The Vixen Files Read online

  "Where to, miss?"

  Good question. The available Intel pointed to several high-class hotels, where James was likely to frequent. "The Royal Lancaster Hotel, please." I pointed the driver toward the first of the list. With some luck, I would find James there.

  Luck was in short supply. Not a whiff of James's subtle piney scent until I reached the third hotel, the Westbury Hotel. I knew in the space of a heartbeat James was there.

  The easiest route would be to go to the front desk and ask for his room number. With a little persuasion I might even get the truth. Normally I would avoid the easiest route, because it was also the one most certainly designed to get me caught. Fortunately that was exactly what I hoped for. There was no point in going to all the trouble of snooping or even taking the time to track his scent back to his room. No, this time I'd let him take care of the work.

  I asked after him at the front desk, and gave in easy when the clerk refused any information. Then I made my way into the Polo Bar, located in the hotel. That's where I would wait for him, and I knew it would not be a long wait. In a matter of minutes, before I'd done more than take two sips of my martini, I caught his scent and felt his warm presence at my back.

  "I understand you wish to speak with me."

  I started to turn, but he stopped me with a jab to the side.

  "Don't move. I do have a weapon and I'm not afraid to use it." His voice was a low growl that vibrated through my body.

  "All right, I won't move."

  "Start talking."

  In any other situation, this could've gone very wrong. One badly played lie or just plain paranoia could've brought us both disaster. But thanks to my premonition, I knew that wasn't going to happen. All I had to do was stay to the script, and it would lead us both exactly where fate demanded. "My name is Bella Donita, and I have come to offer you employment. It seems my family has need of your special acquisition skills. Money is no object." I shifted just slightly, pushing back into the heat of his body.

  He sucked in a breath deep enough I felt the air pull past my neck. "Well, my little nightshade, I believe we will have to take this conversation to a more private place." The warmth of his body brushed lightly against me. His arm slid around my waist, tugging me off the bar stool and into his arms. His iron strength softened, like the lover he soon would be.

  Chapter 2

  * * *

  He led me from the bar but passed by the elevators without stopping.

  "Where are you taking me?"

  James didn't answer, just held me tighter, searing my side where our bodies coming together made the temperature rise in a rush. Without being asked, the valet brought around his Porsche as if it had been parked just barely out of sight. The black turbo Cabriolet was one of my favorites. Before releasing me he leaned in close and whispered, "If you truly wish to hire me, you will get in the car without a fuss. If you so much as whimper, I will leave you here and disappear myself within minutes."

  I believed him.

  He settled me onto the soft leather and took his place behind the wheel. With us both inside the car and him in charge of navigation I focused on James himself. My target and possible mate was more than easy on the eyes. He combined the perfect mix of rugged masculine lines with smooth sophisticated edges. At least six feet three, he would fit my height perfectly whether vertical or horizontal. As striking as he was, he was also built for undercover work. His brown hair and muddy hazel eyes would help him blend in. Or at least it would if he wasn't dressed in a three thousand dollar suit and had himself styled within an inch of life.

  "Where are we going?" I didn't really care where, but the question was expected so I asked it. Truthfully, I knew London well enough to be able to guess where he'd take me, and wasn't the least bit surprised when the car headed straight for the exclusive rentable cottages outside the city.

  Only one problem...if I could predict his behavior, so could his enemies. How long would we have before the hit squad was sent for him? I couldn't narrow down the time much but expected it to be within twenty-four hours. The kind of men he'd pissed off tended to act quickly.

  "Your car is rather private. Perhaps I could explain our needs now?"

  "No, the discussion will wait."

  His bullying behavior was a bit grating, but it did fit with all his other Alpha tendencies. Might prove interesting if our Alpha natures ever came in conflict. Would there ever come a time when I had him naked and helpless, bound to my bed and at my mercy? The sudden and explicit image sent a shiver of desire through my body.

