by Lily Thomas
Books By Lily Thomas
Giant Wars Series
Loving His Fire
Grounded By Love
Melted By Love
Wicked Flames of Desire
Galactic Courtship Series
Xacier’s Prize
Claiming His Champion
Captivating the Doctor
Escaping the Hunt
Abducting the Ambassador
Wicked Prisoner
Seducing the Enemy
Cuff Me Now
Challenging the Arena
Dark Desires in Space
His Fallen Star
His Human Temptation
Racing Toward Desire
Zro’eq’s Fallen Star
His Human Doctor
The Spy and the Alien
Ice Age Alphas
The Sabertooth’s Promise
The Sabertooth’s Mate
Direwolf’s Desire
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover created by SelfPubBookCovers.com/ KimDingwall
Copyright © 2018 by Lily Thomas
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce the book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information email [email protected].
www.lilythomasromance.com
ISBN: 9781661419745
ISBN: (ebook) B083XKDT5B
I’ve always wanted to be an archeologist. There’s something about being the first person to pull out an artifact, to see the history right in your hands. There are no words for it. Why didn’t I become an archeologist? I didn’t think pursuing a career that would force me to travel would be fair to my birds, so instead of digging up artifacts, I write about people who do.
I did draw on some of my life experiences for Andrea, so I hope you enjoy. Sometimes including scenes from your own life can be way too amusing!
Enjoy!
Direwolf’s
Desire
Lily S. Thomas
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Chapter 1
There wasn’t a single cloud in the bright blue sky to bring any respite from the sunlight that beat down on the team of archeologists who dug painstakingly in the dirt. A couple of shade tents had been set up, so the archeologists could rest and have some water while cooling off, but while they were in their pits, they were vulnerable to the rays of the merciless sun.
Andrea wiped a gloved hand across her sweaty brow before the sweat dripped into her eyes and blurred her vision. “Is it me, or is it just getting hotter out here?”
“Maybe you should take a break,” Emma said from beside her, her broad-brimmed sun hat shading most of her body.
“Maybe you should tell me what store you bought that at.” Andrea pointed the sharp metal tip of her trowel at Emma’s amazingly large hat.
“Oh, this?” Emma reached up and gripped the edge of the hat. “I have no idea. My mother likes to buy me things out of catalogs,” she shrugged, “not that I mind. Saves me some much-needed money, if I don’t have to worry about buying clothes.”
“Well, let your mom know I’d enjoy one of those hats, and if she’s looking for another daughter to buy clothes for, I’m her girl!” Andrea was only half-joking, because her wardrobe really did need some new items. She was the kind of woman who bought clothing from second-hand stores and then wore them until they had too many holes to be worn another day. Only then would she go out and buy new ones. Well, new to her. It was rare for her to visit a department store.
“I’ll be sure to pass it along.” Emma’s blue eyes twinkled from under the shade of her hat before she turned her attention back to brushing the dirt off of what might be a bone hidden in the ground.
Turning back to her own dig site, Andrea continued to slowly peel back the layers of dirt, careful in case there were any bones or artifacts hidden under the ground. This site meant a lot to her because it was the first time she had been hired onto an ice age dig.
The head archeologist, Clyde Manning, had given her a ring a few weeks ago and asked if she wanted to be on this dig. To say she squealed in delight would be an understatement. This was her dream dig, and everything they dug up was amazing.
Most people would look at the brittle bones and dirty artifacts and think, eh. But Andrea just saw the thrill of discovering history. These bones and artifacts were thousands of years old and showed how life once was for the human race. The ice age life was as different as one could get from the twenty-first century living.
To think, the people buried in this site had faced the teeth of sabertooth tigers and had to hunt mighty mammoths as a source of food. She could only imagine seeing those creatures in person. She’d probably wet her pants, at least when it came to the sabertooth, but even the idea of standing beside one of those beasts brought a sense of awe to her chest. Sadly, and maybe gratefully, she would never see one of those beasts in real life.
“I’ve been thinking about switching hotel rooms. There’s this weird noise…”
Andrea tuned out Emma’s words as her trowel brushed something under the dirt. Pulling out a small brush from her kit of tools, she began to whisk away the dirt with gentle strokes.
As she uncovered whatever it was, she could tell it was made of wood. It even looked intact, which was amazing. After so many years of being used and then hidden in the dirt, she was astonished to see the carvings on the surface were so clear as she brushed off the dirt. As she leaned closer, she could see the flecks of red paint that once adorned the surface of the wood. It was faint, but the paint was there.
“What’s that you found?” Emma’s voice was right in Andrea’s ear, and she startled a bit.
“I’m not sure,” Andrea said as she continued to brush away the dirt until she finally revealed what it was.
