The Wolf's Surrender

CHAPTER 5



By the time there was a quick, sharp knock at the door, Mia had decided that Jenner had not in fact just gone outside, but that he had possibly relocated to another county altogether. It had been a couple of hours since the kiss that had come close to knocking her socks (and every other article of clothing she was wearing) completely off, and she was still having a hard time thinking of much but the fact that her lips had managed to send one very large werewolf into horrified flight. From his own house. For hours.

If that wasn’t a sign that she needed to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible, she didn’t know what was.

Mia headed for the front door, still trying to decide whether she was angry at Jenner, disgusted with herself, or both. She was leaning toward both as she caught sight of a couple of big, masculine forms through the Craftsman-style sidelights flanking the heavy wooden door.

Her nerves kicked back up immediately. She was pretty sure this would be Bane (and what a name that was), the Alpha of the Blackpaw pack.

And she was very sure that of all the times to meet him, this was far from the best where her state of mind was concerned. Still, better to get this over with.

Mia took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and opened the door. Exhaling, however, was temporarily forgotten while she took in the sight of the two men looking back at her. Neither of them had been in the woods last night—that she was sure of. Even in shock, she wouldn’t have forgotten faces like these.

The one on the left was, in a word, adorable. He was about average height, with sandy blond hair that was tousled and spiky. Big shoulders, big blue eyes, and dimples when he smiled, which he did the moment he saw her. She found herself returning it before she really knew what she was doing. Her own smile faded quickly, however, when she turned her attention to the blonde’s companion. This one looked to have been created from sin itself. If the villain in a movie were a werewolf, Mia decided, he would be their idea of perfect casting.

He was tall and lean, with a rangy, wiry build that still managed to give the impression of incredible strength. His dusky skin looked gold-dusted in the shadow of the doorway. Angular features set off a pair of thickly lashed, almond-shaped eyes that watched her unblinkingly, glowing deep amber. His black hair was shaggy and attractively mussed. A flash of gold caught Mia’s eye, and she noted the small gold hoop in the stranger’s ear.

He looked like a gypsy, Mia decided. Beautiful and dangerous. And not exactly friendly. The polar opposite of the classic Boy Next Door he was with.

“Can I help you?” she asked, feeling a little foolish. But what was she supposed to say? Inwardly, she cursed Jenner. No matter how little she knew him, he was going to get an earful whenever he decided to slink out of his hidey hole. If he hadn’t enjoyed kissing her, fine. But that was no reason to take off for hours. Especially when that kiss hadn’t been her idea in the first place.

The dark-haired man gave her a small smile, the faintest lift of the corners of his mouth. She got the unnerving feeling he was busy sizing her up. What he saw, she had no idea. She probably didn’t want to know, Mia decided. No doubt these were more werewolves, and werewolf material was one thing she was almost positive she was not. Not that it made much of a difference now. Then he spoke.

“Mia. I’m Jayson Bane.”

His voice was rough and sexy, like fingernails on velvet. Mia gave an inward sigh as she moved to take Bane’s proffered hand with her own. It had been too much to hope for that the friendly looking blond would be the Alpha.

“Nice to meet you. Jenner said you’d be coming to talk to me,” she said, shaking his hand. It was rough, and warm...and she felt nothing like the bright spark of connection that she felt whenever she touched Jenner. Obviously, her weird thing with Jenner was an individual problem.

Like she needed one more.

Now Bane really smiled, a brilliant flash of white. Mia might not have felt pulled to him the way she was to Jenner, but it was hard not to appreciate that he was utterly gorgeous...and that the smile just took it to an entirely different level.

“I guess Jenner talked to you, then,” he said. “Good. I wasn’t sure. You may have noticed he’s not what you’d call...chatty.”

Her laugh was genuine, and was soon joined by Bane’s low chuckle. With the sound came a burst of relief. Maybe he wouldn’t turn out to be quite so intimidating after all. That is, once she got used to looking at him.

“Yeah,” she said, “I noticed. But he did make me breakfast.”

Bane raised his eyebrows. “He talked and he cooked? Are you sure we’re both talking about Nick Jenner?”

Mia managed a smile, but she immediately wished she hadn’t said anything. She didn’t know enough about Jenner to say how he was or wasn’t...all she knew was that he seemed to have a lot simmering beneath the surface. Her cheeks heated as she remembered the taste she’d had of that. It would be better, she knew, to put it out of her mind. Jenner certainly seemed to want to.

