by Bianca D'Arc
Maria took a shower. Luckily she’d always been quick getting ready in the morning. Ten minutes and she was dried and dressed and ready to go. She paused in her bedroom, looking for clothes she wanted to bring with her. She had a small duffel bag with a long strap that was easy to carry over her shoulder. She used it when she visited her family and stayed overnight.
She found a few pairs of roomy sweats that looked like they would fit Zach. He was a teenager, growing fast, but he was only a few inches taller than her. His shoulders were already a lot wider. He would be a big man when he finished growing, but for now he’d be able to fit into the stretchy, soft cotton fleece she had in abundance.
Maria wore a lot of sweatshirts, hoodies and sweatpants in the winter when she had to go outside in the snow to see to her animal guests. Her line of work meant she got dirty often and sometimes had to go through several changes of clothes a day. Her closet held more than enough for both herself and the teen.
She’d be able to give him a brand new bag of tube socks too. She’d bought men’s athletic socks by mistake the last time she’d been to the big superstore down by the interstate and hadn’t had a chance to bring them back yet. Something told her perhaps the mistake she’d made on that last shopping trip hadn’t been such a mistake after all. Her nona always said the Lady worked in mysterious ways.
A shiver raced up her spine. Perhaps somewhere deep down where her grandmother swore Maria’s fledgling magic lived, she’d known to prepare for what was coming. She’d had flashes of clairvoyance before. Nothing explicit really, but she always knew when the animals were getting into trouble and when to go out into the pens and help them. Nona called it her sixth sense, but it had never driven her to unintentionally buy men’s socks before.
Well, stranger things had happened in her life. Including having sex with someone she’d just met on her kitchen table. A wave of heat flushed her cheeks as she remembered the way he’d mastered her body so easily. Damn, that man was good. She was getting all hot and bothered just remembering how he’d pushed her body to the edge of ecstasy and beyond. So far beyond. To a place she’d never been before.
Oh yeah. The man knew how to please a woman. More importantly, Jesse knew how to please her. Like no other she’d ever had before. Not that there’d been many. He’d been right about that. Maria hadn’t had sex in a couple of years. And before that, there hadn’t exactly been a queue waiting for her attention.
No, Maria was usually much more selective about who she invited into her bed. Too selective, her aunt would say. But they’d never actually made it to a bed, she recalled with a chuckle. Then her breath caught thinking what he could do if he really had time and space to get his groove on. Oh, boy. She wasn’t sure she could live through that kind of pleasure and not come out forever changed on the other side.
Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure she hadn’t already been altered on a fundamental level. Could one encounter with the wolf have ruined her for all other men? It frightened her a little to think that it just might be possible.
Shoving such disturbing thoughts from her mind with deliberate intent, she focused on the task at hand. She had enough clothes for Zach. She packed most of them, leaving one set out for him to wear now. Then she started in on her outfits, packing what she could as she went along.
Frustrated by her inability to find a particular knit top she was looking for, she retreated down the stairs into the small laundry room off the kitchen. There it was. On top of a basket of clean laundry she hadn’t had time to sort and fold and bring upstairs.
She was bent over the basket when she suddenly felt Jesse at her back. He gave her no warning before his big hands landed on her hips, drawing her back against him. Instantly, she was ready for more. What kind of drugging hold did this man have over her pleasure? She’d never been this randy before in her life. Never.
“Do we have time for this?” she asked, trying for playfulness instead of the true, greedy, neediness she was feeling.
“A quickie?” His tone dared her. “There’s always time for a quickie. That’s why they call it that.” He chuckled and stilled her when she tried to turn in his hold. “Stay right there, beautiful.” She went completely still, breathless, waiting for what he would do next. Anticipation made her wet. Or maybe it was just the way he ordered her around. She wouldn’t have taken it from any other man but Jesse. That should tell her something, but she was too afraid to think it through. Too aroused.
