Lorelei Read online

  Damned beast had some high expectations.

  “What stuff?” he returned. Best to play dumb until he could figure out exactly what she knew… and didn’t.

  “This HBIC person. Werewolves or shifters or whatever. This hotel. All of it. You know about it. I’m not crazy, right?” The wavering of her words made him ache to hold her close. Her terror was practically a physical thing, punching him in the gut and shoving the air from his lungs.

  “You’re not crazy,” he murmured. “And I’d be happy to explain everything if you come out of there.”

  Explain things and more. He was excited about the more. Not that he’d push their mating on her. If anything, Dylan would want to postpone sealing their bond for years if that’s what she needed. Zeke was voting for an hour. Two at the most.

  “I don’t need explanations. I need to be gone.” She swallowed hard, her throat rippling with the move. He wanted to lick her there, lick her and then let his mouth slide to her shoulder and… “I want out, but first you’re gonna help me find Rebecca and Paisley.” Her grip on the weapon tightened. “Get them for me and no one gets hurt.”

  Shit.

  “Not Lorelei? If you’ve been reading the texts and emails, you know it’s a set of three sisters.” He had a sinking feeling he knew the answer to his question already, but he’d like his suspicions confirmed before he fucked himself over. Was he looking at Lorelei Twynham?

  Her eyes widened, the color brightening due to her magic a bare moment before it settled back to its natural hue. “That’s not necessary.”

  “Because you’re Lorelei Twynham.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped back and the words stung his skin. They cut into his flesh, and he swallowed the groan that came with the pain.

  Damn, their little mate was fierce, her magic strong and unforgiving when she was annoyed. Zeke swore his dick was gonna break through his jeans.

  “Alright. If that’s the way you wanna play it.” He drew a deep breath, tasting her flavors once again before he allowed himself to speak and fuck up his and Dylan’s lives for a little while. A long while if they ended up dragged before the Ruling Alphas.

  He just prayed the mate bond would alleviate some of her anger when all was said and done.

  “I’m gonna move back real slow and you’re gonna come out. I’ll get you to Rebecca.” Eventually. “They’re still looking for Paisley and,” he smirked, “Lorelei.”

  “Why are you people looking for us? Them. I mean, why are you people looking for them?”

  Zeke figured some honesty was called for. “They’re cousins to our Ruling Alpha Mate.” He flicked his gaze to the cell phone and back to her. “The HBIC. She thinks she’s funny.” He shrugged. “Most the time she’s pretty hilarious.”

  “We don’t… They don’t have any werewolf cousins. I’m pretty sure it’s something they’d know.”

  “Considering the only ones who could mate a pair of wolves are human, I’m thinking they would have cousins who are human and Alpha Marked, and didn’t realize it.” She still gave him a skeptical glare, so he returned them to his initial idea. “It doesn’t matter because you’re going to come out of there and I’ll get you to Rebecca.”

  “I want to leave.”

  “I understand.” He still wasn’t gonna listen.

  “With my sis— With Rebecca and Paisley.”

  “I know. C’mon out. I’m not happy about you pointing a gun at me, but if anyone else sees, they’ll be a lot more than unhappy.” And then he’d have to kill everyone who growled at her.

  That’d really piss off the Ruling Alphas. He wondered if the fact that he was protecting his mate—who also happened to be the Ruling Alpha Mate’s cousin—mattered.

  He figured it’d depend on how many he had to kill.

  Lorelei—even if she wouldn’t give him her name—pulled the gun from his head. “Step back.”

  He did as she ordered, not worried that she’d bolt. He stood not three feet from her and she’d have to get past him to flee. And really, other than a direct hit to the heart or head, a gunshot would annoy him more than hurt him.

  When she emerged, he got another good look at their mate. Damn, she was a lot like Rebecca Twynham, yet so different. She was a tiny thing, generous curves in all the right places and despite her short size, she had enough attitude to make her seem six feet tall.

  A nice, explosive package. Just what a strong Warden Pair needed.

  He eased farther away, giving her more space as he gestured toward the nearby bank of elevators. “We’ll head to the tenth floor.”

