Crossroads

Chapter 4

A pounding on the apartment door woke Nick, and her heart jumped into her throat. Michelle made a soft, distressed noise, and Nick raised a finger to cover her lips. “Shh. Stay here.”

She slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her, and reached the end of the hallway in time to see Alec open the door for a livid Jackson.

“Crap,” she muttered.

He barely glanced at Alec before pointing at her. “You are up the creek, missy. What the hell is going on?”

“Aw, shit,” Alec drawled, stepping aside. “Who tattled? Derek?”

Nick crossed her arms over her chest. “Derek wouldn’t have done that.”

“Kat,” Jackson told them shortly as he stomped in. “Derek pissed her off because he got some, or something, and she didn’t, except that Andrew says no one got any. Which is beside the point. What happened?”

She ran her hands through her hair. “Michelle’s pregnant, and the Conclave’s hunting her and Aaron.”

Jackson cursed. “My mama’s downstairs with Mackenzie.”

“Precisely why Derek didn’t call you last night when he called Alec.” Nick dropped to a chair by the sofa and made a face. “It’s under control, Jackson. As much control as we can muster right now, anyway.”

“Aaron.” Alec rose and gestured to the tall man who stood silently in the corner. “Why don’t you take Michelle downstairs? Mackenzie and Nancy will get you both something to eat, I’m sure, and she’ll be safe down there between you and Mac.”

Aaron headed for the bedroom, and Nick walked into the kitchen to retrieve a mug. “Want some coffee, Jackson?”

He arched an eyebrow. “No, thanks.”

“How long are you going to be mad at me?”

Jackson transferred his withering look to Alec. “I’m mad at you both.”

Alec seemed unconcerned. “You used magic to sneak out of my house and face a homicidal Seer for my own good. Your high ground’s not so high, Holt.”

Aaron led Michelle out of the bedroom, and Jackson’s frown disappeared. “Hi, Michelle.”

“Jackson.” Her sister actually smiled as she hurried across the room. She stopped suddenly a foot short of Jackson, looking like she wanted to hug him but wasn’t completely sure the gesture would be accepted.

He opened his arms with a wide grin. “Come here.” She flew into his embrace, and he glanced at Nick over her head. “There’s someone I want you to meet downstairs, Michelle. My mother.”

Michelle looked momentarily concerned, but Alec didn’t give her a chance to say anything. “Mama Holt’s dying for some more people to mother, Michelle. Sorry, sweetheart, but I’m throwing you under the train that is Nancy Holt. If I don’t, she’ll be up here trying to find me a wife.”

“Oh, God forbid.” Nick sipped the coffee and grimaced. It was terrible. “She’s sweet, Michelle. You can practice your conversational French with her.”

“Okay.” Michelle slipped her hand into Aaron’s, and he led her out the door, leaving Nick and Alec to face Jackson.

Alec dropped back into his chair. “I’m thinking we should bundle your mother off to the safe house with them, Jackson. Keep her out of trouble and give Michelle someone to look after her who isn’t a nervous daddy trained in deadly combat.”

Jackson looked down at his own injured leg. “Mackenzie and I could go too. Just in case.”

“Well, yeah. But if I’d told you to go, you would have dug your stubborn ass in and refused.”

Jackson glanced at Nick, who shrugged. “He’s got a point.” She ignored Jackson’s disgusted noise and gave him a serious look in return. “I need your help. I need you to make sure no one busts through all of Alec’s security. To keep my sister and her baby safe.”

He scratched the back of his head. “Which safe house is it, Alec?”

Somehow Nick wasn’t surprised Alec had more than one. “I was thinking the one out in the bayou,” he said, tilting his chair back. “It’s not the nicest, but it’s got the strongest wards. Now that Michelle’s gone, Conclave doesn’t work with anyone strong enough to break them.”

“I’ll see if I can’t bolster them too. If I’m going to have Mama out there…” Jackson took Nick’s cup and drained it. “Jesus Christ, that’s awful.”

Nick took the mug back and tossed it in the sink. “Aaron must have brewed it. He’s always made crappy coffee.”

Alec cut through the small talk with characteristic bluntness. “Jackson, what happens to pregnant spell casters? Their magic goes to hell, doesn’t it?”

“I thought I noticed something different about Michelle.” Jackson nodded. “‘Necessary neutralization’ is what they call it. Resources are diverted to the baby, even magical ones. Most women end up with little to no control, just—”

“Automatic defensive measures,” Nick finished. “Which won’t hurt her or the baby, but could be dangerous for bystanders.”

