Chapter Six
Braden couldn’t think of a less likely alpha-mate to take back to his pack than a witch. Wolves hated witches. But of all the women he’d met over the past year-and-a-half, no female had made him smile more than Maeve. But would his wolves ever accept a witch?
The point was moot anyway. Neither of them was interested in a long-term anything.
Maeve had called it exactly right. Even if what they’d been sharing lasted only tonight, she’d eased him and he’d done the same for her. It was enough.
It took him only a few seconds to get rid of his boots and pants. By the time he was done, Maeve didn’t have a stitch on either, though she sat on the furs staring into the fire, her knees drawn up.
She was a beautiful woman, wild curly hair and all.
He dropped to his knees, leaned in and kissed the back of her neck. Her hair was short enough, he could nuzzle it away.
“I’ve been thinking. How did Gammet know you were in the park?”
“They’ve probably had scouts watching for me.” He kissed a slow line of kisses across the back of her neck.
“Why do you think they’re after you?”
He didn’t stop kissing her neck. He was hoping his efforts would drag her attention away from the park encounter. “I like kissing you Maeve. Your skin is so soft.”
“I take long bubble baths once a week and buff off all the dead skin. But you didn’t answer my question. Why has Veyda’s henchman been after you?”
“Because I’m after Veyda. At least, that’s the best I can figure. Maybe my investigation got too close to home.”
He slid his hand to her upper chest, near her shoulders. He began to massage her slowly.
“Oh, that’s nice. But you’ve been after Veyda for months. Why did she send a hit squad now?”
He drifted his hand lower and fondled the upper swell of her breasts. At the same time he nibbled on her neck and switched to telepathy. I don’t know. Maybe Veyda feels threatened. Um, do you think we could talk about this later?
Sure.
The flat sound of her voice inside his head, told him his seductions were only partially successful.
Braden, do you think I have too many shifters here? In my facility?
He knew then, that however willing Maeve might be to engage sexually, her brain was having a hard time shutting off. His wife had been like that. She’d been an industrious female in Maeve’s mold and sometimes whatever project she was working on would keep her from letting go.
He’d developed a couple of specific wolf techniques over the years to turn her focus straight at him and he thought he’d try one of them out now.
He opened his mouth wide and allowed a partial shift so that his wolf teeth would start to form and his jaw lengthen. It gave him the reach he needed as he took in the entire back of her neck. He bit down. Hard.
He heard her gasp. He maintained his hold and at the same time teased her breasts by running the palm of his hand from one nipple to the other in rapid succession. She moaned.
What are you doing to me? That feels so good.
I want you focused on me, Maeve. With me. Nothing less. He ground his teeth enough to let her feel the control he had over her and what he would do if she got distracted again.
He also knew by long experience that the sensation of his teeth deep into the skin without breaking through created a pressure that ran straight to her sex. It was one of the best parts of his wolfness.
Her body began to relax, though her hips grew restless.
He released his hold on her neck and guided her down on the furs but kept her on her side. He moved in behind her, rubbing his arousal down her bottom and between her legs from behind.
He continued to play with her breasts, lightly flicking the tips then massaging each one in turn. “I’m going to make you come, Maeve. Just like this. And you won’t be on your knees or your back.”
She moaned again and he felt her tremble.
But he wanted control of her once more and again worked to take as much of her nape in his mouth as he could. She uttered a series of grunts and he watched her fist clutch the faux fur. Her hips pushed back into his groin. She reached between her legs and found his cock. She fondled the head.
His turn to groan.
He knew how he wanted this to go, how he needed it to go.
He began moving in tighter and pushing her hips up. He lifted her closest knee up toward her chest and hunched his hips.
The angle was working just fine.
“Yes.” Her voice was a hoarse whisper.
He felt how wet she was and began to ease inside her. She arched her back and he glided right in. He released her neck and angled his torso enough to reach her mouth. When she turned toward him, he kissed her hard as he thrust into her.
When she parted her lips, he drove his tongue inside and set up a pulse that matched the drive of his cock.
He used his hand to tease her breasts then went lower to massage her swollen folds. He played with her until she covered his hand with her own and began to press down in an erotic rhythm.
He moved his hips faster then drew back to look at her. “Are you with me now?”
“Yes. All in, Braden. You feel so good inside me.”
“I can make you feel even better.”
“What do you mean?” He slowed down and she eased back on the pulsing of her fingers. This was one part of his wolf he loved. He slowly began to push and as he did, he increased his girth.