“A bracelet.” Emma breathed. “Besides the faded paint, it’s in spectacular condition.” She pointed a long slender finger at the bracelet. “I can’t see any cracks in the wood.”
Andrea gently removed the bracelet from the earth with both of her hands and marveled at it.
“Makes you wonder who wore it and what story or stories it might have witnessed,” Emma commented, and this was why they were friends as well as colleagues. They were both fascinated by the past.
“I should bring this up to the table,” Andrea said, referring to the metal table where any finds were brought to be studied at a later time.
“Nice find, Andrea.” Emma said as she walked back over to her side of the pit.
Standing, Andrea had a difficult time taking her eyes off the bracelet. She knew she must be insane because she could have sworn she heard it calling her name. As she left her pit, she finally glanced away from the bracelet, so she could climb the rickety ladder. Their pit was about ten feet in the ground. The moment her feet hit solid ground though, she glanced back down at the bracelet.
Then for some strange reason, she didn’t fight the compulsion to slip the wood
en bracelet over her hand and onto her wrist. Maybe the sun had fried her brain, but as the cool wood warmed around her wrist, she smiled, despite the fact she was breaking several rules of her job.
The ground under her feet shifted, and Andrea threw out her arms as she tried to catch her balance, but the ground was gone, and she fell and fell. Her arms whirled wildly at her sides, but she never hit the ground. It was as if she was falling, and there was no ground below her.
Then the ground hit her. Hard. The breath knocked out of her lungs, and as she struggled to suck in some much needed air, she glanced around her frantically. There were bushes and grass instead of dirt, archeologists, and tents. Where was everyone?
When Andrea finally sucked in a shaky breath, she sat up and looked around in bewilderment. The land around her was drastically different. The sun still shone down on her, but there was a chill to the air, and she was alone.
“Hello?” Andrea called out cautiously as she rubbed a hand against her chest, still recovering from her fall.
No answer came.
Maybe the sun had gotten to her, and she’d passed out from heat exhaustion. It was possible she was now dreaming as her unconscious mind sought a refuge for her. She only hoped her fellow archeologists would look up from their work long enough to notice she’d passed out.
The skin on her arms prickled in the cooler air of her dream, bringing her gaze down. She gasped when her eyes fell on her body.
She was naked!
Her clothes were gone!
Calming her racing heart with some deep breathing, Andrea reminded herself that she was in a dream, and her lack of clothing was nothing to panic about. She’d analyze her strange dream once she woke up… in a hospital. She was sure once her colleagues saw she was passed out in the dirt, they’d rush her to the emergency room, and everything would be good again.
Rising to her feet, Andrea figured she couldn’t go wrong by exploring her dream. Her dream had really vivid colors and sounds. The tweets of birds could be heard off in the distance as they went about their lives.
She thought dreams were supposed to be fuzzy around the edges. Then again, maybe it would be fuzzy once she woke up, and it only seemed vivid right now because she was currently in the dream.
Crossing her arms across her chest, she vigorously rubbed her hands over her arms to get rid of the slight chill in the air. She’d gone from a desert like setting to a milder environment.
Leaves rustled above her head as Andrea pushed herself onto her feet and began to walk through the trees as she took in the scenery around her. It was quiet in her dream. Sure, there were birds and rustling noises from small critters, but there was an overall silence to the air. Her dream didn’t seem to include the noises of the twenty-first century because she couldn’t hear the hum of airplanes and cars which were always around.
It was peaceful, and the lack of white noise didn’t bother her. It actually pleased her ears, like it was giving her brain a break from having to process all the sounds out for her entire life.
Walking even further into the forest, she enjoyed the feel of the grass under her bare feet. Pausing briefly, she wiggled her toes in the soft grass. As she busied herself with studying the plants around her, she heard a growl rip through the air.
Spinning on a foot, Andrea glanced around with wide eyes as she tried to find the source of the growl. When she heard a loud crack as a branch snapped, she darted into the forest without a second thought. She flew past tree trunks, branches reaching out as if to halt her progress, but she was having none of that. Dream or no dream, she didn’t want to know what had growled at her.
Flailing her arms, Andrea beat back the branches as they scraped at her skin.
There was a primitive side to her brain that screamed at her to run. Run for her life!
And she did just that.
Then the sounds of something crunching after her reached her ears. She puffed and huffed as her arms pumped by her side, and her feet pounded over the ground.
This wasn’t a dream.
This was a nightmare.
Her lungs burned as they tried to keep up with her legs. Great. Not only was she slightly out of shape in real life, but also in her dream. If she could dream her clothes away, couldn’t she dream herself with a six pack and ripped legs?
Andrea did her best to keep ahead of whatever crashed after her, but it was only a matter of time. Her legs were slowing, and whatever was behind her was gaining ground. She could hear it breathing down her neck.