Jessed slid his fingers under the elastic waistband of her shorts. Without so much as a by your leave, he whisked them down her legs along with her panties. Her knees began to tremble when his big, calloused palms shaped her ass. He slid one of his hands between her thighs while the other went to her shoulder, turning her slightly and pressing downward.
“Lean against the dryer.” His words were almost a growl that turned her on even more.
She complied, knowing she was dripping wet, her pussy weeping for him, wanting what it had only had once before. She was still sore from that first possession, but already she wanted more.
She didn’t have long to wait. He stepped close behind her, and without another word, he slid into her from behind.
It was a wild ride from beginning to glorious, breathtaking end. He pushed so hard, she came up against the cold metal of the dryer, but it felt so good. The contrast between his hot, hard body and the cold metal surface did something to her that she’d never experienced before. She started coming and kept coming until he finally joined her, long, agonizing, electrifying moments later.
They were both breathing hard again when he finished.
“Damn,” was all she could get out at first, and she meant it as the deepest of compliments. “I guess I need another shower.”
He pulled out and cursed under his breath. “We don’t have time. Let me.”
He reached into the clean laundry basket and snagged two towels. The smaller wash cloth he brought over to the sink that was next to the washer, wet it thoroughly and then wrung it out. He then returned to her side, crouching behind her. She hadn’t found the energy to move yet and he took full advantage, wiping her folds thoroughly with the soft, cool, soothing cloth.
She yelped when he stuck a finger up inside her without warning, ostensibly to search out any remaining come. Most of it had trickled down her legs and he wiped it up with the clean corners of the cloth until she was moist, but with water, not with his come. He threw the wet towel into the sink and picked up the dry one, stroking over her skin until she was completely clean and dry.
He stood and lifted her shorts and panties as he went, redressing her in record time.
“There. Good as new.”
“Actually, better,” she said with a grin as she turned to face him.
He winked playfully and returned her smile. “I aim to please.”
“Yes, you do, don’t you?”
He bent down as something in the clean basket caught his eye. “Pack this,” he said simply, handing her the gauzy broomstick skirt she sometimes wore.
She didn’t really understand, but she saw no harm in taking it with her. It didn’t need ironing and it was comfy for travel. She’d worn it on road trips before.
“Okay.” She took the skirt from his fingers and clutched it to her middle, not knowing what else to say. There was so much running around in her mind, but so little she could actually speak aloud without sounding like a complete ninny.
He held her gaze for a long moment before the beep of his phone brought them both out of their daze. He was so potent, he made her forget herself. She was glad to see she had some of the same effect on him, even if it was a little inconvenient given the danger of their current situation.
He looked at the phone and took the call, walking out into the hallway as he answered. That was her cue to continue what she’d been doing before he so deliciously interrupted her with that quickie.
Now what was it she’d been doing?
They finally got on the ro
ad after checking the animals. There were no more stray shifters, thank goodness. Zach had used the time they’d spent packing in the house to rest and was able to walk with them into the woods that surrounded her property. They paused for Jesse to retrieve a giant camouflage bag out of the tree, then continued a short way to a big, dark SUV he’d parked near a back road.
Zach climbed into the back seat and promptly lay down, using the pillow and blanket Maria had brought with her from the house for him. He was asleep within minutes while Maria and Jesse worked silently to load and sort out the gear they’d brought with them.
When he put the cooler with the food on the front passenger side floor, she looked up at him in surprise. Where was she going to sit if he loaded up her side of the car?
“Bench seats, beautiful. You’re going to straddle the middle, right next to me. I want to keep you close to me.”
When he said it that way, with that deep growl in his voice, she couldn’t refuse. The SUV was gigantic and there was plenty of room in front where he wanted her to sit. She didn’t see the harm in it.