Thankfully, whatever else Bane thought about Jenner’s behavior with her, he kept it to himself.

“Mind if we come in?” Bane asked. “Jenner knows we’re here. He should be in shortly.”

It was that pack telepathy thing, Mia supposed. At least Jenner hadn’t fled the country. Feeling awkward because it wasn’t her house, but unsure what else to do, she stepped aside and motioned Bane and his companion forward.

“Sure.” She noticed that Bane didn’t bother to introduce her to the blond, which she found both strange and rude. But the other man didn’t seem to mind. He let Bane go in first, and then stopped beside Mia to take her hand in his, blue eyes twinkling with what looked like good-natured mischief.

It was impossible not to be charmed.

“Not that anyone cares, but I’m Kenyon. Kenyon Chase.”

“Mia D’Alessandro. And no one cares who you are because...”

He leaned in as though he was about to share a secret. She inhaled the scent of his cologne, something warm and spicy. It was oddly comforting.

“Because my father had the poor taste not to be born a Blackpaw, and my mother had the even poorer taste required to marry him.” At her startled expression, his grin widened. “Don’t worry. She still loves him, inferior genes and all. But I don’t think her family has ever really gotten over it. My mother was a Blackpaw by birth.”

“Which makes you...” Mia prompted.

“Not a Blackpaw,” Kenyon replied. “Don’t worry. Bane will explain everything. Just know that I’m here to help.” And with that, he gave her hand a friendly squeeze, winked, and released it before following Bane into the house. Mia watched him go, fairly sure that on top of having been kissed senseless by one werewolf already today, she’d just been flirted with by another.

Her life, which she had often regarded as pathetically boring in spite of her odd gifts, had gotten really weird really fast.

Mia leaned for a moment against the doorjamb, trying to settle her sudden attack of nerves enough to go back in and...what, entertain a couple of werewolves? That wasn’t her job. Bane would have questions, she’d answer them, and then she’d need to find a way to rent a car or...something. It felt like running away, though, something she’d sworn she would quit doing. And thinking of going home with Jeff still out there was just...

She blew out a breath, flustered, and tried to distract herself with her first real look at the land where Jenner made his home. It was more easily done than she’d expected, since the view from the porch was, quite simply, lovely. She saw a well-tended expanse of yard, still a rich green, rolling away beyond a front porch that was occupied by a couple of inviting-looking rocking chairs. A long gravel drive veered off around the side of the house, and in the opposite direction headed toward the road through a thick screen of bright October trees. It seemed they were surrounded by forest here. The solitude would have gotten to her if she’d lived here alone, but she was beginning to understand that Jenner enjoyed keeping his own company. For her, she would need someone to share a place like this with. But if she had someone, Mia thought, her chest tightening at the wild beauty surrounding her, she couldn’t imagine anywhere more perfect. If she had someone...

As though she’d summoned him with just a thought, he was there. Mia’s heart tripped into double time as Jenner rounded the corner. It was stupid, she told herself as his big, muscular form loped into view, his scuffed boots crunching on the gravel. It had only been a kiss. One random, ill-advised, mind-blowing kiss. She should be able to set it aside, at least for now. There were more important things.

Or so her mind insisted. The sight of Jenner had her body protesting that nothing could possibly be more important than getting her hands on him again as soon as possible.

She made the mistake of catching his eye as he headed up onto the porch, and Mia watched his step falter ever so slightly. She felt a surge of triumph that was purely female. He might have run from her, but there was no way she was going to let him ignore her. And from the flash of heat she saw in those unusual golden eyes of his, ignoring her wasn’t what was on his mind. But Mia could tell he wasn’t happy about it, and that was the part she didn’t understand. If either of them had a right to be upset about what had happened in the kitchen, it was her.

Unfortunately, she just couldn’t bring herself to feel that way.

Jenner clomped up onto the porch, the set of his jaw tight. He looked so grim it would have been funny, Mia thought, if the look had been about anyone else. It was hard to believe this was the same man who’d held her earlier while she’d cried. It still shocked her that she’d been able to let go like that with him. She never cried. Why would she? There had never been anyone to soothe away the tears. But his touch, such a contrast to his fierce looks, had been so gentle, so easy to fall into...

He gave a short nod, a quick jerk of his head that she interpreted as a greeting.

“Bane inside?”

