Wolfen Secrets (The Western Werewolf Legend #3)

by Catherine Wolffe

  “How do you do that?” she snapped, embarrassment mingled with what she was sure was surprise on her face.

  “It was not my intent to frighten you, only to call you to the fire’s side. We’re about to begin.” He glanced past her toward Ty, nodding stoically.

  With a hand extended in invitation, he allowed them to precede him back to the clearing.

  Goaded by the awkwardness she’d experienced, Sonja couldn’t help a dig of her own. “I appreciate your attention to your appearance for the meeting.” His gentleman’s personage would certainly sooth the group. She cut a glance behind her at his polished figure. “Though the members of the wagon train are familiar with your different forms, the news may go down better with you in your present state.” Coolly clipped, she was all business. Still, inwardly she was grateful. The form of a man in a country squire’s clothing with his neatly trimmed beard allowed the Guardian to move among the humans more comfortably. She could already see they accepted him more readily.

  Near the fire were the men Ty had saved from death at the hands of the Yankee vampires. A prisoner of war camp had made an excellent cover for a vampire’s coven and a handy pantry for the bloodsuckers food stash. Luckily, for Ty, there’d been an escapee, Abram Clemens, who’d agreed to guide him back to the prison. Abram stood alongside Smitty and the others loyal to the lieutenant. Working together, along with help from Sonja, Hortence and the Guardian, the lieutenant had managed to save those who survived the attack on his supply detail in the lowland south of Spotsylvania as well as several of General Jeb Stewart’s men.

  Sonja closed her eyes for a moment. The memory of how she’d found Ty in the stagnant waters of the swamp the night his detail was ambushed appeared clearly in her mind. Some strange urgency provoked her to turn to the lieutenant. Reaching out with a trembling hand, she clutched his shirtfront in her fingers. Whispering for his ears only, she said, “God’s truth, you were dying of your injuries not three months ago. I won’t see you hurt on my account. Do you hear me, Lieutenant?” Her eyes burned with the unshed tears of a woman who understood how much she had to lose. “Promise me you won’t put yourself in harm’s way for my safety unless there’s no other way. Do I make myself clear?” Her eyes remained steady on his. Praying he didn’t see the moisture glistening from them in the moon’s light, she broke the spell by stepping away.

  He said nothing, though his surprised gaze followed her to the front of the group.

  Composure was imperative, so she forced the tears away with a quick brush of her fingertips before stepping into the campfire light. “Friends, the Guardian has asked to speak to you all. Changes are coming and he wants everyone to be prepared.” Sonja cleared her throat. Glancing in the wolf god’s direction, she motioned him forward.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Brooks.” Somber gallantry in motion, exactly how Sonja would remember the wolf god as the Guardian began his speech. “There comes a time when we all must stand on our own strength,” he began...

  ***

  After the Guardian had said his goodbyes, Sonja and Ty retired to their wagon.

  Remembering his arms around her after the nightmare the night before, she smiled into his face as he leaned in close to steal a kiss along her neck. “I’ve not one but two nights in your arms, Lieutenant. What a special present you share. You do not have watch?”

  “No, I traded with Smitty. I much prefer spending my nights with you. Besides, Smitty needs more time standing guard. He’s growing soft with all the good food and nothing to keep him busy.” He leaned in steeling a kiss along her nape. “You are a pearl a man craves beyond all reason, Nymph.”

  His wicked grin warmed her womanly parts. She shifted to prop on an elbow. “I love looking at you. You have the most wonderful body.” Grinning, she crooked a finger. “Come here.” With the command, his abdominal muscles rippled as he used his strong thigh muscles to walk to the bed. His need for her already visible had her own hunger growing. “I don’t know what I was thinking, making you travel separately from me after we left Pennsylvania.” Reaching out, she took his shaft in her hand. The smooth tip of his manhood jerked in response to her touch.

  His blue eyes glowed in the darkness of their tiny wagon, their world on wheels, as he reached for the quilt under which she rested. The werewolf’s sense of passion showed in their depths. Sonja silently thanked the gods for the desire she witnessed there.

