Mate for a King

Chapter Six

Lexi was about to sit at the table when the sound of food sizzling in the frying pan brought her up short. Obviously Raed had forgotten about it in his hurry to leave.

She pulled open drawers until she found one with cooking utensils and fished around until she found a spatula. She stirred the vegetables before she lowered the heat under the pan.

The smell of barbeque smoke wafted through the open window. The burgers!

Lexi knew Raed had told her to stay put, but she didn't think he would want her to let the burgers burn. She crossed over to the outside door and stepped out onto a flagstone patio, then followed the smell of the barbeque to the back corner. Smoke billowed out from under the gas grill's lid.

Lexi shook her head when she saw how high Raed had set the heat. She opened the lid and waved a hand in front of her as smoke swirled around her face. She held her breath until it cleared, then reached for the barbeque spatula hanging from the side of the grill. She flipped the four burgers. Great, they hadn't burnt yet. That task done, she closed the lid and turned to go back inside to check on the stir fry.

She froze in place when she saw a large grey wolf standing only a few yards away. The side of the animal's upper lip curled as it growled. Lexi slowly took a step back until she felt the heat of the grill behind her. The wolf started to close the space between them.

Lexi groped behind her until she found the long-handled barbeque spatula. She held the cooking utensil out in front of her like a weapon, not that she thought she could do much with it if it decided to attack. "Shoo," she said as she waved the spatula at the wolf.

The wolf growled louder and took another step closer. Lexi's heart started to pound with fear. She had always thought wild animals were supposed to be more afraid of humans than humans were of them. For a wild wolf, if it was wild, it didn't seem to scare easily. Lexi took slow, even, sideways steps as she tried to get the barbeque clear of her back. If she had to make a run for it, she didn't want it in her way.

She waved the spatula at the wolf again as the animal bunched its back legs under itself. Just as she was sure the wolf was about to spring, a streak of dark blond fur slammed into it. Even though she knew she should be running back inside the house as fast as her legs could carry her, Lexi found herself unable to move. She silently watched as the second wolf fought the first. Their snarls and growls filled the air. It soon became apparent the dark blond wolf was stronger. He—Lexi could now see both wolves were male—forced the grey wolf back. Before the dark blond wolf could take the other one down, the grey wolf managed to twist free and take off running.

The dark blond wolf looked over at Lexi, then in the direction the other wolf had gone, and then back to her again. He loped over to her, appraising her with his blue-eyed gaze. Lexi froze and held back a whimper as he came even closer. The wolf sniffed her leg before he turned and loped away, obviously in pursuit of the other wolf.

Lexi sagged in relief. That had been a close one. Not wanting to meet up with either wolf again, she quickly moved back to the barbeque and returned the spatula to its place. A large hand landed on the top of her shoulder and spun her around. Lexi let out a yelp. When she saw it was only Raed, she smacked him in the chest. "Don't do that. You scared the crap out of me."

"I thought I told you to stay in the kitchen," Raed said in a stern voice.

"I only came out here to flip the burgers."

Raed took hold of her by the upper arms, gave her a little shake and bent down until they were almost nose to nose. "Next time you do what I tell you. Do you know how close you came to being the wolf's next meal?"

Lexi's back came up at his bossy tone. She wasn't about to stand here and let Raed order her around as if she had no brain in her head. "You aren't the boss of me, Raed; so stop ordering me around as if you were. If you saw the wolves, why didn't you do something to scare them away?"

Raed gave her another shake. "I'll order you around when I deem the situation necessary."

Lexi became really annoyed with that comment. She tried to wrench her arms free, but Raed held on. "Who the hell died and made you king? Just because we slept together does not mean you can tell me what to do. That kind of thing died out in the Dark Ages, buddy."

"Times like this, I wish I could go back to them. At least women knew their place then."

Lexi's mouth fell open. Had she actually thought Raed could be everything she wanted in a man? Now that his true colors had come shining through, she knew there wouldn't be a repeat performance of what had taken place in his bedroom earlier. He would be lucky if she didn't smack him a good one upside the head for thinking she should 'know her place'.

She glared at him. "You know what? I think today may have been a mistake. If you want some woman who will do your bidding, you've chosen the wrong one. I may come across as timid, but I'm no pushover. I don't have to take the bullshit coming out of your mouth. I think it best I go back to my flat."

Raed's face lost the stern look he wore as he slowly released her. He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Lexi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"The hell you didn't."

Raed took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Let's go back inside. We'll eat our supper and talk." He tried to reach for her, but she shook her head, walked around him and headed for the back door. Raed followed behind her. "Can you at least give me a chance to explain?"

"You've done enough explaining already. Will you take me back to the flat or do I have to find my own way there?"

