“You will. I promise.” He rubbed a thumb along her soft cheek. “Thou art lovely as a summer’s day. And I will never forget thee,” he whispered. Leaning down, he tenderly kissed her soft, warm lips.
Their first kiss, and last, for a long time. Darius leaned his forehead against hers and rubbed his thumb along her wobbling lower lip. “My father, nor anyone else in the pack, won’t dare hurt you now, Sam. You’re mine. And I will come back for you one day.”
“When?”
“When I can.” Darius drew away, his guts coiling and twisting.
For a moment he studied her, knowing it was their last time together, keeping the vision of her sealed in his mind. Sam’s huge gaze, luminous with moisture, silky blonde hair spilling down her back, her trembling fingers clutching his shirt.
“So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this and this gives life to thee,” he recited from the sonnet she’d taught him to read.
He headed for the door and turned for one last look. “I promise I will return for you,” he whispered.
Then he trudged down the stairs and left her staring after him with tears in her eyes.
Chapter 1
Portland, Oregon, ten years later
The bastard had broken his promise. Like all men, he’d uttered a pledge and then changed his mind. But this time, she’d make him pay.
Sitting alone at a table at the Irving Street Kitchen, Samantha Evers rubbed the heel of her hand against her forehead and tried to hide her shaken self-composure. When the waiter inquired for the fourth time if she wanted to order, she gave a polite smile. She loved this restaurant, and eating here was a rare treat. Her salary barely paid for a studio apartment. And this trendy place catered to Portland’s upscale and hip crowd.
Samantha glanced up and saw her date mounting the restaurant steps. Finally! Heart thudding against her chest, she watched him walk inside. Yes, Todd wore a dark gray suit with a rose in his lapel—clichéd, but reliable—as he’d said in the email. And he wasn’t as handsome as the online dating site photo, with flaxen brown hair thinning in front, and the beginnings of a paunch, but he was cute.
Maybe this time, she wouldn’t get stood up.
As he walked toward her, Samantha beamed and waved a hand.
Todd saw her and his face…oh my God, his expression…
For a moment he remained motionless, as if struck by indecision. Then her blind date walked forward and approached the table. Perched on the edge of her chair, she waited.
His smile was tight. “You’re Samantha.”
She nodded, her chest tight. Please, sit down, give me a chance…
“You’re fat. Bigger than your photo.”
Samantha’s smile dropped.
Todd’s gaze searched her up and down. His lips pursed as if sucking on a lemon. “I can’t do this. No matter how desperate I am. No fucking way.”
He turned on his heels and spun out of the restaurant as if a pack of wolves chased him.
Not even one wolf. Her.
Others glanced at her and murmured. A dull flush crept up her face as she realized they’d overheard every single syllable. Humiliation? Naw.
Folding and unfolding her napkin, she stared out the window and saw Todd greet a couple on the restaurant’s terrace.
Anger burned through her. She beckoned to the waiter. “One order of your excellent white corn soup. To go, please.”
The bastard was still talking to the couple. He wasn’t even polite enough to leave and give her space for a quiet, dignified exit. She’d have to pass them.
Good.
The soup arrived in record time, along with the check. She dumped ice into the container to cool down the steaming soup, counted out bills and left a very generous tip and thanked the waiter. Then she left, Coach purse slung over one shoulder, soup container in hand.
Samantha faked a huge smile. Outside, she saw her “date” turn, looking uncertain as she strolled toward him.
“You’re Todd.” She hesitated, studying the container of soup. “I can’t do this. No matter how desperate I am. No f-ing way.”
Then she glanced up. “No wait. I can. Happy dining!”
Samantha opened the container and dumped the contents over his head.
Her high heels clicked down the steps to the sounds of his outraged sputters and the couple’s laughter. Good riddance. Waste of great soup, but worth it to see the astonished look on his face.
Todd probably thought fat girls were used to being insulted and just quietly went away.
