Garrett
"So, who do you think took Sedona?" Jared asks as we sit around the table eating the fish tacos he and Trey bought. It's late, but no one can sleep. "Did you see what they looked like in your, um, vision or whatever?"
Amber shakes her head. She leans against the kitchen counter, eating standing up. Still putting distance between us. It's a good idea, but I want pull her into my lap and feed her with my fingers.
"Were they wolves?" Trey cranks his neck around to look at her.
Her brow wrinkles. "No, they were men-oh." She pauses. "Well, how would I know? Is there a telltale sign or something?"
"Their eyes. Did they change color, or glow?"
Frowning, she shakes her head. "I don't remember."
"Can you have the vision again?"
"It's not like a movie I rent. They just come to me."
"You don't control them at all?"
I frown at Trey to shut him up.
"No," she snaps. "That's not the way they work."
"Well, that sucks," Trey mumbles.
I growl, and he adjusts his expression to something friendlier.
"Look, I'm trying." Amber sets down her food and turns to the sink. She spends about a minute washing her hands, then grabs a paper towel and starts wiping down the counters.
"Hey." I push out of my chair, amble over to her. I don't mean to crowd her, but she drops the paper towel and backs up anyway. "We're all just trying to figure this psychic thing out."
She flinches at the word psychic. "You don't understand. I've spent my entire life suppressing these visions."
"Is that why you get headaches?"
Her shoulders lift and fall.
"Have you ever tried just letting them happen?"
"I can't."
I tilt my head to the side.
"I've never tried," she amends. "I'm afraid they'll take over my life."
"Okay. May I try something?"
"Like what?" She watches me warily. She used to trust me, against her better judgment. But I broke it. This distance between us? It's my fault.
"I'm going to touch you," I murmur.
Behind me, Jared clears his throat.
"Please," I add.
A small hesitation, and she nods.
"Just breathe. Relax."
I place a hand over her eyes. "Close your eyes." Her lashes flutter against my palm. "Just feel into it. Humans or wolves?"
She stays quiet for so long, I give up on an answer. The heat of her body, so close to mine, makes my cock thicken. I breathe in her scent, knowing I should back away, keep my hands off her if I want to maintain control.
"Wolves," she says at last.
I force myself to step back. "I knew it."
"What do you think they want with her?" Jared asks. He and Trey come to their feet.
I run my fingers through my hair. "Probably breeding."
Amber looks shocked, so I explain. "Many shifters consider our species endangered. Our DNA has been diluted too much with human genes. It's considered a sin against our kind to mate with a human. But that means in smaller communities in-breeding is now the problem."
"What happens when they mate with a human?" Amber asks.
"These days, they produce human babies." I meet her intelligent gaze. Is she thinking about what might happen if we continue on the path we're on, this doomed dance of attraction? "Offspring who never get sick and heal quickly, but human, not wolf."
"They can't shift?"
"Right. I mean, there are half-breeds who shift-it's not unheard of. There's a panther in Tucson who didn't shift until she got pregnant with a wolf shifter's pup. But it's rare."
"So you think they spot a female wolf who hasn't been part of their pack, and just grab her for breeding?" Amber's voice sharpens, and I get a hint of what she must be like on crusade.
I bet she's fucking amazing in the courtroom. I get hard just picturing her in one of her fitted suits, pacing the room in high heels, dazzling every male in the building with those shapely calves, that sharp mind.
"I think it's possible, yeah. She's an alpha female, and young enough to bear lots of pups."
Amber swallows, looking a little sick. "We have to get her back."
"Yeah." My stomach clenches. "Soon. Before they start…" I can't finish the sentence. My fists tighten, itching to punch someone. My wolf wants to rampage. I want to break everything I see. If Amber weren't here, I probably already would have.
"So what do we do?" she asks, chin up like she's ready to do anything. She's not going to like what we have to do.
"We have no leads, Amber. No scent at all. We got nothing but your vision. Let's play twenty questions with you and see what you can intuit."
Her shoulders slump. Doubt oozes from her stance. I step so my body blocks my two packmates watching her, and cup her chin. "You can do this, Amber. Your gifts are meant to be used."
"What if I'm wrong? Or I can't see anything?"
"It will still be more information than we have now."
"You're crazy," she mutters, but she walks to the couch and sits down, tucking her legs up under her body and closing her eyes. "Go ahead."
Trey has his laptop open. "It says here that psychics can be clairsentient, clairvoyant, clairaudient or claircognizant. Which do you think you are, Amber?"
"Clairvoyant. I see things--I don't usually hear. Maybe clairsentient--sometimes I feel things like emotion. Especially his." She shifts her gaze to me.
"G, do you have something of Sedona's?" Trey asks. "It says that police psychics hold an object that belonged to a victim or missing person to kick start the intuition."
I go to the room Sedona stayed in and grab one of her tank tops from her suitcase. I hand it to Amber. "This belongs to Sedona."
