Max heard the howl outside his house. Who would dare come when he was with his mate? One quick sniff and he knew.
Sonora.
She would have to wait. Alicia needed him and he wouldn’t dare leave her now.
He captured her lips and drank from the heady nectar. He felt like a starving man receiving sustenance for the first time after being lost in the desert for months. Her supple body came alive under him as their tongues started to dance with each other. Her desire raged, catching him up in the maelstrom.
His hands cupped under her buttocks and lifted her up to give him better access. She strained against her restraints. He centered himself and entered her in one quick stroke. Alicia moaned as he filled her. Her body stretched to accept him. She sighed as he pulsed inside her. God, she felt so good. Tight and warm. He moved inside her, her body surrounding him like a glove. The desire to feel her slide against him as he pumped in and out too great to ignore.
She shifted to increase their contact. Her breath hitched as he picked up the pace. He felt her muscles tighten against him. Max gritted his teeth, fighting the overwhelming need to spill his seed. As her body clenched him tight he knew she was close. His release was imminent, but he refused to have his before she had hers. He fought the urge. His body shook with the effort to hold back. He pulled out and slammed back home. Her body trembled around him. He pulled out a second time. As he slid back in he felt the tremors quake in her body.
Then she screamed. It was music to his ears. Her muscles tightened against him, a vise-like glove that had him growling in pleasure. “Alicia.”
“Oh, oh, Max!” She screamed again, arching against him, muscles contracting, sending her and him over the edge. Lights exploded behind his eyes. He felt like he was free falling off a cliff, wind rushing through his fur.
Fur? He opened his eyes and looked around. He had started to change without realizing it. His mate had released him in a profound way. Without the control involved. Thank goodness, she had her eyes closed too. Focusing himself, he shifted back before Alicia could find out his secret.
“Wow.” She breathed. “Will it always be this way?”
“I sure hope so.” He nuzzled her neck.
Alicia dropped her head on the pillow. “Then I’m doomed.”
“Doomed?” He propped himself up so he could look at her face.
“I can’t give this up. It’s just too good.” She closed her eyes and sighed.
“I have to agree.” He pressed a kiss against her stomach. “How about I draw a bath and we continue this there?” He stood and reached for one of the scarves.
“Continue? I need to recharge my battery first.”
He released one hand then the other. “All right. You rest and I’ll be back when the water is ready.” He released her right foot then her left, planting a kiss against each sole before placing them on the bed. “I’ll be back.”
“Um-hum.” She rolled onto her stomach and sighed.
Max placed his hand on her right shoulder and murmured a few words. The mark on her shoulder faded from view. Their lovemaking would remove any glamour he or Catherine placed on it so he’d have to be diligent to keep it hidden.
He walked down the hallway and found Jacob waiting. “Need a bath drawn, Jacob, but I have to go outside for a moment.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll have the bath ready when you get back. Your caller has been quite persistent.”
“She normally is. This shouldn’t take long, but keep an eye on Alicia just in case.” Max shifted and sat on his haunches.
Jacob opened the door to the outside and stood to the side. “See you soon, sir.”
Max ran out the door, his claws clicking against the floor then the concrete before finally making contact with the soft ground. He loped toward the wooded area. Sonora was somewhere around here.
He stopped on a small rise, lifted his head and sniffed the air. To the left. He took off in that direction, racing along the tree line.
Her scent became stronger when he turned to the right a little bit. He found her resting near a small copse of trees.
A deep growl vibrated in his throat.
She jumped to her paws and held her head high. “Do not show displeasure with me, you have sullied yourself with a human.”
“You will not speak of my mate that way!” His shout vibrated off the trees. Birds took flight in front of his anger.
“Mate. I thought so.” She sat down on her haunches. “You bring weak blood into our pack.”
“She is the legend.” He pawed at the ground. “Our way of life was based off this weakness. You dare question everything our people believe in? After you have turned your back on everyone?”
“You didn’t believe in the legend until you started sniffing around this girl.”
