“To my favorite spot to go and relax. Trust me, you’ll like it,” he said.
Anya felt like Little Red Riding Hood out for a stroll with the Big Bad Wolf. A smile played on her face at that thought. Dante didn’t seem all that bad, and her hunch was he’d been putting on a show, trying to be the big tough alpha. Part of her hoped it was true, because if it wasn’t, then tonight he would follow through with his threat.
* * * *
They sat on the blanket by the river bank. Anya was being quiet, seemingly taking in the atmosphere of the area. The sun filtering down through the trees caused her hair to look like silky golden strands in the sunlight. Her pretty blue eyes looked almost bashful as he stared at her. She smiled and it reached them. Dante then realized he’d blatantly been staring at her.
“What do you think?” he asked. His own voice sounded shy to himself, and he felt his cheeks flush a little. It really wasn’t something he was used to. He never blushed.
“It’s a very peaceful spot.”
“Do you like swimming?” What the hell kind of question was that, he thought. Idle chitchat was not something he normally did.
“Yes. I practically grew up at the beach,” she said with a light laugh.
Dante smiled. All right, that worked. Now what do I ask?
“Do you come here a lot?” Anya asked, drawing him from the litany of questions he should ask.
“Not as much as I used to. Sometimes I sneak down here late at night and go for a quick swim.”
“I know how it is. I have a favorite place I like to go to as well. It’s so breathtaking there at sunset.” She smiled.
“Really, where is it?”
“A bluff overlooking the bay near my house. I always go there to clear my thoughts.”
“Does the place have a name?” This was going much better than he thought it would.
“Yes, Maiden’s Bluff. It’s supposed to be where young ladies would go to watch their lovers return to shore.”
“Sounds romantic.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she said, turning a little red. “I never told anyone about it before. No one goes there anymore because the cliff face is too unstable.”
For the next hour they talked. He learned she was an avid hunter, loved to go boating, fishing and hiking. She also told him she was unmated, despite her alpha’s attempts to find her a suitor. Dante was more than happy with how that afternoon was turning out. Anya laughed, smiled and seemed relaxed with him. It was a far cry from her first few days there. Maybe Beth was right. Maybe, even if she left, just maybe, he could still win her over.
After they ate they lay on the blanket beside each other. They stared up at the clouds lazily drifting by in the bright blue sky as a little breeze cooled the late afternoon air.
“That one looks like a bird,” Anya exclaimed as she pointed it out.
She seemed to be enjoying the day with him. It made him smile as they continued spotting different-shaped clouds.
“What does that one remind you of?” Dante asked as he pointed to a dog-shaped cloud.
“A wolf. That looks like a ship,” she said and pointed to a large white puffy ship-shape cloud.
That brought his enjoyment to an abrupt end. They needed to head back soon as it was getting late in the day. He’d only given Mitch until sundown to bring Cora home. Now he needed to go and wait by the village’s dock. Mixed feeling swelled in him.
“We need to get headed back now, Anya.” To his surprise, she looked saddened. That only made what he had to do harder.
After they’d packed up their basket and folded the blanket, Dante guided her to his home. Again, he offered her his arm to help support her as she walked. She took it and smiled, the warmth of her arm linked with his felt nice, and he took his time walking. He didn’t want the day to end. Although she was still weak, Anya managed to keep pace with him. She should have healed fully by now. He assumed digging the hole through the floor of the shed had to have impeded her recovery.
They made it to his cabin and he saw Memphis already waiting on the step. He’d told him to guard Anya while he was at the dock.
“Will Beth be coming over after?” Anya asked.
“Probably not. She needs her rest,” Dante said as they stepped inside after Memphis opened the door for them.
“Don’t worry, Anya, I’ll play cards with you,” Memphis said with a big smile.
“You need to watch Memphis. He cheats,” Dante said, and it earned him a giggle from Anya.