Not me. You may see me as a fat girl, but I’m Lupine and we wolves never let an insult pass.
But she didn’t live as a Lupine. Not anymore. And she never again wanted to be a wolf and live in a pack because Lupines had hurt her worse than any rude, balding bachelor. She made her life in the city among humans, or Skins, as Lupines called them.
She never wanted to live as a Lupine again.
Or see Darius, the Lupine who’d promised to mate with her.
Rain began to gently patter down as she walked back to her apartment. Terrific. Her feet, already aching in the fashionable heels, slipped a little on the sidewalk. Lifting her face to the sky, Samantha felt droplets slide down her cheeks.
Damn, she’d sworn she would not cry the next time Darius came to mind.
She’d vowed to forget about the only man she’d ever loved.
Four years ago, she’d fled Maxim’s pack for Portland, assimilating into the fast-paced city life. Any reason for remaining in the pack had died along with her mother. Ellen’s thin, bony hand had gripped Samantha’s as her heart finally gave out, a year after the same disease had claimed Marcia, Samantha’s older sister.
After arriving in Portland, Samantha found a series of low-paying jobs until landing her dream position at a small, but successful firm specializing in green power. Sam had then hired a private detective to find Darius.
She’d found him.
The detective told her Darius lived in Montana on a ranch. He showed her photos of Sam’s mate in an outdoor hot tub kissing and fondling two nude women.
He’d forgotten all about her.
When she finally reached her apartment, Sam stepped inside, shrugged out of her wet clothing and into the shower. The hot water felt good on her chilled skin.
After pulling on a thick terrycloth robe, she sat down at her desk and powered up her laptop. And then she hesitated and went into the dime-sized closet. Kneeling, she dug through her belongings until she found a shoebox. She removed the lid and dug through layers of tissue paper until gold glinted. Sam picked it up and cradled it in her palms.
Darius’ ring of promise he’d given her ten years ago. She’d been so young then, innocent and hopeful. And so much in love that even remembering that special moment sliced her heart like a hot razor.
“I’m not crying,” she said aloud, wiping her eyes.
Screw it. She replaced the ring and shoved the box into a far corner. Returning to the desk, Sam surfed the Internet for dating sites, until she hit an intriguing one.
Male escorts. Pleasure for less money.
She steeled her shoulders and clicked on the link. Suddenly the site vanished, and her screen went blue.
“Damn it!”
A handsome, dark-haired man appeared on the blue screen. “What the hell are you doing, Samantha?”
Staring at the laptop, she tapped the screen. “Did I log into a chat room by mistake? And how do you know my name? Is this some weird virus?”
The screen darkened. Feeling a presence, she turned.
The man now sat on her tattered sofa bed. Clad all in black, the tips of his hair shining silver like chrome, he was intense, but very handsome. Blinking, she tried to control her pounding heart.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Do you work for the escort service?” she asked hopefully.
The man snorted, and his dark eyes glowed electric blue. He stood and approached her. “I am Tristan. The S
ilver Wizard.”
Sam gave him a blank look.
He rolled his eyes. “I am Oz, the Great and Powerful…are you serious? You have no clue?”
When she shook her head, he sighed. “Tristan, one of the four judges of the OtherWorld species. Specifically, of the Wyldings, shifters such as Lupines like yourself.” Tapping his firm chin, he considered. “Ah, of course. I’m having a brain cloudburst.”
Sam stared.
“I erased your memory of me. Back when…oh hell.” With an impatient sound, he touched her forehead. Memories rushed back like water gushing from a broken dam. The Silver Wizard, hurling a ball of white energy at the fireplace and shattering hard logs.
Sam shrank back and nearly fell off her chair.
“What do you want with me?” she whispered.
“I’m here because you logged onto a site to search for a Skin escort. This is not acceptable, Samantha. You belong to Darius.”
Belong to Darius? As if she were a coat or shoes? Her fear faded, replaced by irritation. “I belong to me. And if I want to spend my money to get laid, it’s my business.”
