Protecting His Mate Read online

  What was he?- An interlude- a damned good lover- but an interlude never the less. There could never be a future for her and Cade- she lived in the city- he lived in the back of beyond- she had a career to look forward too, something she had worked hard for, at the cost of everything else - he was- a distraction.

  Vicky walked to the front door and pulled on her jacket and boots- she needed some air- maybe if she could clear her head, well she might just get the man out of her thoughts for ten minutes. Vicky wondered if she should tell Anna that she was just popping outside- but by the time she had located her in the kitchen where she was making popcorn and getting soda, she could have gone outside and been back already- no harm- no foul.

  Cade crossed the boundary line between his property and Vicky’s not fearful of the traps that the old man had laid for his pack- his people had spent the afternoon until the snow had come down clearing that line- when the snow cleared they would systematically work across her land in search of anything else the old man might have left for them.

  How different Vicky was from her grandfather- but then if she wasn’t brought up under his roof and his doctrine, she would never have the prejudices that the old man held- that was a damned good thing- how would he break it to his mate, who hated Lycan’s that she would be bonded to one for the rest of her life and yet in a cowardly kind of way, he had wished the old man had imparted the knowledge to her that Lycan’s did in fact exist- it certainly would have made his life easier.

  He still wasn’t sure how the heck he was going to break it to her- it wasn’t as though he had practice at sharing his secret- there were of course a handful of human’s that knew of his pack locally- but they had that knowledge passed down through generations and it hadn’t fallen to him to break the news to anyone.

  Still- she was his mate- she would-

  ‘Cade- I’ve got fresh tyre tracks leading up our land and it’s not from a pack truck-‘ Cade’s heart slammed into the ribs in his chest as Sam delivered the news directly into his brain that was already full of so much more.

  ‘Track the scent- find the damned truck.’ Cade growled out- fearful now because he was so far away from the house- from where Vicky was- but Blue was guarding the perimeter and Anna was with her- he needed to believe that Vicky was safe- but that didn’t stop him from digging his claws down into the earth as he sped up across land towards home.

  ‘Marcus- Whit- get back to the house- intruders.’

  Vicky turned down the side of the cabin- her brain caught elsewhere- somewhere between what happened with Cade this afternoon and her future that would be thousands of miles away from where she was now and came face to face with the large wolf that made her stop in her tracks- an audible gasp leaving her lips as the wolf looked back at her sheepishly- almost as though it had been caught snooping and now didn’t know what to do, it hesitated in place- but seemed coiled to take off.

  Vicky could hear the heavy thud of her heart pounding in her ears and not much else- faced with the imminent danger of being dinner for a hungry wolf she swallowed down her fear and tried to mentally slap her brain into coming up with a word that wasn’t four letters and had some use to her in this situation.

  She had always considered herself pretty unflappable- but right now she didn’t feel that way- Don’t run from a wolf or a bear- the words echoed in her mind from some stupid nature show she must have watched at some point in, what could be a very short life if it ended here- like this- tonight.

  The wolf stared back at her- not snarling- good sign- Not making a move towards her- good sign- and not sizing her up and licking it’s lips- friggin good sign. So what now? How do you tell a wild animal that you’ll back off and let them continue on their way? That you’re no threat to them and of course the most important thing- please don’t eat me, I’m generally a good person.

  The wolf seemed to frown at her- impossible? Perhaps.

  When it lifted one large paw and placed it down on the ground- the movement so slow it was as though the wolf didn’t want to startle her- but there was something about this wolf- something familiar in those eyes- the way it’s black fur caught the moonlight and gave it a blue tint.

  “The wolf from the trap-“ She muttered under her breath, but the wolf seemed to hear her anyway- a small whimper coming from the animals lips as Vicky was caught up between wanting to thank the beast for saving her ankle from the hunters trap and wanting to run like hell and save her skin from his jaws.