“Shit.” Alec scratched at his beard, his eyes focused on the floor. “Can we assume she’s not going to do anything to hurt friends and loved ones, or is it open season if she gets startled?”

Jackson dug through the fridge and pulled out a can of soda. “Honestly? It’s probably no big deal unless there’s real danger. Then who the hell knows? She could take out everyone, just trying to eliminate the real threat.”

“Well, fuck. Maybe we shouldn’t have your mama in the house with her.”

He popped open the can. “It’ll be fine if I’m there.”

Nick hopped up to sit on the counter. “When can we get them out there? Like you said last night, Alec, this is the first place they’ll look.”

“Shit, as soon as they get something to eat. Jackson and I can take care of that, though.” Alec pointed a finger at her. “You have something else to do, young lady. Derek’s going to lose his everloving mind if you don’t talk to him.”

“I’m not putting it off, I swear.” Even through her nervousness, she was eager to see him again. “I just want to make sure Michelle and Aaron are safe before I run off to fix my love life.”

Jackson finished his soda. “It could use some fixing, Nicky.”

“It’s not just your love life,” Alec corrected sternly. “You’re way past that, kiddo. That guy’s dominant as hell and feels like you’re in danger. If you don’t want him getting himself and some of us killed, deal with it.”

For a horrible moment, she couldn’t breathe. The thought of Derek hurt or worse… “I’m going to handle it. Now.”

Jackson tapped his empty can against the counter, then tossed it in the recycling bin. “I’ll go round everybody up.”

Alec waited until the door closed behind Jackson and shot Nick a serious look. “Don’t try to protect him, Nick. He may not have your experience, but he’s smart and he’s tough, and I’ve taught him a lot in the past two years. He can help.”

Derek’s strength had been one of the first things that had drawn her to him, even before the attack that had cost him his human existence. “I wouldn’t have sent him away last night if I hadn’t needed to, Alec. But I couldn’t deal with it all. Maybe that makes me weak or something, but I couldn’t do it.” She shrugged. “One of the things I realized is that I need his help.”

Oddly, Alec smiled. “You’re growing up, kiddo. Sort of sucks, huh?”

“Christ.” Nick rolled her eyes at him. “Get out of here before I decide to make your life hell by trying to find you a wife.”

If Nick guessed he was already on his way over when she called, she was polite enough not to mention it. He arrived at the bar three and a half minutes after hanging up and gave her a sheepish smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She shoved several plastic cards into her back pocket and grabbed her cell phone and keys from the bar. “Can you help me with something?”

“Sure. Need a ride somewhere?”

“I need to go to my place, pick up some things for Michelle and then maybe go shopping.”

He pulled the door open for her and gestured to the beat-up truck parked behind the bar. “Posh it’s not, but it’ll get us around.”

“Mackenzie took my car. She and Jackson are staying with Aaron and Michelle and…” Her words trailed off, and she turned to him. “Thank you, Derek. For what you did last night, and for helping me now. And…just everything.”

He didn’t remember moving, but in the next second he had her nestled against his chest, his arms around her. “Shh. I’m here, for anything.”

She reached up and slid her fingers through the short hair at the nape of his neck. “We need to talk too. I should explain things to you.”

“There’s time, Nick. I don’t want to be pushy and make it harder, I just need to be around.”

She flashed him a self-deprecating smile. “I can’t imagine how nuts I’d be if you were going through something like this. I promise to try and keep you in the loop, Derek.”

“That’s good enough for me.” He gave in to temptation and leaned down to kiss her, avoiding her lips at the last minute out of sheer self-preservation. He brushed his lips over her cheek and pulled away. “Come on. Let’s go.”

She gave him concise directions, and they spent the short drive to her house in silence. Nick seemed edgy, almost anxious, and he could hear her heart pounding over the rumbling of the truck’s engine.

She had her keys out by the time he pulled up to the curb. “Do you want some tea or a soda? Coffee?”

“Coffee would be good.” He parked the truck and shot her an amused look. “Kat had a fit at me this morning and kicked me out. Andrew, who also spent the night being an overprotective jackass, got to stay because he made her breakfast.”

That prompted a laugh as she reached for the door handle. “He got to stay because she wants to see him naked.”

