She snorted. “Honey, please. I’m eleven years your senior, and the lights in here aren’t that dim.”
Blue eyes blinked at her, Gabriel obviously doing the math. “Believe me when I say I have excellent vision, dim lights or not, and no way do you look eleven years older than me.”
Bless him for not saying my age out loud. That gave him points in his favor.
“You’re sweet, but I know what I look like in the mirror. Anyway, to answer your question.” She moved on, not wanting to discuss her age. He let the subject drop. Smart and hot, what were the odds?
“I’ve been on the dating scene awhile now and hate it, honestly. When I was in my early twenties, I played the game with the best of ‘em. But after a few years of playing and getting burned, it got old. So did I. Then I realized I wanted more—more than some guy hitting on me and buttering me up just to get me in the sack. I deserve better. So, that’s when I decided it was better to let the guy know right off that I wasn’t some easy lay trolling for one-nighters. It’s probably why I’m still single, but it’s better than the alternative.”
“And what’s that?”
“A trail of boyfriends and a bruised heart, a lousy outlook on love and tattered self-esteem. I refuse to do that to myself. Seen it too many times to end up that way.” She took another sip of her water.
Gabriel nodded, clearly seeing the logic and maybe understanding her point of view.
“Hmm, hearing it put that way, I can see why you would rather go with the direct approach. Saves time and gives the guy an easy out. But what about you? Surely there have been a few men in your life.”
That conversation set the tone for the rest of the night as they talked and laughed and hit on subjects old and new. She told him about her ex; he told her about a few of the young women it was his misfortune to date. They talked about their jobs—he was in security and computers. His boss had bought a house in the mountains and wanted to make sure the place had everything installed and on-line before he moved in. They talked until her friends decided to leave, and then talked more. When the house lights came on, they both knew it was time to go.
“I guess that’s our cue.” He rose from his seat and offered her a hand.
She took it with a smile. “I guess so.”
“Come, I’ll walk you to your car.”
“All right.”
“I actually had a good time tonight.” He followed her out the entrance.
“You sound shocked.” She pulled her car keys out her clutch bag as they walked through the parking lot to her car. Hers was one of only a few left in the lot.
“Yes and no. It’s…well…I don’t usually have these kinds of lengthy discussions with women. I liked it.”
“Glad I could oblige.” She smiled, about to put her key in the lock. One of these days she’d replace her lost remote.
“I would like-” He stiffened at her side, his eyes darting around the parking lot.
“What? What is it?” She felt a chill skitter down her spine as he continued to cast furtive looks into the darkness, tension radiating from him.
“Slowly get in your car and lock the doors. Now.” His tone was soft, but with steel, his eyes trained on a spot directly in front of them.
Sasha looked in the same direction, seeing nothing at first, but then a big black shape slunk out of the shadows. “That’s just a dog, Gabriel, nothing to be scared of. Just raise your voice, and he’ll run off.”
He turned and grabbed her shoulders. “Just do what I said, Sasha! Now, dammit!”
She blinked in shock, then stammered, “Oh, okay.”
She never got the chance to unlock the door, much less open it, before something heavy slammed her against the car, stunning her. She hit the pavement hard, seeing stars, the breath knocked out of her. Where Gabriel was, she didn’t know. She was too busy trying to get air back into her lungs when a feeling like razor blades cut into her right shoulder. She screamed at the pain, raising her left arm to get whatever it was off her. The right arm was useless.
“Let her go!” Gabriel bellowed with rage.
Fist raised, Sasha continued to pummel her attacker with fear-born strength as she felt herself being dragged across the pebble strewn lot, twisting her body and kicking her legs to get free. Feeling blood running down her right arm and back, she struggled harder, though she knew in a corner of her pain-filled brain that if she lost too much blood, getting free would be moot. Then a sudden jarring sent pain radiating through her whole body, making her cry out again. Whatever had been dragging her had let go. She was free, but not out of the woods yet.
