Broken Wolf: Moonbound Series, Book Seven Read online

  “Did you really mean what you said?” Andrea turned her body toward him. He straightened, and she looked up, meeting his gaze in the dim light. “That you want to spend the rest of your life with me? Do you know what that means?”

  He cupped her face and stared into her eyes. “I want to bond with you, Andrea. If that’s what we need to do to stay together. We can do it right now.”

  His sincerity warmed her to the core. The words of the ancient bonding spell teased her tongue, but they couldn’t. She shook her head. “We can’t. Adrian would instantly see the tattoos and know.”

  His eyebrows shot up, and Vadik’s forehead scrunched. “What tattoos?”

  “Did you notice Luther and Maggie’s Celtic bracelets?”

  “Yes.”

  “Those are magick. They come when the spell is cast.”

  “They come? Like, poof? One second no tattoo—”

  “Then the next second you have them. Yes.” Andrea shifted in her chair, raising herself up and sliding her body over his so that she had a thigh on either side of his hips. She ran her hands up his chest, memorizing each line beneath his shirt. “I love you,” she whispered. “Before all of this starts and—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “Nothing is going to happen to you. I’m going to make sure of that.”

  “I know you will.” She smiled and put her arms around his neck. “And when this is all over, we find a little cabin somewhere, where we can make love every single night for a hundred years. Well, except on full moons.”

  “Full moon?” He cocked his head to the side and stared at her in confusion.

  “I shift. On full moons, I turn without a choice. From sunset to sunrise I am trapped in my wolf form.”

  “That’s fucking messed up.”

  A chuckle rolled through her chest. “Just a little, but you get used to it. The perks are pretty good. Long life. Good health. A mate who can share your soul.” She ground against his pelvis, pleased to feel his erection grow quickly between them.

  “How do you know we are mates?”

  “That magnetic pull you feel. That’s Fate telling us we belong together. It’s that feeling you can’t shake or explain. The desire to be together grows stronger each day we are together. When we had sex the first time, it accelerated even faster. And once we bond, it will grow exponentially again.”

  He tugged her shirt loose from the waistline of her jeans. “So pretty much, me wanting to fuck your brains out becomes my one and only thought?” He covered her mouth and kissed her, stealing her breath. Then slid his hands to her hips, cupping her ass and pulled her down against his hard length.

  “Pretty much,” Andrea mumbled into his mouth. “We should get a head start on that now, I think.”

  “Absolutely.” Vadik lifted her from his lap and stood her in front of his chair. Her pants were undone before she could reach for the button, and he helped her shrug out of them, then he pulled her back onto his lap.

  She peeked over the back of his seat, thankful no had had noticed them. Or at least if they had, they were all being very polite and ignoring the noise and the smell of sex.

  She wrapped her arms around Vadik’s neck and held in a gasp as his cock filled her with one stroke.

  His strong hands gripped her hips and lifted her slowly, then pulled her back down. Again and again.

  She sank into the pleasure. Magick swirled between them. This was what they both needed. Both wanted.

  Just knowing he wanted her as much as she wanted him gave her peace of mind.

  Nothing else mattered right now.

  Nothing but being with Vadik.

  Chapter Eleven

  Vadik woke to someone tapping his shoulder. Feeling Andrea in his arms sent a welcome warmth through his body. Her presence had been the little drop of water pounding on his heart until it cracked, and once it was open, it wouldn’t stop gushing. But opening his eyes meant facing the stark reality of the world.

  They were about to walk into hell.

  I don’t want to take Andrea into hell.

  “Wake up, dude.” Another tap on his shoulder, and he finally opened his eyes. Luther was standing over him, hanging halfway in the aisle, and halfway in the empty seat beside him.

  Andrea had collapsed after her silent orgasm and it appeared that she hadn’t moved. Her breath was steady, rhythmic. She was at peace.

  “We’re about to land.” He pointed at the sleeping woman on his lap. Wolf on his lap. She was a wolf, after all.

