Pawn Among Wolves Ch. 04

"Steve, go and scent survey all the places the human has been, and check out the rubbish as well," the newcomer ordered mildly. One of the males standing near the lab door shot off into the dark.

Those powerful, chocolate brown eyes met Gemma's over Mac's shoulder, and she felt a jolt run down her spine. The newcomer paused, assessing her.

"May I scent your human, Mac?" She blinked and focussed carefully on the soft cotton covering the impossibly tense, muscled back only inches in front of her face. That request felt way too dangerous for some reason.

Mac sighed softly, trying, but not succeeding, to relax, "Please ask Gemma yourself, Marsh."

Gemma shivered as she met those warm brown eyes again while he rephrased the question, and tried to swallow down the tension locking her throat as she nodded.

"Jon-," the blonde woman began to complain, but was cut off by a gentle shushing gesture from Marsh's hand as he stepped over beside Mac and smoothly dropped onto one knee, bending his head down towards Gemma's leg. She focussed hard on the slight quiver to Mac's frame as she felt her jean leg peeled back to above the knee, then the brush of breath against her kneecap, and heard the long intake of air from the male kneeling, scenting her skin. There was an uneasy tingling up her spine, and she could feel the tiny hairs on her arms and back of her neck lifting as a strong urge to run, to just break away andgo,rose within her.

She closed her eyes to fight what she knew was a very bad idea, then heard the voice of the Marsh alpha above her head again, an almost silent murmur, "I see why you missed it - but I thought I taught you better than to let anyone else scent your own, Ulf." Her eyes flashed open with a startled question, but the Marsh was looking sombrely at Mac, speaking aloud, formally, now. "MacKeld. I am here to take you into custody at Himleshy, pending trial for possession of chemical weapons and human endangerment. If you could let your second know."

Those powerful, warm eyes turned back on Gemma and she shivered. He paused. "Yet the girl claims that the Argen is Nick's - interesting. If she remains human, and her claim is proven, then there may be no call to answer." He held out his hand and the woman relinquished the short length of chord. He examined it closely, turning back to the door, murmuring, "But masking scent? - impossible, incredible."

A troop of twelve fell into formation around Mac as he stepped calmly after the brown-eyed leader, turning his head back to Gemma. She met his eyes, a beseeching question in her own, fear shimmering in their depths, and his deep green gaze warmed her, soothed her as he crooked a faint smile, mouthing, 'Don't worry'. Gemma could sense their audience watching curiously. Was that good or bad?

"Keep the human secure, Louise," called the leader as he stepped back out into the night. "I have a feeling she will be needed." Gemma felt a cool clasp close around her wrist and looked up into the blue eyes of the sleek female, eyes that were seething with disgust and anger.

"A human houseguest. Possibly a were. How delightful."

Sorry about the delay - a bereavement.

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