by Bianca D'Arc
Her tone sounded almost accusatory, and Gabe felt a bit of annoyance. “Yeah, maybe. But so will you. Shifters get two or three human lifetimes if they don’t get killed in battle, don’t they?”
She must have sensed his irritation. “Whoa. Truce,” she said. “It was just an observation. You may try to act the innocent human, but you’re part-fey under the surface. All that magic makes you something quite different.”
“As does your shifter magic,” he pointed out, though he was calming down.
Maybe the long plane ride had affected his nerves, too. They’d been on the road since the crack of dawn and had gained three hours with the shifting time zones. His body told him it should be afternoon, but the clock here on the West Coast said something quite different. It was disorienting, if he let himself think about it.
He let the topic drop, riding in silence for a while. The scenery was changing from cleared land with houses and other structures dotting the landscape to soaring pine forest, populated by millions of trees. They were rising in elevation, and soon, they would be nearing Brian’s cabin.
“We should probably stop at the convenience store on the way and pick up some groceries,” Gabe reopened the conversation sometime later. “Brian keeps some things stocked—canned goods that won’t go bad right away and stuff like that—but if we want anything fresh for lunch, we should probably pick it up.”
“Is it lunchtime now?” Margo asked, looking at her watch. “I’m all turned around.”
“Jetlag will do that to you,” Gabe commiserated. “We should eat before we go back to Seattle for our meeting. I doubt Master Hiram will have a meal prepared for us.”
“More likely, we might end up being his meal,” Margo muttered, her dislike for bloodletters evident in her tone.
“I’d like to see him try,” Gabe said, his voice steely.
Fey magic was proof against most vampires—even the masters. Fey blood was much more powerful in its effect on bloodletters, so although they might try to get it, the fey weren’t very cooperative about giving it up.
Margo was feeling out of sorts by the time they arrived at a little roadside convenience store. There was a gas station out front and a store in the back of the property that sold all manner of things. There were a few long-haul truckers there, playing video games in the back of the store, and a smattering of other travelers. Everyone seemed pleasant enough, and none were in a huge hurry like everyone on the East Coast had seemed to be.
There was a totally different vibe to the humans out here in Washington state. It was a bit more like her home region of Canada. Nobody was in a rush, and people took time to actually look at you and perhaps give you a smile. It was much more civilized to her mind.
Her inner wolf was enjoying all the new scents. It was familiar in some ways, yet slightly different. The scent of pine was stronger here than at home, and the air was quite a bit moister. Temperatures were warmer, too, by a large margin. All in all, it was quite pleasant.
Margo roamed the small aisles of the store and picked up a few items she wanted. She kept track of Gabe, watching him covertly. He was filling a basket with all sorts of things from fresh veggies to packages of frozen meat. It certainly looked like he was planning to stay a while.
Then again, he knew this territory. The lonely little convenience store was probably the only place for miles around where they could buy provisions. Margo went back and picked up a few more items, adding them to her basket.
They checked out separately. Margo studiously avoided Gabe’s gaze. She had the feeling he was going to try to be chivalrous and pay for her shopping, but she wouldn’t allow that. The very idea made her bristle. She’d been earning her own way since she was a teenager, and she wasn’t about to let some half-human mage even think he could take that freedom from her.
Or… Maybe Margo was just overly sensitive on that point. Her last fling, a trial relationship with a handsome human a few years ago, had ended badly. Justin had tried to control every part of her life—from what she bought for dinner to who she spoke to during the day.
They’d been together mostly out of convenience—at least on her part. He’d wanted to try to make something permanent out of their relationship, but it would never have worked. Her wolf hadn’t felt the pull toward him, and she doubted he would have tolerated her growing independence.
She’d just wanted someone to share her nights with. She’d thought Justin was the man, but he’d proven to be a subtly controlling bastard, who had ridiculous ideas about a woman’s role in a relationship. Getting free of her entanglement with him had taken some doing.
Justin had been a police officer. A very dominant male that her inner wolf didn’t scoff at as she did most males. The wolf hadn’t been particularly impressed by him either, but the fact that the wolf didn’t kick up a fuss when they’d gotten together seemed significant. It became apparent, after a while, that Justin’s controlling ways were not a good match for Margo’s independent nature, but when she tried to break things off, Justin dug in his heels and tried to cause problems.
He’d pull her over for traffic stops, just to get his jollies. He’d cruise by her office, just to try to intimidate her. He’d call at all hours of the day and night, just to annoy her. Finally, she’d had to take matters into her own hands. She wasn’t cowed by his threats or acts of stupidity. Far from it. She was pissed.
And nobody wanted to mess with a pissed off Alpha female. Justin soon figured that out for himself after he’d gone just a step too far in his intimidation campaign. The end result had been him applying for a transfer to a police department clear across Canada. By that point, Margo was only too happy to see the back side of him.
But, because of that miserable relationship, Margo had earned a few new hot buttons that could be pushed and guaranteed to set her off. She didn’t like controlling men. She didn’t want someone to pay her way. She liked her independence. She’d fought hard for it and wouldn’t give it up lightly. She’d learned from her time with Justin that, once you caved in on small items, it wasn’t all that much of a stretch to start giving in on the big things. She would never let that happen again.
