Tell Me Your Secrets

by Virginia Cavanaugh

  He dropped the book on the desk and turned. “Will you believe it if I do? How do you know that I won’t sit here and spin you a yarn?”

  She wasn’t sure why she knew he wouldn’t lie to her. Maybe it was the fact that he still stood here in her room. Or maybe because he didn’t lead with “You can’t tell a soul”. “Because for whatever reason, Dorian, I trust you. I understand that you thought you needed to lie to me before, but you don’t now. I just need to know what in the hell is going on.”

  He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re different, Jesenia.”

  “Well yeah, I guess I am, since I can’t grow fur in an instant.”

  His gaze caressed her. “That’s not what I meant. I mean you’re different than most humans. You wanted to track down Grady and protect him. He attacked you yet you still thought of him.”

  “Grady. Is that the other wolf’s name?”

  “Yes. He’s from my pack and he’s my friend.”

  Jesenia patted the bed and he came over and sat next to her. “So start from the beginning.”

  He laughed. “That would be in the year of our Lord fifteen-thirty-six.”

  Jesenia sucked in a surprised breath. “As in your birth or the birth of werewolves?”

  He gave her a toothy grin. “That would be my birth. Werewolves have been around for a long time.”

  “Oh wow.”

  “But how we ended up here is another story. As you’ve read, a lot of my kind was hunted down and killed. But we have a totally different account of the details.”

  Jesenia’s hands came up to cover her mouth as she remembered things she had read. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. The legislation they passed during the Cromwell rule paid for your deaths.”

  He nodded, grimacing.

  “Oh no. They paid heavier prices for females. How could they do that?” Her stomach gave a sour roll. “And children? They paid for what they called cubs as well.” Tears burned at the corner of her eyes.

  “They were afraid of us. Cromwell knew we were far more powerful than he, so rumors spread about wolves attacking livestock. But the people didn’t get heavily involved until the tales of humans being attacked surfaced. Now I won’t say that both didn’t occur, but you have to understand, Jesenia, we were here first. And when they started to settle on this land they thought to take everything for themselves. And when my kind were starving we did break into livestock pens, but most of those animals were free range before. And we didn’t mind sharing with them, but they sought to deny us.

  “Humans brought war to my kind. You saw it for yourself. They targeted women and children. So we struck back. And then the English, with their wolfhounds, got involved and it turned into a bloody massacre. That is why the woods are called Bás Woods. The woods of death.”

  She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “But you’re still here. So how many of you survived and how?”

  “We went into hiding. A few different packs rejected the idea of hiding their true natures, and ultimately they were hunted down and killed. My pack is the only one that I know of in Ireland.”

  Jesenia nodded, not sure what to say. What had been done to them was horrid. They might not be completely human, but from what she knew of Dorian she believed they deserved rights and to be treated fairly. Instead they had been hunted down like animals. “I’m so sorry, and I know I already said that and I know it doesn’t make it better, but I just don’t know what else to say. Your people should have never been treated like that.”

  His hand cupped the side of her face and his gaze locked with hers. “And that is what makes you so special, Jesenia. You have a big heart.”

  She smiled weakly. “I wish I could go back and change things for you.”

  “Ah, lass. I’m just glad to have found you here in this time.”

  Her eyes closed as she melted into his gentle kiss. This one was different than the others they’d previously shared. There was sadness mixed with the bitter sweetness of memories and healing. When he broke the contact, her heart shattered a little inside for him and his pack. They sat together in the silence for a few moments.

  This man—wolf—whatever he was called had wormed his way into her heart. She wasn’t sure how. It had been less than forty-eight hours since she met him but for some reason she harbored deep feelings for him.

  “It stunned me when you talked about saving Grady. I didn’t expect that. After the way you rushed into that old breakfast room, I just knew you were going to want to sound an alarm and send out a hunting party. Although I don’t think anyone would have listened to you much. At least the natives wouldn’t.”