Her breath caught in a series of gasps. He filled her up, wall to wall, then thrust faster. She cried out. “Braden. I’m going to have to lock you up in my home and keep you here forever. I didn’t know wolves could do that.”
“I don’t know about all wolves, but it’s one of the things I can do. I’m going to take your throat now, this time across the vulnerable front.
She lifted her chin and arched her neck. He felt his jaws expand again. He angled himself once more, only this time he grabbed her across her fragile neck. That she accepted him, meant something and his heart tightened. The woman trusted him. If he’d wanted her dead, he could have bitten down. His powerful jaw would have crushed and broken her neck in a split-second.
When he fastened his teeth and held on, he began to work his hips in earnest. He massaged her mons again, but she didn’t help him this time. Instead, she writhed and grabbed at his shoulders. She sunk her nails, which caused his balls to draw up tight.
He was breathing hard now, as he held onto her. The trick was to keep his hold firm but gentle. It had taken some practice, but he’d mastered the art.
His hips worked like a separate machine.
She cried out repeatedly, her body tensing and arching. He knew she was close and he was ready to explode.
When a series of cries and huffs left her mouth, he knew the time had come. With every wolf skill he possessed, he speeded up his thrusts. She screamed her orgasm and he began to release.
He let go of her throat as pleasure pulsed through him. But it wasn’t like before. He kept coming, kept delivering what only he could give.
The same waves must have moved through her as well. Though she’d eased back suddenly she was crying out and her body writhed against his all over again. Oh my God, what’s happening?
He continued to drive into her and once again, he released. He roared this time as a stronger wave of pleasure drove through him. His body felt hot and the same pleasure rippled over his skin.
When he finally fell lax, she was breathing hard as though struggling to catch her breath. “That was amazing. Braden, I mean it. I may conjure a spell so that you can never leave my apartment again.” She chuckled as she said the words.
“I’m not sure I want to leave.”
“But what was that?”
“Sex with you.”
She stroked his arm and he flexed for her.
Her turn to chuckle. “Sex is good.”
“It is.” He felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. She’d done this for him. He knew it wasn’t only the sex. Something about her personality jived with his and with his wolf. She was a no-nonsense kind of woman, given to working hard and to helping out wherever she could. He respected her.
“You were pretty amazing in the park.”
“It seemed so natural because we’d practiced. And because you were there, too, I think. Gammet was unscathed, though. He’s got some power, that one. You know, it’s possible he’s been dipping into the future. Some of the dark spellcasters make a habit of it. He might have known we would be there.”
Braden looked down at her, at the flames flickering over her hair and face. He kissed her then drew back. He could see her thoughts spiraling away from him. He was okay with it.
He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. He felt nothing but gratitude for this woman. She’d saved his life, fed him, made love with him and treated him like a friend.
His own thoughts began to drift as well. He wasn’t too different from her. They were both goal-oriented.
He huffed a sigh as he considered his own need to find his wife’s killers. From his conversations with Maeve, he knew there was a good chance she’d already dispatched them during her own nightmare. Still, he wanted to know the where and how of Laura’s death.
Right now, though, they had Kiara to think about, which meant continuing to work Maeve’s abilities.
“Hey,” she said, pulling away from him and rising to her feet. “Don’t mean to be rude, but we’ve got some things to do, besides figuring out how to rescue Kiara. I’m going to shower first, then check in with Alfonso and generally get a feel for what’s going on out there. I’d like you to come with. I have a bunch of shifters who want to meet you as well, and this might be the right time. Afterward, we can continue the training then maybe head over to Kiara’s cell. How does this sound?”
He smiled. Very industrious. “Like the right order of things.” He rubbed his stomach. “Any chance of another steak?”
Her lips broke into a smile. “Hell, yeah. I’m starved, too. Battling bad guys and having hot sex with a wolf will do that to a woman.”
~ ~ ~
A half hour later, Maeve sat across from Braden and watched him cut into a two-inch slice of blood-rare steak. She knew wolves liked their meat just barely seared on each side. Braden was no different.
She worked on a salad this time with grilled chicken on top, some pineapple, a slew of tomatoes and raspberry dressing. Though full of tables, benches and a few chairs, the dining room was empty except for them. They were between the hours the regular meals were served, though Maeve could smell an Italian feast coming for later.
The French doors to the hall opened and seven of her most powerful shifters strolled in. They were generally a muscled bunch anyway. But en masse, her heart quavered. Wolves tended to wear their hair long, which appealed to Maeve. It gave them a wild look.
This pack was currently part of the construction crew working on the new apartment complex. At different times, they’d helped with her Graveyard rescue efforts as well.
