by Anya Bast
He laughed. “I am coming to understand you better, but you still mystify me sometimes.”
She rolled onto her back, tucking the blankets under her chin. “Really? What is it you don’t understand?”
“The burning hot spray. Why did you do that?”
“Ah, the pepper spray. I did it out of fear and a desire to protect myself. Suddenly I was zapped into a strange world and a man was kissing me. Worse, I wanted to jump his bones right there in the meadow and that’s not like me at all. I’m usually far more sensible than that.”
“And why did you slam the bathroom door in my face?”
She pressed her lips together, thinking about her answer. Finally, she said, “Again, fear. I worried about being alone, naked, and vulnerable in a house with two werewolves.”
He flashed a smile at her. “And how do you feel about that now?”
Her cheeks went pink and his grin grew larger.
She laughed. “My, what large teeth you have.”
“The better to eat you with, my dear.”
She blinked. “Have you read Little Red Riding Hood?”
He nodded. “We’ve studied your culture extensively, read your books, learned your language. The Lycaon have been bringing mates through the veil for centuries and have incorporated much of your culture with ours.”
“Wow. I guess you never studied pepper spray, though.”
“No, that was new.”
“I’m sorry I introduced you that way.”
He cupped her cheek in his hand, rubbing his fingers over her skin, and looked deeply into her eyes. “You and I may not have known each other long, but the draw of the mating bond knows what it’s doing, Kaitlyn. Trust it. Trust us. You are better suited to us than to any man you will ever find in your world, as we are suited to you. You need never fear me or Rafian. Never. We would give our lives for yours.” His voice came out fierce and laced with the protectiveness he felt for her.
Her eyes became wet. She blinked and turned her face away. “It’s funny that I actually believe you.”
“Why is that funny?”
“Not funny, ha ha. I mean funny, strange.” She looked ready to say something else, then paused. “It’s just funny, that’s all.” She cleared her throat and traced the tattoos on his forearm. “Do these mean anything?”
She was uncomfortable, so she’d made a subject change. He was starting to understand her better all the time.
He held up his arm, showing off the looping black marks. They probably looked like a simple design to her, swirls and squiggles. “It’s in Lycaonese. They’re the names of my parents and a vow to live long and love well in their memory.”
“Huh.” Her finger skated over her skin. “I would have expected a vow of revenge.”
“That I carry in my heart.” His voice sounded hard in the quiet of the room.
“So, I’ve been wondering, why don’t these Magica hunters just overrun the Lycaon village and take all of you out at once?”
“Magick. A protective shield that masks our location.”
“Magick? I thought the only magick the Lycaon possessed was the magick allowing them to shift, given to them by the Magica.”
“That’s true, but not all the Magica want the Lycaon eliminated. There are some mages who are sympathetic to us. They provide the shield at great risk to themselves, along with other protective magicks. If the leaders of the Magica ever discover their aid to us, their punishment would be brutal.”
“So not all the Magica are assholes.”
“No, just most of them.”
“Are we shielded out here, so far away from the village?”
He smoothed the back of his back down her cheek. “We would never endanger you, Kaitlyn. We are safe here. We’re not very far from the village, in any case. About a ten minute run as a dire wolf.”
She snorted. “So about an hour’s walk for us mere humanoid types.”
“You could always ride me.”
She grinned, looking playful. “Promise?”
He wound his arms around her, cupping her sweet rear in his hands and pulled her up so she straddled him. She yelped with surprise at the rearrangement of their positions, then stilled, hovering over him. Her long dark hair made curtains around her face and she’d caught her lower lip between her teeth. She had a mischievous look on her face that he liked.
Slowly, she ground down on his erection. “My, Mr. wolf, what a big—”
Someone pounded on the front door.
Lucas groaned, letting his head fall back against the pillows, as Kaitlyn rolled to the side and pulled the sheets up to cover herself. Whoever it was pounded again.
