Lupine

by Hanleigh Bradley

  A Surprise Visit

  I get a waft of stew as I let myself into the orphanage. There is the sound of chatter coming from the kitchen. Taking a deep stabilizing breath, I begin to make my way down the hall.

  It’s important that I keep my cool with Amon, I tell myself.

  Entering the room, I spot him talking to Lewis without a care in the world. I feel my heart-rate spike immediately. I’m not completely sure what I expect or want. Perhaps for him to be sitting there sulking after Lewis or Jacqueline have told him off.

  Except they obviously haven’t… Which means I have to.

  Again.

  I guess it’s part of being the boss. I really shouldn’t complain. Lewis looks up when I enter and getting to his feet, he walks over to the stove to plate me up some stew. I come to sit at the table, ruffling Kendall’s hair.

  I notice the way Amon avoids my eye.

  “Here you go, Lupine,” Lewis says as he places my dinner in front of me.

  “This looks brilliant,” I tell him. “Thank you.”

  “It tastes even better,” Jerome tells me with a massive toothy grin.

  Smiling back at him, I can’t help but agree as soon as I take my first bite. Dealing with Amon can definitely wait until I’ve finished my food. Although if the way he’s scoffing down his own meal is anything to go by, it’s pretty clear he’s trying to avoid me.

  “HELLO!” A voice calls through from the hall. I’d recognize it anywhere. Dylan has a low, sexy voice that has been getting him in trouble with girls since he was fourteen; he was a handful when he was here, for completely different reasons to his ‘brothers’. I’m surprised he’s here though. Usually, the guys call before they visit. Not that I’m complaining. It’s definitely a good surprise.

  I feel like I haven’t seen them in ages, which is weird seeing as how we practically grew up together here in the orphanage.

  They bundle into the room only to be piled on by the kids. This happens every time they visit. The kids think of them as their own personal jumbo gym. Dylan offers me an easy smile before looking down at the children with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

  “We have presents!” he says with an excitement to match even Nik’s.

  “Hey! Where are you going?” Blake asks, wrapping a muscular arm around Amon’s shoulder as he tries to make a dart out of the room.

  “To my room,” Amon replies, trying to shrug him off.

  “What did you do this time?” Blake asks with a sigh.

  “Who says I’ve done anything?”

  Blake shrugs. “Just a feeling, I guess.”

  “Amon decided to skip school today,” I tell him nonchalantly, feeling mighty impressed with myself that I haven’t completely lost my shit yet.

  “Dude, that’s not cool,” Archer says, holding up the latest XBox game that Amon has been begging me to get for the best part of a month. “Guess you won’t want this then…”

  Amon looks furiously on as Archer gives the game to me.

  “I don’t get why you guys give a shit if I…”

  “Language,” Blake says. “There are little ears.”

  Amon shrugs his shoulders.

  “So, Loops, what’s his punishment this time?” Dylan asks, while both Kendall and Edmond hang off his arms.

  “I was thinking I might go to school with him tomorrow,” I threaten. “Go to class with him and everything…”

  “You wouldn’t,” Amon glowers at me.

  “Dare me.”

  “Don’t do that, kid. You’ll never win,” Archer laughs. “Trust me… We know.”

  “I have an idea,” Blake says suddenly. “Why don’t you come with us to work this weekend.”

  “No thank you,” Amon grumbles.

  “Come on man, we’ll have a right lark.”

  “Yeah, sure… Sounds like a blast.” Sarcasm drips off Amon’s words as he walks out of the room.

  Blake gives me a momentarily sad look before returning his attention to the other children.

  Following Amon out of the room, I call out to him just as he’s putting on his coat to go out.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Out.”

  “You know I can still cancel the transfer…”

  I feel like a bitch for using it as leverage, but I don’t know what else to do.

  “Do it then…” he says with a shrug. Anyone else would think he doesn’t actually care, but the look in his eye is a clear giveaway.

