Gerald's Lot Page 8

  In the meantime, he’d sworn to do everything in his power to protect his country and he intended to do just that. The wolves had their own agenda; it was Gerald’s job to find out what it was and to share that information with James.

  But he couldn’t go back as long as he and Tanis were mated. He didn’t know if he believed the wolves would start a war just because he’d run away, but he couldn’t risk it.

  He couldn’t choose his personal freedom and be responsible for the start of a war that could cost thousands—maybe hundreds of thousands or even millions—of lives. A war that could cause humans to lose control of Earth to an alien species with advanced technologies they could call on and massive spaceships that hid behind the moon.

  No. Gerald would stay with Tanis as long as he had to, but he couldn’t—wouldn’t—let himself think of it as anything but another part of his mission.

  A wolf had mated him, and that was supposed to change his loyalties, just like that?

  Ha.

  That wasn’t the way it worked, not in Gerald’s world. His people—and his country—had his loyalty and that wasn’t going to change.

  His fingers tightened around the door handle as for half a second thoughts of Brendan Greer and his possible brainwashing distracted Gerald.

  He liked Tanis, even though Tanis really hadn’t given him any reason to. There was a name for the situation he found himself in, and he really didn’t like letting his thoughts go there.

  He eased the door open a crack, let his eyes scan the woods nearby, then closed the door and rested his forehead on the cool wood.

  Outside of heat season the wolves were supposed to be reasonable people. Gerald had found that to be true most of the time. But he couldn’t know for sure, because the fact was he was an outsider, and there were things he hadn’t been allowed to do and places within the dens he hadn’t been allowed to go. There’d been conversations he hadn’t been privy to, instances where he’d been pushed out of a room or left to flounder with not enough information as wolves spoke their own language, too quickly for him to understand.

  And during heat season? Alan hadn’t been wrong to say the wolves weren’t reasonable. Their instincts took over, the call to mate too strong for most of them to resist.

  During heat, the wolves were dangerous predators, and humans became sexual prey.

  The humans who lived in the dens were sequestered for their own protection, while the wolves enacted strict rules that limited the movement of every human in the den, even those humans who had wolves for mates.

  Unprotected humans ended up as heat mates and held against their will. Humans caught in the wilds of the wolves’ territory ended up at risk of setting off a terrifying mating frenzy if found by rogue wolves—or any wolf who hadn’t taken repression drugs to dull their heat cycles, whether by choice or by circumstance.

  All those were good enough reasons for Gerald to have serious misgivings about what he was going to do, but that didn’t change the fact that he was going to do it anyway.

  He’d done the same just two weeks ago.

  If he was careful, he could make it to one of the labs he knew about and use the communications tech to send a message to his family. He’d lock himself inside, and when Tanis found him, Tanis would have no choice but to realize Gerald needed more than he was getting from Tanis at the moment.

  He needed to talk to his family.

  He needed some damn attention from his mate that didn’t revolve around getting his ass fucked or his dick sucked or his asshole licked.

  Well, maybe “in addition to” was what he was really going for, because he sure didn’t want to give any of that up.

  But most of all, he needed not to be so fucking bored out of his mind.

  He was going to do this. He knew he shouldn’t, but he was going to do it. Stuff had been happening that he needed to know, and he wasn’t going to find out any of it sitting here, because Tanis sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him anything.

  And to protect the treaty, any information he collected about the wolves and what was going on with them would remain in his head for the time being. He would share that only after James got him out the right way—the way that wouldn’t piss off the wolves’ First Alpha—or Tanis.

  Despite everything, he didn’t believe James would allow anyone to forget about him once heat season ended. James would push for continued negotiations to get Gerald out.

  The fact that Gerald had created the situation he found himself in by doing something James would have told him not to do if Gerald had asked… James wouldn’t let that stand in his way.

  He might also kick Gerald’s ass all the way to the Pacific and back once Gerald was free, but that was something to worry about later.

  He knew what he was doing. He could do this and get away with it long enough to teach Tanis a lesson that would do him good.

  But there was at least one thing he should do before he threw himself into the middle of danger.

  He pushed away from the door and headed for the stairs. He took them two at a time, as quickly as his legs would carry him. At the top, he made his way into the room he’d been sharing with Tanis.

  It had been two days since Gerald had taken a shower, but he dug around in the pile of clothes he’d left near the ladder-backed chairs and square table. When he found what he wanted, he dragged the t-shirt on over his own. It was too large in the shoulders and covered with—better not to think about that.

  But the damn shirt reeked of Tanis’s scent and Gerald would rather be—

  Well, a little safer. Nothing he was about to do was safe.

  He leaned forward and used his vantage point to scan the trees that sat closest to the house—the wolves had a tendency to build right into the trees, their homes shaped to fit spaces that didn’t make sense. Well traveled paths cut through the woods, leading from home to home and building to building.

  Nothing moved as far as Gerald could see. Two similar buildings sat within his line of sight, both as empty as they had been the day Tanis had brought Gerald here.

  That was the thing about the wolves, Gerald had discovered a few years ago. They had an overconfidence in their senses that led them to make mistakes.