  “Do I have to wake her?” Vadik whispered.

  “It would be best. We need to gather your things. Maggie packed Ilya’s suitcases with the stuff Natalja got you.” Luther thumbed behind him. “When we land, the guy who replaced me is going to be there to meet you, and we need you to exit the plane early enough that they don’t attempt to come on board.”

  “Would you have come on board?”

  His friend shrugged. “I might’ve if I thought they didn’t have any staff on the plane to assist them. But they usually communicated it ahead of time. Problem is, we don’t know what Ilya told them.”

  Vadik glanced down at Andrea as she moved on his chest. “Is there any way…” He stopped, unsure of how to put in to words what he wanted to say.

  “You don’t want her to go.” Luther nodded, his eyes going dark. He looked toward the cockpit, where Maggie leaned against the hallway, talking in low tones with the big, blond Chicago wolf.

  Vadik pressed his lips together and swallowed. “Is there any way I can keep her on this plane?”

  One of Luther’s eyebrows tented, “You think she wants that.”

  “I don’t care what she wants.” His fingers tightened on the arm rest. “You know it, and I know it… We’re not ready for this mission.”

  His friend’s jaw worked on a response, but nothing came.

  “There were too many variables. First, we were going to take Ilya, then we decided to leave him. We thought we’d have to control the woman, then she dies. We think we’re going to the island for days, then it’s hours. We’re…” Vadik breathed through the frustrated bubbled that kept trying to rise in his chest. “I can’t keep her safe if the variables keep changing.”

  “You don’t need to keep me safe,” she said from his neck. The warm air tickled at his skin and he smiled.

  “You think that now, but you’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “I have strength that’s supernatural, from being a wolf.” Her hand settled into a rhythm on his chest. “I’m probably stronger than you are.” The laughter in her voice ignited something in him and Vadik tightened his arms around her.

  “It’s not about strength. Or even hearing or smelling or anything like that. It’s about instincts.” He stroked her back. “I know how strong you are. I remember your hotel room.”

  Luther backed away with his hands in the air. “Okay, people. Too much information. I’m just the messenger.”

  “I just meant, there’s a shorthand you have from working with someone in the field. Sometimes, half a second of anticipating someone drawing a gun on you can make the difference between alive and dead.” His breath caught. “I can’t lose you.”

  “You’re not going to lose me.” She pressed her palm over his heart. “Remember the hundred years.”

  Vadik didn’t respond. He settled her back on his legs and turned her chin up so he could look in her eyes.

  I have a bad feeling about this.

  But he couldn’t say it out loud. She wouldn’t hear him. She thought being a wolf would protect her, but she hadn’t been on hundreds of missions. Taking an untrained person into the field was almost as dangerous as being partnered with someone you were sleeping with.

  Dammit. Why couldn’t they just have controlled themselves?

  “I mean it, dude. We’re landing in about ten minutes.” Luther pointed. “Get your shit together.”

  Vadik pulled Andrea to her feet. “You should change.”

  “You
’re not going to chain me to the chair or something?” She smiled and touched his face, lingering there. “Like some big cave man guy?”

  His heart surged and he grabbed her, pressing his lips down on hers with an urgency that was going to lead him to peeling off her clothes again if he wasn’t careful. “I want you to be safe.”

  “I’ll be safe.” She kissed him and held his hands as she stepped away, moving to the suitcases. Andrea opened Sasha’s small, black case and pulled out one of the bodysuits.

  Anger pulsed through Vadik’s body. He didn’t want her wearing those things in public. But the one she chose was much more conservative than the one she’d worn to the club.

  He remembered it from the clothing store. It was solid leather, from toe to neck, and while it hugged her ever curve, it wouldn’t reveal anything he didn’t want them to see.

  “Go put your clothes on,” she said, with a tease in her tone. “Remember, we only have to be them until we get on the island.”

  She said it like it would be easy, like it was no big deal, like she was confident they would pull it all off.