  “A tattoo, huh?”

  He shrugs, leaning against the wall. “So what?”

  “Nothing… Tats are cool…”

  “Let me guess… Tats are cool when you’re old enough to know you won’t regret it.”

  “God no,” I laugh. “Just because a person’s old, doesn’t guarantee they won’t regret getting a tattoo.”

  “Then what?” He folds his arms in front of himself.

  “Just when you actually get it done, make sure you’ve really thought it through and it’s the right design, right location, right colors… Just make sure you love it because it’s gonna become a part of you, you know? You’ll never be Amon without the tattoo again…”

  Amon scoffs.

  “I guess you could say that about a lot of things though,” I say with a giggle. “Can I see it?”

  “What?”

  “The design?”

  He looks hesitant but eventually reaches into his pocket, fishing out a piece of paper. The sketch is strangely beautiful, a ratty, almost destroyed pair of wings surrounded by what I presume is light.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whisper.

  “Dahlia said some shit about being a broken angel or something… something about a damaged soul that will just radiate light. I think she was talking gobs shit to be honest.”

  “Maybe… Maybe not.”

  There’s no way Dahlia Huston was talking crap. She might be half human, but there’s no denying that woman is psychic.

  “Can I go?”

  “Where?” I ask.

  “The park…”

  “With?”

  “Just a few kids from school.”

  “Back by nine.”

  “Ten?”

  “Nine thirty.”

  “Deal,” he says, turning to leave.

  “Amon?” I call him back.

  “Yeah?”

  “Please don’t skip school again,” I tell him. “Especially if you want to go to the Academy. Presumably, the girl you were with today is the one who moved schools…”

  “Er…”

  “And playing hooky with her isn’t really the best way to show me that she’ll be a good influence on you at the academy.”

  “It was my idea.”

  “I don’t really care whose idea it was… I just want you to go to school.”

  “Alright. I won’t do it again.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Does that mean I can have the game?” he asks hopefully.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “And you weren’t serious when you said you’d come to school with me, were you?”

  “Do it again and hell yeah I will.”

  “Understood,” he replies with a nod of his head. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Good. Have fun with your friends.”

  “Thanks. It’ll probably just be lame.”

  I watch him leave, wondering if I’ve done the right thing. Should I have been stricter? Amon doesn’t tend to respond well to discipline… To be fair, none of the kids here do. And I was definitely the same when I was a kid here. I guess it’s just how we’re wired.

  “Lupine!” One of the kids calls through to me. “Come and get some cake!”

  Only a moron says no to cake and so I make my way back into the kitchen, deciding not to worry about whether or not I was too lenient with Amon. Time will tell, I guess.

  Reading in the Bathtub

  For the first time ever, Amon actually comes home on time and I’m able to head upstair
s early. Running myself a bath, I decide it’s time to finally read Love Blooms, the book I got from Juniper.

  I’m still a little unsure. It’s certainly not the sort of book I’d usually pick up, let alone make time to actually read but she’d said it would do wonders for my stress levels.

  And one thing I definitely need to do is relieve some stress. Between Amon and Castalia and the guys across the street, I can’t quite put into words how tense I feel. Book in hand, I climb into the tub. I don’t usually have time to bathe. I’m more of a quick shower sort of girl.

  I open the book, giggling once again at the cover. Strangely enough, the story sucks me in and I quickly find myself engrossed in the plot. I’m almost destroyed when Zirconia realizes that she’s in love with a commoner… and then another and another and another.

  Seriously! How many guys does one girl need?

  Then again… I could easily imagine myself in a wolf shifter sandwich between Wren, Camden, Rehan and Kalen. I try to shake that thought off. I absolutely cannot go there! Under no circumstances, can I even consider going there.

  I feel my fingers inching down across my body at the thought though, touching myself. Even though I’ve told myself those thoughts are off limits, my body definitely doesn’t care.

