“He’ll have to tell the pack leader the news,” Tom said. “He hasn’t had time to tell the rest of our pack yet. But I’m sure after the cave incident, the word will quickly spread.”

“What happened at the cave?”

Jake laughed. “You should have been with us. Much more interesting I’m sure than what you were up to.”

Darien smiled and kissed Lelandi as he walked her up the stairs. “Guess I’ve been a little remiss in letting the pack know you’re one of us.”

“You don’t have any regrets, do you? I mean, you’re not afraid I can’t deal with the fallout, are you?”

He pulled her into his bedroom and shut the door. “Like what? That you won’t be loved by my people?

You will be.”

“Not by everyone.”

“The women who wanted me as a mate?” He laughed and pulled off her sweater and dropped it on a chair.

“I’m sorry about Ritka. I never said so before because I was so upset about Doc. But I really am sorry. She didn’t deserve to die either.”

“I know, Lelandi.” He took a deep breath and slipped her boots off. “This will cause us trouble.”

“Bruin will want to fight you, don’t you think?”

Darien gave her a brilliant smile. “No. Well, maybe. But the outcome won’t be what he’d expect. No. I was thinking about the staffing at the hospital. With Ritka gone, Carol Wood will insist that she’s hired on at the hospital. I’ve got a real problem with that.”

“I don’t have any nurse’s training, but I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

He placed his hands on her face and tilted her head back. “I’ll send human patients to other hospitals in nearby towns until we get it sorted out. Don’t worry about it.”

She frowned at him. “What happened to Ural? Why was he in the hospital?”

Darien sighed deeply. “I didn’t authorize it, but Uncle Sheridan knocked him out when Ural made a crude comment about one of our female grays.”

“What did he say?”

“She was the shooter.”

“And the sheriff nearly killed him for it?”

Darien lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “I didn’t authorize it. Uncle Sheridan took it upon himself to knock Ural out.”

“Before Ural revealed who the shooter was?”

Darien stared at her for a minute, then shook his head.

“I know what you’re implying, but Ural just pushed Uncle Sheridan’s buttons.”

But had Ural pushed Sheridan’s buttons or did he have something to hide?

“So is Ural all right?”

“He’s fine, back in jail with a swollen cheek, but Silva told us herself she was the shooter.”

Lelandi couldn’t believe it.

“Long story. I’ll tell you later about it.” He pressed her lips with a warm, hot kiss and her whole body liquefied.

“Hmm.” She sighed deeply. He was trying to get her mind off the problems the pack faced, but she couldn’t quit worrying about it. “What about Nurse Grey?”

“She can handle a lot of the cases—mostly lupus garou. But she’ll be shorthanded for anything major. Although we have Matthew now, too.” He unfastened her belt.

“Doctor Weber!”

Darien lifted his head from kissing her throat and gave her a questioning glance.

“He’s a lupus garou from my father’s original pack.

We have to bring him here.”

“He’s a red.”

She gave Darien an annoyed look. “I’m a red.”

“That’s different.” He kissed her lips, forcing her to kiss him back. She couldn’t resist and probed his mouth with her tongue. “What I mean is he might not want to join a gray pack.”

“He will. I know he will.”

“I’ll send the correspondence offering him a job.” He sighed heavily. “I don’t want you digging into this mess concerning your sister on your own anymore.” She tried to pull away, but he held her firm. “I mean it.”

She glowered at him. “What am I supposed to do?”

He raised his brows and gave her a wickedly provocative look.

“Oh, no, I’m just supposed to be your sexual playmate?”

“Works for me,” he teased. He grabbed handfuls of her hair and touched his nose to the strands. “You smell like the great outdoors, wild and sexy.”

“Hmm.” She licked his lips. “You taste feral and sinful.” With a fever that couldn’t be quenched, she wanted him. She grasped his hand and tugged him toward the bathroom. “You were going to help me with my shower. Right?”

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back tight against his chest. Leaning over her, he rested his mouth next to her ear, and slid his fingers into her jeans, then touched her between the legs. “Hmm, nice and wet.”

“It’s all your fault.” She wriggled against his fingers.

Oh man, she’d never make it to the shower at this rate.

