Involuntary tears slid down my cheeks. “I’m completely sterile,” he said.
“Aleric, I have loved you since the first time I saw your statue. This doesn’t change my feelings.”
I hugged him and we stood there in silence for several minutes.
“Speaking of your feelings, you should consider how you feel about Michael.”
I pulled back to look at him. “Why?”
“Because I sense he is supposed to be a part of your life too.”
After we returned to his bedroom, his words echoed in my mind while I watched Aleric gather the consecrated ingredients from the floor and place them neatly on the table. I glanced back into the connecting bathroom and saw the amulet hanging from the mirror. It had stopped glowing.
“What’s the amulet for?” I asked.
“It adds to my power.” He paused before slipping on his long dark robe. The fabric made a whispering, sliding noise as it moved over his skin. “It also glows in the presence of evil.”
“But it was so bright when you were wearing it.”
Aleric smiled at the unspoken question in my words and for a moment his eyes flashed a brilliant blue again. “There is light and darkness in all of us. We each pay a price for the powers we hold.”
“What do you mean?”
He sighed. “I was close to someone long ago, someone I thought I could trust. He was like a brother to me. We lived together, performed spells together. Hell, we were even part of the same coven. But he was into things I didn’t suspect. Dark magic that shouldn’t have been tampered with.”
I could tell the subject was upsetting to him, but I wanted to know more.
“What kind of dark magic?”
“Blood magic.”
I gasped. Even though blood is regularly used in some spells, like the one Aleric had performed tonight, blood magic is a different thing entirely. I had never met a blood mage, but read in the database that one mage might use enough blood in a single ritual to drain their victim dry. I say victim, because I cannot imagine someone volunteering to be a sacrifice.
“I found this out much too late,” Aleric continued. “My exposure to him while working spells together had tainted me.”
“That’s terrible.”
“There is darkness in my soul,” he said, “perhaps more than most. But there is love there also, and where there is love, there is light.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I turned the subject to something else I wanted to know. “What should I do about Michael?”
“You want him,” he answered simply. “I could tell even before you said that you haven’t always been afraid of him. Just the mention of his name does things to you that I have to be this close to accomplish.” He moved so that the fronts of our bodies were almost touching and I sighed.
“That’s not true.”
“Yes it is. There’s no shame in it. I can’t be sure yet what part he has to play, but Michael is not your enemy.” He paused again. “Or mine.”
“What exactly are you saying?”
“I’m saying you should get to know him. Chances are he’s just as confused as we are.”
“You’re all right with that?”
He smiled down at me, rubbing his hands gently over my bare shoulders. “So are you.”
He was right, I was. But that didn’t alter my confusion.
“I come from a long-forgotten world of ritual sex,” he explained. “If you want or need more than one lover, I have no objection. Just so long as you still love me.”
I’m sure this is what a lot of women dream of. I’ll admit that I’ve dreamt of such an opportunity myself. But staring it in the face, I was unsure how to proceed.
“You realize that this is—”
“Not what anyone around here would ever do,” he finished. “Yes. Keep in mind, I’m not from around here.”
Aleric went for the door and I followed, still completely naked. The instant the door moved, Percy fell into the room. Apparently he had his serpentine body wedged against the doorframe, trying to listen to our conversation.
“You can’t be ssserious!” he said.
“You can’t be serious,” I countered. “Can’t I have a moment alone around here?”
Aleric continued on toward the kitchen as if our argument wasn’t happening. When he was just about to enter the foyer he turned and called back, “Give us some privacy or I can make your curse longer than a hundred years.”
Percy slithered toward him. “You wouldn’t.”
I followed the snake as he stared at Aleric in surprise. I knew the wizard wasn’t cruel, he’d just chosen the one thing that would get Percy’s attention. The longer I knew Percy, the more I was beginning to understand why someone put a curse on him to begin with.
“I can and I would,” Aleric answered bluntly.
The snake opened his mouth as if to reply, then clamped it shut and slinked off toward the stairs.
Chapter Eight
The following evening I was sitting in my room reading. Percy was downstairs pouting and Aleric had gone into the woods. He took with him a jar to collect dirt and “other things”. He said the ingredients were for a spell of warding to keep negative entities from coming onto my property.
Aleric slept in my room the night before and was up before me. He’d been busy most of the day. Apparently he could sense things that I couldn’t and wanted to be prepared. I smiled as I remembered the note I’d found on my pillow this morning. “Thanks for the loincloth.”
The first time I heard the noise I thought it was Percy outside my door. The second time I was certain it had come from the balcony. As I opened the French doors a small rock went flying past my head.
“What the hell?”
“Sorry. Did I hit you?”
I looked over the balcony and my breath caught. Michael was standing below, looking much too good to be my enemy. He was wearing another skintight t-shirt, a black one this time. It made his brown hair look darker. When he smiled up at me I noticed the way his hair caught the last rays of the setting sun and wondered why I was afraid. Still, his nearness brought back a fear I couldn’t describe. My eyes told me one thing and the rest of my senses told me another.
“I’m all right,” I said, my voice shaky. “You didn’t hit me.”
