Staring down at him, she felt the oddest sensation deep inside her chest. Her wolf, suddenly alert and restless. Even as she tried to understand, her beast made a swift attempt to force her to change, rushing her, taking her completely unaware.
What the…? Stunned, Alisa easily controlled the animal. Where on earth had this come from? Such a move was shocking. Her wolf had been content to remain dormant ever since Alisa had changed for the first time at thirteen. Back then, she’d simply shown the beast who was in control and that had been that. Since then, there had been no challenges, no rushed attempts for escape, nothing. She and her wolf had existed in complete harmony.
Until now. Why? Deep inside her she knew this had something to do with the man lying unconscious in the hall.
Speaking of whom—Alisa rushed into one of the empty rooms and picked up the nightstand phone to call the family’s personal protection unit. Moments later she hung up. Help was on the way. She’d deal with her miscreant wolf later.
* * *
Wakefulness came as suddenly as the loss of consciousness had earlier. One moment he was out, the next, fully aware.
Despite his lack of sight, Braden opened his eyes and turned his head, reaching out to see what his fingers encountered. Soft sheets, the luxurious feel of Egyptian cotton. Relief flooded him. He was in his room, on his bed. Apparently he’d made it back here after all.
“No, you didn’t.” Princess Alisa spoke from a chair near his suite’s fireplace. “You weren’t fortunate enough to get back here before you passed out.”
He frowned, wishing he could see her expression. “Did I say that out loud or did you read my mind?”
“Neither. Your thoughts were easy to read on your face.”
Letting that go proved beyond his capabilities. “Sorry, since I lack the ability to read your face, I wouldn’t know.”
She continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “You dropped in the hallway, as quickly as if you’d been shot.”
Suddenly he remembered and winced. “My apologies.”
“Accepted,” she said, sounding slightly prim. “Do you want to hear the rest of what happened?”
“There’s more?” Horrified, he wondered if his wolf had somehow managed to wrest control before he’d blacked out. But even if the beast had, when one lost consciousness, so did the other. He knew there’d not been enough time for him to shift.
“Oh yes, there’s more.” The smile in her voice had him feeling slightly better. “When you fell, you pinned me to the floor. It took me a good twenty or thirty minutes before I could extricate myself.”
“Hellhounds.” He closed his eyes, a habit from the days when doing so would have blocked out an unwelcome or embarrassing sight. “I apologize again.”
“No need.” Now she sounded positively cheerful. Was she really taking delight in his misfortune?
Clearing his throat, he hoped not. “How did I get back to my room?”
“I called a couple of my father’s off-duty bodyguards. They came and carried you here.”
Picturing this, he shook his head. “I’m actually glad that I wasn’t awake for that. That’s way beyond mortifying.”
She crossed the room to him, bringing with her that amazingly tantalizing scent. “Don’t look at it that way. You were sick, they helped you. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Since he had no choice in the matter, he nodded. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he winced at the stabbing pain in his head. “Migraine,” he said. “Sometimes this happens after I pass out.”
“Ah, I can help with that.” Talking as she moved away, she turned on the tap and filled a glass, returning to his side. “Hold out your hand. I have just the thing for your head. This works wonders for me.”
Instantly suspicious, he squinted up at her as though he could really see her. And—strangely enough—just for a moment he was able to pretend that he could. Just her silhouette, a lighter shade of gray against all the black. But when he tried to fixate on this, it vanished.
Proof that once again, his mind was playing tricks on him. This in itself was enough to make him scowl.
“It’s nothing dangerous,” she said, nudging his hand with the glass. “One pill. Just a simple, over-the-counter migraine medication, derived from an ancient Teslinkian remedy. It works miracles, I promise.”
Because his head really was pounding, he accepted the glass, then held out his hand for the pill.
Once he’d washed it down, he let her take the glass from him and allowed himself to sink back against the pillow.
“Rest a second,” she told him. “Give the medicine time to work.”
“I hurt too badly to do otherwise.” Trying to relax, he closed his eyes. To his surprise, a few minutes later, the tight band of the headache began to ease.
“Are you okay?” she finally asked, leaning in close and bringing a whiff of scent that made him want to reach up and touch her.
Clearing his throat, he focused on her question. “Surprisingly, I feel better.”
The second he spoke, his wolf decided to rush him. Though weak, he was able to bat the animal back into submission.
Still, the problem had to be dealt with immediately.
“I need your assistance,” he told her. Past experiences had taught him in urgent situations directness worked best. “You know how I told you my wolf wanted out? It’s more than that—I can barely keep him contained. It’s been far too long since I’ve changed.”
“How long?” she asked, genuine curiosity in her voice. Again he stifled the urge to reach up and cup her chin with one hand while exploring her face with his other. The fact that he’d be fumbling to find her gave him pause, as well as knowing she’d find this a shocking invasion of her privacy.
“I don’t actually remember,” he admitted. Then, before she could make some comment about how she’d thought she was the only one who had trouble keeping track of changes, he continued. “I’d appreciate it if you could help me find a place where my wolf can run.”
