Chapter 5
Vega’s eyes flew open at a slight whisper of sound that meant she wasn’t alone in her room.
Heart racing, she didn’t bother reaching for a weapon. Instead she let her claws release and had started to jump from her bed when fingers wrapped around her throat.
She sucked in a hard breath as Gabriel pinned her underneath him on the bed. All thoughts of fighting fled her body as she stared up at him. Rage burned in his green eyes, but he didn’t squeeze her throat—he would never. No, he was pissed—which meant he knew what she’d done, and was showing her that. But he wasn’t going to hurt her. And she really liked the feel of him on top of her, even if he was just straddling her. She clenched her legs together as an ache started to spread. She should be asking him what the hell he was doing, but she liked this way too much. Liked him being on top of her. Wondered what it would be like if they were naked and their positions were reversed—or if he was behind her.
She arched her body up, making his green eyes go bright with hunger. Moonlight streamed in from the slat blinds, but she didn’t need the light to see him. Not when her own gaze lit up the harsh profile of his oh so beautiful face. He’d hate that she thought of him as beautiful, but he was a perfect male specimen.
Taller than her by about six inches, he was huge, broad-shouldered and ripped. But he moved like a damn feline—something else he’d also hate the thought of. His dark hair was cropped close, not that it really mattered. He could have long hair or no hair because there was no denying the perfect structure of his face. Or his eyes, which seemed to dominate everything. He was walking, talking sex.
He dropped his grip on her throat and leaned down so that he was hovering over her without actually touching her, his hands on either side of her head. “You’re fucking robbing and killing people? That’s why you can’t go home for Christmas?” His voice was savage as he stared down at her in disgust.
And his question pissed her off. She punched him in the middle of the chest, shoving him off her. “What I do is none of your fucking business.”
Either she’d taken him by surprise or he’d wanted to move because he jumped off the bed, putting distance between them—as if he couldn’t stand to be near her.
Which sliced at her. He actually thought she was a common thief and a killer? The covers fell away from her body as she slid out of bed, the silk of the sheets too much against her over-sensitized skin. Wearing only a skintight tank top and her underwear made her feel way too vulnerable in front of him, but she stood her ground.
“You followed me?” She shouldn’t be surprised, but her parents had never let on they’d sent someone to follow her. And hell, she’d left on a plane. How had he… Oh, she was so stupid. Her fucking phone. He must have tracked her that way.
His gaze scanned her from head to toe, pausing as he swept over her bare legs. Taking her by surprise, the male swallowed hard before he seemed to get himself together. “You’re coming home with me. Tonight. Pack your shit. And if I find that male you were with, I’m going to gut him alive.”
She blinked at his tone, at his assumption that she’d do what he ordered. Snorting, she flopped back on the bed and stretched out. “I’m not going anywhere with you, so you can take your bullshit attitude and head home alone.”
He took a deep breath, his wolf in his eyes, but remained where he was. “What are you involved in? I infiltrated that place after you left, before the cops and fire department arrived.”
Oh yeah, she was not answering his questions. Even though she felt like a bitch, she just arched an eyebrow and placed her hands behind her head, the picture of nonchalance. “What place?”
“Don’t fuck with me, Vega.” He started pacing, looking like a caged wolf, as if he was trying to figure out his next move.
And oh how sexy she found it. He was wearing all black, his long-sleeved t-shirt straining against his upper arm muscles. He’d shoved the sleeves up so his forearms were revealed—and what the hell, even his forearms were sexy. She’d locked out thoughts of him for two years, forced herself not to focus on him or fantasize about him. But here he was in her temporary bedroom at the foot of her bed, looking a little wild and a lot sexy. It revved up something inside her. Something she had no control over.
Heat flooded between her thighs as she shifted slightly against the bed. She tried to stop the scent of her arousal, but there was no use. She couldn’t control her wolf’s reaction to the male. Simply. Couldn’t. Do. It. Not anymore.
He paused midstride, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly. Instead of looking at her, he gave her his back, his posture rigid as he took a ragged breath.
He might as well have physically struck her for the effect his reaction had on her. God, was it so awful that she was attracted to him? Was she so awful? She sucked in a breath, though it was like trying to breathe past shards of glass. Just like that, her arousal fizzled and died. Screw him.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but you need to come home with me. If the wrong people get wind that you’re up here alone, it’ll make you a target. With your mom pregnant—”
She was in front of him in a flash. “What?”
He froze, staring down at her before his mask was back in place. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Is my mom really pregnant?” A cacophony of emotions punched through her, namely excitement. She was going to have a sibling! But guilt mixed in because of the way she’d just left for the winter break, and what she was doing. Her parents had to be so excited and she should be there with them. Oh sweet flying dragons, the weird dreams she’d been having made a whole lot more sense now. They weren’t dreams at all—
“Yeah.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, the muscles of his forearm flexing. She hated that she noticed. “They didn’t want you to come home because you felt guilty.”
