“And as far as you know, I’m some girl who sleeps on counters with shotguns and drinks too much,” Casey pointed out. His laugh was warm, and she smiled. “Is it crazy to say I think we both know the other person is more than that? It can’t just be me, right? You…kissed me.” Do you feel a connection, too? She closed her mouth on the question. It would be one of the most clichéd things ever. She looked down, crossing her arms. “Do you regret it?”
“Hey.” His voice was rough, and she was in his arms the next moment, one hand pressing in the small of her back, the other cupping her cheek. “No. I don’t regret it. I thought you might, though.”
“Not for a second.” Casey pulled him close again, her lips meeting his. She made small sounds of contentment, and heard him growl in response.
“Here.” He picked her up and settled back on the couch with her straddling him. He groaned when she ground her hips against his. “Woman, you do not know what you’re asking for.”
“The hell I don’t,” she murmured against his mouth. Right now she wanted her clothes off, and his, and him sliding inside her. She could feel him hard against her, if anything, more impressive than she’d thought the night before. She wanted his hands on her skin; she wanted to see him above her while she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“Oh, you think so?” He laughed, low in his throat, and his fingers slipped between her legs to rub over the fabric covering her. When she gasped and arched, he smiled, one arm holding her in place for him to stroke again, and again…
“More.” The word came out of her before she could stop it.
“What’s that?” She could hear the smile.
“More, please.”
“Better.” His breath stirred her hair. His fingers brushed against her again, and he held her when her hips writhed. “Still not good enough. Try again.”
“More, please…sir?”
From his low chuckle, she knew that was what he wanted. He pushed her off him, down onto the couch, and settled between her legs. When she gave a little moan of satisfaction, he moved his hips against hers. His lips were at her throat, her collarbone…
“Please…” She didn’t even know what she was asking for.
“I like it when you beg.”
God, she was wet. She squirmed, trying to get her hands down to her shorts to take them off, and she gave a little sound of frustration when he pinned her hands above her head.
“You said…”
“I said to ask nicely.” His kiss was deep, making every semblance of a thought disappear from her mind. “And I’m going to give you everything you ask for…” He laughed. “…very, very slowly.”
She was going to come right here if he didn’t stop moving his hips. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed against him, trying to spark the same urgency that was consuming her. She could not stop moving, feeling the pressure of him against her. God, she wanted him inside her. Right now, she wanted him to take her as hard as he could—and she knew when he did get inside her, he was going to move just as slowly.
Was he trying to drive her mad?
“What do you want?” She looked up at him, biting her lip. “Let me give you what you want.”
“I want you wet, and close to the edge, and begging me.” His voice was rough with desire. “And you’re very, very good at giving me what I want.”
That thought should not make her nearly tip over the edge, but God help her, she had never wanted someone like she wanted him. Everywhere he touched; her skin came alive with sensation.
“I want you inside me,” she whispered, and she felt him shudder at the words. Good. Two could play at this game. “Please?”
“What do you call me?”
“Sir.”
“Good girl.” He held her close for a kiss, and she melted against him, moaning.
The howl of wolves interrupted them. Close, and answered almost immediately by another howl. Casey shook her head, jolted out of the mood by the voice in her head that screamed danger. Wolves weren’t going to hurt them.
But Nathaniel was up now, his eyes scanning the back yard.
“It’s nothing,” Casey assured him, pushing herself up on her elbows.
“It’s not nothing.” He shook his head at once. “Get upstairs. Now.”
“What?”
“I don’t have time to repeat things. You need to get upstairs.”
“But they’re…” Casey caught a glimpse of movement at the edge of the trees. One wolf, then two.
“Get upstairs!” He snatched the shotgun and the rounds off the counter and shoved them into her hands. “Go!”
“What are you going to do?”
“Don’t—” He took a deep breath. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Nathaniel…”
To her surprise, his face softened. He pulled her close, gently, for a kiss. Then he drew away, his face going cold again.
“Go. Don’t let them up those stairs.”
