Maybe it’s like they say, he thought. Even if I love her more today, it’s not nearly as much as I’ll love her tomorrow.
Considering the fact that she was his soul mate, that was somewhat of a scary thought. Not that she knew that she was his one and only, not yet; he hadn’t even known until he’d smelled her the night of the Halloween party, when he’d been drunk and she’d burned off the lingering scents of her toiletries. And the scent of her had lingered in his nose ever since, trapped in his lungs or his memory or his heart.
It probably shouldn’t have surprised him, though. In Greek mythology, Tecmessa had been the name of an Amazon, of course, but it had also been the name of Ajax’s wife; an unwilling one, maybe, but a beloved one, nonetheless.
Someone in that fire station had named her with an eye towards him, he was sure of it, and Ajax couldn’t have been more grateful for it.
Knowing what he knew – that if they were together, they’d make beautiful music – had made it so, so hard to wait even a few weeks and let everything simmer down a bit, before he asked her out.
Except she’d disappeared before he could, either gone from their shared apartment complex or just hiding from him. Either way, thinking about her disappearance, about his nearly lost opportunity with her, made panic well up in Ajax. And he’d been quietly panicking ever since. Even with her right there, jamming in his line of sight, the panic was there, humming at the back of his brain.
That was probably why, the moment that the bad took a break between sets, Ajax pushed through the crowd to bang on Tessa’s cage and shout her name.
Somehow, despite the din, she heard him; or maybe just the violent rattling of the cage had gotten her attention. Either way, she glanced his way.
And then she froze.
For a moment, she looked astonished to see him. A heartbeat later, a smile curved her full lips, and in his chest, Ajax’s heart skipped a corresponding beat.
She moved away from the group, moving towards him rather than through the doorway at the back of the cage, which, presumably, led backstage.
“Hi!” he shouted to her, striving to be heard over the canned music that they’d put on as well as the crowd’s din.
“Hi, yourself!” she called back.
Her fingers curled around the bars of the cage and, unable to help himself, Ajax touched her fingertips with his own. It wasn’t much, but it was more than enough to reassure himself that she was real and warm and really there.
“I haven’t seen you around the apartment complex,” he said at a slightly lower volume. She was now close enough that she probably didn’t need to be shouted at quite so loudly.
“Madison and I sublet our apartment!”
“Where did you move to?”
“Nowhere yet.”
“I have a spare room, and I’ve been looking for a tenant,” said Ajax quickly, before he could think too much on it or the ethical implications of taking on a tenant with the intent to date and then marry her.
“Yeah?” asked Tessa. She pressed closer to the bars. “How’s the rent?”
“Reasonable, and the landlord has a crush on you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah."
“He’s pretty cute. Reliable too,” she said. A brief look of uncertainly crossed her gorgeous face, then she asked “Are you free tomorrow night? Say, seven-ish? Because I’ve got this finder’s fee for the painting and no one to celebrate with…”
“Yes!” said Ajax, breathless. “I’m free! And I like to celebrate!”
Tessa laughed.
She leaned forward and, unable to help himself, Ajax followed suit. The bars didn’t let him deepen the kiss, but a light, sweet press of lips was more than enough to seal the deal.
Tomorrow and every night after that would be soon enough to kiss her breathless.
THE END
of
HER DETECTIVE WOLF
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Books in the Lone Dragons Series
Her Detective Dragon
Recently hired at the shadiest coffee house in town and in over her head, barista Ana Alves meets police detective and lone dragon Grissom Hale on the worst day of her life, while walking home from the worst date of her life. Everyone knows that lone dragons don’t have soul mates, but Grissom has found his. Can this storm dragon protect his mate from harm?
Her Photographer Phoenix
Dr. Ellis Hale is willing to risk everything – including her life – to uncover the secret lives of the firebirds that she loves. Phoenix and photographer, Benton Hwong has traveled the world in search of two things: memorable moments and his soul mate. He’s willing to be the man that Ellis needs, but can he save his curvy storm dragon from a grisly end?
Her Chef Bear
Scott Behr is a werebear, who needs a bit of wilderness to ramble in on full moons. Storm dragon Frederica Hale is the lawyer tasked by the state to see a university complex built on his bit of wilderness. Can she make sure that everyone wins – or, at least, that her soul mate doesn’t lose? Or is she doomed to do her job but lose her fated mate?
Her Deluxe Dragon Detective
Lone dragons don’t have soul mates, but police detective Derek da Luz has found his. Too bad that she’s practically a soccer hooligan. And also accused of murder. There’s that too. Gabriela Alves is nothing if not unlucky at love, but her ex-fiancé turning up murdered in her kitchen is beyond the pale even for her. Can they prove her innocence before there’s another death – hers?
Her Detective Wolf
When werewolf Ajax Mytaras steps in to prevent Tessa Johnson’s kidnapping, he gets more than he bargained for: a soul mate and a murder investigation. As a lightning dragon, Tessa can’t let her roommate’s murder lie. And as a police detective, neither can Ajax. Together, they team up to find out what's going on before there's another murder – namely, Tessa's.
Books in the Dial A Defender Series
The Wyvern’s Defender Dire Wolf
While responding to a break in, Defender Rudolf “Dolf” Shaw discovers Helena, a woman in obvious need of a place to lie low. Helena can’t outrun, outsmart, or outfight her dragon relatives, but she’s certainly willing to die trying. Will it be unraveling their kindly neighbor’s murder or Helena’s unfinished business that’s the death of them?
