Wolf’s Heart

by Ruelle Channing

  “I am a scientist. A very good one. How am I supposed to believe this? Werewolves do not exist. Maybe you were bitten by a rabid dog or something. No, wait, that wouldn’t cause this. Maybe you should have your thyroid checked? Wait, you said a werewolf?”

  If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Ryden might have laughed at Carlee’s rambling as she struggled to make sense of it all.

  Spinning on her heels, she looked at him, eyeing him suspiciously as if he was going to attack her, or change into something much worse. Ryden just stood there, waiting for it to all sink in and remembered all too well when he was first told about this nightmare.

  “Carlee, it’s all true,” he said as he sat down on the bed. “It’s top secret in the military. We’re a small group that works within the various branches in the special forces. I’m Delta Force, and if they knew I was telling you all this, they’d kill us both, but I’m tired of living a lie where you’re concerned.”

  When she finally stopped pacing, her next question surprised Ryden. “Peaches, are you okay? Do you, like, hurt or something? Do I need to do something?”

  He looked up and saw the genuine concern in her face. “Um, sometimes, but it’s more of an itch than actual pain. The first time was, um, well it wasn’t fun, but it gets easier as time goes on.”

  Finally, she moved across the room, slowly. His heart sank, knowing she was afraid of him, and he prayed she’d come to trust him again. She continued across the room, walking around the bed. When she was finally standing in front of him, she knelt down and he looked into her beautiful green eyes. The fear was gone, well mostly, and in its place was concern. After all she’d been through, it was his wellbeing on her mind. To say he wasn’t expecting that was an understatement. There were still a lot of questions he hadn’t answered, but there would be time for that later. Instead, he took her hands in his and brought them to his lips. He could hear her breathing hitch.

  “I’m just sorry I couldn’t tell you. I stayed away for the last three years to keep you safe. I didn’t trust myself around anyone except those like me. I was afraid I’d hurt someone, hurt you, and not be able to control the wolf. But lately, you’ve been on my mind a lot. I felt pain in my whole body the night you were hurt and for several days after. It wasn’t until I first found you, the pain stopped.” He placed one hand over her belly right where her wound had been. “The only thing I can figure is I could sense you were in trouble. Your face was the only thing I could see. I had to find you.”

  He pulled her into his arms and laid her back on the bed. Her still-damp hair spread out under her, and he stroked his fingers through it. She reached up and touched his face, then asked the one question he was afraid to answer.

  “How did I heal so quickly, Peach?” Ryden leaned over and touched his forehead to hers, trying to figure out how to answer her without scaring the hell out of her.

  “I made a phone call to a friend, asking for help. I knew you were getting worse. Your incision was red, inflamed and obviously infected. You were running a fever. Taking you to a hospital was too much of a risk. I wasn’t sure if I could protect you there, but I couldn’t wait to see if you got better. Running with you hurt wasn’t an option either.”

  He took a deep breath, raised up and looked in her eyes. “I licked the cut clean and dripped some of my blood onto your incision. My blood healed you, or at least that’s what I assume.”

  He waited for the bomb to drop. Waited for her to lash out at him, to scream at him and worry about what the side effects would be to his blood being on her open flesh.

  She laughed softly and touched his face.

  “At least now I know why lying next to you feels like being wrapped in a fur coat. Of course, you know I’m a vegetarian, and I don’t wear fur either.” There were long periods of silence as Carlee seemed to be trying to process everything and he gave her the time, quietly holding her while he continued to run his fingers through her hair. She moved her head and looked into his eyes, and he saw the trust there.

  “Peach, I just don’t get it. I mean, I am glad you found me, but how could you feel me? Why would you feel me? You broke things off with me, with a lame phone call, I might add. No contact since and now you felt my pain? How does that work?”

  He knew the answer but hoped she wouldn’t push it for now. Ryden just continued to comb his fingers through her hair, picking up a curl and rubbing it between his fingers as though it was fine silk.

  “I don’t know, Buttercup, I just knew this is where I needed to be. I couldn’t think of anything else but getting to you, so here I am.”