If he never had to hear about Andrew and sex again, he’d die a happy man. “I don’t think she’s going to get that. Andrew’s got some screwed-up thing in his head about Kat not liking him if she really gets to know him.”

“That’s stupid.”

“Yeah, well…” He grinned and followed her through the front door. “You girls make us boys sort of stupid.”

Her keys clattered on the counter as she reached for the coffee pot. “You boys turn us into idiots too.” She eyed him while she started the coffee. “I have a lot of stuff to tell you. About how I grew up. About the way things are.”

“Alec’s told me some of it.” It was hard to think about what that had been, though. The graceful curve of her neck bore a tiny bruise. A mark.

His mark.

His hands shook as he curled them around the counter and jerked his gaze away from her. His voice was strained when he spoke again. “I know the basics.”

“Then the first thing you should know is that I’m not in danger. It sounds ridiculous, since we’re having to hide my twin sister away, but it’s true. I’m the Alpha’s heir. No one is going to touch me.”

Alec had told him same thing, but it didn’t ease the tense worry. “I can hear that intellectually, but I’m not sure how to convince my instincts.”

“I don’t know if you can.” Nick leaned against the counter. “You missed breakfast?”

“Yeah. I could pick something up for us, if you want. Or cook, if you don’t mind me messing around in your kitchen.”

“God, no. Mess around all you want.” She pulled open the refrigerator and gestured inside. “I’d help, but there’s not a lot of stuff I can make without setting off the smoke detectors.”

Cooking was something he could do, though it seemed somewhat less than heroic. Unless people are hungry. He crossed the kitchen to peek in the fridge. “My mother was a chef, you know. I’m a pretty decent cook.”

“I didn’t know that.” Nick eyed him over the fridge door. “Is it rude if I make you fix me breakfast while I take a shower and pack some things for Michelle? You can absolutely tell me if it is.”

“No, it’s polite to give me something useful to do. I really need to help out, Nick.”

She grinned at him. “Then the waffle maker is on the counter. I’ll be upstairs. Yell if you need anything.”

Nick proved to have a well-stocked kitchen for someone who claimed to be unable to cook. Derek used the familiar ritual of mixing batter as a way to quiet his mind, fighting against the part of him that wanted to follow the sound of the water. Nick was upstairs, in the shower. Wet and naked…

The handle of the wooden spoon in his hand creaked dangerously, and he released it with a muffled curse. Three hours of fitful sleep and a screaming match with his cousin, and he still couldn’t keep his mind out of his pants. Nick’s scent surrounded him, embarrassingly enticing and more than a little arousing. Not even the smell of cooking waffles could erase the subtle hints of jasmine and musk he associated with Nick.

It didn’t take her long to come back downstairs. She wore a flowing black and white patterned skirt and a black tank top, and her hair hung in wet tendrils around her shoulders. “I didn’t want you to have to wait. We can pack after breakfast.”

A drop of water fell from her hair and rolled down her throat, tracing over the mark of his teeth. Blood pounded in his ears and he told himself to look away.

Begged himself to look away.

She reached past him and took two mugs from a shelf. They hit the counter with a clatter, and he noticed for the first time the slight trembling of her hands. “The waffles look—I mean, everything—” Her words cut off with a frustrated moan, and she swayed toward him. “You’re killing me.”

“I’m killing us both.” He barely recognized his own voice. The words sounded low, harsh. Barely human. “Fuck, Nick, you have too much to worry about to deal with me—”

“Shh. I think…” She pressed her face to his chest and slid her hands around his waist. “If we keep fighting it, we’ll both be useless, Derek.” She tugged his shirt free and pressed a shaking hand to his bare skin.

He had the presence of mind to yank the cord to the waffle iron out of the wall socket before he grabbed her around the waist. She was so tiny, and once he’d used one hand to knock the bowl—and the rest of the batter—into the sink, there was plenty of counter space. His mouth found hers as he dropped her onto the tile, so far beyond desperate he couldn’t help but groan.

She kissed him with almost bruising force, breaking away only to pull his shirt over his head. “I need you so much,” she whispered against his mouth. “I can’t think about anything but you touching me.”

“Christ, Nick.” He got his hands under her shirt and coaxed it up, impossibly aroused by the smooth skin of her back under his fingers.

She dragged the black cotton over her head with an impatient noise, baring her body to the waist. “Tell me.”