“James, what are you doing here?” she heard Gabriel ask, though why he was asking an animal, she couldn’t quite figure out.
“They told me where to go.”
Wait. Who else is here?
The mysterious voice was rough and low, with a gravel quality to it, like the worst smoker’s voice Sasha had ever heard. “They said she was the one that I needed to take her, bring her over.”
“You’re not making any sense, James.” Gabriel’s voice turned soft, placating. “You need to leave, all right? You shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous for you.”
“No! She’s the one. She must be taken! They said so. They said so!”
The sounds of a scuffle and low, angry growling echoed on the night breeze, but from where Sasha was lying, sight was useless. Moving seemed the wrong thing to do, but she wanted to see her attacker and make sure Gabriel was all right. After several tries, she turned slowly and painfully toward the sound of Gabriel’s voice. Her gut clenched at the sight that greeted her. Gabriel and a huge dog circled each other, the dog snarling and snapping, saliva dripping off huge, sharp teeth. His owner was out of sight, but he must have been the one that Gabriel was talking to.
“Don’t do this, James, please.” Gabriel stepped back quickly when the dog snapped at his hand. “I don’t want to have to kill you.”
“No! She has to be brought over!” the dog snarled. “They told me she was the one that I have to take her. I have to make her one of us. You can’t interfere. You can’t!”
Dogs don’t talk. The blood loss was making her hallucinate.
“You know it’s automatic death to attack a human, James. Roan will make sure you’re put down. Do you want to die like that?”
The dog stopped, his green eyes glowing at Gabriel. That massive head then cocked to the side, like he understood exactly what was being said, as if he had a moment of clarity amid the insanity. Then, in a flash, it was gone, and the dog leaped. Gabriel caught the dog by its muzzle and snapped its neck with a savage twist.
Sasha must have made a sound, because Gabriel looked at her like he forgot she was there.
“Oh, God! Sasha!” He rushed to her side. “Just lie back. I’m going to call for help.”
Gabriel pulled his shirt off and placed it over her wound to stanch the blood flow. Then he reached into his pocket, pulling out a cell phone, and started dialing for help. If she hadn’t felt so bad, Sasha would have admired his glorious chest, but at this point, all she wanted was to stop the pain. Her whole body shook with it.
Once Gabriel finished his call, he turned back to her.
“Is he…?” Her teeth were chattering, thwarting her efforts to speak. She was so cold.
“Yes, he’s dead.” Gabriel tied the shirt more securely around her shoulder, causing her to hiss in pain. “I’m so sorry, Sasha. This never should have happened.”
Sasha wasn’t sure what happened next. She only remembered a vague flurry of activity, then screaming and nearly blacking out when she was moved. Even the voices around her sounded distant—a long way off. She was unable to pinpoint any one sound or voice.
“Will she make it?”
“I don’t know, Gabe. She’s in shock and lost a lot of blood.”
“Just don’t let her die, Flynn.”
“Granddad wasn’t your fault. What with the visions and voices steadily getting worse ev
en with the new meds, we all knew he was becoming increasingly unstable. But we never thought-”
“I know. We were all hoping he would get better with the new meds, especially Roan.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do for him now except take him home.” There was a pause from the voice called Flynn. “You do know that if she survives, and that’s a big if, seeing as no one has ever survived one of these attacks, her life will change in more ways than one?”
Another lengthy pause.
“Makes it hard to wish one way or the other, doesn’t it?” Flynn’s voice sounded sad.
After that, Sasha gave up trying to stay lucid. Everything hurt, and she knew the pain wouldn’t follow her into sleep. Besides, she had no idea what they were talking about, and she felt too bad to try to figure it out. She let the blackness take her.
Time meant little as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She had a couple of lucid moments, just flashes really, but in those flashes, she saw a face. Not Gabriel, though she sensed him nearby. No, it was a face she associated with the deep voice she had heard. The one predicting that she wouldn’t make it.
