Chapter Thirteen

Tara

Mac came back with a huge smile on his face, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “We decided to take a bit of a detour,” he told me. “I think we need to have a little fun after that ordeal.” Apparently, they’d decided we were going to stop and spend the rest of the day in a nearby human city, since it was less than half an hour away. “It’s one of the biggest cities in the country,” he explained to me. “A city where celebrities go to blend in with the crowd. It’s known for keeping its secrets.”

“Won’t bigger crowds draw more attention to us?” I asked.

“Not here. There’s so much going on, all the time, so many distractions, that it’s not hard to hide in plain sight.” He took my hand. “Tara, it’s going to be okay. Trust me.”

“I do trust you, it’s just, what if I’m not cut out for this? I can’t have panic attacks like that, it’s embarrassing. Not just for me, for you too.” I hated to say it, but I had to. “I’m not sure I can handle this level of—this level.”

“Tara, listen to me.” He pulled me close, “You could never be an embarrassment to me. You’re my mate. You’re amazing, and you’re so much stronger than you think you are. If you could see yourself, the way I see you,” he kissed my forehead, “you are perfect. In every way. Just the way you are.”

I looked into his eyes, searched them for any signs of doubt. I found not a single one. He truly believed in me. “I want to be strong, I’m just scared,” I admitted. “And I feel like an idiot. This dream life gets dropped on me like a bomb crafted by my fairy godmother, and I’m afraid it’s going to blow up in my face.”

“What if it isn’t going to?” He countered. “What if you aren’t going to fail, what if you are going to look back at this one day and laugh that you ever doubted your strength?”

He had a point. If I gave up, without even giving myself a chance to fail miserably, it would be an even bigger failure. “Okay,” I said softly. “I’m not giving up.” He hugged me, and my resolve hardened.

“I would never let you give up, even if you tried, you gorgeous creature. Now let’s just keep moving forward.”

“How are you so utterly and completely perfect?” I asked him, sitting back to let him see my smile. My determination as it rose again.

“Mostly genetics,” he chuckled. “And some life experience.” He pointed out the window, and my jaw dropped.

Huge, shiny buildings jutted out of the desert, too many to count, stretching out to fill what looked like a bowl surrounded by mountains. “Is this the city?” I asked, “it’s huge! How many people live here?”

“That depends on the day,” he said. “Think of this place as one big festival, that goes on without stopping, where you can find anything your heart desires.”

“Like an infinite party?” I could feel the energy of the place as we got closer. It felt alive, like an adventure waiting to happen. “That sounds fun. I’m down.” I finally felt fear receding, replaced by anticipation, excitement.

That’s when Mac hit me with this gem: “I booked you and Cindy a spa treatment. The works. You’ll come out looking and feeling like a million bucks.”

I nearly choked on my own spit. “I’m sorry. What now?”

He took my hands in his, causing sparks that ignited my desire for him. He knew how to push my buttons. “Just a few hours. Get to know each other. You might be surprised. She stood up for you, which might seem strange, given your history. I think Wesley is having an effect on her.”

“When are we doing this?” I hit the button labeled privacy panel, and a dark glass window folded down, separating the front and back of the vehicle.

“We should be there in about 20 minutes. How did you know about that?” He pointed to the window.

“Lucky guess.”

“I see. Did you think we might need a bit more privacy?”

“I want something from you on the way there,” I smirked, and he grinned in response, a hungry, predatory grin as he skimmed his hand along my thigh, working his way up my dress. When his hand found my now soaked underwear I shuddered.

He pushed me back in the seat, and gently pulled the thin fabric that separated his fingers from my skin to one side. “You want me to taste you?”

“Yes, please,” I begged. His fingers drove me to madness. Then his tongue took me over the edge. Black spots exploded in my vision, my legs shook uncontrollably.

I fully expected him to enter me at that point, but we had arrived at the upscale spa. “Later,” I promised.

“Most definitely,” he gave me a slightly pained smile. “I’ll pick you up.”

There was something strangely empowering about leaving the Lycan King with a case of blue balls.