"Can't hurt to try, I guess," Amber mumbles, taking the shirt and holding it in both hands. She closes her eyes.
"Where is Sedona now?"
Amber sits perfectly still while three pairs of eyes stare at her in silence. Minutes tick by. She exhales in a whoosh as if she's been holding it. "I don't know," she says at last.
"Is she in San Carlos still?"
Another long pause and then a shake of her head. "Sorry."
"Can you get a name of one of the men who took her?"
Agitation radiates from my little human, but she squeezes her eyes shut again. "La... Luh... Lobo?" Her eyes snap open. "Oh, that's stupid. That's just wolf in Spanish."
"No, you may be onto something. It could be the last name of a family of wolves."
"Your father might have contacts with some of the packs down here," Jared says in a low voice.
I blow out a breath. I was hoping to find my sister fast, without involving my dad. "First, let's do some digging. We need a lead." I know my dad. He'll drive down with every warrior wolf in his pack, maybe even from packs who owe him favors. It'll be war. My gut tells me Sedona will pay the price.
We've gotta get more information. "Trey? Will you see if Kylie can help with research?"
One of the shifters in Tucson-the panther who mated a wolf-is a tech genius. She can hack any system in the world for information.
"I'm on it," Trey says.
"Is she in a house right now? Outside? Is she in wolf form or human?" Jared asks.
Amber's face pinches, and she shakes her head. "I'm sorry, you guys. I just don't know." She looks pale and exhausted. My wolf whines, hating her distress.
"Okay," I say. "Amber, why don't you get some rest? It's been a long day. We'll try again in the morning."
"No, that's okay, I can keep going. Ask another one."
"Amber." I start to put an alpha-push to my voice. Jared catches my eye, and I back down. "All right. One more."
"What step should we take next to find her?" Jared asks.
"Hmm, interesting question." Amber closes her eyes again as Trey walks outside to call Kylie. I motion for Jared to follow him.
I sit back down and wait in silence, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach outside making a lullaby to ease the tension in the room. Amber gives a soft sigh. She's fallen asleep.
As tight as my gut is right now, as much as I want to find Sedona, I can't bear to wake Amber. I lift her carefully. Her eyelids flutter, but she doesn't open them. Her lips move, but I don't catch what she's saying.
"What's that?"
She furrows her brow and shakes her head. "I don't know."
"Yes, you do. You know," I assure her, carrying her into the bedroom. How can she have gone this long without anyone telling her how powerful and special her talent really is? A gift, not the curse she believes it to be.
I pull back the covers and lay her on the bed. My little spitfire looks so fragile asleep, the line between her brows creased with worry. My wolf is calmer now, and I can't resist brushing a kiss on that little line. If she were my mate, I'd do everything I could to make sure she never had cause to worry again.
~.~
Amber
I wake to find myself on the bed in the bedroom, Garrett sitting in the chair, chin in hand and eyes on me.
"How long was I out?" I croak.
"An hour. Any headaches?"
"No. Watching over your prisoner?" I murmur, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. I stretch my arms over my head, arching my back. Was the previous sizzling attraction a fluke?
Nope. I spy with my little eye something that begins with C, growing long and hard against his jeans.
"You take this kidnapping thing seriously." I really shouldn't poke the bear... wolf... but I can't help it. He looks so delicious with his dark scruff and tousled hair.
"I could've tied you up again." His voice is deeper than usual, his eyes boiling.
My pussy clenches, but I school my face. He doesn't need to know how well he plays the game.
His nostrils flare, his eyes turning silver as he sniffs the air. "You're close to ovulation."
"What?" I yank the covers up, thankful I'm still fully clothed.
"You cycle with the moon. Not many human females do, anymore."
I glance at the window, where the curtains frame a full moon.
"Two days," he answers my silent question. His pewter gaze makes me pull the covers up under my chin.
So, what happens during the full moon?
I go hunting.
"What does that mean to you?" I ask.
"I might have to lock you up to keep you safe." His glittering gaze screams big bad wolf.
"You already did that."
"I mean lock you away from me."
Lust kicks through me. Garrett leans forward, his hands clenched together, his tattoos clear.
He's a menace, I remind myself. He kidnapped you. Tied you up.
A pulse grows between my legs. It would be so easy to push the covers back down, spread my legs. Play with myself. See how long it takes him to lose control.
No, no, no. Bad girl.
This guy is every bad decision I never made, rolled into one. And if I don't snap out of lust soon, I'm going to make what might be the biggest mistake of my life.
A knock sounds on the bedroom door.
"Hey, boss?" Jared calls.
"Yeah," Garrett gives his head a quick, dog-like shake and unfolds from the chair. He prowls to the door with a smooth speed, silent as a wolf. As a predator.
"I heard back from Kylie. She sent the list of people with the last name 'Lobo' in the surrounding area, and then all of Mexico. There aren't any in San Carlos, though. There's one about thirty kilometers away. We'll drive over and sniff around right now."