  “Well, I was concerned for the safety of others. If there was a wolf running around that would attack humans, well then, I figured people should be aware. But that didn’t mean I wanted him killed.”

  “I know…now.”

  “And the blood on your clothes?”

  “Grady attacked another human and killed him. I had to dispose of the body.”

  Jesenia’s jaw dropped. “What did you do with it? And what about the family of this person?”

  “They will be notified when his body is found at the bottom of the cliffs. I had to make it look like an accident to hide the fact wolves are in the area.”

  She nodded. Part of her wanted to argue about his actions being wrong, but at the same time she understood why he’d done it. The how wouldn’t change the fact that the man was dead. A shiver ran down her spine. It could have been me. “So if you’ve managed to stay out of sight for all these years, why is Grady now attacking people?”

  Dorian turned his gaze to his lap. “He is rabid. Which is unheard of for my kind. But there was a lab in the nearby village of Kilmorny. They had a fire and one of the dogs they were testing a new rabies cure on escaped. It wandered into our den. We knew it carried the disease but we weren’t concerned. Grady was bit in the struggle to take the dog down. A few days later he began to change, to where now I don’t think there is anything left of the man he used to be. The animal has taken over.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “The only thing I can. Kill him. That’s why I’m here. I was about to hunt him when you ran through that door.” He moved on the bed to face her more fully. “Keeping my race a secret is what keeps us alive. Plus, I can’t risk the spread of this mutated strain of rabies.”

  “Then I’m going to help you.”

  “No.”

  She reached out and placed her hands on his face. “Just listen for a sec. I can help you. You don’t have to do this alone. I’m stronger than I look, passing out aside.”

  He gripped her hands and guided them away from his face, bringing them up to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “No.”

  She pulled free of his grasp and stood up. “I’m helping whether you approve or not. I could be bait.” Jesenia crossed the room, looking for her shoes. “If we hurry, we may still be able to find him in the woods. Whoa!”

  Her feet left the carpet and she found herself banded in strong arms. “Wait a minute. Just because you’re bigger doesn’t mean you get to haul me around like a sack of potatoes.” He jostled her slightly before tossing her on the bed. She bounced slightly and pushed her hair out of her face. Before she could sit up, his large, muscled body covered hers, pinning her to the mattress.

  “You’re not going back out there. Do you have any idea what having you in that situation tonight did to me?”

  Her chest tightened as she stared into his pale-green eyes. “No,” she whispered.

  “I couldn’t draw breath into my lungs. In a flash, a thousand different possibilities ran through my mind, most of them not good. Had I not been there? Had Grady’s wolf not bowed to my alpha status? Really bad things could have happened, Jesenia.”

  Her palms flattened on his chest. His warm skin heated hers. “But they didn’t.”

  “I’ll not risk you again like that. Do not ask me to.”

  She slid her h
ands up over his powerful shoulders, lacing her fingers into his dark, silky hair. “Kiss me.”

  He complied and she opened her mouth for his seeking tongue. He might think he’d won the argument, but she planned to help him whether he wanted her to or not.

  Her legs spread and his hips nestled between her thighs. His hard cock pressed against her pussy and she moaned, lifting her hips to increase the pressure against her clit.

  She sucked in a breath, tearing her lips from his as he palmed her breast and teased her nipple. His lips tracked down her neck, nipping and licking the skin on his way.

  He growled. “Too many clothes.”

  Jesenia gasped as he ripped her shirt and bra down the front.

  “You have such beautiful breasts,” he whispered, then leaned in to suck one taut peak into his mouth.

  Her fingers speared into his hair and she held him to her breast as his tongue and teeth played a pleasurable game against her flesh. “Dorian, you make me feel so good.”

  His teeth grazed her nipple and she whimpered. She raised her head and watched as Dorian’s mouth continued a downward track along her body. He created a sexy sight. The muscles in his back rippled as his hands went to her hips. She released his hair and lifted her hips when he tore at the fastenings of her jeans. He made quick work of discarding her pants and panties over his shoulder.

