Chapter Seventeen
Declan
Knowing Lily and Emelise had reached the halfway point to Phoenix with no trouble let Declan focus on the job he’d taken on to deal with the jaguars. He and Nikolai were at the warehouse outside Baton Rouge where the jaguars were storing a small arsenal. If they thought they were on the same level as a gang or the mob, they were sorely mistaken. It was like they were playing at being thugs. They had no security on the building at all, not even guards, and Declan’s instincts weren’t screaming that it was a trap. They really were this stupid.
Nikolai slipped the earpiece, that would allow him to hear anything Declan said, into his ear canal, then disappeared into the shadows. While Declan stayed outside with a view of the warehouse and surrounding area, Nikolai would slip into the warehouse and do his thing. If anyone approached, Declan would see them and warn Nikolai with plenty of time for him to get out.
Declan scanned the area continually. It was times like now that he wished he had a pair of heat-sensing goggles like he’d had back in ops. Those came in real handy in helping to pick out heat signatures. He kept his guard up and stayed on edge until, sometime later, Nikolai appeared next to him.
“It is done,” Nikolai breathed. “The fight will be just claws and teeth.”
Declan nodded. “Let’s get back and catch up with the others. If everything’s gone as planned, Steele should have received an email from Sasha and Echo by now letting us know how their meeting with the Jaguars went,” he said once they’d put some distance between them and the warehouse.
“With luck, when the fighting starts, they will be short some lieutenants,” Nikolai growled. Decan could see that his tiger was itching to get out, and the coming fight would give him some much needed release of tension.
“Maybe, but there will still be plenty for us to sink our teeth into,” Declan assured him as they headed back to New Orleans. If he was honest, he was itching for a fight too. The jaguars had targeted his mate and the people she cared about; they’d fucked up when they did that.
“Da, there will be, and it is a good thing. You are still enraged over them targeting your mate; this fight will help.” Nikolai studied him. “She makes you a calmer man and eases some of the darkness. I can see it in your eyes. Your woman is good for you. You’re a lucky bastard, Declan.”
As a Siberian tiger, the chances of Nikolai finding his mate were even less than it was for most other species of shifter. There weren’t as many of his species as there were of some of the others, including big cat shifters, like leopards and lions. If he and his family were welcome back in Russia, he might have had a chance to meet another of his kind on the hopes that she would be his mate, but they’d not been welcome since the Cold War.
“You could always take a trip to Russia,” Declan pointed out to him.
“Nyet,” Nikolai replied. “My family defected; none of us are welcome back among our kind.”
“You could do what your brother Kaz did—find a nice human girl and get married.”
Nikolai gave him a dark look. “I am not interested in settling down with a woman, any woman.”
Declan laughed. “Yeah, I wasn’t either until I met Lily.”
“Let’s just focus on the job.” Nikolai’s voice was gruff.
An hour after leaving the warehouse in Baton Rouge behind, Declan and Nikolai stepped into the building they’d set up as their headquarters. It was a huge warehouse Declan had purchased, and he was already making plans for once the fight was over. Remy and several other leopards were there with Holden and Steele going over a map of the area to pinpoint the most likely place the jaguars would come at them from.
“I still say the most obvious place is through Chalmette,” Holden rumbled as they studied the land masses surrounding the area where the leopards lived.
“Maybe, but come on, Holden, how often does the most obvious route actually get chosen?” Steele pointed out. He spotted Declan and stood. “Heya, Boss, how’d it go?”
“Smooth as glass,” Declan replied. “The fight will be on even terms tomorrow.”
“Are we sure it’s going to be tomorrow night?” Steele countered.
“From everything I recorded, yeah. Have you heard from Sasha and Echo yet?”
“Got an encrypted text half an hour ago. They were taken to the Alpha and he seems to have bought their story.”
“Good. If there’s any doubt when this will go down, they’ll be able to tell us.” Declan shared a look with Nikolai. “After what we saw at the warehouse back in Baton Rouge, I want to say Holden may be onto something. The guns they had weren’t secured in any way. No guards, no alarms, nothing. I don’t know if that means they’re just that cocky, or if they’re stupid. But experience has taught us all that if we set our minds on a single course, we’re likely to get fucked six ways to Sunday.”
“Could be they’re a bit of both, Boss: cocky and stupid,” Steele agreed. “But if we’re talking about a fight strategy, coming at the leopards from the most obvious direction would be suicidal even if they did have guns. It’s more easily defended.”
Declan moved to study the map. “I think you’re right.”
“Where do you tink dey’ll come from, den?” Remy asked.
Looking at the map, Declan pointed to a spot a little northeast of New Orleans. “Here. They’ll come down from Waveland, through Fort Pike State Historical Site. It won’t be expected because it brings them through the swamp. They’ll come across the bayou silently—no motorboats and a mix of human and jaguar forms.”
Steele, Holden, and Nikolai looked at each other before they nodded. “Dec’s right. It’s the riskier option, but if they weren’t expected, it would also net the greater win for them,” Holden finally agreed.
“I hope you’re right. We have a lot riding on dis,” Remy said after a moment.
“I’m right. Sasha and Echo will confirm it.” Declan had no doubts that his theory was correct.
“We’ll set up a perimeter watch so we can see dem coming.”
“Take these.” Holden held out a small case that had several small, round discs in it. “All your leopards have to do is tap the center and they can let us know when they’ve spotted the jaguars. It’ll send out a signal to this,” he said and held up the receiver.
