Chapter Five.
Stasia McGwyre fumed as she drew her blue jeans over her hips. Still sticky and hot, she knew the guys in the station would smell the scent of s.e.x clinging to her body. They" d share smirks and knowing glances and think she was still the dutiful little b.i.t.c.h to the clan"s alpha male.
She"d been there. Done that. With Max when he"d had his choice of mates.
When her brother Todd had been the ranking male, her stature as one of his familial females had raised her above the sniffing of the local dogs. Now she was back to square one.
And all because another Weir crooked his finger to make her his.
Alec finished dressing and leaned against her pickup, watching as she drew on her boots. Her fingers shook and her stomach jumped, afraid to lean over and present a view he couldn"t resist exploring. It didn"t take much to turn on the horn-dog.
She berated herself for betraying her attraction in the woods. Having fought hard to wrest control of her pa.s.sionate nature, she hated Alec for the ease with which he"d knocked down her walls.
The man who had the power to arouse her had the power to destroy her, unless she could tip the scales in her favor.
"Didn"t take you near as long to get those off," he grumbled.
Stasia gave him a chilling stare, but his lips lifted in a grin. She straightened and strode toward the station house without replying. He was trying to draw her into another argument, and she wasn"t going to be led. He may have power over her body, but she controlled what went on inside.
It seemed all the deputies on duty, and even a few who worked the early morning shift, had gathered in the station. When Stasia and Alec drew near, their conversation halted and they looked up, excitement tightening their features.
Her brother Todd gave her a quick once-over, and his lips thinned in disapproval.
Stasia glared and tilted her chin, pretending indifference. But she couldn"t resist lifting a hand to her hair and wondered if she still had leaves clinging to the strands.
"They"re both in the pit, waiting for you, Sheriff," Todd said, a note of insolence in his voice. Todd still smarted at how easily an accountant had bested him in the trial.
Alec nodded, not seeming to notice his deputy"s disrespect, and continued past the line of officers. "Get out on the road," he threw over his shoulder. "Make sure we don"t have more bloodsuckers making their way into town."
Stasia followed on his heels as he headed away, staying quiet so as not to underline her presence. She had to get into the pit to see for herself.
The steps down into the bas.e.m.e.nt of the one hundred and twenty year-old station house were narrow and lit by a single naked light bulb. The air was moist and smelled slightly of mildew. Stasia sniffed and caught two other distinctive scents below.
One she"d know anywhere if she lived to be a thousand years old. The other, a mix of masculine musk and elusive almond corpse, was a smell she hadn"t experienced often, living this deep in were-held territory.
A vampire. Max truly had dared to commit the offense!
Her heart pounded faster, and she had to consciously rein in her were-beast lurking just beneath the surface. She followed Alec past storage cages to the specially designed cell at the end of the bas.e.m.e.nt, fighting the urge turning on the tap of liquid l.u.s.t that seeped a slow drip between her legs.
Thick steel bars, set deep in concrete, ringed a dark cell. Alec flicked on a light shaded to shine directly into the faces of the two captives.
"Dammit, Alec. Are we still playing games?" Max growled.
That deep-throated rumble made her body weep faster. Stasia couldn"t help it. She reminded herself Max wasn"t the wolf she"d known before, but her body remembered the s.e.x and her panties drenched.
Unforgettable, harsh, uber-alpha s.e.x.
"Who"s playing?" Alec murmured and leaned back against the wall, in mocking indifference. "I"m here. So, talk first. Then I"m going to dust your buddy."
"Now you wait a d.a.m.n minute!" Max stalked across the cell to stand as close to Alec as steel would allow. "We"re here for a reason. This concerns the clan."
"You know the rules, brother. And you knew what you risked when you brought that parasite here." He canted his head. "h.e.l.l, you know you"re not any more welcome around here than he is...unless he"s your peace offering."
"Alec..." Max"s voice trailed off in warning.
Stasia wondered at the enmity she sensed between the two. Once, they"d been as close as any two brothers could be. Since returning to Dark Mountain, Alec had kept silent regarding Max other than to say his brother preferred life among the vampires since taking one as a lover.
Stasia had died a little that day. Hope that Max would return to claim her dried up and a bitter anger filled her. She"d been good enough to f.u.c.k, but not to love. Despite her pedigree and rank among the clan, her barren womb placed a ceiling on her aspirations.
"G.o.ddammit, let us out of here!" Max roared.
