by Anya Bast
“So,” added Torrent, “they brought you here in an effort to locate our strongholds.”
She nodded. “There was no danger of that. I don’t know the way.”
Torrent laid a hand on her shoulder. “You’re safe now and back with family.”
She launched herself into his arms and began to sob.
Torrent smoothed her hair and spoke over her head as she cried. “It’s time for you to return home, Kaiden. Go back and heal that wound. Take this woman with you. Give her food and shelter. When I return, I’ll find a place for her.” He turned to Alisa. “Maybe I can find your family. You must have some left.”
Alisa glanced at Kaiden’s wound. “It must be a long way. How can he make it back?”
Torrent grinned at her. “You are now in the care of one of the toughest dire wolves on four paws. Kaiden will make it.”
* * * * *
Paige glimpsed the dire wolf through the window of the kitchen as she was helping Jarek make breakfast. She set down the couple of eggs she was holding and ran out of the house and across the yard toward him. Joy bubbled out of her at the sight of him, alive and well.
As she approached, she noticed the woman on his back and the singe marks in his beautiful coat. Maybe he wasn’t as whole and healthy as she’d first assumed.
He came to a stop in front of her and pushed his head into her hand, closing his eyes, while the woman slid from his back. “I’m so happy you’re back,” she whispered, putting her head near his and nuzzling his soft fur.
While Kaiden shifted to man form, she greeted the woman, who was injured and battered. She was around her same age, had long, dark hair, and looked exhausted. An angry purple bruise marked almost the entire side of her face. She reached out both hands to the woman. “I’m Paige.”
The woman took her hands and smiled. “My name’s Alisa. Kaiden and Torrent saved me from being killed earlier today. I’m very much in their debt.”
Paige squeezed her hands. It was clear the woman had endured a lot. “You look like you could use a bath, a meal, and good, long rest.”
She sighed as though the thought gave her immense pleasure. “I could, thanks.”
Just then Jarek came up between them. “Kaiden let me know you were coming, Alisa.” The Lycaon could communicate telepathically. “Come on, let me take you inside.”
After Kaiden had taken the woman to the house, Paige knelt beside Kaiden who was lying in the grass. He had a scorch mark on the skin of his chest. “What happened?”
“Magica hunters.” He touched it and winced. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“It looks awful.”
“It will heal.” He pulled her against him, just left of his wound. “It was worse being away from you.”
She stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. His body was hard and very, very naked beneath hers. “I missed you too,” she whispered, putting her mouth near his.
He kissed her and rolled her onto her back, lying on his side beside her. “I need a bath.”
“I don’t care.” She threaded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.
“You’re a brave woman.”
“I was worried about you, Kaiden. You were gone two days, but it felt like forever. Don’t go away again, okay?” She only had a little over a week left before she went back to her own reality. She didn’t want to lose any more time with him.
“Now that I have this injury, I won’t be returning to the woods. I can’t say I’m not pleased about that.” He lowered her head and kissed her again, sending waves of need radiating through her. Then he whispered against her mouth, “There’s nowhere else I want to be right now...or for the rest of my life.” He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice trembled. “I’ve never known anyone I would take over the seclusion of the deep forest. But, you....you, Paige. You change everything for me. Because of you I’d rather be a man than a wolf.”
She opened her eyes, the moment ruined. Those words were too tender, and hit too close to emotions she couldn’t acknowledge. Pushing away from him, she struggled to her feet. “I admit to feeling oddly close to both of you and if that’s the mate bond, then so be it. I also admit to being confused by level of caring.” She paused. “But none of that changes the facts and the fact is that I have a life back over the rainbow, one I’ve worked hard for. I also have a sister—”
“She shares the genetic Lycaon link. She’ll be over here at some point.”
She set her hand to her hip. “So everyone is telling me, yet no one seems to know who her mates are. You and Jarek knew I was your mate, right? You watched me through the veil when you could. Rafian and Lucas knew who Kaitlyn was. Well...who are Caroline’s mates?”
Kaiden remained silent for a moment. “We’ve asked around, but we don’t know.”
“Right. The possibility she may never be pulled over, or the possibility that she might be pulled into another Lycaon village far from here is too much for me.” She paused. “It might be acceptable for Kaitlyn since she’s drunk the Lycaon Kool-Aid, but not for me.”
Kaiden pushed to his feet, displaying his body in its full glory. She tried not to stare, but it was hard. “Lycaon Kool-Aid?”
“I just mean Kaitlyn is fully Lycaon, committed to her mates and this way of life. She’s not thinking of Caroline.”
“I think she would be dismayed to hear you say that. I’ve spent a lot of time with your sister and she’s very concerned for Caroline.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from him. “I have deep, inexplicable, irrational feelings for both of you, but that doesn’t change anything. At the end of these two weeks, I’m going home, Kaiden.”
He stepped toward her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She refused to look up at him. “Then we have some time to change your mind.” He placed a finger on her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. “And I play dirty, Paige. I will use every trick in the book to seduce your body, your heart, and your mind. You belong here with us. You just need to see it.”
