He liked it. It fit the woman who stood in front of him, chatting with her granddaughter. What he didn’t like was the exasperated tone she was addressing Lana in. “Why didn’t you stay at Mr. Beckett’s house?”
Lana gaped. “I barely know the man!”
“Didn’t I tell you he’d protect you?”
“Yes.”
“So?” Annabelle tapped her foot.
Lana shot him a look, like the fact her grandmother appeared annoyed was all his fault. “He says I’m his mate. He cast some sort of spell and says I was the answer or something.”
Annabelle nodded. “You did answer the call. I already told you that.”
Lana threw her hands up in the air. “Someone threatened to kill me!”
“And Christopher will protect you from that!”
Christopher decided to interrupt before things got ugly. Lana was turning suspiciously red in the face, and he didn’t think it was all from anger. He’d caught a flash of hurt there, quickly masked. “Excuse me.”
“Well, gee, stupid me for thinking my family might help me.”
Annabelle sighed. “Christopher has dealt with this person for a long time. The protections he has in place were designed to keep him out. Why do you think I told you to stay?”
Lana frowned. “Wizard versus wizard?”
“Exactly.” Annabelle led her granddaughter over to the sofa. “Sit, and I’ll finish lunch. Then you can tell me why you think it’s necessary to stay here rather than at Christopher’s.”
“Because something tells me that it’s the last thing this guy would expect us to do.”
Annabelle stopped. Christopher studied Lana’s face, seeing for the first time the serene certainty that she was right. “You think it will take him some time to find us?”
She smiled. “Exactly.”
He smiled back. He had an inkling of what she was up to now. “God I love a smart woman.” He ignored her blush. “You’re right. I doubt he knows who you are, but it won’t take him long to figure it out, and when he does he might target you.”
She beamed at him. “Exactly.”
“While we stay here and work out the best way to keep you safe, I’ll contact my family and see how they can help us figure out what Cole is up to. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“At the first sign that your grandmother is in danger, I’m taking you back to my house.” He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “I will not put your family in danger. That is non-negotiable.”
“If he’s keeping an eye on your family, he’ll become suspicious if they all head over to Philly. How will you handle that?”
He took her hand and began absently playing with her fingers, the motion soothing him. He hadn’t really touched her since the incredible lovemaking in his workroom. It felt like it had been longer than a few hours. “I’ll have to tell them to mask themselves from scrying. It will buy is a little time, but not much.”
“And in the meantime we try and figure out what you did to piss someone off so much they threaten to kill your supposed mate.”
He growled. Supposed mate? He really needed to work on correcting her stubborn impression that somehow he’d gotten the wrong woman.
She patted his head. “Down, Fido.”
He took her hand in his and leaned into her. “How can you deny the magic that coursed through you when you touched the ring?” He kept his voice soft so Mrs. Evans wouldn’t hear them arguing.
“How would you feel if a complete stranger walked up to you and said congratulations! You get to spend the rest of your life with me whether you like it or not!” Lana was also keeping her voice soft, yet still managed to sound like she was yelling at him.
Goddess, she was so cute when she was pissed. “That’s not true.”
“Yes it is!”
“You could walk away from me.” His heart was pounding. Please don’t walk away from me.
She raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. “Really?”
“Yes. You could throw me out and declare that you want nothing to do with me. Eventually, if you held strong, I would have to give up and go away.”
“And then what?”
He knew what would happen then, but he didn’t want to guilt her into staying with him. He wanted her to stay because she wanted to. So he remained silent, ignoring her deepening glare.
Finally she blew her bangs out of her eyes, glaring at him. “You are so stubborn.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m stubborn?” He stroked her cheek. “What is the worst that could happen, Alannah? You fall in love with a man completely devoted to you, who will never cheat on you or leave you. A man willing to lay down his life for you if need be.” She had that deer in the headlights look again. He stroked his thumb across her full lips, teasing them both with the promise of a kiss, hoping to soothe her. “Give me a chance. Learn me, get to know me. I may surprise you, despite the fact that I’m a wizard.”
“A wolf wizard.”
He frowned, his heart sinking. Had she lied about it not bothering her? “I thought that didn’t bother you.”
“It doesn’t, not really. But it’s a part of you I’ll need to get to learn if I’m going to go through with this.”
“Do you want to see me change?”
She blinked. “Here?”
“Well, we could take it upstairs…”
She was glaring at him again. “Here’s good.”
He raised his voice. “Mrs. Evans?”
“You can call me Annabelle, Christopher.”
“Thank you. Would you mind staying in the kitchen for about ten minutes?”
Silence. “Only ten?”
“Grammy!” Lana buried her face in her hands but not before he caught sight of her reddening cheeks.
He took pity on her. “Lana wants to meet my wolf.” There was a difference between that flight in the woods and what Lana wanted now. She needed to meet the wolf, touch him, possibly bond with him. It would be another rite of passage for both of them.
“Ah.” Annabelle’s voice was knowing. “Very well then. I’ll have another cup of coffee.”
