chapter fifteen
Jordan stopped trying to get anywhere near Raider, biding her time until they reached their starting point at the knoll. There, she stopped and shifted. Raider had already disappeared into the woods, not noticing she’d ceased following like an obedient dog. By the time he figured it out, she had her clothes on.
Raider shifted and jumped to his feet with such swiftness that Jordan’s heart lurched. His upper lip curled, causing Jordan’s heart to thump harder.
“Why are you on your feet? Dressed?” he demanded.
Pressure built inside her brain, expanding until she felt on the verge of explosion. Why was he treating her this way? What had she done besides worry every second he was away and beseech the moon to watch over him!
Jordan’s nostrils flared. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I’m not joining you in patrol until you stop behaving like a brute.”
A cruel smile cut across Raider’s cheeks, causing Jordan’s heart to sink. “Like it or not, you’re my patrol partner, and you will do your duty.”
“Spoken just like an elder.” Jordan spit the words at him.
Raider sniffed with cold amusement. “As a council member, I have the same authority as an elder.”
“I understand my responsibilities perfectly. I’ll patrol, but not with you.”
Before she could storm away, Raider’s hand shot out, catching her above the elbow and dragging her against him. His fingers felt like flames against Jordan’s arm. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her breath quickened.
“Patrols are served in pairs.” Raider ground out the words furiously.
“I have no intention of leaving our territory,” Jordan shot back. She yanked her arm out of his grasp. “I’ll stay on one side. You stay on the other.”
Raider shook his head. “It’s not safe to patrol alone.”
Jordan huffed. “Yeah, it’s real dangerous around here. Never know when a rabbit will jump out at you.” She took a step back, followed by another, until the prairie was at her back. Feeling the tickle of the tall grass at the back of her arms, Jordan spun around and dashed into the soaring meadow.
“Jordan!” Raider didn’t say so much as roar her name. Her heartbeat raced, but not nearly as fast as her legs, which moved her forward in wide leaps as she whipped grass aside with her arms, stinging her exposed skin.
She expected Raider to yell her name again—to give chase—but the only sound she heard was her own heavy breathing and thwacking through the prairie. The lack of pursuit was almost more unnerving.
She kept moving, making her way through the blinding grass. Finally, she was free of the stinging strands that scratched her skin and spiderwebs that clung to her face. Sweet oxygen filled her lungs the moment she broke out into the forest, running faster the moment fresh, moist air rushed forward to embrace her. Jordan sprinted past trees, avoiding thorny brush and jumping over fallen logs. The exertion was exhilarating. Her wolf had done a lot of running lately, but she hadn’t realized how much her human body craved movement, too.
Her anger dissipated, and her mind emptied of all unnecessary thoughts—anything beyond the next step, and the next, and the one after that. Her only concern was for obstacles in her way. She pivoted to avoid a cauldron-sized boulder, swinging around it then leaping over a shrub covered in prickles. Enlivened, she jumped onto a thick fallen log and ran its length, sailing from its end and landing nimbly onto the earth below.
As she pushed off the ground, a chilling snarl made her stumble and freeze.
She spun around, searching the foliage for a face, eyes, or some other indication of where the ruthless growl had originated.
The hair stood up on the back of her neck.
“Raider?” She hated how small her voice sounded. Only because she knew in her gut it wasn’t Raider who had snarled from low in the bushes. No, foolishly, she’d told him to stay away, and now her pride might have put her in peril.
Taking the time to shift would leave her vulnerable. She could climb out of harm’s way and attempt to spot her foe, but the nearest tree was surrounded by thick ground foliage, from which she could have sworn the snarl had originated.
Jordan kept still, holding her breath, listening. The only part of her that moved was her eyes, which darted every which way, watching her surroundings and roving over the ground for anything she could use as a weapon. A heavy fallen branch would be nice, but all she saw were twigs she could snap with her pinky. There were some fist-sized rocks three feet away, but they were half buried in hard soil. Jordan inched her way toward them, crouching as she went. Before she made it the last foot, a snarl from behind pulled a yelp of dismay from her lips. She flipped around, facing a gray wolf with bloodshot eyes and drool dripping from its growling lips.