Normally, they greeted her. This time, each had his gaze fixed on Braden.
Maeve stood up, though she wasn’t even sure why. But the moment felt important in a wolf way.
She wasn’t surprised when Braden did the same. Rounding the table, she moved to stand next to him.
He didn’t exactly tower over the men. Most of them, including Braden, were six-five or almost there.
The other thing she noticed was that the wolves were tense. Braden as well.
The lead wolf, Greg, had been with her the longest and led the construction crew. He had long blond hair and dark eyes. He jerked his thumb toward the rest of the men. “We’d heard you’d been pulled from the Graveyard, like the rest of us. Just wanted to meet you. I’m Greg Jones.”
Braden nodded slowly. “I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Maeve and will do everything I can to repay that debt. Nothing else is more important to me right now.”
This seemed to her like an odd speech to make. But by the end of it, she could feel the tension ease from the room. Again, she didn’t understand the why of it.
Maeve glanced from Braden to the wolves, then back. She finally realized they were paying homage to him as an alpha. As she settled into the moment and focused on the men, each of their ranks in the pack became oddly clear to her. Greg, for instance was a beta wolf. She’d heard about basic wolf culture and a well-defined pecking order. But now she was seeing it in real-life.
Braden made eye-contact with each wolf. “What packs are you with and how did you end up in the Graveyard?”
For any normal initial meeting, these questions would have been considered rude. But it made sense in terms of wolf-pack mentality. Nothing was hidden in pack life. In that way, Savage was the opposite of Elegance. Everything could be hidden or disguised or spelled in her territory.
Each wolf told his story in a few matter-of-fact sentences. Maeve, of course, already knew what had happened to each of them. Part of the recovery process for her rescues as well as for herself was to interview each victim before he or she left the emergency room. She had an entire facility to protect and just because someone was left to rot in no-man’s-land didn’t mean the rescue was a good, worthy person.
Only twice in all these months had she been in danger from a bad-guy rescue. But it had taught her to be careful when dealing with those left to die in the Graveyard. She’d had Alfonso toss both of those vile men straight onto the streets before they could do harm to her facility. Some people, human or alter, would never have good intentions toward their fellow kind. One of those two had almost strangled her to death.
So, she knew her people well and relied on her trusted staff to alert her to any potential problems with those residing under her roof.
The stories ran the usual course among the shifters. The majority had been caught by cartel members, beat, shot or sliced-up then thrown into the Graveyard. Two of the men had been attacked by rogue packs that formed and unformed every so often in Savage. With new wolves arriving every day, transitioning to a pack wasn’t a simple thing.
“Why haven’t you gone back to Savage?” Braden’s question was simple enough as he addressed the group.
When all the wolves shifted their gaze toward Maeve, Braden turned toward her as well. “They’ve pledged themselves to you.”
“Sort of. More like, to the Landing. They’ve all helped out and not just with construction. When Alfonso isn’t available, I often take one or two of them to the Graveyard with me.”
Braden switched to telepathy. It’s more than that. But I’ll discuss it with you later.
Maeve knew enough not to press him, though she wanted to. She was curious as to what he meant.
He reverted his attention to the wolves. He even smiled. “I hope I’ve passed muster.”
The lead wolf glanced at the others. “And we hope you stay.” Several nods followed. “Maeve is a good woman, one of the best you’ll ever find. She needs a strong wolf at her side.”
Maeve was surprised by this declaration. As they wished Braden well, each one turned to her in stride and inclined his head then left the room.
When the doors were closed behind them, she asked Braden straight out. “What did you mean they’d pledged themselves to me?”
He returned to his seat and she took up hers opposite him once more. “They’re bonded to you. I knew it the moment they walked in.”
“You mean because of my alpha-mate potential.”
“Partly. You saved each of them. It’s a matter of loyalty and gratitude. I feel it as well. Apart from the fact you could bond with me as my mate, I will always feel a degree of connection to you not found in the usual Five Bridges relationships. What you’ve done is profound.
“You created a shifter refuge for them, but you’ve also built an army, though I’m sure you have no idea that’s the case. By the way, they came here not to show me deference, but to attack me if they felt you were in any way threatened.”
She leaned back in her chair, stunned. Several images flashed through her mind, things she’d set aside as unimportant. Whenever she appeared unexpectedly, the wolves, if seated, would stand. When standing, they’d incline their heads to her more slowly than a mere nod. It was deference.
“I don’t believe it. Or rather, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. It’s as plain as anything right now.”
