He felt his fangs elongate in anger. His rush to get her away from prying eyes had led her to believe that he was embarrassed to be seen with her. Who had filled her head with such nonsense and made her believe she should expect to be treated so poorly?
He opened the door and ushered her inside, trying to calm down the wolf that wanted to race into her realm and hurt whoever had made her feel so badly about herself. Slamming the door, he dropped their things and lifted her into his arms, pushing her back against the door. Her legs immediately went around his waist, and her hands clutched at his shoulders. He ground his erection into the apex of her thighs, the towels between them doing nothing to spare her the feeling of his hard cock. “I was so distracted by you, so intent on making you come, that I almost let two unmated males see your naked body. It’s not that I’m ashamed of you in any way, because I’m not. But I absolutely will not allow anyone – wolf, fae, human, or other – to see your beautiful, bare body.”
Her head fell back against the door with a soft thud, and she tightened her legs around his waist. “I’m sorry.”
“It was my fault. I knew I’d be too tempted to keep from touching you intimately. I apologize for making you feel bad. I’m proud to have you as my mate, but your body is for me alone.”
A tiny smile curved her full lips, and her eyes darkened with passion. “Just so you know, the possessiveness goes both ways.”
He was glad that she didn’t want anyone to see him, too.
Pulling away from the door, he carried her into the bedroom and put her down on the bed. After bringing her a clean top, he pulled on his trousers, put their things away, and joined her on the bed. Although he desperately wanted to go back to touching and kissing her, he didn’t want her to believe that all he wanted from her was sex. He wanted to know everything about her and share all about himself. He couldn’t recall ever feeling like this before, and he knew it was the powerful connection of truemates. There would never be another female for him, and he would slaughter anyone who touched her.
She had grown up in a pack in Allen, Kentucky, which, according to her was in the Midwest. He knew enough from traveling to the Mortal Realm where the Midwest was, although he had never been to Kentucky, except for when he had come to her rescue. Her mother had left the pack several years ago and had urged Lindy to join her, but she hadn’t wanted to leave her job or her friends.
She hesitated in her story, and he squeezed her hand. “I want to know everything, Lindy. I don’t want to go into our mating with secrets. Nothing you say will change how I feel about you, but I will be angry if you keep things from me.”
Taking a deep breath, she began to tell him about the vast emptiness that she had started to feel. She’d gotten a reputation in the pack for being promiscuous, what the males referred to as a “toy”, but slowly the attention had become empty, making her feel lonelier. No males saw her as anything but a few hours in bed, and aside from her two best friends, most females considered her trash. When she’d grown tired of the meaningless sex, she’d tried to find a male to mate with her. Even though she knew that none of the single males in her pack were her truemate, she’d felt desperately lonely, afraid that she’d wind up alone for the rest of her life.
She sat next to him on the bed with her hands twisted in the blanket and wouldn’t meet his eyes. He could see that she was worried about what he would think of her when she finished the story of her life.
“I just don’t get it,” he said.
She met his eyes. “Get what?”
“How any male could be with you once and not want to stay forever.” He leaned closer. “You’re sweet. Kind. Beautiful. That the males couldn’t see below the surface to the enticing, loving female I know you are is their loss.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly around the neck. Hugging her back, he said, “It’s true, Lindy. I wouldn’t want anyone else but you, and I’ve known you for less than a day. You’re mine forever.”
She laughed, but he could tell she was struggling not to cry. His mate had a tender heart, and she’d been treated poorly for too long. All of that changed the moment he spelled for her. He’d treat her with respect, and some day he’d earn her trust and her love.
“Thank you,” she whispered with a thick voice.
“For what?” He rubbed his hands up and down her back.
She leaned away slightly, and he reached up and brushed the tears from her cheeks. “For being understanding.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He brushed his lips across hers. Casting a glance at the wall clock, he saw it was well past midnight.
“If you want to go back to your pack in the morning, we should get some rest.” He pulled back the covers and settled next to her. She was still sitting up and looked down at him. “What about your life story?”
He held out his arms and beckoned her to lie down with him, which she did. She stretched out next to him, laying her head on his shoulder and resting one arm across his stomach. “I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. If I start my story now, we’ll never get any sleep.”
She yawned and snuggled closer, and he willed the lights off. The room slipped into darkness, and he closed his eyes, grateful to be holding his mate in his arms.
Chapter 11
They stood outside Crimson’s home, and he looked like an angel dropped from heaven. Brilliant white-feathered wings rose from his back like silken shields, and his bare upper body was lean and muscular. Scars dotted his skin in places along his arms and chest, and when she had asked about them, he said they were from when he trained as a youth.
“Go ahead, you can touch them,” he said, placing his hands on his hips.
She walked around and stood at his back. The tops of the wings reached above his ears and stretched out several feet on either side of his body.
“Can you fly?” She placed her hands on the area where the wings jutted from his shoulders.
“Yes. Only warrior fae have feathered wings and can fly. Civilian fae have wings that are made of thin membranes and can be quite colorful.”