The tension in the bas.e.m.e.nt was thick enough to taste. The heady mix of male sweat and testosterone had her salivating and fighting the urge to sniff the air and drag the scent deep into her nose and savor it on her tongue.
If they"d faced each other in their animal forms, hackles would be raised and teeth bared. As it was, Max"s square jaw rippled with rage and Alec"s strong back was taut. The rift between the brothers appeared deep as a mountain chasm.
Her interest piqued at their animosity-as did the edge of sensual tension still gripping her body after Alec"s surprising aggression in the woods.
Max. Alec. Two dominant alphas from the same ancient lineage.
Perhaps they shared more in common than she"d originally thought.
Stasia"s glance rested on one then the other, measuring, a.s.sessing. The Max she remembered hadn"t changed-he was still a mountain of ridged, tensed muscle. She"d cupped the hills, licked her way along the valleys and scaled sheer agonizing pleasure when she"d sheathed his enormous c.o.c.k.
Tonight, Alec didn"t seem so lost in his overpowering shadow.
Physically, both were tall and broad-shouldered, although Alec was leaner of frame. In the glare of the bright bulb, both their faces were harshly etched-both their bodies were held rigid and wary as they circled-only stopped short of a true challenge by the steel cage.
But where Max was dark as a moonless night, Alec was a blond Viking. How he"d hidden that brawn beneath an accountant"s bland facade during his time in vamp territory was a wonder. Stasia swallowed to wet her dry mouth and shifted to ease the ache between her legs.
"Alec!" Max gripped the steel bars so hard his shoulders flexed. "You know I wouldn"t have brought him here if this wasn"t an emergency."
"Law is law-written for a reason. You taught me that," he drawled. "Would you really have me ignore a century and a half of tradition on your word? You promised us the breeder. How"s that going?"
A growling hiss sounded behind Max and the vampire stepped out of the shadows. "Something else you failed to mention, dog-breath?" he lisped around his fangs.
Max rolled his eyes. "Not now, buddy. You know he"s only trying to rile us."
"Well, it"s working."
Stasia"s glance roamed the vampire. Leaner than either wolf, his pitch-dark hair and round brown eyes betrayed his Latino heritage. Exotic like a poisonous snake-he drew her fascinated glance. His fangs curved over his lower lip and the exaggerated ridge of his brow cast a sinister shadow over his eyes. She"d seen vamps before, but not in a long, long time. He was delicious, forbidden-and s.e.xier than she should allow.
Her legs tensed closer, trying to shut off the arousal that wafted like a pungent cloud around her. But her nipples beaded hard against her shirt. It was all Alec"s fault!
If he hadn"t given her the roughness she craved, she"d be in control. Her body still resonated from the unexpected pounding it had received. She stepped deeper into the shadows, hoping he"d end the interrogation quickly so they could slip back up the stairs and leave before she embarra.s.sed herself.
"Stasia."
She jerked as Max"s gaze drifted past Alec"s shoulders to seek her in the darkness.
"h.e.l.lo Max," she said, hating the breathless sound of her voice.
"You shouldn"t be here, sweetheart."
"She"s with me," Alec said, his jaw tensing.
"I can see that." Max"s narrowed gaze settled back on his brother.
Stasia dragged in a ragged breath. "This is a little awkward," she said, injecting a note of humor she was far from feeling.
"Hope you know what you"re doing, baby girl," Max said, his gaze remaining on his brother.
"You think I have any choice in the matter?" she asked, her voice tight. "Like I ever did?"
Max"s gaze came back to rest on her and he nodded. "I"m sorry about that." He drew in a deep breath. "Meet Joe Garcia," he said, and glanced back into the darkness behind him where the vampire prowled. "This is Stasia."
"An old friend?" Joe said, one dark brow lifting in sardonic amus.e.m.e.nt.
"Something like that," Max muttered, but his gaze never wavered from her.
The hint of apology that crimped the sides of his mouth nearly made her lose control of her tightly leashed anger. He feels sorry for me? She shook her head, letting her hair settle around her shoulders and stepped closer to Alec, lifting a hand to caress his shoulder. "I don"t need your approval-you"re not the clan alpha anymore." She stepped closer, pressing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to Alec"s back as her hand trailed around his belly.
Alec"s breath caught. "Stasia... " he warned, his body tightening beneath her touch. "Maybe you"d better wait in my office."
