5: Hood - Pack Trust Read online

  So he assumed that I’d somehow been in contact with Jack all that time, too? He didn’t trust either one of us? That’s not much of a surprise. But I wasn’t registering Hood’s words then.

  Jack, not knowing what was going on between us completely--Okay, none of us were really getting the whole picture--said jokingly, “Done that, thought that was part of your plan, friend.”

  You know that Hood moves like a freaking superhero, right? One minute he’s there. Next, he’s on top of you. It was like that. From the door to punching Jack in no time flat.

  The only one who could react that fast was Fera.

  The minute Hood leaped at Jack, she pounced his back, shifted crinos, and bit him in the shoulder of the arm that plowed Jack in the head, dead center on the nose. Yeah. Jack went flinging backward, stumbling into me, and we both ended up on the floor.

  Blood went everywhere. Hood had broken his nose.

  I started screaming, “Oh, God! Oh, God!”

  Hood slung his sister off his back. She pounced back.

  Meanwhile, Jack was coming up off the ground with a “Son of a bitch!” and a head-butting, barroom brawl style assault of his own.

  There was a big “Hmph” when he hit Hood in the midsection and they tumbled backward over some furniture.

  I scrambled toward them, screaming, “Jack! No, Jack! Fera--help!”

  So, that just pissed Hood off more, gave him renewed frenzy, and he blinked to crinos completely, slashing at Jack with his claws. He wasn’t thinking at all. Just clawing. Jack was on top of him, pummeling him in the side repeatedly, boxing him in the kidney. Probably one of the few spots that really could be hurt. With every solid thump, Hood let out a pained groan. I think there were, maybe, three? Four? hits in quick succession.

  Fera did the only thing she could do at that point. She hit Jack from the side, knocking him off Hood. If she hadn’t, he’d have been shredded. It all happened so fast that if I’d blinked, I would have missed it. I know that for a fact, because the second Hood could breathe....

  She rolled, spun and came up at about the same time Hood did. They almost attacked each other--I think--before they realized who they were facing. She snarled right up in his face. There was no doubt; he’d have to go through her to get to Jack.

  I crawled to my downed hero, crying, “Jack...Jack...are you okay?” Pulling his head into my lap, I smoothed his hair back and kissed his temple. At that point, I didn’t care what they did to each other. Or me. I was just worried about Jack.

  His head had hit the wall, put a dent in the gypsum board even, and he wasn’t altogether coherent. Even then, the first words out of his mouth really told on his heart. He called, “Fera!”

  Snapping his dog, you could say.

  She flinched, but she didn’t look away from her brother. I rather admired her at that moment for not backing down, not giving in, making no compromises whatsoever. Not to either man. I’d have rolled right over. I know I would have. Guess that’s the difference between being born a girl, versus being born lupus.

  Hood sucked in air and succinctly said, “Move, Fera.”

  “Over my dead body.” Barely a whisper. So lethal.

  I knew Jack was going to be all right when he tried to crack the tension with a pained half-laugh and, “Family gatherings were never this much fun before.”

  Struggling to sit up, with my help, he snapped again, “Fera!” This time, it was laced with annoyance.

  She jerked once more, but there was no mistake in her, “Touch him and I’ll kill you, Hood.” She backed up a step at a time, until Jack could put a hand to her side. The hair on the back of her neck was still up, and she had a ready-to-leap crouch going on.

  I had to reach forward, flip my still-wet hair over my shoulder and plead, “Hood, please.”

  His killer gaze climbed over them, to me, and he commanded, “Come here.”

  Jack--I swear sometimes he doesn’t think at all--said, “Stay where you are, Giselle.”

  Hood postured, rising up, and Fera sank lower on her haunches, ready to counter any move he made.

  I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to go to Hood, even if he killed me. In fact, my earlier thoughts of that gave me the courage. If he killed me, it would sort of be a relief. Right?

  Chapter Nine

  The fact that I hesitated, listening to Jack, had some effect on Hood. Stretching his neck, rotating his shoulders, he forced the tension from his body and shifted out of crinos. His gaze never left mine the whole time. And when he was human again, he said quietly, “Giselle...come.”

