For Her: A Malsum Pass Novel Read online

  Daisy nodded and Sam gave a satisfied nod in return, releasing her chin. “We have brought your papers.” He said holding his hand out to Dev. Unfortunately the other man was attempting to flirt with Lily. His smile firmly in place as he hovered over her, kissed her hand, and began showering her with outrageous compliments that weren’t doing much more than amusing Lily.

  With a low growl, Sam snatched the satchel from Dev and wacked the flirtatious male over the head with it. “Business now, flirt later.”

  Sam grunted as Dev howled, acting like he was mortally injured. Of course he ruined it by throwing out a cheeky grin moments later and turning his shameless flirting on Mrs. Potter who blushed and even giggled at the attention.

  Meanwhile, Sam was laying out passports, birth certificates, state issued ID cards, and social security cards. He handed one set to Lily, his deep voice saying, “Miss Lillian Oremun,” and then another set to Daisy, “and Miss Daisy Oremun. You now have new lives, new histories. We employ only masters of the craft so there’s no need to worry you’ll be found out.”

  Daisy looked nervously over at Mrs. Potter only to see that both Dev and Alek were blocking the older woman’s view as they chatted loudly. Something about a tea set from China that Mrs. Potter would simply adore. She heard her sister release a shaky breath and her attention turned to her. Lily was nodding, tears swimming in her bright green eyes while a small smile played around her lips. She was staring at the documents in her hands as she whispered, “Thank you.”

  Sam once again did the unexpected as he reached out a large hand and patted Lily’s knee. “You will live now, Lillian Oremun, and you will live well.”

  Lily nodded again and the tears spilled down her cheeks.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  With Alek in one bedroom, Lily and Daisy sharing another, and Mrs. Potter in the third, Sam and Dev chose to sleep out in Harold’s woodshop in the loft of the barn. Once everyone was settled in, Daisy once again waited until Lily was asleep before sneaking out of the room. Alek was waiting for her at his door, again in just a pair of sweatpants.

  “Good evening, Miss Oremun.” Alek said with a grin.

  She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and stood on tiptoes to kiss his chin. “That’s going to take some getting used to. At least they didn’t go full out and give us new first names as well.”

  Alek let out a distracted “Mmm” as he began kissing and nibbling at her neck and Daisy smoothed her hands up over his chest and shoulders in appreciation. She turned her face toward his for a kiss and he immediate obliged, his fingers moving effortlessly over the small buttons of her pajama top. “These are cute,” he murmured against her lips, “but I want skin.” He pushed the top off her shoulders and a moment later the matching bottoms his the floor as well.

  Daisy lowered her hands to the waistband of his sweatpants and slid them down his legs. Feeling the proof of his desire pressed firmly into her belly shot Daisy’s own passions to even greater heights.

  Alek lifted her effortlessly and with a gasp of excitement, Daisy wrapped her legs around his waist. His erection was pressed firmly at the juncture of her thighs, rubbing against her core as he walked them to the bed. The added stimulation was almost enough to push her over the edge.

  Once they were on the bed Alek took a stiff nipple into his mouth while his fingers alternately plucked and stroked the other peak. Every lick, every hard pull with his mouth, every pinch and slide of his fingers sent a corresponding throb between Daisy’s legs and she was panting with need; close to begging. Her body was on the edge of the precipice and when Alek slid a fingertip over that tight bundle of nerves at the center of her desire, she went over the edge with a shudder.

  Her body was still shaking, still throbbing, when Alek rolled a condom on and slid his hardness inside her welcoming warmth with a firm push. “Oh, God, I love you so much, Daisy.” He gasped, his voice shaking with restraint. His jaw was clenched as he threw his head back and began a steady thrusting. Every retreat, each forward surge, had Daisy gasping. Her passion once again building to fever pitch. Then Alek shifted the angle of his body slightly, stroking something inside her that had every nerve waking up and singing with pleasure. She felt her eyes shift, felt her teeth extend, even felt her claws prick through but she couldn’t seem to help it. In that moment, the orgasm washed over her so strongly that she completely lost control.