“If you don’t believe the legend then why are you trying to gather the Tears? They have no power for you.”
“But they do for you. Even before you met the woman you believed in the power of the stones. I can’t let you have that much power.” She shifted to human. “Our people will follow whoever has them, it doesn’t matter who believes and who doesn’t.”
“That’s not true.” He shifted as well. “If you knew our people you’d understand what I mean. They are far too educated to follow you blindly.”
She flicked her hair out of her face. “I will still win this, Maximilian.”
Max chose to ignore her. Turning, he shifted back to wolf and raced back to his home.
Jacob waited for him. “The bath is drawn, sir, but your mate was sleeping so peacefully I didn’t disturb her.”
“Thank you, Jacob. Go on to bed. Nothing else should disturb us tonight.” Once Jacob had headed back to his room, Max walked back to Alicia’s bedroom. He found her curled up with a sweet smile on her face.
Max thought about climbing back into bed with her, but worried about Sonora out there. Deep down inside, he needed an excuse to put Alicia in his bed and keeping her safe was the perfect one.
First, he made sure the blanket was wrapped tight around her. He slipped one arm under her knees then the other under her shoulders. Curling her up into his arms he held her against his heart and carted her to his bed.
He placed her on the side of the bed Jacob had turned down and tucked her in. That was where she belonged. Not a guest room or that tiny apartment she lived in. His bed, his house, his life.
He slipped into the other side of the bed and scooted over to her side. Sliding his arm around her waist, he pulled her warm body next to his. Her silky limbs rubbed against his while she readjusted her body to fit against his. A deep growl rumbled in his chest.
“Oh, sweetheart, keep that up and you’ll never get any sleep tonight.”
Alicia must have heard him because she settled down with her head on his chest and a leg wrapped around his. Hell and heaven wrapped into one woman. How was he going to cope?
***
Sonora gripped the railing of her penthouse apartment balcony. “How dare he take a mate!”
She spun on the tiles and turned to a small terra cotta planter. She picked it up and threw it against the mirror on the far wall of her apartment. The mirror exploded, showering the room with little shards of glass and dirt everywhere.
It helped for a moment.
“That jerk thinks he can beat me by changing the rules? I’ll show him a thing or two.”
***
The next morning, Alicia rose to breakfast in bed. In Max’s bed. She looked around in confusion. When did this happen? Max must have seen the confusion on her face. His face looked so comical. Like he got caught doing something he shouldn’t.
“I have no real excuse. I wanted you in my bed and you were out like a light.” He sat on the bed. “It seemed like a great idea last night.”
“Um-hum.” She didn’t answer; instead she lifted the silver lid off of the plate sitting on the tray in front of her. Heady aromas drifted up.
“Anyway, I need to check on my donation to the Wildlife Society before you need to be in the office. You don’t mind do you?”
How could she? Her vehicle was sitting in front of her apartment. “Can I eat?”
“Of course.”
Twenty minutes later she found herself sitting in front of some wolf habitat and wished she had asked to be dropped off first.
Max had hopped out of the car and walked around to open her door.
Cold air swirled around her as she made no move out of the vehicle. “That’s okay. I’ll be fine right here.”
“You’ll be safe.” Max reached across her to release her seatbelt.
She shook her head. “Nope.”
He stopped what he was doing and watched her. “You won’t even try?”
“Remember the dream?” she snapped. If he thought she’d blithely climb out and cavort with these animals he was out of his mind.
“I do and I believe you need to face your fears head on.” He placed a hand on her arm.
“No!” She pulled out of his hold. “I’m tired of you telling me what to do!”
“I’ve heard that before, but you never explained why.” He had a determined look on his face.
“And I don’t need to.” She never liked talking about this.
“If you want me to leave you alone I think you should.” Max blocked any chance for her to escape him, unless she wanted to crawl across the front seat to the driver’s door. Max would stop her before she could get too far.
She felt trapped. “It sounds silly.”