He didn’t respond except with a slight curve of his lips, then returned to the business of feeding his large, shifter body. He sat hunched over, the way she worked her spells.
She stared at her salad, but didn’t pick up her fork.
She’d simply assumed the shifters were behaving in ways peculiar to wolf culture. Given her nature, she never stopped to ask what was what. She was always too preoccupied. As long as everyone in her facility behaved themselves, she didn’t ask questions.
Yet the knowledge she had such pointed support from the wolves in her refuge, gave her a tremendous sense of peace. Tears started to her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” He was always quick to assess her, even with his fork speared with a huge chunk of steak. “The wolves would never hurt you. Just the opposite.”
“I know. That’s what’s got to me. I’ve felt so alone in this journey. What you’ve told me, about this bond, it’s given me hope. So, thank you. I honestly wouldn’t have known about it otherwise.”
“You didn’t think their deference unusual?”
“Why would I? Your world in Savage is new to me. How would I ever know what the protocols were? I’d say over half my rescues are female, but I’ve never had a female shifter at the Landing. So, no, I thought the male wolves were being polite as in grateful to me that they were alive.
“And it really didn’t surprise me that they wanted to stay. But I thought it was more about wanting to remain behind the Landing’s security spell than out of a sense of loyalty to me. Besides, Savage is a violent place. Maybe I thought they each wanted quieter lies.”
He finished his meal and pushed back his chair to stretch out his long legs. They were still alone in the dining hall. He chuckled and shook his head. “Violence comes with our wolf nature. You need to know that.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me as long as my wolves behave themselves and abide by my rules.”
He smiled, something she didn’t understand. “Why are you grinning?”
He turned a hand palm up. “You say you didn’t know about the bond then you said, and I quote, ‘my wolves.’
She rolled her eyes. “Figure of speech.”
“Whatever. You’re so much more than you seem or that you’re willing to understand.”
His words made her grow very still. She lifted her left hand and stared at it as she recalled their encounter with Gammet in the park. “You may be right. But if I’m blind to who I am, it’s because I still don’t want to be in Five Bridges. Intellectually, I know I can’t be anywhere else, but I’m still railing against it, at least in my spirit.”
“It takes time and you’ve had a more-than-typical rough beginning. It’s a shock for everyone having to adjust to an alter life. But most of us don’t find ourselves abducted by the dark queen of the witches then end up killing people to escape.”
But there was something worse, always worse. She added quietly, “And they don’t have the same queen kill their human husbands, either. I hope we find her, Braden.” She lifted her hand again. “I hope maybe together we can put Veyda on a pyre, only give her a slow burn that lasts a century to pay for all the people she’s tortured and killed.”
“I like the way you think. Ready to get back to work?”
“Yes, I am.”
~ ~ ~
Braden followed behind Maeve until they got out into the hall. “Hold up a second.” He glanced out at the double glass exit doors on north side of the Landing, opposite the emergency doors. The apartment complex was being built a hundred yards from where he stood. He knew the wolves worked on site.
Maybe because they’d challenged him, he felt compelled to speak with them alone, without Maeve.
“What is it? Your scent seems stronger to me right now, but different.”
He glanced at her. “Very much a wolf thing. I need to talk to the men, with your permission.”
“Of course. I have a couple of things I need to do anyway. Give me a telepathic shout when you come back.”
“Good deal.” He headed toward the double doors. A construction truck carrying framed windows drew up to the site. He saw Greg meet the driver.
Once outside to the left, there was a communal grass area and a couple of fire pits blazing. There had to be fifty people there with all five alter species represented. And they were getting along. There were even some human rescues not yet ready to return to their world. Each had found a refuge in Maeve’s facility. What she’d accomplished was amazing.
He headed toward the growing apartment complex, aware that a spell kept everything cloaked and safe. The longer he was here, the more he seemed able to sense it, but like a physical barrier he could touch. The sensation gave him pause. Was it his imagination, or had his interactions with Maeve heightened his ability to navigate her witch’s world.
He found Greg issuing orders and sending more of his workers to different parts of the project.
When he was done, he turned to Braden and inclined his head. “What can I do for you, Alpha Braden?”
“How many of your men know how to fight?” It was almost a rhetorical question. All wolves battled.
But by the curve of Greg’s lips, Braden had his answer. Greg said, “We’ve been known to fire a weapon or use our teeth to take out a throat or two. What did you have in mind?”
Braden glanced around. He felt it in the air, but it seemed more like a witch sense than his wolf instincts. “We’ve got a situation coming up that might need some wolf brawn. You and your men game?”
“Time and place and about thirty seconds warning.”