  “Nor do I, my love. For you nearly drove me mad with your misguided demands we remain separated. The wolf chaffed wild with the need for his mate.” His teeth gleamed briefly in the one slant of moonlight before he lowered his head to taste her. Gliding along the crease of her neck, he teased sensations out of her with his teeth, nipping and biting her sensitized flesh. His low growl of pleasure warmed her already heated core as he forged a path downward.

  Sonja slid her fingers through his silken hair. A soft moan escaped despite her best effort. “You didn’t think I suffered as well?”

  No words came from the lieutenant.

  Her eyes fluttered shut as his tongue forged a fiery trail over her abdomen. With still enough brain cells to make her point, she added, “My plight was great with each passing night you weren’t in my arms, Lieutenant. One thing I’ll promise you…I’ll never let you rest alone again.” Her words mingled with exhales of breath, moans and thrumming need as Ty’s head disappeared between her thighs. Lifting her by the hips, Ty licked her lips, teasing a gasp from her. She bucked in his hold. The pleasure was torture she wanted to continue. He nipped her nub. Sonja arched to meet him. Her hips, quivered in response to his attention and soon brought her to a cliff like only he could do. Over the edge she tumbled. Ty caught her carefully, slipping inside her heat.

  “The promise, I will hold you to, Nymph.” His breath coming in pants was warm on her flesh. “I will never allow you to venture far without me by your side. I promise.” He reared up, like a dark god of old, thrusting deep filling her to the hilt.

  Sonja bowed up, riding the wave of passion to embrace the next as she accepted all Ty offered. In the sliver of moonlight, his body glistened with the heat of desire. Long lines of sinuous muscles moved in a dance as old as time. Together, their hunger grew. Rising to lofty heights, before peaking somewhere far above earth’s bounds, Sonja took everything her lover gave. The blinding light of release came upon her swiftly as his shaft throbbed inside her. Her inner walls stroked his release as Sonja welcomed his seed.

  With his long, silky hair threaded between her fingers, she smiled in satisfaction. “If we keep this up, Lieutenant, you’ll soon be a father.”

  “Nothing could make me happier. Nothing except you marrying me,” he groaned sleepily.

  Sonja didn’t answer. Not wanting to disturb the perfect moment, she refrained from arguing the finer points of why she couldn’t burden him with an attachment. The soft exhale of his breathing told her he slept. His warmth enveloped her and she smiled to herself as she dreamed of holding a baby boy with blue eyes and dark hair.

  ***

  Since St. Louis sat on the river, its harbor never ceased to bustle with activity. Held by the Union army, the city still contained many southern sympathizers. A free state where slaves could come to become free men, there were always men of both colors looking for work. Union troops were everywhere. A large Union armory loomed on a bluff overlooking the banks of the mighty Mississippi.

  The spring thaw was slow in coming to this part of the great river. Large patches of slick ice covered the water in treacherous sheets, making a crossing dangerous. Most boats docked in St. Louis to wait out the temperature’s rise as spring warmed the water as well as the land.

  Dressing like northern refugees rather than southern cavalrymen, Ty’s men were able to pass the scrutiny of the armed militiamen stationed on the main road into the city. Sonja and Briann’s Pennsylvania land deeds proved they were Union governed citizens. On the outside, the city resembled a bustling community of prosperous commerce. One had to look closely
to see the tension underlying the opposing sides of the war.

  “You look like you’re enjoying the feather mattress, Nymph.”

  She bounced on the bed with glee. “Look, we even have windows and a real ceiling!”

  Ty smiled despite himself. Sonja was enjoying the luxury of a real bed. Who could blame her? The wagon had housed their whole life for so many months. Finally, he could woe her the way he’d wanted to for so long. There was a barn dance happening outside of town in a few days. He wanted to take her.

  “Thank you so much for the hip tub!” She bounced off the bed, flinging her arms around his neck.

  “You deserve a good long soak when you bathe. I’ve got to admit, I enjoy the little luxury as much as you.”

  With heated water, Sonja relaxed in the brass tub as soon as it was full. Humming a light tune, she lathered, grinning when Ty glanced over to enjoy the view. Lying atop the comfortable bed, he pretended to be engrossed in the paper in front of him, the same one which told of Sherman’s march to the sea and how his beloved Savannah hadn’t escaped the bastard’s torch. His ire pricked, he tossed the paper aside.

