Jessica's Wolves(31)

Charles narrowed his gaze on his little brother. What the hell was going  on? Had he missed something? Was it his imagination or were sparks  electrifying the air? His hair even stood on end, and without moving his  head, he gazed around in wonder at the rest of the family where they  stood rooted to their spots.

Jessica wasn't stupid either. She hadn't let go of Charles' arm yet, and  now she gripped him once again with renewed strength. "Do you think … "

"Not sure what to think," Charles communicated.

"Well, I'll be." Reese wrapped an arm around Jessica and pulled her tight.

"This could work." Nancy bustled around, grabbing wrapping paper and  boxes off the floor. She didn't take her gaze off her youngest child,  but Charles thought he saw a tear as she scurried past. She busied  herself as she always did when she was stressed. She sure as hell didn't  need to clean house for these particular guests. Fuck them.

Richard headed for the kitchen. "I guess it's settled then." He was  uneasy and shifted nervously as Charles watched him cross the room.  "More coffee anyone?"

Charles shifted his gaze back to his young brother. Perhaps it would be  better for everyone if he gave a few pointers. Shit. Who wanted to give  their little brother, barely an adult, pointers about how to make a girl  seem to belong to you. And he sure as hell hoped that's all this was, a  mustered-up wave of altruism. He couldn't even contemplate the  alternative. They were both so young.

Glancing at Reese and then Jessica, he spoke to them silently. "Gonna go  …  supervise this  …  pretend mating. Be right back."

"Good plan." Reese squeezed Jess tighter. It wasn't far from anyone's  mind she too could be in danger if these assholes recognized her by  looks or scent.

Charles made his way past Tessa and her kids on the floor. Her husband,  Aaron, glanced at him but remained tightlipped. Lucky bastard.

Charles coughed as he approached Michael and Alyssa. The girl was  staring at his brother with a combination of emotions; shock, fear,  trepidation, and, fuck it all, lust. Hopefully she was simply attracted  to the man and not falling for him hard. He was a good-looking guy as  far as Charles figured, but still …  He was twenty. "If you're serious  about doing this, Michael, you're going to have to smother her in your  scent so it seems you two are extremely close lovers on the cusp of a  claiming. Otherwise, no one is going to buy the ruse."

"I think I can handle it, bro." The cocky bastard didn't even look at  Charles. Instead, he took Alyssa by the hand and left the room.

Shit.

The two walked down the hall, and Charles hoped to God Michael used his big head instead of his little head with this woman.

He'd barely turned around toward the Christmas mess when a second knock at the door made him jump. That was fast.





Chapter 16



Jessica could smell a wolf. Make that two. Her senses were super  heightened since she'd mated only days ago. And the men on the other  side of that door were wolves.

Her hands sweated, and she wiped them on her jeans. She was a grown  woman, not a ten-year-old child. She could handle anything now. She  could face off with anyone who threatened her family, not cower in the  corner and watch them be killed this time.

"Is that what you think, hon? You think if you'd done something  different your parents would still be alive? You think you could have  prevented their cold-blooded murder? Jess? You were ten. Just a small  child. You can't blame yourself for their deaths." Reese pulled her in  tighter and backed them away from the front door as far as possible.

Charles acknowledged their silent conversation as he walked past with a  glance, but he didn't stop. He simply brushed his hand across her arm on  the way by.

Her flesh tingled where he'd left his light touch, as though he were still kissing her.

Jess glanced at Reese. She hadn't realized until just now he was right.  She'd blamed herself all these years. Well, not precisely for the murder  of her mom and dad, but for her cowardice with regard to being frozen  inside the house watching the scene unfold.

"You are not a coward. You are completely the opposite, in fact."  Charles didn't turn around, but he communicated his thoughts with his  hand on the front doorknob.

With a jerk, Charles yanked the door open. His father, brothers, and the  other mated men squared off at the entrance. Even with all the  testosterone filling the space, Jessica had a clear line of vision  directly to the two assholes she'd hoped to never lay eyes on again in  this lifetime. She sucked in a breath. Even knowing there was a good  chance these same men would show up to get Alyssa the same way they'd  come to collect Jessica all those years ago, she was still unprepared  for the onslaught of emotion that warred inside her.

"Are these the same men, babe?" Charles asked. No one had moved an inch or said a word yet.

"Yes." Even telepathically her word sounded breathy to her ears.

The bastards had barely changed in twelve years. They stood there all  cocky, sure of themselves. They'd shot her parents in cold blood and  irrevocably altered her life. Her blood boiled as she glared. She'd  given them her power. Realization dawned. They were still controlling  her from halfway across the country like a weak victim. Jessica had  allowed these murdering beasts to make her flinch at her own shadow.

Not anymore. Her spine stiffened as she resolved to take control of her  life. No longer would she be a victim. Jessica stood taller, shook  herself free of Reese's arm wrapped around her, and watched how this  scene unfolded.

"Excuse our intrusion on this special holiday, but we believe a member  of our pack is staying here under false pretenses. Perhaps the girl has  lied to you, made up a story that has caused you to protect her."

Richard took the lead. "No one is here but family and impending family.  You are misinformed. There are no pack members other than those who  belong." His words were perfectly selected. Ambiguous.

The taller, skinnier man opened his mouth to speak, but the shorter,  chubbier asshole shushed him with a look and a hand. "I beg to differ. I  can smell our packmate from here. Alyssa is her name. If you'd hand her  over. She's a runaway. Her parents are very worried."

A throat cleared from just outside the kitchen area to Jessica's right,  and she turned to see Michael with his arms wrapped around his fake  intended, her back pressed against his front. "Alyssa is my mate. She  will not be returning with you to your pack. Tell her parents she is  safe and sound and happy." Michael's performance was so perfect Jessica  could have been fooled herself as to his intentions where they concerned  Alyssa. In fact, after he spoke, he tipped his head down and kissed  her. Jessica was certainly convinced. They looked exactly like two  people very much in love.                       
       
           



       

The short man spoke. "You have not claimed her yet."

"No. She's very young. I'd like to give her some time to acclimate to  the idea first. Common courtesy when the woman in question is just  barely an adult." His jibe didn't go unnoticed by anyone. "When the time  is right, I will be claiming Alyssa. Not beforehand. I won't force her  to speed through her youth just because we are mates."

Lost in the litany, Jessica even forgot this was all a hoax. Wasn't it?

The two hired killers stood at the door with their mouths hanging open,  unsure what to do. Seemingly at once, their gazes landed on Jessica, and  they gasped. "You," they said in unison.

Jessica cringed under the scrutiny and then remembered her new resolve.  She narrowed her gaze. Her fists clenched at her sides, and her wolf  hovered beneath the surface unexpectedly.

"That's right." Charles inched forward, his threatening frame taking up  the door and entering into the personal space of her childhood pack  members. "And I bet you two were in a heap of trouble when you returned  to the pack without Jessica. She was just a child. You told them you'd  killed her. You lied." He let each statement hang in the air for several  seconds before he spoke the next. "Bet you never expected to see her  again, did you?"

The fat man lurched forward before he could stop himself, one foot  inside the house. He narrowed his gaze on Jessica and bared his teeth.

Jessica backed up, stepping behind Reese. She needed to get control of  her wolf. A few steps more and she was in the hallway. If she didn't  remove herself from the bastards' line of sight, she'd lose it. Her  senses were so heightened she could hear everyone speaking as though she  were standing right among them in the foyer. Her pulse rate soared, and  she leaned against the wall to cool her forehead.

"Both of those women belong to our pack." The deep voice sounded firmer as the fat man regained control.