by Bonnie Vanak
Impressive. Darcy had never heard of such a skill. Useful, especially for a fierce alpha devoted to defending his pack.
Mirth danced in his dark eyes. “I can also hypnotize Skins, and some Others, into doing my bidding.”
“Don’t try it on me, buddy. I come equipped with fangs and claws just like you,” she warned.
Adrian’s mouth twitched. “I much prefer you willing…when you get naked with me.”
She growled, and he chuckled.
The news Adrian was no ordinary alpha intrigued her, but then again, she’d sensed that about him.
The plane descended, landing with a loud thud on the runway. Several passengers gasped, but Adrian barely blinked. “My abilities came in handy when Lars started losing his mind.”
“It’s odd Lars lost it. Pack alphas usually rule a long time, and they are protective of their people.”
“Lars was different. He was no ordinary alpha.”
Darcy’s heart beat a little faster. She hoped Adrian, with his perceptiveness, would attribute it to the bumpy landing.
“We will talk of Lars later.” Adrian clenched his fists as the passengers started to disembark. “Wait. Do not get up, Darcy. Do you see that man two rows behind us?’
She gave a slight nod. “He’s planning something. His scent is off.”
“More than his scent.” Adrian narrowed his eyes as the balding, middle-aged man passed their seats, his black carryon in a death grip. Sweat dappled the man’s temples, and anxiety and adrenalin all but screamed from his pores. Even she, with her limited capacity for detecting scents while in Skin form, could smell his rage.
Adrian grabbed his pack. “Go.”
They followed the man out to the terminal and watched him stop before a display board listing inbound and outbound flights. Adrian summoned a security guard. Taking the man aside, Adrian waved a hand in front of his face. Fascinated, Darcy watched as the guard seemed to enter a trance.
“Listen to me carefully. There is a passenger who disembarked on our flight who is carrying a black carryon.” Adrian went to describe the man. “He is probably intending to do harm to innocents. He is filled with hate and great anger.”
The security guard’s pupils dilated as he repeated the information. When Adrian and Darcy left him, he was on his radio.
They watched from a short distance away as a few guards apprehended the bald man. Then they headed to baggage claim to retrieve their luggage. At the carrousel, Adrian seemed even tenser.
“Police will eventually question him. They will most likely search his home and find he has many more weapons.” Adrian released a deep breath. “There are too many of those kind to apprehend all of them.”
“But you got this one. One at a time.” She pressed her hand on his arm. “Since no one will thank you for what happened, accept my thanks, Adrian.”
He didn’t look self-satisfied or proud, only weary, his broad shoulders slumped. “Some days it feels as if we face a growing darkness no one can stop.”
“There is great evil in this world,” Darcy mused. “The Dark Lord of the underworld gains more followers each day. Skins who listen to his whispers in the night and set out to murder innocents. Acts of mass hatred and rage. But it only means we must be vigilant and fight harder than ever, in any way we can.”
“Yes.” Adrian gave her a look of respect. “Tristan said this was the reason he gave me these gifts. He foresaw I would be useful in the fight against the black magick overshadowing this world. I believe some of it originates from the Dark Kingdom with shifters who are susceptible. They crave power in this world and open themselves up to black magick.”
“How long will it take to get to the mine?” Darcy was eager to change the subject.
“A few hours. I’ve already reserved a four-wheel drive. We’ll spend the night in the cabin near the mine.”
As they exited the terminal to take a bus to the rental car building, a loud bang split the air.
Immediately Adrian pushed her to the concrete sidewalk, covering her with his body. He lay atop her, pure muscle and male, his arms over her head.
“It’s nothing. A truck backfired.“ Darcy rolled over as Adrian eased off her body.
“One can’t be too careful these days. The negative energy I felt in the terminal was terrible,” he murmured, smoothing back a lock of her hair. “Are you okay?”