  “I’ve got you, Daisy.” She vaguely heard as she began to come back to her senses. Her nerves were still sparking with spent passion so she knew she must not have been out of it for long, but her pleasure had been so intense that she’d practically blacked out. She could feel that Alek was still inside her, his lips moving over her jaw and her neck.

  “That was,” she began but had to stop and swallow hard. She shook her head and just said, “Wow.”

  Alek chuckled and kissed her softly. Each stroke of his fingers against her skin now intended to soothe rather than excite. Several minutes later, her body her own once again and her breathing returned to normal Alek gave her another kiss before sliding slowly and carefully from her body. He rolled off the bed to remove the condom and go wash his hands. Seeing his back, Daisy noticed the red scratches across his shoulder and gasped. Alek shot her a soft smile. “They’ll heal quickly, kitten and I enjoyed it so don’t feel bad.”

  When he returned from the bathroom he was holding a damp washcloth. Alek pressed it against her skin. It was deliciously warm and felt wonderful as he stroked it over her body in long glides before gently wiping the intimate skin between her legs. Tossing the cloth into a laundry basket, Alek climbed back onto the bed and pulled her close.

  They laid there for several moments in silence their fingers moving in soft caresses over each other’s skin. Daisy broke the silence, lifting her head from his shoulder. “Tell me about Sam and Dev?”

  Alek chuckled. “I don’t know if I should be offended that after making love with me your mind is on not one but two different men.”

  Daisy laughed as well and kissed his jaw. “You are the only one I want to do that with.” She said, dropping another kiss on his throat. She smiled when he purred and then continued, “But I’m going to be part of the team so I figure I should know as much about them as possible.”

  Alek cleared his throat, an odd look on his face that Daisy would almost think was pain. “Ah, about that…”

  Daisy’s stomach clenched, her throat tightening. Had Sam and Dev vetoed her plans? She swallowed past the lump and tried to remain calm as Alek propped himself up on an elbow. He gripped her upper arm gently as he spoke, his face intense with emotion. “Daisy, you and Lily have new identities now. You can do anything you want,” he paused, considering, “well, within reason, that is. You could go to school, Daisy, get a degree.”

  Daisy bit her lip to keep it from trembling. She cleared her throat, not wanting her voice to betray her heartache. “Do you not want me to go with you?”

  Alek pulled her into his arms and hugged her hard. “I love you, Daisy. I want you to do what’s right for you. God, sweetheart, when you were running from Kramer your choices were so limited you may as well have had none. I know that you may have seen me as an escape hatch and that’s okay, but now you have real options. Real opportunities. My way of life is unpredictable and dangerous and dragging you into it…” He released a ragged breath. “Solnyshko, if anything ever happened to you…” Again he couldn’t finish as he seemed to be choking on his emotions. He cleared his throat roughly. “You deserve more.” He growled.

  Daisy cupped Alek’s face firmly between her hands. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This was never about what someone else thinks I deserve, Alek. This is about finally being able to make my own choices and I chose you.”

  His mouth opened, ready to interrupt, to argue his point, but she forestalled him with a finger on his lips. “When you told me about the traders and those women, I was horrified, but the idea of helping them was like an epi
phany. Do you understand? It was like my life had been building to this point and suddenly my purpose became clear. This is what I am meant to do, Alek. You aren’t an escape hatch but you did show me the path I need to take. I want to walk that path with you, Alek, but I will walk it alone if I have to.”

  Alek’s eyes went dark gold the moment before he pulled her tight into his arms and growled. “You’ll never walk alone, Solnyshko. Not as long as I live.”

  Eventually, Alek did get around to assuaging Daisy’s curiosity about Sam and Dev. Daisy was once again nestled along Alek’s side, her head on his shoulder as he spoke. “Dev and I were brought into the compound around the same time. He’s an Alaskan wolf shifter and was my age. We bonded pretty quickly even though we didn’t have the same designation so we didn’t always have the same training.”

  “Designation?” Daisy asked and she felt Alek’s shoulder shrug under her head.

