Wolf at Her Door: BBW Paranormal Romance

by Liliana Rhodes

  He moved his hand to my lower back and pulled me close against him. His arms wrapped around me and he crushed my body against his as I clung tightly to him.

  "I'm so afraid of losing you again," I said.

  "I'm not going anywhere. You'll have to kill me to get rid of me," he said with a grin.

  As he kissed my forehead, all my worries drifted away. The only thing left was my love for him. He stroked my hair and then kissed my neck, causing goose bumps to rise along my arms like he always did.

  "I've found something about this time that I don't like," he whispered.

  "What is it?"

  "You're wearing a lot more clothes," he said with a smirk.

  He pulled my top off me, then took my hand as he lowered himself down on the rug. As I sat on the floor facing him, he moved closer and kissed my shoulder. My fingers moved down his chest and over his soft chest hair. It was strange to see him in front of me after centuries of thinking I never would again, but I had never been happier.

  The firelight flickered against his skin and I reached down to unbutton his pants, but he pushed my hands away. I looked up at him to ask why, but he only shook his head.

  He moved closer to the fireplace and picked up my bare foot. As he kneaded the arch of my foot, I leaned back against the armchair behind me. His hand reached for my other foot and then he slowly pulled me down until I was lying on the soft rug.

  Moving up, he kissed my belly button, which made me giggle. I didn't even realize he had unsnapped my jeans until he started sliding them down my hips. I lifted my hips up and tried to grab my panties, which were sliding down too, but he shook his head again.

  He slipped out of his jeans, finally letting me see him naked. Bran was a real man, strong and muscular. His hands were still a little rough like they had been long ago from life on the Highlands. But as he came close to me again, his large hand tracing the curves of my body, I realized I wouldn't have it any other way.

  His fingers wrapped around the shoulder strap of my bra and as his mouth closed over mine, the strap came down. I was so dizzy from his kiss as his tongue dove into my mouth that I didn't even feel him unhook my bra.

  As he slid the bra off my arms, he looked down at me. I noticed his eyes taking in my rounded hips, my soft stomach, and my full breasts. He smiled as his eyes met mine.

  "You're just as beautiful as I remembered," he said before kissing my lips. "Every single day, even though I thought you were gone, I dreamt about you. I couldn't even look at other women, you always have been and always will be the only one for me. I love you in the past, in the present, and in the future."

  "I love you too, Bran. Forever and always."

  My arms moved around his broad shoulders and pulled him to me. We laid on our sides holding each other as the fire continued its dance.

  His lips moved up the side of my neck and I tilted my body towards his. As we kissed again, his hand moved over my breasts and squeezed my hard nipple. Lowering his head, his mouth closed around it and I sighed as his tongue flicked over it.

  I moved my leg up over his, feeling his hardness pressed against me. I wanted him. I pushed my hips towards his, and his hand slid down and clutched my butt and pulled me harder against him.

  His hand followed the curve of my leg and pulled it up along his side. I felt him pressed against my entrance, then he moved onto his back and pulled me on top of him.

  I lowered myself onto his shaft, slowly holding my breath as I bit my lip. It had been so long that I had forgotten the electricity that ran through my veins and how it felt like to have him inside me.

  He grasped my hips and we moved together. Each thrust sent bolts of excitement through my body, and my core began to pulse insistently.

  His hands moved up to my breasts and he cupped and stroked them then gently rubbed my nipples between his fingers. One of his hands slid down my belly, and I shifted my hips back a bit, already knowing where his hand was going.

  As his fingers ran over my bud, my hips jerked softly. It had been so long that already my breathing was beginning to quicken.

  He rubbed his fingers over my clit, and my hips took on a life of their own. The pulsing in my core came faster, causing my entire body to vibrate. I couldn't hold on for much longer.

  Bran reached up and pulled me down to him, our lips locking as our tongues met and rolled against each other. Then his hands moved back to my hips and he gripped me tightly before he plunged deeply into me over and over again.

  My body had taken all it could. I panted as he thrusted faster. And as the pressure in my core reached its point, I felt the release consume my body.

  I cried out just before my lips met his once again. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed me against him as he came. My body shook from the energy that ran through me, and I took deep breaths as I melted into him.

  Bran carried me to the bedroom and laid me gently on the bed before he settled himself beside me. I rested my head against his shoulder, letting my body form against his as he held me. The warmth of his body, the touch of his skin was just as I always remembered it.

  "I love you," he said. "And I promise we will never be apart again. I don't think I could live if I lost you again."

  "I love you too, Bran. And I'm going to keep you to that promise. I don't want to live without you anymore."

  As I laid in his arms, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing, I couldn't believe how lucky I was. To have lived for so many years and have the man of my dreams, my one love, come back was something I never thought possible.

  I lived through so many things both magical and mundane, but I never believed I would see Bran again. Yet there he was lying beside me, his flesh pressed against mine.

  As I thought about how fate worked in such strange ways, both good and bad, I couldn't help but think back to Gracelin's words and her warning about the curse on Clan MacCulloch.

  When a MacCulloch finds his mate in another clan, they will be torn apart.