Hell. “I’ll call them.”
“What you should do is come home.” His voice was soft as he stared down at her, some indefinable emotion bleeding through those bright green eyes. “Whatever you’ve gotten into, it doesn’t matter. Come home to the pack, to your parents. If you’re in trouble, the pack will fix it.”
She took a step back from him, not wanting him to touch her. She understood why he made the assumption that she was involved with something shady, but it still cut deep. That he just barged in here with those assumptions and told her what she was going to do. That he treated her like a misbehaving pup. Like she had no brain of her own.
Unable to even look at him anymore, she turned away, afraid she’d start crying if she held his gaze. Damn it, she needed to toughen the hell up if she was going to do this job. “Just leave the way you came, Gabriel. I’m not going anywhere with you.” Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, she headed downstairs. She wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore and she didn’t want to look at Gabriel another second. Downstairs she made a pot of coffee even though it was only four in the morning. This townhome was fully stocked, thankfully. Maybe she’d get in a run before her day officially started. Ten miles should burn off some of this raw energy coursing through her.
She knew when Gabriel was gone because she was attuned to the male. His delicious spicy scent lingered in the air, making her lightheaded, but while waiting for the pot to finish brewing she checked the small townhome just to be certain, and sure enough, he was gone. The alarm was still set so she wasn’t sure how the male had managed to get in and out undetected, but she shouldn’t be surprised.
He could be a ghost when he wanted. She’d seen him blend into the shadows in a way that was impossible for other shifters, herself included. He seemed to pull them around him, to become one with them. It was…fascinating.
Shoving those thoughts and the lingering hurt aside, she poured a cup of coffee before curling up on the couch downstairs—and feeling more alone than she ever had. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone.
It was late, but her mom was a vampire and would still be up. Hell, normally Vega would be too.
“Hey, sweetheart,” her mom answered on the first ring.
Her throat tightened for a moment as she struggled to find the right words, then blurted the last thing she’d been intending to say. “Are you pregnant?”
Her mom sucked in a quick breath. “Ah…yes. I’m not very far along.”
Tears stung her eyes as she closed them. “I wish I was there to hug you right now. This is so exciting.”
She let out a shaky laugh. “Exciting and terrifying. And I wish you were here too.” The desperation in her mom’s voice cut at her and almost made her want to throw in the towel and head home.
But she couldn’t do that. “Mom…I’m so happy for you guys—for all of us. Ridiculously happy. If I could come home, I would. I promise.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“No, I swear. I…I can’t tell you what I’m doing, but I’m not on holiday break. It has to do with a job I’ve taken. I just can’t tell you what it is. I need you to trust me. To trust that I’m adult enough to know what I’m doing.”
“I do.” The answer was so swift it nearly stole her breath.
She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed to hear that. “As soon as I’m able to come home, I will.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you too… Do you know what you’re having, or is it too soon?” Because that little hybrid was going to get soooooo spoiled.
“It’s too soon just yet.”
Something deep inside Vega told her that she was going to have a brother. But she kept it to herself. Sometimes she had strange little feelings—that turned out to be true. Considering the dreams she’d been having lately…yeah, she was having a brother. “Oh man, how’s Dad reacting? Is he freaking out?” She’d come into her dad’s life in her late teenage years and he’d been crazy overprotective.
Lyra snorted, the sound at odds with the female’s elegance. “He’s not too bad. Impressive, all things considered.”
“Will you tell him I called?”
“Of course. I miss you, baby girl.”
“I miss you too.” Now more than ever. For so long it had been just her and her mom. Then they’d been embraced by the Stavros pack. Her family. Now to learn that she was going to have a new sibling? She didn’t doubt what she was doing with her life, but she wished she was home right now with her mom.
Once they disconnected, she took her phone apart and removed the SIM card. She wasn’t going to bother figuring out what type of tracker Gabriel had put in her phone because she had no doubt he had. She had burners—she’d just text her mom so that Lyra had one of her numbers.
Now, she was going to lay a false trail for Gabriel to follow.
Resisting the urge to rub her hands together like a cartoon villain, she grinned as she formulated a plan to send him in the wrong direction.
That sneaky wolf wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. And this is what he got for breaking into her place and being an all-around jackass.
* * *
As Gabriel drove down the highway in one of the pack’s Jeeps—he hated that he hadn’t brought his bike for this trip—he glanced at his caller ID when it rang. Smiling when he saw that it was Victoria, he answered, using his hands-free device. “Hey, how are you feeling?”
“Good. No morning sickness. Of course, my mate is driving me crazy,” she grumbled.