She’d never been a quitter, and she didn’t want to die. To be perfectly honest, she wanted to see if the man she had seen briefly really was as fine as she thought he was. Plus, she wanted to prove him wrong by making a speedy recovery. Too bad her body had other ideas. Between the chills racking her torn frame and the raging fever threatening to burn her to a crisp, she was surprised she’d made it at all.
Then, there were the dreams. She was never sure if they were from the fever, trauma induced, or both, but they felt so real, as if she was a part of them. And they were so clear, more like a movie than a dream.
***
She was in a forest, every sense alive with the myriad smells around her. She could see so clearly that even the veins of the leaves were clear. But her sense of height seemed off somehow. She felt lower to the ground than she should have been, though it was not upsetting. Then she smelled something on the wind, something she’d never smelled before. As she waited to identify it, a wolf stepped out from behind a tree. He was light blond in color. Did wolves come in blond? His eyes were a brilliant blue, and he was easily the size of a Great Dane. He wagged his tail when he saw her, as though welcoming a friend.
Her heart should have been beating frantically in fear; instead, it beat in joy. She was happy to see him, like she’d found someone she lost. Then the scene changed, and she was running, surrounded by a pack of wolves in every imaginable color: black and blond, red and brown, white and gray, and all colors in between. But she wasn’t scared. She was free, like her heart and soul flying to the heavens with joy and peace. She’d never felt such exhilaration and contentment before. She wanted to run with the Pack forever. She could tell the others felt the same, each of them rubbing and nuzzling her without breaking stride.
When they finally slowed to take a break, she was breathless and parched. She sauntered over to a nearby stream to get a quick drink. The big blond male drew near. He looked happy to see her, but now it was something more. She saw it in his light eyes. Lust, want, need. And what was even stranger was her response. She wanted him too—on a level that was nearly frightening.
Suddenly, a white mist enveloped him, the mist’s glow blinding. Then just as quickly, the mist was gone, and a man stood where the wolf once was. He was extremely tall with white-blond hair past his shoulders, high cheekbones, and a square jaw. He was also nude, his incredible body every woman’s fantasy from a wide muscled chest and ripped abs, to a trim waist and granite thighs. And his cock—just the thought of what that impressive appendage could do made Sasha wetter than she could ever recall being.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Sasha.” At the sound of his deep voice, her body resonated with need.
But she didn’t understand. How could that gorgeous man have been waiting for her? She was nobody. Hell, she wasn’t even in the same league.
He smiled, his light eyes twinkling. “You were always such a doubtful creature.” Then he closed the distance between them until he was able to reach down and touch her head. “And a very sensual one as well.”
She looked up at him, shaking her head.
“Still doubtful, I see.” He chuckled, holding his hand out to her. “Come. The night is ours, and I have been too long without you.”
At first, Sasha wasn’t sure she should. This man was a stranger, no matter that she felt she knew him. Then there was the large matter of having just watched him change from a wolf to a man. It was beautiful, but it should have had her running and screaming in the opposite direction, and she hadn’t. Instead, she only watched, transfixed by the beauty of it, by the beauty of him.
“All will be well, love. Trust me.”
She did trust him, knowing it was a dream, yet feeling the reality of it. Without thought, she placed her hand in his— not a paw like she feared.
He grasped her hand, pulling her against his warm body, embracing her. He sighed and leaned down to nuzzle behind her ear. “So good to have you in my arms again.”
Sasha’s brow scrunched in confusion. “What…?”
“Shh.” He placed a finger on her lips. “No words, please. Just let me love you. It’s been so long.” His fingers slid over her cheek and down her throat to her collarbone, then back to her throat.
Sasha closed her eyes at the wonderful feel of his touch. When she opened them, she found his lips only a hairbreadth from hers, his eyes entreating.
“Please.”
She looked into his light eyes; saw the need reflected there—a need that oddly enough mirrored her own. Then she smiled at him and nodded her consent. Before she could blink, his lips devoured hers, his tongue thrusting inside to plunder her mouth.
