Salvadore's Luck Read online

  By the time the confrontation was over, Paul had stumbled away with the wolf and Salvadore had been on the ground on his ass, too scared to get up and follow them, because as much as he wanted to, Paul wasn’t Paul and that wolf had implied that if he did, he would end up fucked, literally.

  “God, Paul, I think I love you,” Salvadore had said the last time he and Paul had found the time to be together without having to worry about anyone else overhearing them while they fucked.

  The man Salvadore had thought he knew had never existed. Salvadore hadn’t been ready to admit it until then, sprawled out on the ground under the bright glow of the moon, but in his gut, he’d suspected the truth from the moment he’d looked over Gage’s shoulder that morning and met a familiar pair of eyes so devoid of affection that Salvadore had felt like he was going to be physically sick.

  Afterward—after he’d had to watch what Gage did to Paul—he had been. He hadn’t even made it back to the old elementary school where Gage had set up his headquarters before he’d vomited up the little breakfast he’d had that morning. He’d puked until his guts hurt and his ribs ached and he’d had to hide the fact that he was a hairsbreadth away from a goddamn breakdown.

  And then he’d wiped his mouth and called Chen, who was supposed to already be on his way out of the protectorate. He’d caught Chen soon enough that it had only taken Chen and El a few hours to get back to the cabin and then head into the woods to look for Paul’s body.

  And he’d found someone named Matthew Bryant instead.

  Salvadore’s thoughts had gone full circle while the wolf stared down at him curiously. The wolf’s chin came up and he seemed to be sniffing gently at the air, and that was enough to jar Salvadore out of his stupor.

  “I—uh—” He stuttered to a stop because he had no idea what to say.

  “How long have you been following us?” the wolf asked, looking down at Salvadore with clear eyes that glimmered in the sunlight, pale and bright.

  Salvadore couldn’t tell exactly what color those eyes were, but it didn’t matter. Like most wolves, this one was fit and attractive, his nose straight, his cheekbones high, his jaw square and smooth, and his flesh paler than Salvadore’s but darker than Chen or Gage—or Paul. His lips parted and Salvadore caught sight of the sharp edges of the eyeteeth that made the wolves look so goddamn scary.

  Still, he didn’t look ready to jump Salvadore. He didn’t look angry at all. His retractable claws were still hidden beneath his dark fingernails and his stance indicated caution but little else.

  He looked nothing like the wolf that had stared Salvadore down last night and Salvadore couldn’t help being a little grateful for that. The tightness in Salvadore’s throat eased and his chest loosened enough for him to take a shaky breath. Maybe he’d be okay. Maybe this wouldn’t turn out like—

  No. No, no, no. He couldn’t think about that right now or he’d lose his nerve and it was already too late for that. He was here. The wolves were here.

  No going back now.

  He made himself concentrate on the wolf’s words, to parse their meaning through the accent.

  “How long?” the wolf repeated with less patience.

  “Uh. I’m not—I wasn’t—” God, but he’d never been good at thinking on his feet. He should’ve thought through what he’d say when he found the wolves. Instead he was squatting there so fucking terrified he couldn’t seem to think at all.

  The wolf moved his hand toward Salvadore.

  Salvadore jumped, falling back on his ass, his heart hammering in his chest and his hands digging into the crackling leaves under him.

  The wolf stopped his movement and studied Salvadore. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Salvadore exhaled shakily, his fingers digging into the hard earth under him. “I’m not following you,” he said, and his voice didn’t quite crack but it was a close thing. “It was an accident. I found you by accident.”

  “You’ve waited very late to leave the area.”

  “I—I—”

  “Heat season’s begun.”

  He shook his head and then had to make himself stop because he realized he had no control over the movement at all. “I got the notice,” he croaked out. “Last night. I got the notice last night.”

  Leaves crackled and a twig snapped. He jerked his head around to see another wolf approaching. He couldn’t seem to calm the beating of his heart or the way he was sucking in too many short shallow breaths.

  “He’s panicking,” the second wolf said, and Salvadore could almost feel the disgust in the way the second wolf glared at him.