“Everyone good in the air?” Levitation came with increased powers.
“Faster than most. I’ve been running drills.”
At that, Braden was surprised. “Why?”
Greg glanced around as well. “Something’s not right, like we’re being watched. I’ve been feeling it for weeks. When you showed up, having been ambushed in the Graveyard, that sensation intensified.”
“Well, Greg, we’re trying to connect with a witch that Veyda abducted.”
“You mean Kiara?”
“Yes, you know her?”
“She’s got alpha-mate capacity like Maeve. She’s been a good friend to Maeve as well. We were sickened to learn of the abduction. Elegance has a serious problem because of the dark covens.” He cleared his throat and lifted his chin. “I won’t mince words. We’ve been talking and we want you to stay. We’ll be your pack if you can let go of the one in Savage, I mean. I know it’s a lot to ask, but Maeve deserves someone like you and you could do some good here.”
He wouldn’t deny the thought hadn’t crossed his mind, especially after meeting her wolves. “She saved my life. I wouldn’t be alive except for her.”
“Alfonso told us the state you were in when they picked you up. He doesn’t know how you made it through.”
“I don’t either. But you know what I’m about, right? Why I can’t agree to stay, beyond my duty to my pack?”
“You mean your wife’s killers?”
“So, you do know me.”
At that, Greg grinned. “Boss, who doesn’t know Officer Braden of Savage and to stay the hell out of his way. It was a bad day when I heard what happened to Laura. I’d met her a few times. She was a remarkable woman. She went above and beyond to help new-arriving wolves find packs. It was a loss for the whole territory when she died.”
Braden’s throat had grown tight. He’d been gone for so long from Savage on his nightly quest, he’d forgotten the support and comfort other wolves could be. “I appreciate you saying so. She was the finest woman I’ve ever known.”
He cleared his throat then switched to telepathy. You good with this? Heading out with your pack if we call?
He needed to know if Greg was up to the task.
Hell, yeah.
Exactly the right response.
I’ll be in touch. Let your wolves know we have a mission on the horizon and it could be at any time.
Will do.
Greg inclined his head once slowly. Braden had missed this, the simple pack gestures that kept wolves working as a cohesive unit.
He left with his spirits lighter than they’d been in a long time. Unlike Maeve’s brief time as a witch, he was used to his wolf-life.
He had no idea what the future held. Wolves usually didn’t. But he hoped his own quest as well as Maeve’s desire to get Kiara out of Veyda’s hellhole, would soon be resolved. Then he could think about whether to return to Savage or perhaps, in a real twist of fate, align himself with Maeve and the wolves of Hard Landing.
Heading back into the property, he was about to contact Maeve telepathically when he caught sight of her through the French doors leading into what looked like another communal area. Maeve sat on a chair but leaned forward. She held another woman’s hand.
Braden remained standing very still. He was within Maeve’s sightline, but he didn’t want to disturb her. She was clearly in the middle of something with one of her female rescues, a painfully thin woman. He watched Maeve reach behind her, grab some tissues and then hand them to the woman.
She never said anything. She kept nodding, her expression sincere and sympathetic. Her world had become a mission in Five Bridges. She was all in and he loved that about her.
The woman spoke quietly. She was fae. His alter senses knew each species at a glance.
He waited quietly for several minutes until Maeve eventually rose and patted the woman on the shoulder.
She saw him then, another sign of her focus on the woman’s well-being. She crossed the room then opened the French door, closing it quietly behind her. “You’re back. Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. Greg and his wolves are available to fight if we need them.”
“That’s fantastic. Can they fight?” She chuckled. “That’s a dumb question. They’re wolves.”
“Now you’re getting the idea.”
She chuckled again. She then gestured in the direction of her apartment, set the pace and he fell in beside her. She had a quick step.
“Is your friend all right?”
She lowered her voice. “She’s been at the Landing for two months and she works with our on-site therapist every day. But she still has nightmares.”
“What happened to her?”
“She’d been forced to work in one of the raunchy sex clubs on the Strip in Crescent Territory. She serviced a dozen vampires a night. Half of them tapped her vein. I thought I had it bad, but she was abducted into the club her first week in Five Bridges. Wrong place, wrong time. They use women up so fast. She’d only been here four months when she was nearly drained one night then dumped in the Graveyard and left for dead. She’s put on some weight but she’s got a long way to go.”
“On patrol, we deal with trafficking all the time. We search vehicles and get into gun fights with some of the sleaziest men you’ll ever meet. I don’t mind at all putting a bullet in their brains, especially when I find them hauling around a bunch of terrorized women.”