  “There are exceptions, but for the most part, wolf shifters are used for tracking. That, and they’re trained in handling explosives. The nose comes in real handy to sniff out bombs. Bear shifters tend to be trained for personal security because of their overall strength and temperament, while felines like Sam and me are trained for wet work because of our feline stealth.”

  Daisy lifted her head to look down at him with a frown. “Wet work?”

  Alek grimaced. “Assassins.”

  Daisy considered that for a moment. “I wouldn’t have thought Sam was feline, he’s so big.”

  Alek seemed to visibly relax when she didn’t question him further about being a killer. “He’s an African lion. He would have been pride leader like his father had his tribe not been slaughtered by the traders.” Alek shook his head sadly. “He was eleven when he was brought into the compound almost a year after Dev and I. And he was so proud, so stubborn. The bastards took pleasure in trying to break him. We kept fearing they would just kill him and be done with it but I think they saw him as a challenge.”

  Daisy’s chest burned with anger at the traders as she thought of how sweet and gentle Sam was to her and Lily. What those sadistic bastards had done to those poor children – her Alek included – and what they were now doing with women. “Did he ever break?”

  Alek shrugged again, “I wouldn’t say break. Dev and I befriended Sam and we all learned to play the game. We did what we needed to do to survive. We trained hard with every intention of one day using that training against them.”

  Daisy kissed his jaw, his neck, his chest. Her brave, strong tiger. “You’ll get them, Alek.”

  He pulled her tighter into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “We will.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The next morning, after a meeting with Dev and Sam, Alek told her that they had received intel from a reliable source that the traders had set up an operation in London. It was time to head out and they’d be leaving first thing Monday.

  Alek had tried to assure her that if she wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to Malsum Pass, he’d come back for her when this job was done, she didn’t need to do anything right away. But Daisy was excited. Finally, she was going to start living her life… the smothering blanket had been lifted and she could breathe at last.

  Connie had wanted to throw an impromptu going-away party for Daisy but Daisy had refused. “I want to spend my last night with the best females I know.” So it had turned into a slumber party at Mrs. Potter’s house instead.

  The men had decided they would keep to the loft in the barn for the most part while they planned the next mission, but there had been a tense moment when Connie had arrived. The normally flirty, smiling Dev, had taken one look at Connie, inhaled loudly and then released a low growl. Daisy had been glad they were outside so Mrs. Potter didn’t hear it as Connie growled back and then snapped her teeth at the male.

  Alek had sighed, rolled his eyes and dragged Dev away with a muttered, “Come on, Romeo.”

  “What was that about?” Daisy whispered as they walked into the house.

  Connie, grinned and winked. “Practically a proposal – but not of marriage.”

  Daisy had burst out laughing.

  Lily was sitting on the couch, Mrs. Potter in her comfy chair, both working on their knitting projects though Lily’s was still pretty much one row. Stevie Nicks was singing about Rhiannon and the word of the day was Pastiche: An artwork combining material from various sources. Daisy looked around the room and thought the occupants might be considered a pastiche. In this case a beautiful combination of human and shifter together in friendship and love.

  Just then Connie dug into her bag and pulled out two DVD’s. “I have Dirty Dancing and Grease as well as raspberry swirl ice cream and wine. Let’s party ladies!”

  “Aren’t they supposed to be like seventeen or eighteen years old?” Lily asked around a scoop of ice cream as they watched Grease. “Why do they look so much older?”

  No one answered but Mrs. Potter chimed in with a sigh, “John Travolta. Mm, mm, mmm.”

  “Not as nice as Patrick Swayze’s back muscles were when he was dancing shirtless in Dirty Dancing.” Connie said swaying her upper body back and forth from her seat on the floor as the characters sang Summer Nights.

  Daisy looked at each woman and smiled softly as they discussed the merits of the movie playing and the actors involved. She loved these women. Their quirks, their insecurities, and their strengths. She was going to miss them…

  The next morning, Daisy was nearly in tears as almost the entire town showed up outside of Mrs. Potter’s house to bid her safe travels. They’d hugged her, told her she’d be missed, but mostly they all assured her that she would always have a place to return. She was pack and Malsum Pass would always welcome her home.