His brusque manner stung. That’s what you get, she told herself, for letting everything but your head guide you. Again.

“Mmmhmm,” Mia said out loud, her lips pressed into a thin line. “He and Kenyon are waiting for us.”

Jenner frowned, stopping short. “Bane and who?”

Mia arched a brow. “Kenyon? Blond, blue-eyed werewolf guy? Kenyon...” She searched her memory for it, finally remembering. “Chase. Kenyon Chase. You don’t know him?”

Even knowing what he was, it surprised Mia to see Jenner go very still, tip his head back to scent the air, and finally, curl his upper lip over teeth that suddenly looked unusually sharp. It excited her in some deep, primal way that was as worrying as it was strangely arousing.

“Silverback,” Jenner growled. He looked like he wanted to bite someone. Mia took a step back, nerves beginning to dance in the pit of her belly. She had no interest in watching two male werewolves tear into each other over territory, or whatever Jenner’s problem suddenly was. He didn’t seem to notice her reaction, however. On his way past her, he caught her hand in his to pull her along with him. The sudden, unexpected contact sent a bright shock of warm recognition through her system. She tried very hard not to like it, and failed miserably.

“Come on,” he grumbled. “If Bane brought a Silverback with him, he’d better have a damned good reason.”

Mia let herself be pulled, temporarily powerless to do otherwise...though there was a part of her that enjoyed the way his roughened palm so fully enclosed her hand.

Bane and Kenyon had settled themselves on the squat, overstuffed couch, and watched Mia and Jenner come in. Bane’s eyes flicked quickly to her hand entwined with Jenner’s, then away. He looked troubled, though Mia couldn’t think of a reason why that would be.

Suddenly nervous, Mia pulled her hand free and headed for one of the plush, faded chairs that sat across from the couch. Jenner went for the other, though not before commenting on the soda Bane was popping open.

“Make yourself at home,” he said.

Bane smirked. “Always do. If you’d quit stocking your fridge so well, we’d quit coming over and unstocking it.”

Jenner snorted. “And here I thought it was my sparkling personality that brought you back. Or maybe just my new TV.” He settled himself into the other chair, and Mia wondered how he could now seem so at ease. Despite the casual demeanor of the men, the tension in the room was thick. She thought longingly of her apartment, which was quiet and werewolf-free, and fussed with the ends of her hair.

“You know I’m going to ask what this is about,” Jenner said, jerking his head toward Kenyon. It wasn’t exactly a friendly introduction, but Kenyon seemed unfazed. He simply waited, as Jenner did, for Bane’s answer. If there had been any doubt in Mia’s mind that Bane was as powerful as Jenner among the Blackpaw, those were dispelled right then. Just because the power sat easily on Bane didn’t mean it wasn’t there...and she could see now that it was, in spades.

Bane took a pull from his soda, then set it on the rough-hewn coffee table in front of him. When he spoke, he surprised Mia by addressing her.

“Should be pretty obvious. I need to know everything you know about Jeff Gaines, Mia. How you met, who he is—or pretended to be. Why he might want to hurt you.”

She went cold, but there was no hint of malice in Bane’s expression. This was what she’d been waiting for, turning over what to say in her mind since last night. Maybe it would be a relief to have it done.

“I—”

“The Silverback don’t need to be involved in this,” Jenner interrupted. “Whatever she’s got to say doesn’t concern them. You could have mentioned you were bringing company.”

Bane’s eyes narrowed as he turned his attention to Jenner, who didn’t look the least bit fazed.

“The Silverback have a right to be involved,” Bane said. “Looks like the feral may have been one of theirs.” When Jenner started to reply, Bane held up a hand in silent warning.

“After, Jenner. Let Mia talk. Then Chase can explain.”

Jenner went very still, and Mia noted the way his expression went carefully blank. There was an order to things here, and she’d just been reminded of it. So had Jenner, whether he liked it or not. And whatever he was to the pack, he wasn’t Alpha. Still, he took his time complying. Mia watched him stretch his legs out in front of him as he leaned back in the chair, appearing to mull this over. Finally, he looked at Mia.

“Go ahead.”

As gruff as he was, there was something about the tone of his voice that bolstered her. She took a deep breath, then began.

“I met Jeff about a month ago.”

Bane tilted his head, an action she’d seen from Jenner when he was interested in something.

“Work?” he asked. Mia shook her head.

