Eden

by Eden (lit)

  “I’d like to try to stand,” she answered.

  Alexander released her slowly, careful to keep his claws away from her flesh. Her body slid down the front of his, leaving nothing to the imagination. With their dramatic height difference, she came to rest with her face level with his abdomen. One glance down told her everything she wanted to know.

  “Well,” she said breathlessly. “Don’t know how I missed that before.”

  Antonio reentered the room laughing. “If you finally noticed that, then you’re feeling better.” He plugged in the blow dryer and tossed it onto the bed. “Here you go. Should I build you a fire? Are you still cold?”

  “That’d be great.” Her voice was still breathy and she was blushing so hard her face burned.

  Alexander had managed to hold the blanket against her back and Catrina wrapped it carefully around her front as she pulled back from him. She staggered toward the bed and scooted underneath the covers.

  In no time at all, Antonio had a fire going in the hearth at the foot of the bed.

  “I know that Viktor wanted you to stay,” he said to Alexander. “Will you be staying with Catrina or would you prefer to guard her door?”

  “He’ll be staying in here,” she said, not waiting for the werewolf to answer.

  The butler nodded, bid them both goodnight and closed the door behind him. As soon as he was gone Alexander asked, “What did he mean it’s nothing he hasn’t seen before?”

  Catrina turned on the blow dryer and began to run a hand through her hair. She couldn’t stand to touch near her scalp, but she could at least get most of it dry.

  Finally she answered, “Antonio was my first lover. We’ve known each other a long time.”

  Alexander moved over toward the fire and stretched out on the floor in front of the hearth.

  “Are you still …?” He paused. “Well, probably not since you’re seeing Viktor. I mean …” He snorted with disgust at himself. “I’m just going to shut up and dry my fur.”

  She smiled. “Would you like me to dry it for you?”

  He lifted up and even though she knew it was Alex, it was just a little bit creepy to see The Big Bad Wolf sitting at the foot of her bed.

  “You don’t mind?” he asked. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”

  “It’s no trouble,” she assured him, patting the bed beside her. “I’m starting to feel a lot better. At least, I’m not in any more pain.” She touched the bandage on her forehead gingerly just to be sure she was telling the truth. Catrina found it hard to believe that something that had hurt so badly just a short while ago felt almost fine now. Come to think of it, she didn’t remember Antonio bandaging her head. He must have done it when he took off the rest of her clothes.

  Alexander stood up and moved slowly around the bed. This time her eyes roamed over him freely, taking in all of his powerful form. From the knees up he still had the appearance of a man, at least shape-wise. Only his wolf-like head and feet were obviously not human. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was just as impressive when he was naked in human form.

  “I’ll sit on the floor beside you,” he said. “I’m still damp enough that it might wet the covers again.”

  He turned his back to her and Catrina scooted to the edge of the bed. She still had the blanket wrapped around her body like a towel. But she needed to adjust it a little bit in order to reach Alexander with the blow dryer. She put one leg on each side of his broad shoulders and started drying his back.

  Alexander fought to control himself. He knew he couldn’t just take her. But the beast didn’t know that and he was fighting for control.

  “What did Viktor mean when he said you were his animal to call?” she asked, brushing his fur with her fingers in order to get to the roots.

  He focused on her question and it helped to calm him somewhat.

  “Wolves are one of Viktor’s familiars.”

  “Does that mean he could control you like the bats?”

  “It means he could try,” Alex growled.

  She thought that over for a moment before asking, “Has he ever?”

  “No. Catrina, I want you to know I didn’t stay because he said to. I stayed because you asked me.” He began to turn toward her as he said, “Why did you ask me to stay?”

  When he faced her it put his upper body directly between her legs. The werewolf growled low and deep. The sound should have been threatening, but it was much more of a come on.

  “I’m an animal, Catrina.”

  She sat up straighter and placed her hands on his shoulders. She refused to shy away from him and the compassion in her eyes was difficult to take. He wasn’t used to having someone accept him, especially not a naked woman.

  “Some people say that man was meant to be an animal,” she said softly. “I admit I’ve always been intrigued by that.”

  “How so?” he growled.

  “I’ve always wanted to find the perfect combination of beauty and beast.”

  The werewolf licked his lips and said, “The things I want to do to you have very little to do with being your friend.” He growled again and turned his back to her once more. “Tell me about your uncle. Tell me about your goddamned sock collection, just talk about something besides sex.”

  “I wasn’t talking about sex,” she pointed out.

  He glanced back over his shoulder and snapped at her playfully. “You get the point, smartass. Change the subject.”

  Catrina spent the next few minutes drying his fur and listening to the fire crackle. Combined with the low hum of the blow dryer it was almost enough to put her to sleep. After a while she said, “Apparently, I don’t know as much about my uncle as I thought I did.”

  “When did he die?”

  “Two years ago.”

  “Do you know how it happened?” he asked, shifting so that she could dry his arms.

  “No. All I know is he had some sort of accident overseas. He was supposed to be in Japan at the time. His ashes were sent back home. They’re resting above the mantle in the study downstairs.”