At first, she didn’t respond. Then, she moved closer still, so close that her breath tickled his face. Keeping perfectly still, he refused to react, though his heart had begun to pound in his chest.
Finally, she did the unthinkable. With her soft fingers, she brushed the hair from his forehead. He shuddered, unable to hide it.
“Of course I will,” she said. “When do you want to do this?”
Though her touch had his pulse leaping, he managed to sound relatively normal. “As soon as possible. Now.”
“Do you feel up to it?”
Curse her, though she wasn’t touching him, she didn’t move away. If he’d been more certain of her motives, he would have captured her wrists and pulled her to him.
Even the brief thought made his body stir. His wolf, waiting for the smallest sign of weakness, waited alertly.
“Yes. I have to. Now.”
“I’ll have someone drive you to the forest,” she said.
His stomach sank. Inside, his wolf growled, furious and disappointed.
“That won’t work.” He blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I’d like you to go, too.”
“Why?” Her sharp voice told him she wasn’t fond of the idea. Some people—and evidently she was one—found the act of shape-shifting too intimate to share with total strangers. Most shifters, when they changed back to human, were completely aroused physically. Lovers often took advantage of this state, while others simply ignored it politely until it went away.
He had no interest in copulating with Princess Alisa. He wondered if telling her so would be too bold and offend her.
“Because I’d like you to change as well. That way, my wolf can observe you while you’re in that form.”
“Observe me?” she repeated. “Are you telling me that when you’re a wolf, you can see?”
He frowned. “You know as well as I do when we’re wolves our nose is our primary sense. So no, I can’t see with my eyes. But I can smell.”
After he’d managed—barely—to subdue the beast, he took a deep breath. “Did you see that?” he asked quietly.
“Yes. And my wolf has been reacting to yours.”
This surprised him, though he didn’t have time to ponder any possible ramifications.
“Reacting how?” he asked, though he already suspected.
She was silent for so long he’d begun to doubt she would answer.
When she did finally speak, her tone had gone scornful. “My wolf seems to think we could be…mates.”
Stunned, he found himself at a loss for words.
“That’s…”
“Ridiculous?” she finished for him. “Believe me, I know. I don’t believe in woo-woo nonsense like true love or soul mates, so don’t worry.”
“I wasn’t.” He cleared his throat, changing the subject. “I really need to change. Can we go now?”
“Are you able to get up?” Leaning in, she took his hand, her touch soft and warm, her scent and her amazing, sensual voice electrifying.
He couldn’t help it, he jerked away. Not out of repulsion, but from fear he’d do something crazy, something they’d both regret, like yank her down onto the bed on top of him.
“Sorry.” Her sharp tone told him she’d taken his abrupt movement as a rebuff of her friendly attempt to help.
Since there was no way in hell he could tell her the truth about what her touch did to him, he simply pushed back the thin sheet that covered him and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I’m ready now.”
“Come on,” she answered, her tone more distant. “Let me send for my car and I’ll take you to our hunting grounds in the Sjmelka Forest. That’s where my family goes when we wish to change. We used to always go there and run together as a Pack.” She sounded wistful. “That was the one time I felt like every other shifter.”
This, he could understand. In the world of the wolf, there was no such thing as royalty.
Keeping his thoughts to himself for now, he followed the precise click-click of her heels as she strode down the hallway. The length of her quick stride made him believe she must be a tall woman. Athletic possibly, since she didn’t seem to have any quickened breathing or other signs of strenuous physical exertion.
Unlike himself, he thought wryly. He’d spent so much time hunched over computers, books and microscopes that he’d quit working out, except for the occasional bike ride around Boulder. Of course he’d even had to stop that once he’d lost his sight.
“Watch your step,” she said. Immediately, he slowed, not sure if he’d be stepping up or down or what. He’d been so antsy about getting to the woods to change that he’d completely forgotten his cane.
“Where?” he asked. The last thing he needed was to fall or injure himself. He had enough problems with the perpetual blindness and daily exhaustion as it was.
“Here.” To his surprise, she took his arm. Her hands were soft, too, the smooth, pampered skin of a rich, royal woman. “We’re about to go outside. There are six steps down, and then we’ll be waiting while someone brings my car around.”
Once again, she’d managed to surprise him. “You drive yourself?”
Her laugh was low, husky and sensuous. “Of course. I have the most lovely automobile.”
He couldn’t help but smile at that, picturing a powder-pink Volkswagen Beetle or candy-apple-red tiny convertible or something silly like that.
She led him outside, allowing him a moment to pause and inhale deeply of the clear, dry air.
“Now the steps,” she said, helpfully steering him in the right direction. He couldn’t help but wonder why she was suddenly being so nice to him, especially since she’d made it plain she didn’t want him around.
Just then he heard the throaty rumble of a sports car.
“Here’s my car,” she said. “It can go from zero to sixty in a few seconds.”
