by Bonnie Vanak
He knew this.
A few minutes later, Darcy shifted back into her human form, conjuring fresh clothing. She joined them.
“Thank you for distracting Hannah,” Peggy told her.
“My pleasure. I enjoy playing with kids. They’re one of my best assignments.” Darcy dropped to the grass, hooking her arms around her knees as she sat.
Peggy adjusted the blue-and-white shawl around her bony shoulders. Adrian sprang up to help her. She smiled her thanks and turned her attention back to Darcy. “What assignments, dear?”
“When I turned eighteen, I asked the goddess Danu to direct me into using my talents as a Changeling Shifter.” A shadow crossed her pretty face. “I wanted to make certain I was helping others instead of hurting them.”
Interesting. Most shifters would not be so altruistic. He wondered what motivated Darcy.
“Very noble of you.” Peggy nodded. “What did your parents think of your decision?”
Darcy stared at the cavorting children playing soccer. “They weren’t happy and thought I was foolish for availing myself to the goddess. But by then, I was ready to strike out on my own.”
Even more interesting. It took a strong will for an underage shifter to leave the nest. Shifters, even Changelings, didn’t enjoy being alone in the Skin world. There were too many hazards to navigate, and they had barely begun to control their powers. The penalties for using magick in the presence of a Skin was too terrible.
Peggy’s eyes began to close. Not wishing to disturb the elder’s sleep, Adrian nudged Darcy to leave.
They walked back to the house together. His cell phone buzzed. Adrian sighed. Another interruption.
It was hard to court a future mate when pack problems came first. He glanced at the number. “I have to leave you.”
“Pity,” she said, giving him a singularly sweet smile.
“I shall see you at dinner, however. Dinner is promptly at seven. Be there in the dining hall.” He pointed to the building. “Do not be late.”
“And if I am?”
Adrian rubbed a smear of dirt off her cheek, deliberately letting her feel his touch. Get accustomed to him. He would be touching her many more times from now on. Adrian did not want her resistance. He wanted her soft and pliant and willing, flushed with passion.
“Why do you enjoy gardening?”
She seemed perplexed by the question, as if he’d asked her why she tinkered in astrophysics. Darcy scrubbed her hands against her jeans. “It connects me to the earth. I love the feeling of plants having life, coaxing them into growing. I suppose it’s from the time when I spent in the wild and plants kept me alive. And when I was growing up…”
Falling silent, she toyed with the spade, not meeting his gaze. He wondered what she would have said. What was her childhood like? He knew little of Changeling Shifters, only that they were rare, and powerful.
“And what?” he prodded.
“And I think I need a break.”
Curious, he longed to hear more but decided against pressing her. They would have time in the coming days. “Be on time,” he repeated. “You disrespect my rules, you disrespect my pack.”
“Yes, sir. Any other rules I should know about? Like ironing your tighty-whities? Should I starch all my clothing before dinner? I warn you, it’ll make for an uncomfortable meal. I’m a free-spirited kind of gal.”
Adrian laughed. Darcy’s spirit proved refreshing, but he could not tolerate disobedience in a pack that observed rigid rules or risked falling into total chaos.
“I know. That is what drew me to you, Darcy. You are a minx,” he murmured. “I could kiss you for that, but I’ll savor that for later.”
“So, what’s the punishment for skipping dinner?” She held her wrists out, and he studied the slenderness of her arms, the delicate bones beneath peaches and cream skin.
“The rack?” she asked. “Iron Maiden, starvation?”
“Two weeks in my bed and an unlimited supply of orgasms. All you can take. Better than the beef the cook is preparing. Interested?”
Darcy stared. Licked her plump lips. Adrian grinned.
“Later, sweetheart. I promise.”
3
Feeding time at the pack. Darcy had never dined with an entire crowd of Lupines. The closest she’d come was eating at a restaurant or a mall’s food court, and those were strangers.