  It would be all too easy to get lost thinking about them… But I shouldn’t. Pulling my hand away, I get out of the tub and wrap myself in a fluffy towel and wander back into my bedroom. Not bothering to remove the towel and still soaking wet, I fall down onto my bed, letting out a loud sigh.

  I feel like I could sleep for a month. Closing my eyes, I try to think of something other than the shifters across the street. Anything to distract myself from the way I’ve wanted them since the moment I first saw them.

  Reopening the book, I continue reading even though I can barely keep my eyes open. It’s the perfect distraction, even if I do keep putting Kalen and the others into the story in my mind. In each and every sex scene, I picture myself with them, growing more and more desperate to make it a reality.

  But there’s still that little sane voice in my mind telling me that I can’t.

  ***

  When I wake up the next morning, the book is open over my face; the pages sticking to my face. I’m not completely sure how the story ended or if I even managed to finish it.

  Hurriedly, I get dressed. My phone buzzes to say that Lewis is sick and won’t be in today, meaning it’s on me to make breakfast. Not to mention, there’s about a million jobs I need to do. All the ones I failed to do yesterday.

  I pause as I try to remember what I did with my list.

  I definitely remember having it yesterday when I was working on the fence. I hope I didn’t leave it out there in my hurry to go to the school. I consider asking Camden if he has seen it but that means going out of my way to see him, something I don’t think would be particularly wise.

  But oh, so tempting… It would be the perfect excuse to see him. Or Wren. Or any of them, really.

  Heading down to the kitchen, I start to get everything ready for breakfast as I try to mentally re-create my to-do list. Gradually the children begin to make their way downstairs, all in various states of alertness.

  Jacqueline comes in carrying Artemus.

  “No Lewis today?”

  “He’s sick,” I tell her.

  “I’ll take the kids to school if you like,” she says, her tone surprisingly chipper.

  I’m not going to refuse her offer. I have a hell of a lot to do today, and the extra time would definitely be appreciated.

  “If you could, that would be amazing.”

  “Yeah, no problem,” she says before beginning to eat her own breakfast. “I have a feeling today is going to be a good day.”

  I can’t say that I agree. I’m exhausted. I stayed up far too late last night reading that damn book. So much for stress relief… I’ll be lucky if I’m not feeling seriously tetchy by lunch time.

  “What have you got planned for today?” she asks.

  “Just some odd jobs,” I mumble.

  “Great… I’ll take Artemus and Nik to the library this morning. Give you some alone time if you like.”

  I know what she’s trying to do. She’s trying to make up for the fact I missed out on my day off. It’s hard not to love her for it.

  “Thanks Jacqueline.”

  “You’re welcome. Do you have any books you need returning?”

  My mind wanders to Love Blooms, but I’m still not sure how it ends, and I don’t feel quite ready to part with it.

  “No, thanks.”

  I help get the children ready for school and then wave them off from the front door. It takes a surprising amount of self-control to close the door. I feel drawn, compelled even to cross the street and… I’m not completely sure what I want to do but I know it’s nothing good.

  Finding my tools where I stashed them under the sink, I decide to get straight to work with the jobs I need to do today. But I’m surprised to find that the cupboard door that needed re-hinged has already been fixed and the blinds that needed hanging have been hung. The bicycle that had a puncture has been repaired and I’m left feeling completely bewildered.

  Who the hell has been doing my jobs? I know it’s not Lewis and Jacqueline wouldn’t even think to do them for me. My mind returns to the list, the one I left outside with Camden… He wouldn’t… Would he?

  He finished the fence so maybe he would…

  I feel a combination of anger and gratitude. On one side I no longer have anything to do today but on the other side, I now owe him one and I can only imagine what he will ask for in return.

  My mind runs away with itself and I find myself blushing, just as I hear a knock at the front door. Chastising myself, I shake my head. I absolutely will not involve myself with the fucking mafia.

  Even if they are so damn temptingly gorgeous.

