Claiming Clara (8 page)

“I need my clothes.” She spoke barely above a whisper.

Wall didn’t bother looking for them. He simply set her down gently and pulled his own shirt off and slipped it over her head.

She nodded her thanks and then flicked a look over his shoulder. He knew Heath was there, and no doubt so were Laney and Duke. He didn’t care. All he cared about was the woman in front of him who still hadn’t looked at him.

Wall reached out a hand to brush her hair away from her face, but she flinched away from him. He felt his heart snap, cracking clean in two.

“Heath,” she called to her brother. “I need … um … I need to go.”

His Alpha didn’t miss a beat and strode over to scoop her up into his arms and stomped away.

Wall started to follow, but Heath snarled, “Not now,” and vanished with Wall’s woman.

When they were out of sight, Wall noticed Duke had stayed behind.

“I have seen some dumb shit in my life, but that right there takes the crowning glory.” Duke sneered.

Wall narrowed his gaze at him. “You really don’t want to start with me right now, St. Clair. I will tear your throat out and leave your bleeding body for the scavengers to feed on.”

Duke looked back at him, and for a moment Wall thought the full human would make the move. He hadn’t expected the large cheesy grin to spread across his face. Wall frowned. A cough behind him had Wall closing his eyes and dropping his chin to his chest.

With a resigned sigh, he turned to face the two people who stood there: Karina with her sniper’s rifle in her hands; and the other far more daunting, a large wolf shifter, with green eyes and auburn hair that was starting to go white with age. The man must have been about six feet seven because Wall had to look up at him.

Wall took on a fighter’s stance, ready for the attack he was sure was coming. He swallowed to wet his dry throat and offered his hand to the man.

“Hello, Mr. Marsterson.”

Clara’s daddy.

Chapter 7

Clara lay on the bed not really seeing anything.

They’d made it back to the pack house in record time; the journey seemed to fly by. She wasn’t sure if that was more from the fact that she didn’t care or that her brother drove like the devil himself was on their trail.

She knew Alberto’s body was taken care of. The man had died as wolf; therefore, he stayed as wolf. They would send notification to the rest of his pack, and they could reclaim his body if they wanted to. If not, he would just be another dead wolf.

Now she lay there watching the other women move around her. She knew they were there to watch over her.

“Honey, do you want me to get you something else to wear?”

Clara shook her head. She wanted to keep Wall’s shirt. His scent was heavy on it still, and she needed that.

“Okay, honey.”

Laney came in, took one look at Clara, and ordered everyone out.

“God I love being queen sometimes.” Laney smiled and climbed onto the bed next to her.

She moved close, almost spooning Clara, who was pretty sure that any other time this would equally freak her out and make her laugh all at once. However, not today. Today she just didn’t care.

“Do you want me to skin him and lay his still-bleeding corpse out in the sun?” Laney asked.

“No.”

“Do you want me to cut him with a small sharp knife all over his body and then rub salt and vinegar into the wounds?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to remove his cock and then staple it to his forehead while making him dance a jig?”

Clara smiled. If nothing else, Laney knew how to distract her. “No.”

“Do you want me to go save him from your dad and brother who have him stashed in the garage?”

“No. Wait, what?” Clara sat up and looked down at her crazy sister-in-law.

“Your dad and brother have Wall out in the garage, have had him there for like an hour.” Laney shrugged. “Now I personally think whatever they are doing he deserves, but my mother called.” Laney rolled her eyes. “Apparently I had to tell you or ‘she was coming out here.’”

Clara didn’t ask anything more. She shot off the bed and out of the door. The entire time she prayed that they hadn’t done anything too permanent to Wall.

She got to the garage and threw open the door. Skidding to a stop, she looked around the room, stared at each of the three men standing there, talking and…
Dear God, were they drinking beers?

“Evening.” She nodded, trying to act as casual as they seemed to be.

“Hey, baby girl.” Her father smiled at her, opening his arms wide.

Clara stepped into her father’s embrace. He engulfed her. No matter how grown up she was, her father always made her feel five years old.

“What are you doing here, Daddy?”

“Duke called and told me about your troubles and asked for my help. Your mother thought it best if I swung through and checked out the mess you and your brother had gotten into.” He winked at her. “I really can’t leave you two alone for five minutes before one of you starts up a fight.”

“We are fine, Daddy. You didn’t need to come out here,” Clara assured him.

“Fine?” Her father pulled the neckline of Wall’s T-shirt away and looked down at the mark Wall had left there and the bullet wound, which was no more than a faint scar now.

“Yes, Daddy, fine.” Clara stepped away from him.

“I got to that clearing just before you started scuffling. Little Karina filled me in on the plan. That fox always picks the most advantageous places for her shots. Her daddy taught her well.” Her father smiled. “So I stayed out of the way, but I was there for you, baby. You know that right?”

“I know.”

“Your brother tells me Wall here is a pretty nice guy.” He sniffed.

“He is.”

“Until it comes to you; then he seems to lose his mind.”

Clara didn’t look away.

“I love him,” she stated simply.

“That’s all I wanted to know. Come on, son.” He lent down, kissed her forehead, and walked off. Heath stopped in front of her.

“I was so looking forward to kicking his ass.” Heath bent and kissed her forehead too before following their father out the door.

She turned to watch them leave, conscious that Wall had not moved. He was still leaning on the wall behind her. She was suddenly too shy to face him.

“Did they hurt you?” she asked instead.

