He hadn’t answered the question, and Alec felt the first tug of sympathy. It was hard to admit your family capable of evil, especially for a shapeshifter. Pack was supposed to matter. Family was supposed to matter.
Not for humans and halfbreeds, apparently. «I can’t take care of your sister and shake down your family for info.»
«Shakedowns don’t work on Cesar Mendoza.» Julio’s eyes glinted with anger and a hint of satisfaction. «But I know what will.»
Carmen woke in a bed, fully clothed, with only moonlight shining through the blinds. The bed creaked as she sat up and swung her bare feet over the edge of the mattress.
Her stomach growled angrily, and she bit her tongue to keep from echoing the sound as she rose and crept across the floor. Alec was probably sleeping, but she could rummage in the refrigerator and find something.
Except when she opened the door and stepped into the hallway, Alec stood at the end of it wearing a pair of beat-up jeans and nothing else. «Heard you moving around. Need some food?»
«I, uh…» Carmen shook herself and focused her eyes on his chin instead of his bare chest. «Food. I can get it.»
He studied her, then gestured toward the other end of the hall. «Kitchen’s down there. I’ll be right out.»
She walked to the kitchen, her face flaming. After the way she’d stared, he was undoubtedly going to put on a shirt to spare himself her drooling. Which was ridiculous, because she’d seen plenty of hot, naked men in her time.
Okay, she’d seen a few.
His voice came from behind her before she realized he’d returned, soft and amused. «I’m not much of a cook, unless you want me to fire up the grill, which I will. It’s never too late for steak.»
What he’d put on didn’t qualify as a shirt. A thin white cotton undershirt stretched across his chest and left his shoulders bare. «I can handle it, if you don’t mind me messing around in your kitchen.»
«You feel up to that? Your aura’s still…» He cleared his throat. «Fuck, I don’t know. You feel like a new wolf, but a new wolf as wound up as you were earlier would have shifted.»
«I feel all right.» Embarrassed and worried that she’d practically fallen asleep in his lap. Mortified that, even now, with her stomach rumbling and a million questions whirling in her mind, she couldn’t stop her gaze from tracing the lines of his body.
«It’s natural.» He caught her eyes and held them, an oddly compelling power in his gaze. «All of it. Whatever you’re feeling. New wolves sleep a lot, and when they’re not sleeping it’s pretty much an even split between food, fighting and fu» His gaze jumped away, and flustered discomfort tickled over her skin. «Sex,» he said, voice a little choked. «The basic three.»
Oh God. «I don’t feel different, not like I did earlier,» she explained, trying desperately to keep her carnal interest hidden. «The world’s not as loud or bright, just…» Smaller. It had shrunk to the size of his kitchen, to the scant space between them, and she had to distract herself. «What should I cook? What do you like?»
«Food.» He took a cautious step forward, as if she was a wild creature he was trying not to startle. «I’m not picky. Make something you like.»
His proximity made her want to run — not out of fear, but in anticipation of another chase. She turned abruptly and opened the refrigerator. «Maybe just sandwiches or something.» The sooner she got away from him, the better.
«I think I’ve got some bread. Want something to drink?»
«Please.» It came out huskier than she intended, almost suggestive.
The heavy anticipation in the kitchen sharpened. «Beer?»
It was the only beverage in the refrigerator besides an empty plastic jug that had once held milk. «I’ve got it.» She lifted two bottles and held them out.
He accepted them both, but tilted his head. «I think I have some Coke in the garage, if you want that instead. And a few cases of the shit Kat likes to drink that looks like antifreeze.»
Whatever that was, it didn’t sound appetizing. «Beer’s fine.»
Alec nodded and shifted both bottles to his left hand, holding them by the neck, then twisted off the tops without bothering to find a bottle opener. «Feel like talking, or does it make you nervous?»
Carmen blinked, taken aback by his words. She should have felt nervous around him. Instead, she found herself not wanting to lose his company. «I don’t mind.»
«Good.» He held out one of the beers. «Can I ask you some questions about what happened, or do you need some more time?»
Her mind shied away from the subject, and she focused on the bottle in his hand. «When I try to think of what happened…it’s like I can’t, but not because I don’t remember.»
«You might have a compulsion. Or the magic might have just shorted out your brain. Jackson may be able to help.» His voice was gentle. «We’ll figure it out. We always do.»
«Yeah.» She dropped cold cuts on the island and squeezed her eyes shut as a flash of memory assailed her. «My brother. I remember calling Julio, and I must have scared the hell out of him. I have to—»
Alec’s hand landed on her shoulder. «He’s been here. While you were sleeping. Jackson brought him so he could check on you, and we explained what we know.»
She stiffened under his touch, unsure if she wanted to shrug off the contact or invite something more intimate. «He could have driven me home. I can call him now, or Lily…»
«No.» His thumb slipped beneath the fall of her hair to brush along the back of her neck in a slow, soothing stroke. «You’re safe here. You need to be somewhere safe until we know for sure that you’re not going to change.»
The strange confusion clouding her mind gave way to lust. She twisted toward him, past the soft caress, until the back of her neck rested in his hand, testing its careful strength. The same tangled magic that had left her shaking and scared earlier now had her trembling in another way entirely. «You’re touching me like you own me.»
His body tensed, though his hand remained gentle. «I don’t own you. But you’re mine to take care of. Not the same thing.»
«Yours to take care of?» She leaned closer, inhaling his scent on a deep breath. «What does that mean?»
«No, Carmen.» Fingers tightened around the back of her neck in a warning pressure. «This isn’t you. It’s just instinct telling you I’m the strongest wolf in the room.»
«You’re the only wolf in the room.» Except that wasn’t quite right, not entirely. «You can let me go. I’m not going to climb you.»
He didn’t, not right away, and a sudden surge of empathy drowned her in a tightly leashed attraction that managed to be predatory and proprietary at once. The rough tips of his fingers dragged across the back of her neck as he pulled slowly away. «Don’t worry. I won’t let you, sweetheart.»
But he wanted to. «You couldn’t stop me.» Her own reaction to his emotions drove the words, challenging and seductive. «Not because I’d take you anyway, but because you’d want me to.»
Alec laughed, low and hoarse, and leaned down until his lips were just over hers. «You underestimate my capacity for masochism. I’d let you ride me into the sunset if you were thinking straight, but you’re not. And I’ll stop you.»
A long chase, then, full of feints and strategy. It pleased her, even though it meant she’d end up spending the rest of the night alone and aching. «I’m going back to bed,» she whispered. «Not that hungry, after all. But I’ll cook breakfast in the morning.»
He straightened abruptly and took a step back. «Your brother had your roommate pack a bag for you. It’s by the front door. I got the feeling he’d be back for breakfast, so you might want to plan for that.»