Shopping paid for out of her own pocket, Margo followed Gabe out into the sunshine. He was already at the rental car, loading the small backseat with the bags of stuff he’d bought. By contrast, her measly two bags of provisions didn’t take up much space at all. He didn’t comment as they loaded up and got back on the road.
They were some distance away from the store when he restarted the conversation. She appreciated the fact that he wasn’t too chatty. He was a rare man who could tolerate silence. Being a predator by nature, and an investigator by trade, Margo spent a lot of her time in silence. Watching. Waiting. Getting ready to pounce, either literally or figuratively. She wasn’t chatty herself, so she liked the fact that Gabe seemed to respect that about her and followed suit.
Still, when he had something important to say, he didn’t hesitate, and he didn’t leave her in the dark about his plans. He had included her in his thinking process to this point, which meant he saw her as more of an equal and not a subordinate. She took that as a mark of respect, and it made her feel… Well, it made her feel good. Both as a human and as her wolf.
It was a rare man that could evoke both sides of her nature in such a positive way. Then again, Gabe was proving to be a special case in every sense of the word.
“We’ll be turning off soon, and then, it’s only a short ride to the cabin. The road gets a little rough, though, which is why I rented this vehicle, instead of a more conventional car,” he told her. “When we get there, I can handle the groceries if you want to take a run. I know I’m feeling a bit off after all the travel today. I’d like a chance to stretch, too, so I’ll probably fire up Brian’s hot tub.”
“Hot tub?” What was this? Some kind of lame seduction plan? Margo shook her head.
“Yeah, he’s got one on the side of the house. I told you he spends a lot of time up he
re. Each year, he adds something else on. Last year, it was a sunroom on the side of the house. He put in an exercise area, complete with a weight machine, a treadmill, elliptical, bicycle, and some other stuff. The hot tub was for the sore muscles after a workout. Supposedly.” Gabe winked at her then sobered. “We tease him about it, but the sad fact is, I doubt he’s ever let anyone but family come up here. I wish he’d find a girlfriend or someone to share his life with. Bri’s a loner, and I hate to see him hole himself up here and go the hermit route.”
“I guess you can’t really be a hermit if you have someone with you,” Margo said quietly.
“We all want to see Brian happy. I think a companion would be a good first step toward that, but what do I know? I’m just his pesky younger cousin. He doesn’t listen to me.”
“Is he in Pennsylvania?” Margo asked. “Did I meet him at the wedding and just not remember?”
“No,” Gabe shook his head and frowned. “He said he couldn’t make it. He’s involved in something down in California right now. Or so he claims. Personally, I think he just couldn’t handle the magical crowd. All of us together—my family and yours—would have been a nightmare for someone with his talents.”
“Poor guy,” Margo mused.
She hated to think what that kind of talent must mean for his everyday life. Margo resolved to leave something nice behind as a thank you for Brian’s willingness to let her and Gabe use his place. She’d have to think about what might be the best gift for such a reclusive talent.
As they rose in elevation, Margo noted a light scattering of white on the ground beneath the tall pines. It must have snowed the day before because temperatures were above freezing now and things were melting in the sun. Everything had a fresh scent and whiteness to it that only came with snow, with an underlying piney decay that was common to forests everywhere. It felt welcoming to her wild side.
“I think I’ll take you up on your offer to unload the car,” she told him as he turned off onto a dirt path. She wanted to run in these strange, yet friendly woods. She wanted to investigate all the new scents and sounds.
“We just crossed over my cousin’s property line. Did you feel the ward?”
“I felt…something,” she admitted, frowning a bit as she thought about the sensations she’d experienced.
“It’s muted because you’re with me, but if you get near the wards in your travels, you’ll feel it more intensely. Just skirt around and stay within the property lines, and you’ll be fine. The wards aren’t set up to hurt anyone, just to provide warning to those in residence and provide a deterrent to those magical folk who might otherwise trespass.”
“Sounds complicated,” she admitted.
“Not really. It’s just a matter of being clear in your intentions when you cast the ward. The wards around this property are simply meant to deter magical folk from crossing them, not to harm anybody. They also serve to warn anyone from my family who’s staying in the cabin that they’ve been breached.” Gabe expertly drove over the rough terrain for a few minutes. Then, they rounded a tight corner, and Margo could just make out a wooden structure in the distance. “There’s the cabin,” he said unnecessarily.
Eagerness built in Margo as they drew closer. She would shift and prowl around the perimeter of the cabin first, learning its boundaries, its scents and its character. Then, she’d roam the woodlands surrounding the place. There was so much to see. A whole new territory—however temporary—to explore. She couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER FOUR
Gabe did his best not to stare as Margo peeled out of her clothes the moment she stepped out of the car. He’d seen the other werewolves do that from time to time while in Pennsylvania over the past couple of weeks, but it was still a bit jarring for a guy who spent time mostly among other mages and humans who found nudity a bit disconcerting in ordinary circumstances.