Jordan’s blood ran cold.
The tree! her mind screamed. It was behind her. She could make it.
But before she could turn to make the mad dash to the tree, the rabid wolf lunged.
Jordan screamed.
The mad wolf’s snarl magnified in Jordan’s ears, mingling with her shrieks. As it charged her, a spurt of adrenaline propelled her to jump aside at the last second. She could feel the brush of fur against her arm as the crazed wolf dove alongside her, passing with an eager snap of its jaws and a snarl that turned ferocious when it realized it had missed its target.
Jordan scrambled to her feet and drew her lips back. “Get back!” She punched her fists into the air in front of her in a last-ditch effort to scare the rabid creature away.
Who was it? Vallen? If Zackary’s father had come creeping into the hollow, he wouldn’t turn away until he had her by the throat.
The wolf snarled and jumped for her, missing again when Jordan twisted and got around behind it. Her neck throbbed from being jerked, and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep this up.
“Go away!” she yelled.
Jordan bent down and dragged her fingernails in the soil, digging up as much as her fists would hold. Seeing her crouched, the wolf snarled louder, drool running from the corner of its lips in thick globs. It ran for her, and this time, Jordan threw dirt into its eyes. It stopped abruptly, snapping at the air, growling ferociously.
Jordan ran for the tree, but the mad wolf jumped in front of her, all the hair standing up along the ridge of its back. Manic snarls burst through its glistening fangs, and the skin along its nose formed deep ridges, all rippling like a cold wave come to drown her. Most alarming of all, it held its ground, watching Jordan like a hawk monitoring a field mouse.
She didn’t chance movement—she hardly dared breathe. The wolf remained still, but not silent—growling like a maniac, its snarls reached a fever pitch that made Jordan’s ears ring and her blood pressure rise.
Ever so slowly, she inched back a step. The wolf’s jaws snapped open and closed, its eyes gleaming unnaturally. In that look, Jordan saw the promise of death. The oxygen left her lungs—a glimpse of her fate to come.
No! This could not be the end of her. She didn’t want to die. Life was a precious gift, one she hadn’t appreciated enough.
The tree loomed behind the wolf, its thick branches outstretched in encouragement. Run to me. Grab hold of my limbs and pull yourself to safety.
Maybe she could get around the wolf again, but what were her chances of fooling it a third time? If she got a running start, perhaps she could jump and sail over it. Then again, it could just as easily spring up and close its jaws around her ankle or foot.
Before she could decide, it lunged at her. Jordan screamed and lurched to the side. The wolf drew back, snarling, and slunk sideways to face her head-on. Jordan’s heart beat wildly, her rib cage squeezing in. The deranged beast was toying with her.
Running out of options and out of time, Jordan sprinted at an angle. The wolf lunged in the same direction, and as soon as it did, Jordan changed course, her legs flying toward the tree, her brain hoping the misdirection had been sufficient in throwing the wolf off course long enough for her to make it up the trunk and to the safety of the branches above.
Jordan’s heart plummeted as she saw, from the corner of her eye, the rabid wolf jerk and change course immediately, running for her. With it giving chase, there wasn’t time to stop and sidestep the crazed animal. Jordan’s only chance of escape came down to outrunning the wolf.
She knew the likelihood of that. She was fast on two legs, but not faster than a wolf.
Visions of her blood and skin torn to bits flashed through her mind as she ran. She wouldn’t stop. The wolf would have to take her down, and then she’d kick and punch with all her might.
The wolf’s growls resounded in her eardrums, and its hot, moist breath blasted Jordan’s heels. As it closed in, a deafening growl rumbled through the thicket like thunder about to strike.
Jordan turned in time to see Raider come crashing through the forest in wolf form, flying through the air right before he landed on the wolf’s back. Jordan dove out of the way, landing on her knees and palms. She flipped around, watching in terror as the mad wolf snarled beneath Raider. The snap of its lethal teeth felt like a steel trap clamping over Jordan’s racing heart. Luckily, Raider was out of reach, but only for a moment.
The mad wolf’s hind legs caved under Raider’s weight, causing him to slide off onto the ground. With a snarl, the crazed wolf whipped around, growling with outrage. Raider didn’t back away. He didn’t even flinch as the wolf lunged for his throat.
