar, a loud squeal from the microphone. Gasps of shock and fear.

AJ’s left arm whipped around the man’s throat. He struggled for bare seconds before grabbing hold of the man’s fist and the small automatic pistol he was holding in his right hand. AJ was bigger and stronger and the force of his attack gave him the advantage. He shoved the muzzle of the gun down, pointing it at the floor as the thing went off a second time.

The sound of the shot echoed. Everyone around him stopped moving, and every hair on his body suddenly stood on end. Once he had the senator trapped securely in a headlock, AJ glanced toward Anton. The wizard stood immobile in front of the stage, his arms raised high, his eyes wide and staring as he pulled in energy from all across the country.

He wasn’t certain what made him do it, but AJ linked with Anton. Searing pain streaked through his head. A
blast of immense power shattered the link and sent him tumbling out of Anton’s mind, but he didn’t let go of the man he held.

All the lights went out.

Screams and shouts filled the huge auditorium, but the darkness was absolute. Even the emergency lighting had failed.

AJ’s prisoner stopped struggling. AJ loosened his hold on the man’s throat and the body beneath his sagged, limp and unconscious. At least AJ hoped he was merely unconscious. He’d hit the man hard and fast.

Held on to him, maybe just a bit too long.

He couldn’t see a thing. Not a glimmer of light, even with his Chanku senses revved up on high.

Keisha? You okay?

We’re fine. I’ve got a death grip on the president’s hand so I won’t lose him in the dark. Tinker’s staying close. The bullet grazed my shoulder. Hurts, but it’s not too bad. Anton’s unconscious. It must have been the power surge. He collapsed when the lights went out. Luc’s with him. He thinks Anton’s okay. We need to get the president out of here.

Can you go back to the hotel? I’ll turn this guy over to the authorities as soon as I can. Then I’ll take care of Anton.

We’ll go as soon as we can get out of here safely.

He sensed that she spoke aloud to the president, but AJ couldn’t hear her. The noise around them was growing as panic set in. Shouts, demands for light, for help, echoed in the huge building. A few cigarette lighters flamed to life and AJ worried about fire, but he worried more about his packmates.

About Anton. Dear Goddess! If that burst of power that burned through AJ’s brain was just a fraction of what Anton had dealt with … He sent a quick prayer for the wizard’s safety.

Keisha’s voice was back in his mind. He sensed the
worry she tried to mask, but AJ knew she’d promised her mate that the president’s safety would be her primary concern.

We’re going now. The president wants to stay so I can be with Anton, but I’ve convinced him he should be with his wife. I can’t carry this charade off if we’re under any close scrutiny.

You’ve done great so far.

He sensed Keisha’s tired laughter. Thanks. I’m ready to go back to being Lily’s mommy. Okay … we’ve made it over to Anton.

AJ waited impatiently, still hanging on to his prisoner.

Anton’s still unconscious, but I don’t sense any serious injury. Luc’s staying with him. Tinker’s going with me and the president. Beth and Igmutaka are out in front with a vehicle. They’ll take us to the Fairmont.

The man beneath AJ shifted and moved a bit. AJ tightened his hold, then stood up and pulled the guy with him. He held the man upright. He was conscious now. AJ smelled the man’s fear, could hear his heavy breathing, but he was no longer struggling. He hadn’t said a word since AJ had stopped him. AJ didn’t loosen his hold. This guy wasn’t going anywhere, not until the authorities arrived.

It was totally dark except for a few flashlights flickering among the crowd. AJ heard a shout and stared in the direction it had come from. Four large men with flashlights raced toward him. AJ recognized them as security personnel moving his way.

He’d thought of moving closer to Anton to protect the wizard in case these were some of the fake security forces they’d run into earlier. He decided against it as soon as he recognized the one guard in the front as someone he’d seen watching over the First Family before.

AJ kept his hold on his man and called out to the ones who were obviously headed to the president’s defense. “Over here. In the roped-off section. My wallet and ID are
in my left hip pocket.” He wasn’t about to turn his guy loose.

“Where’s the …?”

AJ interrupted. “He’s safe. We’ve got him headed back to the Fairmont with the First Lady and extra security. This gentleman”—he shook the man none too gently—“pulled a gun and fired it twice. He may have wounded one of our security people. She left with the president.”

He twisted the man’s arm and showed the guard the handgun still clasped in the man’s hand. Both hand and gun were entirely encased in AJ’s big fist.

“Son of a …” The guard shook his head and grabbed the weapon with a clean handkerchief. One of the men behind him pulled out a small plastic bag. The gun went into the bag.

His prisoner cursed and twisted in AJ’s strong grasp. AJ merely tightened his choke hold. Gasping for air, the man quit struggling.

It took them only a couple of minutes to cuff the guy and read him his rights. By then, lights were beginning to come back on—first the emergency lighting, and then, one by one, the overhead lights. People milled about, unsure exactly what had happened, but well aware something had gone horribly wrong. Members of the media headed en masse toward the place where the president should have been. Security guards blocked them and moved everyone away from the roped section.