Margo flowed from gorgeous naked woman into her gorgeous wolf self with practiced ease and trotted away, dismissing him from her mind completely. At least, that’s the way it looked to him. Gabe felt a little strange about being abandoned so easily. He wanted to mean more to her than that, but he counseled himself to be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and brave knight never won fair lady without doing something heroic.
He’d get his chance. He only hoped he could rise to the challenge ahead and make sure neither of them got too banged up in the process of achieving their goals.
Gabe’s goal was two-fold. First, he wanted to do everything in his power to help Margo track down the fugitive mage who had caused them all such trouble. Second, he wanted to capture Margo’s heart. Both were tall orders, but he figured he had the right stuff to make it happen. Gabe had seldom lacked confidence.
While Margo explored the area in wolf form, Gabe went about the work of prepping the cabin. It had been closed down for the winter, and it took a bit of doing to get everything going again. He had to prime the pump that provided water and get the solar panels up on the ridge line feeding down into the cabin rather than out to the grid. He put the electric heating units on in the outer rooms while building a fire in the main area that would warm the place up fast.
Then, he set to work putting away the stuff he’d brought in from the car. The small refrigerator was already humming happily in the corner. In an hour or two, it would be plenty cold enough inside the fridge to keep the food fresh while the cabin around it was warm enough to keep its occupants toasty.
He kept the water running to fill up the small-ish hot tub. His cousin hadn’t opted for a decadent ten-seater. No, this hot tub was more intimate. It could hold two—if they were very fond of each other. It was more like a large-scale bathtub with an abundance of massaging jets. It was economical in terms of water use, which fit with his cousin’s eco-warrior lifestyle, but it also was really nice to soak in after a long day.
Gabe would probably not have time to do that before they left for the meeting, but he set everything up so he could take advantage of it later, if he had time. The room was already warming up with the electric baseboard heaters doing their job on the other side by the workout gear. The water in the tub would warm up to room temperature while they were out, and then, when he turned the heater and jets on later, it would take little time to get into the comfort range.
Once everything was up and running, the house heating up nicely, Gabe set to work on preparing a meal.
Margo’s sensitive nose picked up the unmistakable aroma of sizzling steaks just about the time she finished investigating her new temporary territory. The land was lovely. Pristine and wild. Gabe’s cousin was a conservationist, she was certain of it. From the way the house was set back in the woods to the very small footprint it made among the wild pines… It was all set up to disturb nature as little as possible.
Margo could appreciate that. It was the same way many shifters built their homes. She could see why Gabe had been looking forward to coming here. Margo had been able to run in her wolf form, investigating everything around her, to her heart’s content. She was positive now, after her explorations, that there were no other shifters in the area.
It was odd, but Gabe had been right about that, too. While the area was perfect for her kind, none had taken up residence within any of the boundary lines of Brian’s property. Those wards the Llewellyns had put on the perimeter must be formidable.
The front of the house was simple, as was the rest of the place, but it had a swing seat placed off to one side of the doorway. She could just picture sitting there on a summer evening, sipping iced tea and listening to the welcoming sounds of the forest all around. She trotted up to it and noticed her clothes folded neatly on top. Gabe. He must’ve picked up her discarded garments and laid them out ready for her return. How sweet.
As her thoughts turned more human, so did her body. She flowed into her two-legged shape and reached for the clothing she’d been so eager to shed before. Right now, satisfying another hunger was on her agenda. She’d given her wolf form the freedom
it had craved, now it was time to feed a much simpler craving—for food. And, by the smell of things, Gabe had dinner preparations well in hand.
She felt just a little bit guilty for running off and leaving all the housework to him, but she suspected he understood. He hadn’t even batted an eye when she’d torn off into the undergrowth—not that she’d been in any sort of shape to notice more than her mad desire to run. But, somewhere in the periphery of her mind, she was always aware of Gabe. He had a presence she couldn’t easily ignore.
When she entered the house, she discovered a lovely open-concept space that was both bright and cheerful. A large living room opened onto an equally impressive kitchen. Gabe stood behind the granite-topped island, wearing an incongruous apron with some sort of writing on it. As she drew closer, she was able to make out what it said.
“Kiss the Chef?” she asked, reading the message on the apron.
Gabe grinned at her as he plated the steaks. “My sister’s idea of a gag gift. I guess she thought it might help Brian get a little action.” He walked toward the dining table that was off to one side of the kitchen area, carrying the steaks. “You’re just in time. Have a seat.”
She came around the kitchen island to find a fully laid table. Everything was ready. The steaks had been the last piece of the gourmet-looking meal he’d prepared.
“This looks fabulous.” Feeling frisky, Margo went up to Gabe and gave him a peck on the cheek. “For the chef,” she whispered, smiling.
What she hadn’t been prepared for was, when Gabe put the platter of steaks down, he turned before she could get away and drew her into his arms. His mouth sought hers without delay, and soon, she was lost in a kiss as stirring as the one she remembered from New Year’s Eve. Only this time, they weren’t in a room full of people. There was no possibility of judgmental stares from family members who might not approve. There was only Gabe and Margo, locked in each other’s arms.