Panic flared in her blood, and she took the stairs two at a time. She curled onto the floor, shaking so badly she could hardly check the rounds. Her mind was full of images; wolves stalking through the house, creeping up the stairs. In her nightmare, their eyes were red and they were growling. They weren’t looking for prey; they were hunting her, coming right for her like a serial killer in the house. I know you’re there, the growls said. It would be like the bear, intelligence where there should be none. What was going on up here?
She had to stop thinking about this. If she didn’t, she would start screaming. Why in hell had she decided to come up to the cabin this weekend?
A sound from the yard nearly made her drop the shotgun. She swore under her breath and crawled, pushing open the master bedroom door and keeping low until she got to the window.
What she saw made her want to throw up. There were twelve wolves—no, twenty. Twenty-three. Twenty-five. They were emerging from the forest in twos and threes, a broad arc surrounding the house. Their growls, together, were enough to make Casey whimper in fear. This couldn’t be real. This wasn’t happening.
The sound of the sliding door opening below nearly made her jump out of her skin. She wanted to scream when she saw Nathaniel limp out onto the porch. He looked around himself at the wolves, and they stopped, the growls growing in strength. One or two crept closer, and backed away with snarls as he looked over at them. Then, as one, they began to close in again. And Nathaniel…
…changed. Casey pressed her hand over her mouth as he grew before her eyes, clothes replaced with fur, face replaced with a snout. Up and up he grew, shaggy and powerful. The bear roared, swiped with its claws at the pack of wolves…and then took off for the forest at a heavy run, bowling several wolves aside with powerful swipes of its paws and disappearing into the trees. With a chilling howl, the wolves took off after him.
Upstairs, Casey slid down the wall, shaking. Her hands were clenched around the gun so tightly that she thought she might never let it go. What the hell was she supposed to do now?
5
She needed to go after him. Casey snatched up the shotgun and pounded down the stairs. She didn’t care how tough he said bears were—one bear against dozens of wolves were bad odds. So he needed help. She pulled on her shoes hurriedly, fingers trembling on the laces, then paused.
Was this the craziest idea she’d ever had?
Yes.
But he didn’t have anyone to help him. Her stomach twisted. She knew beyond a doubt that those wolves weren’t normal—they were like him, maybe. Shape-shifters or something. All those thoughts she’d had of the wolves creeping up the stairs towards her…those had been real, only it was him they were looking for. She couldn’t let him stay out there alone.
Or possibly she was going insane. She sank her head into her hands. She had just seen a man transform into a bear. That meant she should be going to the hospital, not wandering into the forest with a shotgun. She was clearly still drunk. Or maybe she was dreaming. She reached out with her bare foot and kicked
the corner of the table.
“Ow!” Not dreaming, then. Muttering, Casey pulled on the second shoe.
She shouldn’t do this. A bear against that many wolves were terrible odds, but how much was Casey going to help, really? She had twelve rounds. Even if she was a perfect shot, that wasn’t going to take down all of the wolves—and, she thought with a chill, it wasn’t likely she’d have enough time to get twelve shots off before they got to her. She was going to get torn apart by rabid wolves if she went out there.
Unless she wasn’t, because part of her brain was still insisting that this had to be a hallucination. Men did not turn into bears. That was something out of popular movies, or science fiction, or something. Superheroes. She wasn’t twelve anymore, pretending she could fly or be invisible. Magic didn’t exist. She put down the gun and was just staring at her hands, trying to decide whether she should even attempt to drive into town, when a howl sounded from the woods.
That was it. Maybe it was a hallucination. But if it wasn’t? Then Nathaniel needed her help. And if it was, then those wolves were totally normal and they were going to stay well clear of her. Casey slipped the extra rounds into her pocket and started running, because now that she’d decided to go into the woods, the same part of her brain that had been calling her crazy was now screaming at her to turn around and go back.
Like hell.
Casey crashed into the trees, looking around. She wasn’t exactly a master tracker, but it didn’t take much expertise to see where they’d gone; there was a trail of crushed plants a few feet wide, leading into the forest. Swallowing hard, she chambered the weapon and set off. She needed to move as quietly as she could, and not let herself get exhausted.