"Gonna be long?" she asked, leaning closer to aim the whisper up into his ear. She liked the way the two behind the bars watched her play-their nostrils flared, no doubt to catch her ripening scent. Max"s gaze narrowed to fierce, feral slits.
Alec"s head swiveled and his lips hovered just above hers. Anger flared in his hard glare, but she didn"t care. She had his attention. She had all their attention. Not because she was an available were-b.i.t.c.h-she was a bone between two fierce dogs. "Upstairs," he ground out. "Now."
Her hand drifted lower, grazing his beltline and she laughed, low and husky. "Anything you say. It"s not like I can refuse, hmmm?" And because she"d accomplished what she"d set out to do-determine whether Max was still... interesting and annoy the h.e.l.l out of Alec-she left, swaying her hips and leaving her scent to tease their nostrils. She laughed again, letting the sound echo in the silence behind her and made her way up the stairs.
Todd waited for her at the top. He gripped her elbow and jerked her through the door, shutting it with a slam. "Little b.i.t.c.h, did you do them all?"
Stasia jerked away from her brother and scowled. "It"s none of your business anymore who I do."
He leaned close, trapping her between his arms against the door. "Who you f.u.c.k will be my decision very soon," he growled. "So don"t p.i.s.s me off."
She snorted. "He kicked your a.s.s the last time. You really wanna go back for more?"
Todd"s cheeks flushed an angry red. "Is the vamp still alive?"
She nodded and let a little smile play at the corner of her lips. "He"s playing with them now."
His expression grew impossibly darker and tense. "Did Max say why he came back?"
Stasia"s lips twisted and she pushed away the arms confining her. "I suppose they"re talking about it now."
"You didn"t stick around to find out?" he hissed.
This time she blushed. She"d been so busy getting h.o.r.n.y, swimming in testosterone, she"d blown her chance to learn what was going on. "Alec sent me to wait. I guess he"ll tell me all about it when he comes back up."
"You think just "cause he f.u.c.ks you he"ll tell you everything?" he said nastily.
She lifted her chin. "Yeah, he will." He promised he would. And I"ll f.u.c.k him again to make sure he doesn"t go back on his word. Of course, as hot as her c.u.n.t was now, she"d f.u.c.k him just to ease the ache-not that she"d let him have it without a fight. Her body craved more of his sweet violence.
Todd stomped to his desk and picked up his deputy"s hat. "I have to get on the road, but you find out what they"re doing here. By the way, who"s staying with Sissy tonight?"
"Mrs. Hughes said she"d check in on her. She"s plenty old enough to be on her own at night."
"She"d have to be with a s.l.u.t like you for a sister."
Stasia had heard that slur so often she no longer flinched.
"You find out what"s going on here. I"ll see you later."
"Sure thing," she said and sauntered toward Alec"s office to wait for him to come.
"Listen to me, Alec," Max said his expression turning from irritated to deadly earnest. "What I tell you has to stay between us for now-until I can speak to the warlairds."
Alec shook his head. "Do you really think they"ll grant you an audience?"
His fists tightened around the bars. "If they aren"t the ones who agreed to an alliance with a homicidal maniac-then yes, they will."
Alec"s heart stilled, then pumped a slow, thudding beat. "What are you talking about? Still having problems with weres in Vero?"
"No, we just about have your mess cleaned up."
Alec felt heat fill his cheeks. "All I wanted was the breeder-you know we need her." "I understand, but she"s taken and already bred. Get over it."
The vampire lurking in the darkness beyond the light, growled.
Alec aimed a glare at Joe Garcia. "After she drops her cubs... all bets are off."
Max held his hand up when the vamp"s growls deepened. "Someone else wants her worse than you do."
"Another pack?" Alec shrugged. He really didn"t care. The warlairds had promised the woman to him. Whoever took her would have to relinquish her to the Dark Mountain clan.
"Looks like it." A muscle flexed in Max"s jaw. "But the thing that makes this personal is the wolves who tried to get her killed Darcy Henry. She was my friend, a human-and pregnant. I want the hides of the wolves responsible for it. I"m demanding that satisfaction from the warlairds."
Alec felt his stomach clench-he"d liked the woman. So Darcy had poor taste in lovers, she hadn"t deserved to die. "You think it was one of the clans? Not just a few rogues?"
"Their attack on The Compound was organized. They worked like a team. Not like rogues in their first bloodl.u.s.t."
"You don"t think our clan was involved-"
"No. That"s why I need to speak to the lairds. They can find out who crossed into the forbidden territory."