Then a large mass hit her as something tackled her to the ground. A large weight slammed into her back, and as she landed, she twisted in its grasp and let out a squeak of terror at what she saw.
A sabertooth tiger’s mouth gaped down at her. Her eyes widened as she took in the size of the canines that were right in her face. She could have stuck out her tongue and licked a canine, it was so close. As its mouth came down for a killer bite, she screamed as she thrashed her arms and legs.
With the jerking movements of her arms, the bracelet rolled off her wrist as she shut her eyes tight and wished to be home.
Andrea let out a scream.
“What’s wrong with you?!” A voice snapped in irritation.
“Don’t yell at her.” Emma’s voice said sternly from nearby. “She’s clearly ill.”
Andrea’s eyes snapped open to find a swarm of archeologists surrounding her. “What happened?” She asked as she tried to take in the fact that she was lying on the ground and only a moment ago, she’d screamed like a moron in front of her colleagues. Talk about embarrassing.
“You must have passed out.” Clyde’s bearded face came into view. “We didn’t notice you on the ground until we heard you screaming.”
“It was like you just suddenly appeared out of nowhere.” Emma agreed as she nodded her head vigorously, the rim of her broad hat bobbing up and down.
“Here,” Clyde took one of Andrea’s arms, “let me help you to some shade. You may have fainted because you overheated.”
“Thanks.” Andrea murmured as she saw the wooden bracelet resting on the ground nearby. With a quick blur of movement, she scooped up the bracelet and pocketed it before anyone could see the artifact.
“Grab her other arm.” Clyde directed another man, who quickly stepped in to take her other arm.
“I don’t think”
“Shush, you.” Clyde cut her off. “I don’t need you dying on the job. Too much paperwork, and then I’d have to find another archeologist with as much eagerness as you.”
Andrea rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to die.”
“Heatstroke is serious. Do you know how many people die each year of heatstroke?”
“No, do you?” Andrea challenged.
“A lot,” Clyde said without losing a beat.
“Fine.” She grumped, seeing the hard line of Clyde’s mouth. “I’ll rest in the shade for a bit and re-hydrate.”
“Good. Glad you’re thinking clearly now.”
As they walked under a tent, she could feel the air cool down by about ten degrees. The two men guided her over to a metal folding chair and didn’t let go of her arms until she was firmly seated. Then Clyde rushed to grab her a water bottle and shoved it into her hands.
“Thanks.” Andrea accepted the sweating bottle and cracked the plastic seal on the water bottle and raised it to her lips, and took a few gulps. The cold liquid felt so good on her sore throat. Her screaming had been no joke. She’d thought for a few seconds that she might actually die in her dream.
Clyde pointed a finger at her. “You drink that whole bottle and spend at least thirty minutes under this tent before you even think about rejoining the rest of us out in the dig site.”
“Aye aye, sir.” She raised a hand to her forehead and saluted him.
It was his turn to roll his eyes at her before walking away from her.
Andrea slowly sipped at the water as she watched the time click by on her watch. When she finished the bot
tle, she tossed it into a nearby bin before reaching a hand into her pants pocket and fiddled with the wooden bracelet.
That dream of hers had been so vivid. The colors of the trees and the noises still rung in her head. Then there was the foul breath of the sabertooth as it opened its mouth. It had smelled of rotten flesh. A shiver rolled through her as she jumped a little in her seat.
The images of that sabertooth seemed more like a memory than a dream. Those fuzzy lines still didn’t appear in her mind. Those long canines were seared into her brain. They’d been stained brown after years of use.
Shaking her head, Andrea laughed at herself. Her mind had been fried by the sunlight, and she was being silly. If her dream had been real, then that meant she’d time traveled, and as far as she was aware, that couldn’t happen… unless magic was involved… and if she believed in magic, then she was definitely losing her mind.
Time travel and magic.
Andrea snorted.
The sun and heat had taken more of her sanity than she would have liked to admit.
“How you feeling?” Emma walked up beside her chair.
“Much better.” Andrea smiled over at her friend as she leaned against the metal back. “So much better now that I’m in the shade with some water.”
“Good.” Emma crouched beside her. “I was worried you might need a hospital visit when you were spotted on the ground.” Emma placed a hand on Andrea’s knee. “And what was with that screaming? You gave us all heart attacks.”
Andrea blushed. “Sorry. I had a nightmare while I was passed out.” Andrea reached a hand behind her head and yanked the scrunchy out of her hair, letting the auburn locks fall loose around her shoulders.
“And?” Emma persisted.
“And what?” Andrea leaned back against the chair as she stretched her legs out in front of her and studied the tan cargo pants she loved. Almost all of her pants were cargo pants, although there were the occasional blue jeans in her closet.