Inside the upscale spa, Cindy, to her credit, kept her smugness dialed down. Mostly. She did seem different, not as hard around the edges.

“I suppose we should try to get along,” she said while we soaked our feet in rose water. “You’re not so bad, once you’re not stealing the spotlight.”

“I was never trying to,” I said, eyes closed.

“Well, you’re doing it anyway.” She paused. “But… maybe you should. You’re kind of awesome.”

I cracked one eye open. “Did you just compliment me?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

By the time we were wrapped in seaweed, sipping cucumber water, and discussing whether or not mate bond-hormonal breakouts were a thing, I had to admit… we kind of got along.

Mac wasn’t kidding. With our hair and makeup styled, we both felt like a million bucks. Then he handed me a card and told us to go shopping. That was the turning point for Cindy and I. We exchanged equally incredulous looks, and a few moments later we practically skipped down the shop-lined street, guards following closely behind.

“Lucky us,” I heard Bret say to Connor. “I was thinking about going to the casinos, maybe checking out some other blondes, now we’re stuck with these two.”

“Probably saving you some money,” Connor replied.

“Or keeping me from hitting a jackpot,” Bret huffed. “Not to mention, being bodyguards for the one who kicked both of our asses seems, well, ironic?”

“Sore losers,” Cindy told them, as she expertly navigated the crowded streets. She surprised me by selecting some new outfits that flattered her curves without screaming them as loudly as possible.

By the time we approached the line of dark vehicles, loaded with shopping bags, our truce was secured.

But bigger wars lay ahead.

It happened just after dusk, on a lonely stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. The first hit came without warning, a gash in the rear tire of the last van in our convoy. We came to a halt, as a large burned-out bus blocked the road in front of us.

“What’s going on?” I asked Mac, but before he had a chance to reply, they swarmed us, coming out of a forested area like an army of shadows.

Rogues. A lot of them.

I was out the door before anyone could stop me. Trinity exploded into fur and muscle, the transformation now fast, fluid, and somehow feral.

With a furious snarl, she jumped into the fray beside Mac’s warriors, whose huge Lycan forms prompted a few rogues to make a hasty retreat. Natural selection, playing out before our eyes.

Choosing flight over fight was a handy survival instinct, and seemed to come easier to some than others.

Even after the deserters ran off, rogues were everywhere, snarling, clawing, their eyes wild and glowing red. Certainly rogues, but something was different this time.

They weren’t just attacking randomly, their attacks were coordinated. Like they were part of a pack.

“What the hell?” Aimee shouted from the SUV, as she fired silver-tipped arrows with the accuracy of a trained sniper. “Since when do rogues work together?”

“Since now!” Mac growled, “Trinity! Behind you!” She pivoted, moving like liquid lightning, catching a rogue mid-air. She shook it violently, and the sound of bones snapping drove her into a frenzy of teeth, claws, and primal rage.

One of the guards went down, pinned by three rogues. Trinity tore into them, lifting the largest off him and slamming it into a tree, allowing him to handle the other two.

Trinity’s eyes met the Lycan’s, for a split second. His eyes glowed, a flash of gratitude.

“You’re welcome,” I said, and though he couldn’t hear me, he nodded, a respectful acknowledgment. I was pretty sure the Lycan form was Bret’s.

Koda stepped forward, and I could feel his power ripple through the air as he let out a roar that froze the remaining attackers. Every single one of them turned and ran away.

Panting, covered in dirt and gore, our exhausted team began shifting back to our human forms. We all survived, but there were a few serious injuries. Healers worked quickly, tending to the wounded.

“What the hell was that?” Aimee asked Mac, handing me a wet towel to wipe the blood from my skin.

“They’re organizing,” Mac said grimly. “They don’t usually do that.”

“What does it mean?” I asked, “they seemed like a pack; and how did they know we would be here?”

“It means this wasn’t random,” he said, shifting back and pulling me into his arms. “It was a message.”

“And what message is that?” I whispered. “Who sent it?”

He looked into the woods, where shadows still lurked, anger flashing in his eyes. “I’m not sure,” he said honestly. “But I’m going to find out. Believe that.”