“I suppose you’re wondering what I’m doing here.” It was more of a statement than a question. If I closed my eyes and let his deep voice roll over me, the fear wasn’t so bad.
“It had crossed my mind.”
“I wanted to talk to you, if that’s all right.”
It was the slight hesitation in his voice that made up my mind. He was afraid of rejection, but he asked anyway.
“You can come up,” I said.
Michael took a step back and leapt onto the balcony. I moved away, startled. Though I had known that werewolves were more than capable of jumping onto my balcony, I wasn’t prepared to see one do so.
“Wow. That’s impressive.”
I had already changed into my pajama pants and a sleeveless top. The evening was cool and I hadn’t remembered my robe. I clutched my throat, looking for material to pull closer. Michael noticed.
“Do you really feel the need to cover your throat every time I’m near you?”
I let my hands fall to my sides. “I’m sorry. I can’t explain why you frighten me.”
He moved closer and the instant he touched my arms I felt a little bit better. “Yesterday,” he whispered, leaning in close to smell my hair, “just for a moment, you weren’t afraid of me. What changed?”
“For the past few months I’ve had this sort of terror that creeps over me when you’re close. I never used to feel it before. Then yesterday, when I touched you…it stopped. The more my skin touched yours, the better I felt.”
His smile was kind and his eyes turned amber as he said, “Then put your hands on me.”
Was there ever a sexier request? I moved hesitantly at first. The warmth of his ski
n rose to meet me as I lifted his shirt. I let my fingertips linger at the top of his jeans. Suddenly the fluttering of my heart had less to do with fear and more with what I imagined to be underneath his clothes.
My body responded to him as if I hadn’t had incredible sex the night before. When I pressed my hands against Michael’s flat stomach a low growl escaped his lips. It was then I knew I didn’t just want him, I hungered for him.
He brushed his face against mine, bending low to press a kiss against my throat.
“You know, when I visit most people, they invite me to come in through the front door, not to jump onto their balcony.”
“I forgot to take down the wolfsbane.”
His laughter still had a trace of growl in it, a warning more than a threat.
“I’m sorry about the wolfsbane,” I said. As soon as I began to apologize to him, I had the strangest urge to cry. I leaned in to him and could feel his surprise in the way he stiffened for just a second. I wrapped my arms around him underneath the shirt and for the first time since Aleric had left the house, I felt safe.
“I’m sorry about everything. For the way I’ve treated you lately. For the fear I still can’t explain. And for Percy attacking you.”
“Who? Oh, you mean your snake. The bite was healed before I stepped off the porch.”
His words were meant to reassure me, but I could no longer fight back the tears.
“Michael, I’m so sorry.”
He pulled back enough to look down at me. “Why are you crying? Is it something I’ve done?”
“No. You haven’t done anything. You never did. I feel so stupid. This irrational fear had made me forget that I liked you, that I’d always wanted you, but never had the courage to act. I just assumed you’d want to be with another wolf. When you told me your intentions I acted like an idiot. Instead of being happy I was stricken with terror.”
He pulled me close again, smoothing back my hair as he spoke. “And then the last few months you were suddenly terrified to be near me?”
“Yes. Isn’t that the craziest thing you’ve ever heard? I mean, what the hell is going on?”
“What about Aleric, your protector? What has he got to say about all of this?”
There was definite resentment in the way he said protector, but I did my best to explain. Michael continued to hold me as I spoke, and I left nothing out of my story. I wasn’t sure how much he knew about magic and if he would believe me when I said that Aleric used to be a statue or not. Obviously he was flesh and blood now. I told him that we were sleeping together and that I planned to continue my relationship with the wizard. I also told Michael how I felt about him.
“I’m still afraid when you’re close to me, but I don’t want you to leave. Can you accept me the way I am, Aleric included?”
He rubbed his face against mine again, brushing across my throat as if he were memorizing my scent. “It’s no small thing, asking a wolf to share his mate.”
“You still want that? Me, I mean.” When he leaned closer I could feel his smile against my face. “Really?”
His answer was a kiss. A slow, melting tangle of lips that brought me to an instant and slightly painful state of arousal.
“Stay tonight,” I said, my voice husky, “and we’ll sort things out later. I can’t explain it, but I want you here with me.”
“Are you sure?”
“As long as you keep touching me, I’m not afraid.”
As we stood there on the balcony, darkness settled over the landscape, enfolding the surrounding woods in its embrace just as Michael wrapped me in his arms. Michael was beyond a doubt one of the sexiest men I’d ever seen. Aleric was gorgeous and powerful. But Michael had an allure I could not describe. It had always pulled me to him, only I’d somehow forgotten. Well, my memory wasn’t failing anymore. Everything about Michael turned me on. There was no part of him that didn’t feel as strong or look as sexy as the rest.
My muscles began to tighten in response to his nearness, and when he ran his hands underneath my shirt I gripped his shoulders in response to the sensation. He looked dangerous as he gazed down at me. His eyes seemed to glow in the growing darkness. Even though I had been afraid, Michael hadn’t crossed any lines. The hunger he had managed to keep in check was now evident in his eyes.
