Trace's Temptation (RARE Series, #3) Page 7

  I’m leaving as soon as the plane lands, Jinx said softly into her mind. Jade stiffened and raised her head to look at her brother sitting in a seat in the back of the plane. He stared straight ahead, and even though he didn’t move his head, she knew he was aware of everything that happened on the plane. I have to get back before the General gets suspicious.

  I don’t want you to go, Jade whispered as she lowered her head letting her hair fall forward to hide the tears welling up in her eyes.

  I don’t have a choice, sis, you know that. Someone needs to be on the inside to take the General down. That someone is me. Jade felt Jinx’s determination and knew there would be no talking him out of going back. She was proud of her brother. He could have turned out so differently given the hand life had dealt him. Instead he was a strong, loyal and loving brother. He knew right from wrong and chose to do what was right, even knowing it could get him killed. Right back at ya, Jinx muttered.

  Stop doing that! She growled. You are only allowed to talk to me this way. You are not allowed to get inside my head.

  Jinx chuckled out loud causing the people nearest him to glance his way. Ignoring them, he responded, I had to make sure you were ok. I’m satisfied now.

  The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Trace woke up right as the plane touched down. He was in excruciating pain, but Nico was able to give him more pain medicine to help dull it. As soon as they exited the plane, Jinx was gone. Make sure and get rid of that motorcycle, he said right before he vanished.

  Seriously, who rides a motorcycle in the dead of winter, Jade grumbled. She hid a secret smile as Jinx’s laughter washed over her.

  ~

  Gypsy didn’t wake up during the plane ride, nor did she gain consciousness on the ride to the White River Wolves compound. Nico called ahead to fill Chase, the Alpha for the White River Wolves, in on the situation so they were not stopped at the gates, while Ryker contacted his mate to make sure she was ready for them. Arriving at the hospital, they were met out front by Doc Josie and several nurses. “Get them all inside,” the doctor ordered briskly as she headed to the SUV where Trace was sitting with the door open. “Get the woman cleaned up while I look at Trace.”

  “No,” Trace refused immediately. “You take care of Gypsy first.”

  “Actually, I think you need to look at Sari first, Doc,” Angel interrupted as she gently guided the young, frightened woman forward. Her face was pure white and she was holding tightly to her stomach. Suddenly, Sari cried out and doubled over in pain as dark red blood soaked through her tan pants. Eyes widening, Jade stood in shock as Chase suddenly appeared behind Sari and gently scooped her up in his arms. Ignoring Angel who stood frozen beside Sari, Chase quickly made his way up the hospital steps and through the doors, Doc Josie following close behind. Trace watched curiously as Angel gazed longingly after Chase before masking her emotions with a scowl. Chase was Angel’s mate, but she’d been fighting the mate bond when Trace left. Obviously she still was.

  When Phoenix tried to lift Trace out of the vehicle, Trace decided he’d had enough. He was going to walk into the damn hospital if it killed him. He was a fighter, not a victim. Snarling at Phoenix, Trace stepped out of the vehicle on his own, standing beside it for several minutes to catch his breath. Jade appeared beside him, slipping an arm around his waist and giving him a sweet smile. This he could handle. Sliding an arm over her shoulder, Trace let Jade guide him slowly up the stairs and into the hospital. They followed a nurse into one of the rooms, but when Jade started toward the bed, Trace balked. “I want a shower,” he insisted. “I need one badly.”

  When the nurse would have protested, Jade simply turned directions and walked with Trace into the bathroom. Trace allowed her to help him sit down on the toilet to rest while she turned on the shower. “Get it as hot as you can,” Trace muttered tiredly from where he sat. “I have several months of filth and grime covering me. The closest I came to a shower was when they turned the hose on me during torture sessions.”

  Trace watched as Jade checked the steaming water to make sure it wouldn’t burn him, before turning to glance in his direction. With hooded eyes, he secretly took in her hot, sexy body.