  But Vadik couldn’t shake the dread that filled his chest and pressed at every cavity, trying to get out.

  When they walked off the plane, he couldn’t control anything and there were a thousand variables that could surprise them at any time. That was the most frightening prospect he’d faced in his entire life.

  The leather body suit pinched and stuck to her skin in all the wrong places. Plus, she was already starting to sweat inside the suit and a thin layer of slime was forming making the suit rub certain body parts raw with every step.

  Being Sasha was uncomfortable, emotionally and physically. Not only did she have to walk a few paces behind Vadik, she had to remember to stare directly at the bottom of his shoes. Staying focused on his movement and the creak of his Armani loafers was the only thing that kept her mile-a-minute brain from making her look around and take in everything.

  Stairs to the tarmac went quickly. The squeak of each step and the grind of plastic against the metal steps screamed in her mind. Andrea focused on making sure the large suitcase she was pulling didn’t knock her over in the three-inch stilettos she was sporting.

  At least she’d put a pair of good running shoes into the suitcase for a quick change on the boat. The hardest part would be peeling herself out of this getup. The aftermath would be embarrassing, but she could shower later.

  Andrea wanted to look around. Take in the beautiful night skyline of Mexico. A warm breeze brushed her cheek, reminding her of Texas. Somewhere was home, but this was a beachy paradise. And she’d much rather be sun-tanning on a nearby sandy spit than headed over to Adrian’s prison island.

  Damn. Get a grip. You can do this. Think about all those women and children depending on you to make sure they get off this island alive instead of in a body bag.

  She glanced forward through the shelter of her bangs. The passenger door of the limo opened and a man—no, make that a wolf—stepped out.

  Holy shit.

  Andrea steadied her heart the way her brother Allan had taught her. If she wasn’t careful, they’d pick up her nervousness. She wasn’t supposed to be nervous. She was a slave. Quiet. Content. Not nervous and wondering what was coming next.

  The only problem is, I’m not a slave. I don’t think that way. She took another self-calming breath.

  “Welcome to Choaca, Mr. Petrov.”

  “Thank you,” Vadik answered. “It is very beautiful here.”

  “The island is even more impressive, sir. Can I take the bag from your slave and stow it in the trunk?”

  “Yes.”

  Andrea released the handle of the suitcase and kept her head down. Stare at the asphalt. Stare at the asphalt. Do not look up. Breathe.

  The engine of the limo started, and she listened intently as the security guard opened and closed the trunk. Then, he opened the passenger door.

  “Sasha.” Vadik’s voice cut through her concentration and she almost glanced up at him.

  Instead, she nodded and stepped closer, climbing through the limo door after him. And gulping a breath as Adrian’s man closed the door with a heavy thump behind her.

  More magick seeped toward her form the direction of the driver. Two wolves. How were they going to get the jump on two wolves?

  Luther had assured them Rossi only hired human security for transport to and from the mainland. These men were not human.

  She swished her hair to the side and rubbed her ankle across Vadik’s. The small silver briefcase holding the two explosive charges sat on the floor between them. He took the hint and leaned closer, buckling her seatbelt and leaning his face near hers, almost as if he’d known she needed to say something.

  “They’re both wolves,” she breathed into his ear. The barrier was up between the cab and the back of the limo, but even so, if they were listening, they would be able to hear everything.

  Every word. Every stray heartbeat.

  He nodded and shoved back to his chair.

  She glanced down at the floor and they rode the entire drive to the dock in complete silence. The limo pulled to a stop fifteen, maybe twenty minutes later.

  Andrea listened as both men exited the cab of the limo. The back passenger door was opened.

  Vadik hesitated for a second, as if waiting for her to get out first. But that wasn’t appropriate.

  She stayed frozen in place and he took the cue, grabbing the metal briefcase as he exited. Andrea climbed out after him and took a deep breath of the salt-filled air. The rolling drum of the waves to her right soothed her anxiety-ridden brain.