  Connie had again called her a ‘lucky bitch’ and shared her wish that someday she might be able to travel as well. “Malsum Pass may be a safe haven,” she had said, “but it’s also boring. I expect to hear about adventures from you, Daisy, until I can get out there and have my own.”

  She was passed for hugs between Tarvhal, Jacob and Conner Pierce who had chucked her under the chin and said, “Don’t be a stranger, little sister.” Before he’d hugged her so tight her feet had left the ground.

  Riley Cooper and his wife Tara, who was expecting twin girls in the spring, both hugged her and Riley told her that if she ever needed anything he was only a phone call away.

  Others gave her pats on the backs, a few hand-shakes as well, before Mrs. Potter had thumped her cane and demanded with a huff, “It’s a sad day when I can’t get to my girl on my own property.”

  Daisy had grinned and wrapped her arms around the older woman. She received a few sharp pats on the back before Mrs. Potter said, “I expect letters. None of that e-mail crap. And I’ll need time to plan for any wedding so don’t you be springing anything on me last minute, gal.”

  Daisy sniffed and wiped her tears with shaky fingertips, “I promise.”

  A sharp nod. “Now say goodbye to your sister.” Mrs. Potter said as she moved away.

  Daisy exhaled a shaky breath as Lily stood before her, tears swimming in those vivid green eyes. “We’ve never been apart,” she said, her voice breaking.

  Lily held Daisy’s face between her hands and touched their foreheads together. “If you ever decide this isn’t what you want, Daisy. If you ever need me…”

  Daisy nodded, “I know.”

  Lily nodded as well and cleared her throat. “You are stronger than you think you are. You are braver than you ever thought you’d be. You are worthy, Daisy.”

  Another nod and Daisy stiffened her spine. Lily waved to Alek and when he approached she took his hand in hers and then took Daisy’s hand. She squeezed both. “Be good to each other, take care of each other, and love each other.” Alek and Daisy both nodded solemnly and then Daisy looked at Alek with narrowed eyes. “I will kill you if you abuse the trust she’s given you.”

  “Understood,” Alek said as Lily placed Daisy’s han
d in his. A symbolic gesture. What her father would have done had this been a mating ceremony. Lily, her only family, was giving her blessing to their union.

  When Daisy and Alek were finally in the SUV following Sam and Dev on the access road, leaving Mrs. Potter’s house and Malsum Pass further and further behind, Daisy felt at last like she could speak without bursting into tears. “I’ll miss them.”

  “We can arrange to visit often. That’s not a problem. There tends to be a lot of down time between leads.” Alek said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

  Daisy nodded and then her face broke into a wide smile. “But I’m so excited! We’re going to London, Alek!”

  Alek chuckled. “There’s my Daisy.” Lifting her fingers to his lips he kissed them. “I love you, Daisy Oremun. My solnyshko.”

  Daisy couldn’t stop smiling, she was just so happy. “I love you, Aleksandr Stepanov, dolgozhdannyi. Now let’s go have an adventure.”

  Epilogue

  Alek watched as Daisy sat down in front of the laptop to jot off another note to Lily. Unlike Mrs. Potter, Lily and Connie were perfectly happy with an occasional, random e-mail update. His woman was amazing. How he loved her. Since they had left Malsum Pass she had only complained once. Not about the airplane ride when she had turned a rather alarming shade of green on takeoff and then again when they hit turbulence. Not even about being jostled on the crowded London streets that she clearly had not been prepared for. It seemed Dev and Sam liked to do everything for her. She’d told Alek that she worried they thought she was weak or incompetent. He had told her he would talk to them, but the truth was, the two males had taken quite a shine to her. They thought of her as a beloved sister and simply wanted to spoil her because they loved her too. Alek wasn’t surprised by Dev’s and Sam’s deep and ever-growing affection. He couldn’t imagine anyone being around Daisy for any length of time and not loving her.