  It lifted another paw to make another step towards her, when the rustling from the bushes sent it’s snout up in the air and the animal seemed to turn towards the sound, sniff and snarl all in one move.

  That’s not good. The urge hit Vicky to take off like a bat out of hell as a shadowy figure started to come out into the moonlight- dressed all in black Vicky couldn’t tell who the hell it was- so definitely male by the sheer stockiness and height of him and with something held in his outstretched hand.

  Gun!

  Vicky panicked more now than when she had come across the wolf- was he going to shoot the wolf- the wolf who had saved her this afternoon- the wolf who hadn’t just devoured her for its dinner?

  Torn between her irrational connection with this animal and her need to protect it somehow and getting the hell out of there before either of them, man or beast could turn their attention back to her, she found herself taking a step towards the beast instead of away from it.

  “Don’t-“ She found her voice echoing through the still of the night- louder than she would have anticipated as the man’s attention was brought to bear on her- his head, covered by a hoodie and unidentifiable in the shadows of the night, turned towards her as another sound from behind her made her jump in place.

  The sound of the snarl that came from the beast was accompanied by the showing of its fangs as it snapped jaws of steel in warning at the intruder, just at the instant Vicky felt the band of steel snap around her upper arm as fingers closed around her flesh and bit through her jacket and she gave a slight shriek, trying to pull away from the strength that had her locked in place.

  The hardness of the body she was pulled up against made her flesh crawl and a shiver run through her- this wasn’t right- nothing about this was right- the intruders- the wolf- her reaction to everything that was happening- shouldn’t she be grateful that she wasn’t alone facing this wolf anymore and yet she wanted nothing more than to be at the wolf’s side- it was crazy.

  “Get off me-“ She spat out- trying to turn in place to at least land a blow against the stranger that held her in place.

  “Shut the fuck up.” There was no mistaking the malice in his voice- the fear it evoked within her was a far more powerful response than she had to the wolf.

  Trying to strain her neck around to look at her captor was interrupted by the sound of more snarls and a sudden movement of the wolf towards the man with the gun- in an instant the wolf sprang off its powerful back legs, propelling itself through the air- the sound of a shot rang out into the woods and Vicky screamed with the knowledge that her wolf was in trouble.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Cade broke through the trees and into the clearing in front of his cabin at the exact same moment that his sister came out of the front door- clothes being wrenched from her body as she prepared to shift into wolf form.

  ‘She’s not in the house Cade.’ Anna shifted in mid air, leaving the porch on human legs and landing on her wolf’s pads, racing to catch up with Cade as he disappeared around the side of the house.

  Cade took it all in with one look- his mate in the arms of a human form Werewolf- Blue on the ground- another human lying motionless beneath her- the scent of blood in the air- Were and Lycan mixed within his senses, but not human- his mate was unharmed- for now and he was here to make sure it stayed that way.

  His eyes met with his mate and it was almost his undoing- the fear he saw hit him hard- wrenched his guts and caused a red mist to rise within him- his bloodlust would be satisfied this night
and when Anna joined him he growled at her to stay back- that Were would be his- he had touched his mate and now he would pay with his life.

  Vicky saw the second wolf as it came into the clearing- her mind was still on the horror of watching the first go down from the hunter’s gun- protecting her, she was certain of that- no matter what anyone would ever tell her she believed that the blue wolf had tried to save her life a second time.

  The dark curse that came from her captors lips made her bring her head around from where her blue wolf lay injured, splashes of blood staining the white snow- her eyes meeting with the black eyes of the new wolf- a magnificent creature- bigger than her blue and far more menacing as it seemed to take in the scene around it, before its eyes met with hers and the fear within her was washed away on a wave of understanding.

  Anna had said that the wolves had lived among her people without problems for generations and she could understand that now- she had no fear for the wolves themselves, only the humans that had attacked.