Public dining made her uncomfortable. Even when she lived with Ella, her last charge, as a house cat, Darcy never ate in front of Ella. Instead, she’d wait for Ella to leave for work and then gulp down her meals in complete privacy.
Table manners weren’t her skillset. Never knowing what fork to use, how to eat certain foods like lobster in her human/Skin suit. Devouring a lobster when she’d shifted into a bear—now that was more like it. Tear, pierce, gulp.
Belch.
Lupines required raw, fresh meat to shift. Surely that would be on everyone’s plate, perhaps with a few vegetables and bread. Maybe she could beg off eating with the excuse she was anorexic.
At the door of the enormous dining hall, which looked as if it could seat three hundred, a handsome Lupine with a gray streak in his dark hair met her. Dressed in a tuxedo, he could have been the host at an executive’s meeting. Muscles moved beneath black silk as he offered her his arm.
“Miss Darcy? I am Marcel, one of Adrian’s lieutenants. He will arrive shortly and asked me to escort you to his table.”
She nodded, glad she’d worn the red cocktail dress Glenda had found for her. All the others in the dining turned to stare at her as she passed the round tables. Each table sat about ten and was covered in white linen, with a small arrangement of fresh freesia and roses in the middle. Linen-draped chairs had white bows in the back.
Overhead, crystal chandeliers glowed with a soft light, making the room seem even more elegant. Every Lupine in the room, even the young ones, was attired in formal wear. Darcy felt as if she attended a wedding, not dinner.
“What’s the occasion?” she asked Marcel as he guided her over to the smallest table, where seven other males sat. Three places where empty, two of them side by side.
One for Adrian, she guessed.
Marcel raised his dark brows. “I beg your pardon?”
“Why all the formality? Or do you get all snazzy for dinner every night around here?”
He considered. “It is not every day our alpha brings home his future mate for us to meet.”
Temper snapping, Darcy struggled to hold her tongue. She thanked Marcel as he guided her to the empty chair on the right. He sat at the empty chair between two younger Lupines and made introductions. The seven males were, as she’d guessed, part of Adrian’s security team. So polite, so distinguished. Yet she knew each male at this table was capable of ripping out her throat if Adrian ordered it.
Not even two minutes later, Adrian strode inside. Dressed in an elegant black tuxedo, a day’s growth of beard stubble shadowing his jaw, he looked sexy as hell. No male had the right to look that delicious.
Everyone stood, except Darcy. She folded her arms and glowered as he took the seat next to her.
Adrian flicked out his linen table napkin and placed it on his lap. “You look lovely. Angry, but lovely.”
“Future mate? That’s what you’ve been telling everyone, Adrian? I agreed to stay here for two weeks, as part of your bargain. Nothing more!” She pushed back her plate.
“I did not say a word,” he told her. “This is like a small town, Darcy. Everyone talks and makes assumptions. We have these dinners once a month to bond, talk and gather as a pack. Your presence was noticed from the moment you walked into the door of my house.”
Disquieted, she fisted her hands in her lap. Well, she wouldn’t eat. Not with all these people staring at her as if she were on display.
A female in black dress trousers, a white shirt and a black apron came over with plates of hot food, setting them down on the chargers. Darcy’s nose wrinkled as she realized the plate contain
ed fresh, raw steak as well as a serving of seasoned lamb with potatoes and vegetables.
“You like having people wait on you?” she challenged him.
“We all take turns serving each other.”
“Even you? Right.”
“Even me. A Lupine cannot lead if he is unwilling to serve his people.”
Adrian picked up his fork and started to eat. Darcy reached for her water.
“You’re not hungry?” he asked.
“No. I’m not eating, and you can’t make me eat…” She pushed at the plate. “This.”
Seven sets of forks went down. Seven pairs of eyes stared at her as if she’d slapped their leader.
Adrian considered. Saying nothing, he stood and plucked her off the chair as one would pick up a sack of sugar. He lifted her in a fireman’s hold. She beat at his back with her hands, but it was like striking solid rock. Darcy saw the pack watching with avid interest, much as a crowd would observe the aftermath of a car wreck.
