by Delta James
Ava, who was using the alias Elizabeth Owen, looked down at the silly slippers and smiled. She had mentioned once in passing to Bethan that she’d never had a pair of fuzzy slippers. Two days later this pair had appeared in her closet. Although she would never admit it, Ava was certain that it had been Bethan who had put them there.
She’d been gone for a few months. So far, no one had come looking for her. Perhaps they’d tried and failed and perhaps they hadn’t bothered at all. The thought of the latter had upset her more than she had thought it would. She tried to convince herself she was well rid of the Calon Onest pack, but in the darkest moments of the night she had to admit that perhaps things hadn’t been so bad there. At least there had always been someone to turn to when things were bothering her.
She had just finished making herself a cup of tea when there was a knock on the door. Not expecting anyone, she opened it, surprised to find the game warden who had shot her standing there with a plate of scones. She inhaled deeply. These weren’t from any bakery, they were hot and homemade. They smelled of home.
No, she shook her head. Calon Onest was not home. This place, this time, this was her home. A home she was making for herself.
“Can I help you?” she said with ice in her tone.
“I didn’t have time to introduce myself this morning, Ms. Owen...”
“How do you know my name?” she snapped.
“I’m Declan Collins. I own this place. I’m your landlord.”
“Oh, sorry.” She inhaled again and smiled. “Those smell divine. I have a kettle on. Can I make you a cup of tea? Or I have a Keurig, I could make you coffee or hot chocolate.”
“Coffee would be great.”
Declan entered the carriage house closing the door behind him. Ava went into the kitchen and got the coffee started.
“Those scones didn’t come from a bakery, did they?”
“No, up at the main house. Bess is my cook and housekeeper. Well, she’s more than that... she’s family. She made them. They are simply the best. I wanted to apologize again for almost knocking you over this morning.”
“As I said, it would take a whole lot more than a little bump like that to knock me down. I didn’t know my landlord was a game warden.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, just seems a bit odd. A young, single man that owns this huge estate and you work as a game warden.”
“My parents died when I was in my teens and I was the sole heir. My family has lived in this town in this house for more than two centuries. I thought since they had seen to my livelihood, I could give back by taking care of the environment trying to ensure that future generations got to enjoy all this area has to offer.”
Ava considered his answer for a moment. “That’s really kind of admirable.”
Declan laughed. “Well, I’m glad you think so.”
Ava smiled. “That did come out rather arrogant, didn’t it?”
“A bit, but I try to make the benign assumption... and Jesus, that came out almost as bad.”
They looked at each for a moment and then both burst out laughing.
“Do you take cream in your coffee?” she asked.
“Sometimes... depends on the coffee.”
“It’s good, but I found I like mixing Mexican chocolate in it.”
“That sounds good. If it’s not too much trouble, I’ll try that.”
“Make yourself comfortable and we can have some of those scones.”
Declan smiled and held her chair out as she put their footed mugs down on the small antique kitchen table. “Bess sent orange-cranberry, blueberry, cinnamon, and chocolate chip.”
“Which one is best?”
“Either the blueberry or the cinnamon. I like the cinnamon best.”
“I’ll take the orange-cranberry,” she said, her eyes dancing with merriment over the rim of her mug.
“Of course you will,” Declan said, chuckling. “I think you, Ms. Owen, delight in being difficult.”
“Not true. I’m just smart, spirited, and misunderstood.”
Ava had to admit to herself she was having a good time. This was the first time since she’d left Calon Onest that she felt herself relax and really beginning to enjoy herself. And why not, the game warden made excellent eye candy. Taller than most men, he had a strong, fit body. His hair was a dark brown and he had a full, but well-groomed beard. He didn’t really look anything at all like Griffin, but Ava found him extremely attractive nonetheless.
Declan took a sip of the coffee with the Mexican chocolate. “That’s good. How come I didn’t know about this stuff? Where did you learn to mix the two? Not in Wales I’m guessing.”
“I had a friend once that liked it that way.”
The fact was Ava had read about doing it in a magazine and tried it as a way to cut the harsh taste of coffee that Americans seemed to like so much. Ava took a bite of the orange-cranberry scone. “Damn, that’s amazing,” she moaned.
Declan chuckled. “I told you,” he teased.
“If I get a plate of scones like this whenever you bump into me, feel free to bump into me anytime you please.”
He laughed again. “If that’s the only gaffe I’d made all day I’d be a lot happier.”
“What? Did you hit someone with your car?”
“No, got too busy tracking a lone wolf and almost had a nasty encounter with a bear.”
Ava feigned surprise. “But you’re all right. Why were you tracking a wolf? Did you want to kill it?”
“Lord, no. Wolves are extremely rare here in Maine. And this one is huge! But the bothersome thing is that it was alone. That’s not normal. Wolves are a pack species. Lone wolves normally are sick, dangerous, or both.”
“Maybe it just wanted its independence and didn’t want to conform to the rules of its society.”
Declan cocked his head to one side. “Society? That’s an interesting way to look at it. And if it was human, you could make that argument. But a wolf is an animal. A beautiful animal, but an animal nonetheless. They are driven by instinct and need.”
