It should’ve been like this all along. But I couldn’t be mad at her for running. I’d had my doubts, too.
“It’s the countdown!” Trina burst in, breaking the spell, forcing plastic champagne flutes at us. Startled, we took them from her, staring at each other like we had no idea what just happened.
Shit.
The room chanted in unison. “Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven....”
I grabbed her drink with my teeth, gulping it down, then lifted my flute to her lips. The cups fell to the floor as the room erupted in cheers. I crashed against her in a kiss before she had a chance to protest, pressing her against me. I wasn’t wasting time, her lips were open, and I let myself in. Tonight she tasted like champagne and promises of new beginnings. She didn’t fight me. Her lips moved with mine in a much more intimate dance than our bodies had shared.
We were starting over, effective immediately.
It wasn’t our first kiss, but I was beginning to understand what Lyssie needed. Something that came from deep within me that made us fit together like lock and key.
Marked or not, no one in this room could argue that Lyssie was mine.
There was some old business from last year that had to be taken care of. “Why are you afraid of me?” I whispered in her ear, then pulled away, giving her a chance to answer.
Her blue eyes widened. They stole the show tonight, the same color as her shirt that dipped dangerously low, giving a delicious hint of cleavage. I’d laid in this woman’s bed but I’d never seen more of her than I did right now.
“I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid of me,” she said, adding to the riddle.
“Sometimes I’m afraid of you, too.” She’d brought so many feelings I was unfamiliar with to the surface, and the wolf in me had been too wild to commit to her. The idea of mating with humans was risky, and the ladies of Forever Home had been hurt enough. Lyssie saved my life; I couldn’t ruin hers by being selfish, especially now with this throbbing wound Ember inflicted on me as a reminder of exactly what was at stake. “But I think I like it.”
It was the easiest way to explain what the hell was going through my head. Lyssie hesitated, but finally offered a wobbly smile. I had to make the feeling of losing her go away.
“Kiera got me here tonight by reminding me what we do at midnight on New Year’s is what we’ll do all year long. Does that mean we can keep doing this?” she asked, her cheeks pink with the suggestion.
“Excuse me,” Ember interrupted, putting her hand on Lyssie’s shoulder and shooting me the most feral smile I’d ever seen on any creature’s face. She turned back to Lyssie. “I thought you might want to know I can still taste him, sweetheart. He belongs to me now. Happy New Year!” She pulled the neck of my sweater down and glared at Lyssie before walking away from the carnage she created.
Chapter Three
Lyssie
“I can explain!” Dallas chased me out to the parking lot.
“Like hell you can.” I didn’t turn around, but he was so close his body heat radiated against my skin. I hadn’t thought to grab my jacket. Dallas had me trapped here. I didn’t drive. No need to, I never went anywhere alone. I was totally reliant on other people. I trusted too easily because I had to, and I always got burned.
It’d been a long time since I’d been humiliated in public. The raw feeling of the whole world laughing ripped me open in the same place, right over my heart. We were starting the New Year off with a bang. And according to my best friend, who got me into this mess in the first place, I could look forward to three hundred and sixty-four more days of this crap. Awesome.
“She tricked me.” Dallas attempted the explanation thing. “And if you hadn’t walked away from me on Christmas...this wouldn’t be happening right now. We wouldn’t be here. But I figured out something about you tonight. You—“
Oh, no he didn’t. I whipped around, facing him, and wishing I didn’t. Those blue eyes shone like diamonds in the light of the waning moon. “You figured out something about me tonight? What about the girl sucking your blood like a vampire? Did you have a revelation about her, too? And let me tell you something about Christmas. I made you that sweater.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You did?”
“Yeah. I wanted to give you something no one else could. And when I was a kid, my Gram wouldn’t—Oh, never mind, you already have me all figured out.” I stomped off, toward Baron’s truck. Problem was, Dallas knew he had me where he wanted me.