  “I love the way you look at me, passion making your eyes heavy-lidded.” Dorian ran a hand down her belly and over her pussy. “Your skin flushes a pretty pink.”

  She reclined on her elbows, watching him touch her. Her old sex life consisted mostly of all-the-lights-off experiences. Never had she sat back and watched a man pleasure her. Her cunt throbbed with desire. Moisture rolled from her entrance and he dipped his head, catching the drop on his tongue.

  The wet heat of his mouth had her moaning and lifting her hips, wanting more contact.

  “Your taste drives me crazy, Jesenia. I could lick you all day.”

  The thought had her whimpering. His lips and tongue worked magic on her pussy. If he were to do it all day, she’d surely die from the pleasure. He sucked her clit into his mouth and batted it with his tongue. She squirmed, breaths increasing as wonderful sensations danced through her core.

  “Feels so good.”

  He moaned against her and the vibration increased the tingling of her clit. Dorian’s arms hooked her legs. The backs of her thighs came to rest on his powerful shoulders. His hands cupped her ass, and she cried out as he alternated fucking her with his tongue and applying sweet torture to her clit.

  “Dorian! Yes!” Sensual rapture burst through her body, leaving her quaking. Her pussy creamed as her inner walls pulsed. But he didn’t stop. His mouth wrung every last spasm of her orgasm from her.

  Dorian kissed the inside of Jesenia’s thigh, trying to gain control of his body. The taste of her cunt on his lips fueled his desire to fuck her hard and fast. He didn’t want to hurt her, but bloody hell, no other woman had ever driven him this insane with want. His body should be sated after their encounter on the beach, but it was as if he hadn’t already had her. Or maybe it was because he had. Her tight, pretty pussy felt so good around his dick. He wanted to feel that again.

  He crawled forward, letting her thighs slide down over his shoulders until her knees landed in the crooks of his elbows. “I need to be inside you.”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He planted his palms near her head and his cock throbbed as it glided against her wet slit. A moan left his throat. His balls drew up tight. A slight shift of his hips brought the head of his dick next to her entrance. He pushed forward, sinking deep into her cunt. The soft walls gripped him. “Damn, Jesenia. So tight and wet for me.”

  She dug her fingernails into his shoulders, moaning. “Move.”

  “My control is stretched. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’m not a china doll. Don’t hold back.”

  He groaned, lowering his head. His hips pumped, and with each movement he increased speed and force. Her cries of pleasure filled his ears, such sweet sounds of release.

  The bite of her nails drove him on until he released a roar as he slammed in and out of her little cunt. Wetness rolled down his sac. The pulsing of her pussy around his cock made him grind his teeth, straining not to come. He wanted this feeling of bliss to last.

  “Dorian!”

  “Fuck!” He lost the battle. His cock pulsed. Tightness increased in his balls and he growled. Jesenia’s tight quim milked every drop of cum from him. Her legs shook against his biceps and he released his hold on them. Her feet landed on the mattress as he fell to his forearms, trying to keep his weight off her. He didn’t want to withdraw yet—wanted to stay connected to this amazing woman as long as he could.

  Something in his chest stirred as he looked down into her dark-brown eyes. Sweat beaded her brow and little wisps of dark hair clung to her forehead. Beautiful. Mine.

  The sudden thought had him blinking and pushing up. He couldn’t keep her. His cock slid from her sex and he rolled over onto his back, looking at the ceiling. He couldn’t keep her and that made him mad. Not good.

  Jesenia rolled onto her side and propped up on her elbow. “Wow.”

  Dorian glanced at her, then focused back on the ceiling. “I agree.”

  Chapter Six

  “Are you daft, Dorian?”

  Dorian growled at his cousin. “Shut up, Seamus. I know what I’m doing.”

  Rust-colored brows rose. “You told the girlie about us, man. I don’t know if that was the right way to go about it. I could have distracted her for you so that you could hunt Grady, so why didn’t you tell me she was still going on about wolves in Ireland?”

