"Why is that exactly?"

"You should hear the way she's been talking to me. Disrespectful is an understatement! Worse, she's a hussy! She won't be faithful to you. She'll be all over your enforcers, spreading herself around them like b.u.t.ter on toast."

"It really is disconcerting just how well you've read me, Greta," said Taryn.

With a growl that had all eyes widening, Greta stood. "I said I want her gone!" She focused on Taryn then. "I want you gone!"

Taryn gave her a mock frown. "Now really, Greta, anger is such an ugly thing."

"It's Ms Tyler to you, hussy."

"Sure thing, Greta."

Turning to Trey, she ranted, "Have you heard the way she talks to me? She has no respect! She's rude! She's -"

"Staying exactly where she is," finished Trey firmly, hearing his wolf growl his agreement. Trey wasn't a grandson talking to his grandmother now. He was the Alpha talking to a pack member.

"But she's not your true mate and she's not good enough for you!"

"I'm aware that she's not my true mate, it has nothing to do with why she's here."

"She's not good enough for you!"

He had a moment when he considered pulling his hair out. "You don't even know her so how could you know anything about her or whether or not she's good enough for me?"

"Is it true that she's latent? You picked a latent for an Alpha female?"

Trey was ready to snap at Greta for making such a comment when alpha waves suddenly reached out and hit them all with the force of a sledgehammer. The vibes clotted the air, smothering him while at the same time invigorating him. He turned to Taryn to see her glaring at Greta, and realized she was letting his grandmother see exactly how powerful an alpha her wolf was. Obviously she'd had enough of being insulted. He couldn't blame her. Unfortunately for him and probably for Dante too her dominant display went straight to his c.o.c.k, hardening it painfully.

"Taryn?" he said softly. She looked at him, smiling, and suddenly the waves eased. "You okay?"

Nodding, Taryn slid from the counter and did a very feline stretch. "I think I should leave the room though. I can feel those hussy urges coming on me already. Probably best if I go before I leap on you or Dante."

Trey looked at his gaping grandmother who had obviously not expected such a demonstration of power from little Taryn. "I don't want to have to go through this again," he said in a grave tone, knowing how tenacious Greta could be. "She's my mate. Accept it. And if you want her to treat you with respect then remember it works both ways."

Taryn sighed. "No, she's right. My behavior has been truly unacceptable. Accept my apologies, Ms Tyler. I know I really should have more respect for the dead." With a grin and a wink, she then strutted out of the kitchen. Her grin widened as she heard an outraged gasp burst out of the old woman.

"Hey you did good," praised Dante, chuckling. "Didn't cry or anything."

"Something tells me I'll have to put up with that every Hey!" She gaped at Trey as he s.n.a.t.c.hed the mug from her hand and gave it to Dante. "What the h.e.l.l are you doing?"

"Baby, you got me hard as a rock after that display of dominance in there. If I'm not inside you in the next five minutes, I'll lose it."

"Oh h.e.l.l no!"

Locking his arms around her, Trey carried her through the tunnels, ignoring her kicks and the string of profanities she hurled at him. Once in the bedroom, he dumped her on the bed. "Now I'm going to f.u.c.k you and make you come so hard you can't breathe. Deal with it."

CHAPTER SIX.

Dreams didn't get much better than this.

On one level, Taryn couldn't help finding it a little depressing that her best s.e.xual encounters tended to happen during her sleep, but the pleasure spiking through her body left no room for such thoughts.

A thick talented finger was stroking in and out of her while sharp teeth nibbled on the back of her shoulder. The thrusts were shallow, leisurely, teasing. She squirmed and tried impaling herself further but the finger withdrew a warning. She moaned her frustration. A low, wicked chuckle was her response and then two fingers plunged inside her and her next moan was of sheer bliss.

Ordinarily Taryn wasn't a huge fan of finger-f.u.c.king, but these fingers were extremely clever, hitting all the right nerves with unerring accuracy as if they knew just how to play her body. If they would only pick up speed...

Oh, and then they did. The teeth stopped grazing her shoulder as that hot mouth drifted to her ear and a tongue swirled inside the sh.e.l.l.

"Come for me, Taryn." The whisper was hoa.r.s.e and filled with authority. "I want to feel you come all over my fingers."

That was when she woke up and became very aware that she hadn't been dreaming at all. Instantly she stiffened, but obviously knowing she'd fight him, Trey slipped an arm beneath her and locked it tight around her, pinning her arms against her body. "You tricky f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she rasped, struggling against his grip and the sensations. But his grip only tightened as he kept her right where he wanted her and pumped his fingers hard and deep, demanding her o.r.g.a.s.m.

"Come. Now." He bit down hard on the back of her shoulder.

Her traitorous body gave him what he wanted. An o.r.g.a.s.m washed over her and her muscles clutched his fingers as she came with a loud cry. Then in one decisive movement he raised her leg, tucked it into the crook of his elbow and drove into her. Oh she hated him.

Trey groaned as her muscles contracted around his c.o.c.k. "f.u.c.k, Taryn." She melted against him for a second and then went back to struggling. Well of course she did. In this particular battle for dominance he had basically cheated by seducing her in her sleep, but she just felt so d.a.m.n good around him that he couldn't bring himself to care.