  Fera growled at him, though, and I didn’t want to climb past her fangs.

  Jack stroked her side some more. “Fera, relax.”

  It was funny all of a sudden. Relax. Relax. The mantra of the whole friggin’ lupey bunch. I chuckled, “Yeah. Relax. Everybody just relax.”

  Hood, for some reason, didn’t think that was so funny, though. His lip curled a bit and he said, “I’m not going to ask again.”

  Fera dropped instantly to lupus form, and her belly. Lolling her tongue out in a very happy dog stance, she turned her laughing face to me.

  Jack curled his fingers in her fur, but he looked over his shoulder at me, and said, “Don’t be stupid, Giselle. He wants you.”

  I used Jack to push myself up, getting strength from the smile in his eyes. Not noticing how Hood hated the sharing of slight pleasure--friendship. Anyhow, I got up, crawled over Jack and Fera. Okay, you have to know that Jack’s a man and I didn’t have any panties on. And that Hood never missed a beat of the lolling tongue-in-cheek grin, or the nose wrinkle Jack made as he reached with his free hand--to my ass--to help me over.

  Almost past Fera, she snapped at me, made me jump and squeak. And bump into Hood’s chest.

  He reached out, grabbed my wrist in the air and looked me over. Sniffed without moving his nose. Well, he tipped his head ever-so-slightly downward. Then he looked at my wet hair and accused, “You just showered.”

  Thought I’d washed Jack off of me, out of me. I knew what he was thinking. Everybody did.

  Jack groaned, “I didn’t fuck your precious goddess, Hood. Jesus Christ.” He lumbered up off the floor, but muttered under his breath to Fera, “Stay.”

  Wonder of wonders, she did.

  Now, you may not like the way he handled her, but she was lupus born. She needed boundaries. I imagine they worked out what they both needed, and found some common ground. She didn’t argue with him once during this whole thing, so I figure they played a little at S and M.

  Jack wasn’t stupid. He didn’t move toward Hood and me. But he did say, “Ask her.” When Hood just stared at me like he wanted to rip my heart out or something--or like I had ripped his out?--Jack added, “Fera. Tell him.”

  She laughed in a hoarse, dogged voice, “I’m staying out of this.”

  I wanted to kick her.

  My throat would not move. It convulsed once or twice, but nothing came out. I wondered where all my clever quips and comebacks were. Hurt? They’d crawled down inside of me where things go to die? In that empty cavern where a heart should be?

  “For God’s sake,” Jack looked around, spotted my torn shirt and went for it, breaking our concentrated pain. Holding it aloft, he asked, “You could ask her how she’s feeling--you know she was bleeding.”

  Frowning up at it, he pulled it to his nose--used it for a pack, to stop the bleeding.

  Hood yanked my wrist as I tried to pull it from him. He asked, “Who hurt you?”

  Proud of herself a little, Fera volunteered, “Uh, that would be me.”

  He said, “I’ll deal with you later.”

  “Suit yourself, but I think you’ve got your hands full.” She shifted to human, got up and went looking for clothes.

  I noticed that Hood’s grip had lessened and that he actually was checking me over. Quick visual. His eyes flashed red and he asked, huskily, “You’re okay?”

  I nodded. “Jack--Jack pulled her off
of me.”

  The toss and tumble of Jack falling on me had actually caused some seeping on the claw mark over my breast. Hood’s nose dipped close to it, and he closed his eyes.

  Jack turned his back, set a chair upright with one hand. “Pull her dress off and look her over. She’s all in one piece.”

  Fera grumbled, “Not because I had any say in it.”

  Hood accused, “You got out by the tunnel. Who showed it to you?”

  That gave me what I needed to pull my hand free and get past my stupor. I mean, for a minute there, it looked like he really cared about me.

  Lifting my eyebrows, I said, “One of my many admirers.”

  Jack threw something against the wall and turned on us. The moon was coming up. He didn’t say anything, though, but you could smell him getting ticked off.

  He was so much more straight and honest than we were.