  First I'd strip off all the trappings of culture until all that bare skin was left raw for my enjoyment. No not bare completely. He would be best tormented when blindfolded. A man like him would get a rush from giving up control. Would he like being on the other end of the crop? Even if he did, I'd begin with a feather. Perhaps if he was very good I would tease him with fur as well. He deserved a very long session for what he intended to do to me.

  Overpowering him would not be difficult. Werewolf strength against his human muscles would leave him without much of a chance. Perhaps that was why I've always enjoyed light bondage games. The illusion of being out of control always drove my senses and reactions into overload, but at the end of the day it was just a game.

  James pulled into the quiet drive for one of the cottages. I hid my grin. He'd prepared well. It had already been rented.

  Another thought knocked the breath from my lungs. What if he had rented this place for games with some other woman? Damn it, he was my mate. I fought down my instincts in favor of reason. He wasn't my mate yet, no matter how possessive I felt because of the damn dreams. In his mind he was still single and in the prime of his life. If he had rented this cottage to have sex with other women, I wouldn't kill him for it. Well, maybe I wouldn't kill him.

  James came around the car and held the door for me. Only when he helped me out, the motion dragged me back into a tight hold, crushed against his chest, where I felt his heart pounding. His head dipped and he inhaled my scent as if to brand it on his soul. His heartbeat hitched and his arms tightened.

  Mine.

  Oddly, I wasn't sure if the thought was mine or his. No, it had to be my thought. We were not mated yet. The gift of sharing thoughts would come later.

  Then we were in front of the door and then inside. My focus spiraled down to James and his soft scent so like fresh pine. Over that scent lingered a hinted of cologne, but my mate was made to run in the woods. New pine buds fresh in the spring. Very subtle, not enough to burn the nose. Just enough to make me breathe him in over and over.

  He led me into the bedroom of my premonition and the room was blessedly without any fresh female scents. "James?"

  He spun me in his arms until my back pressed to his front. His fingers danced over my shoulders, catching and drawing off my suit jacket. The blouse beneath was fairly plain and elegant in the front, but the back connected with only a crossing of laces that revealed more than they hid. His warm hand slid down the curve of my back suggestively. While his other hand reached around and captured both my wrists.

  "What are you doing?" But of course I knew.

  "I'm checking you for weapons, love." The word "love" blew over my shoulder while his hand abandoned my back and moved lower. Across both hips, around my legs and back up between where my thighs met with a long delicious hesitation.

  "All I have is the Glock in my purse, but by all means, keep checking." I let my head fall back to see his reaction. "I'm certainly enjoying it."

  His eyes flared with heat. Green flecks brightened his hazel irises. One corner of his mouth quirked upward, forming a kissable dimple. Damn, my mate was sexy as hell. After he finished his check, he slipped one finger under the strap holding the purse on my shoulder. Slowly he glided it down until it slid past my hand and was free.

  The clasp clicked open. I listen while he checked the bag for bugs or any other nasties. A second later he tossed it onto a cushioned seat. "Your handgun ta
kes up all the space in that tiny fashion statement. Why even bother?"

  "Image is everything."

  "Yet, you are helpless, or is your real weapon concealed beneath your beauty?" His fingers sank into my upswept hair. With a few tugs that send fire racing through my veins, my hair fell loose. My red waves tickled the whole way down my back, teasing at the bare skin.

  Having my hair loose and feeling his fingers thread through it was pure decadence. If only we had more time I would soak in the moment and memorize every second of this, our first meeting. But we didn't have much time. He had killers on his trail and I had a war to stop.

  I bit back the quiver of desire and forced my voice to hold steady. "Are you ready to talk business?"

  He spun me about in a single smooth motion. "I have no intention of talking to a Bella Donita, since no such woman exists." He advanced, his face cut with menace and determination. "People only lie about who they are to protect themselves. Now why would you want to protect yourself from me, who you claim an interest in working with?"

