Page 32 of The Scent of Seduction

Nicole hadn’t given any thought to a wedding. After her and Jaryn’s mating, she figured that was that. But the little girl inside her jumped up and down a little at the thought of walking down an aisle in a gorgeous gown to meet Jaryn all decked out in a tux and saying a set of vows in front of all her family and the pack members. Maybe they could do it in the lodge on the night of the Wolf moon in January. That would be rather à propos. Of course, that was only two months away. Not a long time to plan, but then she’d never really been one for the elaborate. She’d love to show off her new home to her parents and Cameron. She locked those thoughts away for the moment, because she would have to deal with Adam once and for all before she could focus on them.

“Okay, what’s your idea for this project? Then we can work on an outline of the experiment and write up your hypothesis. We’ll have to get the materials and designate an area for your work. Remember to write everything down. Observations are just as important as raw data. By the way, when is this due?”

“Um, three weeks. I found this cool idea on the network about studying how the rate of evaporation affects the final size of crystals.”

“Nice. Three weeks isn’t a lot, but it is do-able. What medium are you going to use, or are you thinking of mixing up a couple of different samples?”

“They suggested using sugar, salt, or alum. If I mix it up, won’t that introduce too many variables?”

“Not necessarily. You could use all three mediums, use three different methods of evaporation, and as a bonus make predictions about the shapes of crystals before you grow them, based on their molecular structures and molecular geometry.”

“That sounds cool, but where would I find that kind of information?”

“I can point you in the right direction, but the work has to be all your own.”

“Thanks, Nic, I appreciate it. Oh, I was going to ask you, are you going to lodge for the pack run tomorrow? I know Jaryn’s gone and all, but you’re still welcome. I could show you the best places to stretch your legs. Jaryn showed me on my first shift.”

“That’s very sweet, Charlie, but I don’t shift, remember? Plus, I don’t know if my keeper will let me out to play.”

“I heard that!” Cooper shouted from the kitchen.

“Damn wolves and their super ears,” Nicole mumbled.

“Heard that, too!”

Nicole felt her face flush with embarrassment. Charlie started laughing when she childishly stuck her tongue out at the doorway leading to the kitchen. Unless the big bad wolf had eyes on the back of his head, Nicole figured he wouldn’t catch that little dig. Charlie took Nicole’s hand in his and pulled her towards the stairs.

“Come on, we’ll go have some fun and let the old farts sip their tea and complain how the cold outside makes their bones ache.”

“You’d better watch your smart mouth, or I’ll give you some aching bones. Big brother’s not around to protect you now, kid.”

Nicole stopped and turned, expecting to see Cooper at the base of the stairs. Charlie had only been teasing—there was no reason to be confrontational. But there was no sign of him.

Charlie pulled harder on Nicole’s hand. “Oh don’t worry about him. Cooper’s all growl and no bite. He’s been throwing out empty threats since I was a pup.”

Nicole followed Charlie up the stairs, still trying to figure out exactly what just happened.

Chapter Eleven

Jaryn stood against a tree deep in the forest outside the perimeter of Broyles’ compound. He looked up to the nearly full moon filling the sky. Tomorrow was the zenith, and assuming they didn’t end up in a complete goat fuck, he’d be home to run under her beauty with his pack, then go home and make love to his mate till they collapsed in exhaustion. Leaving their bed yesterday while Nicole slept had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He craved the warmth of her small body snuggled up against him in the early dawn hours. Sometimes he watched as the sunlight brought the flames of her hair to life, her delicate morning scent wrapping around them just as the twisted blankets of their bed cocooned their bodies.

Jaryn really wanted to shift, but he needed immediate accessibility to the weapons strapped to him if they encountered unfriendlies. He had a combination of tranquilizing darts and bullets to choose from, depending on what they encountered.

Jaryn heard the barest sound to the east of him. Shaun was positioned to the west, and the others were further to the west of Shaun. There shouldn’t be anyone to his east. Jaryn crept silently away from his position, keeping his ears open for the slightest sound. He stopped. The breaths from his lungs were slow and deep. He let his eyesight shift, letting the wolf out just enough to take advantage of his enhanced night vision. Sure enough, there was a distortion in the shadow surrounding a tree approximately twenty feet away. Jaryn stood slightly downwind of the man and immediately recognized him as another wolf shifter.

With all the stealth gained via both his training and his natural ability, Jaryn closed in on the uninvited guest. He smoothly removed the seven-inch combat knife from the sheath attached to his waistband. The nano-material of the handle molded to his grip, and the knife simply became an extension of his being. The steel ghosted through the air without a trace thanks to its flat black finish. One last step and he had the lethal blade poised against the vulnerable carotid artery of the man in front of him.

“Welcome to the party,” he whispered. “Now, who the fuck are you?”

“My name is Mac Carmine. The council sent me to observe the compound.”

Jaryn pressed the blade a little tighter against the wolf’s neck. “Bullshit. You get one more chance to tell me the truth before I slit your throat.”

Mac didn’t move, didn’t swallow. “My brother is being held against his will inside. They took him from our pack six months ago, and I traced his location using some contacts I have in the DOD.”

Jaryn pulled the knife away a fraction. “Turn around, extremely slowly.”

Mac followed Jaryn’s instructions and raised his hands out to the side. “I’ve been staking out these woods for the last month and a half, gathering intel. I planned to go to the council with my findings and bringing the rain down on that son of a bitch.”

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