by Skye Jones
Brooke closed the door quietly, her footsteps receding.
After I cried for a long time, the wolf nudged me with a wet nose. It pushed again and thrust its head toward the bed. I understood and wearily got to my feet, so tired and achy that merely crawling under the covers seemed a monumental task.
I pulled the covers over me and curled up. The wolf leaped onto the bed and circled once, twice, three times at the foot of the bed. On its fourth go-round, it gave a contented sigh and plopped down. At ease for the first time since my memories returned, I closed my eyes.
When I awoke, Louis still slept in wolf form at the foot of the bed. I’d managed a dreamless, peaceful sleep with my preternatural guard there to chase my demons away.
I watched Louis’s paws twitch as he enjoyed wolf dreams. What must it be like to be able to inhabit two bodies? Fantastical and wondrous, I imagined.
My heart filled with intense affection for the animal and the man. Somehow, Louis had known I couldn’t deal with talking, or human scrutiny, so he had come to me in his animal form and kept me company.
After hours of crying, raging, and pouring my heart out into my journal, what healed me was Louis’s quiet presence as I slept. I finally felt ready to talk.
“Hey, Louis.” I nudged him with a gentle push. “Wake up.”
The wolf stretched and yawned, then stood and shook itself and bounded off the bed. It strode into the center of the room and stopped.
“I need to talk to you. Can you…will you change? Back into Louis? I mean, you’re still Louis but…oh, crap.”
The wolf huffed out a breath, and I swore it smiled. I stared rapt as the animal’s fur shimmered. A couple of loud cracks and pops rent the air. Limbs lengthened and shrank, twisted and turned. The wolf’s face rippled and its muzzle shimmied right before my eyes as it shrank back to reveal a human nose and mouth. I blinked, and when I opened my eyes, Louis stood before me, naked as the day he was born.
“You want to talk?”
I gazed at his strong, virile body and knew that, beneath the powerful surface, he had vulnerabilities the same as anyone.
I hated myself then for what I’d put him through when I’d first left. I remembered the letter I’d written him.
“Did you read my letter?” I asked. Hopefully, it had cushioned the blow somewhat.
He shook his head. “The dogs had ripped it to shreds before I returned. And after what you said…”
“Oh, Louis.” I remembered my harsh words. Telling him I didn’t want to see him or remember him. Those words flew out in a moment of fright, when I’d thought Boyd might tear Louis apart. “I said those things to stop you being hurt or to stop you doing something to your pack mates you’d regret. I didn’t mean them. My letter asked you to come find me.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I never meant to hurt you.” I looked down at the cover of the journal in my lap and rubbed my finger over the raised pattern. “Thank you. For this. For understanding I needed some space… Asking you to leave me alone a while was simply me needing to process all the memories.”
I stretched. “Maybe we can take it easy for a while? I’m a bit shook-up still.”
“You’ll stay then?” he asked.
“Yes. I want to stay with you. See where this strange thing between us leads. Only, I’m not sure if I’m up for sexy times yet.” I tried to laugh and keep it light, but my smile felt stitched on.
“You don’t have to feel pressured to do anything you don’t want to. As long as you’re here, my wolf and I are good.”
Could it be so simple? Thing was, so long as Louis was around, I felt good too. I still desired him and was sure that sooner or later my libido would overcome my doubts.
“Come on.” He held out his hand. “Let me take care of you.”
He pulled me into the bathroom and ran a bath. He lit candles and poured a bottle of something wonderful-smelling into the water. Soon, bubbles were foaming up the sides of the tub. When it was full, Louis undressed me with great care. He took his own clothes off and climbed into the tub, pulling me in after him.
I settled down between his legs, and his big arms came around me, holding my back to his chest. He wasn’t aroused, and he didn’t touch me sexually. He held me and talked to me in a low voice. He told me about his childhood. The first time he changed into his wolf. How he’d been both scared and elated. I listened to him, loving his deep voice and the way his chest rumbled as he talked.
I felt like we were in a magical cocoon. Hidden from the world and totally safe. After a while, he stopped talking and my eyes drifted closed. I relaxed in the warm water, and Louis’s even breathing matched my own. His heart beat sure and steady against my back, and I never wanted to be anywhere else.
I must have dozed off because the water splashing jolted me. Louis grabbed a bar of soap, and he began to wash me. His hands were gentle on my skin. He washed my arms, my back, and then he washed my breasts and my stomach. Never once did he make it feel like it had to lead anywhere.
“I love having you here with me,” he said. “This is all I’ve ever wanted. If it takes you ten years to get over what that asshole did to you, so long as you are with me, I can wait. I don’t want to push you, and I hate that you hurt.” He stopped for a moment and cleared his throat. “I can wait…for as long as it takes. I don’t ever want you to feel pressured.”
I turned in his embrace, the water and foam making my skin slippery, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I didn’t even think as my lips found his. Damp skin hit damp skin, and I moaned at the contact.
Knowing he’d wait and the way he’d touched me, making it about care and not sex, set me free from my worries and fears. I understood he truly would stop. Whenever I said the word, he’d stop. And he wouldn’t be angry.