He forced himself out of bed, leaving a naked Kaitlyn in it, grabbed his pants and pulled them on before heading down the stairs and answering the door.
Torrent stood on the other side, or, rather, towered. Most of the men of the Lycaon were tall and muscular when compared to the Magica or to human males, but Torrent even topped most Lycaon in the size department.
The leader of the Lycaon took Lucas in from his bare feet to the top of his rumpled hair. “It’s nearly noon, brother.”
“Yes. And I was still in bed. This had better be important.”
“Ah.” Torrent grinned. “My apologies.”
With his dark hair cut close to his head and with a face most females seemed to find attractive, Torrent was popular among the few unmated females of the Lycaon, and he took advantage of it. As leader and under a heavy prophecy, one that would mean his death one day soon, Torrent would never take a mate for himself.
Kaitlyn shuffled into the kitchen behind him and Torrent looked past Lucas, focusing on her. She’d draped herself in a sheet and looked as rumpled as he did. “Welcome, Kaitlyn. It’s good to have another Lycaon female among us.”
She came to stand beside Lucas, squinting against the bright morning sunshine. “Uhm. Thank you?”
Torrent turned his attention back to Lucas. “Yes, it’s important. It’s Rafian.”
Lucas groaned. “Please don’t tell me he spent the night in the tavern.”
“He spent the night in the tavern.”
He groaned again. “Give me a minute and I’ll go with you.” He closed the door.
Kaitlyn frowned at him. “What’s going on?”
“Rafian’s been drinking all night.”
“Why would he do that?”
“You.”
She clutched the sheet to her chest so hard her knuckles turned white. “Why would he do that because of me?”
“Because he knows I planned to sleep with you last night.”
Her eyes narrowed and Lucas suddenly had a suspicion he was in trouble. “You planned that?”
“Not your nightmare, but, when it happened, yes, I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
Her jaw locked for a dangerous moment. “I’m surprised you haven’t been beaten to death by a woman before now.” She made a noise of frustration, then turned on her heel and stalked down the hallway.
“Where are you going?”
“To take a shower,” she called over her shoulder. “I’m going with you.”
* * * * *
Kaitlyn rode to the village on Lucas’s back and fumed the whole way. She’d assumed what they’d shared the night before had been spontaneous. It really pissed her off that Lucas had just been waiting for a chance to jump her. It seemed so predatory, like a wolf stalking prey in the forest.
She didn’t like being prey.
The fact that it had been so good between them only made it sting even more. She’d never had an experience like that with any man. She didn’t know if it was because Lucas was so ideally suited to her, as the mating bond seemed to indicate she was, or if it was because Lucas was Lycaon. Maybe it was a little of both. Either way, it had been an unforgettable experience—the best sex of her life. She had never known her body was capable of having so many powerful orgasms in a row.
That didn’t change the fact she was pissed
as hell at him right now.
Torrent ran along aside Lucas in wolf form. His fur was silver and silky, his beast’s body massively corded with muscle that rippled with every long, ground-eating stride. Torrent was a gorgeous man—Kaitlyn was beginning to suspect all the Lycaon males were— but he had a haunted look in his eyes. Whenever she was ready to speak to Lucas again, she’d ask about that.
The Lycaon village emerged through the trees little by little. A smoking chimney here, a mound of a house over there. The Lycaon made their dwellings underground most of the time, it seemed—in hills that had been dug out, or created artificially. That made sense, since wolves often made their dens underground, or at least in well hidden places.
Everyone they passed smiled and waved, making gestures at her that she interpreted as ‘welcome.’ Well, at least they were a friendly bunch of wolves. She guessed that was far preferable an unfriendly bunch.
Torrent and Lucas stopped outside an above ground building in the middle of a marketplace. Buildings and food stalls dotted the area, roamed through by wolves, various types of large felines, other large mammals, and two-legged folks alike. Kaitlyn couldn’t take her eyes off the scene.
There were lions and tigers and bears here…oh, my.