  Fera held up a shirt she was thinking of putting on and said to no one in particular, “You don’t think you’re the only one that thinks she’s special, do you, Hood?” She decided against the top and held up another. Pulling it on, she said, “Of course not. You wouldn’t be that blind. Would you?”

  I thought I was going crazy. Full moon rising. Confused, I looked over at Fera and asked, “You...think I’m special?”

  She laughed and stepped into some pants. Spandex Capri. “What would you say, Jack?”

  “Not...” he grinned, “Jack shit.” He scooped up her unusable clothing, the things she’d had on before shifting, dropped my shirt in favor of hers, and put that to his nose. “This is stupid. Tell her why you keep her cooped up at Lobos all the time, Hood. Explain to her what just happened. And why you brought her and me into the program.”

  “Genetic integration, right?” My throat was tight. I was almost afraid to hear the answers. “Brains, physical specs--”

  Hood sighed sadly, stopping me with, “Giselle--”

  I knew I wasn’t going to like what was coming next. I backed up, but he reached for me, pulled me to him roughly. “I needed you.” The admission seemed pulled from down, clear out of his groin maybe.

  He hated telling me--trusting me with his reasons. On that, he was an open book.

  He said, “Both of you.”

  Fera got tired of waiting for him to get it out. She said, “Hood and I are unnaturals, Giselle.”

  So, that made me blink. I coughed up, “Wh--what?”

  “It took me a bit to figure it out.” Jack came over, flopped down onto a couch, propped a leg up on the arm and said, “Lupus born unnaturals, genetically enhanced--bitten by garou parents after birth.”

  “But that--doesn’t make sense.” I had a sudden urge to run, to get the hell out of there. “You shift whenever you want.”

  “Not exactly.” Jack, again, was volunteering his info. “They shift when they’re pissed.”

  “And when we’re scared.” Fera climbed up on the couch, under Jack’s arm, and cuddled.

  “Gives the illusion of the natural garou. And since they do lupus, they don’t smell like human born unnaturals.”

  “But, there are garou that are natural born, not bit. Right?” I was questioning everything I thought I knew--again.

  “Yes.” Hood said that through a tight jaw. He was watching me, gauging my reaction--which was utter torpor, really.

  “How--how did you get so far up in the--”

  Jack laughed. “Ha. Very carefully, my dear.”

  “But you kept Fera at Pack City all that time.”

  “I kept an eye on her, believe me.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me all this?” More hurt. More anger. More moon. Turning on Hood, I said, “You son of a bitch. All this time you had me--”

  “Prisoner.” Hood said the word.

  “Both of us, under lock and key.” Fera said it gratefully. “He took care of us, Giselle.”

  I still didn’t understand. I mean, Fera and I were worlds apart.

  “I had to see how long it took for someone to figure it out.” Hood said. “Jack beat you to the punch. I really thought it would be you, Giselle.”

  Jack was checking out his nose, tenderly touching it, using Fera’s torn top to stem the flow of blood when he made it bleed again. He was covered in salty crimson, but being garou, you don’t really mind the smell of blood. In fact, Fera was licking, kissing? him as he said, “You broke my nose, Hood.”

  Looking over me, he said, “You’re lucky I didn’t kill you. After the last time, I should have--”

  I interrupted. “What last time?”

  Jack half laughed again, “Honey, the last time you and I were together, he didn’t just bite me.”

  “What do you mean?” I spun on Hood, wanting him to explain.

  Hood shrugged. “I put him in the habitat.”

  “With a fucking shake in my veins.”

  Okay. So, here is the point where I have to finally question...why. I know, I’m a little slow on the uptake, but Hood’s not admitting anything to me. And I’m not trusting the niggling possibility that’s snaking through my system--or was that hunger and the rising moon?

  I had to ask myself, were Jack and Fera telling me that Hood cared about me?

  Chapter Ten

  My stomach growled. At least, I thought it was my stomach. But, on second thought, I think it was Hood and Fera in unison. Reading my mind?

  Fera said, “If we don’t feed her, she’s gonna kill something tonight.”

  My brain flicked to the habitat. I knew what I was going to kill. Exactly.