“I do want you.” I kissed his neck and loved the taste of him. “I didn’t want to be a tease. You know, starting something and then maybe needing to stop. I didn’t want to put you, or me, in that position.”
He pulled back and looked into my eyes. “Baby, there’s no position you’d be putting me in. We’re two people who care for one another, coming together. One of us needs to stop, then there’s no argument and there’s no issue.”
“I know. I mean…that’s how it should be, but…well, I’ve had different experiences in the past.” I wasn’t talking about Gregg, but previous boyfriends who’d made me feel like shit if I wanted to stop for any reason.
He sighed. “I went decades without sex. Yes, I want you. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life. But, despite my wolf, I’m not some mere animal. I have control, Izzy. It’s what a man has. I think you were messing around with boys before.”
I laughed at that, because he’d hit the nail on the head. I’d definitely been messing around with boys before Louis. And perhaps the ultra-alpha packaging he came all wrapped up in meant I hadn’t looked beyond his hot body to the thoughtful guy inside. He’d kept the pack safe for decades. Dealt with disputes in a fair and even manner. He hadn’t slept around or gone off looking for women to have some fun with. He’d accepted a life of solitude for the longest time. Damn. He’d practically been a monk for the last century. I’d underestimated him once again.
His face grew serious in the candlelight. “I love you, Izzy. You’re my mate, but I love you too. You’re brave and beautiful, and I see your soul. It’s a good soul. You’re worth waiting for. You are worth it all.”
He kissed me and my fears melted away, washed clean by the water, his words, and his gentle kiss.
Epilogue
“Oh my God.” I honestly thought I’d faint if he made me come again, but Louis’s evil grin told me I’d better prepare for another mind-blowing orgasm. We’d spent the morning having sex. We’d done it hard and fast, and now we moved together languorously. Our skin touched everywhere, my front to his as he thrust into me in a slow, almost lazy, rhythm. Despite his lack of speed, he still managed to ratchet me higher every time he p
ushed in. More so, in fact, as he pressed against me each time for a long pause, hitting my clit and making me moan.
“Come for me. I want you to come, and then I’ll let you go and you can get ready. Although—” he nipped at my ear “—you can’t look any better than you do now. All flushed and on the edge. I fucking love you this way. Shaking for me.”
I did shake. My whole body trembled as I hovered on the precipice. Then Louis sneaked his hand between us and gave my clit a gentle pinch, and I tumbled over the edge.
My insides clenched around him, and he swore as he found his own release. As we came down, he brushed my damp hair back from my face and kissed me—tiny butterfly kisses all over my face and throat.
I glanced to the side and gave a cry. “Oh, my God. I have to get ready. Get off me, you great oaf.” I pushed at him and he laughed.
“Those aren’t nice words to use for your future mate…and husband.”
“If you don’t move and let me start prettifying myself, there won’t be a wedding.”
We were due to be married in an hour. What bride gets ready in one bloody hour?
“You don’t have to gussy yourself up for me, my love.”
I rolled my eyes and slid out from under him. “You need to go away. Find somewhere to shower that’s not here. You can’t see me in my dress. It’s bad luck.”
He frowned. “We don’t believe such things.”
“Well, I do. Go take yourself over to Drew’s or something.”
He looked at me, the covers hanging off his lush body, and smirked.
I rolled my eyes and headed for the bathroom. “Go on. Shoo. If you’re not gone when I come out, the wedding is off.”
He laughed, but ten minutes later when I rushed out of the bathroom, he’d disappeared. I grabbed the phone by the bed and called Brooke. I needed help.
In a panic, I tried to do my hair and made it look like a rat’s nest. By the time Brooke called out my name, I’d almost begun to cry.
Today we were being mated. We’d arranged a second ceremony for later in the year, one my human friends and family could attend. The mating ceremony was wolf pack members only, probably a good job, what with the blood drinking and other stuff. Once we took this step, we’d be mates. I’d be bonded to Louis for life. I would not age as fast as normal humans, and I’d be stronger and less prone to illness.
Once I’d decided to stay, it proved easy enough to wrap up the other areas of my life. My father seemed relieved I’d be living amongst so tight-knit a community. He visited at the end of my first month with the pack. They put on a great show of being an eco-commune, and he seemed to believe that I’d become some sort of environmentalist.
Louis and I grew close quickly. Physically, it blew my mind from the first time we found one another again, but emotionally, I took some time to catch up to him. Whenever I caught him looking at me, a mix of love and something akin to awe shone in his face. It both elated and scared me.
Over time, I dropped my guard. I gave in to the magic between us and stopped questioning things with my human mind. I’d found someone who would love me until the day he died and protect me to his last breath. How many women ever experienced such a chance?
As I stepped into my dress, hair finally looking good due to Brooke working her magic, my nerves settled. The truth of the matter was I loved him. I loved Louis with everything I had. We were friends as well as lovers, and we shared passions of reading, running, and tending the garden. Our life was simple but so full I wanted to burst with it all.
“You look beautiful.” Brooke smiled, her eyes suspiciously shiny.