Dallas leaned on the truck. He was close enough that it felt like we were touching, but we weren’t. I was discouraged and relieved at the same time. It summed up our relationship, if you could call it that. Opposing forces that drew us together. “You do give me something no one else can. Why don’t you see that? There’s so much I don’t know about you, and it frustrates the hell out of me. You spent all that time making something for me, which blows me away. No one’s done anything like that for me before. But after I shifted on Christmas, you rejected me. Why? I needed you so bad that night.”
“I told you,” I said softly. “I’m afraid of me.” Because I drove people away and I didn’t know how to make it stop.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. I like it when you’re feisty. There’s no mistaking what you want. And I told you I don’t want to waste any more time. We’ve been stuck in this place too long, both of us wanting more and being too fucking afraid to do anything about it.” He turned, straddling me, putting one hand on either side of my body but still not touching. Ugh! “Tell me all the things that scare you so I can make them go away. This fire that burns between us... It’s dangerous. But it’s got a power that can’t be denied.”
And it was about to explode. I grabbed him and pulled him into me for a long, hot kiss. I didn’t want to be the girl that others thought they could intimidate, and I certainly didn’t want anyone else to think they could have Dallas. He was raw power, an animal rippled beneath the surface of his skin, primal and unpredictable. It scared the shit out of me, so far violence had been the only guarantee. Violence that often held hands with loss. Dallas was so much more than his wild side. He was caring, loyal, and the way he looked at me turned my entire body pink. That’s what made me want him.
I didn’t know what that bite on his neck meant, but I wasn’t about to let some bitch from Montana claim what was mine.
“Want a ride home?” he asked.
I wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. “No. The girls will be coming out soon. We’re working tomorrow.”
They’ll leave you here, my brain screamed at me.
I shivered, wrapping my arms against myself to try to contain it. “On second thought, would you?”
“Of course.” Dallas offered me his hand. I didn’t know if it was the champagne, that she-wolf, or what, but this night was making me feel crazy. He squeezed my hand as we walked over to his truck.
The air was thick between us on the short ride. Kiera responded with a screen full of smiley faces when I texted her to let her know I left.
“You can just drop me off,” I said when he parked behind the hardware store we lived above. The town was so still, you’d never know that just minutes ago we’d welcomed in a new year. It had already lost its luster and Granger Falls had gone back to sleep.
“I’ll come in and wait with you until Kiera comes back.” The streetlight hit Dallas in the face, making him glow like the fallen angel he was. He meant well, but he had a way of fucking things up. I needed to go easier on him, because I did the same exact thing.
“That’s it, though.” I jumped out of the truck before he had a chance to reply.
“I know that, Lyssie,” he called to me, still at the truck.
“Shh,” I hissed at him when he caught up to me. “You’ll wake the neighbors.”
“They’ll get over it.” That heat seared me again. “One of these nights, you’ll be the one waking the neighbors, and I’m not going to tell you to be quiet.”
“Charming.”
I flipped the Twilight Zone on and tossed the remote on the couch before settling in. “Is that how you got that girl to bite you?”
Dallas groaned. Settling on the opposite end of the couch, he picked up the remote and shut the TV off.
I glared at him. “Hey! I was watching that.”
“You’ve seen them a million times.” Dallas’ gaze locked with mine. “Do you remember the first night I came here?”
“I’ll never forget it,” I said. Dallas had been sent here after someone attacked Trina. Shadow feared that either Kiera or I would be the next target. Dallas stayed with me that night, telling me silly stories, and stroking my hair until I fell asleep. Now that threat was gone; ripped to shreds, and buried in the cold, hard ground. That feeling, the fear mixed with the longing, had settled deep in my bones. It wasn’t the winter air that made me shiver when Dallas was around.
“Me neither.” His words softened. “Can I tell you another story?”
I turned toward him, and goosebumps broke out over my skin. I’d been with him for the last couple hours, but it didn’t matter. He still had that effect on me, catching me off guard. No, he wasn’t human—he was so much more than that. His dark hair shined and those eyes—bright blue, flecked with gold. If they were gemstones, they’d be considered flawed and maybe they were. But it didn’t make them any less beautiful.