  “Stay back or I’ll kill her where she stands.” The venom in her attackers voice held more menace for her than the blade of the knife he pushed against her throat, the sting of the cold blade caused her to wince- his arm encircled her waist like a steel band as she tried to pull free of his grip- the blade nicking the tender flesh of her neck as she drew a breath against the sharp sting of the cut- her eyes locked on the wolf before her as her awareness of the situation took hold of her.

  The wolf scented the air at the same moment she felt the dampness run down her skin from her own blood and her heart skipped a beat within her chest as the wolf drew back his lips and snarled at her human captor- a third wolf started to circle around their position and she could physically feel the panic rise up within her attacker as he moved them in place to try to watch both wolves.

  “I’ll kill her Cade-“ He spat out beside her ear as he forced her backwards towards the cabin wall and as realisation swept through her, the wolf’s eyes flicked to her for one long moment in time.

  Vicky caught her breath- or more her breath lodged in her throat and choked an awareness of her captors words into her mind- he had called the wolf Cade- what the hell was this guy on?

  But when the wolf’s eye met with hers she knew- knew that the man she had laid with was behind those eyes- impossible- she wouldn’t even entertain the idea- it was beyond rational- it was beyond everything she knew to be true.

  Human’s were human and wolves were wolves- anything else was just pure fantasy- the stuff of books and legends- legends that had a place around the campfire of a night- read in the pages of books that caught the imagination, but this was the real world and werewolves didn’t exit- but her head and her heart were telling her two different things.

  The blue wolf had saved her from the trap and now lay whimpering on the ground, trying to save her life a second time and then there was Cade- her gloriously beautiful lover that she had been drawn to on a level that just didn’t make any sense to her- until now.

  When she met the wolf’s eyes everything she knew to be true in life ceased to exist in that very second and she squirmed to get free of her captor- her heart pounding within her ears as she pulled her elbow back with everything she had in her- slamming the joint hard into his ribs- his grip on her loosening for the briefest of moments as the hand with the knife left her neck and she stomped down with her heel, grazing his shin with a punishing blow, following through with a grind of her heel into his foot.

  The wind having been knocked out of his lungs was quickly drawn back in as a growl of pain left his lips- his grip loosening, but not enough for her to get free as she dug her nails into the soft flesh of his wrist around her waist and tore her nails through his skin- his blood against her skin, under her nails as he pulled his hand away from her to relieve the pressure and she threw herself out of his grasp- her feet slipping on the fresh snow and she was falling- the pure white of the ground coming up to meet her as the sound of the attack screamed through the pounding within her ears.

  The masculine scream that left her assailants lips echoed through her mind and body as much as the ferocious snarls of the wolf that had attacked- Cade- her Cade- her lover- the man she had made love with.

  Vicky caught her fall with her elbows- the jar to her body practically going unnoticed for the long moments it took for the wolf to kill her attacker- she didn’t look around- she didn’t want to see him like that- ferocious and deadly- even if he was protecting her as the blue wolf had- she didn’t think she would be able to reconcile her lover with the savagery of the beast she was sure to see if she just turned her head .

  It was over in an instant and yet it felt like long minutes ticking away so slowly within her as she lay against the frozen ground beneath her, the cold going unnoticed as her blood burned with the fire of knowing the impossible to be true.

  The wolf’s pad’s that came to stand before her was a different colour to Cade’s- to blue’s- the third wolf- but who could that be?

  Vicky didn’t lift her head- she knew she wasn’t in any real danger now- not from the wolves, she was sure that at least one of her attackers was now dead and the other was still unmoving on the ground as her eyes flicked across- catching sight of the blue wolf and her heart seized within her chest for the wolf’s pain- before she dropped her gaze back to the floor.

  She wanted to help that wolf, she wanted to move, she wanted to get up and do something, but her mind was in turmoil within her. Shock met with awe, denial met with belief and she was powerless to do anything but just be still.

  “Vicky-“ Cade’s voice broke through the long silence between the killing and the peace that had come over the clearing- the night- her heartbeat still ragged within her chest and when she felt the strong hand on her shoulder her heart kick started within her chest- rebooted and she jumped slightly in place.