She took his hand to guide him past her security spell then led the way down the spiral stairs to her below-ground apartment. His whole body relaxed at the burrowed feel of it. The home he’d shared with Laura in their pack compound had also been below ground.
Since the room opened up to the living area, the first thing he saw were the faux furs now piled up on the couch.
Memories of having sex with her rushed back like a torrent. Mixed with sudden desire for her were images of the Landing wolves and their deference to her then of her kindness to the fae female.
He caught her elbow and whipped her toward him. The momentum caused her to fall against his chest. She chuckled, but he wasn’t laughing. Instead, he gripped the back of her neck and kissed her. Hard.
He felt her gasp for air, then a moan followed as she melted against him. They’d both been without lovers for a long time. Maybe too long to be sensible.
His hips connected with hers and he let her feel his arousal, grinding into her. This is what I’m going to do to you later. Do you understand?
Oh, hell, yeah.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss.
What started out as his demanding thrust into her mouth, became an erotic duel of tongues. She gripped his shoulders hard and actually used her levitation skills to force her sex tight against his erection.
He was panting when he drew back. “This would take about two minutes.” Was she with him? Would she do it?
She nodded, her lips swollen. “I’m game if you are.”
He hadn’t planned this, but it took about fifteen seconds to get his pants down and hers off. He carried her to the couch, laid her out and pierced her core.
She moaned heavily. She was wet as hell. He started slow, just savoring but she began clutching at his back and digging her nails in. “Faster, dammit. I’m about as close as I can get.”
He felt like he was sixteen again. He put his hips in motion and went wolf-fast which had her scratching at him some more and making odd howling sounds with her throat. Her alpha-mate scent poured off her, all lemon and lavender, which brought his balls pulling in tight.
He probably muttered a few obscenities. He wasn’t going to last.
“Give it to me. Oh, Braden.” A few choice words left her throat as well.
He angled his head, bit her neck hard, and began to come. The sounds she made and the way her body rocked then arched, helped him to know she’d flown over the edge with him.
Pleasure pulsed and he roared, nothing held back.
He slammed into her until she was shouting along with him. Waves of ecstasy rolled through him and over him. He released her throat and as the last pulses made his entire body jerk, he caught sight of her creamy complexion flushed with ecstasy, her lips parted and her eyes glazed over as she slid down the other side.
Her voice was rich with passion as she said, “That felt so good. I can’t believe we just did that. And your Madagascar scent, Braden. I want to bake a cake or something. Or eat one. Or both.”
He chuckled. His wolf loved her earthiness.
He grabbed his t-shirt from the floor and as he withdrew, he tucked it between her legs.
“Thanks. I appreciate it. You’re very productive.”
He laughed again. He then leaned down, and since she was sprawled on the couch and relaxed, he took some time kissing her.
She responded with one hand in his hair then his nape.
He drew back. “Thanks for this, Maeve. For all of it.”
“Ditto. It’s given me some peace. No, that’s not it. Relief. Your presence has relieved me.” Her turn to chuckle. “Stupid thing to say, but that’s what this feels like. As though my life had created pressure on the inside of every part of me. Then we made love a few times, practiced some magical hand-killing power and I felt as though the window opened and a whole torrent of fresh air blew inside. Am I making any sense?”
“I could say the same thing. I just can’t make any promises.”
“I don’t need promises, Braden. I don’t expect anything. I think it’s foolish to have any expectations in this alter world of ours. So please don’t fret, not on my account. You’ve given me so much already. You’ve given me, okay, this is going to sound so trite, but I feel hopeful like I never was before. Like maybe things will be okay.”
He stroked her arm and kissed her palm. “Maybe we’ll both be okay.”
He checked his internal clock. “It’s coming up on two AM. We’ve only got a few hours or so until dawn. If we want to rescue Kiara, we’d better get going. If I’ve understood the process, you need a new spell”
“Right.”
She wasted no time, but jumped up and got busy. She gathered up her clothes and headed to the bathroom. The shower, this time, lasted about a minute. He took care of business as well and when he returned to the living room, she called to him from her spellroom.
“Come down here.”
He tried to levitate down the stairs like she’d done earlier but ended up smacking his shoulders a couple of times.
He was rubbing them when he landed at the bottom. Maeve was near her worktable. Sheba stood guard on the sink counter behind her.
“I could have told you not to bother. You’ve got shoulders like an SUV and both my stairwells are too narrow for you.
She drew close. “All right. So, I need to bump up my witchiness if we’re going to be able to reach Kiara’s cell.”