A scream filled Jordan’s lungs. Clawing the earth with her nails, she picked up the nearest rock and hurled it at the mad wolf. Either luck or raging fear gave her perfect aim. The rock smashed into the crazed wolf’s head. He gave a dazed yelp, a brief and hauntingly lucid sound, but this wolf was by no means sane.
Raider had leapt aside in anticipation of the wolf’s attack. He looked as surprised as the mad wolf by the interruption.
Jordan forgot to breathe as the mad wolf blinked. With his body trembling, deep wrinkles appeared along his snout as his lips lifted, revealing yellow fangs and foam dripping from them. The wolf’s growl rumbled like the coming of thunder before the crash of a storm.
He came at Jordan so fast she only had time to scream and throw her hands up in a hopeless gesture against the wolf’s open mouth.
A guttural growl shattered her scream. It entered her ears and vibrated through her entire body.
A streak of gray fur flashed two feet off the ground as Raider lunged at the wolf and took him down sideways. His snarls sounded more crazed than the mad wolf’s as he ripped open its throat. The rabid wolf went still, blood from its open throat spilling onto the earth.
On shaky legs, Jordan straightened, reaching out a hand to steady herself against the tree she’d tried so desperately to reach. No longer needing to climb it, she held herself upright against the trunk.
The fur on Raider’s back still stood up. He glared at the dead wolf, watching it for any more signs of movement. Issuing one final sniff, Raider shifted. He crouched on the ground, his massive body quivering with the stress and exertion of the kill.
Relief and guilt mingled inside Jordan’s mind with dizzying alacrity. They could have faced the threat together from the start if she hadn’t been so bullheaded. How ironic to realize that it was she, not Raider, who proved to be the real brute. Raider had put his life and sanity on the line for her. Without a moment’s hesitation, he’d risked it all.
He’d always been selfless, putting the well-being of the pack before himself. Instead of appreciating his admirable qualities, Jordan had looked for faults where there were none.
He remained crouched on the ground as Jordan approached slowly.
What could she say? Thank you for saving my life. Sorry I stormed off.
Thank-yous and apologies had always been difficult for her. She had no problem thinking them inside her head, but saying them was a different matter.
Maybe the right words would emerge once she reached him.
Raider stilled as she approached, but he didn’t look up.
Inches from the naked shifter, words still evaded Jordan. To top it off, her legs felt unsteady standing so close to Raider. She must still be in shock from the attack.
The silence stretched on. Jordan itched to break it, but every time she tried to thank him or apologize, the words got stuck in her throat.
The next time she opened her mouth his name came out in a throaty rasp. “Raider.”
It sounded desperate and carnal. Jordan didn’t recognize the voice as her own, yet her mouth had formed the syllables of his name.
Raider’s attention snapped to her, his eyes wide and fervid. The rawness of that look felt like it could strip her bare. Before she could take a step back and calm her racing heart, Raider caught her arm and pulled her to the ground.
He had her on her back faster than the time it took to draw breath. With sure fingers, he unfastened her jeans and yanked them down just enough to gain access between her legs. Jordan tilted her hips in consent, and he entered her with a raspy grunt.
Raider groaned—in pleasure, perhaps, at finding her already wet. His eyes rolled back as he lifted his head in a momentary pause before he thrust inside of her again and again, as though it would kill him to stop.
Jordan’s body throbbed with need. She panted with pleasure. If her legs weren’t hindered by her jeans, she would have wrapped them around his hips.
Raider hammered her into the ground with a guttural moan. He panted and gasped, driving Jordan out of her mind with need. He filled her completely, stretching and rubbing against all her pleasure points.
“Don’t stop,” she gasped, bewildered by her own words. This wasn’t what she ever imagined saying to him—not in her wildest dreams.
Even as he ground against her, triggering waves of pleasure that reached all the way to her core, it seemed more of a dream than reality.
She kept expecting him to tire out, to take her hard and fast on the ground before emptying inside her and collapsing from the exertion. But Raider apparently possessed a limitless reserve of energy. His hips ground relentlessly against hers as he buried himself to the hilt before withdrawing just enough to do it again.