Chapter 6
A moment later, the vehicle pulled to a stop in front of them. Someone got out and opened the passenger-side door, helping Princess Alisa herd Braden inside.
“Buckle up,” she said, a smile in her voice. “I tend to drive very, very fast.”
Doing as she asked, he wondered if he should be glad that he couldn’t see. Back before the accident, he’d loved nothing more than speed. Now, with everything else completely out of his control, he wasn’t so keen on the idea.
They took off, burning rubber, and then shooting forward so quickly he was thrown back in his seat. Beside him, he could hear her change gears, letting the engine play out to maximum RPMs before shifting.
Grudgingly, he realized she was a good driver, methodical despite her apparent love of driving fast. But then of course, he could only go on what he heard. If he’d been able to actually see, he wondered if he’d feel differently.
Inside, his restless wolf made his displeasure known. Braden soothed the beast, letting the animal know he would soon be able to run free. Grumbling with displeasure, the wolf finally settled in to wait impatiently.
Alisa cursed, then downshifted rapidly, slowing their speed considerably. “Traffic,” she said. “It’s rush hour and everyone is trying to make it home from work.”
Dread curled in his stomach as his wolf snarled. “How far is it to this forest?”
“It’s actually a short distance,” she told him, sounding slightly grim. “Normally, that is. Traffic like this will add another half hour to our drive.”
The vehicle felt as though it was barely moving.
Again, he struggled with his wolf, trying to make his beast understand the delay. Enduring this, he could well understand how one would go mad—refusing to let the animal side have its time had already taken a toll on him, and it hadn’t been more than a month or so. He hadn’t meant to let it go so long, but with the trip here and all the arrangements he’d had to make to ensure his lab at home was able to run, time had slipped by too fast.
“Tell me about this forest,” he asked, wanting to distract his now-pacing wolf.
“Hold on,” she said, downshifting rapidly. “Traffic is breaking up in the fast lane. I’ll need to do some maneuvering to get there.” She then tromped on the accelerator, running through the gears in rapid succession.
The sports car responded, shooting forward as they weaved left, then right, then left again. Braden found himself envying the powerful machine and actually respecting the skill with which Alisa controlled it.
“We did it,” she crowed. “We’ve broken free of that knot of cars and there’s nothing but clear highway ahead. Sjmelka Forest, here we come!”
Braden nodded, sheepishly releasing his grip from the door handle. As he did, they took a curve to the right, moving so quickly and so sharply that he was thrown up against the door.
He barely stifled a curse.
“Sorry,” she said, sounding completely unapologetic. “Now to answer your earlier question, our forests are well known among the European Pack. It is thought that our founding wolf-mates met here during a hunt.”
“Founding? As in the beginning of your family?”
“No. Broader than that. As in the beginning of our country. The Teslinko Pack.”
Mildly curious, he settled back in his seat, enjoying the melodic sound of her voice. “How long ago?”
She laughed. “I take it your research didn’t bother to track our ancestry either?”
“No.” Once again, he made a mental note to fire the research assistant, who’d obviously been lazy compiling what he considered necessary information.
“The Teslinko Pack was one of the earliest Packs studied. It is believed that our mated pair traveled here separately about the time Atlantis fell.”
Startled, he swallowed back a snort of derision. “Atlantis? Atlantis is a myth.”
“Is it? Like werewolves and vampires are myths?”
This time, he did snort. “Jus
t because one set of fables is real doesn’t automatically render them all factual.”
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Anyway,” she continued, apparently not wanting to debate him, which was a pity. There were few things he enjoyed more than a rousing debate.
“These two shifters, each alone, traveled the forest in their wolf form. Legend has it that they were both hunting the same deer. The male brought it down and the female moved in on his kill.”
“Which can be asking for death,” he said, interested despite himself. When he’d been a small boy, he remembered his mother telling him stories about their own ancestors.
“Yes.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “Only in this situation, the male was so smitten that he not only didn’t challenge her, but he let her have the heart and liver of the kill.”
This made him smile. “Classic behavior of a mate.”
“Exactly,” she said. “Hold on, we’re about to leave the pavement. The road is dirt from here on.”
He barely had time to grip the door handle before they careened sideways, hitting what felt like a crater. The rest of the bone-jarring, teeth-rattling ride felt like it went on forever, especially to his still bruised and sore body.
“How much longer?” he forced out, trying like hell to sound as if he didn’t care and only half succeeding.
“Almost there,” she answered. Then he could have sworn she deliberately swerved so they’d hit a pothole straight on. Though why would she? She’d been nothing short of friendly since his accident and collapse in the hallway. She’d seen the bruises and scrapes. She had to know he was hurt.
When the car finally stopped, he had to unclench his jaw and take a deep breath. There was little he liked less than being out of control. Being blind had taught him an instant lesson in acceptance, as there was nothing less in control than being blind and forced to depend on others for everything, including transport.
Honestly, it sucked. But he’d learned to cope. After all, he had no choice.
The Wolf Princess: The Wolf PrincessOne Eye Open (The Pack) Page 7