“If you can make telepathic contact with Kiara from here, she might be able to help us both get through. Just a thought.”
“Better communication can’t hurt. But the real problem is that I need to strengthen the spell I use to roll back Veyda’s security spell. In fact, to have even the smallest chance of busting her out of that place, that’s what we’ll need. It’s been as difficult to make my way out of the spell as to get to her in the first place. If we’re caught as a team, we’d be in real trouble.”
“Where do we start?” This was her world.
She turned away from him and headed to her worktable. “While you were showering, I gathered a few herbs, powders, stuff I know has made a difference before.” She then frowned. She drew a metal box close to her mortar. “Then there’s this.”
Braden joined her at the table. He lifted the lid. A clear plastic case was inside containing a familiar, green powder. “So, this is your stash of emerald flame?”
She was stone serious as she met his gaze. “I know you’re opposed, but my instincts tell me we’ll need to use this.”
The drug was rampant in Savage. Alpha Warren had said the main cartel producing and distributing the drug in Savage had taken over two packs in the past few months alone. “It’s one of the worst flame drugs ever created.”
“Except for one thing. When used in really small doses, it can do some good.”
Emerald flame had been a curse in Savage from the time Braden had entered as an alter wolf. When he’d become an alpha and established his own pack, one of his rules was no drugs, emerald or otherwise. “I don’t want to do it this way.”
“Drugs aren’t inherently bad. The abuse of them is. I’m not condoning casual use, either. But for medicinal enhancement, I’m a proponent.”
“This isn’t medicinal. You’re talking the enhancement of your powers.”
“Maybe. The truth is, I don’t know why it works. I also know Veyda uses this drug in a similar way, though in much larger doses. I smelled it on her that night.”
“You never saw her, but you smelled her.”
“Yes. She stood near me the entire time. I’m telling you, I could smell her. And I could smell emerald flame.”
“This is a slippery slope.”
She compressed her lips. “Here’s what I know. I ended up killing women the second week I was in Elegance Territory. Before that, I had a hard time killing flies. I think it’s one of the reasons I do the rescues. I’m trying to make up for what I did. I hate being here, being an alter witch. Half the time, my mind races in circles I’m so upset. But if it takes a small particle of emerald flame to save Kiara’s life, I’ll do it and won’t think twice about it. Or use it in an infuser to complete your healing.
“We’re dealing with an enemy deeply entrenched in the dark arts. She has her watchdog on our asses. The park incident is proof. If I don’t do this and we go in blind, we’re all dead.”
Braden turned away from her, hands on hips. This wasn’t a simple thing she was proposing, not in his books. He turned back to her. “This is against everything I believe in, everything I fight against as a Border Patrol officer. I want a drug free state.”
“I know. But this is fire-with-fire. Also, I’m the one at risk, not you.”
“I thought this would be for both of us. We’d both be taking whatever potion you created.”
She shook her head. “This is essentially a witch battle.” Her lips curved. “You’re the muscle and gorgeous muscle at that. But the rest is on me.”
All right, he liked the compliment. “Don’t try to flatter me.”
“One more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I haven’t done this before.”
He laughed out loud. “Wait a minute. You’re proposing going into battle, high on a drug you’ve never tried before.”
“First, it’s not a high and I didn’t say I hadn’t tried it before. The amount I use in my potions is incredibly small. When I said ‘a touch’, I meant it. What I meant was, I’ve never been over to Veyda’s prison in an enhanced state.”
“Why not?” He drew closer to her, his concerns mounting.
“I was afraid. I had no idea what the consequences could be. If I was able to smell the drug on an invisible Veyda, could she do the same with me? Would she somehow know I was there because I’d used emerald flame?”
“So, you’ve been waiting for back-up.”
“I guess you could say that. Are you game?”
It seemed the question of the hour. “Let me see your process.”
She nodded. Her lips might have curved a little. But overall, she was dead serious about what she was doing. He liked that. New weapons required a respectful attitude.
Sheba jumped from the counter to the worktable and took up a place near the mortar as well. She seemed to approve of what Maeve was doing. Oddly, it gave Braden confidence.
She pulled her mortar forward and used a clean dry cloth to wipe it out. She showed him the cloth. “I’ve already rinsed this in water and scrubbed it with a brush. It’s been dry for some time. When I start a potion, I make sure the vessel is clean.” She dropped the cloth in a basket beneath the worktable.
She began adding ingredients one at a time, using her fingers for the most part. “I’m going by my alter witch sense as I focus on Kiara, the prison, and getting her out.” She took mint from the pouch dangling on the leather around her neck. She added things that sounded like she was making a soup: Bay leaf, tarragon, basil. Kitchen herbs. A bit of lavender.