More Paranormal Romance by Alice Summerfield
Rescued by Sherriff Baier
When sheriff and bear shifter Otto Baier comes home to find a thief sleeping in his bed, it’s hardly the crime of the century. For Goldie Lake, breaking into the ranch house on the edge of town is a crime of desperation, pure and simple. Staying… well, that’s probably a crime of stupidity. Goldie and Otto both have secrets, but without Otto’s help, Goldie’s might be fatal.
Sneak Peek at The Wyvern’s Defender Dire Wolf!
It was a man that flew at the nearest human-shaped hellhound, and it was a man’s fist that hit his stunned face hard enough to knock him unconscious, but it was a dire wolf that landed in the midst of the transformed hellhounds.
Hellhounds, by their nature, were long and sleek with long, delicate legs meant for running, for chasing their quarry to the ends of the earth and beyond it. They were ethereal, the descendants of gods.
Dire wolves, by their very nature, were the opposite. They were massive with big heads, barrel chests, and strong legs. A dire wolf could easily weigh as much as a large man. And there was nothing unearthly about dire wolve
s, save their howls. Dire wolves had arisen in a time filled with sabertoothed-tigers, terror birds, short-faced bears, and giant ground sloths, and they had thrived. This was the sort of thing that Dolf was meant for, in either form.
And so it was without a qualm that Dolf threw himself into the fray. He closed his enormous jaws around the nearest dog’s leg, ignoring the other’s pathetic yelp as Dolf snapped his head to the side to break his leg and send the smaller, slighter canine flying into the nearest wall.
Dolf turned to deal with the next threat, the sheer force of him clearing a path through the hellhounds. He headed not for the place where the scent of seared ozone hung heaviest in the air, a sure sign of lightning – or an angry lightning dragoness’ presence – but rather for the pack’s alpha.
A wolf could understand a dog’s heart better than most, after all.
It was the alpha’s will that coordinated the attack. And, be they wolves or mundane dogs or even hellhounds, it was the alpha’s loss that would hurt them the most. It would break them, cause them to lose heart and run away. Dolf didn’t need to defeat them all. He just needed to defeat that one, crucial hellhound in the pack.
A cry, high and feminine – Helena’s – reverberated through the hallway.
Why doesn’t she transform? Dolf wondered, even as he shouldered a human-shaped hellhound aside, knocked the man hard into the hellhound next to him. They both fell over, positioning them just perfectly to have their throats torn out.
Dolf settled for flinging himself at the lead hellhound, the obvious alpha of this pack.
The fight was short, but vicious on both sides. Dolf was meant for this sort of fighting, built for it, and he had something – someone to protect – besides, but the hellhound had the weight of his pack behind him. He was fighting for his position. If he lost to Dolf, he would lose face in front of his subordinates.
They both had good reasons to try their hardest.
But in the end, it was Dolf who won, knocking his opponent onto his back and closing his jaws around the hellhound’s throat.
It wasn’t a wolf’s usual finishing move, but Dolf didn’t want to kill the other, just cut off his oxygen supply. With any luck, he would slightly suffocate the other. When the hellhound lost consciousness, he would let up.
A ripple went through the crowd, the hellhounds noting their leader’s loss. Happily, at nearly the same moment, there was a menacing crackle followed swiftly by the disgusting scent of burning hair.
And just as Dolf had predicted, it broke the pack’s will.
They retreated, some of them scooping up their fallen comrades on their way to the elevator. Two stayed just long enough to kick at Dolf. Dodging their blows meant abandoning his grip on his opponent’s throat, and that in turn allowed the alpha’s two loyal subordinates to grab the lead hellhound and whisk him away.
A minute or so after that, it was just Dolf and Helena, dire wolf and dragon, in the hallway. And she was looking at him as so many others had over the years, her eyes huge and her pretty face ghastly. The acrid scent of her fear filled his lungs, drowning out even the false, chemical scents of the soaps, shampoos, and lotions that she loved so well.
Unable to stand it, Dolf transformed back.
“Don’t,” he croaked. “Please don’t –”
There, Dolf cut off with a grunt, as Helena slammed into him. Her arms went around him, the soft scales that had appeared along the length of her bare arms scraping against his skin pleasantly, and she pressed the length of her small, firm body hard against his naked one. She was surprisingly cool in his arms, and her soft breasts pressed against his chest. Current, warm and low and tantalizing, flowed from her to him, making Dolf’s bare skin tingle pleasantly. Or maybe that was simply her proximity? Either way, it made him ache.
He’d been so scared for her!
His arms came up, around her, and Dolf held Helena just as tightly to him. One of his hands found its way into her hair, and, cupping the back of her head, Dolf tilted Helena’s face upwards. Her shining smile, brighter even than her hair, made Dolf’s heart clench.
“It’s you,” she breathed. “That giant wolf was you! You came! I can’t –”
There, he cut her off.
Leaning down, Dolf kissed Helena, pouring all his fear for her and desire and the lingering edge of his adrenaline into it.
For a moment, she was still, and it was like kissing a particularly warm statue. Then she kissed him back, and that was like having a live wire shove its tongue into his mouth.
It felt fantastic.
Moaning, Dolf melted against her.
His arms tightened around Helena, and he was just on the point of lifting Helena off of her feet and maybe pressing her against the nearest wall, when she abruptly ducked away from him, her expression horrified.
“Oh no!”
To read The Wyvern’s Defender Dire Wolf click here.
Her Detective Wolf Page 13