His cock had grown rock hard and was prodding her backside. “If I don’t get you into the shower now…” He slipped the lace of the low-cut bra down, exposing her breasts. Turning her around, he leaned down, licked a nipple, and blew on it, sending shivers streaking across her skin. Instantly, the cool air made the nipple pucker. He smiled and licked the other with his tongue in a circle, then blew on it, too.

He tackled her jeans, his breathing heavy, his heartbeat accelerated.

Lelandi unbuttoned Darien’s shirt and slid it down to his elbows, then held him hostage, his chest and shoulders bare. Strong and virile, he was a lupus garou in his prime, and all hers. Leaning down, she licked his nipple and gave him the same wisp of breath to tease him. His nipple pebbled, and he groaned low with need.

“Hmm, like that, do we?”

He nipped her chin with a playful bite. Lelandi laughed and licked his other nipple. He shivered and the craving for satisfaction swept her up in the feel of him, his satiny skin, tangy velvet against her tongue.

He held Lelandi’s arms tightly and nuzzled her neck with his mouth, and took another deep breath, no doubt smelling her musky scent of arousal. She tilted her head back, her crotch tingling because he touched her throat so exquisitely.

Whispering in his ear, “I love you,” she licked inside, then nibbled the lobe.

Growling, he swept her off her feet and carried her into the bathroom. He set her down, reached into the shower, and turned on the water. “I want you, Lelandi. Now.”

The feeling was mutual, and they shed the rest of their clothes. She reached for the peach body wash so she could run her fingers over every inch of him with the light sweet scent.

As soon as the water was hot, he lifted her into the tub and sprayed the silky water all over her body, then aimed the pulsating nozzle between her legs. She squealed and laughed.

He soaped her breasts and she flicked her nails over the soft soap coating his nipples. They quickly moved their hands lower, his sweeping erotically between her thighs, while she enjoyed scrubbing his erection and watched fascinated when it jumped in her hands.

He chuckled darkly and hurried to rinse them off.

“You will be the death of me.”

“Seems appropriate since you wring out my emotions, too,” she said, kissing his throat.

But he didn’t comment, except to give her a smoldering smile, then lifted her against the tile shower wall, wrapped her legs around him, and thrust deeply into her slippery sheath.

“Adonis,” she moaned against his shower-kissed skin. He was so hot.

He smiled. “My redheaded goddess.”

The pleasurable assault of his kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her throat, drove her toward the peak of pleasure while he buried himself inside her. Plunging deep and slow and hard, the tension in his face eased, he let out a tired groan, and a wash of heat filled her. His hot kisses teased her mouth to open for him, his tongue tangled with hers, and her body exploded into a million earth-shattering pieces of pleasure. She collapsed in his arms and wanted to cuddle with him in bed for all eternity.

After drying and slipping into bed, they slept.

But their sleep was cut short when Jake hollered from downstairs, “Darien, Uncle Sheridan’s here and so is Chester McKinley.”

Chapter 21

NOT PLANNING ON BEING LEFT OUT OF ANY MORE BUSINESS concerning her sister, Lelandi nearly leapt out of Darien’s arms and headed for her discarded clothes in the bedroom. “I’m sitting in on this, Darien.” But she wondered what had changed his mind about talking to Chester.

“I guess I have no say in the matter.” He yanked on his jeans, his expression lightly teasing.

“Nope. I’m not a beta wolf.” Lelandi quickly buttoned her shirt.

Darien walked over and rested his hands on her shoulders, his lips pressing against hers. “You’re an alpha for sure. For now, I’ll allow it… as an alpha male.” He rebuttoned her shirt.

“Better put on a sweater or I’ll have to kick Chester McKinley’s butt out of here, because no doubt he’d take a longer look at you than I’d care for.”

She jerked on a pullover sweater and slipped into a pair of jeans. “Despite whatever anyone told you, he was a perfect gentleman.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Darien zipped her jeans for her. He lifted her chin and gazed into her green eyes sparkling with fire. “I have no intention of keeping you out of the picture if you’re going to look into this by yourself and put your life in more danger. I understand as an alpha you can’t wait for others to do everything for you.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “Together, we’ll solve this.”

She threw her arms around him and squeezed tight, her head pressed against his chest. “I love you, you big gray.”

Cheered to see her feeling better, he tousled her hair, then led her downstairs to the living room.