“Please.” Maybe it would clean the slate, clear all the weird energy between us, and we could start fresh.
“All the she-wolves disappeared from the forest just in time for the guys to notice. You know that already, but it happened at the worst possible time. When the play turned to something more heated and we knew we needed mates, they were gone. Not all of them went quietly, and it caused an uproar. After that, they took the little girls away sooner, before anyone missed them, except their parents. But we knew they were gone.”
“Does that mean the woman from the bar is your mate?” I asked.
“No. Wolves choose their mates. The stories say there’s someone out there for all of us, and we know it as soon as we meet them. Once the bond is formed, it can never be broken.”
“That’s beautiful.” If more humans thought that way, the world would be a better place.
“It is, but for us, it was total bullshit. With the she-wolves gone, all of us wolves left behind were pissed off, restless, realizing we had no future. We fought and caused trouble. We were in a rage, inconsolable. Our family had been peace keepers for generations, but I couldn’t keep that promise. Because the promise of the forest had been broken.
“Major started the Full Moon Fever parties so we could blow off some steam. We could all get together and be wild. One place and time we didn’t have to worry about rules or hiding what we were. Human women were off-limits, too. But unlike the she-wolves, no one could keep them away. They threw themselves at us. Sawtooth wolves are underdogs, but never count us out. We were all over that. We set the rules. One night. No commitment. It worked, because we didn’t have any other options. My brother demanded everyone stay away from the Montana she-wolves. Unlike the human women in town, they know what we don’t have, and they want the same things we do. A place they can call home. They want a future.
“We gave Shadow shit because he’s so attached to Trina. She’s not his mate. But it wasn’t long before Baron and I felt it, too. You ladies were more like wolves than any humans we ever met. We mate for love, Lyssie. No other reason.”
My heart pounded, the space between us immense. The effects of the champagne had started to wear off, and Dallas’ words hung heavy. I wasn’t sure if his story had a happily ever after.
“What does that mean?” I asked. I stopped myself from adding for me.
“It means you look an awful lot like forever, but I’m not supposed to have you.”
Just as I suspected. I stood up, wondering where the hell Kiera was. “You should go.”
“Lyssie—“ Dallas reached for me. Time froze whenever he touched me, and I could believe that forever actually existed. “—I’ve had every promise made to me broken. I don’t give a fuck about the rules. They don’t apply to me. What I’m trying to tell you is, I’ve never felt this way before. I have no idea what I’m doing. I make mistakes—“
“Like that girl tonight? How long has that been going on? Was she a mistake?”
He took a deep breath, fire swirling in his eyes. “For about five minutes before I saw you. And no, she wasn’t a mistake. Because she made something real clear. She might be a wolf, but she’s like every other human, using me to get what she wants. Except for you. You don’t do that.”
“I need to tell you a story, too. There’s a long version, and there’s a short version.” I’d never told anyone either of them. Pins and needles pricked my body, and I was glad he held on to me. “Every person I’ve ever trusted has left me. I can’t trust you. I know how this ends.”
“No, you don’t.” He pulled me in closer, his lips hovering just above mine. “Stop worrying about an end when we’ve barely had a beginning. Let’s write a new story. Forget everything that’s happened and how it’s supposed to be. Worry about right now.”
Chapter Four
Dallas
I didn’t know how to keep a promise. It was a learned behavior, and I needed to break it. Smash it into bits.
Lyssie’s alarm went off before the crack of dawn. A thick blanket of darkness and uncertainty covered us. I had no idea if Kiera and Baron came back last night. It was my in to stay here with Lyssie. Truth was, I didn’t want to be alone, either.
