Compromised judgment would get them all killed, sooner or later.
He made a list of the people he had to call as he climbed the stairs. Jackson first, then Carmen’s brother. No need to worry about Julio getting the wrong idea now — the hurt in Carmen’s eyes had killed his hard-on and the silent treatment wasn’t liable to bring it back anytime soon.
He should have been a lot more grateful.
Chapter Eight
They were hovering around the cage, talking about her again.
The blue-eyed wizard hissed a curse and dragged his hands through his hair. «We’re back to square one. If I don’t know how she was weaving her spells, it’s dangerous for me to fuck around with it.»
«Damn it, this is going to drive her crazy.»
Alec. She remembered his name, though the wizard hadn’t said it. It was branded in her memory, along with his taste and scent. He’d rubbed his hard body against hers, given her his mouth — and then he’d locked her up.
There had been no mocking in his eyes as he’d done it, and his voice now was rife with worry. He was scared for her, and it made it impossible to bare her teeth and snarl. To warn him off.
Her mind began to clear quickly, the feral anger dissipating. He’d tricked her, but he’d done it because giving her what she wanted was unacceptable. She knew that.
Still, the sting of betrayal lingered.
«She hasn’t changed yet.» The wizard stood — Jackson, that was his name. «There’s one thing I can try, but only if you’re pretty sure she isn’t going to.»
Alec shoved both hands through his dark hair, leaving the short strands standing on end. «I can try changing. That’s what I was going to do tonight. Shift and see if the magic sparks something in her.»
«If it’s ever going to happen, it’s now.»
«Fine.» Alec backed up a step, shooting Carmen one furtive look before he dropped his hands to his belt.
He looked like he wanted her to turn away, so she knelt by the bars and watched him as he stripped off his shirt. It revealed the ink on his arm and shoulder, dark indecipherable lines, and she let her gaze trace them boldly as he reached for his pants.
A challenge. He could answer it, or he could turn away.
Of course he answered it. Dark, expressionless eyes held hers as he jerked open his jeans and let them slide to the floor. He stood in front of her in boxers and an unwavering frown, but he didn’t look away.
One of them had to give, but it wouldn’t be him. The realization both soothed and excited her, and Carmen turned her head. «Can he leave?» she rasped. «The wizard?»
Alec kicked his jeans out of the way. «I’m not coming in that cage, whether he’s here or not.»
That chilled her even as it sparked sharp, hot anger. «I didn’t ask you to.»
The sudden wariness in his eyes faded to confusion, but after a moment he nodded. «Jackson, go upstairs.»
He shoved his hands in his pockets even as he backed away. «Yell if you need me, Alec.»
Carmen waited until his footfalls faded up the stairs and a door slammed to rise and reach for her own shirt. «Tell me what to do. How to find her. The wolf.»
«All right. Can you close your eyes and feel my power?»
She could feel everything, the power of the animal inside him as well as his almost crippling concern. «I can feel you. Stop worrying so hard.»
His rough laughter filled the room. «Oh, honey, we’re way past that. I worry. It’s what I do.»
The last thing she wanted was to be yet another responsibility, a burden no good alpha would set aside. She opened her eyes. «Don’t. Don’t worry about me.»
His hands fisted. His voice dropped to a whisper. «I worry about you more than I should.»
Because he cared. She’d known he wanted her, but this was different. Something closer to what she felt, and insufferably dangerous for someone in his position, who lived the way he lived.
It burned through her anger, and it didn’t matter that he was mostly naked, that she was half-dressed in her shorts and bra. Carmen dropped her shirt and closed her hands around the bars. «You talk a lot about what you do, what your job is. What do you need, Alec?» She’d give it to him, even if it meant walking out and never looking back.
After a tense, endless moment, he opened his eyes and met her gaze. «I need you to be all right. I need to keep you safe.»
«The only way to do that is to find out what that woman did to me and why.» The possibility of Carmen killing herself had spurred the witch into a mistake, one that had cost her her life. «She needed me to be two things — alive, and a wolf. That means my family has to be behind this. There’s nothing else that makes sense.»
He gave a short nod, then tilted his head. «You’re feeling steadier?»
«I feel» The vicious bite of magic had already faded. «How long has it been?»
«An hour. Maybe a little more.»
Last time, it had been longer than that before she’d come back to herself enough to recognize her surroundings, much less carry on a conversation. «How bad was it?»
One dark eyebrow swept up. «You’re in a cage, sweetheart.»
Her cheeks heated. «That was a stupid question.»
«A little bit.» But he smiled and brushed his hand over hers. «You were pretty mad at me. I wasn’t sure you were going to forgive me. I didn’t put you in there willingly.»
What he didn’t say made her blush even harder. «I tried to jump you.»
The first hint of true amusement made his eyes dance. «I’m used to it. Women can’t resist a brooding loner.»
«I’m sorry.»
«Do it again some time when you’re not high, and all will be forgiven.»
Will it? Asking seemed like asking for trouble, so she stepped away from the bars. «Show me how it’s done, and we’ll see if you can let me out of here.»
Alec stepped back and hooked a thumb under the edge of his boxers. «I’m about to be really naked. Watching with your eyes won’t do you much good, but I don’t care if you do.»
Carmen tracked her gaze down his hard body to where he’d dragged the fabric low. For a moment, temptation nearly got the better of her. «I shouldn’t, since I have to keep my hands to myself.» Reluctantly, she turned away and leaned back against the bars. «What about the rest of my clothes? Will I have time to get rid of them if I start to feel like something’s happening?»
«Probably not. It’ll be over before you can count to three. Doesn’t hurt either, so you don’t need to be scared.»
«Right. Are you—?» She swallowed hard, her hands on the waistband of her shorts, and almost glanced over her shoulder. «Are you watching me?»
«Does that bother you?»
«No.» It excited her, feeling the weight of his gaze on her, his interest and arousal spiking every time she moved.
Part of her wanted to put on a show, send that twisting desire of his through the roof, but it didn’t seem fair to tease. Instead, she unhooked her bra and slid the cotton free of her arms. After tossing it across the cot, she pushed her shorts and panties down her legs in one quick, efficient movement.
«All right.» His voice had definitely gotten lower. «Your empathy might help. Close your eyes and kneel, and try to feel what I’m doing.»
She bit her lip and slid to the floor, wincing at the hard bite of concrete on her scraped knees. «I feel…» Worried. Determined. Turned on.
Then the lust bloomed into something primal, something she recognized on an instinctive level. It was the magic that had always lived in her, just cranked up to an overwhelming intensity.