It was wrong that those words made her shiver, but it did. “Oooh, threats. I’m so scared.” She smiled and tried to calm the beating of her heart.
“Only a threat of the nicest, most carnal kind.” He leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers, parting her lips and snaking his tongue deep within.
The sound of footsteps behind them made her jerk away. It was Jarek. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt, which was stupid. They’d put her in this situation and was encouraging every mind blowing second of it.
“How is Alisa?” asked Kaiden.
Jarek rubbed a hand over his tried looking face. “She’s fine. I showed her the bathroom and extra bedroom upstairs. She’ll take a shower and get some sleep. She wanted sleep more than food, even though she needs that too. Tomorrow morning we’ll find her some clothes and settle her into the guest apartment.”
“Guest apartment?”
He nodded and pointed at the barn at the edge of the property. “We keep it for Torrent. He lives there part of the time, to be closer to the edge of Lycaon territory.”
“We need to find her people,” said Kaiden.
“If she has any.” He paused. “Did she tell you her story, Kaiden?”
“Yes, it’s rough. Her Lycaon parents were probably spies. They died without being discovered, leaving her to be adopted by Magica parents. Her adoptive parents eventually found out she was Lycaon, but they protected her secret. At least, up until she was revealed.”
Paige jumped into the conversation. “So her parents were some kind of Lycaon sleeper agents?”
“Sleeper agents?” asked Jarek.
“Were they living among the Magica, pretending to be Magica, with the intention of popping up one day, exposing their true genetic origins, and hurting the Magica in some way.”
“No,” answered Jarek, “They weren’t ever supposed to hurt them. They were there to spy on the Magica for our benefit, to warn us of upcoming attacks.”
“Why did the Magica have Alisa in the woods?” Paige asked.
“They were trying to force her to tell them where the Lycaon villages are,” answered Kaiden, “but, of course, she doesn’t know.”
“Let’s let Kaiden rest. I’ll dress his wound, he can have a shower and get dressed.” Paige arched an eyebrow. “Not that I’m not enjoying the view, but he looks dead on his feet. I’ll fix him something to eat and he can tell us the rest over a meal.”
“Sounds good to me,” answered Kaiden.
They all went in and an hour later, Kaiden was down in the kitchen enjoying a bowl of the stew Jarek had made the previous day. “It’s not good out there, Jarek,” said Kaiden between mouthfuls. “There are more Magica Hunters than I’ve ever seen before. Something is going on.”
Jarek rubbed his chin. “Maybe Alisa can shed some light on it when she’s better rested.”
“We were hunting the Hunters, taking them out day and night, still more came.”
“It sounds like they suspect they know the general area of the territory,” Paige added.
“They’ve known the general area for many decades,” Jarek answered. “They can’t pinpoint the villages because of the magickal shields in place, but it sounds like they’re feeling pretty lucky they might one of these days. That tells me the shields might be failing.”
Jarek met Kaiden’s eyes and they seemed to communicate something between only the two of them. Kaiden tore his gaze away from Jarek’s and stared down at his dish. Then he dropped the spoon into his bowl with a clatter and pushed it away.
“What’s wrong?” asked Paige.
Kaiden pushed away from the table. “I’m exhausted. I need to go to bed.” Leaning over, he gave her slow, lingering kiss on the lips, then rose and walked away.
“It’s late. We all should get some sleep,” said Jarek as they watched him retreat upstairs.
“Okay, seriously, what was that about?”
Jarek pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “We’re concerned about you.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head to his chest. “I can take care of myself.”
They stayed twined in each other’s arms for a long time before he answered her. “We know you can, but the curse of a Lycaon is never wanting their mate to need to.”
* * * * *
Kaiden slid his mouth down the curve of her breast and fastened his warm lips over the taut nipple, flicking it back and forth with his wet tongue. She arched her back and moaned as he teased it, radiating pleasure through her. His hand slid between her thighs while she eased her palms down his muscular, smooth back and upper arms. Her mind was lost in a swirl of bliss.
Paige woke with a start, her body humming from the dream. She rolled over, panting. It had seemed so real. Waking without Kaiden in her bed almost hurt.
Jarek had wanted her to sleep with him and she’d wanted that, too. But having Kaiden home changed the dynamic in the household, probably more for her than it did for them. They’d been expecting an arrangement like this, after all. But it was all new for her and she wasn’t sure quite how to deal with wanting two men at once...and being able to have them.
Needing to look at Kaiden, to assure herself that he was, in fact, back in the house, alive and well, she slipped from her bed. Finding her robe, she slid it on as she left the room. Kaiden’s room was just down the dark hallway.
She pushed the door open and found him sprawled across his bed, the sheet twined around his waist and his chest bare. Moonlight glowed on his skin, giving it a magical silvery sheen. She let out a breath. There he was, safe and sound. The wound he’d sustained in the woods looked much better. Lycaon healed quickly.
Walking closer to him, she reached out and touched the hard plane of his chest. He smelled of the soap he’d used earlier that evening. Unable to resist, she pulled off her robe and slipped under the covers.
Kaiden didn’t wake, but pulled her close in his sleep. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, enjoying the heat coming off his body. The Lycaon seemed to have a higher resting body temperature than humans.