The whole village was part of the forest itself. Huge trees grew on either side of the pathways and grass and flowers covered the ground. Everywhere the forest could be incorporated into a structure, it had been. Trees and boulders formed wall sections, roofs were covered in vegetation, and fallen logs had been fashioned into benches.
Lycaon village was beautiful and very alien to her, yet she had to admit that the place stirred emotion within her. A wistfulness. As if this was her home and she’d been away for some time. That was ridiculous, considering this was her first visit. It could only be explained by her Lycaon blood. It was a fact she’d been avoiding until now.
She still wasn’t sure she bought it. She was part Lyacon? Able to shift into an animal form? If so, she had no idea what that form would be. She had no special draw to an animal. Not to wolves, or tigers, or bears. Giraffes were her favorite animal at the zoo.
Oh, god…and the hippo.
Cutting off that line of thought immediately, she slid from Lucas’s back. He and Torrent shifted to human form. Kaitlyn studiously kept her gaze away from Torrent’s pelvic area and glared at Lucas instead. These men seemed to have absolutely no problem with walking around buck naked and strode into the tavern side by side.
The place was a wreck. Mugs overturned on the floor, pictures displaced from the walls, chairs upside down, pools of what smelled like beer on the floor. The tavern was empty of people, except for a tall, dark-haired man who stood behind the bar and Rafian who was slumped over a chair.
“Lucas, Torrent,” the man behind the bar said with a nod. His voice sounded tight and he looked pretty pissed off. He could barely speak through his tight jaw.
“Adam,” replied Lucas. “You know we’ll pay for the damage.”
Adam nodded. “Just get him home and into bed. He needs to sleep it off.”
She got to Rafian first and put a hand on his shoulder. He raised his head, his gaze finding hers. He looked exhausted and dusky blond stubble covered his face. His eyes were dark and clouded with sorrow. All of sudden, all she wanted in the world was to make whatever pain he was feeling go away.
“Kaitlyn,” he murmured tenderly, reaching for her.
“Come on, wolf boy, time to go home.” She helped him to stand.
“Rafian, I can’t believe you did this again,” ground out Lucas.
Saying nothing in his defense, he pushed away Lucas’s help, but kept his arm around Kaitlyn, and made his way to the door.
“Do it again, Rafian, and you’ll be punished,” Torrent growled as they passed.
“Put your pants on,” Rafian growled back. “You’re in the presence of my mate.”
Torrent muttered a word in a language she didn’t know and pushed him—hard. Rafian staggered to the side, releasing Kaitlyn. Rafian lunged toward Torrent, but she put herself in his path.
Rafian stopped short. She put a hand on his chest. “No, Rafian. That’s enough for one night of drunken brawling, don’t you think? Let’s get you home.”
“Are you coming with me?”
She looked at Lucas as she spoke. “Yes, I will. I’ll even stay the night.”
Lucas’s jaw locked and his eyes flashed, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
Giving Lucas a little smile, she turned back to Rafian. “Let’s go, shall we?”
* * * * *
Rafian’s house was of the underground variety, nestled into a large hill covered with blue green moss and tiny yellow flowers. Someone walking past it might miss it completely, so integrated it was with the forest.
After Rafian regained human form, he grabbed his bundle of clothes, which he’d carried in his teeth the whole way, and led her to a door that could barely be glimpsed among the foliage, opened it and led her inside.
It was dark and silent, but after Rafian had pulled his pants back on, he began to switch on lights. With every lamp he illuminated, her surprise grew. This was not the type of place she’d expected tumultuous Rafian to keep.
She’d expected the place to be dark and dank, a messy abode to a man without a woman. The lights mimicked sunlight, however, warm and bright, making up for the lack of windows. And the place, though small, was neat. A little on the sparse side, but cozy. The front door opened into a living room with a fireplace. To the right was a dining area and kitchen. To the left was a darkened hallway.