“Thank you, Annabelle.”
“You’re welcome.”
He tipped Lana’s face up. “Are you ready?”
She nodded.
Christopher stepped away and made sure that the windows were covered. Satisfied, he began stripping. He chuckled when Lana turned away. “You’ve already seen, touched, and felt everything, Lana.”
“Don’t remind me, wolfman.”
He stepped out of his pants, fully nude. “You can turn around now.” He waited for her to be fully turned before calling his wolf to him.
He hated the word summon. It implied that his wolf did his bidding. It was more than that; it was a blending of souls, a partnership where each met the needs of the other. So he called his wolf and invited him in.
His wolf answered. They flowed together, the change overtaking his body, the wolf becoming dominant. He opened his eyes, almost afraid of what Lana’s reaction would be.
She fell to her knees in front of him, the wonder on her face easing most of his fears. “You’re beautiful.”
He tilted his head into her palm, eager for her touch. She stroked him, running her fingers through his fur, scratching behind his ear. He sighed happily and licked her cheek.
“Ew. Dog breath.”
He growled playfully, his tail wagging back and forth. He held on to the desire to pounce on her. His wolf wanted to play with their mate.
“Gee, grandpa, what big teeth you have.”
He shook his head and stepped back, beginning the change again. He had the urge to run, a need he always had when his wolf was dominant. A need he couldn’t indulge in South Philadelphia. And the thought of Lana taking him walkies on a leash?
Hell to the no.
He reached first for his underwear, slipping it back on. “So we’re agreed that we’ll stay here until Cole finds us.”
“But in separate bedrooms,” she added quickly.
He rolled his eyes and reached for his pants. “Fine. We’ll have separate bedrooms.”
“Don’t sound so grumpy. Next thing you know you’ll be whining and giving me puppy dog eyes.”
He gave her his best sad-sack face. “Can you resist puppy dog eyes?”
She bit her lip. “I hereby exercise my fifth amendment rights against self incrimination.”
He chuckled softly. “I like you.” He stroked her hair away from her eyes, lingering in its silky sweetness. “Maybe some day soon you’ll like me too.”
Her expression turned serious. “I hereby exercise my—”
He kissed the rest of the sentence away, forgetting where they were, forgetting everything but the taste, the scent of her.
When his lips left hers she sighed. “I am in so much trouble.”
Chapter Five
Grammy had insisted that Chris call her Annabelle. And he did, striking up a relaxed conversation over ham and cheese sandwiches and barbeque potato chips, sitting in her kitchen at Grammy’s comfortable ebony stained banquette. He’d even offered to sit on one of the long benches behind the table, his back to the wall, leaving the chairs for Lana and Grammy. He was calm, polite, a total gentleman.
She wondered what he was up to.
“So it’s all right if Lana and I stay here, at least for a little while?”
She tuned back into the conversation to find Grammy nodding. “Of course you’re both welcome to stay here. Do you have any idea why Cole is so eager to hurt you and Lana?”
Christopher frowned and rubbed at his forehead. “I have no idea. There’s some bad blood between us, but nothing that would warrant attacking Lana.” He cleared his throat. “Last I heard he was happily ensconced in Pittsburgh along with his family.”
Lana watched Chris gulp, his face turning pale. He discreetly pushed his plate away. “I need to do a little research, find out exactly what he thinks I’ve done this time.”
“This time?” Lana watched Chris take a sip of soda, wincing before he put it back down. Something wasn’t right. He was flushed, then pale, and he was beginning to shake. Every instinct she had sat up and began screeching. She pressed her hand against his forehead. “Chris, you’re burning up.”
“Too soon to get sick from the rain.” He coughed into his napkin, his body wracked with shudders.
“Looks like you’re wrong about that.” She stood and pulled him from the bench. She staggered, his full weight hitting her, nearly dropping them both to the ground. “Whoa! Steady, Chris.”
“Not wrong. We don’t get sick like this.” He coughed again, his voice hoarse. She winced in sympathy at the wet sound.
“Grammy? Blue room?” At Annabelle’s nod, she steered Chris through the kitchen towards the stairs at the front of the house. “Most people would catch cold after being out naked in the rain.”
She took hold of the banister, pausing when he grabbed hold of her wrist. “Not like this.”
She bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at him. “You think this is magical?”
“Yes.”
She pulled him up the stairs, one dragging step at a time. She agreed with him, and that scared him. It had come on so fast. “You think I did it?”
He looked horrified. “No! Cole.”
“Damn. We really need to figure out what you did to piss him off.” She pushed open the door at the end of the hall, pulling him into the blue bedroom. A twin bed was covered in a deep blue comforter, the walls done a paler blue. It was a quiet, soothing room, perfect for a sick man.
He tried to smile, but she could tell it was too much effort. “Tell me about it.”
She reached down and pulled the comforter and sheet down before settling him down on the bed. “Get some rest.”
She jumped when he grabbed her hand again, his worried, fevered gaze holding her own. “Are you sick?”