He left her there and rode his horse down to the dock to wait. His emotions were running high. His nerves were frayed, and the men with him seemed antsy as well. Time drifted by, the sun settled on the horizon and Dante became agitated. The longer he paced the more his thoughts tortured him. There was no sign of Mitch or his sister, and as the last rays of the sun died, rage flooded him.
He left his men to keep an eye out for a possible attack, and Dante turned and stormed toward his mount. As he rode back to the village, his anger grew. Not only because Mitch didn’t come through, but now he had to do something he truly didn’t want to. He didn’t even bother to take his horse to the barn when he reached his cabin. He tethered him to the rail and stepped inside.
Memphis looked up at him from the table. He was playing a game of solitaire, and his face paled. The room was empty of anyone else. “Where is she?” He growled.
“S-She went for a nap.”
“Get out,” Dante ordered as he held the door open.
“But, Dante—“
“I said to get out!”
He had no patience now. Memphis raced by him, and Dante closed the door. He turned on his heel and headed toward his bedroom. He walked in and saw her lying there on top of the blankets. She stared right at him.
Anya sat up and made to get off the bed. He moved and made it to her in two steps, then pushed her over onto her back. She struggled to get away, but he laid his weight on her and gripped both her wrists in his hands. Her eyes went wide and he scented the air. She smelled of fear, heat and lust. It stirred his beast to the forefront. If Dante was to do this, he had to let the wolf take over, because there was no way in hell the man could do it.
He leaned closer, his nose brushing the flesh on her face as he took a deeper smell. She made no attempt to gain her freedom, lying perfectly still in his grasp. His wolf was pleased. She was being submissive, and it nearly had him ready to tear the clothes off both her and him. He licked the soft skin of her cheek, tasting her. It sent a rush over him. A groan slipped out of him. He couldn’t do this, not like this.
Dante stared down into her eyes, searching, looking for any sign that this was okay, that she was willing. They were only lined with tears as she stared back up him. His heart thudded hard in his chest. If she didn’t want him and he did this, she would hate him.
“Do you want me?” he asked, his voice still gravely and angry-sounding in spite of his best efforts not to sound that way.
Her mouth opened and her bottom lip trembled. His grip on her wrists loosened a little. She was going to say something, tell him yes or no. His breath caught as he hoped it would be yes. The sudden loud banging on his door he ignored, but it didn’t stop. Then it opened and someone stepped into his cabin, uninvited. He growled deeply, and the look in Anya’s eyes deepened.
“Dante,” Memphis yelled. He sounded out of breath.
“I told you to get out,” he roared back over his shoulder.
“They’re here. She’s here. Cora’s here,” he exclaimed.
Looking down at Anya, he slowly let go of her arms and rose off her. Part of him was elated his sister had returned. However, as he looked at Anya, his heart broke with what he now had to do. It didn’t matter the outcome, either way he’d lost someone he loved.
* * * *
They rode on Dante’s horse toward the dock. He said nothing as he held her close. The heat from his chest against her back felt nice in the coolness of the fall evening air. Something had changed betw
een them. She liked the feeling of his touch, the warmth of his body and the sound of his voice. The closer they got to the dock, the more Anya knew she would miss him.
Both her brothers and Cora stood by one of the Silverback’s larger boats. Its lights shone brightly over everyone, and she saw how nervous her twin was as well as his mate. A look of anger and rage was more than clear in Mitch’s eyes as Dante pulled his horse to a stop twenty feet away.
Dante got down, and then helped her off. She turned and looked over the rest of the pack who gathered to welcome Cora home. Instantly, she wished she could stay. The need to be there was intense, and she wasn’t sure how to tell her brother she didn’t want to go home.
“You’re late.” Dante snarled.
“We ran into a storm on our way back and it took us longer to get here.”
The sound in Mitch’s voice she knew all too well. He was barely containing the beast within him. If she didn’t go he would lose it. Someone would get hurt or killed, and that was not something she could live with. She kept her words within herself, not saying how she felt.