Still feeling wobbly, she nodded. The threat hadn’t rattled her. But Adrian sacrificing himself, throwing himself over her body to cover and protect her, had deeply shaken her. Sure, it was bred into his blood and bones to protect women, all women, but this act hinted of more than mere alpha protectiveness.
Adrian’s grip on her wrist was gentle as he helped pull her upright. A few people stared, but she ignored them.
“Why did you do that?” she asked him.
He studied her with a careful, blank expression, but emotion shaded his eyes. “Because I didn’t want you to die. I believe if something happened to you, it would crush me.” Adrian touched her cheek where a pebble had bit into her skin. “You think I’m only after you for sex, Darcy. It’s much more than that. You saved me in more ways than one ten years ago. You restored my life.”
They headed to the bus that would take them to the rental car building. Darcy’s heart raced. Maybe she’d saved him a decade ago in the snow, but Adrian had thought her an innocent Changeling Shifter.
He wouldn’t be so charitable and tender if he discovered her true origins.
No, he would not.
6
He’d said they would spend the night in a cabin. But this was no cabin.
The two-story house was made from logs, but it was large enough to accommodate a family. Darcy climbed out of the truck as Adrian parked.
At the entrance, Adrian jingled the keys in his hand. “Ironic, you and I being here. I’ve fantasized about this for some time.” His mouth flattened. “Of course, I did not anticipate being with you here to carry out this kind of assignment. But we are here now.”
He opened the door, brought their suitcases inside and then returned for the four bags of groceries he’d bought on their way here.
Then he flicked a light switch and stepped aside to let her in.
Darcy’s breath hitched with wonder as she explored. She’d expected a rustic shack with running water (when it rained) and rough-hewn furniture.
The cabin had oak flooring and a kitchen with yellow cabinets and floral curtains, big enough for a white table and four chairs. Big picture windows in the living room overlooked the sweeping valley below and the snow-dusted pines surrounding the cabin.
Tufted leather furniture was arranged in front of a river rock fireplace. As Adrian went around turning on this and checking that, Darcy fished her most precious possession out of her overnight bag and set it on the mantel. It looked like…home. All it needed was a Christmas tree and brightly wrapped gifts beneath it.
A real home, where she could kick off her shoes at night, bake chocolate cakes and lie in bed at night with the window open, listening to the snow fall. And then make mugs of hot chocolate and snuggle after a long, slow bout of lovemaking.
Adrian’s intent gaze met hers, as if he saw into her mind. “Do you like it?”
Darcy cleared her throat. “It’s very sweet. Why did you build this?”
His gaze remained guarded. “I was hoping to come here with you one day. It’s lovely in the winter.”
Whoa, that was not what she’d expected. Damn it, the wolf knew how to hit her weak spot. Flowers and flattery never did her in, and neither did jewels or luxury items.
But sweet house, with a yellow kitchen and floral curtains at the window—yeah, that hit the spot.
“The heat is all gas.” He pointed to the window in the dining room. “Tank’s outside. It will take an hour to fully heat the place. I’ll make a fire in the meantime. You’re shivering.”
But not from the cold. Delighted with the house, she tried to play it cool. �
�A lot of money to spend on chasing a dream.”
“Dreams are the fabric of every life. They’re especially important when all your hopes have shattered.” Adrian gazed up at the skylight. “Those first few months I spent forming my own pack, my dreams kept us alive and pushing forward.”
“Your strength and your determination to keep them safe and protected, kept them alive,” she said softly. “You were the perfect alpha to lead Lupines damaged by their former lives.”
“A wolf therapist. Pull up a sofa.” Adrian rolled his eyes and she laughed.
“You sealed the deal for those under your care, Adrian. Life knocked you down, and you got back up and made it even better.”
“Thanks to you. You saved my life,” he murmured, cupping her cheek.
Darcy ducked beneath his touch. He had an unsettling effect on her, throwing her off balance. “We had a rather dramatic meet cute, that’s all. I did what I was assigned to do. You’ve been harboring feelings for your rescuer because of the intensity of what happened ten years ago.”
