I always want to make love.
“You’re exhausted.”
She combs my still damp hair with her fingers. At the nape, she grips it with both hands. She pulls my mouth to hers.
Despite my best efforts, my cock swells at the tender taste of her.
She rests her forehead on mine. “I need to know we’ll be okay. I need to connect with you.” She bites lightly on my bottom lip. “Now.”
The sound system fades from one song to another. The soft strains of Boyz II Men fill the bedroom.
This is a fantasy come true.
I return her light laugh with a smile.
“Your wish is my command, mi dulce”
I pull the sheet from around her, tossing it aside to expose her creamy skin.
She pulls my mouth to hers, this kiss a passionate plea for healing.
I push away the pain of the past and worries of the future, all the sorrow and mistakes. There is just now, here, loving her.
“Enrique,” she croons, flexing her body off the bed.
I moan at the sultry offering, slowly licking all around a pink beaded nipple.
Taking my blissful time, I pay homage to her femininity. With my hands I caress and lift her beautiful orbs, lavishing her nipples with my undivided attention. Then, I give little nips and kisses as I work my way across her ribcage and stomach.
Down, down, down I go, lured by the scent of heaven between her legs. I nuzzle her already swollen clit with my nose.
“Please,” she begs, arching off the bed.
I suck gently on her nub and slide a finger into her soft silk. Slowly at first, then faster, I work my hand and lick on her clit, winding her tighter.
Her cry of joy as she comes stretches my soul to bursting. This is the real magick of the world — this delicious flood of female essence that I hungrily lap up. Over and over, I make her come with my mouth and hand until her body becomes as malleable as putty.
The last of her convulsions of pleasure easing, I move up to hover over her body.
“More?” I wait for permission.
She opens her eyes. My wolf rises in mine.
So gray.
So loving.
So strong.
She’s my witch.
On her nod, I enter her.
“Oh, Shavone,” I growl.
Like a glove. I was made for her.
My mate kisses me and rotates her hips.
Slowly, I begin to move. The connection is spiritual, an ancient rite between masculine and feminine.
With each thrust, I want to erase, as much as possible, all her cares and worries.
About her sisters.
About my trustworthiness.
Healing her heart.
And mine.
“I love you,” I whisper.
Just when I think that our limits have been reached, it broadens. We are infinite.
I kiss her, my heart laid bare for her.
When her muscles signify her pending climax, the beast and I merge.
Oh, how I marvel at the privilege of this — of my witch granting me such access, of allowing me to love her so completely.
Body, mind and soul. She owns me.
Her ecstasy is my nucleus. The gift of it is an energy and a power that my body cannot deny. I increase my rhythm and depth. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. I’m off into the stratosphere with her.
chapter 29
“There’s nothing left.” A woman weeps. She sounds like she’s right above us.
“Bow to me, Mother Earth and portal rock,” Sophia says.
I reach into the earthen shelf behind us for sesame seeds and sprinkle some at the opening.
“Time now to let us out. Tick tock, tick tock, the door unblock.”
Slowly the boulder rolls aside.
Smoke and smell of burnt wood fills my nostrils and mouth.
Sophia and I scramble out, but not little Skylar. She curls up in the back, trembling.
Footfalls race toward us.
“The girls are alive!” A man, a wolf, shouts.
A strong wolf woman scoops me up, another lifts Sophia.
One of the wolves reaches in and gathers four-year-old Sky in his arms. She kicks and screams the entire way out.
“Mommy! Mommy! I want my mommy!”
“I know, precious,” the wolf says.
Spit streams from her mouth, she cries so hard. She wiggles and struggles to get out of his grip.
My heart breaks for her. She’s petrified.
The wolves lead us away from the fire, away from our shelter, away from our home.
“Don’t look back.” The woman carrying me says.
But I do, peeking over her shoulder.
A wall of our house collapses in on the fire. Wolves are everywhere in the compound — handing buckets of water from the river, shoveling dirt on burning bushes and cottages, laying burnt bodies in the circle. I know, but don’t know, that two of those bodies are my parents.
“Close now, guard our space,” I hear Sophia whisper.
I focus on the rock that she’s talking to. “Until again this land we grace,” I whisper.
The boulder silently rolls across the portal.
The wolves keep walking, taking us across the river and deeper into the woods.
“Bring ‘em over here!” A man yells.
Sophia and I are set down on a log. The wolf carrying Sky lowers her to the log, too. The second her feet are down, she runs toward home.
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” She screams and beats on the wolf as he catches her.
A woman uncaps a syringe and hands it the wolf-man. “Doctor.”
He’s a doctor?
The doctor sinks the needle in Sky’s thigh. Instantly, her tiny body convulses wildly.
“What did you do to her?” I gasp, wide-eyed.
“She’s allergic to the sedative.” The woman reaches into a black bag for another syringe. She sticks it into Sky’s other leg. Within seconds, my little sister is limp in the wolf’s arms.
He gently lays her on the ground.
Sophia tucks her necklace inside her shirt and reaches over to do the same to passed out Sky. She reaches for my neck.
“Where is yours?”
The space next to me in bed is empty.
Enrique?