  Everything they’d talked about doing to escape the escort basically had to be tossed. There were two. And they were wolves.

  “This way. Mr. Petrov. The boat’s ready and waiting. Your friend coming to the island to hunt, arrived earlier this afternoon. He seemed disappointed he missed you.”

  “It will be good to see him again after so long.”

  One of the wolves grunted and the sound of their footsteps changed as they crossed from the parking lot to the wooden planks of the dock.

  She watched, waiting for Vadik to move first. She could do this. Andrea just had to keep concentrating on not looking at him or looking at anything else. Nothing mattered. Only saving the people Adrian had enslaved.

  And who the hell was this hunter they’d mentioned? If the real Ilya actually knew someone on the island, their cover would be blown immediately.

  Vadik was doing surprisingly well. She’d barely been able to detect a change in his pulse. He hadn’t looked over his shoulder for her and he hadn’t reached for her. So far. So good.

  An oomph slipped from between her lips and she nearly went down as the heel of one of her stilettos caught in a gap between the planks on the gangway.

  “Ma’am, are you okay?” One of the men spoke up, taking a step toward the gangway she was crossing.

  Andrea opened her mouth, but snapped it shut before she responded in a sweet Texas drawl that she was fine. Shit. That was close.

  “Do not address my slave without permission,” Vadik hissed at the guard.

  The younger man shrugged. “Didn’t want her falling into the ocean, sir. Not good for business if we lose passengers. Mr. Rossi would be extremely upset.”

  “If she falls into the ocean, you can retrieve her. Otherwise, do not ever address her personally. She is not allowed to respond, in any case.”

  “Yes, sir,” the guard replied before backing away and disappearing into the cabin of the yacht.

  So strange to be spoken about as if I’m not even present.

  It was Luther’s boat—The White Pearl. Andrea recognized it from when she’d gone to the docks to flirt with him a month ago. Now the big bald softy and Maggie were glued together tighter than marshmallow and chocolate on a campfire s’more.

  She grabbed the railing and made her way across the last of the gangway and onto the deck. What had that other man done
with their suitcase? Dammit. She hated feeling so useless. Trapped beneath a layer of leather and rules that kept her from interacting with her surroundings.

  Mostly from speaking with Vadik. But that wasn’t an option now at all. Anything they said would be overheard. At least he had the case clasped firmly in his hand. A lot of good it would do them if they couldn’t get away from their two escorts. The whole plan was fucked. They weren’t prepared to change their plan. To adjust for the unexpected. To not be able to communicate at all!

  “Sasha, sit.”

  She caught Vadik’s gaze for a brief moment, and sat on the white couch next to him as the boat trolled away from the dock and began picking up speed.

  The silver case sat safely tucked between their bodies, unfortunately it also meant she wasn’t able to sneak in a touch of any kind.

  Andrea took a deep breath and listened. It was the only thing she could do.

  Vadik’s hand twitched on his leg next to hers, but he didn’t move to touch her.

  Good.

  The boat cut through the choppy water. Wind whipped through her long loose hair and the smell of salt filled her lungs. She controlled her exhalations, slowing her heart rate a little more just to be on the safe side. To his credit, Vadik appeared to still be completely at ease.

  A long few minutes passed before the boat slowed and came to a halt next to a small pier. Lights along the dock and down the beach unnaturally brightened the dark night.

  Another heartbeat registered a short distance away. It was slow and too even, almost as if the person was asleep.

  “We have a Jeep waiting to take you up to the house. Mr. Rossi is expecting you.”

  Don’t look up. Wait for Vadik to move first. What is he going to do? We can’t go to the house. Can we? Adrian will know. Gods, Adrian will know.

  Andrea held in a breath and focused on her heart rate again.

  “Sasha. Pay attention.” Vadik’s voice was too far away.

  When had he risen from the couch? Dammit. She hopped up from the seat, and scurried into her expected position.

  At least these two security guys didn’t seem to know the difference.