  Moving back to the door, Jade shut it on the shocked nurse. Turning, she seemed to be contemplating something. Coming to a decision, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and slipped it over her head. Undoing the button on her pants, she slid the zipper down and shimmied out of them. Looking nervously at Trace, she froze when their eyes connected. Blushing, she slipped her fingers into the waist band of her panties and slowly slid them down. Trace groaned as he watched Jade bite down on her bottom lip. His breath quickened and he hardened instantly at the thought of those pretty, pink lips wrapped around his dick. Slowly, Jade reached back and unhooked her bra, removing it and placing it with the rest of her clothes.

  Trace took in the beautiful sight of his mate, and couldn’t believe fate had gifted him with the vision before him. Long blonde hair, dark green eyes, small, pert breasts that would just fill the palm of his hand. Trace was aware his gaze now held the look of a predator, but he couldn’t control it. Jade took a tentative step back, exciting him further. The panther in him wanted her to run. He loved a good chase. But Trace didn’t want to scare her.

  “Don’t run,” Trace growled, his eyes narrowing. “It will just excite my cat.” Standing, he shrugged off the blanket that still covered his body. “You are so damn beautiful, Jade. So perfect,” he groaned as he reached out and gently cupped one small, creamy white breast in the palm of his hand. Gasping, Jade shivered and cried out as he ran his thumb over her nipple, before lowering his head and tugging it into his mouth. Jade whimpered as Trace swirled his tongue around the nipple, then tugged on it gently with his teeth. Pulling back, he softly nipped his way up her neck and whispered into her ear, “I want to fuck you, Jade. I want to bury myself so deep inside you that you can’t stop screaming my name. But not here, not like this.”

  Jade trembled uncontrollably when Trace stepped back, tugging on her hand for her to follow. Pulling the curtain aside, he stepped into the large, square shower under the hot spray, moaning in pure pleasure. His whole body ached in pain from the brutal punishment it had taken over the past several months, except for his dick. That ached for a different reason. But the hot water soothed the aches and pains, and made him feel alive again. It had been so long since he’d felt hot water. Bracing himself against the sides of the shower, he bowed his head and let the water roll over him.

  Suddenly, Trace froze as Jade stepped in the shower and shut the curtain behind her. He moaned as he felt her soft hands on his skin, and kept as still as possible as she lathered his back with soap. Taking her time, his mate washed every inch of his backside before moving around to the front. Running her hands over his chest, she traced his tattoo of two sniper rifles on the right side of his chest before lightly tweaking his nipples. After getting more soap, she knelt down to wash his legs. When he didn’t think he could stand it any longer, she took his rock hard length into her small hands, stroking him slowly before moving one hand down to gently message his balls. A bolt of pleasure shot through him, and a growl of need escaped.

  Breathing heavily, his arms trembling, Trace rasped, “Jade, you need to stop.” She leaned back, smiling tentatively up at him, as she allowed the shower to wash the suds from his body. Then, before he could move, she was back taking his hard cock in her hand and wrapping her soft pink lips around the tip. Trace’s hips jerked, and he groaned loudly as his cock was encased in the hot, velvet heat of her mouth. Looking down into her large, innocent eyes, he started to pull out, but Jade grasped his ass with her hands and refused to let him. “You don’t have to do this, baby,” he whispered.

  Pulling back, she rasped. “I want to, Trace. Teach me.”

  Oh God, he thought as he fought not to come right then. How could he deny his beautiful mate anything at the moment? Letting go of the wall on one side, he reached down and slipped his fingers
into her mass of wavy locks. “Slowly,” he murmured as he guided her lips back to him. He knew he wasn’t going to last long, but he was going to savor the pleasure for as long as possible. Her gaze filled with hunger, Jade traced her lips with her tongue and moved closer until Trace tightened his hand in her hair forcing her to stop. Glancing up in surprise, eyes wide and lips slightly parted, Jade gasped when Trace guided his dick past her soft, wet lips. Jade moaned as Trace slowly began to push in and out of her sweet, warm mouth.

  Jade’s moans of pleasure finally put him over the edge. Feeling his orgasm building, Trace let go of the wall, tangling his other hand in her hair and holding her still while he drove into her mouth over and over again. When Jade dug her nails into his ass with one hand while tugging on his balls with the other, Trace came on a roar, filling her mouth. He watched in satisfaction as she took it all.

  Sliding down on the tile beside Jade moments later, Trace pulled her close, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Letting his eyes drift close, he whispered, “Thank you, love.”