Her time with Jarek had been lovely, but she was glad Kaiden was home. Both of the men seemed to assuage needs within her she hadn’t known she possessed. It was going to be very hard to leave them when her time here was done.
Right now she wouldn’t think about that. Right now she would live in the moment, enjoy her time with them, and take advantage of it. She would consider this a break from reality, a segway into the world of fantasies she’d never dreamed would come true.
Smiling, she settled against Kaiden and sighed. He tightened his arms around her and she relaxed. Being close to either Kaiden or Jarek made her feel protected and safe. It wasn’t a feeling she’d ever sought before, but now that she had it, she enjoyed it.
Closing her eyes, she drifted into a deep sleep.
* * * * *
Kaiden woke to find a sweet, warm weight against his side. He stayed motionless for a long time, afraid that if he moved she’d disappear and he’d wake from a dream. As she shifted in her sleep, her hair brushed his skin. His breath hitched as a shaft of sunlight caught her skin and made it glow.
Warm happiness filled his chest. Perfect moments like this came too rarely, especially in his life.
She roused and her eyes opened, her pretty gaze meeting his. She smiled. “Morning.”
He swallowed back the lump in his throat. “Morning.”
“Feeling better?”
“I couldn’t feel any better right now. Really, there’s no way. You’re in my bed, Paige.”
Her smile widened and her cheeks went pink. “Your wound, I mean. How is it?”
Wound? Oh, then he remembered. “It’s still stings, but it will be fine. Lycaon are tough.”
“And protective, caring, strong, and a couple hundred other positive things.”
“Did you sleep all night with me?”
She nodded. “Pretty much. It was lovely.”
Reaching up, he ran his thumb over her lips. “Not as lovely as waking up and having you at my side.”
She pushed up and, careful not to touch his burn, which was covered with a flesh-colored bandage, pressed her lips to his.
He made a sound of hunger in the back of his throat and pushed her back, pulling her body beneath his. Her smooth, bare leg slid between his thighs and he cursed the fabric separating them. She shifted beneath him, her hands stroking over his skin, exploring his back and upper arms. Never had the touch of another person felt so good.
“I want you,” she whispered against his lips.
“I’m yours.”
She smiled and pushed up against him and he let her press him to his back. She got to her hands and knees, leaning over his body to kiss him deeply, her tongue snaking aggressively into his mouth. After she’d thoroughly plundered, she dropped her mouth to his chin, throat, and the edges of his bandage, as if she wanted to kiss away his hurt.
The sensation of her sweet lips on his flesh, her fingertips and nails raking over his skin nearly made him insane. Kaiden’s breath hissed through his teeth and he wound his hands through her hair in an effort to prevent himself from pushing her back onto the mattress and mounting her like some frenzied beast.
She laid a line of slow, deliberate kisses from his belly button to the top of his pants, making his heart pound. He’d fantasized so long about this. She purred somewhere deep in her throat as she pushed his pants down just far enough down to free his erect cock to the air. Her delicate fingers stroked it tentatively.
He couldn’t take it anymore. “Enough,” he growled. He pushed her back onto the mattress. His fingers itched to get her nightgown off her, but he didn’t know if he could manage the task without imploding first. He felt such an urgency to be inside her.
Chapter Four
She’d wanted to taste him. She’d been about to lower her mouth to his cock when he’d pulled her away. He was
outrageously beautiful everywhere and he made her hunger like a starving person presented with a feast.
Denied the opportunity to put her mouth on him, she wanted, needed, him inside her right this very minute.
He came down between her thighs. Settling his hips against hers, he kissed her hard and possessively. Paige arched her back and moaned when he grasped the edge of her nightgown and dragged it up over her heated skin.
When he wrapped his beautiful lips around one of her nipples, she tipped her head back and thanked the universe for men like him, whatever world they lived in. He laved and sucked each nipple to a hard, rosy tip, while she moaned.
Taking a moment to pull her nightgown the rest of the way off, he looked down her body. Now there was nothing between them. He seemed pretty happy about that—and so was she.
He slipped a hand up her thigh, dragging his fingertips up her sensitized skin toward her cunt. When he reached it, he teased her clit gently until she sighed and whispered his name. “You feel perfect, Paige. I knew you would,” he murmured right before he lowered his mouth to hers.
“Please,” she gasped. She tipped her head up and caught his darkened gaze. “Kaiden, please. I need you.”
“Not more than I need you.” He jerked his pants off and pressed her onto her back, setting his cock to her entrance.
She gasped, feeling the large crown of his shaft breach her. Her muscles stretched with his invasion. Jarek had been really big, but Kaiden was even bigger, and she hadn’t had sex in a long time. Sure, she’d used a vibrator once in awhile, but Kaiden was far larger than any toy she owned. Could she even take Kaiden into her body?
“Shh, Paige. Relax for me, baby. It’s okay.” He scattered kisses across her cheek and mouth and caressed his hand up and down her thigh. “I want to be inside you and feel you all tight and hot. I want you wrapped around my cock, but I’m not going to hurt you, okay? I would never do that. We’ll take this slowly.”