I sit up.
He comes out of the bathroom in jeans, a white dress shirt and carrying a black jacket. The outfit looks a lot like what he was wearing when I interviewed at the Dollhouse. The ring on his finger, the ring with my power in it, makes the outfit — if I do say so myself. Or is it the contrast of the crisp white shirt against his dark Latin skin?
Geez. He’s gorgeous.
And he’s mine.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Draping the jacket on the end of the bed, he leans down to kiss me lightly.
“You didn’t.” I run my fingers through the curls at the back of his neck, and pull him in for a proper kiss.
“Mmmm,” he growls and pulls away. “Stop, or I’ll be late.”
“Late for what?”
“I have a meeting with the other nations about your sisters.”
“Oh.” I throw the covers back completely. “I’ll go with you.”
“No.” He pulls the sheet back up and nuzzles my throat. “If you’re there, they’ll withhold details to avoid scaring you.” He brushes my lips with his again before moving away to the dresser.
I want to argue, but he’s probably right.
“Alright.”
I sit back on the pillows and watch him button his shirt sleeves, loving how his muscles flex in the sleeves.
Forgiving him was surprisingly easy — and cleansing in its own way. Enrique, Nash, Ben, Val — I forgive them all and with that forgiveness the hurt has already begun to heal.
Enrique lifts a cup and a pot of coffee from the dresser.
“Want some?”
“Yes, please.”
After pouring it, he hands it to me.
“Is this an Alliance meeting you’re going to?” I sip the coffee.
“Not really. In this case, it’s simply three sovereign wolves meeting to discuss the Soft sisters. The Alliance council will have to regroup after Kennedy.”
Bringing his shoes to put on, he sits on the side of the bed.
“How did you learn about the Alliance?” He asks. “Was it the LaFontaines? The Santana girl?”
I shake my head. “None of them.” I sip more coffee.
“How then?” Finished slipping on his shoes, he stares at me, waiting for an answer.
Oh no.
Why am I mortified? I did it to find my sister.
“Shavone? Tell me.”
I sigh.
He came clean with me. Now it’s time I did the same. He should know his witch invades people’s privacy when it suits her.
The Mac is right beside me on the nightstand.
“Hold this.” I hand him the coffee cup.
He takes it, his forehead creased in curiosity.
Sliding the computer onto my lap, I open the lid and pat the bed for him to come closer so he can see the screen.
“Someone had put spyware on my old computer about the same time Val disappeared.” I tell him about the slow computer, Garret’s discovery of the spyware and about the code he wrote to find the hacker.
“Garrett gave me this code, too.” I mouse over the secret icon and click it.
“This being?” Enrique asks, gazing at the IP numbers on the screen.
“My own spyware.” I find the recording the day Val came home and play it.
That’s the morning that Enrique, Nash and Ben were on a conference call with Jack. It was in that meeting that the Alliance was mentioned — mentioned by Enrique.
The recording ends and Enrique is silent.
After a few moments, he narrows his eyes at me.
“You have a bug in the LaFontaine mansion?”
“On the computer in the den,” I mumble.
Complete honesty.
“Loading it there was a test before using it on the target computer.”
“Let me guess.” Enrique purses his lips. “The target computer was mine.”
I nod. “The one in the office at the Dollhouse.”
He stands. Saying nothing, the thumb on his free hand worries his beautiful bow shaped lips. Finally, he blinks his gaze to me.
“I’m sorry. I’m not perfect.” I lower my head. “I was desperate to find Val.”
With a giant sigh, he drops his hand and tilts his head. “And desperation calls for desperate measures. No one understands that better than I.”
“Touché,” I whisper.
He reaches down to lift my chin. “And you’re absolutely perfect — perfect for me.”
My sexy wolf leans down to kiss me. I bury my fingers in his irresistible black curly hair and kiss him back.
Oh, I want him.
“Hmmm.” He releases my lips. “We’ll continue this later.”
He hands the coffee cup back to me and lifts his jacket from the bed. Walking backwards to the door, he ogles me. I let the sheet fall, exposing my breasts.
“You’re a shameless witch.” He playfully leers and licks his lips. “I like that.” He winks and closes the door behind him.
I sip the coffee and pull the sheet back up. My fingers graze my necklace. I pull the gold chain between my fingers and touch the light burn on my chest.
“Where is mine, indeed,” I whisper.
I sip more coffee.
The chain was found at the Dollhouse. The lobster clasp was intact and none of the links broken. That means it wasn’t ripped off during the struggle between me and Kennedy. No, it was taken off along with the babydoll. I’m fairly certain they didn’t do that at either club. It would have taken too long.
In the van? Could they have used that to kidnap both Enrique and me? My gut tells me they did. My gut also tells me that if I find that van, I’ll find my pendant.
The tool rack at the fireplace rattles and the ordinary iron poker gleams like fine gold. It’s calling to me.
Setting the coffee aside, I slip out of bed and go to it. I take the poker out of the rack, holding it loosely in my hands. It lifts of its own accord, like a divining rod and points to the door.
It wants to show me something.
I set it down on the hearth. The tool shakes and vibrates as if it’s angry. “Geez. Will you let me get dressed?”