Sasha couldn’t help the moan that escaped. Nor could she help the fire he started low in her middle as his lips left her mouth to follow a trail down her throat to her collarbone. That must not have been enough for him, because he picked her up and carried her to a small clearing where a bed of soft grass and flowers awaited them. There he gently lowered her, following her down and covering her body with his, her hips cradling him snugly, his hot erection fitting against her wet folds.
He looked into her eyes; his hand caressed her cheek. He was so beautiful; he nearly took her breath away. She reached up to touch him to make sure he was real.
He smiled at her. “You are the beautiful one, Sasha. You always have been. Let me show you.” Leaning down, he took her lips again, this time with such gentleness her eyes teared up.
When he was finally satisfied with her lips, he broke away and trailed kisses over her chin and neck, down her chest to the tops of her breasts. There he stopped to admire the bounty before him.
Sasha squirmed, thrusting her breasts up, burning with need for his touch.
He sensed her need in the sweet-musk scent of her arousal. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, taking her scent into his lungs.
“So sweet,” he growled, palming a breast, using his thumb and forefinger to pinch the nipple.
Sasha whimpered, pleasure zinging straight to her center. She felt the juices leaking from her core, smelled the scent of it as it blended with his. It made her ache for him even more.
He leaned over her breast, his breath hot on her nipple. Sasha stiffened in anticipation. She didn’t have to wait long before his tongue swiped over it, eliciting another moan from her. When he finally took the swollen tip into his mouth and suckled, Sasha arched her back, her arms going around him to bring him closer.
His muscles bunched under her hands as he moved from one swollen bud to the other. She felt his mouth and lips as he suckled, the sharp sting of his teeth as he bit down, then his tongue as he soothed the bite. His hands smoothed down her body, kneading her flesh, caressing it. His rock-hard cock poked into her wet folds, so near her core that she wanted to weep.
She moved her hips, bringing his cock closer, the head of it poised at he
r entrance. He stiffened in response, stopped the assault on her senses.
He looked down at her, his handsome face tight with restraint, his eyes blazing.
“Please,” she moaned, wanting nothing more than for him to take her, to bring her to screaming release.
His lips found hers again in a searing kiss, pushing his throbbing cock ever closer.
“I want to taste you, to bring you release in my mouth, but I can’t wait. I can’t wait any longer.” Then he plunged into her welcoming heat.
Sasha moaned as he moved in and out of her. His hips maintained a steady rhythm while one hand stayed anchored at her side and the other roamed her body. His fingers left a trail of fire as they skimmed her breasts, pinched a nipple, and then moved over her stomach and lower, finally resting on her mound, one long finger lightly tapping on her swollen clit.
“Oh, God,” she groaned, throwing her head back in pure pleasure.
“So beautiful.” His finger continued its assault, his hips keeping a steady in and out motion.
Sasha wasn’t sure how much more she could stand. She was trembling, on the verge of orgasm, her body covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
“Please,” she whimpered, knowing all she needed was a slight push to send her over the edge.
He gave her that push and more. Removing his fingers, he wrapped her legs around his waist and slammed into her, his tight control now gone.
Sasha climaxed, screaming her release and shattering into a million pieces. Dimly, she heard her lover’s roar as he found his own release.
She must have blacked out, for when she opened her eyes, she found herself held in strong arms, the scent of their lovemaking perfuming the air. She looked at her lover’s handsome face, a small smile curving his lips even in slumber. She smiled at the sight and then stood, the nearby stream calling her name. After her earlier run, then incredible sex, she was parched.
She padded down to the water’s edge, about to take a drink when something made her look back. Sasha gasped in shock. Instead of seeing her lover lying there, she saw the blond wolf. She looked around, trying to find the man as she caught her reflection in the water. Only she didn’t see herself, but a wolf with reddish-brown fur and her eyes—eyes that glowed green with a ring of blue flame. She quickly backed up, tripping over her paws. That was when she tried to scream, only it didn’t come out that way. A howl escaped—a mournful howl.
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