Living up to his name, Raider’s ruthless onslaught smothered all other thoughts. He had only one speed. Fast. Only one stroke. Hard.
He fucked like a beast.
Sobbing her satisfaction, Jordan arched beneath the mass of muscle crashing against her. Raider’s eyes turned lambent with the continuous cries that tore through her lips.
Letting go completely, Jordan gave into the full throes of pleasure, moaning with abandon. Something was happening inside her, something she’d never felt before. Ecstasy built to a crescendo, lifting her body off the ground and curling her toes.
She felt as if she were soaring and exploding, no longer wolf or woman, but more of a starburst as she tightened moments before she came with a velocity that catapulted her into the heavens.
As her body went slack, Raider’s vigor increased until he went suddenly rigid and threw his head back with a roar that sounded neither human nor wolf.
With his size, he might have crushed her if he hadn’t thrown his arms out and caught himself as he pitched forward, burying his face between her breasts.
They lay against one another, breathing heavily. Even running at full speed had never stolen the breath out of Jordan’s lungs so thoroughly as Raider had. Several spasms coursed through his chest, and he shivered over her, rubbing against the thin fabric covering her chest.
Yet again, Jordan found herself lost for words. For once, she felt a “thanks” on the tip of her tongue. Thanks for the most explosive sex I’ve ever had.
Well, if there was ever a reason to thank someone, this definitely screamed for exception.
Jordan might have laughed if Raider wasn’t still inside her, their bodies pressed and bound together. Oddly, it felt more intimate than fucking.
She squirmed beneath him, and Raider got the hint, lifting slowly off her chest, but not before surprising her with a soft kiss against her temple.
What she never expected was the feeling of emptiness when he pulled out of her. It was as though a vital connection had been severed.
Once on his feet, Raider reached down and helped Jordan up. Her lashes lowered as she glanced at his hand on hers—the same one that had pulled her down before they fucked. Jordan pulled her hands free to yank up her jeans. The dead wolf lay three feet away. She’d forgotten all about the crazed animal during their lovemaking. She glanced at it uneasily now, thinking Raider was sure to notice, as well, but his attention was fixed on her fingers as she pulled up the zipper on her pants and fumbled with the button he’d released so easily. The desire in his eyes as he watched made Jordan feel lightheaded. He couldn’t want her again so soon, could he?
Whichever shifter ended up as Raider’s mate better have enough stamina to keep up with such a passionate, virile male.
Something ugly coiled tight before snapping inside Jordan’s stomach. Those bitches better keep their paws off—especially her sisters.
When her own thoughts hit her, she blinked rapidly, feeling disorientated and confused. One good fuck, and her brain had momentarily turned to mush. She sounded as obsessive as Camilla.
But those were only thoughts. Raider had rendered Jordan speechless. Luckily, the dead wolf caught his eye, saving them both from having to talk about what they’d just done.
Raider frowned at the wolf. “It probably followed Garrick’s trail of blood to the hollow. Whoever this wolf was, he wasn’t one of ours.”
So much for hoping Vallen had finally been put down.
Rather than meet Raider’s eye, Jordan focused her attention on the wolf.
“Glenn Meadows, maybe?” Her dazed voice drew Raider’s attention. His gaze tingled along her skin, but she forced herself not to look at him. Her body and mind were still reeling, trying unsuccessfully to drag their awareness away from the imprint of him between her legs and seed he’d left behind, which mingled with her own slick heat.
“Maybe,” Raider answered gently.
The lingering silence felt sensual, like a soft breeze gliding over Jordan’s body, trailing its lingering touch along every crevice. She cleared her throat. “What now? With the wolf, I mean,” she added with a flush.
Raider saved her from further embarrassment by considering the dead wolf at his feet rather than tease her—a quality she greatly appreciated. “We need to get it to the glade for burning.”
Jordan frowned at the animal. It was heavy, and her body was deliciously spent, but rabid wolves were always disposed of by fire. Burning it near so many trees, especially at the height of summer, was too risky. The glade had a big open area and plenty of kindling at the ready to incinerate the dead wolf.
Jordan took a step toward it.