“Perhaps her need was to live free unrestricted by the males in her pack. Or maybe she was just one alpha too many.”
“What makes you think it was a female?”
“I saw a large, black female wolf across the meadow when I was hiking the trail a few days ago,” Ava covered quickly.
“How did you identify the wolf as female?” asked Declan.
Ava laughed. “Well, she didn’t have dangly down parts. So either she was female or a very pathetic excuse for a male.”
Declan chuckled, shaking his head. “Let’s hope you’re observation is correct, and the wolf is female. But that too is unsettling. Normally you don’t see lone female wolves out during the day. There’s nothing about this wolf that fits the norm.”
“Perhaps she doesn’t want to fit the norm. Perhaps she wants just to be herself and be left the hell alone—without anyone tracking or hunting her,” Ava said defensively.
“While I was tracking her,” Declan said, trying to de-escalate the situation, “I wasn’t hunting her. I wanted to tranquilize her and then get her to the vet to make sure she wasn’t sick. And if she was sick, to get her well. Then either way I planned to transport her to where there were more of her kind.”
“How typically male. She chooses to be on her own, but because she’s female surely she must be sick or not know her own mind. And then the all-mighty male will fix her and return her to her own kind whether she wants to go or not.”
“Elizabeth, calm down. It’s a wolf. Nobody’s trying to hurt her.”
“Maybe not physically, but you sure as hell don’t give a fuck about what she wants.”
Declan shook his head. “I’m not sure how we ended up at odds over a wolf...”
“Because you refuse to see her point of view.”
“She’s—if she’s a she—is a wolf!”
“So that means she can’t have feelings? She can’t know what sh
e wants? Do you project that only onto wolves or are all females incapable of knowing what they want and deciding for themselves?”
“How about we just agree to disagree?” Declan stood up, preparing to leave. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I hope you’ll be happy here. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let Bess or me know.”
* * *
The door to the carriage house slammed behind him. He wondered how they had gone from having a nice visit to debating a wolf’s ability to choose for herself. Thinking back, Declan realized Elizabeth had been right, the wolf was female. He laughed to himself as he realized she had been right, there had been no dangly parts as she had called them. That made her being on her own even more curious.
Even though he disagreed about why the wolf was alone, he found he rather liked the way Elizabeth passionately argued for the wolf’s point of view as she had called it. But she obviously didn’t know wolves. A lone female wolf wasn’t normal. And in the animal kingdom, not normal was rarely a good thing.
He told himself he didn’t need to be friends with his tenant. He smiled and laughed at himself. Who was he kidding? He wanted to be friends with Elizabeth... and more. She was smart, gorgeous, funny, and a bit prickly. He found himself especially intrigued by the last attribute. Declan made it a rule never to get involved with someone close to home. In a small town in New England, if it went south, it was difficult for everyone involved. And her living in his carriage house was far too close at home. And yet, there was something very alluring and arousing about Elizabeth Owen.
Chapter Six
Ava shook her head. Just when she’d begun to find Declan Collins’ company enjoyable, he’d gone and revealed that human males were just like their wolf counterparts. They were quite certain they knew what was best. They didn’t. Ava had decided when she left Calon Onest that she would be the one to choose her destiny. She did not intend to be fate’s bitch any more than she intended to be the bitch of some alpha male chosen for her by Ioan.
She logged onto her computer and lost herself in the non-gender world of computing. After finishing up a couple of jobs and accepting some new work—some from new clients—she checked the online board where various gigs were offered to freelancers. She was surprised to see one from the State of Maine working with their wildlife people. It was an easy enough job compiling data on several different species and then following up with a game warden to extrapolate data for the department’s information and use. Who knew more about wildlife than someone who was wildlife? She filled out the bidding form and submitted it.
Ava stretched. The place on her flank where Declan had nailed her with the dart was still a little tender. At least he’d only meant to tranquilize her and ensure she wasn’t sick. But then he had planned to return her to other wolves. No doubt he’d make the same choice if he knew the truth about her.
Ava took a deep breath and made another cup of tea. Bethan had been right about that. Few things couldn’t be made to seem better with a good cup of tea. She eyed the scones and thought what the hell? May as well try one of the cinnamon ones. One bite and she had to admit that Declan Collins might be wrong about wolves, but he was right about the scones. The flavor was amazing. She’d only planned to take a bite, but found herself quickly finishing it.
The idea of shifting and going for a run had some appeal, but when she left the carriage house, she saw Declan’s Jeep was still up at the house. Perhaps she’d just go for a walk along the private beach... in human form. One of the things that had drawn her to this place was its remoteness and access to the same ocean beside which she had spent her whole life. Granted that was on the other side of that ocean, but still... it was the same ocean.
Ava made her way down the winding path to the beach and inhaled deeply. The smell of crisp sea breeze intermingling with the dune grasses and other wildlife made her smile. The terrain and view might be different, but the smell was almost the same. She could close her eyes and almost imagine she was back there... the place she had determined never to be again. The wind had picked up and Ava enjoyed walking into it and letting her mind free-float to soak up the energy from the environment around her.