“Do you really want me to stay?” His rough, sexy voice had already begun to deepen with the beast.
“Yes.”
He turned toward my bedroom and stood, looking inside as if unsure if he was really welcome. Rain began falling softly as I stood staring at him. He was close, but no longer touching me and my heart fluttered once more. No, I thought. I am not afraid of him.
Michael looked like he’d stepped out of a wet dream. I could feel myself growing wetter at the sight of him, and I could no longer imagine what had made me hesitate. I wanted to know all there was to know about Michael. I wanted to be a part of him.
I stepped toward him and watched as his shirt began to cling to every curve of his body as the rain saturated the thin cotton. The sight made me tremble.
“Don’t be afraid to touch me,” he whispered softly. “You said yourself that it helps.” Michael stretched his arms wide. “So, here I am. Touch me.”
He smiled down at me. His amber eyes still glowed, but with an intensity and tenderness of the man he was, not the beast he could become. I knew by the look in his eyes what Michael felt. There was something in the way he held me, in the way he wanted me that let me know I was safe. Michael wasn’t just acting on some mating instinct, he was in love with me.
I ran my hands over the muscles of his arms, enjoying the feel of his hot flesh in comparison to the coolness of the rain. This was more than sex. More than me inviting him to spend the night. A sort of magic hung in the air between us and I could tell Michael sensed it as well. Things would change from this moment on. We were entering into a sort of agreement. Michael, Aleric and me.
Standing on tiptoe, I pressed a soft kiss against his lips. At first Michael didn’t respond, then he began to melt against me. The gentle touch of his lips set me on fire. The cold rain was forgotten as he embraced me and I fell into the arms of the man who had so recently scared me to be near. For a long time now, I had wanted him. And now he would be mine. Whatever magic had caused me to forget my feelings was gone.
He growled softly, a deep rumbling sound that vibrated along my skin. My knees began to shake and Michael pressed me against him, hard but not crushing. No man had ever made me weak in the knees before. Then I remembered, Michael wasn’t an ordinary man.
My hands ached to touch the hot, wet skin that I knew lay just beneath his clothes. I began to pull his shirt out of his pants, pushing it up as far as I could reach. Michael took hold of the hem and snatched it over his head, flinging the wet shirt onto the balcony. His smile warmed me to my toes. No one had ever looked at me the way he did, like he wanted to devour me and shelter me at the same time.
The way his chest felt beneath my hands made me smile as I traced the line of dark, wet hair down his stomach. I could feel through his jeans that he was just as excited as I was.
“What are you waiting for?” I teased.
One minute I was in his arms, the next I was sprawled on the rug in front of the open French doors. The storm raged outside as he pulled the wet shirt over my head.
“I’ve waited a long time to be with you,” he growled softly. “The beast wants me to move faster, but I’d like take my time.”
I remembered all I’d studied about werewolves over the years and somehow I knew the right thing to say to him. “You’re an alpha. You control the beast. It is your beast, not the other way around.”
“No,” he whispered against my lips, “it is yours.”
He rose slowly and helped me to my feet. He kicked off his wet boots by the balcony doors and moved toward where I now stood at the foot of the bed. The muscles along his back rippled and flexed as he knelt at my feet. He looked up at me and I ran my fingers
through his wet hair, staring in fascination at his glowing amber eyes. Without hesitation, Michael placed his hands around my hips, sliding his fingers into the waist of my pants. He pulled the fabric down my body and I stepped out of the pajamas. I wasn’t wearing any panties.
His warm hands ran up my body as his mouth roamed over my stomach and up to my breasts. My breath caught as his hot lips wrapped around one nipple. He bit down, tugging gently on the soft flesh and I cried out.
He growled as I pulled him closer, pressing his face into my breast.
“Don’t stop,” I panted.
“What do you want?”
“I want to look at you,” I said.
I lay back across the bed and smiled as he began to peel himself from the wet jeans to reveal the body I had been fantasizing about.
“Wow.”
My eyes were drawn to the muscular curve of each hip bone. Aleric’s height made him more imposing when he was naked. Michael was closer to impressive. I was thrilled by the sight of him. As a matter of fact, nothing had ever thrilled me quite the way looking at Michael did. I resisted the urge to look at his cock for as long as possible. I think I wanted to be surprised, but maintaining eye contact was not easy.
Michael crawled up from the foot of the bed and leaned over me, pressing me back against the pillows.
“Do I frighten you?” he asked.
“Not anymore.”
He withdrew suddenly. Before I could complain he took hold of my thighs and pulled me to him. Without a word he lowered his head and my pussy throbbed at just the thought of him touching me there. He growled seductively as he began to lap at my flesh, pulling my clit into his mouth.
The feel of his mouth pressed against me was too much. I wanted to wait, wanted to prolong the wonderful feeling spreading throughout my body. When I looked down and saw his head between my thighs, I could not stop my climax. I screamed, pulling his hair as I arched against him. I came so hard that the pleasure bordered pain, leaving me breathless.
Michael kissed my forehead, brushing back my wet hair. “Are you all right?”
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