  Alex cleared his throat and it sounded like he was about to attack something. Catrina jumped and he said quickly, “Sorry, I ate a chicken while I was downstairs. I always get bones stuck in my throat.”

  She laughed at the mental image his words created. “You ate a whole chicken?”

  “I was hungry.” He cleared his throat again and said, “So, what about this place? It’s still kept up. Who lives here besides the butler?”

  “The cook, the maid and the gardener. He left them enough to retire on, but they chose to stay here.”

  “What about the estate?”

  “He left that to me.”

  Alexander took another look around the richly furnished room. “And you prefer to stay in Eden? In the historic district no less.”

  She shrugged. “I like the architecture. You don’t find many buildings with such careful design anymore. Besides, I like my building.”

  He turned back toward her again and rested his head against her thigh. Catrina began to pet him and he didn’t stop her. No one had been comfortable enough to pet him before. He observed her expression as he asked, “Is it because you miss him so much? Is that the real reason you haven’t come to live here?”

  “Yes. I’ve only been able to visit once before now. It feels like he should come running down the hall and sweep me off my feet. I was closer to him than my parents.” Catrina had to stop talking. She was surprised to feel tears sliding down her face. She’d thought it had been long enough that she could talk about losing her uncle. But she was wrong.

  Alexander rose to his knees and placed a hand on either side of her waist. He wanted to hold her, but he didn’t want to scare her.

  “You want to know the sad thing?” she cried. “I thought for a minute tonight that if I did die, at least I could see him again.” She leaned against Alex and he wrapped her tightly in his arMs. “God I miss him,” she whispered against his fur. “I even miss his awful
jokes.”

  About that time lightning flashed outside the window and with the resounding clap of thunder, the power went out.

  “Shit,” she said and jumped back from the werewolf.

  He sighed. “Oh well, at least I got most of my fur dry.”

  “There are some candles in the dresser over there,” she said, pointing.

  “How do you know?”

  “He always kept candles around the house in case of a storm.”

  Catrina rose to her feet with the werewolf’s help and she found it surprisingly easy to stand.

  “That’s amazing,” she said as she walked toward the dresser.

  “What?”

  “I’m almost not dizzy anymore. I had no idea that vampire blood could do that. I knew it could heal but …” She noticed Alexander’s expression and her words trailed off. “Are you angry because I accepted his offer?” she asked while she lit some candles, placing them carefully onto the glass plate on the dresser.

  “No,” he said softly. “I didn’t want you to die or to suffer.”

  She turned back to him and the candlelight reflected in her green eyes. She reminded him of a cat in the dark. Her long dark hair was bushier than usual thanks to the blow dryer and it hung about her shoulders like a mane. She looked wild standing there, wrapped in the blanket, holding a small candle in her hands. Even the bandage on her forehead could not distract from her beauty.

  “I’ll be honest with you, Alex. I’m afraid of death. I didn’t think I was until the possibility became very real to me tonight. When Viktor offered to share his lifetime I …”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation,” he said as she placed the remaining candle on a table beside the bed. “Besides, as I understand it there is one last step to becoming his human servant. You are bound to him, but the decision has not been entirely set in stone.”

  “Everybody knows more about this than I do,” she said, crawling back between the sheets. “I spent so much time learning to destroy monsters that I forgot to learn how they exist.”

  She watched him for a minute as he looked into the fire and made up her mind about how she wanted to spend the night.

  “Alex,” she said softly. “I’m going to ask you something that may seem a bit off.” He turned back to her expectantly and she said, “Will you sleep with me tonight? I’m not asking you for sex. I’m asking you for comfort.”

  He crawled slowly toward her. “It’s not that strange of a request. Pack members sleep together all the time and it has nothing to do with sex. They take comfort in each other’s nearness.”

  Catrina sat up and removed the blanket, tossing it onto the floor. Then she turned back the covers as she requested, “Keep me from the cold tonight, Alex.”

  He crawled onto the bed carefully, making sure not to catch the sheets with his claws. After a few minutes of readjusting, Catrina threw back the covers completely. She was surprised to find that she felt no shame in being naked with the wolfman. It seemed perfectly natural. She knew that he could keep her warm without the sheets. The heat rising from his body was already beginning to seep into her, even though they hadn’t touched. She moved toward him then and even though she saw a werewolf, she felt the presence of Alexander. Though he looked as hard and fierce as the lightning outside, he touched her with the gentleness of the candlelight.

  Catrina chose not to notice the fact that he was naked and snuggled up against Alexander’s chest. It was easier than she had expected to put his sexuality out of her mind. When his arms wrapped around her all she could feel was his warmth and all she could smell was his familiar scent. She could hear his heart beating beneath her ear and it didn’t take her long to realize that Alexander’s arms felt like home. In the werewolf’s embrace Catrina found the peace she had been missing.

  * * * *

  She awakened sometime shortly after dawn, still warm and still pressed against the front of Alexander’s body. The only difference was, he wasn’t covered in fur anymore. Catrina pulled back a little and her breath caught at the sight of him. He was absolutely gorgeous, laying there in the early morning sun. The soft rays of light reflected off his hair, giving it the appearance of a golden halo.