  Zeke didn’t mention that Rebecca was on the eighteenth.

  Or that he and Dylan were on the tenth.

  *

  Dylan Clarke towel dried his hair, running the terrycloth over his soaked strands. Even the heated shower hadn’t soothed the tension in his body. He rolled his head, easing it from side to side as he fought to banish the unease that slithered through him.

  Something was different. Not right or wrong, but… different.

  His body pulsed with some unfamiliar need, and he dropped the towel to the ground, freeing his hands so he could stretch his arms over his head. Something was building inside him, extending its unseen claws into his flesh.

  His wolf howled and wagged its tail in excitement. Okay, so it only freaked out his human half. The beast was happy as hell over what lingered in the air.

  Dylan wished he could feel the same.

  He shook his head. Sometimes his animal wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box. It growled at him, reminding him that Dylan’s human half had the brains, but his inner beast had the brawn.

  Not that he wasn’t a strong male in his own right, but the wolf… Between his wolf and Warden magic, there was a reason everyone kept their distance.

  Everyone… Another shake of his head, dispelling the pang in his heart. It wasn’t just wolves that stayed away from their Warden Pair, it was the female Warden Born at the Gathering as well.

  He sighed. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Maybe the five families were correct, maybe Wardens weren’t truly meant to mate with human females. He hated to admit the crazed old fools had a point.

  His wolf growled and snarled at him, anxious to tear into his flesh and rip those idiotic thoughts from his head.

  Yeah, yeah.

  He snared the towel from the ground and ran it over his chest once more. He had to get his shit together before Zeke returned. They were scheduled to attend the day’s first round of Tests of Proximity.

  The Ruling Alpha Mate had been correct when she’d described the event as werewolf speed dating. Sit, sniff, next!

  It’d be a little different because they were Wardens. It was more like sit, glow in the dark, let’s mate.

  Dylan stared at his hand, wondering if his skin would pulse and glow like the Ruling Wardens’. When Emmett and Levy were with their mate, Whitney, they all adopted an ethereal light that surrounded the trio. That was also when Whitney’s marks throbbed with her magic.

  It was… the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  How could that be wrong? He shook his head. He couldn’t believe it and yet…

  The power that threesome wielded was deadly and dangerous, and Whitney was the most frightening of all. That female got a little pissy and… Dylan shuddered.

  He was still torn on the issue. The five families had sacrificed so many to hide all evidence of the Warden Born, but he couldn’t imagine Whitney Wickham was a mistake. That she hadn’t been created with a purpose.

  He sighed and padded toward the dresser. Zeke should be back with his phone soon and then they could get going. He still didn’t understand how his partner lost his cell phone.

  Wait. He did. Zeke was Zeke.

  Dylan chuckled and drew out a pair of socks and boxers. It took no time to tug those on before he headed to the closet for his pressed slacks and button down shirt. He knew his friend would “rock out” wi
th his chucks and ripped jeans.

  He laid his clothing for the day on the king sized bed, fighting to ignore the tacky floral pattern and the way it clashed with his clothes. They needed to get a new decorator. Hotel Garou was home to the annual Gathering as well as a prime vacation spot for werewolves. It should look better than this.

  He snared the slacks and slid them on, the tailored fit hugging his body in the right places while giving him room to move in others. Perfect. Considering what he’d paid for them, they damned well better be.

  The beep and scrape of metal on metal announced that Zeke had returned. Dylan glanced at the clock and noted the time. His friend had just enough time to swap his crappy flip-flops for his equally crappy chucks and then they’d be on their way.

  The low, deep murmur of Zeke’s voice reached him, but he ignored it. The man was probably talking to himself. Again.

  “C’mon, Z. We don’t have much time left.” Dylan raised his voice. He snatched his shirt from the bed and slipped his arms into the sleeves. Padding toward the bedroom’s double doors, he called out again. “We gotta meet with—”

  Dylan sucked in a harsh breath, the wind suddenly leaving his lungs and stealing his oxygen. He trembled, shaking from head to toe, and he reached for the wall to steady himself. With the sudden weakness also came a fierce rush of arousal. His cock went from soft to rock hard in an instant and he winced, realizing the tailor hadn’t quite given him enough room there.