A car wreck, all right. And the wreck was her life, and what he did to it.
Adrian marched her out the door then over to his house, up the stairs to the bedroom she’d been assigned. He deposited her on the bed, dumping her gently on the mattress. A gleam ignited his gaze.
“If you will not share dinner with myself and my pack and treat everyone with respect—and especially myself—then suffer the consequences.”
“Which are?”
Bracketing her body between his strong arms, he leaned over her. “Dessert. You. Naked.”
She inched away. “Fine. You want me naked? Nothing but skin?”
Magick flowed through her veins as she summoned her powers. Later, she’d pay the price, but right now she needed to display her incredible abilities to outsmart this wolf. She was no meek, malleable female he could take to bed and command.
A second later, she transformed into a hissing, writhing snake. There. Let him try to seduce her now. You didn’t specify which skin, Adrian.
No fear showed on his face, only amusement. Well, time to wipe the smirk off his handsome face. Hissing, she reared her head back, the snake’s instinct to strike overwhelming her. She’d chosen this form to intimidate and make a statement, not hurt him. The black racer’s bite was painful but not venomous.
Adrian chucked her beneath the chin as one would a baby. “So cute.”
Darcy went to sink her fangs into Adrian’s skin, but to her shock, her fangs did not pierce. It felt like biting pure steel. Jaw aching, she reeled back. He did not flinch. Fear and rage clouded her as he seized her midsection and then held her head, staring into her beady yellow gaze.
“You could turn into a cobra, and you would not harm me, my sweet. Remember your words in the snow? ‘I give of my life so you may live.’ ” He released her, placing her back on the bed.
Darcy inwardly cursed. She’d given him her magick to pull him from the brink of death. The damn wolf was right. No matter what form she assumed, she could not hurt him. Such were the rules of the selfless sacrifice she’d made.
All because the goddess ordered her into the snow, to organize the rogue pack of Lupines living in the cave and save Adrian’s sorry ass.
Even if it was a rather nice, tight ass.
She shifted back to her human form, instantly regretting the move. Too weak to conjure clothing, Darcy lay naked on the bed.
Now he had her exactly as he’d planned—nude and helpless. Darcy curled into a fetal position, fighting the bone-wrenching pain that accompanied such a swift and brutal transformation from warm-blooded mammal to cold-blooded reptile. Damn, she hated shifting into reptiles, but the snake was the first form she could conjure that she’d imagined would strike fear into Adrian.
As if this proud, strong alpha feared anything.
Shivering, she cared not if he seduced her or what he did. Fierce hunger gnawed at her stomach.
She had not had adequate sustenance in more than twenty-four hours, and if she didn’t eat soon, she’d risk falling into a deep sleep. Or much worse.
But Adrian made no move toward her. Instead, he went to the chair near the window, fetched the red velvet throw draped over it.
He covered her with the soft blanket. Warmth pulsed into her veins, relieving the ache. . “I’ll have a tray sent to your room. All the food you enjoy—fried chicken, fresh green vegetables. You may eat in private and not worry about others observing you.”
Adrian left, closing the door behind him. Such consideration. So different from the proud, arrogant alpha.
Hell, this was the kind of man she might even fall in love with.
She stared at the door, wondering what the hell she’d gotten herself into.
4
After eating dinner, she fell into an exhausted sleep. Darcy woke at dawn, her usual routine. Hard to break after three years with Ella, watching over her, making sure she stayed safe.
Dreams were rare for her kind. They lived in the reality of now, not the shadows of their imagination. But last night she’d dreamed of Adrian, his powerful body mounting hers, the burning intensity of his gaze as he took her, hard and fast.
She needed a shower. A shower and coffee. Surely they served coffee around here.
After a shower and dressing in white shorts and a blue-and-green striped top, she went into the kitchen, made a fresh pot. When it was ready, Darcy poured herself a mug, added cream.