  He felt Carlee relax a bit against him. Given everything she now knew Ryden could still feel tension in her body. When he spoke of licking her wound, putting his blood on her incision, she was calm, but he could hear her rapid heartbeat. He tried not to think of the ramifications, just knew he hated the sound of fear and regret that was in her voice.

  “That doesn’t mean anything, right? You know all the legends and stuff. Don’t you have to, I don’t know, like bite me or something for me to turn? I had electrolysis, it hurt like hell. If I grow hair, I will have to kill you.”

  He saw her glance over to the table and the uneaten dinner. They were so close, her being in his arms felt too right. He didn’t want to get up but knew they had to eat. Carlee still needed to gain her strength back.

  “How about that dinner?”

  Ryden got up, pulling her up with him, and they walked to the table where the cartons had been placed.

  “Your blood or not, I’m still a vegetarian. I’m gonna eat my veggies and be just fine. Oh, about the trip to the farm to see the little cow? Definitely off the agenda.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The evening had been quiet. Carlee kept finding herself looking at Ryden. He didn’t look any different. Well, maybe a little different. He looked stronger. His muscles were more defined than she remembered. It was if he spent all of his time in a gym instead of in a desert for the last three years. He was tanned. The biggest difference was in the eyes. The color, the depth of expression within them gave her stomach butterflies. What the hell was she doing here? She should have been out the door as soon as he started with all this wolf shit. He was right, she was still weak. His blood healed her incision and the infection but she was working on getting her strength back. At least, she told herself that was why she stayed. “Carlee, quit overthinking everything. If you have questions, ask. I will answer what I can.” She knew as Ryden spoke, he was doing his best to give her space.

  “You know I have a million questions, they just haven’t all unscrambled yet. I think maybe it’s best if we call it a night. Lemme sleep on it.”

  She had too much on her mind as she tossed and turned. She had given up Ryden’s sweats which were more like baggy shackles. It seemed as if she had lain in bed for hours before she finally fell asleep.

  And when she finally did, the dreams came.

  In the dream, she was looking in a mirror and watched as, instead of herself, a wolf looked back at her. The wolf’s pelt looked like black silk. It was the eyes that had her stirring in her sleep. They were wild green that began to glitter like emeralds. Her fingers reached out to touch the reflection, only to have it disappear. In its place was her own reflection, but only one thing remained…the eyes. The image she’d seen was of herself.

  The movement of the bed was enough to bring her out of the dream. She looked up to find Ryden alert and searching the room for any sign of danger, his gun in his hand. The intensity she saw in his eyes caught her breath.

  Carlee looked over at him; damn he was so intense. His eyes were blue with flecks of grey which seemed to change according to his mood. Right now they were alert as they darted around the room. She knew he had taken his shirt off before bed. His quick movements had caused the quilt to come to rest at his waist. Looking at his chest, there wasn’t an ounce of fat and only rock hard muscles. Carlee couldn’t seem to stop her eyes as they traveled down to
his stomach, chewing the corner of her lip at the happy trail and remembering just how happy she was when she followed it.

  Jesus, what am I thinking! She jumped from the bed nearly tripping as her feet tangled in the blankets “Shit, um…yeah...I call first shower.”

  “You’re not going to tell me what that was about?” Ryden called after her as she made her way to the bathroom.

  “Just a dream, nothing to worry about.”

  She could hear him chuckle but didn’t look back. She didn’t need to, she could feel his eyes following her. Turning the water to cold she stripped off the shirt, let it fall to the floor and stepped in. The chill of the water didn’t do much to help. She couldn’t seem to turn off her brain despite the fact that she was now and forever planning a monogamous relationship with some D batteries and BOB. There was a werewolf in the next room and she’d just dreamed she’d become one. What the hell was she thinking?

  As she gathered the soap, lathering it in her hands, she began to wash. From out of nowhere, the memory came back, recalling in great detail why she called him Peaches.