In the closet, I pull on some jeans and an old Air Force Academy T-shirt.
Hurrying back, I pick up the fireplace tool. It practically yanks me out of the door and down the stairs. It leads me through the kitchen and out a back door.
I cross a large covered patio with an outdoor kitchen, down broad stone steps and past an outdoor fireplace. The back lawn is immense. Of course it is. This is Cherry Hills.
The poker leads me through a charming perennial flower garden and guides me along a meandering trail through a mini forest. Just before I come out on the other side, I spot a stone cottage through the trees.
Parked at the side of the little house is the landscaping van.
The trusty tool relaxes to lay flat by my side.
I stay behind a tree and focus on the house. Is this the cottage Enrique said was Agustin’s? Probably. I don’t care about the house so much as the van. I want inside that vehicle.
The front window aligns with a back window in the kitchen allowing me to easily see inside the tiny space. A big shape moves quickly around the living room.
A box in hand, a man comes out the side door. It’s the wolf that was with Kennedy in the van. He opens the sliding door on the vehicle, shoves the box in and walks around to the driver’s door.
Oh, no, you’re not. You are not leaving with that van.
“Go with strength and go with energy, magick tool at my disposal.” I draw the poker back like a spear. “Jam the wheel, make it immobile.”
The poker pulls forward with a powerful thrust, flying out of my hand like a javelin across the fifty yards or so. It impales itself into the side of a front tire with a mighty pop.
While the guy is busy jumping out of the van and inspecting the flat tire, I run through the forest to get closer to the passenger side. Gingerly, I slide it open.
“Gotcha!” From the back, someone grabs me — hard. Thick male arms wrap around my ribs, trapping my arms, squeezing the breath out of me.
Mother fucker.
Barely thinking, I lean forward just a bit and reach down. I punch the asshole in the balls as hard as I can. He grunts in pain and his arms relax some. I scream like a banshee and bash his nose with the back of my head. Then, I do the U-manuever to break free.
Before I can even step away, the wolf flies backwards through the air. With a mighty growl, Enrique, who came out of nowhere, slashes the wolf’s throat. Blood spurts with the final pumps of the guy’s heart.
Wild-eyed and in a fighting stance, Enrique looks around for another fight.
“I’m okay, my wolf.” Despite my heart beating a million miles a minute, I keep my voice low and calm.
“What the hell are you doing out here by yourself?” Gently, without using his claws he pulls me into his massive arms. He’s enormous, but I hug him the best I can.
“I’m okay,” I repeatedly reassure him.
“If anything ever happened to you” — his big bad wolf voice breaks just as he morphs back human.
After a few moments, I lean back to see his face.
“I’m fairly certain my pendant is in there.”
Reluctantly, he lets me go.
I return to the sliding door, open it fully and climb inside while Enrique slides into the passenger seat.
The soft low pile carpet in the cargo area is immaculate. I was right. This van hadn’t seen a pinch of soil. The box is the only thing in the back. Maybe the pendant fell into the cracks where the carpet meets the walls of the van. I run my hands and fingers along the edges — and co
me up empty.
“Damn it!”
“Nothing here either.” Enrique finishes his search of the center console and the glove box.
I push the cardboard box aside exposing the matching babydoll panties stuffed under the drivers seat.
Angry, Enrique grabs them. Then, I see it, wedged between the back foot of the seat and the bolt that attaches the seat to the floor. I smile. Enrique follows my gaze. With his left index finger, he teases the dime-sized coral spiral out of the crevice. Hurriedly, I unlatch the chain around my neck. Together we thread the pendant back where it belongs and my wolf refastens the golden necklace around my throat.
That evening, outside the Santana residence, I set the box from the van on the massive front porch and get my phone out of my purse. Finding the contact I want, I press dial.
It rings and rings and rings, finally going to voicemail.
I hit redial to try again. Again, it rings and rings, but this time it disconnects.
Not one to give up, I try a third time. “Answer, damn it!”
It rings once.
“What the fuck do you want?” Tomas says real low.
Wow.
“Um.” I’m taken aback by his tone. “I’m calling about a girl you might know named Skylar.”
There’s silence.
Maybe they gave her a different name when they adopted her.
“She lives in the Durango area, should be about twenty,” I ramble on. “Striking gray eyes.”
Does she still have gray eyes as an adult?
There’s still silence.
“Tomas?” I look at the screen to make sure we’re still connected.
“Listen to me, Mrs. Cruz. Anyone touches a hair on my baby sister’s head, they’re dead. You got that? That includes your mate.”
The line goes dead.
I stand there opened mouth, staring at the phone when a limo pulls into the circular drive.
Quickly I tuck the phone in my pocket and pick up the box just as the front door to the house opens.
“Well, don’t you have perfect timing.” Maria Santana greets me with a smile. She swings the door wide. “Come in, Shavone.”
I step into the huge foyer that matches the Spanish style exterior. The mansion is decorated in southwestern style, but not casual like Enrique’s — er — our place. This is elegant turquoise, engraved silver and hand tooled leather.
Soft Fate (Wolven Moon Book 2) Page 24