The growl was low, almost inaudible, but enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Her conscious mind might not have noticed, but her instincts were screaming at her to run. Turning, Casey brought the gun up partway…and took an involuntary step back.
The bear towered over her, black in contrast to Nathaniel’s brown. It thudded down onto four paws and snarled, pacing sideways. She stumbled back as it advanced, courage fleeing…
Never run away from a bear.
It was herding her back to the house, she realized. She looked behind her, then at the bear. The howls nearby increased, and its head turned. When it looked back, Casey had put down the gun. Her hands were up, and her brain was telling her not to be so damned stupid, but she could not—she could not—let Nathaniel stay out here alone.
“I’m here for Nathaniel,” she said quietly. She swore she could see the same intelligence in this bear’s eyes. “He was hurt, and he stayed with me at the cabin last night. But the wolves found him, and I need to go help.” There was a pause, and Casey felt tears flood her eyes. “Look, I know what he is. I saw. But he’s all alone. I promise I won’t hurt you. I just need to get past.”
The bear roared and tossed its head…and shrank rapidly, into a man with blond hair and the cheekbones of a Greek God. Like Nathaniel, he was one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen in her life. And like Nathaniel, he was wounded. Now that fur wasn’t covering him, she could see bruises and healing puncture wounds on his arms and legs.
“It was a wolf bite,” Casey said slowly. “On his leg.”
“You’re telling me Nathaniel’s alive?”
Another howl sounded, and Casey wanted to snarl in frustration.
“He was a few minutes ago. Please, we have to go help him.”
“How many wolves did you see?”
“Twenty five, at least.”
“Any black, or all grey and white?”
“All grey and white. Look—”
“Was there one that was all white?”
“…No,” Casey said, thinking about it.
“Then we’ve got a fighting chance. Get back to the cabin, I’ll take care of this.”
“I’m coming with you,” Casey said stubbornly.
“You’re not prepared for this,” he told her. “And Nathaniel would probably kill me if I let you go into danger.”
“Look, you can let me come with you, in which case I might take down a few of those wolves, or you can leave me here, in which case I’ll just follow you on my own.”
He stared at her, and she stared back, stubbornly.
“I’ll climb up a tree,” Casey offered.
“Fine. Get on my back when I transform.”
It was a tricky process, and there was nothing to hold onto when she got up there. When he took off, it was all she could do not to scream. She dug her fingers into his fur, hoping she wasn’t hurting him, and lay low to avoid branches as he crashed through the undergrowth.
The sounds of the fight were terrifying. Roars sounded, followed by snarls and yelps. Howls came from the woods ahead, and there were screams of pain. No birds sang here, and there was not the faintest hint of movement from squirrels or mice. Everything had fled this supernatural battle, and Casey was trying to keep from wishing she’d done the same.
When the bear stopped at a tree and tossed his head, she hopped off and scrambled up, the bark rough on her hands. She loved climbing trees as a child. Her muscles, unused to this now, were burning; Casey gritted her teeth and promised every deity she could think of that she would stay in much better shape if she got through this.
When she turned to look, she gasped. The fight raging below was a vicious tangle of brown and grey and white and black. Casey swallowed and took aim, looking down the sights at a wolf that was clearly planning to dive back into the fray.
The sound of the gunshot stopped the fight for a moment, and a few wolves turned on her, snarling. Casey gave a silent prayer, reloaded the gun, and took aim again. Another shot, well away from Nathaniel and his friend. She missed, and swore.
But there was hope. The wolves, now with three enemies instead of one, were beginning to fall as they milled about. Another bear crashed out of the undergrowth, its brown coat peppered with grey, and Casey just managed to avoid pulling the trigger. Another bullet, another wolf. The new bear roared at her and she waved, tentatively. Hopefully he understood.
Hopefully he couldn’t climb trees.