I wore a simple white dress, with my hair down and flat sandals. The sun shone warm and bright and perfectly matched my summery look.
We walked toward the main wooden building, and my stomach dipped in excitement. As we approached, the doors pulled back, revealing a room filled with flowers and candles. People sat in a wide circle, and in the center, Drew and Louis were standing, looking at the door.
My eyes met emerald-green ones, and my heart thumped with joy.
Louis smiled at me, and with a huge grin of my own, I walked toward my future.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed Louis’s and Izzy’s story. Read on for a sneak peek of Wolf in the City, the next installment in the series. Please note this sneak peek is not fully edited and therefore may change when published. For a FREE STORY set in the pack, featuring Brooke and Drew, along with regular giveaways, sign up to my newsletter here: Skye Jones Newsletter
About the Author:
Skye Jones is a paranormal romance author who likes to write about that moment when love and lust meet head on. She loves tortured alpha males, determined heroines, and paranormal worlds. When she’s not reading and writing, she is generally rounding up her furkids, or experimenting with smoothie recipes.
She is addicted to chocolate. Hates spiders. And lives in the cold North of England, where she often dreams of warmer climates. You can stalk her on FB here: https://www.facebook.com/Skye-Jones-297399473794965/
Or on twitter at @skyejromance
Her website is here: http://skyejonesauthor.com/
Wolf in the City
Prologue
Jake’s wolf growled and stirred, restless and demanding. It wanted gone from this hellish, hot place, where the pounding music upset its sensitive hearing. Jake tried to soothe it. He wanted gone, too. Half an hour more and then he’d leave.
He stood off to one side in the heaving nightclub and used his position to look around and scent the air. He’d been in the city for two weeks now, and not one single empathine sighting. He’d been to all the sorts of places people gathered and nothing. His father, Adam, wanted to see if they could find more of the incredibly special humans who helped calm their inner wolf.
This impromptu trip to Edinburgh had been his dad’s idea and at first, he’d happily agreed. An odd sort of restlessness made him relish the chance to get away from the pack for a while. And he loved Edinburgh. The gothic splendor always impressed him anew. But he’d had enough now and both wolf and man yearned for the wilderness once more.
The pack elders might have had more luck than he. They’d been going through the family trees of the two empathines who now lived with them, to try and find more of the special humans, but so far nothing.
The strobe lights flashed and his head pounded harder. He looked like a creeper, a guy in a club alone. No friends with him. Women shot him heated stares, but once they figured out he’d come alone they began to flick concerned glances his way. Not that he cared. He didn’t want them either.
He needed another drink. Weaving through the crowds, he headed to the bar. A man in front stepped back and jostled him and Jake bit back a growl.
“Keep your hands to yourself,” a female voice demanded, and the guy muttered a curse under his breath before moving off, out of Jake’s way.
About to move around the woman the guy had been manhandling, Jake froze. In front of him stood the most gorgeous human he’d ever seen. Tall and curvaceous, she wore a bright green dress, which flared out around her hips and stopped short on her thighs. Her golden skin shone under the bright lights, and her dark hair glistened with shots of gold.
His wolf gave a low grunt of appreciation. She smelled divine, too. Her natural scent hit him, a shot of vodka to his senses. She wasn’t empathine, but gods she smelled like all his dreams come true.
Jake let his gaze roam back up her body until he hit her eyes. Golden, warm colored eyes, that brimmed with hostility. They narrowed at him, and she cocked her head to one side.
“Seen enough?” she snapped.
Oh, he admired her spirit. He stood at least five inches taller than her, despite her own height, and must outweigh her by a lot. Not that she appeared skinny, the girl owned curves aplenty. Curves that made his mouth water.
A man walked by them and gave the goddess a smile. Jake’s wolf growled low and deep. He wanted her. It couldn’t be a long term thi
ng. The only humans accepted at the compound were empathine, but by gods he wanted her. Even if only for a night or two.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
“Ha ha. You can go back to your friends now and have your laugh at the big girl.”
Big girl? She looked healthy and curvy and lush.
“You’re not big.”
“Oh, really. Didn’t you get the memo? These days a size fourteen is considered plus size. All the guys I know spend hours at the gym and won’t even look at you unless you’re a size eight. The only ones who are interested are idiots, such as that dick who thought he could feckin’ well touch my arse.”
Jake gritted his teeth. He’d kill the fucker. But first, he needed to buy this foul mouthed angel a drink.
“No joke, and no friends. I’m alone.”
Her eyes widened a touch and lost some of their hostility. “You came to a club alone?”
He shrugged. “Yeah. I don’t know anyone here and I’m staying on business for a few nights. I found myself bored.”
“You’re either brave or weird, coming out in the city all alone.”
“Where are your friends?”
She pointed to the seating area where two girls were being slobbered all over by a couple of boys who looked too young to be out at night without their mummies. “They’re necking on with those idiots.”
“What’s your name?”
“Caitlin.”
He smiled. “Well, Caitlin, I’m Jake. Won’t you come and join me for a drink? You’re in a busy place, and your friends are just over there. You’ll be safe, and I only want a drink and to have a chat with you.” For now. He’d work on getting more later.