  Chapter 11

  Chase stood by his office window watching the sun go down. His mate was here, on his land, where she belonged. Raking a hand through his short black hair, he swore savagely. Yeah, she was here. Until she knew Trace was okay. Then she would leave. She always left. While their unclaimed mating was eating him alive, she was doing everything in her power to avoid him.

  He stiffened when Angel’s scent suddenly surrounded him. Groaning, he placed one hand against the window and leaned his head against the cool glass. “Chase,” she said from the doorway.

  Feeling his fangs drop, Chase squeezed his eyes tightly shut and fought his wolf who wanted to claim her now. “What,” he asked, not bothering to turn around. There was only so much he could take, and he was almost to his breaking point.

  “I would like to see the girls,” Angel said as she moved further into the room. “I haven’t seen them in days.” Back in May, RARE rescued two women and three children from a facility in Mexico where they were being held by the General. One of the children, a bear shifter named Hunter, was adopted by Phoenix and Serenity. Angel had fallen in love with the other two children, beautiful twin girls, Hope and Faith. She was unable to take care of them with her lifestyle, so Chase welcomed the girls into his home, hoping his mate would soon follow. Angel came to see them as often as possible, but her responsibilities with RARE kept her busy.

  “You know you can see them whenever you want, Angel,” Chase said as he slowly raised his head to look out the window again. The beauty in the thousands of acres of land behind his office helped calm him. “They’re at the daycare right now. I was just going to go pick them up and take them home for dinner and baths.”

  “I can do it,” Angel offered. Her voice was getting closer, her scent overpowering. His dick hardened painfully and he cursed under his breath.

  “Fine,” Chase responded shortly. “I have a few things I need to do before I get home. I will be there in a couple of hours so you can get back to the hospital.”

  “Look Chase,” Angel said from right beside him. Before he could stop himself, Chase grabbed her waist and turned her quickly, pushing her up against the window. Breathing raggedly, he stared into her mesmerizing, lust filled gaze. He wasn’t the only one affected by the bond.

  Raising her arms above her head and holding them against the window, Chase groaned as he rested the bottom half of his body into hers, his throbbing erection straining against her. He took her mouth roughly with his, slipping his tongue past her lips when she gasped in surprise. When Angel tugged against his hands, trying to free herself, Chase growled in warning. Pulling back, he licked his way down her neck, gently scraping it with his fangs.

  “I can’t, Chase,” Angel breathed even as she arched into him. “I can’t do this.”

  “Don’t act like you don’t want me, Angel,” Chase snarled, pushing his cock against her roughly. “I can feel your heat through your jeans. I can smell your lust. You want me. You want this.”

  Angel cried out when Chase nipped her ear, a shiver racing over her body. “Please, Chase. I can’t. Not now.”

  Chase froze, leaning back he asked, “Not now? Then when? I’ve waited long enough, Angel. I want to hold my mate, dammit!”

  “I have never lied to you, Chase,” Angel growled, trying to pull away from him. “I never wanted a mate. I told you that. I have so many things in my life that need to come first. I have to go track down Trace’s family so they aren’t executed by his piece of shit dad. Then I need to hunt down the General so that my children are safe. So that my son is free. I don’t have time to deal with a mate right now, too!”

  Tearing himself away from her, Chase walked to the door. Turning around, he asked, “Did it ever occur to you that you don’t have to do those things alone? I am your fucking mate, Angel. If you would give me a chance, I would fight by your side.”

  Before she could respond, he was gone. Chase refused to beg. He was an Alpha, dammit. Alphas did not beg. Removing his clothes and shifting as soon as he was out of the building, Chase headed to the outer boundaries of his land. There had been a breach the month earlier and one of the children was abducted. Doc Josie was out running and managed to save the cub before he was taken off pack lands, but Chase feared it was only the beginning. Someone had found out about his wolf pack, which meant there was a strong possibility others knew, too. Chase added more guards to patrol the area and staggered their schedules so they weren’t always in the same place at the same time. He also put himself on the list to patrol whenever possible. Even though he wasn’t scheduled, tonight was going to be one of those nights. If he didn’t get as far away from Angel as possible, he was going to do something they might both regret.