“Good for him.” That was how mates were supposed to act.
She snorted. “A few years ago you would have been singing a different tune.”
Many years ago Gabriel had wondered about Drake and Victoria—mainly if Drake was right for her. There had been no doubt that the dragon shifter cared for her, but given the circumstances of how they’d met, Gabriel had been ridiculous and overprotective of a female he considered a little sister. “True enough.” Also true, Drake was the only damn male on the planet worthy of Victoria. Those two fit in a way that was rare. In a way he wanted for himself, but was destined never to have. He thought he’d accepted that but lately… He sighed.
“Vega texted me asking about some places I’ve been in San Francisco. She didn’t actually say she was going there, but she hinted heavily that she was headed in that direction.”
That sneaky female. He grinned at her resourcefulness in only the last few hours, having no doubt that it was another diversionary tactic meant for him. To throw him off her trail. Her phone—which he’d added a tracking app to—was headed for San Francisco as well. Or at least her SIM card was. But he’d put a tracker in her boots. And…at this point, he wasn’t even certain he needed it. His wolf knew the direction she was going in. Not the final destination, but even without the tracker, he knew he was headed in the right direction. “Okay. Don’t tell her you talked to me.”
“I won’t. But I am worried. What’s she up to?”
“I’m not sure yet.” But he was going to find out very soon. He didn’t actually think she was a criminal. What she’d done with that unknown male was strange. But it turned out the house they’d robbed and the humans they’d killed had been criminals. He wasn’t certain she’d killed the humans though. The male could have been the one to do it.
“What have Finn and Lyra said about what she’s up to?”
“I haven’t said anything to Finn.” Normally he told his Alpha everything—and he wasn’t holding back now. But he also wasn’t checking in every hour. No, he was going to hunt Vega down and figure out what was going on before he’d bothered Finn. “He’s got a lot on his plate right now.” The only reason he’d even mentioned anything to Victoria was because of their friendship and she wasn’t part of the pack anymore. Not technically anyway. Because she would always be part of them even if she had run away to live with a bunch of dragons.
“Hmm.”
“Hmm, what?”
“Nothing.”
“What did you get your mate for Christmas?” he asked, changing the subject.
“You don’t want to know.”
“Why?”
“Cause it’s kind of dirty.”
“Oh, come on!”
She let out a peal of laughter, the sound infectious. “Man, that never gets old. And you are such a prude.”
Not exactly true—not true at all. But this was Victoria.
“So, what are you getting Vega for Christmas?” Victoria asked, the question taking him off guard.
“Why would I get her anything?” The pack did a gift exchange, but there were so many of them that they just did a dirty Santa game—which usually ended up with something getting set on fire because wolves were crazy.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you’ve got the hots for her!”
“What?” Gabriel couldn’t decide if she was messing with him or not.
Victoria scoffed. “Don’t play games with me. Why on earth would you be chasing her across the country otherwise?”
“Because my Alpha ordered me to.” His voice was dry.
“Use whatever excuse you need. I don’t buy it—and I haven’t since you bailed on your assignment in New Orleans a couple years ago. But if it makes you feel better, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who knows how you feel about her.”
“Clearly your pregnancy has done something to your thought process.”
She let out a bark of laughter. “Whatever you’ve got to tell yourself, big bad wolf. By the way, whenever my baby shower is finally scheduled I expect you to attend.”
“I’ll be there.” He wouldn’t miss it.
“I also expect you to bring Vega. Hopefully you’ll have pulled your head out of your butt and mated with her by then.” Snickering to herself, she actually hung up on him.
“Freaking wolves,” he muttered. Not that he could say much, considering he was one himself. They were certainly a nosy lot, himself included.
Sighing, he glanced at his GPS and realized what direction he was going. He’d thought that maybe Vega would take a different course but no…she was going where he’d hoped she never would.
Ice coated his veins. He’d run from the future all those years ago. He’d thought that if he left this territory—because it was where he’d seen Vega die—it wouldn’t happen. That he could completely avoid it, stop her from dying.
Now he was following her straight back into it.
Cursing to himself, he pulled up a name on his phone. A male he hadn’t talked to in years.
“I’m close to your territory,” he said the moment the Alpha picked up. He wondered if Vega knew she was in another Alpha’s territory. As soon as he had the thought, he realized that of course she must. Vega was smart. He wasn’t going to say anything about her just yet. Not until he figured out what she was up to. Even then he wouldn’t tell anyone else about her being here.
There was a moment of silence on the line. “It’s been a long time.”
“It has. Am I welcome?”
The male snorted. “I can’t believe you asked that. Of course. When will I see you?”
“Soon.”
A short sigh. “Very well, then.”
Gabriel ended the call and focused on the road.
Fuuuuuuck. Things had just gotten complicated.