  Three years ago…

  It was a small tavern at the Baltimore Inner Harbor. A few drinks, then a few more and they had spent the entire evening talking, dancing and playing foosball. When the bartender finally called for closing time, she invited Ryden to come back to her place. And he did. Yeah, she knew it was stupid. She was letting a complete stranger know where she lived. But it didn’t seem to matter. All she knew was he had the most amazing eyes she had ever seen, strong features to match his strong arms. She wanted a chance to live on the wild side.

  When they got to her place, she thought he wanted to play a game. Going in through the kitchen, she was laughing over something. They were both drunk. Ryden grabbed a peach from a basket of fruit on the counter. They were almost overripe. He didn’t just eat the damn peach—he turned it into foreplay. The juices ran down his chin, his tongue swiping across his lips to get as much of the sweet juice as he could. She was unable to move and leaned against the counter and watched. After she managed to find her voice again, she cleared her throat and licked her lips.

  “I guess you really like peaches.”

  He finished and placed the pit in the sink. When he turned to look to Carlee, his eyes were smoldering.

  “I think I’m gonna like you even more.” In one fluid move, she was in his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and their lips met in a desperate kiss that continued as he carried her through her apartment, bouncing from wall to wall until they were in her bed. That night, Carlee found out first hand, over and over and over again that Ryden liked her much more than the peaches.

  Shaking her head under the shower spray, she knew that she had to get her head back in the game. She got out of the shower, and as she was drying off, she ran her hand over the peach tattoo, glad she hadn’t covered it.

  As she was brushing out her hair, Ryden walked in uninvited.

  “Mind if I join you?” He gave her a wink and sly grin.

  While being naked in front of him was never an issue before, somehow this time it felt different. Just the look in his eyes made her feel dizzy. She could feel it. This was a wolf and that wolf did something to her she couldn’t explain. His eyes moved down her body with a look that could only be described as…hunger. She backed up as he moved forward. Her heart was racing, thundering in her chest.

  “Ryden? I am not a T-bone. Don’t look at me like that.” She lifted her arms. “Look, skinny arms, not flabby or anything. I do work out but remember, I’m a vegetarian would probably taste like broccoli, Peach.”

  The vision of their first night came back in vivid color. That little trip down memory lane accompanied by the fact that he was standing so close, his scent filling the air, had her locking her knees together. Ryden’s knuckles brushed down her cheek. He leaned in close, his mouth at her ear.

  “Your scent gives you away, Buttercup. Don’t deny what you feel, you can’t hide it from me.”

  His lips were soft, hot, as he placed a kiss on her neck before turning, dropping his pants and stepping into the shower. His chest was not the only part that seemed to have grown since they’d last seen each other. She turned around as if unaffected by the sight of him. She had already seen and would never forget the vision of his naked muscular ass, or the large erection he sported as he got into the shower. She tripped over the towel she’d left on the floor and heard him open the shower curtain.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  Her voice squeaked “I’m fine. Good. Just a little weak, you know, from hunger…for food. I’m stealing another shirt.” The last thing she needed was a naked, wet Ryden picking her up off of the floor.

  Turning on the water, Ryden tried desperately to get his libido to chill the hell out. Just knowing she’d been watching as he stripped down had his cock standing at attention. Carlee in nothing but a towel hadn’t helped. The scent of her arousal still filled the room, and it was taking every ounce of will power to keep his distance. Sleeping beside her the last few nights had required an incredible amount of self-control. He was fast losing his grip on the single thread that kept him from diving between those luscious thighs and leaving them both exhausted and extremely satisfied when it was over.

  It didn’t take him long to finish his shower. He hadn’t brought fresh clothes in the bathroom with him, leaving him no choice but to walk back into the main room with just the towel hanging low on his hips.

  Carlee’s eyes followed his every move, her tongue licking along her lips. Ryden couldn’t resist casually dropping the towel as he began digging through his bag of clean clothes. He could hear her trying to swallow and knew her eyes were glued to his ass. He looked over his shoulder, careful to hide his smile.

  “Did you find something to wear?”

  “Um…ah…huh?” She finally looked him in the eye.

