The Secret Read online

  “Well?” she pushed.

  No way in hell was he touching that subject now. “How long have you been a tracker?”

  She faced forward again and stared out the window so long he didn’t expect an answer. “Ten years.”

  “So you were what when you started? Sixteen?”

  “Fishing for information?”

  “Just making small talk. Long drive.” They still had at least another ten hours on the road ahead of them if they didn’t stop for the night. If he didn’t have two werewolves tagging along, he’d play tired and find a convenient motel. One with a big bed. Hell, that’s what he would do if Asa wasn’t along.

  He looked at Sunny from the corner of his eye. In a tight black sweater that showcased high, full breasts, along with tight black jeans, she made his mouth water. Her hair was a curious mix of blonde and brown. She had it up in a high ponytail, and he wondered how she’d react if he pulled it free to spear his fingers through its lengths.

  “You’re drooling,” she said tartly.

  “Not yet. Might when I get you naked though.”

  She huffed. “Not likely.”

  He grinned. He liked that acerbic tone. And the challenge it represented. “Maybe I’ll wrap you up. A Christmas present to myself.”

  This time she rolled her eyes. “I don’t do Christmas, cat.”

  He’d noticed her discomfort with the decor and music, the general holiday cheer when they’d stopped to eat. “Why not?”

  “No reason to,” she said softly.

  He retrieved her hand, squeezed it. “You do now.”

  He expected her to argue, but she didn’t. Leaning her head back against the rest, she closed her eyes and ignored him for the rest of the drive.

  Chapter Two

  Declan Roberts tried to concentrate on finding his missing brother, Arthur. Whether he meant to stop Arthur from going after Tim Burns, the man who’d killed his mate, on his own or help, he wasn’t sure. He told himself he only kept coming this far south to protect his brother. But it was a lie. He watched the taillights of the SUV in front of them while Asa drove. Silent. Not inviting conversation. Declan sighed. Endings sucked.

  He could see Carlos and Sunny were talking in the vehicle in front of them, and he was jealous as hell. They were the other reason he kept coming here. He wanted to be in that vehicle. With both of them. Privy to all their secrets, their desires. And he wanted to be the one to grant them.

  He was so fucked.

  He’d met Sunny a few months ago when the human hunters joined with the werewolf Hunters. He’d been paired to work with her. Over that time, his fascination with her had grown way beyond sexual.

  There’d been a girl once, one who was his, but she’d died long before he could claim her. If they’d had a mate bond, even a sexual bond, he probably wouldn’t have survived the loss. But they hadn’t, and he had. Eventually.

  With time he’d moved on. Joined the Hunters. He’d discovered women. He glanced at Asa. And men. Then he’d met Sunny. She was beautiful and tough, with a sensual allure she seemed unaware of. It’d taken a long time to get her to open up, even a little. A long time before she’d let him see the keen mind she hid, before she’d let him see the heat in her eyes. He knew what movies she liked. What books and art. How she voted. But always, her past was a secret. A mystery that was almost as big a draw as the woman.

  He wanted to know her inside and out. And not just her. His desire for the werelion who’d been working with them the last couple of months kept growing, but he hadn’t decided yet if he wanted to pursue it. It was too silent in the Excursion, so he turned on the radio, gave up on finding a station not playing Christmas music, and settled on Rudolph with a Southern twang.

  “Do you think you can have them both?” Asa asked softly, like he was afraid of breaking a spell.

  Ah, they were finally going to discuss it.

  “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  Asa looked at him, grinning, shaking his head. It wasn’t the bitter look he’d feared. “You won’t be able to control the lion.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t be so sure of that.”

  If it came down to a relationship, he didn’t believe either he or Carlos would top for long. They’d always struggle for that position. Sunny would become a buffer between them. Someone their animal natures would agree to protect, leaving them to each other.

  “Carlos is—”

  Declan looked over sharply when Asa broke off.

  Asa held up a hand. “Hey, I don’t want him for myself. No worries there. Cut out the growling and I’ll go on.”

  Declan hadn’t even been aware he was growling. Shit. He was too far gone for anyone to go back now. He wanted Sunny. He wanted Carlos. They both wanted him. They hid it well but every now and then one of them would let their guard slip a bit and the heat would show in their eyes and scent. It was going to happen. Simple equation. Right?

  “Like I was saying, Carlos is an enigma. We don’t know much about him except he’s the king’s brother. We don’t know much about the way lion dens work, either. But they aren’t like wolves.” He paused. “Have you heard of pride law?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t know much about it.” He shrugged, but Declan didn’t miss the curiosity in his voice. “But what I got was when a male lion takes a mate, it isn’t just one, and the plus is male. Males. More than one, usually. And they all belong to the dominant male in the group.”

  And just where the hell had Asa gotten this information?

  “And you heard this how?”

  Asa didn’t respond, and after a moment, Declan remembered. “I see,” he said softly.