  He fought for air, demanding his lungs respond. His wolf howled in his head, voicing its… joy? What the fuck? He couldn’t spare a thought for the damned beast, not when his body throbbed with need and…

  A gentle glow caught his attention, one that seemed to come from inside him. It pulsed in time with the beat of his heart.

  Holy shit.

  Holy shit.

  She-she-she… she was near.

  His female.

  The hoarse murmurs from his partner reached him.

  Their female.

  Their female was near.

  “Zeke,” he pushed the single word past his dry lips. He couldn’t do much more than that. Not when his cock was demanding attention while his wolf and heart ordered him to hunt her.

  When his friend didn’t appear, he forced himself into motion. He shoved away from the wall and shuffled forward. He gripped the door frame and leaned against it for support before he inched into the main room of their suite. The farther he delved, the brighter he glowed, his skin taking on a golden, ethereal hue.

  “D, man, you gotta get your shit together.” Zeke’s words reached him a brief moment before large, rough hands grabbed him.

  The touch of the other wolf settled him and took the harsh edge off whatever the fuck was going on.

  He clutched Zeke’s hand, taking strength from the male, and the connection gave him the power to stand upright and push away from the door. It also gave him the ability to catch the slightest movement to his right.

  The movement of a single female.

  A female glowing with the familiar mark of a woman who was Warden Born.

  “Mine,” he growled low. When she paled and her magic flared, his wolf growled at him.

  “Ours,” Zeke murmured, and Dylan jerked his head in a quick nod.

  Theirs.

  They’d strip her, fuck her, and then claim her.

  She was theirs. Theirs with… a bright pink gun pointed at him.

  Dylan rethought his plan.

  Disarm her, strip her, fuck her, and then claim her.

  Chapter Three

  Oh. Hell. No.

  “I am all about being my own person, thankyouverymuch.” Muzzle pointed at the floor, she kept her grip firm, index finger solid against the side of the weapon’s barrel. She didn’t want to shoot them before they told her what she wanted to know. Lorelei jerked her chin toward the half-naked hotness. “Last time I checked, Rebecca wasn’t a guy who didn’t know how to button his shirt.”

  Not that she wanted him to button his shirt. While Zeke was sexy-scruffy, this man was sexy-sophisticated. With his perfectly pressed slacks and crisp white shirt, he looked more like a businessman than a… werewolf. His chest certainly didn’t look furry. No, there was a sprinkling of dark brown chest hair, but she also noticed his rippling abs. Another thing she noticed was that her mouth watered at the thought of tracing them with her tongue.

  That thought had a shiver overtaking her, arousal like she’d never known assaulting her nerves. Damn, Zeke got her engines rumbling, but add in Hot Guy and she was ready to burst into flames.

  She took a deep breath, fighting to calm the overwhelming need that hit her square in the gut. Or, a few inches lower and decidedly squishy at the moment. And twitchy. Because, only God knew how, her clit twitched with every sound that came from Zeke and Hot Guy. Especially when they growled together, their eyes slowly changing color until her hazel gaze was met by their yellowed orbs.

  Yeah, okay, if she hadn’t believed in the whole werewolf thing, that right there turned her into a believer. The new rush of fear also nearly bowled her over, sending a panic-laced tremor through her.

  Lorelei met Zeke’s gaze. “You told me you’d take me to Rebecca and since I’m not seeing her or Paisley, I’m thinking it’s time to get back on the elevator and you can fulfill your promise.”

  The second man, werewolf, whatever, turned his attention to Zeke as well. The stranger took a step back and she pretended not to notice how her body reacted to him. She particularly ignored how her nipples pebbled. “Is she talking about Rebecca Twynham?”

  Oh, the deep timbre of his voice did good things to her naughty places.

  Zeke shrugged and that annoyed the hell out of her.