“Try me.” Max propped one foot up on the runner.
“My dream.”
“What?” Max’s face crinkled in confusion.
“The wolf dream. I started getting the nightmares while I worked for the most obnoxious man on the planet who thought women were second-class citizens. I blame him for bringing them on. I promised myself I’d never work for another man like him.”
Max laughed. “Oh, my. Then I came along.”
“Yes, you did.” Alicia looked up at him. “And my life has been turned inside out.”
“I’ll admit that I’m pushy and obnoxious, but I will never treat you like a second-class citizen. I know you have a fear of wolves. But I’m asking you to trust me. I will protect you.” He held out his hand to Alicia.
“Max.” She wasn’t going to go. No matter what he said.
“This is the perfect time.” He gestured toward the reserve. “These animals are very docile and they’re behind a barrier if you can’t handle being near them. And you have one more perk.”
“What’s that?”
“Me. The big he-man to protect you.” He held out his hand to her. “Ready?”
“No.” But she slipped her fingers into Max’s. “But I’m not always smart either.”
Max flashed a brilliant smile at her and led her to the back of the habitat. “I’ve given money to help protect these animals and I’ve spent a lot of time with them. They won’t hurt you.”
“I don’t know about this.” She backed up a little when she spotted the wolves trotting toward the gate.
“They’re very friendly.” Max pulled out the special key he had because of his large donations, opened the gate and stepped in.
Alicia squealed and dashed to the gate just after Max snapped it closed. The moment she realized what she did she took several steps back. “Max, please come out of there.”
Most of the wolves sat or lay down within a few feet of Max. Like they were waiting. They made Alicia nervous.
A lone wolf trotted up to the other wolves, placing itself between the pack and Max. A cold chill raced up her spine when the wolf started to growl. “Now, Max.”
“He’s just letting me know who is boss. All I have to do is show I understand and all will be fine.” Max sat on the floor and stared into the wolf’s eyes. He sat like that for a minute or two before he lay down on the ground, showing the wolf his belly.
The wolf came over and sniffed him before turning its back and heading deeper into the habitat.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.” Max stayed on the ground, waiting for the rest of the wolves to come over to him and investigate. They all inspected him. Sniffing at him. A couple even barked at him. Each bark had Alicia jumping.
He didn’t stay in too long and she was grateful. She couldn’t help herself when she started to check him to make sure they didn’t hurt him without her knowledge.
“I told you I was safe.” He locked the gate before wrapping an arm around her and steering her back to the safety of the Hummer. “They only need you to know who’s boss. Beyond that they are just like pets.”
“Pets with huge razor sharp teeth.” She wrapped her arms around his middle, grateful they were leaving.
“Next time, you get to go in the cage.”
“Yeah, right.”
***
Alicia sat in her office a couple of hours later, wondering how Max had drawn her in emotionally as fast as he did. It wasn’t like her to let a man manipulate her as much as he had. She couldn’t seem to resist him.
Stacey knocked as she opened the door enough to stick her head in. “You have company.”
“Who? Max would have just barged in by now.” She stood up and slipped on her shoes.
The door opened a little more and another head popped in. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
Sonora. Great. What could she say? “How may I help you?”
“I need your help on something.” Sonora stepped fully into the room. “Hope you don’t mind.”
The gardenia fragrance floated past her nose, causing her eyes to water. “Um, it’s a beautiful day. How about we go for a walk?”
A frown flitted across the woman’s face for just a moment before she pasted a smile on. “Of course.”
Alicia smiled back and crossed to the closet to retrieve her suit jacket. It was warm enough today to allow her to go without her heavy coat so she left it behind. “Stacey, I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Oh, okay.” Her eyes as big as saucers.
“Oh for God’s sake, let him sit on the couch for a minute or two. I won’t be gone that long.”
Stacey just nodded.
Alicia stepped into the elevator and waited for the woman to join her. “I’m sorry but I can’t remember your name.”
“Sonora.”