“You bear Darius’ mating mark.”
“Oh joy.” Seething, she pulled free the robe’s collar, showing the intricate pattern of runes visible only to OtherWorlders. “Ever since Darius planted this on me, I’ve lost my sex appeal.”
“Thus is the purpose of the mark, to defray interest from other males until you consummate the union with the one who placed it there.”
“Well, he’s taking an awfully long time, considering he’s been gone for nearly ten years. Darius is an asshole.”
“Darius is your mate. Only he has the right.”
“So I’m supposed to wither like a dry flower because some Lupine who made a promise never returned for me?” She gave a dry laugh. “I’m not waiting around forever. I’m living in Skin now, and I want nothing to do with wolves. Male Lupines are selfish bastards.”
An idea surfaced. “But as long as you’re here…you have the power. Remove it.”
Now it was his turn to stare.
“I’m tired of being marked like I’m someone’s property.” Her lower lip wobbled. “Especially since that someone no longer cares.”
Tristan looked uncomfortable. “I cannot…”
“You don’t have the power?”
His mouth flattened. “I have more power than you can imagine. But the mark designates you as Darius’ mate.”
“Do you see him here?” She stood and spread out her hands. “Do it or maybe I’ll find a way of digging it out of my skin. Or cover it with a tattoo of something really nasty, like Maxim’s butt.”
Tristan narrowed his eyes. She swallowed hard. “Look, I don’t mean any disrespect. I only want to go on with my life. And I wasn’t exactly aware of what he was doing when Darius put this on me. It’s been ten years. Isn’t that long enough for me to wait?”
He shook his head. “I will regret this.”
“I won’t.”
“Are you certain?” Something flickered in the wizard’s gaze. “If I do this and you still desire Darius as your mate, it will be much more difficult for you to bond together. Your only option is a mating rite.”
Sam frowned. “What’s that?”
Tristan sighed. “Did your mother not teach you anything about Lupine sex?”
Flushing, she shook her head. “You mean to have sex with Darius, I have to go through this rite?”
“No.” His strong jaw tensed. “I can see this is going to take some explaining. Perhaps I should have given you a book with illustrations.”
After he snapped his fingers, a thick volume appeared in his hands. It looked larger than the Oxford dictionary. The wizard glanced at her and sighed.
“Never mind.” He snapped his fingers again and the book vanished. Tristan leaned against the wall. “How about a porno flick? I’ll buy the popcorn.”
He snapped his fingers and a tub of buttered popcorn appeared in his hands. Seeing her dumbfounded expression, he sighed again and the popcorn vanished.
Tristan dusted off his fingers. “Never mind the props. Here is the deal. You can have sex with Darius all you want. In any position. Missionary. Woman on top. Man on top. Upside down. Backward. And my personal favorite, doggy style.” He smiled. “Woof.”
Sam felt herself blush.
“But in order to become his mate and his partner for life, if you no longer carry his mark, you must endure the mating rite. A mating rite can be extremely…feral. You may find what you must do to be much more painful than removing the mark itself.”
Samantha hesitated. Then she thought of the lonely years pining for Darius, and the horror of finding out he’d moved on to other women and did not even remember her.
“Do it.”
“Are you prepared to accept the consequences?”
She bit her lip. “I’ve accepted the consequences for ten years now.”
“Turn your head and lift your hair.” As she did, he warned, “This will hurt.”
“It can’t hurt worse than getting it in the first place. Do it.”
Cold fire licked across her neck, stinging like a razor drawn across her skin. Sam screamed and fell to her knees. The burning was worse than anything she’d ever experienced.
Shaking, her breath coming in ragged pants, she raised her tear-streaked gaze to his. Tristan stood before her solemnly as Sam raced to the mirror in the hallway. Gone were the intricate runes, replaced by smooth flesh.