Rafian seemed to have recovered from his bad temper at the tavern. He looked rumpled and exhausted; he probably hadn’t slept all night. Without a word, he knelt at the hearth and began to make a fire. He looked pretty good there despite his fatigue, barefoot and shirtless, his muscles flexing as he moved.
She walked over, knelt in front of him and stopped his hand from adding more kindling. “Don’t worry about it. Take a shower, get some sleep.”
He replaced the kindling and rocked back on his heels, pushing a hand through his hair. One dusky blond lock fell over his forehead. He wouldn’t look at her. “I lost my mind a little last night.”
“So I gathered.”
Abruptly, he stood and stalked away from her.
She rose. “Lucas told me why you did it.”
He snorted. “He probably told you it’s because you slept with him last night and I couldn’t handle it.”
“Uh, yes. That’s not the reason you got your drunk on?”
He turned to face her. “It doesn’t make me happy he got to touch you first, but that’s not why. Actually, I hope he did touch you, and I hope he did better than any man ever has.”
She wrinkled her brow at him. She would have thought he’d be feeling competitive with Lucas. “Why?”
“Because you are ours, Kaitlyn, heart, body and soul. Just as we are yours. You don’t understand that yet, you don’t feel it.” He paused. “But I do. So does Lucas.”
She studied him for a moment, trying to understand him, trying to piece what she knew about him into shapes that made sense. “Tell me about the woman who didn’t stay, Rafian.”
Emotions passed through his eyes like clouds on a stormy day. Ah. So her hunch had been right. He’d spent the previous night in a bottle because he didn’t want to lose her…like he’d lost this woman. “Her name was Miranda.” His voice came out hoarse.
“Why did she leave?”
One side of his mouth hitched up in a grin, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “She was full blooded Lycaon, matched to us by the village elders as a second best to you when you didn’t pass through the veil the first time. We tried to make it work, but—” He bit off the end of the sentence with a snap of his jaw. “She wasn’t you.”
“But…you hadn’t even met me.”
He pushed his hand through his hair again. “Didn’t matter. We were linked to you through the veil, even if you did
n’t know we were. We knew it and that was enough. Miranda loved us and we tried to love her back, but she wasn’t you.”
“What happened to her?”
“She killed herself.”
Oh. She looked for words and found none that suited. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s my fault. I’m the one who pushed her away.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t completely you. There were three of you in the relationship.”
He turned and headed for the darkened hallway. “No. It was my fault.” And he was gone.
“Okay, then,” she murmured to herself, raising her eyebrows.
It was hard to comprehend that while she’d been married to Doug, ignorant of this world, that Rafian and Lucas had been here, yearning for her. The thought that any man would yearn for her was strange, especially not men like these men.
Of course, once Doug had loved her. She’d been his sun, moon and stars. Maybe a little like Rafian with Miranda, she’d pushed Doug away little by little over time. She’d never loved Doug the way he’d loved her. In the end she’d hurt him…then he’d tried to hurt her.
Maybe Rafian and Lucas had partially been the cause of that. Perhaps in some cosmic link that defied the laws of reality, she’d been able to feel her two men through the veil on a subconscious level. Maybe Doug had never even had a chance. If all that was true, she could comprehend some of the guilt that Rafian carried.
She was fairly certain Rafian had gone to take a shower, so she contented herself with exploring his place. The couches and chairs in the living room were arranged to best take advantage of the fireplace. Covered with soft throws and bunches of pillows, it was clear that Rafian enjoyed his comfort.
When Rafian emerged from the hallway with only a towel around his waist, she nearly dropped the small clay wolf she’d picked up from a table to examine. His hair was slicked back, throwing the bones of his face into sharp relief. He’d shaved off the stubble and his skin was still damp. In short, he looked damn good.
“My mother made that.”
She blinked, trying to pull her mind out of the gutter and follow the logic of his comment. Glancing down at the clay wolf, she lifted it. “This? It’s nice.”