  “Stay back, Eebaenetakim. You’re scaring him.”

  Salvadore’s gaze flickered between the two wolves. Salvadore tried to memorize the sounds of what he assumed was the second wolf’s name, but even in his thoughts he couldn’t reproduce the right pitch.

  “Of course,” the second wolf said, inclining his head and stopping well away from Salvadore and the first wolf.

  The first wolf offered his hand again. “My heat hasn’t started. You’re safe with me for the moment.”

  Salvadore nodded again. This was so fucking crazy. He shouldn’t be here. If things got out of hand, he wouldn’t make it. He didn’t have it in him to do what he’d need to do. He wouldn’t—couldn’t do it.

  He couldn’t.

  “He’ll have to come with us,” the second wolf said.

  Which was what the woman Salvadore was doing this for wanted but it sure as hell wasn’t what Salvadore wanted.

  The wolf’s lips pulled away from his teeth just enough to hint at aggravation. “We’ll have to keep him away from the others until Alpha has time to deal with him.”

  Salvadore pressed his mouth tight and stared back at the wolf, afraid to even move, afraid to look back at the other wolf, almost afraid to fucking breathe.

  The first wolf’s hand was still on offer and he curled his fingers as if to remind Salvadore of that. “I’ll help you,” he said.

  Salvadore took a deep breath and it felt like the hardest thing he’d ever done clutching that wolf’s hand. The wolf pulled Salvadore to his feet, and up close Salvadore could see that the wolf had eyes so vibrant they were almost teal colored, and they raked over Salvadore with nary a spark of lust in them.

  Salvadore tugged at his hand, but the wolf’s grip didn’t ease.

  “What’s your name?” the wolf asked him.

  “Uh—” Fuck. Lie? Or tell the truth?

  Both wolves watched him too closely for comfort.

  “Salvadore,” he said. “My name’s Salvadore.”

  “Salvadore,” the wolf said, gaze fixed on Salvadore. “You can call me Reed.” His lips curved, revealing his sharply pointed eyeteeth. Maybe the expression was supposed to be a smile, but all it did for Salvadore was make the knot in his stomach tighter. “I chose the name myself.”

  How the fuck was he supposed to respond to that? “That’s a nice name.”

  “It’s a strong name,” the wolf said.

  Salvadore nodded. “Yeah. A good name.” The entire conversation felt surreal.

  “Most humans call me Egan,” the second wolf said abruptly, and then without another word he turned and started through the trees, walking in the direction from which the birds had scattered.

  The wolf—Reed—clenched even tighter to Salvadore’s hand and pulled firmly enough that Salvadore knew he had no choice but to move.

  Salvadore shook off his unease and started walking.

  He should’ve never let the wolf help him up, because now the guy didn’t seem willing to release him. His unyielding grip pulled Salvadore along beside him through the thin trees, and Salvadore could feel his nerves stretching taut as they covered the uneven ground quickly.

  Probably about half an hour later, Reed let Salvadore walk unassisted, and when Salvadore’s stomach rumbled loud enough to hear over the crunch of deadfall underfoot, Reed offered him something that reminded Salvadore of a really moist fig coo
kie. He ate more than one and started to think maybe luck was going to be with him through this.

  Not that long ago, he and Paul had gotten into a heated discussion about what the wolves did with the people they found trespassing in the protectorate during the heat season. Paul had said he’d heard that as long as the wolves were using their heat repression drugs, they locked the people up somewhere until heat season was over. If Paul really was a spy for the wolves, then maybe what he’d said hadn’t just been some bullshit rumor like Salvadore had thought at the time.

  They continued walking into the early evening. Eventually he started noticing the quiet sounds of brush rustling and leaves crackling somewhere ahead of them but he didn’t see another wolf even once.

  And then, with no warning whatsoever, Reed whined low in his throat and the sound skittered straight up Salvadore’s spine, raising every hair on his body, and Salvadore knew his luck had turned.