  Hood shook his head. “You can’t do that, Giselle.”

  I backed away from him. “You don’t own me, Hood.”

  Fera snickered over that and muttered, “Bet.”

  It distracted me just enough for Hood to get a hold of me again. I fought for only a second before I went limp and let him drag me against him. You can manhandle me, but you can’t really own me.

  Again, Fera snickered.

  Jack’s head came up. “What?”

  “Shh.” Fera whacked Jack--not hard--to keep him still, so she could concentrate.

  Hood looked down at my face and shook his head, “Wrong, Giselle.”

  I tried to jerk free. “People don’t own people, Hood. I’m not a dog.”

  His other hand came up, smoothed a thumb over my cheek in a very tender touch. Softly, he said, “I never thought you were.”

  Hood is so intense, he just blocks out whatever he needs to. And, right then, he blocked out the fact that Jack and Fera were watching. I didn’t have any defense when his lips descended on mine in a devouring kiss.

  To say he kissed me senseless is not an understatement.

  Go ahead, pity me a little bit. I wanted him so bad, I would have let him ravish me in front of an army. When he blocked out our audience, I did, too. He had me breathless in seconds, clinging in a minute and drizzling with desire before I could think.

  In that dress, I had no secrets from him. My nipples puckered up and the lobes of my breasts gathered heavily, pressing into him. When I felt his erection between us, I moaned into his mouth.

  You’d think Fera or Jack would have gotten up and walked out, but nah. Fera’s a total voyeur, loves to watch. And Jack? He’s a man, plain and simple. They watched avidly.

  Hood reached down between my legs to feel how wet I was. Not that he couldn’t smell me. I mean, when my juices are flowing, the fragrance flowers up between us. Or maybe that’s because he always reaches down there, unleashing the flow? Whatever, I was slick quick.

  And with the full moon rising, I was dripping wet.

  He tore his lips from mine, pressed them to my temple and whispered, “I thought I’d lost you.”

  That blinked me out of my little heaven.

  First, as far as I knew, there were still security teams on the prowl. His words kind’ve smacked me with that thought. Second, what, exactly, had he thought he’d lost? A ready romp?

  My stiffness relayed itself to him and he, too,
became taut. Maybe he realized how close he’d come to expressing his real feelings for me. Damn the search and my running in the first place. Pulling away from me, he asked, “What?”

  “Are they still looking for me?”

  “Yes, but--shit.” He let go of me and went to a phone. Calling Lobos, he told security to halt the search, explained that he’d found me and would be bringing me back personally.

  I struggled with that. I’d been content at Lobos before, but now that I knew I’d been his prisoner all along, I had a problem with it. I glanced toward the window, then the door.

  “You run, and I’ll hunt you down myself,” Fera said. “You can’t do that to him again.”

  Spinning to face her, I asked, “Do what?”

  I think she wanted to rip her hair out. Fists went up and she gritted, “I swear, you’re as dumb a bitch--”

  Jack got a hold of her hands, brought them down, interrupting with a calm, “Maybe she’s not so much dumb, Fera, as needing a little help understanding.”

  Hood had his back to us, still talking, but speaking much more quietly. More conspiracy. That’s what I guessed.

  “What does she need spelled out? A blind girl could read--”

  “What?” All the riddles were bringing out my ire. Tired, hungry, angry. Moon almost up. I growled, “What?”

  “Careful, Giselle.” Jack climbed up off the sofa. “We need to get to the habitat.”

  “I don’t want to go.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  Those bitches bounced through my head and I agreed, “You’re right. I do want to go.”

  Hood hung up the phone. “Giselle can’t go in there tonight.”

  Jack squared his shoulders. “She can’t stay out here.”

  “Why can’t I go in there?” I headed for the door. “Try and keep me out.”

  Jack groaned. “Giselle--”

  The door open, I took off running. Barefoot, in that stupid dress. Must’ve been a great sight to see. Knowing it was all Lobos property, I, apparently, stopped caring about propriety. But that’s the crinos rising.

  Fera hit me from behind, without a growl. I never knew what hit me.