She reloaded and shot, reloaded and shot. Time seemed to disappear, and even the pain was fading as the shotgun slammed back against her shoulder. Adrenaline was thrumming in her blood. They were so close to winning—
She almost missed the white wolf. It was creeping through the forest nearby, drawing close to the fight with its lips drawn back in a snarl. She had only one shot left. Casey loaded the gun quietly, took aim…
The shot blew the wolf over sideways, and she screamed. The other wolves looked around, howling, and Casey screamed all the more as the wolf dragged itself upright. Its head swung around and its pale eyes fixed on her for a long moment. Then it charged out of the bushes, making directly for Nathaniel.
If she had not shot it, Casey shuddered to think how the fight would have gone. Even wounded, bleeding heavily, the white wolf was a terror to behold. Its jaws fastened around fur, black and brown, and the bears roared in pain as they converged on it. Snarls rang through the air, and the snapping of teeth. But at last the wolf faltered, and Casey hid her face as Nathaniel reared, great paws swiping down. There was a howl, a scream…and the rest of the wolves fled into the forest.
Casey scrambled down from the tree and ran, catching Nathaniel as he transformed and stumbled into her arms. His face had gone grey with pain, and there were new marks on his arms and legs.
“You came for me,” he whispered.
“Of course I did. I couldn’t let you fight alone.”
He smiled tiredly. “Loyalty,” he whispered. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and drew her close for a kiss.
6
“He’s not really a king,” James said thoughtfully. “We don’t have kings.”
“So, what then? Alpha?”
“That’s a wolf term.” His look was warning.
“Well, what would you cal
l him?” Casey looked over to where Nathaniel was in close conference with Victor, an older man with a grizzled beard.
“Mostly, we just call him Nathaniel. Everyone knows who he is.” James took a sip of beer and cracked his neck.
“Who was the white wolf?”
“Old enemy.” James shrugged. “It’s…difficult to explain.”
“You just don’t want to tell me, because you don’t want me spilling all your secrets.”
“That, too,” he admitted.
“I’m not going to.” Casey grinned at his dubious look. “I mean, come on—I tell my family and friends I saw three men turn into bears and fight a pack of thirty wolves, and I shot a few wolves. I don’t even have a scratch. They’re going to lock me up and make sure I never have a shotgun again.”
“You make a good point.” James settled back in his chair. “We’re just told…never to let anyone know. We grow up learning to hide what we are.”
“So are you humans who transform into bears, or bears who transform into humans?”
“Both? I don’t know. I guess we’re human. We’re always born human, and then we learn to control the transformations. I hated learning to walk as a human, I still remember that. It’s so much easier with four legs than two.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Casey took a sip of beer. “So there’s…a whole world out there of people like you.”
“Shifters. Yep.” He looked up. “Nathaniel’s coming to talk to you. I’ll go check on the burgers.”
“How are you?” Nathaniel asked as he arrived.
“I’m going to have a pretty righteous bruise from the shotgun, but otherwise okay.” Casey smiled up at him. “How are you?”
“I’ll be all right. You got all of the major things.” He gave a rueful smile at his arms; peppered with Band-Aids. “And as you saw, I heal quickly.”
“Ridiculously quickly,” Casey agreed. “So…what happened out there?”
“You remember all that stuff your dad told you about wolves? Well, it’s usually true…but lately, around here; the wolves are getting bolder. Every year, a few more farmers were reporting livestock gone, people were reporting that they lost their pets, kids were saying they saw wolves in the woods.” He sighed and rubbed his head. “Well, that wolf you saw, the white one—he wasn’t just a shifter; he was a mage, too. He was doing something to the native wolves around here, changing them and their instincts. And he was part of the spell, there was no undoing it without him agreeing to, or dying. We told him what he was doing wasn’t natural, that we’d stop him if he didn’t stop it on his own. And he’s been out for us ever since. Today, he thought he’d caught me alone. And he sent real wolves, not shifters, to make a point.” He sighed heavily. “They didn’t have to die.”
Endre: Brothers Of The Dark Places Page 11