“I’m fine, Chris. Whatever this is hasn’t affected me.” The relief that filled his face melted a little bit more of her resistance to him. How could she stay mad over the “mate” spell when he obviously cared so much already? She couldn’t resist brushing his hair off his forehead. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.” She watched him slip into unconsciousness, more frightened than she could ever remember being.
* * * *
Lana double-checked the chicken soup she’d made, making sure the magic rose from it properly. If Chris was right, and this Cole person was responsible for his illness, than the soup was only step two.
Step one was already in Chris’s room, hopefully absorbing some of the sickness that seemed to plague him. She checked the ginger and anise seed tea on the counter and decided it had steeped long enough.
Grammy broke a cinnamon stick in half and added it to the mixture, nodding slightly. “That should do it.” She put the tea on the tray, smiling at Lana.
Lana added the heavily herbed chicken soup and picked up the tray. “I’m going to go ahead and take this up.”
Grammy ladled out a bowl of the soup. “Go on, sweetie. I know you’re worried about him.” She held up her bowl. “I’m just going to have some preventative medicine just in case.”
Lana toed open the door to the bedroom, not sure if she’d find him conscious or not.
“Hey.”
She smiled when she saw Chris’s wan smile. Good, maybe the first part of the spell is working. He’d scared her, the way he’d just passed out earlier. “Hey yourself.”
She carried the tray over to the bed, waiting until he’d managed to partially prop himself up. “Here you go.”
“What’s this?”
“Lunch.”
He picked up the tea and sniffed. “What’s in this?”
“Cinnamon, anise seed and ginger.”
He eyed the cup warily. “Really?”
“Drink it.”
He eyed her just as warily. “I pissed you off that badly?”
“Chris.” Her hands hit her hips, and she stared him down, waiting for him to give in.
He made a face and took a sip. “Mmm. That’s actually not too bad.”
“Good, then you’ll finish it.”
“And chicken soup? You spoil me, darling.” He took a bite. “It’s … um, spicy.”
“And spelled, so finish it.”
He choked.
“Don’t be a wuss. Go ahead and finish it.”
He sniffed, sounding stuffed up, but gamely took another bite.
She pulled a chair over to the side of his bed and settled in, curling her legs under her. “Nearest I can figure, if you’re right that Cole is behind this, he must have gotten a hair or something off of you during the fight in the woods last night.”
He grimaced. “Thought of that after I woke up.”
“And if he got your hair, he got the hair of the wolf, right?”
“Yes,” he drawled.
“So switching to wolf won’t cure you like you’ve been thinking.”
He looked shocked. “How did you know that I was thinking of shifting?”
She patted his knee. “Just a wild guess.”
He looked baffled, but it wasn’t something she could explain to him. She just … knew. “Anyway, I have the feeling if you shifted to wolf, things would actually get worse, not better.”
“Because the spell is tied to the wolf’s hair, not mine.”
She beamed at him. “Exactly.”
“Then shouldn’t we be trying to cure the wolf?”
“Most of the remedies in that soup work on canines and humans, so we should be all right.” She’d made sure to look up ingredients on the internet before beginning the soup, just in case she accidentally did more harm than good.
“Oh.” He took another sip of tea, much to her delight. “So the chicken soup and tea are the remedies?”
“And the plant.”
He eyed the plant on his nightstand. The leaves were beginning to droop. A few had turned brown. “Ah.
”
“I’ve taken a clipping. Even if this plant dies it will live on.” She fingered the leaf, offering a silent apology to the little plant. She hadn’t realized how virulent the infection currently being drawn out of Chris was. She’d thought the plant would get a little sick, not start dying a mere four hours after she’d placed it there.
“You could have left.”
She turned back to him, making a face at him. “I wouldn’t leave a do … um, cat as sick as you were, let alone a man.”
He tried to laugh but it turned into a hacking cough.
Good. She handed him a paper towel. Get it all out. She held out a waste paper basket when he was done. She wasn’t that altruistic. “Try and rest. Hopefully you’ll feel better tonight.” And if he didn’t she’d have to find another plant.
He settled back down with a sleepy sigh. “Thank you, Alannah.”
She gave in to the urge to stroke his hair, feeling a stirring around her heart when he smiled sweetly. “You’re welcome, Chris.” She picked up the tray and left him to drift into a healing sleep.
She really hated invading his privacy, but she had to contact his family and let them know what was going on just in case he took a turn for the worst. She took his cell phone from his pants pocket and checked his voicemail. Luckily he had a model she was familiar with, and he hadn’t put in a password.
The first message she heard had her sighing in relief. “Hey, Christopher, it’s Gareth. Do me a favor and call me back once you get this. Bro, you’re not going to believe what’s been happening around here. Your mate called and told me you were kidnapping her. Wait until Mom hears about this.”
Lana pressed the button that would allow her to dial the number back.
“Hello?”
The deep male voice on the other end of the line matched Gareth’s. “This is Alannah Evans.”
Shadow of the Wolf Page 6