  The bed pressed against the back of my thighs. One last push sent me tumbling backward. I scrambled slightly as if fearful of what he would do next. Was this where he would tie me? My whole body clenched in anticipation. "It's just a business arrangement. Please don't do this." If he'd had a wolf nose he would smell my arousal and no amount of lying would hide that truth. As it was, I'm afraid my rebuff wasn't very believable.

  "Don't do what, little nightshade?" He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Don't ask you reasonable questions?" He turned and crawled toward me, his gaze predatory. "Or don't you want me to desire you like you obviously desire me?"

  Since I didn't want to deny his affect on my body, I clamped my mouth shut. All my acting would have to be visual. Despite the urge to pounce on him and demonstrate exactly what a predator could do, I made as if to flee. Shimmying across the king-sized bed, my suspiciously weak knees made for a convincing failed escape.

  James caught my ankle and halted my flight. His grip started off tight and then eased until his fingers caressed the sensitive skin of my ankle. "Tell me you don't want me, or tell me your name so we can do this business you supposedly came for. If you do neither I will proceed how I want, and you might not find my methods so comforting." His voice was a low vibrating growl and so damn sexy.

  "What methods?" Whatever it took, I wanted to keep him talking. The way his voice rumbled through my mind and heart left me aching for the centuries to come. For too long I had grieved for lost love. The voice of a new mate offered me the long forgotten gift of hope.

  James, however, was ready to do more than talk. The ankle he had grabbed and then stroked became the handle he used to drag me back across the bed. With a flourish he bent over my leg, kissing the inside of my knee through the fabric of my pants. The motion was calculated and designed to give him time to bind my leg to the short corner posts.

  "Hey!" I objected and yet couldn't stop the flood of sensation as he captured and bound my other leg. Still he would expect some resistance. I rolled forward as if to reach the silken length and release myself, but he gave me not even a second's chance. His body fell over mine, bringing us flush together from chest to thigh.

  The movement was so sudden that my instincts took over. I writhed from side to side, clawing at his back. But between his weight and my bound legs it would have taken more strength than a human woman would have.

  His mouth came down on mine, crushingly intimate. Within moments he tied my wrists above my head, without breaking the blistering kiss. He caught my jaw, holding me still while he plundered. When I turned my head aside, he threaded his arm behind my neck, forcing me back for another soul ravaging kiss.

  What if I had been human like him? Would James have continued down this dangerous path? The questions filled me up with ice, putting out my arousal. Was my mate a rapist, or just a man who could see what I really desired?

  Back and forth I battled, but the conflict left me trapped in the middle. If James found pleasure in rape, he would be in for one hell of a shock. Because as much as I enjoyed the game of dominance, there was no place in the world for abuse, and I'd kill even a mate for transgressions of that ilk.

  He had stopped kissing me and lay still as stone. His gaze held only banked coals while he stared down at me. "I want you like I've never wanted a woman before." The hand on my jaw stroked a slow line down from ear to chin. The pad of his thumb brushed over my lower lip in a trembling caress. "But I will not take you against your will."

  My heart raced. "Yet, I am tied down." His words eased my fears, but I had to be absolutely sure. Some mistakes couldn't be taken back. Sharing my soul with an asshole was one of them.

  "All you have to do is tell me you don't want me. As easy as that and our game will end, but until you say those words, your body belongs to me." His lips touched mine, this time as light as air and as full of promise as the wind. He pulled back and looked at me expectantly.

  This was the moment when I could choose to build a life with this dominant man or walk away and hold onto complete control over my future. Something about the way he held me, and how he pushed for the spoken decision--it felt as if he understood what we might be able to build together. But that was impossible.

  The moment stretched out for uncountable heartbeats. He demanded an answer and the choice wasn't difficult. I was through being alone. "I don't want you...to stop."