  I hoped it wasn't true. I had to believe that four hundred years without my mate was long enough to satisfy the curse, but I didn't know. All I was sure of was that I was finally back in the arms of my one love. I would never leave him again, and I knew he was finally mine forever. I just hoped that one day our son would have that same happiness with his love.

  Wolf at Her Door

  by

  Liliana Rhodes

  Chapter One

  Gracelin

  Dropping the rose petals into the bowl in front of me, I watched as they swirled in the water. The petals gave off a lovely scent in the small cottage, and I leaned back in the small wooden chair and smiled.

  I loved using the bowl for gazing when I had visitors, but it wasn't necessary. Most of the time I used it only for fragrance.

  Getting up, I walked to the door and stepped outside. The breeze made my long skirt swirl around my legs. I shielded my eyes from the sun as I enjoyed the view.

  Where I lived in the Otherworld could look like however I preferred, but I always made it the Highlands. The rolling hills covered with heather, the rocky cliffs, the lakes that reflected the sky all made me feel comfortable, but something was different today.

  Looking out at the calm water, I could tell he had awakened. Bran and Ainsley coming together rang through the cosmos, and soon their son would find his one love, too. Niall didn't want love to survive and if fate didn't intervene, he would take matters into his own hands.

  The lake rippled, and I hugged myself as a chill jolted me. I didn't want to think about him. It was hard for me to accept that the same man I loved was capable of murder, including my own.

  Boom!

  The boom echoed through the hillside, shaking the lake. I stroked the thick scar along my collar as I thought about the last time I saw him. Niall wasn't himself that time. I didn't want to wait to see what he was now, centuries later.

  I squeezed my arms tightly and disappeared back into the cottage. My scar burned and as I reac
hed up to touch it again, I noticed my hand was shaking. Ice ran through my veins as I heard the boom again and I held my breath.

  Boom! Boom!

  The next boom was quicker and reminded me of thunder. As I heard the next one, I wondered if it meant Niall was closer. I pulled the blanket around me tighter and ran to the furthest corner from the door.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  This can't be happening, I thought. My mind raced as I wondered if I could be killed again. I was a banshee. I cried for the deaths of others; why didn't anyone cry for me?

  "Not now, Gracelin," I said under my breath. "Get yourself together!"

  My scar burned even more. It was the only thing on me that wasn't cold. I shook in the corner trying to gain the courage to look outside, but each boom made me cower even more.

  BOOM!

  The final boom shook the cottage. I gasped as the walls trembled against me. The water in the bowl of rose petals splashed onto the table, reminding me of Callen playing with the bowl as a child.

  My stomach dropped as I thought of that young boy so sweet and innocent kneeling on the wooden chair. The boy who became a man I loved as I would my own child.

  BOOM!

  "Please don't let this be what I think it is", I said. "Please, not Callen. Anyone but that dear boy."

  Standing up, I stumbled getting to the door. I kept the blanket wrapped around me as I thought of how I wrapped Callen as a baby hundreds of years before. As I stepped out the door, I stopped and grabbed onto the doorframe to keep myself from falling into the darkness.

  My Scotland was dark. The scent of the heather that usually drifted towards the cottage was gone. I tested the black ground in front of me and found it solid so I stepped out of my home.

  The booming stopped, but the ground beneath me trembled as if it was as scared as I was. The hills were now shadows against a deep purple sky. I walked towards the cliff, unsure what I would see, and found the calm dark water reflecting the sky like it always did.

  I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my Scotland. Slowly, the scent of heather filled the air and I could feel the sunlight against my eyelids.

  Opening my eyes, I breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing happened and my world was changing back to normal. I still had the blanket tight around my shoulders when I turned back towards the cottage. As I stepped closer to it, the ground rumbled, stopped, then rumbled again.

  Kneeling, I reached down and pressed my palm against the earth. I felt the vibrations move underneath me, stemming from the lake then out towards my cottage and beyond. A shiver ran though me as I realized where they came from.

  Too scared to rise, I spun on my knees and looked out towards the lake. I was too high to see most of it, so I crawled closer to the edge of the hill where the heather began.

  The lake was still calm as I felt the rumble drift underneath me. I waited as I did before until it came to a stop.

  Slowly, the glassy surface of the lake changed. In the center, an invisible drop seemed to fall and then rippled the surface. It traveled out from the middle and as it got closer, I felt the earth tremble. My scar burned intensely.

  "No," I said with disbelief.

  Crawling in the heather, I moved closer to the edge. The one drop of water multiplied in circles over the lake, spreading and increasing until I felt the rain drip on me.

  The ripples moved quicker across the lake. They were almost invisible because of the rain, but I felt them moving against my legs until it was a constant wave. But then the rain stopped.

  The lake was calm again, but only for a moment. From the center rose a man with shoulder length blond hair. The water streamed off his muscles as he stood with the lake surrounding his waist. I didn't need him to turn towards me to know who he was.

  "Niall," I whispered.

  The man I thought I would never lay eyes on again stood in the lake, looking as beautiful as he did the first time I saw him. As if he heard me, he slowly turned in my direction. His eyes glowed a fierce amber.