"Thanks, guys," Garrett says. "I'll stay here and pick Amber's brain."
I bite my lip as the guys leave. A woman is missing. Whatever Garrett and I have for each other, it can wait.
Thirty minutes later, I'm pacing the living room, balling my hands into fists. "I don't know. I just don't know. I wish I could help, but I can't."
"Just relax. You're too wound up. Lie down on the sofa and close your eyes."
My stomach twists up in a double-knot. "I can't. Garrett, this isn't working. I'm not going to be able to help you. You've got to find another way."
"It is working. It has worked. I'm just asking you to try again."
"For God's sake, I can't," I snap, then close my mouth when I see pain on his face. I force myself to exhale. "I'm sorry, but you're stressing me out. This whole experience is very intense."
"I know. That's why I wanted you to sit down. You need to relax. Either figure out how to do it for yourself, or I'll help you."
Excuse me? I whirl, my hands on my hips. "You'll help me? Exactly how do you plan to do-" I stop speaking when Garrett stalks toward me, pulling his T-shirt off over his head.
I back up, even though my ovaries rev their engines.
You're close to ovulation. Who says that? A werewolf, I suppose.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
His lips twist in a wry grin. "I know what helps me relax…"
"Oh no." I dart to the side to avoid his grasp.
He moves shockingly fast for a man his size, snatching me up by the waist and swinging me around as I kick uselessly. "What did I tell you about running from a wolf?" he growls, his breath hot against my ear.
"Stop it! Put me-" I gasp when he rubs the seam of my yoga pants roughly against my clit. My pussy spasms with pleasure.
"You know you want this." The rumble of his words reverberate from his chest right to my core. "You've known since the first night we met it's an inevitability."
I lean my head back against him. "No, I don't," I lie, a giggle leaving my throat as I thrash. I don't even know why I fight him, except out of indignation at his cocksure certainty.
"Oh yes you do. You think I can't smell every time your pussy gets wet for me?"
I go still, contemplating that. How many times have I been wet for him since the day we met? And he's known? Every time? Eek.
I close my mouth on a moan as he continues to thrill my pussy with his rough pawing through my yoga pants.
"You can keep lying to me and yourself, but this responsive little body of yours always tells the truth." He manages to pin me back against his chest and slide a hand up my shirt, his palm cupping my breast and squeezing.
I arch with a cry of pleasure.
He pinches the stiffened bud of my nipple between his fingers and rolls it, while the digits of his other hand continue to pulse against my clit, grinding the seam of my pants against it. "Did you think I missed every time these little nipples got hard, or the way your eyes dilate when you're thinking about what would happen if-no, when, you're finally claimed by the big bad wolf?"
My first mini-orgasm shoots through me, a shudder he surely feels. So much for pretending I don't want it.
He bends his knee and brings it up between my legs, holding my weight while he moves, freeing both hands to grasp the waistband of my pants.
"Don't," I squeak, but my voice sounds far more wanton than serious.
"Say yes," he murmurs in my ear.
"I'm not... I don't..." I moan at the sheer pleasure he's eliciting in my nether regions.
"You need it."
He slides the flat of his hand down the front of my pants and cups my mound. I jerk the moment his hot fingers touch my wet pussy, and I wrap my hand around behind myself to hold his neck.
He slows down, tilting me back on his knee and running one digit up and down the length of my weeping slit. "Say yes," he murmurs. He bites my ear. "And I'll let you come."
"Let me come?"
No one lets me come. I come when I... my eyes roll back in my head as his thick fingers part my labia and explore my inner pleats. Jesus, his index finger is as thick as some men's cocks. I want it inside me.
As if reading my mind, he slides it in, alone, first, then with his middle finger, filling and stretching me, stroking the inside of my wanton pussy.
I claw the back of his neck, fighting like a cat in heat, which he doesn't seem to mind.
"That's right, princess. Let you come." He abruptly removes his digits and taps my clit lightly. "Or do you want me to leave you all wound up like this?"
"I-I could finish on my own." Technically, it's true. Although it wouldn't be half so satisfying.
He lowers his knee, dropping my feet to the floor.
"Yes," I bark in a hurry, all pride dissolving when faced with the loss of his hot hands on my body. "I said yes."
He chuckles and picks me up. "Good girl," he murmurs in my ear as he carries me to the bedroom and tosses me onto the bed like a rag doll.
I prop myself on my elbows, watching him crawl up over me, his cock bulging against his jeans, his expression ravenous. "I'm going to make you come so hard you scream."
Arrogant much? But then, he probably has reason to be confident. A man-or wolf-whatever, who looks like him probably has girls throwing themselves at him on a regular basis.
He grabs my pants on either side and yanks them down, tearing my panties off in the process and throwing them both over his shoulder. Grasping my knees, he parts them and bends them up, opening me to him. "I did promise you a reward."