He thought it odd that his appet.i.te for her body hadn't began to dull yet. He only had to smell her scent or hear her voice for him to become immediately hard. Unlike Trick and Dominic, Trey wasn't the type to have so little control over his libido or his body. But where Taryn was concerned, it was a whole different matter. He couldn't even blame it on the mating. This primitive hunger had hit him the second he saw her and didn't seem to be going anywhere.

"That's it, baby, fight it," he urged. The little wildcat did. Even though his c.o.c.k was pistoning away in her p.u.s.s.y, even though her groans told him that she loved it, she still thrashed and fought to be free. Fought his dominance. If he hadn't been as strong as he was, she'd have twisted out of his hold by now and most likely have snapped his neck. Those flailing hands were clawing at whatever skin they could reach. It was a real good thing her arms were trapped.

"c.o.c.k-sucking son of a G.o.dd.a.m.n d.i.c.k-faced b.i.t.c.h!"

"You're the b.i.t.c.h, baby. My little b.i.t.c.h. And I'll f.u.c.k my little b.i.t.c.h whenever I want." He knew she was fighting her o.r.g.a.s.m, but he also knew by the way her inner muscles were fluttering around his c.o.c.k that she wouldn't last much longer. Surprising him, she turned her head and snapped her teeth, grazing his face ever so slightly. Growling, he locked his teeth onto her nape and pounded harder. Seconds later she screamed and her p.u.s.s.y spasmed around him, triggering his own o.r.g.a.s.m. "f.u.c.k!"

When she finally stopped panting Taryn gave him a sideways glance as she muttered, "b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

He laughed before bringing the fingers he had f.u.c.ked her with to his mouth. He hummed appreciatively as he sucked them clean. "I could become addicted to your taste." He wasn't lying. Her taste was just like her; spicy and seductive.

"Let me guess," drawled Taryn with a snort. "You think it's best if you get a regular dose so the addiction stays under control."

Again he was laughing. This female had a wit and an att.i.tude that he could appreciate. He reluctantly withdrew from her body and then, unable to resist, he lightly slapped that pretty little a.s.s before jumping out of bed.

It wasn't until he was in the bathroom that Taryn finally forced herself into an upright position. She shook her head in sheer disbelief at how someone could be so energetic first thing in the morning. Eventually she not-so-gracefully rose from the bed and stretched her arms above her head. She would bet she looked very much like a contented cat. Well an o.r.g.a.s.m was always a good way to start the day. At that very moment the sound of a cell phone ringing met her ears.

"Trey, phone!"

In seconds he was out of the shower and answering the call. As she saw his eyes flash wolf and his body stiffen, she cursed. She knew exactly what that meant. There went her hope of Roscoe just letting the issue go or, in the event that that failed, him simply leaping to his death.

Instantly questions began swirling around her mind. What if he'd brought h.o.a.rds of wolves with him? What if Trey got hurt? What if the others got hurt? She couldn't exactly heal any of them if Roscoe spirited her away and wouldn't that be a fate worse than death.

"That was Ryan. Roscoe's here. He's not going to take you," he a.s.sured her as they both frantically began to dress, sensing her anxiety through the pack link. Within thirty seconds they were at the main entrance to the caves where many of the pack were already waiting.

"Did Ryan tell you he's brought quite a few wolves with him?" asked Dante in the same tone that someone might ask what time it was. Men.

Trey turned to her. "I want you to wait here and -"

"Oh h.e.l.l no! This mess is mine and you expect me to sit here twiddling my thumbs, relishing the feeling of my own safety?"

"You're staying."

She smiled. "I believe you were warned before you even mated me not to bark at me unless you're happy to be ignored."

"Taryn," he drawled in an impatient tone, "I am your mate -"

"And I'm stubborn. If you want absolute obedience, get a Labrador. I'm not quite the delicate flower people tend to take me for. Now let's go."

Right then, Trey wanted nothing more than to spank her a.s.s. He didn't want her anywhere near that male who coveted her. Both he and his wolf wanted to know that she was safe, but Trey knew by the look on her face that she would simply ignore him and follow him outside no matter what he said.

"You don't get to interfere, understand? There will probably be a wolf against wolf battle. You stay out of it." He knew that once he was in wolf form and engaged in a battle there was a good chance that he would go feral.

Taryn was honestly starting to feel sorry for him. He obviously thought he had some sort of authority over her and she believed it would be a while before it became apparent to him that the female he had taken as his mate did her own thing. "Again I feel I must remind you that I don't do well with orders, but I have no wish to interfere so the point is mute as the result will be the same."

Resisting the urge to shake her, he huffed and turned away only to find that some of the others were watching the exchange with amus.e.m.e.nt. He didn't blame them. Here was this dainty little female giving him s.h.i.t and even managing to get her own way.

Greta growled. "You just had to bring her here, didn't you. Trey, you don't need her, there's no way Darryl will go through with this challenge. Just hand her over and be done with it."

"Can we not hand her over instead?" asked Taryn. Was it wrong that she was seriously considering it?