“Right.” Alicia gave her a sly glance to see how she reacted. From what she had seen happen between Max and her, Sonora was prone to anger. Like she was expecting her due and hated it when she didn’t receive the respect she deserved.
She wasn’t disappointed. The woman clenched her hands so tight Alicia was sure she saw blood on the nails biting into her palms.
The doors to the elevator opened and exposed them to the crowded ground floor. They eased their way through the people and sighed when they reached the street.
“I see you don’t care much for crowds either.” Alicia headed for the small park across the street from her office. She loved walking there and thought it would help relax them as they talked.
“Hate them. I’m much happier in the woods alone.”
“Don’t like people?” Alicia slowed their pace so they could stroll along.
“Well.” Sonora hesitated to answer her.
“It’s okay. Not everyone likes being around other people all the time. I have a friend that works much better with animals. She understands them better.”
“I feel the same way.” Sonora fell silent.
If the woman wanted to talk why was she being quiet? There was something odd going on. Max said she was dangerous, and Alicia had believed him. She saw how Sonora and Max interacted. The woman looked like she wanted to hurt Max when she spoke to him, yet around Alicia this woman seemed to be a different person. It didn’t make sense. “So what did you want to talk about?”
“I still want to hire you to help me find the same thing Maximilian is looking for, but in light of what has happened between the two of you recently I wasn’t sure if I should even broach the subject with you.” Sonora stuffed her hands in her pockets.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, making Alicia wary. Something weird was going on and she didn’t like the bad feeling building in the pit of her stomach. “What are you talking about?”
“Why the fact that you and Max are mated.”
“What?” Alicia stopped walking. The only time she had ever heard that phrase was in her romance novels.
“You’ve slept with him, right?” Sonora stopped and faced her. Genuine concern on her face.
She stared at the woman. What was going on between her and Max was something private and none of her business.
“You have the tattoo.” Sonora pointed to her shoulder.
Alicia shrugged off her jacket and pulled her sleeveless shirt to the side so she could look at her shoulder. “I don’t see anything.”
“I’m not trying to be fresh.” Sonora touched the shoulder she had been pointing to and helped pull the shirt aside.
She couldn’t see it clearly, but did see some markings. What was going on? “So?”
“Then he never explained how the tattoo is shared by mates?”
***
Max walked into the office and picked up the scent of gardenias. Anger filled him. He brushed past Stacey and raced into Alicia’s office. He found it empty and his heart dropped. Turning he found Stacey behind him. “Where are they?”
“Sh-she’s at the park with her.”
“Is that why you’re here? To allow Sonora to take her from me?”
“No!” She dropped her gaze and bowed to him. “My father asked me to work for Alicia.”
“Your father? Is he one of Sonora’s minions?”
“No!” Tears filled her eyes. “We are a small group. Sonora has been trying to take over the pack. Father knew the legend and knew you would find the woman in it. He did his research and realized Alicia was the one. When he learned she needed an assistant he sent me here. He wants your protection, but knew she needed someone to watch over her. I am here to keep her safe if Sonora found her first. That is all.”
“And if I refuse to help your family after your failure?”
“It’s all my fault because I didn’t know how to stop Sonora. Alicia doesn’t know what I am and I treasure her friendship so much I didn’t know how to reveal the truth and keep that friendship.”
Max could see how upset she was and he would know if she lied. “First, we need to have her come back, then you and I need to talk.”
***
“Mates?” What was it with these people? Alicia pulled on her shoulder to get a better look at the tattoo. She couldn’t see much of it, but enough to make her howling mad. Sonora forgotten, Alicia stomped back to her office. “Where is he?”
“I-he’s in your office, and he’s not in a good mood.” Stacey stayed behind her desk.
“Really? Just wait until I’m done with him.” Alicia charged into her office. “What the hell did you do to me?”
Max turned on her with a growl.
“Oh, no you don’t.” She bared her shoulder. The tattoo visible. “We’re mated?”