“Sasha perfected the system?” Declan asked. “Hot damn, remind me to buy her a drink when this is over.”
“That woman is scary good with technology. She had to walk me through the descrambler program five times before they left so we’d be able to unscramble the texts from them,” Steele admitted. “Remind me to never piss her off. She could fuck my life up every which way with all the shit she can do,” he added with a laugh.
“You and me both, my friend, you and me both,” Nikolai put in.
Remy took the case, nodded at them, and left, his fellow leopards joining him.
“Let’s call it a night,” Declan said once the leopards were gone. “It’s been a long fucking day and tomorrow is going to be even longer.”
“Ain’t it always when we’re on the job?” Holden countered.
“Feels like old times,” Steele said.
They all chuckled before they left, each going their separate way. Declan locked up, turned the security system on, and headed back to his hotel.
Lily/Declan
Lily lay in the bed in the little motel she and Emelise had stopped at, trying to fall asleep and failing miserably. It was ridiculous; she’d only spent one night asleep in Declan’s arms, and she already missed having them wrapped around her. With a soft sigh she got up and went into the bathroom so she could send him a text without disturbing Emelise’s sleep. Are you awake?
Declan had just stretched out in bed when his phone buzzed. Shouldn’t you be asleep? Don’t you have to drive in the morning, doll?
Yes, to both questions, but I can’t sleep.
What’s wrong?
Honestly? I miss being in your arms…and I’ve been hot ever since our conversation earlier.
Declan growled because he knew exactly what she was talking about. That makes two of us, doll.
Lily bit her lip, took a deep breath, and said what was on her mind. We should do something about that or neither of us is going to get any sleep.
Declan smirked. He knew where this was going. What do you have in mind?
If I wasn’t sharing a room with Emelise, I’d say phone sex but…I’ve always wondered if sexting could be a turn on.
Declan groaned. Fuck, she was perfect for him. Just the right amount of naughty. Then make yourself comfortable in the bathroom and make sure you lock the door. I’ll give you two minutes to do it if you’re not already in there.
Lily shivered at the command and reached up to lock the door. Done. I was already in the bathroom so I wouldn’t disturb Eme.
Good girl. I want you to slide one hand inside your top and massage your breasts until your nipples harden. Once they’re nice and hard, pinch them, and imagine it’s my hands on you. Feel yourself getting wet—you know the pain excites you and leaves your sweet pussy dripping and throbbing with need. Declan reached down, opened his pants, and started stroking himself while he typed with one hand.
Lily shuddered as she did as he said. The bite of pain made her pussy spasm in anticipation. Oh gods, that feels so good. I love the way your hands feel on my body.
Slip your hand down inside your bottoms and run your finger through the slick folds of your pussy. Get it nice and wet and rub that on your nipples so I can lick your juices off them.
Again, Lily did as he said and a soft moan slipped from her. The only thing that feels better than your hands on me is your mouth. Please…please let me touch myself.
Declan growled and his hand moved faster on his cock. He imagined watching Lily lying on her back, legs spread, and her own fingers working in and out of her pussy as she drove herself over the edge to orgasm. This was one fantasy they were definitely going to play out when she got back. Spread your legs so I can watch, and work your fingers into your hot pussy. Feel your juices seeping out of your folds; feel your muscles clenching around your fingers as you pleasure yourself for me.
Lily slipped her hand into her pajama bottoms and slid a finger into herself with a moan. She wanted to do this with him; she wanted to have him sitting in a chair watching her as she pleasured herself for his enjoyment. Declan…I’m so close… Oh gods, it feels so good.
His hand moved faster and faster on his cock before a growl ripped from him and his seed shot out, splashing onto his stomach. Come for me, baby. Let me hear your cries and see your sweet ass arching off that bed as you orgasm.
Lily had to set her phone down, to cover her mouth with her free hand, in order to muffle her cries as she pushed herself over the edge. For several minutes she sat there on the bathroom floor, trying to relearn how to breathe. This was one of the naughtiest, and most erotic things she’d ever done. When she finally picked her phone back up, her hand shook a little. My gods, that was…intense. I feel almost as good as I would if it was your fingers in me instead of my own. She bit her lip and hit send then waited for his response.
Fuck, woman, you are absolutely perfect. When you get back here, you’ll be doing that for me for real. Will you be able to sleep now?
Lily blushed even though he couldn’t see it. I think so, yeah. I’m not so tense now. Good night, Declan. See you in a couple of days.
Good night, Lily. Sleep well, doll.
Lily slipped back out into the main part of the hotel room and crawled into bed with a smile on her face. She curled up and this time, when she closed her eyes, she was able to drift off to sleep.
Declan
Declan stared at his phone once he’d bid Lily good-night. If someone had told him he was going to have an erotic sexting session with the hottest, most stubborn woman he’d ever met, he would have laughed at them. Yet, that is exactly what had happened. He got up and went to the bathroom to clean himself up.
Lily was such a contradiction. When they first met, she’d been so adamant that she wanted nothing to do with him, but now that he’d gotten past her walls, he was discovering that his mate had a wild, kinky side to her that she probably hadn’t even realized existed until now. Thinking about all the things they could do in bed, all the things he wanted to try with her, made him groan, and his cock twitched. He didn’t need to go to bed with a hard-on so he tried to push the thoughts away for now. He needed to get some rest because morning would come way too fucking soon, and once it did, he’d be heading into the bayou. One way or another this shit with the jaguars would end.