"The hussy's not worth fighting over. If he wants her, let him have her."

"She's mine. No one takes her." Trey nodded at the males around him. "Let's go. Taryn, stay at the rear."

"No."

"What was that?"

"To the outside world I'm Alpha female here, Trey," she reminded him as she slipped on her light denim jacket that matched her jeans. "The Alpha pair always presents a united front when there's a confrontation. I'm not saying that if he challenges you I won't step back, but I won't be shoved at the rear."

The steel in her voice aroused his wolf just as much as it p.i.s.sed him off. Trey was feeling pretty much the same. "Taryn, you can't expect me or my wolf to be okay with you being in such easy reach of Roscoe, of being in that kind of danger."

Smiling sweetly, she cupped his chin. "I won't be in danger. You'll protect me."

Despite everything that was going on right now, he actually wanted to smile at her impishness. The other males were ducking their heads to hide theirs. "Fine, we present a united front, but only because the mating wouldn't look real if we didn't." He thought that was a pretty good way to save face, but one or two of the males snorted. "Now, let's go."

As one with Trey and Taryn side by side they all made their way out of the caves and headed toward the gate.

Taryn marvelled at how all the males could walk at such a leisurely pace yet look extremely menacing at the same time. Each of them suddenly seemed two inches taller than what they truly were and had the most sinister look. Even Marcus's usual grin had been replaced by a hostile scowl. Trey...well that was another matter altogether. Sc.r.a.p hostile and sinister, the guy looked like he needed a rabies shot. He was a walking promise of death. And her wolf totally approved yet another indication that she was dumb.

Nearing the gate, they caught sight of several vehicles parked by the security shack while a large number of shifters stood tall beside them. A normally composed Roscoe was scowling with rage, flexing his fists at his sides.

"Oh good Lord," she said, snorting at the sheer ridiculousness of the number of wolves he had brought with him. Forty against seven? Yeah, very brave. It was a clear attempt at intimidation but Taryn knew it hadn't had the desired effect. Why Roscoe had thought that Trey someone who was practically the personification of intimidation would be rattled was anyone's guess.

When Trey came to a halt twelve feet away from the intruders, Ryan came to join the wall that the Phoenix wolves had made. Roscoe's gaze settled on her and anger flashed across his face, most likely in response to Trey's marks.

"Never had you down as someone who played games, Taryn. As you can see, game's over. Get in the SUV while I have a talk with Coleman."

Taryn almost laughed. "You sound as though you honestly believe I will."

"Come now and we can avoid all this."

"I'd rather lie under an elephant suffering from diarrhoea with my mouth open wide."

"You know what will happen if you persist with this. People are going to get hurt, namely Coleman. Do you really want that on your conscience?"

"Oh no, you don't get to turn this on me. If anyone gets hurt today it's because you refuse to let go of something that was never yours to begin with." She would bet money that if she had been within reach, Roscoe would have slapped her for that.

"Don't be looking at Taryn, look at me." Trey's tone demanded attention. "I'm the one you should be worried about."

"You must have a death wish, Coleman," said Roscoe. "It's the only reason I can think of that would explain why you would kidnap my mate."

"Kidnap your mate," repeated Trey with a smile. "I think you'll find that Taryn's mine."

"She wears my mark."

"Not a mark, a wound one that I very nicely covered with a mark of my own."

"She's mine," snarled Roscoe.

Growls of disagreement rumbled out of the throats of the seven males around her. Taryn couldn't help but notice that, by contrast, although Roscoe had a large crew, they didn't appear to be standing with him. There was no one flanking him or eyeing up the rest of Trey's pack, picking an opponent they wanted for if it turned into an out-and-out fight. They were simply just...there.

"Here's how it is, Roscoe. Taryn is my mate, I've claimed her, and I will kill anyone who tries to take her from me. If you can accept that, you can live and you can leave here peacefully. If you can't, well, you must want to die."

"Then it looks like we battle it out."

Taryn gaped. "You have got to be kidding me. Why would you bother? You can't tell me you're that obsessed with the idea of breaking my spirit until I'm some kind of slave."

"That's what he had planned?" Trey's wolf leapt for control, wanting to gut him.

Roscoe shrugged. "What male wouldn't want to be able to turn a dominant female like Taryn into a gorgeously submissive slave?"

"Well they would be the sane males," said Taryn.

"Stand back, baby," ordered Trey as he removed his t-shirt and then tackled the fly of his jeans. "You heard him. He wants to battle it out."

She might have tried to calm the atmosphere if she hadn't known from experience that when two dominant male wolves agreed to battle, it meant the situation was pa.s.sed help. She had the strange urge to kiss Trey, but knew he didn't need to look weak right now.

"To the death," Trey said to Roscoe in a calm but icy tone. "We battle to the death." Having heard what Roscoe intended for Taryn, Trey's wolf wasn't going to be happy until he'd tore out his throat. There was no way Trey would stop him from going feral.

Roscoe, now naked, nodded. "To the death." Suddenly bones were popping and his body was altering and then, mere seconds later, he was a large sandy snarling wolf.