  “Would you like to join me, Lieutenant?”

  He never tired of her reference to his military rank. The words came out so possessively, he couldn’t object, even though he wasn’t in the army any longer. How he left made him a wanted man in the Union Army’s eyes. He could do nothing about that now. Instead, he focused on her in the tub as his eyes lingered over creamy breasts slightly submerged in the steaming water. Turning his full attention toward the exquisite image of the woman in the bath with the creamy skin, silky blonde curls and brandy-colored eyes, Ty grinned at his good fortune.

  She held the world for him. “You know, you’ve bewitched me.”

  Sonja paused, giving him a coy smile.

  “I wouldn’t put it past you and Hortence to have put a spell over me after we first met.” Quite smitten with her, those were the facts. He’d succumbed to her charms the first moment he’d laid eyes on her standing in the doorway to her small bedroom back in Pennsylvania. Slim and graceful as she stood in the opening, she possessed an ethereal air about her. The image of a woodland nymph from Greek mythology came to mind. He surprised himself by imagining her dancing while she sang a charming tune, all the while, enchanting him with her bewitching eyes. Tawny and long, they dominated her fine boned face and spoke to him of secrets he found he must discover.

  “Lieutenant, you flatter me. Hortence wouldn’t stoop to such a tactic though." Her giggle mingled with warm water cascading down her rosy breasts made Ty want to thank the witch for something. He just couldn’t fathom what at the moment. Steam rose from the water, caressing the rosy tips of her breasts and coaxing the nipples into hard, dark peaks. His fingers itched with the need to fill his hands with her lush endowments. For a slim-built woman, Sonja had the most perfect breasts he’d ever seen. Wondering if he was biased, he slung his long legs over the side of the four-poster bed and began unbuttoning his pants. The fact they were alone with no one watching, made his arousal surge and his craving for her all he wanted to consider. He wanted to make love to her all afternoon until well into the night, until they were both bone-tired.

  Her giggle of pleasure brought him back as he found his shaft in his hand while he idly stroked its length, pondering how he found himself there. The wealth of pleasure he wanted to share with her was immeasurable. The sheer need for her had no limit. Unable to count the times he awoke hard with a craving for her in the past months made him falter. His attraction for her bordered on obsession, didn’t it? He stroked his thickening erection harder.

  “Hurry, Ty. You don’t want the water to get cold.” She smiled seductively as she shifted to make room for him.

  Sliding into the water, he eased down behind her. With a gentle nudge, he eased her onto his shaft. A moan left her lips as she fisted around him. Velvety soft, she fit like a glove over his manhood, her inner muscles working as she rocked on him. “Take your pleasure, Nymph. I want you to enjoy everything I give you.” No woman had ever worked her way into his consciousness like Sonja. He breathed in her scent, growing more aroused.

  With a grip on either side of the tub, Sonja worked her hips, giving him every ounce of her woman’s flesh.

  As water sloshed out of the tub, he buried his fingers in the wet tangle of her hair and held on to her hips. Feeling the wonder of her in every pore, every nerve ending and with every beat of his heart, Ty met her stroke for delicious stroke. Soon she covered his length with an explosion of honey as her hips piston over him. The wave of euphoria which washed over her took the last of her strength. She collapsed back on his chest. “You’ve a special talent, Lieutenant, for making me feel so rich.”

  “If I possess a talent, Nymph, it’s the good fortune I have you in my life. Tis’ the only talent I lay claim to in your arms. Yours, on the other hand, is a talent like none I’ve ever known before. You hold the talent to cradle me in bliss, the power to bring me to my knees in your embrace and drug me with your kisses. For that, I will be eternally grateful.” Giving her a wicked smile, he reached up, stroking one delectable breast. “No, Nymph, I am the one who is rich, on that, you can depend,” he assured her.

  Chapter 3 - Wanted

  There came a light rapping on the room’s door. Sonja waited before calling out, “Who is it?” The giggles which followed didn’t sound like her. Since Tyler Loflin’s appearance in her life, little was the same.

  “It’s Smitty, Lieutenant. May I come in?”