“No. Bookstore. It was just one of those things. I was thumbing through the new Stephen King, and he struck up a conversation. He was a fan, too, so we started talking...”

“Go figure,” Jenner muttered. Mia ignored him, though she supposed it was fitting. Just as she knew she had to sound very naive. The chances that their meeting had just been “one of those things” were slim to none. She knew that now. How long had Jeff been stalking her, waiting to make a move? How had he known about her at all?

“It really isn’t very interesting,” Mia continued. “We exchanged numbers. Went out a few times. He said he came from money but was trying to make his own. He has a financial consulting firm. At least...that’s what he said. I believed him. He was comfortable throwing money around, but he...seemed to have some issues with it too.”

“Issues?” Bane murmured.

Mia nodded, suddenly embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed despite her best efforts to stop it. “He depended on the family money, but he talked a lot about wanting to prove himself. About not being thought good enough to take over the company one day. There had been problems between him and his father before he died, and Jeff wanted to build something great on his own. He wanted...” She trailed off and sighed, remembering those conversations. Jeff had been more than determined. He’d been angry. She’d chalked it up to being raised indifferently and with far too much, but she knew now that at least some of the problem had been within Jeff himself.

“He wanted lots of things. He could be charming. He could also be moody.”

Jenner was looking at her strangely. “You liked that? Charming and moody?”

Mia shrugged while Jenner ignored Bane’s glare. “Everyone has baggage. I liked him. Obviously, I didn’t really know him. This weekend would have been the most time we’d spent together at once. Maybe I would have noticed more was wrong if it had worked out that way, but he saved me the trouble.” She looked away, remembering. “He surprised me with this. I thought the whole whirlwind getaway thing was kind of romantic. That’ll teach me.”

“No,” Kenyon said, drawing her attention back to his earnest expression. “This was just him, Mia. Is him. He was just the same before he left the Silverback, and trust me, he fooled more than just you.”

“What makes you so sure this guy was a Silverback?” Jenner asked, and Mia let out the breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding. They had what they needed, or most of it. It didn’t matter why Jeff had targeted her, as long as he was caught.

Then she would be safe...and so would everyone else.

But the guilt that began to gnaw at her spoiled whatever relief she might have felt quickly enough. She’d seen no evidence that these Blackpaw wanted anything more than to catch a violent feral and protect her. Despite all her grandmother’s warnings about never getting too close to anyone, about how no one would ever want her for anything other than her magic, she felt as though she was the dangerous one here.

Kenyon’s lips curved into the barest hint of a smile as he watched Jenner. “Your sheriff got in touch last night after the attack. Since our territory is the closest to yours, it made sense to check. And in this case, I’m pretty sure we have a match, at least based on the description we were given.”

Jenner’s voice didn’t betray a hint of what he was thinking. “That’s a pretty rough secondhand description you would have gotten, since Mia didn’t even talk to Buddy—that’s Sheriff Stokes—last night. She was with me.”

Maybe she was imagining it, but the way he said those words gave Mia a dark little thrill. He’d sounded almost possessive. And from the way Kenyon’s blue eyes narrowed, he’d heard it too.

“I understand that. But if this is who I’m thinking, he’s going to be hard to catch.”

“If? I thought you said you were sure.”

“I’m not going to tell you I’m positive until I’ve got my teeth in his throat, but I’m about as sure as I can be otherwise.”

Bane inserted himself into the conversation then, and Mia was glad of it. She didn’t like the way Jenner and Kenyon were looking at one another. There was an unspoken challenge hanging in the air, and she swore she could feel an excess of testosterone in the atmosphere all of a sudden. She didn’t know what this was about, but she figured it had a lot to do with Kenyon encroaching on Jenner’s territory.

She felt strangely included in that at the moment.

“Kenyon has recently been chosen as Tomas’s future successor, Jenner,” Bane said, a warning in his voice. “It’s appropriate that he learn to deal with situations like this.”

“I suppose,” Jenner grumbled. “If this is their guy. But even if it is, this is our territory. We don’t need the Silverback to catch this dirtbag.” His gaze sharpened and pinned Bane to the spot. “Would have been nice if you’d given me a heads up, too. I’m the Lunari, remember? You’re the one who insisted I take this position. You ought to know the protocol.”

“I barely had any warning, so you got none,” Bane replied with a shrug. “Anyway, I figured you had enough on your hands without having to get pissed off about this in advance. Little did I know you were hiding under the hood of that damn car. Again.”