  Chapter 3

  Reed growled and something barreled into Salvadore’s back, knocking him sideways before he’d even realized what was happening. His back hit the ground hard enough to take his breath. He struggled to suck in a harsh breath and then raised his head and looked down the length of his body just in time to see the wolf Egan jabbing something into Reed’s thigh.

  Reed’s growl turned into a gasp and his head dropped back to the forest floor with a dull thump.

  Salvadore shook off his disorientation, got his hands under him, and scrambled backward, his boot heels digging into the earth. A clump of briary vines caught his laces and Salvadore tore at the vine with shaking fingers, his throat closing tight around a sound he hardly recognized as his own voice, cursing furiously.

  Egan looked up, eyes glinting brightly with reflected sunlight. “Don’t panic again. He’s under control. Your scent’s stronger when you’re scared.”

  “Get him the fuck away from me.” Salvadore spoke louder than he meant to, but adrenaline had flooded into his bloodstream and he was fighting the urge to jump to his feet and run and the only thing that stopped him was the thought of what might happen to El and Chen if he did.

  “Stop breathing so fast,” Egan said, rising to his feet over Reed and Salvadore. “You’re going to hyperventilate.”

  “Fuck you,” he said. “I’m not going to fucking hyperventilate.” Salvadore shoved himself upright and sat on the forest floor for a moment, hands on his knees, forcing himself to breathe slower. His anger worked to push away his fear and after another few seconds, he climbed to his feet, putting a good ten feet between him and the two wolves while Egan watched with narrowed eyes and Reed slowly pushed himself to his feet, looking for a moment as if he were fighting a bout of dizziness.

  “Don’t try to run away,” Egan said. “You won’t get far.”

  “I’m sorry,” Reed said. “I can’t—I have to leave you with—” He started to say something that Salvadore didn’t understand, but then shook his head in a short, abrupt motion and started over, “I have to leave you with Egan. You won’t be safe with me here any longer.”

  “Just get the fuck away from me.”

  Reed’s brow furrowed, and he looked at Salvadore in a way that made Salvadore’s stomach churn.

  Salvadore almost opened his mouth and apologized before he caught himself. He took another step backward. He didn’t give a fuck if he hurt Reed’s feelings. He didn’t want that wolf anywhere near him while that wolf was in heat.

  He rubbed at a deep scratch on the inside of his forearm that had left an itchy streak of blood drying on his skin. He could already see a red welt forming alongside the scratch. God, but he hoped he hadn’t gotten into poison oak somewhere along the way. The last time he’d done that, he’d not only had to deal with the typical rash, but he’d broken out in hives that hadn’t gone away for days.

  He noticed Egan watching him closely. “Stop it,” he said. “Stop staring at me.”

  “You’re going to make this difficult for all of us, aren’t you?”

  Salvadore’s gaze met Egan’s. “What? No. I just don’t want—Just—” He raised his hands to chest level. “You’re making me nervous, that’s all. Just give me some space.”

  Egan stepped closer. Salvadore took another step back.

  Egan spoke over his shoulder at Reed, speaking the wolves’ language too fast for Salvadore to understand what he’d said.

  Reed gave Salvadore a thoughtful look but then he turned and pushed past the smooth trunk of a young poplar tree and within moments, he’d disappeared into the woods.

  The pressure on Salvadore’s chest eased.

  “I’m not as trusting of you humans as Raeisikeille.” Egan took another slow step toward Salvadore. “I don’t know what you’re doing out here, but I can recognize how frightened you are, and that concerns me. You’re a danger to all of us right now, for more than one reason.”

  Salvadore couldn’t look away from Egan’s brilliant blue eyes. “I haven’t done anything.”

  “Even if this was nothing but a terrible mistake on your part, there will be consequences for your actions. And if you’re not who you say you are…”

  “You not being able to control yourselves around humans shouldn’t be my goddamn problem. Learn some self-control.”

  Egan’s lips pulled away from his teeth and he growled.

  Salvadore tried to take another step back. He bumped into something and jerked so hard his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. But it was only a tree.

  Egan quit growling as quickly as he’d started and if Salvadore had to guess at the look on Egan’s face, he would’ve said the goddamn wolf was laughing at him.