“I’m no fool, Darcy. Nor am I some pup with a crush. What’s between us is real and lasting.”
Deep inside, she wished it could last. “Maybe it’s real,” she admitted. “But nothing lasts forever.”
Adrian piled logs and kindling into the fireplace then ignited them. Flames crackled, loaning a cozy warmth to the living room. He stood, dusting off his hands.
“What’s your ideal life? If you could have one dream fulfilled, what would you have?”
Adrian’s voice remained gentle, almost tender. Instead of answering, she went to the mantel and picked up the dog statue.
The statue had been a gift from a family she’d helped, and Darcy cherished it. Cheap, perhaps, but priceless to her because it reminded her of her best summer.
Darcy closed her eyes, remembering the Fae family she’d aided in the Midwest. They’d been scared because their crotchety Skin neighbor had been on the back porch looking through the screen door and saw the mother using white light to heal her son’s lacerated hand. Rumors started to spread.
The family didn’t want to leave. Yeah, they’d gotten careless, but they were tired of being on the move, and the trees in the nearby forest needed their energy to overcome a nasty case of fungus. So Danu had sent Darcy to help abate the rumors. The cranky, nosey neighbor was lonely. Loved dogs and his dog had died a few weeks earlier.
She’d joined the family as a big, goofy Golden Retriever that always got loose and ran into the cranky old timer’s yard and into his house. He’d softened like butter, and three months later, the Fae family and the old timer became fast friends.
She ran away for good after that, leaving the Fae family to pretend mourn, adopt a new dog and coax the old timer into adopting one as well. But wow, those three months living in the heartland of America had been the best.
Darcy knew her dream. Farmland. Iowa, maybe. Fields of corn, big, tall trees that burst into bloom each spring and shed color in the autumn. Small town, where kids jump rope in the street, there’s still a mom and pop drugstore and the local barber where you go to get a quick haircut. Retirees sitting in chairs in front of shops, kids bike riding to school or to their friend’s homes. Red brick buildings, friendly Labradors running alongside their owners as they go jogging. A two-story house with a wood bannister you can slide down, sun streaming through the living room and a front porch with a built-in swing where you can sip a cool iced tea late afternoon or coffee in the morning.
Purple African violets on the windowsill of the yellow kitchen, a screen door in the back that was always banging shut after someone ran outside to play baseball or grab a cold drink. Tin canisters on the counter, shelving for cookbooks with pages smeared with flour, floral curtains at the window, ivy plants topping the yellow cabinets.
Darcy opened her eyes. She set the dog back on the fireplace mantel.
Adrian ran his thumb down her cheek, evoking a shiver of delight from her. For a wild moment, she envisioned herself living with a Lupine like Adrian. A real home instead of hopping from place to place. Maybe a little job, working as a gardener, cutting back bushes and tending flower beds. Someplace to settle down, with a strong, willful, but good-hearted male to hold close, to make love with every night and wake up to each morning.
Never had she felt like this before.
Darcy tired of being alone, roving from city to city, never having anything to call her own except one small bag usually kept in storage.
Hiding her feelings, she gave a small shrug. “What do dreams matter? I made the choice to accept my life and help Others in need. This is my life, Adrian. I’m never going to settle down. It’s impossible.”
Surely her declaration would push him away. But not Adrian.
“Nothing is impossible. If it’s your heart’s desire, it can be accomplished. Danu could free you from your duties. Simply ask.” The strokes down her cheek increased in tempo. “I’ll help you.”
He could not get past the idea that she’d never be his mate. Or anything special to him. It hurt deeply to think she would remain an outsider to everyone else her entire life. And if Adrian knew her roots, he’d never speak to her again. Or worse.
“I don’t mean to seem rude, but I don’t need your help.” Darcy tore away from his grasp, her mouth wobbling. Every bone in her body cried out for his touch. Adrian was pure male strength, a big alpha who could crush cars with his hands. Sex with him would be incredible.
Adrian would no more hurt a woman than he’d kill a puppy. It wasn’t in him.