They set out on a back road that didn’t connect with her place at all. Jesse had come in from behind the night before, stashing his vehicle in the woods. He’d trekked on foot all the way in through the woods surrounding her property, coming from a direction she never would have expected. By contrast, she’d heard those two idiots who’d tried to abduct her crunching gravel down her driveway. She remembered Jesse had called them the B Team, and she thought she understood a bit more about that now, seeing how he’d snuck up on her house completely unseen and unheard.
He was part of the A Team. Definitely. Thank goodness he was on her side.
She didn’t want to ever meet up with someone of his skill and ability if they were gunning for her. Maria knew she wouldn’t stand a chance.
They drove all morning, sticking to side roads though they drove more or less parallel to the interstate, heading west. As they drove, the clouds increased. Maria monitored the weather report from time to time on the radio. Severe weather alerts were springing up all over the place where they were heading, but there was no use for it. They had to drive into the teeth of the dragon.
“I wonder…” Maria sat up and reached for her pocketbook.
“What’s up?” Jesse asked, instantly alert to her movement.
“There’s something odd about this weather pattern. Is it okay to call my nona? She would probably know if a weather witch is at work here or if it’s just nature being testy.”
“Weather witch?” Jesse looked skeptical.
“That’s what Nona calls them. Of course, she never had much formal training. She and my aunt are basically self-taught witches. They go their own way. Question is,” she continued, “is it safe to call her? There’s no way they could trace my call to get to her, is there?”
“I wouldn’t think so. But just to be on the safe side, do you want to use my phone?”
“That would give you her number,” she eyed him with humorous suspicion.
“Come on, babe. Don’t you trust me?” The devilish smile he gave her made her want to trust him with all kinds of things, but she was more wary when it came to her nona’s safety.
Nona was old. She was strong in many ways, but Maria didn’t want to be responsible for bringing a pack of wolves to her door. Or the Venifucus. Dammit.
Of the two options, she at least trusted that the wolves were on the right side of this conflict. Jesse hadn’t tried to kill her, or abduct her. He’d screwed her senseless. Twice now. And he’d protected her from the bozos who’d broken into her kitchen. She’d talked with his brother and his brother’s wife, who claimed to be a relation.
Unless this was some kind of insanely bizarre rouse, all in all, she thought she could trust him.
“Hand it over, sweet cheeks.” She gave in with a roll of her eyes as he placed the state-of-the-art cell phone in her hand with a chuckle.
The screen lit up and she dialed her nona’s number, wanting desperately all of a sudden to hear the reassuring voice of her grandmother on the other end. It rang. And rang. And rang.
“She’s not answering.” Worry made her brows knit as the call clicked over to voice mail. There was Nona’s voice, but it was a hollow recording, not the rich sound Maria needed so badly to hear. She left a message for Nona to call as soon as possible and hung up.
“Maybe she didn’t answer because she didn’t recognize my number?” Jesse offered.
“No. She always answers if she can. And she always knows when I call, even if I’m not using a number she recognizes. It’s part of her magic. She always knows who’s on the other end.” Maria thought through the possibilities. “She never leaves her phone home when she goes out. I called her cell number. She should have it with her. The only reason she wouldn’t answer is if she’s out of range of a tower or…something worse.” Fear gripped her heart for a striking moment, but then dissipated. “But I’d know if something was really wrong with her. So would my aunt. We both knew when she fell and broke her hip. We both called 911 and got an ambulance to her within fifteen minutes. If something was really wrong, at least one of us would have picked up on it. Do you mind if I call my aunt?”
“Have at it,” he invited.
Maria dialed her aunt’s number and was relieved when her call was answered on the first ring. Her aunt had the same phone radar.
“Maria, where are you?” Her aunt’s concerned voice was a balm to her senses.
“It’s a long story. Are you okay? Why isn’t Nona answering her phone?”