“Cora, your mate is welcome into this pack. I’ll foster him,” Dante said, and Cora’s face lit up with relief.
“All right, you have your sister, now let mine go,” Mitch snapped.
“Anya,” Dante whispered. She turned and looked at him.
Dante stared at her. He reached out and tilted her face up to him more. She didn’t have time to think or speak as his mouth sealed over hers, and he kissed her long and hard. The kiss set her soul ablaze. She swooned, and her heart fluttered.
“Let go of my sister.” Mitch growled.
He pulled his mouth from hers, then stepped back. Dante slipped the braid from his wrist and placed it into her hand. “Take her to her brother,” he said in a near whisper, and as Memphis pulled her away she knew. Dante was him. He was the one. Tightly clutching her braid, she knew she’d found him.
“No,” she whispered as she was handed off to Mitch while Cora and Alex stepped forward.
As they boarded the boat, Anya stared after the small group on the wharf as they faded off into the darkness. Dante stopped before he was completely out of sight and turned and looked at her. Her heart shattered at that moment as she saw the loss in his eyes.
As their vessel headed farther away she continued to stare back at the island. She’d been a fool.
“Did he hurt you? Are you all right?” Mitch asked. She turned to look at him as tears rolled from her eyes.
“I—” Her words couldn’t come. How was she to tell Mitch she was in love with the man who’d held her captive. Who’d held her for the ransom of his sister’s return. Mitch cradled her in his arms, holding her tightly.
“Shh, it’s over now, you’re safe,” Mitch cooed. It only made it worse, and she cried like a baby.
It wasn’t all right, though, and there was no way she would ever be all right again. She silently sat there the whole trip back. Even on the drive to her home, she was silent. Anya, for the life of her, did not know what to say. Mitch kept trying to make sure she was unharmed. All she could do was nod when he asked if she was okay.
Chapter Ten
As soon as he saw Cora’s mate, Dante had a hunch of just why Anya had been so closed-mouthed about knowing his sister. She’d been protecting her brother. The young man looked to be about Anya’s own age and shared many of the same features as his sister—the brilliant blue eyes, blond hair as well as being shorter than most of the other males. After Dante had done the initiation for Alex to become a member of the pack, he learned Alex and Anya were twins.
He’d tried to go back to his home, had tried to go to sleep. Now everything reminded him of her. Her smell was so strong everywhere, and it felt as if he had a hole within him. One only Anya could fill. Even so, as soon as her scent faded away and was utterly gone, he knew how much he would miss it.
Dante found trying to rest was hard. He cradled the pillow she’d used last night, and tears streamed down his face. The ache within him to have her there was more than he could handle. Sleep stole him away, and as he dreamed, a vision of her at the temple filled his slumber. He awoke with a start, something gnawing at the pit of his stomach. An urge to go to the temple filled him.
After getting up, Dante rode his steed toward the temple. He didn’t know what else to do. When their lips had parted he’d seen the look in her eyes, and utter pain had flooded his heart as she’d left. She should have been his. His wolf side was just as much lost as his human half. He stepped inside the ancient ruins and remembered the day he’d seen her there. Her ghostly visage was still strong and vivid in his memory.
Dante walked up to the altar and saw the brackish pool within its center. Was it true? Was it even possible? He cupped a handful of the water, sending a silent plea to the Wolf Lord’s spirit. He couldn’t lose her. He took a sip and the water made him gag. He forced the vile fluid down his throat. An icy shiver coursed over him, and he shuddered at the feeling. As he stared into the pool, he hoped it would work. It had to, he thought.
Dante turned and froze. The eerie transparent silhouette of a man-beast stood no less than ten feet away. It soundlessly moved toward him, and faster than he could react. It slammed into him, filling him with a feeling like death. Icy cold and paralyzing, images flooded his mind, visions of him and Anya making love on the altar. It was him, but it wasn’t, and somehow he’d been given a blessing like no other before as his ancestor’s spirit bonded with Dante’s own soul.