  But this was no angel resting beside her, not with a body which was likely made by the devil himself. His impressive physique spoke of hours of hard work and dedication. As a matter of fact, Catrina wanted to dedicate a few hours to it herself.

  He still breathed like a large animal, deep and even. Like nothing could disturb him. But she knew that as soon as she made a noise he would be awake. She lay there for a moment longer, drinking in the sight of him until she could no longer ignore the call of nature. Catrina scooted off the bed as quietly as possible and padded toward the bathroom.

  She paused just before going in and took a look around the room. She had forgotten how utterly impressive Ravensdale Manor was. Everything here had an air of majesty about it. The golden sheets were pulled back, temporarily hiding the scarlet comforter. The large canopy which hung above the bed was also gold, not a bright gaudy shade, but darker and more aged in appearance. The whole room was furnished like they were expecting the Queen of England. But then again, so was the whole house. Still, it managed to convey some warmth. At least it had when Harry was around. His presence still lingered in the manor and she wondered vaguely if he haunted its lonely halls.

  She fought the urge to laugh as she remembered calling Antonio Alfred. She used to tease him mercilessly by asking where was the secret cave underneath the manor. Now she wondered if there really was a secret cave.

  Once she stepped into the bathroom, she closed the door gently and took care of the necessities. Afterward, Catrina was washing her hands when she caught sight of her reflection and screamed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  She had barely taken another breath before Alexander came crashing into the room.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  But Catrina couldn’t answer. She could only stare numbly at his bare flesh. Having him stand upright rather than lying across the bed, only made certain parts more obvious. Not that you could overlook them to begin with. Since the werewolf knew she was seeing someone else, Catrina almost asked if he also mailed out chocolate to diabetics.

  Alexander caught onto the way her eyes roamed over him and quickly snatched up a towel. Still, he was taking in her body with the same hungry look.

  “Are you alright?” he asked as he secured the towel around his waist.

  Catrina looked back toward the mirror and asked herself the same question.

  “I look … different,” she said softly. “I was expecting to see some bad bruising or maybe worse.” She paused and Alexander came to stand behind her.

  He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked more closely at her reflection. Her long dark hair looked luminous and practically sparkled underneath the soft lights. Her eyes were a brighter more vibrant green and her skin seemed to glow from the inside out. For someone who had been cracked in the head the night before, she was a knockout.

  “Wow,” Antonio whispered behind them.

  They both jumped and turned toward the butler.

  “Sorry,” he said with a smile. “I heard screaming and it didn’t sound like the good kind.” He winked at Catrina as he said, “Breakfast will be ready shortly if you’re interested.”

  She looked herself up and down and said flatly, “I’m naked.”

  “Oh, right,” he said. “Before he left last night, Viktor also suggested that I call and leave a message for Jacob. I didn’t know you had a partner. And a priest,” he added as he walked back out of the room. Antonio waved his hand as he spoke, “Anyway, Jacob stopped by after you had gone to bed last night and dropped off some clothes for you.” He turned toward Alex then. “As for you, señor, we look to be about the same size. That is unless you prefer to go around naked.”

  Antonio turned to leave the room then stopped suddenly. “I almost forgot, Jacob wanted me to tell you tha
t ‘the guy’s girlfriend was a werewolf.’”

  “Oh,” she said. “Well, I guess everything went alright.”

  “For him you mean? I suppose. I nearly had to shoot him to keep him from disturbing you last night. He finally took my word that you were alright and would be back at home tomorrow night.” Antonio shook his head as he turned back to the door and motioned for Alexander to follow him. “I don’t see you for a while and you’re living with a priest, dating a vampire and using a werewolf as a teddy bear,” he mumbled on his way out.

  She watched the way Alexander’s hips swayed on his way out of the room and wished he hadn’t bothered with the towel. Antonio must have been on his way in with her clothes, because he’d left them on the bed. Catrina blushed as she imagined the priest having to select a matching bra and panty set for her. She blushed even deeper when she saw he’d chosen pink. Not only had he selected pink underwear, but he’d brought her jeans and a pink sweater. Maybe Jacob was trying to suggest that pink was her color?

  She shrugged off the thought and went back into the bathroom. Catrina intended to have a look at her forehead and was determined not to scream. She was certain that her altered appearance was due to Viktor’s blood now flowing through her veins. She made a mental note to ask him about it later that night.

  “Oh, that’s right,” she said to herself.

  They had a date tonight. It was Friday and they were supposed to be going someplace where she could practice mingling with other vampires. She’d been planning on canceling, but to her surprise she felt great. People who had their skulls fractured the night before were not supposed to feel great!

  Catrina leaned over the sink, getting as close to the mirror as she could. Then she took a deep breath and started peeling off the bandage. Her heart was hammering against her ribs. Sure she had some other scars, but they weren’t on her face. She was afraid of being disfigured. But what she found was not so bad. The area where her forehead had actually been cut was smoothed over with fresh pink skin. Around this shockingly small wound it looked like someone had smudged dirt over her forehead.