  On the other hand, he was a pretty good example of how irrational humans could be when their emotions got involved.

  Gerald turned and hurried back down the stairs. He didn’t know what was going on out there, but he might not get another chance like this for a while. Better not to waste a moment of it.

  Several minutes later, crouched under the frame of a wide window that continued around the corner of the building he wanted to get inside of, Gerald listened to the faint howl of wolves while his blood rushed in his ears.

  To give himself the greatest chance of success, he’d gone for the lab he knew was farthest from the outer edges of the main den complex. About six months ago Devon had given Gerald an updated tracker for Lane and let Gerald see his newest lab when they’d gone to pick up the tracker.

  That lab was a few hundred yards from Gerald’s current position. Still, he recognized the building he was hiding beside. During that visit, Gerald had said something in passing about the building he was now crouched beside. He’d found out it was one of the storage locations for the wolves’ magical lube.

  They’d joked about that, and by the end of the conversation, Devon had threatened to break Gerald’s dick for the hundredth time.

  Sometimes it was just too easy with Devon.

  Another howl came from deep in the woods, and the sound spiked his heartbeat. The howling had gotten closer.

  What the fuck was going on out there?

  Two weeks ago, sneaking around the den had been a hell of a lot less nerve wracking than it was turning out to be today.

  Then again, the end of the season was approaching and every bit of information Gerald had gathered over the years said the wolves became nearly feral this late in the season.

  Too damn late to worry about
that.

  Gerald pushed forward, making his way around the side of the building toward the front. Devon had been quite clear that the wolves didn’t lock this building, so when he reached the corner and saw no one nearby, he went straight for the door.

  The fucking door plate didn’t respond to his touch.

  He tried again, sweat drying quickly on his skin as the wind gusted around the corner of the building. Leaves scattered, flying through the air, and the sound seemed to whistle in his ears.

  A chill chased up his spine.

  He glanced over his shoulder.

  A wolf had stopped in the trees not ten feet from Gerald.

  Chapter 11

  “I recognize you,” the wolf said, a strong, lyrical accent coloring her words. “Where is your mate?”

  Clouds had covered the sun and the cold breeze bit through even the two t-shirts Gerald wore as he turned, putting his back to the door. Shadows hid the details of her face, but he still didn’t think he’d ever met her.

  He’d know that voice if he’d ever heard it.

  Her claws hadn’t extended, but her breath came faster than normal and her hair was in a tight braid wrapped at the top of her head. Female wolves filled out quite dramatically as the heat season got closer, and her body had developed heavy curves under the tight green shirt and the snug green trousers she wore.

  One knee had torn through and dark blood seeped through the frayed fabric.

  Gerald waved his hand in the direction of the woods. “He’s around.”

  Her sharp eyebrows rose high and she took a careful sniff of the air. “You’re lying.” Her bright eyes narrowed on him. “Why?”

  “Because you’ll think I’m stupid if I tell the truth?”

  She took a single step forward, leaves crunching underfoot. “Does your mate not satisfy you? Are you searching for another to take his place?”

  Gerald’s back bumped into the door behind him. He flattened his hands on the wood. “He satisfies me, all right.” An idea came to him. “I… wanted to find him. He hasn’t been back to mate in a while. Kinda worried about him.”

  The corner of her lip pulled up and the sharp tip of a tooth became visible. She took another step toward him. “You doubt your mate’s strength? If he isn’t taking care of you properly—”

  “No, no, that’s not what I meant.”

  She stopped.

  Hard wood pressed into Gerald’s spine. Unless he made a break for it, he wasn’t going anywhere. But running wasn’t an option. He wasn’t actually stupid, despite what his current predicament seemed to be telling him. He would drop to the ground and do all the submitting necessary if it came to that.

  There were things in this world he would gladly give his life for; saving his virtue in this particular circumstance wasn’t one of them.

  Her head tilted. “You aren’t safe here alone. Your scent is strong enough that it tempted me away from the chase.”

  “Well, you see—”

  A sharp snap echoed through the air. Leaves crackled with the fury of a running body and the female wolf spun around to face the woods, claws extending.

  Gerald didn’t waste a second. He turned and dragged his fingers along the panel again. Nothing happened.

  The door wasn’t going to open for him.

  A yell behind him jerked him around and he dropped to a crouch, hand digging at the earth in front of him for balance.

  The female had the male by the neck on the ground, her teeth biting deep.

  The male panted under her, his—

  Well, shit.

  The guy’s trousers were torn half off him, and his dick looked painfully hard.

  The wolves grappled together for several heartbeats while Gerald stared. Should he pass up the opportunity to witness an actual wolf mating?

  Gerald looked toward the woods to the other side of the building. He could make it if he took off now. But the wind blew from that direction and his human scent would carry straight to the wolves.

  He looked again at the wolves. Too risky.

  The female raised her head, lips smudged dark red. “Submit!” she ordered fiercely, doing something to her trousers with her free hand.

  Her mate growled at her and took a swipe with his claws.

  She grabbed his wrist in one hand and straddled him in one swift movement.

  He roared, thrusting his hips upward.

  She threw her head back, throat exposed.

