Page 30 of Guardians of the Assassins
He bit back a huff at the knowing look, the little hypocrite.
Like the fucker hadn’t been thinking the same exact thing.
“Come.” He tightened his hold around Morgan for a second, reluctant to release her when she was pressed up against him, so warm and tempting. Then he stepped away. “We need to make a plan on how we’re going to track and hunt the ferals.”
Her whole body sagged when she sighed, then she straightened and patted his chest before she entered the house. He remained close, a silent shadow, not liking that there were so many strangers in their territory.
As everyone settled around the study, he kept close to Morgan, basking in the smell of sunshine that lingered on her skin. He absently reached up and brushed his thumb across the Celtic knot etched on his chest, and the mating mark thrummedunder the attention, like she’d just reached up and ran her hands over his body.
He peered down at her where she was leaning against the edge of the desk, a growl rumbling in his chest, and a satisfied smile curled his lips when she shivered, a hint of her lust filling his senses. Ryder’s head snapped up at the delicious aroma, his beast catching the scent, his eyes locking on Morgan, and he licked his lips like she was a feast that he could almost taste.
The rest of the guys weren’t in much better condition, each of them edging closer toward her, seeking her attention.
Not that Morgan ever neglected them in any way.
They were just greedy fuckers.
“Stop it,” Morgan muttered it under her breath, shooting a glare at him over her shoulder, but it was the way that she shifted her legs that made a smug smile tug at his lips. Knowing that he could do that to her without even touching her finally eased the itch under his skin at having other males around his mate.
His eyes turned toward Caedmon, watching theloup garouclosely, but the other fae kept his emotions firmly locked away. If he hadn’t been trained from birth to notice the slightest reactions, he would’ve missed the way the werewolf gripped his leg, the way his fingers whitened just slightly.
While part of him wanted to challenge the man for daring to look at his mate, Atlas bit back the impulse. Fae were very sexual creatures, often sharing multiple partners throughout their long lives, usually only settling down when they found their mate.
He’d grown accustomed to the others, knowing that Morgan needed each of them to keep her safe.
They’d become like a family.
It was different with Caedmon.
It felt like the man was challenging him for his place. As much as he revered the ancient fae lord, there was no fucking way in hell he was giving up his claim. If Caedmon wanted to court Morgan, the werewolf would have to learn how to share.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Morgan ignored the heat that filled her cheeks and focused on the task at hand.
Ferals.
Danger.
Not sexy thoughts about getting her mates naked.
The asshats were doing it on purpose, working her up, wanting to stake their claim. That was the only reason she didn’t rip them a new one. She had no interest in any males other than her mates. If they needed to posture and act all alpha to put other men in their place, she’d let them play their game.
Men seemed to take their threats more seriously than when she turned them down.
“So we have two problems—finding out who is cursing the wolves, and finding the ferals before they hurt anyone. Any ideas?”
“There is no sense guessing who’s behind it until we have proof.” Kincade crossed his ankle over his knee and leaned back against the couch. “If we catch a feral, we might be able to learn something from them.”
Ryder shook his head, his expression grim. “You’ve nevercome across a feral. They’re nothing more than beasts. Any humanity in them has been stripped away, leaving behind a ravenous creature with no impulse control.”
“That’s not what he means,” Draven interrupted, his voice contemplative. “You think we’d be able to track the curse or whatever magic that was used on them back to the culprit.”
“Wolves usually take care of the ferals themselves, just putting them down.” Kincade drummed his fingers along his leg, the movement stilling when he turned toward her, his light green eyes landing on her with the weight of a boulder. His posture was deceptive, his lanky body ready to leap into action. “It has been many generations since there was an alpha queen.”
Morgan released a stuttering breath, part in hope, part in nerves. “You think I might be able to call them back?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged, as if unconcerned, but the tension thrumming through him said that he wasn’t any happier without having answers. “I don’t like placing you in danger, but it’s something we can’t dismiss.”