  I couldn't move. Could he see me? Would he remember? I didn't know the effects of staying underwater all these centuries would do to someone. Especially not to someone as crazed as Niall was when I last saw him.

  His eyes changed into a glowing blood red, and I ducked to hide in the tall heather. My chest ached as if it remembered having a beating heart and knowing it would be racing. It didn't matter if he saw me, he wasn't Niall anymore. He had the eyes of a demon.

  A roar filled the air, and I peeked up to see Niall rise out of the lake on the other shore in the same navy and white kilt as before. He shook his hair, making the wet strands whip his face. As he lifted his hand to his face to wipe his hair away, he stopped.

  He tilted his head to one side then the other as he moved his fingers in front of him. Then he looked down at his strong, muscular body.

  His body rippled like the water, and Niall was suddenly in wolf form. I gasped at how quickly he was able to shift. He leapt towards the rocky crag and climbed it easily. Once he reached the top, the wolf shimmered and he was Niall again.

  I couldn't help but stare at him. He was standing across the lake, on a higher cliff than the one I was lying on. As the wind blew, his kilt moved and I wondered where his clothes came from.

  An evil grin spread across his face, causing shivers to run down my body. He looked around and his eyes settled on my cottage, but recognition didn't cross his face. His eyes glowed red again and then the ripple spread over him, including his kilt, before he disappeared.

  I ran to my cottage and slammed the door behind me. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to calm myself, but it was useless. I knew what Niall wanted and where he was going. If fate wasn't going to continue the curse of the MacCulloch clan, then Niall the demon would.

  Fear shook me and I pulled the blanket around my shoulders tighter. He couldn't harm me anymore. I had to remember that. But I cared too much about the people he would try to kill to continue hiding in my cottage in the Otherworld. I had to get to Ainsley and Callen before Niall reached them. It would take me time to reach them, and I prayed the demon couldn't travel quicker than I could. In the meantime, I would watch what happened in Leeds Point.

  Chapter Two

  Callen

  The back seat was cramped. I wasn't even sitting with my legs ahead of me. That was impossible. I didn't have to let the human woman with the funny name sit in the front, she even fought with me about it, but she was a woman and women should always sit in front.

  Rafael was driving towards Pinky's parents' house where she said she had a lot of documentation that could help me find Heather. I didn't need her help. I had already found Heather, but no one needed to know that.

  For centuries, I found her on my own. I only left with Rafael and Pinky because of my memories. I knew what Bran was going through when I saw his eyes focus on my mother. I'd be an ass if I didn't leave and give them time alone.

  Pinky twisted around in her seat to look at me. Her eyes were wide and curious, and I could tell that even though she lived in a town of shifters, she had never met anyone like me. It wasn't surprising, there were very few of us still alive.

  "You have questions," I said.

  "Is that alright? I don't mean to be nosy or rude or anything," she said.

  I nodded. I needed to learn to be more patient. Lately it seemed the only person I could tolerate was my mother, and that was because she was the only other person who understood the trials of living for so long.

  "Go ahead. Ask away," I said.

  "If you're a shifter like Rafael, why are you so different?"

  "Because I'm nothing like Rafael. We both have the ability to change into an animal. I believe it's what Rafael calls his spirit animal, and maybe that's right, I really don't know. But my wolf is more a part of me than Rafael's bear. I can sense his bear in him fighting for power and control. My wolf knows better," I said, shrugging. "My age gives me strength and abilities other shifters don't have."

&nb
sp; "But you feel different. I don't know what it is, but there's an energy that I can feel from you," she said, looking confused.

  Her words confused me. What did a human know about feeling energy?

  "I think what you're feeling is why I'm here. I never know when or where Heather will appear again, but I feel it. Her soul calls to me like a magnet and I follow."

  "It's more than that, Callen," Rafael said. "I noticed you wear a silver chain around your neck. How? Doesn't it cause pain?"

  "The pain it causes me is nothing in comparison to the pain of losing Heather," I said. "She gave it to me long ago. She didn't know or understand what I was yet, but she gave it to me and I always wear it. It reminds me of the beauty and pain that comes from living."

  "It doesn't weaken you?" he asked.

  "I'm far too strong for what little effect the silver has on me," I said with a scoff. The look on his face reminded me I wasn't with my own kind. I shook my head, then pushed back my chin-length black hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be an ass. I'm not used to being sociable."

  Pinky laughed and Rafael turned to smile at me.

  "Ainsley and I usually keep to ourselves," I said. "It's hard to know who to trust sometimes and we know we can always trust each other. That's why we travel together, it's for protection."

  "You call your mother Ainsley?" Pinky asked.

  "Well, other than having the same green eyes, we don't look like mother and son," I said. "With the exception of some grey, she doesn't look much older than me. And when you consider our ages, she really isn't older by much. No one questions it if we tell them we're brother and sister, so we've gotten used to that lie."

  "Go back, Callen," Rafael said. "What do you mean you travel together for protection?"

  I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to guess what his motive was. I didn't sense anything negative from him, but there were those stronger than I who could use what I told him against me.