Jessica’s Wolves(52)

“I know, babe.” Charles squeezed her tighter. “We need you two to stay here, close to the house until we figure out what that pack is planning.”

“I have to go back to work January third.”

Reese inhaled on her other side. Charles could hear him suck in his breath and hold it.

Jess glanced from Charles to Reese and back. “What? No way.” She backed up, shaking herself from Charles’ grasp. “I’m not Kara or Lindsey. You can’t keep me out here on the farm under your watchful eye twenty-four-seven. I won’t. I have a job. And I intend to return after the holidays.” She backed up, her fists squeezing at her sides.

“Hon…” Reese reached for her, just out of his grasp.

“Don’t look at me like that. All apologetic but still insisting I bend to your bidding. We talked about this.” She glanced at Richard and then continued in private. “Command my body all you want in the bedroom. Not out here. Not in my work life.”

“Jess…” Charles started to speak but decided now wasn’t the time. “Can we discuss this later?” He hated that look on her face. Firm. Her eyes wide. Pissed off at what she perceived was a broken agreement. Sure, he understood, but there was no way in hell he would let anything happen to her. And if that meant keeping her tied to his bed to avoid danger, then…

Reese cleared his throat. “Later,” he commanded. Then he softened. “Let’s see what we can find out in the next week. We may be creating all this worry for no reason.”

Jess looked away. “Fuck you.”

Reese chuckled, but he stood and went to her. “Come sit down.” He gently ushered her back to the table and pulled out a chair. “Please.”

Charles was glad Reese had thought to add that one little word that made all the difference between a request and a command. Man, this woman was going to kill them with her need to be treated as their equal. It wasn’t really his style.

Not that he was highhanded or demanding. He considered himself a respectful, gentlemanly-type guy, but it boiled his blood to think about his woman in harm’s way.

“Can you think of anything else that might help?” Richard brought them back to the subject.

“No.” She shook her head, her brow furrowed in frustration.

“I’m going to send a few people to Oklahoma to check the situation out. Let’s see what they find and go from there. I agree with your mates here on this one, though, Jessica. I think you should stay close by. At least for now. If they show up here and find you too, Lord knows what those crazy wolves might attempt.”

Jessica nodded. “I’ll talk to Alyssa. See if she can shed any more light. Spend some time with her. She’s my cousin, after all. I haven’t seen a family member since I was nine.” A tear trickled from one eye, and she reached to wipe it.

Part of Charles’ heart ripped when she did. His chest grew tight. She was his mate, his life, and it pained him to know the secrets she’d kept for all these years.

* * * *

“Do you think about running free with the Masters, Jess?” Alyssa’s tiny voice rang in the morning air.

Jessica leaned against the fence, staring out across the pasture. She didn’t glance at the girl she’d grown so fond of in the past few days. She didn’t have to. “I’m not ready.”

“Is it that simple?” Alyssa really wanted to know. She wasn’t asking to prod Jessica like everyone else did. She simply spoke out of curiosity. So pure.

“No.” Jessica sighed and turned her gaze to Alyssa. “It’s not. You’re very insightful. Now that I’ve mated with Charles and Reese, my body wants to shift so bad I can barely control the need. And when they go for a run, my skin crawls, itching to join them.”

Alyssa bit her lip in the same way Jessica imagined she herself was habitually doing. “Why don’t you?”

“Fear.”

“But you’re safe now.” She tipped her head. “Your mates would never let anyone harm you.”

“Neither would my parents.”

The statement hung in the air. Neither spoke again for several minutes.

“Do you think they’ll find me?”

“I don’t know, but if they do, you’ll be safe here.” Jessica spoke the words for Alyssa’s sake, though she barely believed them herself. What if they do find Alyssa? What would that mean for me? Would they recognize her? Kidnap her too? Jess shivered, and not from the cool crisp air.

“You girls okay?” The question came from Charles and made Jessica flinch since he was so far away. He’d gone into town that morning, refusing to take anyone with him but Reese. It was the first time they’d both left the Masters’ home at the same time, entrusting Jess to the care of the multitude of people milling around. And everyone took their job seriously. Alyssa and Jessica hadn’t spent a single moment without one brother or another wandering past them as if they had some urgent task that needed immediate attention in their vicinity.