  At the sound of the seriousness in the sergeant’s voice, Sonja rose, hastily gathering a towel and heading for the dressing screen. For Smitty to come to their door at an odd hour wasn’t normal. Something must be wrong.

  “Just a minute, sergeant.” Ty tugged on his trousers.

  The look on the sergeant’s face filled Sonja with concern. She dressed quickly. She wanted to hear what Smitty had to say.

  “We’ve scouted the area like you asked, Lieutenant. There’s Union guard on almost every corner. Southern sympathizers are mute. Union loyalists spouting rhetoric are everywhere. I found out from the sheriff, there’s a wanted poster out on one Tyler Loflin, Lieutenant in the Confederate Army. There’s no picture with the poster, thank the blessed mother Mary. It lists you as a traitorous outlaw against the United States of America for breaking out seven Confederate prisoners of war from Conner’s Breach.” His chin set in a scowl as he unrolled the poster for Ty to read. “Don’t mention our names. Says there may be others with us as we have headed this way.”

  Ty scanned the poster before tossing it on the bed. “Well, now, ‘pears I’m a wanted man.” The humor in his smile never reached his eyes. “How much you want to bet, the Yankee vampires are behind this?”

  “All I got.” Smitty spat at the nearby spittoon. “We better lie low until we cross the river.”

  “Since we aren’t pictured on the poster, they’re looking blind for some dumb bastard to stroll into town using his rightful name and bam, they’ll have him.” Ty strolled to the window overlooking the street below. “We’ll just have to take up aliases until we get further west. In the meantime, we’ve got to be careful.” He glanced at Sonja. “I think I need a haircut.”

  They discussed plans to visit the riverfront the next day and see about passage by boat to the other side. Spanning a quarter mile at its most narrow point, the current in the Mississippi this time of year was dangerous for crossing on anything less than a full-sized paddle wheeler or a barge. Whatever means they used would require stability in the form of weight to make the crossing successfully. Besides, they’d need to look like simple refugees from the war to make it safely to the other side without much scrutiny. Ty and his men were going to need more help. Perhaps a small diversion was necessary. Glancing at Sonja, he considered how much of his plan he could keep from her. She wasn’t easily fooled.

  “Ty?” Her hand rested over his arm. “I brought the deed to my land with me. I’
ll prove who I am and where I’m from, if you think the paper will help.”

  “Let’s wait and see.” He patted her hand. “Sergeant, see the men take up false names and get as many a new set of clothing without benefit of Confederate insignias before we visit the landing tomorrow. Remind them they need to keep quiet while we’re down there. The less folks think of us as southerners, the better off we’ll be.”

  “Yes, sir, Lieutenant.”

  “Smitty, this is the last time you can use the military reference while we’re still in enemy territory, understood?”

  “Yes, sir…yes, Ty, I understand.” Flustered, a red-faced Smitty shoved the cavalry hat atop his head, before snatching it off again. “Guess I’ll have to throw the fool thing away.”

  Sonja went into Ty’s arms the minute the door shut behind Smitty. “What are you thinking of doing tomorrow, Lieutenant?”

  Ty cut his eyes toward her. “You can’t call me lieutenant anymore, Nymph. Although, I love the way you say it, you can’t utter the title again. The walls have ears.”

  She nodded. “I’m just worried is all.” Going into his arms, she gripped him tight.

  “I’d do anything to protect you, Ty. Please take care of yourself tomorrow.”

  Leaning in, he groaned as she shuddered in his arms. Unable to resist, he lifted her chin. The kiss was pure need mixed with an unspoken promise to return safely.

  ***

  The Belle of St. Louis was a magnificent 1200-ton paddle wheeler. She boasted thirty-five passenger rooms, four staterooms and two suites. Her hull could carry a full tally sheet of cotton and fifty slaves. She touted the honor of hosting presidents, statesmen, gamblers and soldiers as well as paying passengers from both the north and the south. Her lineage was long and colorful, her size impressive as was her captain. He was a seasoned veteran with thirty trips logged on the Mississippi, not to mention the Missouri. With the war, she traveled to New Orleans carrying coal, kerosene, lumber and corn for the Union occupation of the Crescent City. On this particular trip, she housed coffins, rows and rows of coffins of northern soldiers who’d lost their lives in the western campaign.