“No, although I think they were planning to before you came in,” Wall said.

“Probably. Although I think getting you drunk first was high on their list.”

There was a silence again, the only sound that of their breathing.

“Did you mean it?” Wall finally asked.

“Yes, they were definitely planning on getting you drunk.” She shrugged.

“Not that.” He moved and stood behind her, close. “When you told them you love me? When you said it when you had me chained in that motel room?”

Clara’s heart missed a beat. Did she love him? Of course she did. More than her next breath.

“I love you,” she said again as she turned to face him.

The air seemed to rush out of him. For a second, she was worried he would stop breathing, but then he grinned at her.

“I love you too, my own.” He took a step toward her, but she stopped him with a raised hand.

“The next time you mark me, let’s not do it in front of the pack, and most definitely not in front of my brother and daddy.”

“I swear that will never happen again. I am so sorry. I just lost my mind when I heard the shot, and then you were there alive, and my wolf took over.”

“I can’t believe you thought I would go after Alberto without a plan.” Clara accused.

“I can’t believe what a shot your friend is.”

“Karina is a sniper. It’s the family business.”

Wall frowned and Clara laughed.

“Don’t ask.”

“I won’t.” He reached out and pulled her to him. “You still have my shirt on.”

“I had no clean clothes.”

“You have a tendency to steal my shirts. Is this an addiction we are going to have to deal with?” He smiled down at her.

“Wow, for a second I forgot you are a big dork.” She laughed.

“Dude, you love my dorkiness.” He grinned.

“I do, dude.”

Wall leaned down and kissed her, reined a line of kisses along her jawline and neck until he reached the mark he left on her.

Clara shuddered.

“Let me do this right, my own.”

“No, you marked me, and I wouldn’t change that for the world,” she assured him. Running a light finger down his nose, she gave him a small smile.

Wall closed his eyes as she ran her hand up through his hair. She watched him relax under her hand, a contented smile on his face until she took a handful of that hair and yanked, hard.

“Dude!” Wall gasped.

“But let me be very clear; the next time I tell you to let me handle something, you sure the hell better stay out of my way. As much as I love you, I will start breaking vital parts of your body. Do we understand each other?” she asked with a daunting calmness.

“Yes,” Wall replied through clenched teeth. She let him go and smoothed his hair back into place.

She turned to walk away, glad to have made her point, but she hadn’t gone more than a few steps when he caught her around the waist and pulled her hard back against his chest. He caught her hair, pulled it so her neck and his bite exposed.

“Now, my own, let
me
be very clear. I will not tolerate anyone threatening you. I will do whatever I have to do to keep my family safe, and baby, you sure the hell better let me know if anything like this happens again. You don’t mention it, and well let’s just say, you think I punished you before? That will be nothing compared to what I will do if you keep that information from me. You’re my woman, my mate, and very soon, I hope, my wife. Nothing will stand in my way when I am protecting you. Not even you.” He ran his rough tongue over the bite, pulling a low groan from her.

“Dammit, Wall.” She moaned.

He tugged her hair causing a sharp pain, one she didn’t find disagreeable.

“What was that?” The aggression in his voice sent an excited thrill down her spine.

“Dammit, Harvey.” She practically purred.

“Hmm, yes, my own?” He took her earlobe in his mouth sucking it gently.

“My father is here. We should go and see him.” She tried to reason as she felt his hands start to move up her body.

“We will, my own, just not yet.” He promised as he cupped her breast through his T-shirt.

“We should go now. He won’t be here for long.” She tried again, though even she could hear the lack of conviction in her voice.

“Mmm.” he started to move her back toward the bench in the far corner of the building. She went willingly.

Light streamed in from the garage door being flung open, shocking them both.

“When you have finished mauling my sister, our father wants you to come eat with us. Now.” Heath growled.

Clara pulled away and glared at her brother, wondering if her parents would be too upset if she killed him.

“Dude!” Wall yelled.

“So?” Heath shrugged.

“But, dude.”

“I don’t care.”

“Dude.”

“Now.”

Clara walked away, rolling her eyes at the two of them. Laney stood outside, laughing quietly at the two men.

Wall caught up with her, dropping an arm around her shoulders as they headed toward the house.

“Finished arguing with our Alpha?” she asked.

“Err, that wasn’t an argument. That was a very grown up male discussion,” Wall stated.

“Oh right. Sorry. My female brain clearly missed that bit.”

“That’s okay. Your small female mind just can’t handle the complexity of such male things,” he assured her.

“You’re an idiot.” Clara sighed.

“Dude!” Wall moaned.

Clara laughed, skipping up the steps to the house.

“That will be one, my own.” She heard Wall say softly behind her.

She smiled, already planning on what to do to get the other four.

The End

About the Author

I am - takes a deep breath - a daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, aunt-in-law, great-aunt, godmother, and resident IT geek for UCW. All that at not even forty yet! I have been writing for most of my life but kept it my "dirty little secret" until I saw an advert in the back of a Mills and Boon book for the New Voices Comp 2010. Although I didn’t win, entering that competition opened up a whole new literary world! I decided it was finally time to give writing a serious try.

Now I can be found at just about any time, even at my normal day job, jotting notes and thoughts down for my stories. I think my family, friends, and colleagues are used to me having whole conversations with myself now as I flesh out different characters. Thankfully they don’t all walk the other way when they see me coming.

I am a paranormal romance fan, and love to read and write in that genre. Show me a shifter wolf, tiger, or bear and I am one happy bunny.