  “You fucking wolf,” Salvadore muttered, rubbing his arm again. “What are you trying to do?”

  “You should know your place.”

  “And what place would that be? Terrified?”

  “Precarious.”

  “You’re a fucking asshole.”

  “Your anger is better than your fear.” Egan’s eyes blazed hot. “Your fear smells too appealing.”

  Salvadore stared back at Egan, his mouth suddenly dry.

  “Don’t let your fear win.” With those words, Egan jerked his head toward the direction Reed had taken and started walking, the unspoken demand that Salvadore follow not lost on Salvadore.

  Salvadore walked, staying well behind Egan.

  He pondered Egan’s words as they traveled some distance—he wasn’t sure how far. He hadn’t been one of Gage’s best men, that was for sure. He’d spent most of his teen years working for a couple of old women who’d owned a bunch of solar greenhouses where they grew vegetables year round for seed collection and bred select cannabis hybrids.

  He was used to getting his hands dirty, but not the way Gage had wanted him to when Gage had recruited him.

  Salvadore shook off that thought and tried to keep his pace up.

  He’d been walking all day and he was tired when Egan dropped back and waited for him to catch up. The sun had started sliding under the edge of the horizon, low in the trees and bright in Salvadore’s eyes since they seemed to be walking straight into it.

  “You’ll face Alpha soon. Remember what I said.”

  “What?” Salvadore looked around but not much had changed. At that moment, the sun’s crown faded out of view behind the trees.

  “Alpha’s senses are stronger. He’ll smell your fear. The new batch of repression drugs are strong but less reliable and we had to leave the den before there was time to prepare a different formula.”

  “Then just leave me out—”

  Egan reached out and snagged Salvadore by the back of his neck. Claws pricked Salvadore’s skin and he grabbed at Egan’s arm, trying to twist away, kicking up a rotten log that disintegrated all over his left boot as he did.

  Egan’s hand clenched tight and his teeth glinted. “If I was in my heat, your life would be at risk right now. Control yourself. Submit.”

  “Fuck off!” Salvadore breathed in quickly, pa
nting harshly with his struggle to free himself.

  Egan gripped Salvadore’s throat with his other hand, squeezing tight. “I don’t like most humans, but you … annoy me more than most. Submit.”

  Salvadore’s eyes widened. He couldn’t breathe. He fisted his hands in Egan’s dark t-shirt. “Stop,” he gasped. “Don’t.”

  “I’m not hurting you. You’re breathing too fast. Submit.”

  Spots formed in front of Salvadore’s eyes.

  “You’re going to lose consciousness if you don’t stop struggling.”

  Salvadore clenched his hands one last time on Egan’s arms and then dropped his hands down to his sides.

  Egan waited, watching, not lessening his hold on Salvadore’s throat at all. “Submit.”

  The realization set in that Egan’s grip on his throat wasn’t tight enough to constrict his windpipe and as he calmed down his lungs filled with oxygen without any trouble at all.

  Salvadore closed his eyes to avoid Egan’s knowing gaze. “Shit.”

  “I told you I wasn’t hurting you. I’m glad you decided to trust me and submit as you should.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “Of course you did.”

  “Fucking asshole.”

  Egan’s eyebrows rose in a way that made Salvadore feel like an idiot. He mashed his lips together and looked over Egan’s shoulder.

  “We will go now. It’s time for you to answer to Alpha.”

  Egan released his throat but didn’t take his other hand off the back of Salvadore’s neck. “I will stay with you and offer comfort while you answer to Alpha so you don’t panic again.”

  Fucking great.

  And then Egan started pulling Salvadore along, more roughly than Salvadore appreciated because of how tired he was. He had to work extra hard at the pace Egan set to keep his feet from catching on the bramble and deadwood that seemed to be everywhere.

  A few minutes later, he caught his first sight of more wolves, and as Egan dragged him toward a small cabin, Salvadore could feel too many eyes on him.

  Reed stood back, near several others, but he watched as Salvadore stumbled up a set of creaky wood steps at Egan’s side.