  His face softened with relief. But the change only lasted a second before the expression shifted again. "I want to see my possession." His fingers danced down my chest, freeing each button. When I reached over to help him, he stopped me. "Are you ready to tell me who you really are?"

  I considered answering. After all, being mates was all about love and trust. The only problem was I didn't trust James. I might be more than half in love with him, and I sure as hell wanted to trust him, but we just were not there yet. I couldn't tell him my real name. I'd been in the spy game long enough my name alone would lead right back to the Hunt Club, at least it would to anyone with as much skill as James had. Much as I hoped to have a future with him, the possibility wasn't worth putting my daughters in danger.

  James was still too big a gamble. "I can't."

  His eyes narrowed. "You won't."

  "Okay. I won't. Not yet anyhow."

  His lips pursed. My decision didn't sit well, not well at all. Then his expression turned dark.

  Perhaps this would be a good test of his patience. I needed to learn what kind of man he really was. Although his face hardened with determination, no violence came to his eyes. Instead, a dreadful calm settled over him. I could almost see the waves of anger coming to a standstill.

  "Have it your way. One way or another, you will confess your name this night. Before I'm through with you, you'll scream it loud enough for the neighbors to hear."

  I almost choked. Of course he was right. I would scream out my name, and I would be doing it at the moment of passion. All that, the premonition had shown. All that remained to be seen was when it would happen and if the trust I was going to give him would be earned or stolen.

  And if we would escape before the hit men arrived.

  Shit. If I was going to give in to him, I'd have to trust him at some point during this night. The sooner I gave in, the better our chances would be. My premonitions always came true and they had shown me trusting him. But it had also been obvious in the premonition that I'd held back the information until that moment.

  His fingers relaxed from their tight fists and glided down my arms to take hold of my wrists, capturing them once more. A languid dreaminess stole over me. His actions in this moment, this place, were all so familiar. It was easy to accept. Shortly he would prove himself trustworthy. Surely this wouldn't be a mistake. Either way, for now, I let him lead in this dance. He could be my alpha tonight. If he proved worthy, he could be my alpha forever.

  I tested the bonds. All four silken ropes were gentle, but solid. And to a lesser w
oman they would feel very exposing. Because of the width of the bed, and being tied to the corners, I was spread wide open.

  "I have a bit of a problem now. Now that you're tied, I can't remove your clothing the traditional way." That was when he flipped out a small switchblade. "Don't worry, love. I don't plan to cut you, just your elegant suit. I fear that designer number won't make it out of here alive."

  His wicked grin sent a shiver of anticipation across my nerves. Little did he know I could use my magic to melt my clothes away. Simple manipulation of basic molecules. Something all but the youngest Valàfrn could do at will. But his way looked much more interesting.

  He slid the blade underneath the neckline of my top and cut in a straight line across the top, freeing my shoulder, and then across the other since the front was already unbuttoned. The fabric fell away. Because of the backless nature of the suit, I was wearing no bra. He stared at my breasts, and they immediately tightened. The nipples hardened and I ached to have him touch me with more than his gaze. Instead, he turned his focus on the waist of my slacks. With the razor sharp knife, James sliced through the waistband and straight down to the hem at my ankle. He repeated with the other leg. Not once did I feel the blade touch my flesh, let alone cut me.

  He sucked in his breath. "Such a naughty girl, walking around without your unmentionables."

  My face heated. Going commando, as the boys in the agency called it, wasn't something I'd ever done before, but knowing that I was going to meet the man who might be my mate for the rest of our lives... I'd wanted to do something different and, damn it, the silk of my suit sliding against bare skin felt damn sexy.

  And sometimes an old girl like me needed that extra little something. Especially when the effort was so well received.

  Not only did James continue to stare at my nude body, but his breath picked up a raw tempo and there was definitely wicked interest in his eyes.

  "I'm tied, and more or less at your mercy. The least you can do is explain your intentions." Of course I already knew, but I needed to hear those words on his lips.