“I’ve got him.” Raider bent down and hoisted the animal over his shoulders, holding it by its limp legs. “Let’s go.” He stood waiting.
Realizing he wanted her to lead the way, Jordan took hurried steps forward and proceeded to set a course for the glade that provided the least number of obstacles as Raider carried the wolf. Jordan searched the ground for sharp rocks, thorns, and reptiles. Coming across a garden snake slithering across an open stretch of ground, Jordan stopped and nudged the ground near it with her toe to urge it along.
Raider waited silently behind her, following without comment.
They arrived at the glade about an hour before the first dinner shift. Janelle stoked the fire beneath the cauldron as they emerged. Raider passed Jordan, moving swiftly to the unlit bonfire, where he dumped the dead wolf on the ground.
Janelle clutched her throat.
“Mad wolf,” Jordan said in a far-off voice.
Raider pressed his hand against his forehead and stared down. “I’ll get Jager.” Lowering his hand, he looked at Jordan. “Be right back.”
She nodded. He took off for Jager’s hut at a fast clip, but before Jordan could gather her wits, Janelle was at her side, chattering like an alarmed squirrel.
“Where did it come from? Who was it? I didn’t hear any howling.”
“I was in human form when it attacked,” Jordan said.
Janelle’s eyes expanded. She looked Jordan over for wounds, her gaze returning to Jordan’s face when she found none.
“How did you kill it?”
“Raider did.”
“With his bare hands?”
Jordan inhaled and exhaled slowly. “No. In wolf form.”
Janelle clasped her hands over her heart. “He could have been turned mad.”
“But he wasn’t.”
Twisting her lips to the side, Janelle shot Jordan an appraising look. “You’re much calmer than I could ever be.”
Jordan’s eyes narrowed. She knew what the she-wolf meant by that. Unfeeling. Cold. She falsely assumed that Jordan had not feared for Raider’s safety when, in reality, it had been the single most frightening moment of her life. She wasn’t about to explain that to Taryn’s faithful underling.
Jager limped into the clearing, making his way to the dead wolf. He stood over it, staring down, and waited until Raider entered from the opposite side of the glade, carrying an ax.
Jordan met up with Raider by the dead wolf.
“We’ll chop off one of its legs and bury it to dig up the next time a Glenn Meadows shifter comes by,” Jager said. “They might be able to identify it.”
“Step back,” Raider said.
Jordan and Jager moved aside as Raider lifted the ax and brought it down over one of the dead wolf’s front legs, severing it near the elbow. Nausea rose inside Jordan’s gut. She pushed it down.
While Raider set the detached leg aside and placed the wolf on top of the kindling, Jordan went to the cauldron and pulled out a flaming stick from below, taking hold of the end untouched by fire. She carried it over carefully and held it against dry leaves bunched among twigs and logs. Piece by piece, the kindling caught fire, adding smoke to the bleak trail rising into the sky.
The wolf’s body caught fire, and the smell permeated the air by the time shifters began arriving for dinner, their noses wrinkling as they entered the glade and took hesitant steps toward the bonfire. News traveled from shifter to shifter in quiet murmurs. Raider stood aside with his arms folded and Jager beside him. Emerson and Sasha joined them, soon followed by Palmer, Ford, and Heidi. Someone must have been dispatched to gather the council together. Once they were all present, they left the clearing in the direction of Jager’s hut.
Jordan’s eyes latched onto Raider, following his movements as he receded into the forest. She could still feel him inside her like the last traces of light after the sun set below the horizon.
After he’d gone, she searched the glade, locating Chase, who stood frozen, staring into the bonfire. It had to be painful for him after watching his sister’s body burn barely two months ago.
“You okay?” Jordan asked, taking the spot beside him.
Chase glanced sideways. “Yeah. You? I heard it was in your territory.”
“Raider killed it.”
“Lucky neither of you got bit.”
“Yeah.” Jordan released a deep breath.
“At least this wasn’t one of ours,” Chase said. “Whoever he was, he’s been put out of his misery. May he run forever free,” Chase added in a sarcastic tone, flicking his wrist in the direction of the fire. He glanced over his shoulder at the line for stew. “Well, I suppose we’d better eat.”
