The glitter in Kellen’s eyes let me know I wasn’t going to like the answer. “They didn’t see or hear a thing. Actually, since their orders were to stay far enough away, they wouldn’t accidentally see the two of you. If you decided to step outside nekkid, they wouldn’t have been this close.” Kellen’s tone held a hint of steel.
I got the meaning. From this point on, we all needed to be on guard, even on our own property. “Breezy’s my mate.”
“No shit. I felt it when you connected. Alpha, remember?” If a wolf could roll its eyes, I was sure Kellen just did.
“Of course, oh great one.” Kellen’s wolf bumped me in the side, and I looked up to see we’d circled back to the spot we’d met in.
“Did you notice there were no tracks?”
Kellen nodded. “We are definitely dealing with a professional hunter, or someone who has been trained on how to evade our kind.”
Trepidation sent anxiety through me. If the ones who had attacked the club a couple of weeks back and nearly wiped us out were behind this and now backed by humans who didn’t have a qualm about using guns and the like, we’d need to call in reinforcements. Not to mention we’d all need to change our own security measures. When we fought other wolves, there was an unwritten rule of conduct. A line wolves didn’t cross, and that was you didn’t bring a gun to a fang and claw fight.
“I’m calling a meeting with the MC. You go back to your mate. We’ll meet at the club in an hour, so no time for any bowchicawowow.” Kellen raced off, silent as the shadow he became.
The need to raise my head and howl a warning to all nearly overrode common sense. On the deck, the hair on the back of my wolven body stood on end. I darted to the front of the wraparound porch before shifting. I didn’t know if it was a real threat or my imagination, but until we knew for sure, I was taking every precaution. Shifting to human once I reached the front door, I punched in the code, keeping my body in place so anyone watching, even with a high-powered scope, couldn’t see.
The scent of cinnamon and syrup wafted through the air. My stomach rumbled. I smiled as I saw a barefoot Breezy by mysix-burner gas stove. Yeah, I could get used to seeing her there. The image of her pregnant with my son popped into my head. Whoa, slow my damn roll. I wasn’t sure I’d make a good father. My vocabulary alone wouldn’t be conducive to child rearing, let alone the danger hanging over our heads. I’d never allow her out of my sight.
“What’s put that look on your face?” Breezy pointed a spatula at me.
I shrugged. “Just thinking.”
Her husky chuckle floated between us. “Maybe you shouldn’t do that too often. It looks like it hurts.”
I eliminated the space between us in a few short strides. “Bella, you know what happens to bad girls who sass their mates?” I nipped her neck. “They get fucked. They get fucked hard.”
She shivered in my arms, tilting her head. “That doesn’t sound like a punishment.”
“Gods damn it, woman. I’m hungry for food and you.” My stomach made another loud rumble.
“How about if I feed one hunger, then we take care of another?” Her eyes held a promise I hated to deny.
“Kellen’s called a meeting of the entire pack. We’ll have just enough time to eat and head to the club.” I grabbed the plates and set them on the breakfast bar, pulling out forks and glasses along with the gallon of milk. She raised her eyebrows.
“Hey, I’m no male chauvinist.” As I passed behind her, I couldn’t help but kiss the bewildered look off her face. She tasted even sweeter than the scents coming from the cooking. “You sure we don’t have time for a quickie?” Her eyes softened.
“Don’t tempt me. Kellen would kick my ass.” I reached for the plate she’d heaped with the pancakes. When we finished, I helped load the dishwasher, then led her out to my garage.
I wanted to ride my Harley with her snuggled against my back, but felt we’d be too exposed, opting for the large Knight XV Urban Assault vehicle Kellen and I had both paid a mint for. Mine was painted a platinum color, while Kellen’s was all black. They were made of steel and aluminum and were bulletproof. I had no clue we’d need the magnetic bomb detector on the underbody when we’d bought it over a year ago. The biodiesel engine, we’d been assured, along with all the other modifications, could survive an apocalypse. The hefty price of four hundred and fifty grand was a kick in the nuts, but we’d handed the cash over without batting an eye, much to the supplier’s shock.
“What the heck is that thing?” Breezy pointed at the vehicle I led her toward.
I explained about my baby. Yeah, I was a guy who liked his toys. “It’s a modern-day tank for civilians, only it has a V-10, so I can pretty much outrun anything.”
She stood outside the passenger door, trying to see inside. I shook my head and disengaged the locks, then helped her get inside. With the large tires and lift kit, she’d have a hard time getting in by herself.
“Damn, look at the inside. I think we could live in here.” She ran her hands over the leather.
That was the point, if it came to the apocalypse, or running over humans out to destroy us. My face hardened. “We could do a lot of damage from in here, too.” I put my sunglasses on before backing out of the garage, wishing I knew what we were up against.
When we reached the Iron Wolves MC, the lot was full of the entire pack’s various vehicles. I was glad to see my sister’s mate had brought them in his jacked-up truck. There were several other vehicles I didn’t recognize.
“Stay by my side. If shit goes sideways, I want you to shift and stay behind me.” Nothing would get through me to her.
Her spine straightened, but she didn’t speak for a minute. “I can fight, too.”
I lifted my arm, spanning her throat with my hand. “Nothing can happen to you.” I caressed the mark I’d made the night before. “My attention would be divided. I need to know you obeyed my orders, not because you’re weak, but because you’re strong enough to know it’s what was needed.”