“She’s heading for the hills, child,” her aunt replied with a small trace of humor. “She got in her Jeep and started heading into the foothills as soon as the weather turned. I was going to go with her, but she said I had to stick around long enough to talk to you before I left reception range. I’ve been waiting for your call. As soon as I hang up with you, I’m outa here. I’m going to join Mom at the cabin and we’re going to ride out the storm up there.”
“Wow. The cabin? It’s that serious?”
“Mom thinks so, and I’m inclined to agree. Someone powerful is messing with the weather. The weather—and a lot more—if my sixth sense is still reliable with all the lightning flying around. Mom says we need to go to our place of power. That’s the cabin for us. For you…” Her aunt seemed to hesitate. “Mom said to tell you that your locus has changed. It’s not a place anymore. It’s a person. A man.”
“You’re joking.” Maria’s breathing slowed as the conversation got really serious, really fast. “How did she know?”
“How does she ever know anything?” A trace of her usual gaiety touched her aunt’s voice. “I stopped questioning my mother’s power when I was thirteen years old. So, was she right? Did you meet him yet?”
“I’m using his phone. At least I think it’s him.” Maria tried to be vague enough that Jesse wouldn’t be able to follow her discussion.
“You do know weres have sharp hearing, don’t you? I can hear every word your aunt is saying, sweetheart.” A wolfish grin spread across his lips as he drew her attention with a caress of her thigh. “I like what she’s saying. My wolf likes it even more. That means you’d better get used to me. I’m not letting you go anytime soon.”
Her stomach felt like a herd of butterflies were suddenly having a fluttering contest. The molten look in his eyes almost made her forget she’d been on the phone until her aunt’s voice brought her back.
“Is that him? He sounds yummy. Nice deep, powerful voice. I think I like him already. Hello, Maria’s boyfriend!” she called into the phone, knowing Jesse could hear her.
“Hello, ma’am,” he raised his voice only a little to be heard more clearly. “My name is Jesse Moore.”
“Did I hear right? Did he say he was a werewolf?” Her aunt sounded more amused than alarmed, which helped settle Maria’s sudden nerves.
“Yeah, he’s a wolf all right. Look, we’ve got a little problem. Two men Jesse was trailing
broke into my house last night and tried to abduct me. Jesse got there in time to help and his people took the bad guys into custody. They’re being transported, as we speak, to Jesse’s Pack in Wyoming. His brother is the Alpha.” A low whistle was her aunt’s only comment. “Jesse stayed behind because I refused to leave my animals. Turns out, there was a juvenile bear shifter in my care. His name is Zach and he was shot a few days ago. We’re driving west right now, heading ultimately for Wyoming and Jesse’s Pack, but we’re going to stop for a bit just over the border to see if we can pick up the trail of the Zach’s parents. They were captured at the same time he got shot. What can you tell me?”
“It all starts to make more sense now, I’m sorry to say. The weather magic has been building for a couple of days. It probably coincides with your bears being attacked. What kind of bears are they?”
“Grizzlies,” Maria answered, wondering what that had to do with anything.
“This is bad, sweetie. Really bad. Grizzlies are among the most magical of weres in this part of the world. If these enemies are strong enough to trap two of them, we don’t stand much of a chance against them. I can see why Mom bolted for the cabin.”
“How do you know about weres? You never told me any of this. I had to find out the hard way,” she griped a little, trying not to let her aunt’s words frighten her.
“I dated a cougar once,” her aunt answered rather flippantly. “Those weres are talented lovers. I hope your wolf is half as good as my cat was.” The tone of her kooky aunt’s voice implied things Maria didn’t want to think about.
“Back to the weather?” Maria prompted impatiently.
“You’re no fun,” her aunt teased but managed to focus back on the matter at hand. “Mom thought they were building up to something. That’s why the weather pattern is growing and not moving. It’s localized over the area where they’re preparing to do…well…something awful. Some kind of dark ritual. Stop the ritual and the weather will dissipate naturally. Let this continue and we could be looking at a hurricane-sized storm system covering the entire middle of the continent.”