  Her mate gripped her hips tightly and started—

  The wind whipped around Gerald, stirring the leaves again—in the wrong direction.

  The female’s head turned. Her eyes clashed with Gerald’s wide-eyed gaze.

  Fuck.

  Gerald shoved forward, lurching toward the corner of the building. He’d seen one of those empty houses back there, where he could hide out until these two finished their business.

  If he hadn’t waited too long.

  He stayed off the path and crashed through the trees with as much finesse as he could manage at full speed, his breath heavy in his ears and his lungs burning from the full out sprint.

  A decaying tree crumbled under his heavy footfall and nearly pitched him forward.

  Holy mother of God, he was going to break his damn leg if he didn’t watch out. He grabbed the trunk of a three-inch thick poplar and used it to propel himself forward and regain some momentum.

  A thicket of thorny vines tore at his jeans as he ran, and then he was only twenty feet from the entrance to the empty house.

  He’d make it. Just one more hard push and…

  The roar behind him sent a cold, black dread into the pit of his stomach.

  That wasn’t the wolves he’d left behind, and that wasn’t Tanis. That was the sound of a wolf on a scent.

  Gerald skidded on some loose leaves the wind had blown onto the stone path. He lost his footing and twisted as he fell, slamming his shoulder into the flat rock.

  He groaned and forced himself upright. The carved door of the house beckoned.

  Before he could push to his feet, someone grabbed the back of his shirt, hauling him upright.

  He flailed, his heart pounding with the furious pulse of blood rushing through his body. He turned his head and his stomach dropped.

  “You’re the kind of trouble my alpha does not need,” Leif said, his face tight and hard as he glared with narrowed eyes at Gerald.

  Reasonable. That was how the wolf sounded to Gerald, not like he was in the middle of a lust craze or still raging mad because Gerald wasn’t his.

  Gerald exhaled harshly and rubbed his tingling bicep. His shoulder throbbed. “Not my best idea ever, that’s for sure. You can let me go now. I’m not going any—”

  Leif jerked Gerald around, pulling him almost off his feet.

  A wolf plowed out of the trees closest to the side of the house nearest Gerald.

  Leif tossed Gerald away from him and surged forward, on a collision course with the other wolf.

  Gerald staggered but managed to catch his balance before he ended up on his ass. Then, sense kicking in, Gerald ran for the house he’d been planning to hide out in. Not a great idea, not a great idea…

  But what other choice did he have?

  He heard the crash behind him as Leif and the other wolf collided. Someone yelled, a piercing cry that said very bad things were happening to someone.

  He hoped to God he hadn’t lost Tanis one of his wolves.

  The house had a porch and Gerald jumped over the first two steps, his momentum carrying him forward at a breakneck pace. He slammed into the wall by the door and yanked the handle. When it wouldn’t give, he slapped his fingers on the panel and then tried again.

  The door wouldn’t open.

  He beat his fist on the wood. “Fuck!”

  He nearly fell backward when someone opened the door from the inside.

  The wolf staring out at him had vibrant blue eyes—eyes so blue they looked like a reflection of a bright summer sky. The wolf t
ook one deep breath and Gerald watched as the wolf’s dark eyebrows pulled tight, his eyes going to the fight happening less than twenty feet away. Almost immediately his gaze zeroed in on Gerald again.

  Gerald took a step back. The wolf snatched hold of Gerald’s shirt and hauled him forward, thrusting his face right up against Gerald’s throat. He sniffed hard.

  “Hey, hey, hey!” Gerald said, high and tight, moving to shove the wolf away.

  “Submit!”

  He shut his mouth and stopped struggling.

  A hot lick dragged up the side of his throat.

  “The foolish human is mine. Release him.”

  Relief flowed through Gerald like a shot of hundred proof. For a second, honest to God, his knees weakened at the sound of Tanis’s voice. He tried to turn his head, but the wolf holding him by the shirt caught Gerald’s chin in a firm grip.

  Those fingers held Gerald tight and he had no choice but to face the stare the wolf directed at him.

  “You’ll be mine,” the wolf said, voice too deep and dark to do anything but send a shiver down Gerald’s spine. “I want to fuck you.”

  Maybe not fuck. Could’ve been mate. Gerald swallowed hard. Didn’t really matter, because he didn’t want either one.

  “Release him,” Tanis said again. “He belongs to me.” Said with a fierce growl that told Gerald Tanis was pissed as hell.

  At least Gerald had figured out how to tell that much about his new mate over the last thirteen days.

  The wolf looked over Gerald’s shoulder, hands not loosening on Gerald in the slightest.

  “He came to me and I don’t want to release him. You shouldn’t have let him roam free.”

  Gerald opened his mouth.

  Tanis cut him off before he’d said one word with several carefully bitten off words of his own. “Do not speak, mate.”

  “Sure, sure,” Gerald said. “Shit. Sorr—”

  He abruptly shut up, caught by the dazzling view of dilating eyes in front of him.

  The hand holding his chin squeezed a little tighter. The tip of one claw pricked at the side of his mouth.

  “I want him,” the wolf said, his voice husky. He moved his mouth to the side of Gerald’s face, taking in Gerald’s scent with another deep sniff.