The hand that reached out to grasp her shoulder startled her and she turned, ready to defend herself.
“Whoa! I come in peace,” said Declan, smiling.
“Sorry. I was lost in my own thoughts and didn’t hear you come up behind me.”
“I called out, but with this weather that’s coming up, it probably got lost on the wind. I saw you from my office and wasn’t sure how much you knew about our storms. It’s going to get really nasty out here in nothing flat.”
“Nothing compared to our storms off the other side of this same ocean in Wales.”
“So you grew up on the coast?”
“Does it matter?” she asked.
Declan chuckled. “Not at all... just making conversation.”
“Sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “Sometimes I get caught up in the storms in my soul and forget not everyone’s the bad guy.”
Declan snapped to attention and saluted her smartly. “Game Warden Declan Collins reporting. I assure you, I’m one of the good guys.”
Ava couldn’t help herself; she giggled at his silliness. “Ah, but wouldn’t the bad guys tell me the same thing?”
“I hadn’t thought of that. But would they know how to give a proper salute?”
“Maybe. How do you know? Do they teach you that in game warden school?”
“No, that comes from my military experience. I was an Army Ranger, a sniper to be more precise,” he said soberly.
“Interesting. As a sniper I’d think you would have had more sympathy for the lone wolf and allowing her to make her own choices.”
“Actually, just the opposite, I know for a fact she’d be happier in a pack. Being alone is not for the faint of heart nor is it a way to base your life if you want to be happy.”
“Depends on how you define happy. As a male, you would have far more freedom of choice in a pack.”
“Look, if I catch that wolf, you can come with me when I release her. I’ll bet she runs right back to the first pack she sees.”
“Or turns and bites your hand off,” Ava said conversationally.
Declan laughed. “There it is again.”
“What?”
“That prickly side of your personality. I think we’re getting along and finding out more about each other and then out of the blue it rears its head to snap.”
“Maybe you’d be better off to keep your distance. I’ve been known to do more than just snap.”
Declan laughed, but this time the sound had a far more seductive quality. “I’ll just bet you have. I’ll bet you can bite and scratch with the best of them.”
“You’d best have a care, Game Warden Collins, lest you find out the kind of damage I’m capable of.”
Ava made to move away from him. His strong but gentle grip on her elbow prevented her from doing so.
“I’m not sure why you’re trying to scare me off, Elizabeth, but it won’t work. If it ever comes to it, I’ll make sure you can’t hurt either of us and then ensure you don’t try it a second time.”
Ava snatched her arm away from him. “What makes you think you’d win in a confrontation between us?”
“I don’t think. I know. I’m bigger and stronger than you and am better trained.” Declan shook his head, smiling. “I don’t know how you get under my skin so quickly. But you do. At some point I may just think you do it deliberately and decide to do something about it.”
“I rarely do things by accident or happenstance. Look, Collins, I don’t want to be friends. You’re my landlord and I want us to have an amicable relationship, but nothing more than that. If you do, I’m afraid you’ll be bitterly disappointed.”
Ava turned and walked away with the wind and the sand howling around her.
* * *
What the heck was that about? Once again they’d been getting along fine
and the next minute she’d been close to threatening him. She was an odd duck, that was for sure, but one that kept intriguing him and making him want to pull her close. If he admitted it, for the first time in a very long time, he was wildly attracted to a woman. The attraction went way beyond the physical and was far too intense for only having met her earlier in the day. What Declan wanted was far more than just to fuck her until she cried out his name. He wanted to tame her and bring her to heel. He wanted to see her standing in the corner with her ass bright red from a spanking he’d just given her before he mounted her and took her long and hard.
Declan shocked himself with how strongly the last thought resonated with him. He had a few friends from his ranger days who had domestic discipline or dominant/submissive relationships with their wives or sweethearts. He knew that they were the head of the household or alpha in their relationship and thought nothing of holding their woman accountable if she misbehaved. He’d been shocked but then had become curious when they’d confided that doing so included spanking and other types of punishments or disciplinary measures.
He’d spent more than one night with those men discussing the whole philosophy of being responsible for your woman and your relationship. Far from the way it was portrayed in most books and movies, the role of alpha was not about getting whatever you wanted, including sex, whenever you wanted it. It was about leading those who chose to follow and ensuring that they were safe, happy, and well-provided for.
After meeting and spending time with their various significant others, Declan had really come to believe that they were on to something. He couldn’t recall ever being around women who seemed happier or more in love with their partners and vice versa. Each of the men had stressed repeatedly that it took a strong, confident woman to truly thrive in this kind of relationship as she needed to choose to follow when most of society told her it was wrong.
Declan had been fascinated with the idea that there were different kinds of spankings given for different reasons. Punishment or discipline ones for misbehavior; erotic ones strictly for pleasure and sometimes what they had referred to as maintenance for the alpha type women to keep things on an even keel. Each man had revealed that spanking one’s partner would almost always lead to a highly charged sense of arousal on the part of both participants and that the makeup sex afterwards was incredibly intense and immensely satisfying and seemed to put everything back on course.