Something about the way Bane said it struck Mia as funny despite everything, and she couldn’t quite hide her amused snort. Bane’s quick sidelong glance, prickly and disgruntled, did nothing to dampen her sudden amusement. And in a way, it was nice to know that it didn’t take much to send him to his preferred hidey hole. That it wasn’t just her.

And right about now, she was grateful something could make her chuckle.

“If he was one of ours,” Kenyon said pointedly, turning the subject back to the matter at hand, “you’ll want our help catching him, especially if it’s who we suspect. And if it is, then the Silverback have more than one interest to protect...it’s our right.” He paused, a small muscle in his jaw twitching as he looked straight at Jenner. “Unless you feel like going against the Pack Laws.”

Mia watched the way Jenner’s eyes went to gold flames at that statement, the way Bane was watching the two men with a look on his face that clearly said he wasn’t going to tolerate much more posturing. Her amusement faded as quickly as it had appeared. She didn’t have a clue what they were talking about, but she was fairly sure they were now only seconds away from someone throwing a fist into someone else’s face. With that in mind, she decided she ought to speak up. Kenyon’s assertion that he knew Jeff had piqued her interest. And she wasn’t going to get to hear any more about it if he and Jenner decided to sprout fur and have it out right there in the great room.

“I’m assuming you brought a picture?” Mia asked Kenyon, and as she’d hoped, both pairs of hot, glowing eyes fixed on her. The sudden and intense focus on her made her feel slightly lightheaded. It was hard not to appreciate the bizarre position she found herself in. It had never occurred to her that she would ever be one of those women who was actively sought after by the opposite sex.

Apparently, all she’d needed to do was be bitten by a werewolf.

It was a hell of a way for her luck to change.

Kenyon’s voice sounded slightly strangled. “Ah, yeah. I brought it with me.” From an inside pocket of the wool peacoat he hadn’t yet taken off, Kenyon produced a photo and handed it to Mia. He let his fingers brush against hers when he handed it off. His eyes, very blue, caught hers and tried to hold her gaze, but it didn’t take much for her to look away.

The sensation of Kenyon’s skin against hers was pleasant, but still, nothing like what she’d felt when Jenner had touched her. She could have tried to let her magic call to him if she’d wanted, to let her blood sing and see how his responded, but Mia had no interest in the uncomfortable aftermath that might provoke. All she got was the faintest impression of a sweet Highland tune before she drew her hand away. She glanced at Jenner quickly, catching his gaze for only the barest of seconds before he turned his attention elsewhere. Instantly, heat raced over her skin, making her flush.

With Jenner, her problem went far beyond touch. And she was way too interested. He could be a fascinating distraction if she let him, Mia knew. Fascinating, and ultimately painful. She didn’t know enough, have enough experience, to even think about playing with a man like him.

With an inward sigh, Mia looked down at the picture to examine it. Instantly, she was floored. It was a candid shot at what looked like a summer barbecue, with a trio of laughing people in the foreground. There was a grinning, dark-haired man holding a spatula. A pretty woman with curly dark blond hair. And there, with his arms wrapped around the woman, looking as though he was having the time of his life, was Jeff.

Mia hadn’t anticipated the reaction she would have to seeing his face again. Her heart kicked into an uneven staccato, and a clammy chill slithered over her skin. Her fingers shook as she shoved the picture back at Kenyon, wanting it away from her. Jeff’s voice echoed in her head.

Come back here, you stupid bitch...you can’t run from me forever!

“Here. I don’t need to look at it anymore.” She knew her voice sounded clipped, strained. And to his credit, Kenyon took the photo back quickly, without any more playful brushes of his hand. He looked more concerned than anything.

“Are you all right, Mia?” he asked, his voice echoing strangely in her head. The room seemed to shift beneath her feet, and she felt herself wobble. She couldn’t seem to get enough air.

Then Jenner was right in front of her, filling up her vision. It was a relief...Mia felt like she was sliding down into a black hole. Her vision started to waver. All she could think of were yellow eyes staring wildly at her in the darkness, of the sensation of a mouthful of teeth sinking into her skin.

“Of course she’s not all right,” Jenner said, his voice sounding to her as though he were shouting at her from very far away. “Mia? Hell, Bane, she’s going to pass out...”

She felt his hands on her, but then the floor dropped out from beneath her, and she was floating, floating in darkness.