Then she stopped. “This is the right combination.” She ground the herbs together into a fine powder.
Sheba meowed, adding her two cents.
The odd thing was, he could sense it as well, that she’d gotten the mixture right, as though his proximity to her witchness was affecting him. He’d felt this before, an alignment with Maeve he didn’t understand unless it was part of the alpha-mating process.
She grew very still. He felt her nerves. This was no easy thing she was doing. Good.
She opened the plastic lid, but this time she didn’t use her fingers. Instead, she took a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass and damn if she didn’t pluck particles out of the emerald flame drug, individual grains that had to be the size of powdery sand.
“When you said ‘a touch’ you meant it.”
She put them in a small glass bowl not much bigger than a quarter. “I only needed five of these.”
“I know.” And he did. But how did he know? What was happening here?
She set the tweezers down and lifted up. She even turned toward him. “What do you mean, you know?”
He parted his hands. “I seem to be connected in some way to what you’re doing. I know as in know or sense, or whatever, that you’ve got it right.”
“But that’s a warlock ability, Braden. What do you think it means?”
“Haven’t got a clue. We seem to be connected.”
“Actually, now that I think about it, I know what you mean. I’ve been feeling your wolf as well. Maybe because you’ve got my blood roaming around in your body.”
He frowned. “That’s right. You transfused me.”
“I did.” She turned back to the table. “Okay, we can figure that out later. Let me get this potion made.”
She was all business, this solid witch with red hair. He’d come to love her curls and held back a sudden impulse to run his hands through them. His heart flipped a couple of times in his chest. Longing surged. He wanted this woman and for a soft, sudden moment, he knew he needed her, too.
He wrangled his thoughts in and set them aside.
She handed him the magnifying glass. “Have a look.”
He took the glass and bent over to peer into the small dish. There they were, five irregular grains of one of the flame drugs that had torn through the human world and created a whole new set of addicts.
Five grains.
He set the magnifier on the table then stood upright.
She drew in a deep breath. “I won’t go forward if you don’t want me to do this. I respect your position.”
He’d already gone through the process. He understood and valued her decision. Besides, his gut told him this was the way to set Kiara free.
“I’m in. And I know you’ve got the formula right.” The latter part of his statement was the deciding factor. That, and the infinitesimally small amount of the drug she was using. When Sheba meowed in support, Braden petted her which set her to purring once more.
A question surfaced. “If this is the right portion for you, do you have any idea how much Veyda was using? You think it would explain her powers?”
She shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I believe she’s an addict. Beyond that, I can’t speculate about why she’s as powerful as she is.”
She picked up the glass dish and watched as each granule slid into the mortar. With her pestle in hand, she took some time grinding all the ingredients together.
When she was satisfied, Braden watched her pull a small pewter cup from her shelves. She carefully coaxed the powder from the small mortar into the cup. She then took a feathery brush and swept the remaining powder in as well.
She lifted the cup to her nose and inhaled.
Her eyes shifted back and forth. Her nostrils flared. Finally, she released a deep sigh. “This is it.”
She took a glass jar from the small fridge. “Distilled water. And I’ll have to hold my breath until the drug dissolves. You should do the same or step a few feet away from the table.”
He wanted to see everything, so he stuck close, but did as he was told and held his breath.
She didn’t seem concerned about quantity of water, since she didn’t measure. She poured it straight into the pewter cup, then swirled slowly. He watched the powder blend into the water until all that was left was a clear green liquid.
Braden waited, but his heart had started thumping. A touch of flame with a few herbs and a witch’s power. What would happen?
She took a breath. He did as well.
“It’s ready.” She showed him the liquid.
“With only five grains of the drug, yet it’s emerald green, just like its name.”
He took a step back. Even he could feel the power latent in her potion. “You sure you want to do this?”
“I am. I need to. I know Kiara is running out of time.”
“All right. I’m with you.”
“Braden. Suddenly, I’m scared. I wasn’t, until just this moment.”
“That’s a normal reaction. You’ve never done this before and it might expose you to Veyda.”
“I think she’ll know.”
“I have no doubt she’s seen you as a threat from the beginning.” He might have been concerned at the outset because this was a flame drug, which often created unexpected reactions. But he’d come around to her way of thinking. “Drink it. Now. I’m with you and I’ll support you.”
She stared at the cup for a moment then lifted it to her lips. She tilted her head back and drank quickly.
He had no idea what would happen next.