Jordan felt a twinge of guilt as her stomach growled at the mention of food. She was more famished than usual, and the reason had to do with a certain shifter who liquefied every muscle in her body. Her cheeks heated in a flush wholly distinct from the heat of the bonfire.
After dishing up, Chase stared into his bowl, frowning. “Wish this was brew rather than stew.” He gave a humorless chuckle.
Meanwhile, Jordan had devoured over half her portion.
“So, the search party is back, and no David,” Chase said. “Raider mention anything?”
Jordan swallowed a half-chewed chunk of meat. “We don’t talk much.” There’d been more panting than speaking, except for the part where she told him not to stop. Heat rose up her neck.
Chase gave a slight nod. “Eleven more days. Hang in there a little longer. We’ll toast at the end of it.”
Only a week and a half left as Raider’s partner? Jordan’s stomach bottomed out. She finished the last of her stew slowly.
As though conjured up by the depths of her despair, he strolled into the glade with Emerson. Sometime between setting the mad wolf on the pyre and meeting with the council, Raider had put on a pair of gray sweatpants. The band strained against his waist, and his hardened muscles dipped south. Firelight cast a sheen across his bare chest as he approached the cauldron. The light illuminated the gorgeous contours of his body. He was nothing short of perfection.
“Finished with that?” Janelle’s high-pitched voice startled Jordan. Before she could answer, her bowl was wrenched from her hands. Janelle smiled at Chase. “Lacy’s finished. I think she’s waiting for you.”
Chase glanced into his bowl. “I doubt she’s in any hurry.”
For once, Jordan was the one who couldn’t wait to leave the glade and get back—to what, exactly?
Her stomach fluttered, heat washing through her body, knowing exactly what she wanted. And then, as though answering her ardent plea, he appeared in front of them, his legs slightly apart and looking so sexy that it was all Jordan could do to remain seated when her body screamed to mount him where he stood.
With his eyes on Jordan, Raider handed Janelle his empty bowl. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
Chase did a double take at the breathlessness of her response, but she wasn’t looking at her friend. Raider held her gaze as though in a trance. His lips parted slowly, sensually, forming a smile more feline than wolf.
Feeling weightless, Jordan floated to a stand and followed Raider out of the glade. The din from the gathering faded beyond the shaded trees. With every step, her awareness of the shifter walking beside her heightened as though her senses were coming to life in the night. She didn’t know what to say and, to her surprise, found she didn’t mind. There was something enthralling about the silence.
As they neared the knoll, her heart throbbed inside her chest, all excitement, nerves, and anticipation. There was no going back to the way things were. Her body needed Raider the way the sky needed the sun and moon. He filled her, radiating energy and life, and she intended to soak in as much of him as she could before their partnership ended. After that… She wasn’t thinking too far beyond her present needs. The end of a patrol cycle didn’t have to mean the end of other arrangements.
For all the composed silence between them, Jordan’s thoughts were a chaotic mess. What was Raider thinking about? He was a male. Where else would his mind be?
At the base of the knoll, the sky opened above their heads, and stars spilled in. Raider took her hand gently in his own and led her up the slope, turning her to face him at the top. Jordan’s breath quickened, setting off a chain reaction across her body. Her breasts heaved, her nipples tightened, and her pelvic muscles squeezed. The slant of the hill teetered below her feet. She leaned backwards to secure her footing then pitched forward, feeling as though she had gone too far and would fall.
Raider caught her easily and brought her lips to his. Fire ignited when they touched. The heat of the kiss was scorching and liquid all at once. Waves of heat rocked through Jordan’s body, vaporizing as the next swell surged forward.
Eyes closed and breathless, Jordan wrapped her arms around Raider’s neck. He pulled back, taking his heat with him, only to pull her tank top over her head and toss it aside before gathering her against him. With her bare breasts pressed against the hard planes of his chest, Jordan kissed Raider as though he were the best meal she’d ever tasted. His tongue entered her mouth, and he swallowed her moan.
Unable to speak, her mind took up the chant. Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop!
As though in answer, Raider’s calloused hands slid down her back, circled her hips, and worked the button loose on her jeans.