  “Are you hurt?” His voice was demanding and she swore she could still hear the growl within each syllable as he spoke- his hand firmer on her shoulder as she shook her head- unable or unwilling to turn her head to look at him.

  His bare feet bit down into the snow beside her and a naked knee was added- pushing the snow in a welt around his skin as his other hand reached her body and he encouraged her to move- Vicky shook her head- it wasn’t fear within her- she felt none- it was disbelief mixed with trepidation- if she looked at him then she would be acknowledging what he was- who he was- it would be real- too real.

  Vicky closed her eyes against the impossibility she knew to be true. What the hell was she supposed to do with this? How was she supposed to deal with it?

  ‘Help blue- I need to deal with the fallout.’

  The sound of other wolves racing into the clearing, pants of breath so obviously not human, paws crunching snow and the appearing within her sideways vision caused Vicky to cringe within herself- this was already too much, but it was now fast approaching insanity- had her grandfather known? If he knew why would he lay traps? Why would he not warn her? Was this why he kept her away from here?

  “Vicky- sweetheart-“ Cade’s hands locked into place against her body and she felt herself being lifted from the snow- her mind spun- her heart raced and she didn’t know what to do.

  ‘Easy brother- she’s in shock.’ Marcus cautioned and Cade felt her body respond and recoil from him at the same time- confusion and tension swept through her in waves as he lifted her against his body- easily taking her weight within his arms as he stood up- she seemed so small against him- as though she was making herself as small as possible, like an animal in the wild when it was hiding from its hunter and trying to go undetected.

  “I have you now- you’re safe.” He breathed his words against her cheek- but she didn’t move- didn’t make a sound and with her head down he couldn’t see her eyes.

  ‘Tend to Blue’s wounds- clear this mess up and get rid of the bodies-‘ He had started walking away from the clearing with her when Marcus’s growled bringing Cade back around to see why. />
  ‘That one’s still alive-‘ Whit snarled and Cade hesitated- his mate filled his arms and while it would have been fitting for him to make the kill, he was more worried about Vicky.

  ‘Not for long-‘ There was no humour in Marcus’s voice- just hate and aggression. He would relish the kill.

  ‘Deal with it.’

  Cade turned and stalked away leaving the responsibilities in the capable hands on his Beta’s.

  Vicky was aware of the outside world being left behind as the warmth and silence of the cabin greeted her battered senses- she felt numb and yet at the same time so very aware- Being in Cade’s arms- the warmth- the security- being so totally protected from everything that threatened to engulf her- this was all so very wrong and yet it didn’t feel that way. Right here- right now he felt so very right and that was wrong. Wasn’t it?

  She sensed when the areas of the cabin changed around her- the entrance- the stairs- the hallway and finally the bedroom- her eyes weren’t taking anything in- it was just instinct- she knew where she was and who she was with and yet her brain seemed to be running almost on autopilot- how could that be?

  The feeling of sinking came to her- although she was still firmly in Cade’s arms- he hadn’t put her down- more like he had lowered them together and then she felt the warmth of his hand against her cheek and a shiver ran through her body- his warmth spreading through her like the kiss of life- thawing her from the permafrost that seemed to have taken hold of her and she heard the whimper and recognised it as her own.

  “Let me see your wound-“ He used his hand to cup her chin and turn her head to the side- the gentle caress firing a heat within her and when his fingers ran over the soft skin of her neck, near the wound her body thawed some more.

  The feel of his breath against her skin was nothing compared to the feel of his tongue over her flesh as he cleaned and sealed the wound- delicate strokes that made her catch her breath within her chest- her hands curled into balls in her lap as a need started within her and when he lifted his head to look down at her she caught sight of his eyes- the intensity of his gaze on hers startled her- the depth of feeling she saw snapping her mind back to this time- this place- him.