Back in the kitchen, Raed walked over to the stove and shut off the heat under the frying pan. He turned and gave her a pleading look. "I don't want you to go, Lexi.

Not like this. I have to turn off the barbeque and have a brief talk with the others.

Maybe once we have both settled down you'll be in the mood to listen."

Lexi crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever."

"I promise I won't be long."

As soon as Raed went back outside, Lexi left the kitchen and headed for the front door. She picked up her purse where she had left it on a small table in the foyer. She was in no mood to hear what Raed had to say. She'd dated a man like him once before who had thought a woman's place was in the house, barefoot and pregnant. At least that time Lexi hadn't been stupid enough to sleep with the male chauvinistic pig.

Hoping she didn't run into any of the others, she opened the front door and hurried down the stairs to the long drive. After she got far enough away from the manor, she jogged to the bottom of the driveway. She started to walk along the side of the road in the direction she thought would take her back to her flat.

At the sound of a car coming up behind her, she stuck out her hand to flag the vehicle down. As if fate was on her side, it was a taxi. She waved frantically to get the driver's attention. The car slowed and stopped beside her. She bent and looked through the open passenger door window. "Are you free?"

"Sure," the driver said. He reached behind him and opened the back door.

Lexi got in. Once they were on their way she told him the address of her flat. She looked out the back window, but didn't see anyone appear at the end of the drive.

Another car followed them, but the vehicle wasn't familiar, and she didn't think it was Raed. He probably didn't even know she was gone yet, but once he figured it out he'd probably be pissed at her for running, but she didn't really care.

She paid the taxi driver then headed up to her flat. So much for her first full day in England. Determined not to let this one day get her down, Lexi decided starting tomorrow she would do the sightseeing she had planned. She wouldn't waste her entire vacation thinking about Raed. What was done was done.

The driver of the car who had followed the taxi watched Lexi as she entered the door next to a bookstore. He waited a few minutes to make sure she would be upstairs in the flat before he got out and crossed the street. He leaned back against the door as he pretended to tie his shoe then he brushed up against the brick wall beside it, marking it with his scent. He smiled as he crossed back over to his car and drove away.

His evening just kept getting better and better. He'd thought he'd done well to have discovered the hunters' home base, but to find a mortal with those immortals had been an added bonus. Earlier, when he had cornered her in his wolf form, she had the scent of the shifted warrior he had fought all over her, the scent so strongly mixed with her own, he knew she had to have slept with him.

He pulled up to the front of a non-descript farmhouse and got out. To passersby, the property looked like any small farm in the area, but the building was much more than that. It was the den of his werewolf pack. They'd dug a series of tunnels and a large cavern under the farmhouse. Not even the servants of the Anglo-Saxon god, Tiw, knew about this place.

He went inside the farmhouse, then down to the root cellar and opened the door that led to one of the den's tunnels. The dark earth walls and ceiling closed around him as he went deeper underground. When he reached the large central cavern, he walked by members of his pack and headed to the back of the open space. Some still inhabited their wolf forms, while others had taken on their human or half-human and half-wolf forms. Their numbers changed frequently, added to by the newly turned who instinctively found their way to the pack, and reduced by those the immortal warriors took out during their nightly hunts. At the moment, the pack had twenty members, including himself and their pack leader, Nathan. They were all male.

At the very back of the central cavern an opening led to a smaller cavern, Nathan's private quarters. He poked his head inside and waited for Nathan to acknowledge him. His pack leader shifted from wolf to human and signaled him to enter with a wave of his hand.

"I didn't expect you back so soon," Nathan said. "I hope you haven't come back unsuccessful. I would be greatly disappointed."

None of the pack wanted to disappoint Nathan. When Nathan became upset with one of them they usually ended up torn to pieces, literally. Nathan ruled with an iron fist, and had claimed the leadership by being the toughest and cruelest werewolf in the pack, killing everyone who stood in his way.

He shook his head. "You won't be disappointed, Nathan. I was more than successful. I found the home of the immortal warriors as promised, but what I found there will interest you even more."

"And what would that be?"

"A mortal woman, who had the scent of one of the warriors all over her."

Nathan's grey eyes focused on his face. "Now, that is interesting. If they have a mortal in their midst, she could be quite useful. Even if we can only use her to eliminate one of the warriors, it's one less out hunting us each night."

He nodded. "That is what I thought. And as luck would have it, when I drove by their manor to return here, the woman was outside on the road. She flagged down a taxi and I followed her back to her flat. So now we know where she lives as well. I even managed to spread my scent around her building. What I did should piss her warrior off when he smells and recognizes my mark," he said, pleased with himself.

Nathan crossed his arms over his chest and scratched his chin. "Where can I find the warriors' manor and the flat of this mortal?"