“It is done. The mark is gone. You no longer formally belong to Darius. You will no longer be safe from the attention of other males.”
Her eyes widened. “You mean that all this time, men haven’t been interested in me because of that silly mark?”
Tristan frowned and folded his arms. “Did not your mother tell you anything?”
“She told me to beware of lusty Lupines like Darius who wanted me in their beds. Too bad I didn’t listen to her.”
“You are now eligible to find a new mate and erase Darius from your life.”
Her stomach knotted. Sam recalled the racy photos the private detective showed her. Her heart gave a painful flip. “Should be easy enough. He’s forgotten all about me.”
Even that day in the hotel, when she’d followed him, and waited for him in the lobby, only to see him look straight at her and turn away, as if she were invisible. A heavy weight settled on her chest. She would not cry any more over Darius.
For the first time, the wizard’s expression softened. “He promised, and he will not forget to make you his own.”
“Right. When pigs fly.”
“What do flying swine have to do with Darius?”
“Nothing, it’s an expression. Are you stuck in the dark ages?”
“It was my favorite time,” he said dryly. “When men were men and wizards were respected.”
“You know, if you’re so powerful, why can’t you stop this business of the mating mark? It’s too one-sided. Don’t I get a choice in the matter? He bites me and ooohhh, I’m his?”
A mysterious smile touched Tristan’s sensual mouth. “You do. It’s a little known secret.”
“Well, do tell, Oz the Great and Powerful. I adore secrets.”
Tristan’s mouth twitched as if he couldn’t decide to slay her or laugh. Finally he nodded. “You have endured enough. I will tell you. The mating mark cannot be placed upon an unwilling female, only a female who desires the male.”
At her blank look, he added, “If a Lupine tries to bite an unwilling female, her skin toughens and he cannot achieve penetration.”
Sam absorbed this news with interest. “Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘Bite me.’”
The wizard grinned, making him look boyish and much less threatening.
“I’m free now, right?”
As he nodded, her stomach knotted with aching regret as piercing as the day Darius had left. “Why didn’t he come for me?”
He gave a brief, almost tender smil
e. “He will find you, little one. Trust me. When a Lupine male marks a female as his mate, nothing will stop him. Even though his mark is gone, he will find you. It is in his destiny.”
“I don’t want him anymore.”
Tristan ignored that remark. “I gave you a small gift. An ad on a new dating site.” He flicked his fingers and a sheet of paper appeared in his hand. The wizard handed it to her. “This is the website, your password and your email box for the ad.”
She studied the paper. “You didn’t put my photo on the web, did you?”
But when she turned, her empty sofa was empty. Sam stroked a finger across the now-normal laptop screen and shivered as a premonition overcame her.
Darius could never find her. He’d written her off years ago.
Hadn’t he?
Shrugging, she pulled up the link Tristan had written down. It had better not be an Other-World dating site. She wanted to date a Lupine as much as she wanted to drink drain cleaner.
The words at the top of the screen read Werewolf Match but then they flashed, as if her computer had caught a little virus. Damn. Samantha refreshed the page and this time the screen read Worldly Match, bringing singles together across the globe.
Well, all righty then. Samantha clicked on the link to her ad. Her stomach roiled as she read the description. “Attractive single female searching for the man of her dreams. I’m all curves and all verve and not afraid to howl at the moon. If you like sexy and vexy, respond to VaVaRoom.”
What a horrible ad. No male would be interested. She felt disappointed until clicking on the link that read My Photo.
Samantha touched the screenshot of herself. Frantic, she clicked through the site, trying to figure out how to erase it. No photos. She must not have any photos of herself on the Internet where anyone could find her…
Especially not Darius’ father. Because if Maxim ever found her, he’d turn her into mincemeat for what she had done right before she’d fled into the night, leaving the Lupine world behind for good…
Biting her lip in frustration, she kept working at the computer.
The Mating Rite (Big, Beautiful Werewolf) (Werewolves of Montana) Page 3