Neither was it in him to be a loner. He headed a pack, carried the responsibility of overseeing more than one hundred lives. Adrian could never understand her need for solitude, to get away from the noise of life and retreat into a forest to listen to the wind rustle the pine boughs.
Night had started to fall outside. Another shiver wracked her and not from the cold. They didn’t know what awaited them tomorrow in the mine. She felt confident of retrieving the snow crystal he sought, but what if Lars had not truly died?
Adrian rubbed her arms, his grip light against her black-and-white sweater. “You’re cold. Come, let’s eat and get something hot inside you.”
I could think of something that would warm me from the inside out. Her gaze dropped to his groin, and she bit her lip. Need tunneled through her, the more biting need of sexual arousal than pure physical hunger.
As he walked into the kitchen, she remained behind to admire his ass. Adrian had a gorgeous ass, molded and firm. Denim fabric stretched tight against it, squeezing it with every graceful stride. Darcy had an uncontrollable urge to snuggle against him, cup and knead his oh-so-fine butt with her hands. Even better naked. Naked in bed, all that male muscle and strength atop her, his powerful thighs nudged between hers, the slick slide of his thick cock into her…
At the doorway, Adrian paused. Turned. A knowing gleam ignited his gaze. “Getting hot in here, Darcy. Very hot. Especially for the amount of clothing you are wearing.”
She sputtered. “I’m fine.”
“You would feel even better in the bedroom. Under the covers. With me.”
Surely he could not read minds. But he was an alpha Lupine, and scent was part of his nature. Maybe she should have morphed into another lifeform to hide her growing arousal and attraction to him.
“Do you like cats?”
Adrian’s nose wrinkled. “No. Why?”
“Maybe I’ll turn into a cat when you start annoying me. What’s for dinner?”
He gestured to the stove. “Roast lamb with mint.”
“You’re a good cook. Maybe some time you can rustle me up stir-fried shrimp. My favorite.”
“My pleasure.” He bowed his head.
“With lots of curry.”
His nose wrinkled. “Curry? I’m afraid not, Darcy. Curry and I do not get along.”
“Too bad. You don’t know what you’re missing.” She dug into the groceries she’d insisted on helping him purchas
e and withdrew a bag of corn chips. Darcy ripped open the cover and began munching. She held one out to him.
Adrian shook his head. “Do you know what that does to your insides? There’s enough oil on those to make kindling.”
He snatched the bag from her and marched into the living room.
“Hey, that’s my snack!” she protested.
After removing a chip from the bag, he tossed it into the fireplace. Flames licked the chip and then eagerly consumed it as much as Darcy had.
She gave him a pointed look. “I’m not going to swallow a lit match, so you don’t have to worry about my insides burning up. I like junk food.”
“How a sprite like you survives on barbecued cardboard and oil is beyond me,” he murmured. “Stick with me, and I’ll serve you real food that will make you forget where the chip aisle is.”
In no time, he’d seasoned and prepared the roast lamb, and the smell drifted through the kitchen. He’d added new potatoes to the oven while she made a salad. Raising a brow at the carrots and cucumbers she added, he remarked, “Real vegetables, Darcy? Not chips?”
“Up yours,” she retorted with cheer, though her stomach tightened. Food was a delicate issue with her shifting. Too much of the wrong food and she’d struggle to accommodate a different animal body.
Without making a quick trip to drink the magick potion that enabled her to easily transform, shifting presented a real challenge. But she couldn’t risk a trip now, not under his watchful eye.
While dinner cooked, they went into the living room to look over the map Adrian provided of the abandoned town and the mine. Darcy didn’t like that the mine had one entrance. One exit. If they ran into trouble, they were sitting ducks.
“Are you sure you hid the snow crystal in the back of the mine?” At his nod, she sighed. “And of course you hid it near Lars’s body.”
“No, his body is here.” Adrian leaned forward, pointed to a side shaft. “It’s a long drop down and filled with water. He’s probably rotted by now.”