* * * *
Anya sat in her bedroom and stared at the two hand-carved wolves sitting on her desk. Her thoughts were yet again on the man who had made them. It was stupid. To have such feelings for him, Christ, they’d only shared a single kiss. He’d been her captor, held her as a prisoner, and yet, part of her longed desperately to be back there. To be with him.
The letter she’d given to the clerk at the general store was her only hope in finding out if he felt the same. She’d left it there after nearly two weeks of trying to get the courage to write it.
“Anya! Could you come downstairs please?” her brother called. It broke Anya’s thoughts of Dante.
She headed downstairs and walked toward the kitchen where she saw her brother was not alone. The man with him was tall and slim. Maybe a bit older than her brother, the fine lines of his age appearing around the edges of his eyes. The worn out Stetson he donned cast a shadow over his face, giving him a darker appearance. His dark brown hair was barely visible from under it.
She took a sniff of the air and caught the scent of cows, hay and something that reminded her of Dante. The robust aroma of wood smoke lingered.
“Anya this is Craig, alpha to the Misty Creek pack,” Mitch said.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” Craig held out his calloused-looking hand.
“Hi,” she said as she shook hands with him.
“I want you to get to know each other a little. You’re to be mated,” Mitch said and then left her alone in the kitchen with Craig.
The words stung as if she’d just been slapped. Her brother’s tone had had an air of finality to it. She stood there stunned for a moment as the man smiled.
“So I hope you don’t mind, but I thought maybe next weekend would be a good time for us to wed,” he said, and she blinked repeatedly.
“Pardon me?”
“After all, from what I’ve heard, you haven’t had much luck with suitors.” To her, it sounded almost as if he thought he was doing her a favor.
“Excuse me one minute,” she told the self-righteous ass and then headed after Mitch. She found him in the living room, just settling onto the sofa. She noticed Kari had already gone to bed.
“What do you mean we are to be mated,” she demanded.
“Anya, you’re twenty-one years old. It’s time you had a mate.”
“I think I can find my own," she snapped. “And a heck of a lot more acceptable one to boot.”
“Anya, I have been more than pa
tient with you. Now, you will marry Craig,” he told her with a soft demand.
“Like hell.” She growled
“It’s no longer your choice, Anya. I’ve already made up my mind. Craig is a decent man, and he’ll provide a good home for you.” He stood.
“I don’t want him.” she snarled.
“I’ve given him my permission already. As far as I’m concerned, you two are already mates,” he said with his alpha presence exuding from him.
Mitch took her by the arm, led her back into the kitchen and made her sit at the table. She was not happy about it. She didn’t want Craig. Mitch stayed and as he talked with Craig. Anya felt like a prisoner again, this time in her own home. The two men talked about the arrangements of her mating Craig as she sat there fuming.
Mitch spoke about her as if she weren’t even there. It was infuriating to listen to him telling another man that she needed to settle down, have babies and be a good mate. Craig agreed with her brother, told him he would give her a home and he would treat her with a firm but gentle hand. That was more than a little irritating for Anya. It was as if they both still lived in the Middle Ages, and it was all a female was good for was breeding and taking care of the home.
When their talk concluded, Craig stood and looked down at her. His eyes appeared a little too hungry for her liking.
“Come on, you’ll be coming to stay with me until the wedding.”
She looked right at her brother. “What! Mitch, you can’t be serious.”
“Anya, you need to get to know him, and his pack is a distance away. It’s the best way.”
“But—”
“That’s an order, Anya,” he said, and his eyes glowed an amber color.
* * * *
Cora and her mate were settling in, and Alex seemed more than capable of helping out around the village. Still, it didn’t quell the ache in Dante’s heart, it only added to it as he saw how much in love the two were. Somehow over the last few weeks he’d grown lonelier without Anya there. Her scent was now just barely in his home, the strongest place he could still smell her was on his pillow. It’d given him comfort for the first few nights. It hurt, but at least he had the scent to remind him of her.
An Undying Love Page 8