  Chapter 12

  Jade gently nudged Trace awake after hearing a noise in the outer room. When he looked at her groggily, she smiled. “We need to get you out of here and into bed,” she said softly as she gently ran her fingertips down his cheek. “Unless you would like Phoenix to come back and carry you?”

  Shaking his head, Trace struggled to his feet with Jade’s help. “That bastard isn’t seeing me naked,” he muttered.

  Chuckling, Jade said, “Good. Let’s get dried off and get you into bed. You need rest.” After shutting off the water, Jade pulled back the curtain and grabbed a towel. Gently she dried Trace’s body, mindful of the bruising and any open wounds. Tears streamed down her face as she thought about the hell he must have endured. When he was dry, Jade quickly stepped out and dried herself off before pulling on her clothes. Going back to where Trace waited, Jade cupped his face and kissed his lips. Frowning, she pulled back and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. “Do you have a fever?” she asked. “I thought you were warm before, but you are extremely hot now. Is it from the shower?”

  Trace sighed and lightly urged Jade to the door. Following her slowly, he grabbed onto of the sink to help hold himself up. “It’s a fever,” he said as he shuffled from the sink to the door. Quickly wrapping a towel around his waist, Jade slid an arm around him and helped him through the door and to the bed.

  Rikki stood by the window lost in thought, a wistful look on her face. Her long, black hair was in a thick braid down her back. She was dressed in a black fleece sweater, camo pants and black combat boots. She wore a 9mm at her hip, and Jade knew she had several knives hidden on her as well. The feeling of sorrow and despair radiating from Rikki was disturbing. Jade caught the glimpse of the same handsome, dark haired man that she’d seen before in Rikki’s mind before shutting the image out. It wasn’t fair to Rikki to delve in her personal life without her knowledge. However, she could help with the emotions that were bombarding Rikki.

  Trace immediately fell asleep once he was settled in bed under the warm covers. Jade kissed him tenderly on the forehead before walking over to Rikki and lightly touching her arm. Slowly she started pushing calming energy Rikki’s way. After a few moments Rikki whispered, “What did
you do to me?”

  “I helped you,” was all Jade would tell her. They stood there in silence for several minutes before Rikki whispered, “I don’t understand why he doesn’t want me.”

  “He?” Jade questioned as she slid an arm around Rikki’s shoulders, hugging her as she pushed more soothing vibes in her direction. Rikki and Flame were the closest thing to friends Jade had ever had. She hated to see Rikki suffering.

  Sighing deeply, Rikki pulled out of Jade’s embrace and sat down in the chair next to them. “His name’s Jeremiah. Jeremiah Black.”

  “The man with the FBI?” Jade asked in surprise.

  “Yeah, him,” Rikki responded as she stared at the floor refusing to meet Jade’s eyes. “When I was captured by the General, he came on the rescue mission with RARE. I was shocked to see him, to be honest, because all he’d ever done before was give us our orders.” Looking up at Jade, Rikki whispered, “I heard Jaxson say Jeremiah is my mate.”

  “Oh, Rikki,” Jade murmured as she knelt in front of her. No wonder Rikki was so upset. Even though she was human, she would still feel the pull toward her mate. And she would feel the rejection when he didn’t claim her. “Wait,” Jade said in confusion. “How long have you known Jeremiah?”

  “I don’t know? Three years, almost four,” Rikki said. “I didn’t actually meet him at first. Angel always dealt with him over the phone. But after one rescue, he met us at the airport when we arrived back at the hangar. He wanted to personally pick up the man for some reason.” Clearing her throat, Rikki continued softly, “I felt something almost immediately for him, but I didn’t know what it was. It got worse every time he came around, which was more often after that first meeting. He was so damn sexy, and...well, I tried to mask my desire as much as I could. I knew he was a shifter and I didn’t want him to know how I felt.” Raising a pain filled gaze to Jade, Rikki whispered, “He never once acted like he cared. Never looked at me, never touched me. But he cared enough to be a part of the mission to save me. Then he just left. I haven’t heard from him since. If he cared enough to come to Arizona, why did he leave me, Jade? Why hasn’t he been to see me?”