  According to werewolf tradition, males were unabashedly heterosexual. Macho, alpha men who only wanted women. Tradition could go hang. Gay and bi werewolves were careful to keep their private lives private, but that didn’t mean they didn’t indulge. Hell, he and Asa had done the on-again off-again thing for longer than he cared to remember. And he remembered a time not long ago, when they were off, when his friend had gotten involved with someone. He didn’t know much about it. Just that it had ended badly. He’d bet anything now that that someone was a lion.

  Asa gave him a sharp grin. “I keep coming down here ’cause I keep catching his scent. And hers. She’s down there somewhere, Dec.”

  Declan leaned back against his door, suddenly not feeling guilty that he was going after Sunny and Carlos with no intention of bringing Asa along for the ride. He laughed. “You could have said something. I might have felt less guilty.”

  Asa sent him an incredulous look. “Are you kidding? And miss watching you squirm?”

  He threw an empty coffee cup at him, but laughing, Asa easily sent it sailing into the backseat.

  “So, you’re okay with this?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Who is this guy? Why didn’t you say anything? I would’ve helped, you know.”

  Asa shrugged. “I know. It’s just I got the feeling even if he did mate, he wasn’t bringing a wolf into his circle.”

  Well, didn’t that suck? Did Carlos feel the same way?

  “Sorry, man,” he said softly.

  Neither spoke for a long time.

  “There’s the woman, though. My mate,” Asa finally said.

  “Who is she?”

  Scowling, Asa shook his head. “No idea. I just know she’s there. I catch a faint whiff on the air sometimes.”

  “We’ll find her.” He and Asa had been through way too much shit together for Declan to abandon him now.

  “You’re gonna be busy enough.” He laughed. “But when y’all head home, I’m staying.”

  He started to protest, but Asa stopped him. “I have to, Dec. And you have your own life to get on with.”

  Friends didn’t abandon each other, though. He shook his head. “No.”

  Asa grinned. “How did I know you’d say that? I have a feeling, Dec, this is the trip I’ll find her. So maybe it won’t even be an issue.”
>
  Chapter Three

  Sunny breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the safe house in southern Florida. For more reasons than one. It was the only house on the street not decked out for Christmas. Not her favorite holiday. She hadn’t celebrated it since she was sixteen. Had never seen the point, since she was always alone. It looked like this year would be different though. Unfortunately. If anyone insisted on decorating She cut the thought off. It felt a little too Scrooge-like, even for her. Things were bad enough without borrowing resentment and loneliness.

  What the hell had possessed her to get in the car with Carlos, anyway? The feline oozed sex appeal. It wasn’t like she didn’t have an open invitation from Declan anytime she wanted to take it up. Asa too for that matter. She’d been tempted more often than she dared to admit. So tempted she was itching to take them up on it. She’d thought Carlos might make a good distraction on the drive down. Not.

  She was in worse shape now.

  She was a victim of her breeding and her secrets. Well, her breeding, or more to the point, her DNA, was her secret. Tradition said females were never weres. But apparently, tradition had nothing on evolution. Once the stories and legends had probably been true, but like everything in nature, shape-shifters were evolving. She only knew of one other female shifter, but they couldn’t be the only ones, and she was desperate to find her. Her twin sister. It was why she kept making these foolish trips to Florida with Carlos, Asa, and Declan.

  She had vague memories of werelions from her childhood. Like them, her cat craved touch and companionship and was all about making it a group event. The woman was distrustful, though. What kind of danger would she be in if she fell under the control of anyone who discovered what she was? Would she be allowed freedom? Would she be allowed to make her own choices? She just didn’t know who to trust, and she’d kept the secret so long, it was ingrained in her to walk her own way. Yet the cat fought her for control. It liked these men. It trusted them. And maybe that was why she was so reluctant to hop into bed with either of them. She was pretty sure it would be the best sex of her life. She needed time to think it over. Time to decide what she should do. Try it out or run away?

  She didn’t wait for any of them before jumping out of the car and walking up the front step. The house was one of many her boss, Julian, owned for his people to use while on a hunt. She had the key and twisted it in the lock, pushed the door open. Carlos grabbed her before she could step over the threshold.

  The hold triggered an instinctive reaction. Fear. Anger. Fight. He caught her elbow before she could shove it into his stomach.

  “Whoa, baby,” he whispered against her ear. “I know you’re keyed up, but you know better than to just walk in without making sure the place is clear.”

  That damned voice of his. Sinful. Sexy. And in this case, right. She hadn’t used any caution. Hadn’t drawn her weapon. Hadn’t done an outside sweep of the property. She’d just wanted some distance from the men making her crazy with desire. Finally her mind and body fell back under her control, and she stilled.

  “Let me go,” she ordered softly to keep her voice from carrying in the quiet predawn morning.

  She set her hand on the butt of her pistol and felt his reluctance to set her free. Once he did, she drew the weapon and they entered together, quickly moving through the house to ensure no unwanted guests had taken up residence. Her heart stuttered when she checked the only bedroom. It was nearly filled with a giant, king-size bed. The only one in the house.