  A snarl left Dorian’s lips. He didn’t want his cousin or any other man distracting Jesenia. She was his, damn it. On a roar, he stood up and batted the small wooden table over. Ever since he’d left her room this morning he’d been trying to convince himself that Jesenia didn’t belong to him. It still hadn’t sunk in to his dense skull. “I’ll take care of it, Seamus. I have a plan because I know she thinks she’s going to follow me out into the woods tonight, and I can’t let that happen. Grady nearly took a chunk out of her twice already. I won’t risk her like that again.”

  Seamus crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Hmm.”

  Dorian pinned him with a glare. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re taken with her.”

  “Now who’s daft?”

  “Fine. Have it your way, then, but I haven’t seen you this frustrated in a hundred years or more. And I say it’s the woman who has you this way.”

  “We’re not discussing it.” Dorian stomped toward the door without a backward glance, leaving his cousin behind in the old breakfast room. The problem was his cousin saw too much. How in the hell had he let Jesenia get to him this way?

  Whatever the reason, he didn’t have time to dwell on it now. Grady had to be stopped, and to do his job Dorian needed to know that Jesenia was safe.

  * * * * *

  Jesenia tied the laces of her new tennis shoes and pushed out of the chair next to the small desk in her hotel room. The sun had set about a half hour ago, and she’d decided if Dorian didn’t show as promised, she would go find him. She refused to let him do this on his own.

  He’d left sometime after she’d fallen asleep. She’d found a note on the desk telling her that he’d be back after sunset. That didn’t exactly mean he was on board with her offer of assistance, but she was determined. There had to be a way to convince him.

  She plopped down onto the bed and sighed. Werewolves. How in the world was any of this even possible? Yet she’d seen it with her own eyes. A giggle escaped her lips. She was falling in love with a werewolf. It made her wonder if there were werewolves in the States too.

  A knock on the door sounded and she jumped up, racing to answer it. It had to be Dorian and she couldn’t wait to see him again. A quick glance through the peep
hole confirmed her thoughts. With haste she unlocked the door, pulled it open and stepped into his arms. His mouth crashed down on hers as he walked them backward into the room and closed the door. A solid arm banded around her lower back and she was lifted off her feet. Her breasts pressed into his solid chest as her hands went into his hair.

  She kissed him back, meeting his tongue stroke for stroke. And then she was falling, the soft mattress met her back and the welcome weight of Dorian rested at her front. Her legs wrapped around his hips as her lower lips became slick. His hard cock pressed against the seam of her pussy and she moaned into his mouth.

  Raw passion. This man oozed it. She clawed at his shoulders, which were bare since he wore a tank top.

  He pulled back from the kiss. “Jesenia. I can’t think straight when I’m with you.”

  She smiled up at him, loving the way his green eyes sparkled. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have attacked you as soon as I opened the door, but…I guess I can’t think straight around you either.” Her teeth sank into her lower lip.

  His hand caressed the side of her face. “You’re beautiful.”

  “You’re not too shabby yourself.”

  He smiled and her chest tightened.

  “I want to show you something.” He separated himself from her body.

  She shivered at the loss of heat. “Where are we going?”

  He stood from the bed and offered his hand. “It’s a surprise.”

  The tilt of his head and the way he smiled now told her he was up to something. She slowly placed her hand in his. “I thought we needed to hunt for Grady?”

  “Yes. But I want to show you something first.”

  She rose to her feet and he entwined their fingers, pulling her toward the door. She stopped as he twisted the knob and turned to look back at her. “You’re not going to talk me out of helping you, Dorian. So I hope you don’t think you can distract me with something.”

  He laughed, then brought her hand up to his lips. “I know that I can’t talk you out of coming with me.”

  She let him lead her out of the room and to the lift. “Good. As long as you know that my mind is made up. I even bought new tennis shoes at a small store in Kilmorny. So where are we going?”