Creed Read online

  “So you thought you’d take that shit? You’re more patient than I am. I would have told them my dick is none of their concern, nor what I do with it, as long as she’s willing. I know you, Creed. You’d never take something that wasn’t freely offered.”

  Creed shrugged. “They are driven by their emotions. I’ve adjusted to that. It makes them feel as if they have some control over my duties when I listen. It’s mildly annoying but tolerable. It keeps the peace.”

  Kelzeb grinned. “You’re a better man than I.” His humor faded fast. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

  “I need to seek an audience with Lord Aveoth immediately. I am flying in tonight.”

  “About what?”

  “I will only speak of it with Lord Aveoth.”

  “I see.” Kelzeb cocked his head. “So, she was human, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  “I only know of one human who lives with this pack. I thought she moved away. Seattle, wasn’t it?”

  “She visits her parents.” Creed’s spine stiffened. He didn’t like that his clan kept tabs on Angel or her whereabouts.

  “I’d like to meet her.”

  Creed grew very still inside. He couldn’t lie and he hoped she was already gone. It had been a good half an hour or more since he’d seen her. “I dropped her off at her parents’ home. It is the fourth cabin from the main trail to the river. White porch with two rocking chairs.”

  “I didn’t drive all the way from our clan. I was a few hours from here, visiting this pack that has an abundance of unmated females. Didn’t you get the update?”

  “I wasn’t certain which of our clan would be in the area, or the exact location. I was only warned there might be flight traffic that wasn’t hostile.”

  “A few of the Lycan alphas in the states want to make deals for guardians. I’m sure they were encouraged by their elders, since they know about the sweet deal this pack gets from us. Word spread that we keep their woods clear of those pesky poachers who like to sneak around at night, setting traps and taking potshots at wolves. They’ve also had some issues with Vampires and were told there are none left in this area, since we cleared them out. They want alliances with us and aren’t above using their women to get them. There were a few I approved to make the trip to meet our single men, but I still have a few other packs to visit. I hate these bullshit gigs. Good thing I’m only sent on them a few times a year.”

  Creed said nothing. He could understand why another pack would wish to align with his clan. Lycans couldn’t protect their territory as well as someone could from the sky. A guardian was able to cover large areas quickly and take out threats before they reached the pack homes.

  “I like Lycan women. Don’t get me wrong. My mother is one. The thing is, I’m finding myself drawn to another type lately. Aveoth is kept busy with his Jill. She was raised totally human. The things that come out of her mouth amuse me. She has an issue with authority, so Aveoth is constantly having to deal with her antics.” He chuckled. “It looks lively. She has only a small understanding of what we are, so she has no fear. It’s refreshing. I want to see if this Angel stirs my blood. She survived a night with you during the ravage so I know she’s sexually compatible with our kind.”

  Creed managed to remain still when he really wanted to attack the other GarLycan. Angel was his. Suddenly he considered Kelzeb a threat. They had been friendly in the past but he’d kill him if he laid a finger on his mate.

  “What do you think? Would this Angel consider mating with a GarLycan?”

  He chose his words carefully. “She’s a human who was raised with a Lycan pack. She holds no prejudices against our kind.”

  Kelzeb grinned. “You’re good. Not even an eye twitch or hint of anger in your voice. You even answered without giving anything away.”

  “What do you believe I would hide?”

  Kelzeb leaned in closer and his expression grew serious. “I decided to take a little look around before I drove in. Get a lay of the land, because it’s been some years since I’ve been here. My first stop was your place. You didn’t cover the opening, Creed. You’ve grown a bit lax about security, living with these Lycans, since they can’t reach your lair. The mountain is too sheer for them to climb. You should have burned the bedding with her blood on it. You bit her, didn’t you? I doubt some virgin would climb into bed with one of us, and it was near the top of the bed, not the bottom where you would have chained her.”

  Creed said nothing but his heart pounded.

  “That’s what I thought.” Kelzeb shook his head. “Damn it, Creed. I knew the second I saw that blood and where it was that you didn’t chain her down. You mated her.”

  “I did chain her down.” That he could truthfully say.

  “Then how in the hell did her blood get near the top of your bed? What is she? Ten or eleven feet tall?”

  Creed heard Kelzeb’s sarcastic tone.

  “So you chained her but then let her go. You’re planning on going to see Aveoth tonight. That implies you have something to tell him. You could have accidently scratched her with your fingernails, but it must be more than that for you return to our cliffs. Why won’t you tell me what happened?”

  Creed just coldly regarded him.

  “Damn. I’m trying to put myself in your place. You, for whatever reason, released her from the chains and bit her. Did she beg you to take her the way Lycan men do? Did she freak the hell out in the chains so you showed compassion? Say something!”

  Creed kept his lips sealed.

  “Was it just a cut somehow or did you mate her?”

  Silence.

  “I’m going to have to go to her parents’ house and meet her. Is that what you want? I’ll do it. It’s my job to investigate what went down here after this pack called Aveoth. He wants a report.”

  “I’ll report to him myself.”

  “Just tell me what the hell happened. I might be able to help.”

  Creed debated the wisdom of seeking an ally. He knew Lord Aveoth and Kelzeb were close friends. He also knew the man in front of him had a reputation for being lax about the rules. It wasn’t a secret that Kelzeb had been punished by the previous lord of their clan for many infractions. As a youth, the lead enforcer had liked to test limits and push boundaries.

  He’d also admitted he had an attraction to humans. It was worth the risk.

  “I am still in service to Lord Aveoth until my hundredth birthday.”

  “You did mate her. Damn. He’ll want to see her, too, when you go before him.”

  “She is not at fault.” He wanted that made clear. “The punishment is mine to take.”

  “You know it doesn’t work that way. She’s your mate, and you technically belong to the clan. It means you’re both considered one unit now. You go before Aveoth with her at your side.”

  “I will not risk her being killed or enslaved. I told her to remain here with her pack so they could protect her.” It wasn’t a lie. He had told her that.

  “Oh, fuck. Her pack can’t overrule our laws. She stopped belonging to them the second you mated her. She’s one of ours now. Just answer me this: Did you plan to mate her or was it one of those moments when your dick did the thinking for you?”

  “I did not plan it.”

  “Did you untie her because she was scared? Were you too rough? I would worry about fucking one of them, and I’m not suffering the ravage. It’s not as if we’re known for being gentle in bed to begin with. I get how it could happen. You were trying to console her and one thing led to a moment of insanity. Do you even like her? Hell. What a mess.”

  “I regret the timing, not that she’s mine.”

  Kelzeb cocked his head, peering at him with interest. “You live here and have known her for a while. How close are you to her?”

  There was no reason to deny it. “I feel for her.”

  “Are you in love with her?”

  “I will fall for her to keep her safe, if it comes down to it.”