  She backed out quickly, before her unruly body could get any ideas. Carlos, Asa, and Declan were waiting for her in the living room. One of them handed her a beer, and she sat in the only chair, leaving them to the couch, though none took it. The room was tense and silent. The men seemed to put as much distance between themselves as possible. They all looked a little stiff, like they were hopped up on adrenaline and preparing to jump into battle. She rolled her eyes. If she wasn’t sure she’d tear him to bits, she might wish for a nice, calm, biddable beta male. Instead of opening her mouth and inviting disaster, she sipped the beer.

  “Should we toss a coin for the bed?” she asked, weary, on edge, ready to get some sleep. Sick of fighting the heat in her body. Why the hell hadn’t Julian warned her about the sleeping arrangements? Or was he still in matchmaking mode? He’d been incredibly pleased with himself since Gia and Anthony got together.

  “That’s not quite what I had in mind.” Carlos’s deep, carnal voice could drive a woman to insanity. She wondered if he was half as good as he thought he was, but she didn’t get the chance to think about it long.

  Declan and Asa both bristled at the werelion’s words, at the intent clear in them. Hoping to steer everyone away from trouble, she stood and tried to move between them and Carlos. The lion gave her a low snarl and pushed her behind him, snapping don’t when she tried to move around him.

  The situation could go from dangerous to deadly in a matter of seconds, but at this point she was more irritated than afraid. She pounded a fist on Carlos’s back, realizing when he purred he might find it an invitation, not a protest.

  “What the hell are you doing? We’re all friends now, remember?”

  The werewolves and humans had been working together for months, and the werelions were a recent and not entirely trusted addition. New or not, trusted or not, she wasn’t about to let anyone start a feud.

  “Let her come out where we can see her.”

  Carlos shook his head. “Not until you give me your word you won’t interfere.”

  She wasn’t sure whom the bitter laugh belonged to. Maybe Declan. “Cat, we promised Julian she’d be safe with us.”

  Her palms were pressed to Carlos’s back, and she felt him stiffen at the insult, the implication he’d do anything to harm her. She tried to intervene. “He wouldn’t”

  He twisted a little to look down at her. “Shh, kitten. Let me handle this.”

  She narrowed her eyes. First she was baby, and now kitten? Did he think she was a child who needed taking care of? He faced the wolves before she could ask.

  “There are some things that can’t be interfered with. Y’all know that.”

  “Only mates,” Declan replied.

  “Yes.”

  Oh no. No way. She didn’t know as much as she should about the werelions. She’d been only six when her father had taken them away, but if they were anything like the wolves, anything like her hazy recollections, there was no way in hell she’d mate with one of them. She just wanted to fuck him. Was that too much to ask? Sick of being ignored and talked around, she slid her hands under his shirt and scratched to get his attention. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what she’d been aiming for.

  He purred again, and she yanked her hands back, knowing she’d awakened that sleeping hunger she’d so often glimpsed in his eyes. Ignoring the wolves, he spun around to face her. “Don’t stop now, kitten.”

  “I don’t think I want to start,” she whispered, knowing she should back away, put some distance between them, but unable to resist the pull she felt toward him and so damned curious about what it would feel like if he touched her. Again, that need she’d been feeling since Halloween struck her. Her nipples were painful points, her pussy wet with desire. She wrenched her gaze from his, casting her eyes down, only to be caught by the bulge in his jeans. There was no doubting he wanted her.

  He groaned. “Sunny.” She looked up into his oddly glowing, gray eyes.

  Shit, she was in trouble here. The rational woman in her was fascinated by him. The cat even more so. The dual urges were making her crazy and were just compounded by the cat’s interest in Asa and especially Declan. They’d been dancing around each other for months. She cared for them both, found it harder and harder to resist the invitation in their eyes. Her feline side preened under the attention. It liked sex and intimacy, believed they should be lavished with care and attention. It basked in it. The woman would have protested less if the men in question weren’t were
wolves.

  “Wolves don’t share well.” Declan’s words snapped her back to the ongoing conversation.

  She saw Carlos relax with a slow, lazy smile.

  “Cats do.”

  After a short pause, Declan nodded and exchanged a look with Asa, who followed his lead. God, had the three of them just decided to share her? She didn’t know if the sudden thumping of her heart was from fear or excitement.

  “Anyone care what I think about this?” She resorted to sarcasm to cover her confused reaction, her cat clamoring for freedom, hissing at her for standing in the way of sexual fulfillment. It didn’t care anything about morals or reputations or broken hearts. Between it and them, she was pretty sure she’d give in to temptation if she didn’t get some space soon. Hell, she wouldn’t be there at all if not for her missing twin, right? She had to get the hell out of there, but wasn’t surprised when he tried to stop her at the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  Of course, she wouldn’t get out unnoticed. “I need a shower. And sleep. And y’all need to chill out. It ain’t gonna happen.”

  She wasn’t fucking any of them. No way, no how. She’d just end up too involved to walk away when the time came. She might be willing to compromise her safety and freedom, but never her sister’s.

  * * *

  Carlos watched her walk into the dark hallway, sensing her trying to pull back, but his more immediate concern was the pissed-off wolves behind him. When he heard the door open and close, heard the lock clicking into place, he turned to face them.

  “She’s mine.”