Stroking her hands up, she felt the bumpy texture of the skin covering the bones, and then she ran the backs of her hands down the feathers, marveling at their soft texture.
“They’re beautiful, Crimson,” she said.
“When we come home, I’ll take you for a ride if you’d like.” She moved around to face him, smiling at his enthusiasm. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“As long as you don’t drop me, no.”
He sobered quickly. “I would never.”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “I was just teasing. I trust you. It’s strange because I’ve never really trusted anyone as quickly as I do you. But I know, deep down, that you’re a male of honor and that I can trust you.”
“It’s our truemate connection. When we mate, the connection will grow even stronger.”
The night before, when she’d laid out her life for him, ashamed to hear herself say all of the things she’d done in her misguided efforts to find a mate, she’d expected he would be unhappy with her behavior. But he had been surprisingly understanding. And then he wanted to just sleep instead of having sex. Before meeting him, the old her would have believed that she’d done or said something to turn him off. But now she knew that he was simply taking his time and not rushing forward into the mating. She’d never had a male be so considerate. In her wildest fantasies, she’d never thought she would find such a perfect mate.
She went up on her toes, and he bent his head and kissed her. Hand in hand, they walked back through the grass to an area that he said was his “fairy ring,” formed with rocks. Only he could use it, he explained, because it was his private ring. No one from the Mortal Realm could come through it without him, and no one from the Fae Realm could use it either.
He settled on his knees, and she stood next to him, watching in fascination as he placed his hands in the air and closed his eyes. The
air in front of him began to shimmer and grow slowly opaque, and then it cleared, and she was staring into the woods in her pack’s territory. The portal lengthened and widened until it was the size of a door, and he lowered his hands and stood.
“Does that make you tired?” she asked, taking his offered hand.
“No. When my wings are out, my fae powers are stronger. It would take a great deal of effort to exhaust me.” He smiled down at her. “Don’t be nervous. It won’t hurt to go through the portal.”
“I trust you,” she said.
He grinned and squeezed her hand. He stepped through the portal and pulled her with him. It felt like she was stepping into cold, thick air as she left the Fae Realm and entered the woods in her pack’s territory.
They walked to the full moon meeting place where she’d left her clothes before she shifted with her packmates. She kept on Crimson’s tunic but pulled on her panties and shorts, slipping her feet into her flip-flops and carrying her top and the shoes he let her use. Taking his hand, she said, “We should check in with my alphas, and then go back to my home.”
He didn’t say anything as they walked the hundred yards to Jason and Cades’ home. When the house came into view, she saw Jason sitting on the deck with his daughter, Lyric, in his lap and his cell in one hand. His eyes widened, and he put the phone in his pocket before standing and gathering his daughter close. He called for Cades and said, “Lindy! The pack’s been worried sick! Are you all right?”
Cadence came out of the house. “Lindy!” She walked quickly to them, gathering Lindy in a hug. “Are you okay?”
Lindy was overwhelmed by their concern. “It’s a bit of a long story.”
Cades nodded, looking at Crimson. “Then come inside. I was just getting breakfast on the table.”
Once inside, Lindy introduced Crimson to her alphas. Jason put Lyric in her booster seat as Cades motioned her and Crimson to the table to sit down. Within minutes, she and Jason joined them.
Jason put his elbows on the table and folded his hands. “What happened?”
Lindy had always known that Jason was a good alpha, but seeing him concerned for her welfare made her see him in a whole new light. He could have just sent her on her way, but instead, he and his mate opened up their home and were genuinely interested in what had happened.
She told them what she remembered of getting caught in the trap, and then Crimson filled in the rest. When the meal was over, Jason leaned back in his chair and said, “It’s a good thing you spelled for Lindy when you did.”
Crimson took her hand under the table and rested it on his thigh. “I’m grateful for that.”
Jason said, “One of our wolves is mated to a she-fairy. They’re actually in the Fae Realm looking for you, Lindy.”
Her surprise must have shown on her face because Cades smiled softly. “You’re part of the pack, Lindy, and you were injured and then taken. Of course we care.”
Emotion welled up in Lindy, and she almost started to cry, but she managed to stave off the tears. “Thank you. I need to get home and call Faith and McKenna.”
“I’ll send Teller over to Logan’s home,” Jason said, reaching into his pocket for his phone.
At her confused look, Jason said, “There’s a sprite that lives in Jenna’s garden, and she can find Jenna in the Fae Realm and tell her that you’re home.”
Cades walked her and Crimson out the front door to where Lindy’s car was parked. “Are you staying in the pack, or are you going to live in the Fae Realm?” Cades asked.
Lindy pulled her car keys from her pocket. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Crimson said, “If it’s all right with you, Cadence, Lindy is going to come back with me to my realm for a week, and then we’ll come back here for a while. That way we can both make an informed decision on where we’ll be living permanently.”
Cades smiled in relief. “Oh, okay, that sounds fine. Let me know if you need anything.”