He rattled off the two addresses as he watched his pack leader circle around him once before he came to stand in front of him again. He would have thought Nathan would have been more than pleased with him, but a look of disgust never left his face.

Nathan moved closer. "Now tell me why the warrior would recognize your scent?"

He swallowed as a shiver of unease ran down his spine. "I only thought to have a little fun with the mortal. I cornered her in the warriors' back garden. Her warrior chased me away."

"I never told you to think," Nathan growled.

That was all the warning he got before Nathan's razor sharp claws slashed across his throat. As his blood sprayed, Nathan said, "You're a fool. Now the warriors know we have found their home. I may be able to salvage this by using the mortal, but sadly you won't be around to see."

The last thing he saw was Nathan, in his werewolf form, lunge for him and finish what he had started with his claws.

After talking with his men, Raed returned to the kitchen only to find the room empty. Where was Lexi? He headed for the living room; she wasn't there either. He took the stairs two at a time to his bedroom. Empty as well.

Back downstairs, he met Garrick, who had just come in the front door. "Did you see Lexi out there?"

Garrick shook his head. "No. I thought you said she was inside."

"Bloody hell."

Raed rushed outside. Even though they hadn't been able to find the werewolf that had invaded their property, it didn't mean he couldn't still be hiding somewhere nearby. Raed came to a stop when he reached the top of the long drive. He sniffed the air, trying to zero in on Lexi's scent. There. Faint, but the scent was definitely there.

"She ran, didn't she?" Garrick asked as he came to stand next to Raed.

"Yes." He followed Lexi's scent down to the end of the drive.

"I guess the werewolf scared her off."

Raed turned his head left and right until he picked up her scent again, heading up the road to the left. He followed it until it abruptly ended. "Damn. She must have managed to get a lift from someone." He headed back toward the manor. "No, a werewolf didn't make her run. I did."

"You?" Garrick scoffed. "I thought the two of you hit it off pretty well."

"I angered her when I told her the next time I told her to do something she had better do it."

Garrick laughed. "Yeah, that would piss off any modern woman."

"I acted on my gut reaction. Seeing her cornered by the werewolf . . . the sight scared the shit out of me. I got angry at her for putting herself in danger."

"But she didn't know danger lurked outside the house."

"I realize that. I overreacted."

As they walked back into the manor, Garrick asked, "So what are you going to do now?"

"I'll give her until tomorrow then I'll go see her."

"And if she won't see you?"

"She's mine. I'm not going to let her go so easily." Raed headed down the hallway, but turned back to Garrick before he went very far. "Tell the others we're going to start the hunt earlier tonight. I want to find the bastard who dared threaten my woman."

Raed caught the look of surprise that flashed across Garrick's face before he continued down the hall. He knew he sounded possessive of Lexi, but he couldn't help himself. Seeing her cornered by the werewolf had conjured images of her mangled body lying in a pool of her own blood. The images scared him.

Even though he and his men did an extensive search of the property around the manor, they couldn't find any trace of the werewolf they hunted. The absence of signs as to his whereabouts didn't sit well with Raed. That this one had been able to sneak in and out of the grounds so easily had Raed coming to believe their prey had started to get smarter; the werewolf's ability to be out in wolf form in broad daylight only added to his unease. If Raed didn't know better, he would think the beast had been on a reconnaissance mission, sent to find where they lived. The werewolf had given up the fight far too easily.

More than halfway through the night, and unable to find any prey, Raed decided to swing by Lexi's flat. He parked his car halfway down the street and traversed the remaining distance on foot. At this time of night, the street was quiet. No one else moved but him.

Raed lifted his head to look up at the windows above the bookstore as he neared the flat's entrance. They were completely dark. The urge to go to Lexi and hold her in his arms once again became almost overwhelming. His body grew heavy with need as he remembered the small cries Lexi had made as he had plunged his cock in and out of her. He knew she probably would still be mad at him, but he wasn't about to let her just walk out of his life. Somehow, she had managed to worm her way under his skin. He felt protective, possessive of her. All the feelings he hadn't felt for a very long time.

Ones he had promised himself never to have again. He did not want to fall in love only to lose the woman he loved to old age and death.

Raed's nostrils flared as he picked up the scent on the brick wall next to the flat's entrance. His upper lip curled and he growled quietly, deep inside his throat. It was the scent of the werewolf who had cornered Lexi. Rage and fear for her warred inside him when he found the scent on the entrance door as well. Fear won out.

Their argument now forgotten, Raed yanked open the door and took the flight of stairs in a couple of bounds. He turned the flat's doorknob, but found the lock engaged.

Fear of what he would find on the other side allowed his wolf side to take over. Raed turned the handle until he heard the lock's tumblers break. As he stepped through the doorway, his eyes went wolf and his claws came out.