  Nope. Under no circumstances will I allow myself to fall into that trap. There’s no future there… They’re not exactly the sort of guys that you want to raise kids with… And since I’ve already got twenty-something children, I definitely need someone good with kids.

  Someone like Lewis… Just a little less human.

  Sighing, I open the front door, to find none other than Camden standing there, my list held in his hand as he smirks at me. I want to wipe that smirk off his face, but I don’t get the chance. I’m too distracted by the look in his eyes.

  He’s staring at me with more fire and passion than should be possible. It’s a look that makes me think I could burn alive under his gaze.

  Oh, boy! This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid.

  Mine

  He opens his mouth to speak but absolutely nothing comes out. He’s staring at me in exactly the same way I’m staring at him. His eyes are hypnotic and no matter how much I might wish it wasn’t true, instinctively, just by looking into their depths, I know that he’s…

  “MINE!” I growl out, causing his lips to twitch up into a half smile.

  “Took you long enough to realise,” he mumbles, his hands moving to my waist as he moves us into the house, kicking the door closed behind us. “Is anyone…”

  “No. We’re alone.”

  That’s all he needs to hear before his lips come down to mine, kissing me harshly. All my early protestations, all the reasons I shouldn’t be doing this, are completely forgotten. It doesn’t matter that he’s a criminal apparently because as wolves we have very little say over our mates.

  And there’s no denying that he’s mine.

  I grab his shirt, pulling him up the stairs with me. It’s pretty obvious where this is leading and there’s no way we’re doing that in the hallway. As soon as my bedroom door closes behind us, I pull his shirt over his head before kissing him again.

  I really can’t get enough of his mouth. I can imagine just what sort of magic he can do with that tongue, as I feel it brush across the roof of my mouth. I unbutton my jeans, rushing to get myself undressed. I want
him and not just a little bit either. I feel like every cell in my body is screaming out, begging for him to fuck me.

  Every single damn cell… There’s not an inch of my body that doesn’t know it belongs to him.

  “Please!” I beg him as we fall onto my bed, still trying to remove our clothes.

  I’m literally on fire, quivering under his touch. It would be all too easy for me to lose control right now and shift into a wolf. God, we’d completely destroy the house if I did that.

  “Breathe, Lupine,” he whispers into my ear before nipping down on the lobe.

  He lines himself up to enter me and I push up to meet him too desperate to wait. We move together as if we were made for each other, as if our bodies were just waiting to meet each other…

  There are goose bumps on my skin, a reaction to the contrast between his hot skin and the cool air. My back arches and I pull his head down to mine, a need to be closer to him consuming me.

  He moves with a gentle ease, teasing me, slowly torturing me as I howl out begging for more, my nails digging into his shoulders. I wouldn’t be surprised if I draw blood, wrapping myself around him, my hips bucking urgently.

  I don’t know when it changes. One moment I’m driven with a need to claim, to own, to consume, but then in the next I’m feeling something different. Something softer, altogether more loving.

  His mouth covers mine as he pounds into me possessively. His fingers on my skin are fiery, almost burning hot, as they rove over my body. I feel frenzied, completely lost to the sensations he’s giving me.

  The tension in my body builds and I can feel my climax coming and I move quicker hoping to bring it sooner. I’m impatient. Desperate.

  My orgasm ripples through me as he begins to lose control, my name on his lips as I bite down on his shoulder. Not that I’m sure why… The orphanage is empty and there’s no one here to hear us.

  Except a handful of shifters across the street… But surely even their hearing isn’t that good.

  Breathing erratically, we lie there, touching each other. Small touches, drawing a circle on his chest, his hand on my spine, a kiss on my nose.

  I’m in no rush to say anything, not wanting to break whatever trance I’m lost in. But the spell is broken though when I hear a banging at the front door. I scurry to dress but Camden tells me not to bother as he pulls on his own clothes, passing me my dressing gown.