  “Clothes, Buttercup. Did you find something that would work? We’ll grab some things when we leave here in a bit. I know you’re getting tired of wearing my old sweats.”

  “Um, yeah, sure.” He turned back to the bag and found the jeans he wanted and purposely didn’t bother with boxers. Instead, he turned and faced her head-on. The control he’d been struggling to maintain was fast disappearing as he walked over to where she sat on the bed and knelt down in front of her.

  “How long are you going to make me wait, Carlee? You know I want you.” His fingers caressed along her bare thigh and moved under the long t-shirt she wore. Her skin heated under his touch and she swallowed hard, her breathing coming in gasps. “We’ve done this before. Why the sudden restraint?” His voice was barely a whisper as he leaned closer to her. He trailed kisses across her neck and down to her shoulder as he pushed the oversized t-shirt aside.

  His hands on were on her thighs and he heard her breath hitch and could see her heart rate increase in the pulse at her throat. The temperature of the room seemed to jump fifteen degrees in a matter of seconds. She leaned into him as his lips continued giving her neck attention.

  “I won’t wait much longer,” he whispered against her ear.

  “Ryden, this isn’t us now. I understand why you ended it, but you did end it. Things are different now.” Her voice was breathy and without conviction.

  A car out front took that exact moment to backfire, and the sound echoed through the room like a gunshot. Carlee shoved him back, knocking an unsuspecting Ryden on his ass for just a second while she made for the door, flinging it open. Quickly, he was up, grabbing his jeans, gun in hand. The fresh air hit them, bringing them both back to reality. Ryden saw the car, blowing black smoke, pull onto the main street.

  Angry, Ryden grabbed her arm, pulling her back inside and slamming the door, growling. “Never open that door without looking. You had no clue what or who the fuck was out there!”

  Carlee didn’t look at him. She just jerked out of his grasp and walked past, tensing at his outburst. “Why don’t we pack up and get on the road? We need
to stop somewhere so I can get some things. We should be able to make DC today. We need to get this done so you can go back to your life and I can go back to mine or start a new one or something.”

  Ryden was frustrated and so tense he was sure a bow string had nothing on him. That car backfired at just the wrong damn time. When he saw the coast was clear, he turned his frustrations on Carlee. "Dammit Carlee, you know better than to have opened that door. You wanna be pissed? Go for it, Buttercup. Don’t ask me to apologize for trying to keep your ass safe. “

  She wouldn’t even look at him as she stalked to the bed and began to gather her things. He flipped the safety on his sidearm, laid it on the table and moved across the room to her.

  “Carlee, you need to talk to me.” He tried to take her in his arms, but she pulled away. “Please, listen to me.”

  He wrapped her in his arms and she struggled against him. He could feel her body shuddering as she fought to control her emotions. Ryden wasn’t sure what to say, but he knew what to do.

  He turned her in his arms and crushed his lips to hers. At first she pushed at him, and then she began to kiss him in return. Their tongues tangled, hearts pounded, and his hands slid up under the long t-shirt to cup her ass. His cock pressed against her belly, throbbing with every heartbeat.

  There was so much he wanted to say, needed to say, but how could he when he was as confused as she was? He knew this wasn’t the time to make love to her like he really wanted to, so reluctantly, he broke the kiss and just rested his forehead against hers, both of them struggling to take air into their lungs. When their heartbeats settled, he tilted her chin up so she could look him in the eye.

  “Carlee, I’m not going anywhere, even after we get this case solved and you’re safe. If you’ll have me, you’re stuck with me.”

  Her eyes glistened with tears that spilled down her cheeks. He palmed her face and wiped them away with the pad of his thumb then he kissed her again, this time gently. Maybe JT was right, and she was his true mate. Right now that didn’t matter. She was here, safe in his arms, and he would make sure she stayed that way. He suddenly realized that he wanted to be with her always, forever. If she left him, he knew his heart would break. Did he love her? He wasn’t sure, but living without her would be hell on earth. Maybe that was love. Maybe this is what it felt like. Maybe it was supposed to be them, together, for always.