Taking her cup, she went outside to the front porch, breathing in the fresh, damp air. A hint of a chill lingered, quite enjoyable after the stale air conditioning in the house. A necessity for Florida’s warmth, but Darcy preferred the open outdoors.
She sat on a white wicker chair, sipping the brew, enjoying the jolt to her already stimulated system.
Birds chirped in the nearby trees as the leaden sky sluggishly gave way to rose and purple streaks of dawn. She heard a spinning sound and jerked her head to the right.
Wow. Her mouth watered. Dressed in a black racing suit that covered his arms and powerful thighs, he rode with incredible speed toward the house.
Adrian pedaled with smooth grace then came into the curved drive and stopped, dismounting in a fluid move. Her breath hitched.
Everything about him screamed sex. Sex on a stick. On a pricey racing bike she knew cost more than most people made in six months. Sex in fur.
Each curve of his strong calves, the powerful bunches of muscles on his thick thighs, the arc of biceps and the rippling abdominal six-pack, was a walking billboard for females to sigh and coo and strip, offering their naked bodies for his pleasure.
And yet this lethal wolf wanted only one woman in his bed—her.
Flattery will get you nowhere.
He removed his black bike helmet, muscles working beneath the sheen of black Lycra. One foot propped up on the railing before her, she waited.
Adrian lifted the bike and carried it to the porch then set it down, next to his helmet. He strode over to her, gave the foot on the railing a pointed look.
Taking her time, she set her foot down.
“Enjoy your exercise?” she asked.
“Always. Every morning.” He wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his hand.
She could see how riding appealed to Adrian, plotting out routes and timing, with various goals to meet. He had a meticulous, methodical nature as an alpha, not given to impulses and spontaneity. Oh, she suspected he could make a decision quickly, without regrets. But Adrian was a planner. He’d planned to ensnare her from the moment they’d met.
“You ride because you’re so precise.”
Adrian shook his head. “I ride because it gives me time alone to think.”
This revelation surprised her. Then again, she was a loner, and Adrian led a large pack of werewolves. He’d have little privacy, and the amount he had, he must cherish.
He glanced around. “Have you broken your fast yet?”
At her headshake, he opened the front door. “I need a shower first. Then allow me to prepare a small
feast for you. Few are up at this time of morning.”
Maybe he’d worked up a sweat, but she liked him like this, his chocolate brown hair in disarray, his toned body perspiring and smelling like male musk and the unique fragrance of spices and Adrian.
It made him a little more…human. Approachable.
Barely had they reached the kitchen when his cell phone buzzed.
Muttering a curse, he replaced the phone back on his belt. Adrian bowed to her. “I apologize for my foul words, Darcy. I have an emergency I must attend to. One of my people is giving birth.”
“Need help?”
Soon as the offer left her mouth, she regretted it. Why should she get involved? It meant getting closer to a people she had no intention of seeing after her time here had ended.
“Yes. I could use your help. This is Selina’s sixth pregnancy, and it’s been a difficult one. We’ll take the golf cart.”
As they ran outside and climbed into the cart, waiting on the driveway, unease filled Darcy. “Doesn’t she have a midwife? Or someone else to deliver the baby?”
“Yes. That is not why I am needed.”
They drove down the street to a smaller, two-story house tucked in a cul-de-sac. Adrian slid out, walked around and offered his hand.
Ever the gentleman wolf. Even when sweaty and obviously distressed, though trying like hell to control it.
They raced inside.
In the living room, a group of four anxious women waited, along with five children, ranging in ages from two to twelve years. Immediately she could hear horrible sounds of rage and pain coming from the second floor. Everyone looked scared. Soon as they saw Adrian, sighs of relief echoed through the room.
Adrian went straight to the older Lupine with gray hair bound in a tight bun. “Report, Olivia. How long has it been like this?”
“Thank the goddess you’re here.” The woman cast her gaze upward, where snarling and banging ensued. “He’s been out of control since the contractions started every four minutes. Her blood pressure is high, and so is the baby’s. I can’t get in there, Adrian, and neither can my team. We could lose them both!”