Lindy promised that she would keep her alphas in the loop and sat down behind the wheel. Crimson shut her door and then walked around the front, opening the passenger door and sitting down.
As she drove away from her alpha’s home, she said, “A week?”
“You have to make an informed decision, chelle.”
She glanced at him. He was watching out the window. “What if I want to live here?”
He met her eyes with a smile. “Then we will.” He reached for her hand again and kissed the top. “I’m just asking you to be open-minded.”
She was sure that she could live in a cardboard box in an alley and she’d be happy to be with him. In some ways, that thought was frightening to her because she’d never cared about someone so quickly. But knowing that he was her truemate eased her fears. Even if she didn’t really know him yet, her soul knew him and her wolf trusted him, and that was enough to chase the cloudy thoughts away.
When she reached her small home, she immediately called Faith, who promised to get McKenna and come straight over to see for themselves that she was okay and hear what had happened. She couldn’t have prevented them from coming over with a ten-foot-high electric fence around her place, so she gave Crimson a tour of her home and opened up the fridge to make lunch.
“I’ll cook for you, chelle,” he offered, looking over her shoulder at the contents on the shelves.
“You took good care of me when I was at your home. Let me do the same for you, here.”
He seemed to consider it for a moment and then said, “When we’ve decided where we’ll live permanently, promise me that we’ll share the household responsibilities and that you’ll let me spoil you whenever I feel like it.”
She grinned and began pulling items from the refrigerator. “I promise.”
He kissed her neck. “I might feel like it all the time.”
Chuckling, she turned from the fridge and closed the door. “I promise to let you all the time.”
“Good.” He grinned, and her pulse sped up. He had the sexiest smile.
By the time she had sliced chicken breasts and sautéed them in a pan, McKenna, Drake, and Faith had arrived. After hugging her, both women demanded to know what had happened.
Faith looked at Crimson accusingly. “You! You’re the one who stole my best friend!”
Lindy stepped in front of Crimson and put her hands up. “He saved my life, Faith. You know he did. You saw the trap and how injured I was. If Crimson hadn’t shown up when he did, I could have died or been lame the rest of my life.”
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t stop to tell you what I was doing, but I knew I had to get Lindy to safety as quickly as possible,” Crimson said, wrapping his arms around Lindy and resting his chin on top of her head. She rubbed her palms along his arms.
McKenna said, “So you guys are mated now? When did that happen?”
Lindy said, “Not officially yet, but yes, we’re mates.” Wolves didn’t consider themselves fully, officially mated until they had sex and marked each other with their fangs. Just the thought of sinking her fangs into Crimson’s neck made her teeth tingle in anticipation.
McKenna nodded and then tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder. “Are you making fajitas? I’m starving.”
Faith’s mouth, previously in a scowl, pulled up at the corners. “Fajitas? Me, too!”
While Lindy cut and roasted vegetables, Faith set the table for five, and McKenna grilled Crimson on the Fae Realm and his plans. Drake watched from his seat at the table with an amused expression. Lindy listened with a smile as McKenna proved what a good, protective friend she was and Crimson answered each question honestly and sincerely.
As Lindy put down the platter of chicken and vegetables, Crimson said, “I swear on my life that I will go to my grave to see Lindy safe and happy. You have nothing to fear from me when it comes to her, except that my overprotective wolf won’t tolerate her being in danger.”
Lindy sat down next to him at her small table, and her friends sat acros
s from them. McKenna and Faith seemed to have changed their tune when it came to Crimson. He had really won them over. And it probably helped that he was sexy as hell and as sweet as candy.
After she showed Crimson how to make a fajita, they spent the meal discussing the trap she’d been caught by and what was happening with the pack. None of the local farmers who owned land butting up to the pack’s territory would claim the traps. So far, two traps had been found. The first one had been just at the edge of the territory, but the one that had caught her was fairly deep into their territory. One trap was possibly an accident. Maybe the person who placed it didn’t realize how close to pack territory it was. But two of the same kind of trap showing up within weeks of each other was deliberate.
While Faith and McKenna did the dishes, Lindy boxed up the leftovers for Faith and Mac to take home with them. “Do you have to leave?” Faith asked over her shoulder.
“I’m spending a week in the Fae Realm to see what it’s like, and then we’ll be back here.”
McKenna dried a plate and put it away. Then she turned her back to the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “You might move there, though.”
Lindy shrugged. Hours earlier she’d been incensed that Crimson wanted her to live with him in the other realm permanently. But the more time she spent with him, the more she realized she didn’t really care where they lived as long as they were together. If he wanted to live in the other realm, she knew she wouldn’t fight it. She would be sad to leave this life behind, especially since she had just begun to enjoy herself with the pack again, but Crimson was her mate. Wherever he was — no matter the realm — was going to be home for her.
They finished the dishes in silence, and then Faith hugged Lindy as they stood at the front door. “When you come back, we’re going to make sure Crimson has such a good time here with the pack that he won’t want to live anywhere else.”
McKenna echoed the statement. “You’re my sister in the pack and my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
The Wolf's Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen Page 9