The things he wanted to do didn’t feel very human. His hands shook as he slid them up to cup her breasts. “You need to tell me how to slow down, because I want to drag you to the floor and make a Discovery Channel feature.”

Heat flared in her eyes, and she framed his face with her hands. “I don’t know how. That’s what I meant last night. I’ve never—” She moaned and tilted her head back, offering him the pale curve of her throat. “Not like this, Derek. Not like you.”

He got one hand under her skirt as he licked the spot over her pulse. His knuckles brushed damp fabric and the last shred of sanity fled when he realized she was every bit as aroused as he was.

He got them to the floor, but he couldn’t remember how. He shoved her skirt up above her hips and dragged at the expensive little panties, succeeding only in getting them to her knees before he had to touch her.

She bucked up with a low cry, her bare feet sliding on the polished tile. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he stroked his fingers through her wet folds, and she rocked into his touch and watched him with glazed eyes. “More. I want you.”

He wanted to make her come, to do something smooth or sexy or exhibiting the tiniest bit of self-control. Instead he urged her over and tore at her underwear until it ripped away in his hand. The bare line of her spine beckoned, and he licked the back of her shoulder as he moved above her. “Tell me I can.”

“Yes.” She sighed the word as she reached up and tangled her fingers in his hair. “Anything you want.”

It was too fast, and he was supposed to care. There were probably other things he should be thinking about too, aside from how quickly he could get her onto her knees and how good it would feel to be inside her.

And then he was inside her, and he’d been wrong because it was so much better than anything he could have imagined. Nick cried out and threw her head back against his shoulder, already shuddering around his cock. She murmured to him, hoarse, whispered nonsense, but still he knew she meant for him to move, to drive her on. To make her scream.

He got a hand around her and slid it down until he encountered slick heat, the sensation enough to make him moan. His thrusts came too fast, too hard, but he couldn’t stop. Not when she writhed beneath him, whimpering and moving back to meet each advance. He rubbed his fingers over her clit and found he remembered one word. “Nick. Nick.”

Her entire body jerked and shook. Her head crashed into his chin, but he barely felt it. Instead, he focused on her voice, trembling and needy and finally screaming his name as she came.

Derek couldn’t stop himself from biting the back of her shoulder as the clenching heat of her body dragged him over the edge. He came with a roar, drowning out the sound of her voice.

She shivered under him, her back tight against his chest, and finally exhaled with a low curse. “Not crappy. Amazing.”

He wasn’t entirely sure he could speak, but he tried anyway. “Crazy out of control and still sort of awesome.”

Nick groaned quietly. “Come on, Derek. I feel really good. Don’t hurt my feelings with ‘sort of’.”

“Sort of,” he repeated as he shifted to his side, heedless of the cool tile floor. He rolled onto his back and pulled Nick on top of him. “You only came once.”

“Once? Really?” She grinned and bit his jaw. “Seemed like more than that.”

“Mmm, no. I was keeping track.” He curled his fingers in her hair, loving the way it felt under his hand. “Christ, you still need to eat.”

Nick tucked her head under his chin. “So do you. We need to get some things together for Michelle and find some time to talk, and—” She lifted her head suddenly and stared down at him. “Can you still take that vacation you mentioned last night?”

“Sure, Nick. Hell, Andrew might not let me back through the office doors if I wanted to be there.”

She stroked her thumb over his cheek. “Can you stay here with me? Just until we figure out this whole thing with the Conclave? It’s the only thing I can think of that’ll calm your instincts. And…me.” Her lips brushed his. “It’ll be better for me too.”

They hadn’t managed a single date yet, and she was inviting him to take up residence in her home. He would have been thrilled if half of him hadn’t been terrified that he’d never want to leave. But the wolf replied for him, whether he wanted it to or not. “Yes. Of course.”

She studied him wryly. “Too much, too fast, but I don’t know how else to fix it, Derek.”

He snorted. “You don’t get it. My real concern is how I’ll make myself move back out when it’s over.”

Something softened in her eyes as she sat up and smiled down at him. “Let’s burn one bridge at a time.”

“Fair enough.” He reached up to curl a damp lock of her brown hair around his finger. “You should get dressed. I’ll see what I can salvage of our breakfast.” And my clothing.

She climbed up and pulled on her tank top. Then she balled up the expensive silk remains of her panties and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “I’ll be upstairs, okay?”

She ran out before he could say anything else, even if he’d been able to find the words.