I woke up way before the alarm sounded, running from my dreams while trapped under Lyssie’s sleeping body. In both realms, I raced through the forest as a wolf, she-wolves stalking me in their human form, naked and vibrating with desire. The bite on my neck throbbed, and my skin bubbled like lava, only bearable where Lyssie touched me. Her hand curled on my bare chest. In the flickering light of the TV, she was gorgeous. I knew she lay still, but my vision blurred as the she-wolves lunged for her, I regained consciousness just before they reached her each time.
“Hey,” Lyssie said, blinking rapidly, still lost in her own dream world. From the way her lips curled up I could tell it was much more pleasant than mine. “I didn’t realize we fell asleep out here.”
“I was gonna bring you into your bedroom, but you looked so peaceful I didn’t want to disturb you.” We were safer here, while my wolf raged and reality blurred. I had no idea where we stood.
Her giggle made my cock twitch. Every muscle in my body screamed.
“You could’ve. This is what happens every year. I fall asleep watching The Twilight Zone, and when I wake up I watch one more episode while drinking my coffee. Only then am I ready to start the New Year in style,” she said as she ran her finger over the scabbed crescent on my neck and frowned. “I hoped this would be gone when I woke up.”
“Me too.” The coffee maker groaned in the kitchen, the smell turning my stomach.
Lyssie sat up, taking everything good with her. She still wore her clothes from last night, rumpled now but even more stunning now because she woke up looking like that. “I assume you want coffee. If Kiera’s here, I’ll have to make more. You don’t want to tangle with her before she gets her coffee. Send her out in the forest, and those stupid wolves would go back to Montana, no questions asked.”
My head weighed more than the rest of my body. “Maybe just some water?”
The blurry image of Lyssie turned back to me, mouth open. “Are you okay? You were so warm last night.” She put her hand on my forehead. I moaned, her touch was the only relief I had. She jumped away. “You’re on fire!”
“Come back,” I groaned. “You’re cooling me down. It feels so good.”
Lyssie sat down in the space the crook of my body left on the cushions, pushing my damp hair away from my face. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s the bite. Nothing’s been right since then. My dreams were totally messed up, and they didn’t stop w
hen I woke up.”
“You’re hallucinating. I’m calling Chandra.” Lyssie clutched my hand. “I’m so glad Connie knew about her. The vet Trina was using...she was an evil bitch. X would be dead if we had to rely on her. Whatever this is, it’s wolf related, and Chandra will be able to help.”
“Don’t.” The word came between clenched teeth. Lyssie let go of me, digging in her purse for her phone. I couldn’t read her reaction. I’d never had problems with my vision, but she was a blonde blur at the end of the couch. “It’ll pass.”
The blur came closer. Lyssie knew I was full of shit. “Dallas, you’re scaring me. You sound like you’re shitfaced, you’re sweating like it’s August, and your eyes are almost black. Go ahead, tell me it’s nothing, but you’re not going to die on my watch. I won’t let you leave me.”
“I won’t.” Darkness framed my vision, and the window I watched Lyssie through shrank to nothingness.
**
“It’s Full Moon Fever.” Chandra, the mysterious woman that Connie had called in for X, and now Lyssie for me, sat on the edge of the couch.
“Seriously? I thought that was just the name of those stupid parties,” Lyssie said, trying to add a chuckle. It was too thin and cracked on delivery.
Chandra wiped off her medical equipment and placed it back in her bag. She forced me to drink some concoction that tasted like one of those fancy coffee drinks mixed with moss. The first sip turned my stomach, but that shit did the trick. I only saw one of each woman, and wasn’t baking in Hell’s pizza oven anymore.
“That’s where they got the name of the party. When a wolf marks his mate, they’ll be overcome by lust until they consummate the pairing. It can take many different forms, but extreme drunkenness or flu-like symptoms are pretty common. If not treated, wolves can become permanently feral, and the symptoms become closer to rabidity.” The grave expression disappeared from Chandra’s face when she smiled sheepishly. “You, my friend, need to get laid in the worst way possible.”
Shelter Me (Sawtooth Shifters, #6) Page 2