  “Yes,” she snapped. “Rebecca Twynham. Zeke said he’d take me to her.” The phone she’d swiped buzzed in her pocket and it was echoed by a ding from the one in Zeke’s. “And don’t tell me she’s not here. I, uh, borrowed a cell phone. I know all about this werewolf business and the HBIC and the fact that you’re looking for me— I mean, Lorelei and Paisley. And that you have Rebecca. You got her into your weird magic cult thing you’ve got going on.”

  Hot Guy turned a glare on Zeke. “I’m assuming she had your phone.”

  “Yup.” Zeke rocked back on his heels, hands tucked in his pockets and shoulders slouched as if it didn’t matter.

  “And she read your messages,” Hot Guy snapped at Zeke and she decided she’d just refer to the man as Guy until he got around to introducing himself. She wasn’t about to call him “D” like Zeke did.

  “She just said she did.” Zeke sighed and rolled his eyes before turning his attention to her. “And I said I’d get you to Rebecca. I didn’t say when.”

  “Zeke,” Guy’s slow drawl had her focusing on him once again. Oh, it wasn’t looking good, either. Not when she noticed his deeply tanned skin was kinda gray… and furry. “Tell me she’s not who I think she is.”

  Zeke’s grin was wide and she had the urge to kick him in the shin so it’d go away. “She’s not who you think she is.”

  “You’re lying,” Guy growled.

  “Yup.”

  “Zeke, we can’t keep her—”

  “Damn right you can’t,” Lorelei cut in, tired of them talking around her and not to her. “I feel like I’m a damned parrot with all this repeating, but you two aren’t listening. I want Rebecca and Paisley and then I want out.”

  Anger continued to rise in her, burning her skin and the heat raced over her body. Damn stupid men. Damn stupid werewolves. Damn stupid whatever-the-fuck that brought her to this hoity-toity werewolf “Gathering.” Damn it all.

  Both men focused on her, eyebrows raised. Their gazes didn’t remain on her eyes, but gently stroked her from head to toe.

  Stupid hot bastards making her want them in very dirty, naughty ways.

  And what the fuck was up with her wanting them. Not Zeke, not Guy, but both.

  She didn’t want to think about the fact that she
’d always fantasized about banging two guys.

  “Miss…” Guy raised his eyebrows.

  “Miss Nothing. I don’t know who the hell you are. Why should you know my name?”

  Zeke stepped forward. “It’s Back the Hell Up. I shortened it to just B.”

  He grinned and winked at Lorelei.

  She pretended not to notice. She also pretended not to feel the way her body wanted to lean into him.

  God, she needed to get laid. By non-furry, non-werewolf, non-hot guys not named Zeke or Guy.

  Guy turned his attention to Zeke. “Didn’t you introduce yourself?”

  Zeke shrugged. “Only after she put that pink toy against my head.”

  Guy closed his eyes and took a slow breath. She noticed his lips moving and, based on their exchange, she figured he was probably praying for patience. At least, that’s what her mother always did with her and her sisters.

  “You’ve met Zeke. I’m Dylan Clarke.” He pressed his hand to his chest, bringing her attention back to his sculpted body.

  Lorelei swallowed hard, trying her best not to imagine what his skin would taste like or how wonderful it’d be to nibble her way down his abs… She tried and failed because a low whimper escaped.

  That had Dylan growling low. “Sweet, you really shouldn’t make those sounds.”

  She licked her lips and met his yellowed eyes and whined. “What sounds?”

  “Damn, baby.” Zeke’s hoarse whisper reached her and she moaned.

  The more they talked, the more she wanted them. What the fucking fuck?

  Another shake overtook her, this one seeming to sink into her bones and jarring her from inside out. Her grip on her weapon faltered and she nearly lost her gun amidst the tremors.

  “Lorelei?” Worry replaced the hint of desire she’d heard in Zeke’s voice.

  “Not,” she wheezed, another vibration sending her wobbling. “Not Lore—”

  “We know you are, sweet.” Dylan took a step closer to her, decreasing the distance between them.

  “Oh God,” she burned. Fucking burned. Her skin, her muscles, everything inside her. “Stop talking.”