by Leilani Love
When she stopped and turned, Warrick forced his eyes to look up at her face and he felt his cheeks heat up at having been caught staring at her. “Sweet dreams Warrick,” Hope said, closing the door to his bedroom before he could reply.
He adjusted himself as he leaned back in the bed. For the first time his mind filled with thoughts of what it would be like to meet and imprint on Hope now instead of when they were kids. With no scars, his body totally healthy, what it would be like to simply meet her and seduce her.
Hope had a beautiful soul. He had watched her tonight after they had finished eating. She and Kassandra had gone around talking to people and playing with the kids. He had laughed when she had what Damien had told him was a foam dart gun. Hope and Kassandra had chased the kids around shooting them and laughing when the kids had finally turned and started shooting her.
She was sweet and kind, all Warrick could think was that she deserved to have someone that wasn’t broken. Not haunted by nightmares or constantly having to look over his shoulder to keep her safe. Gabriel had always threatened to kill Hope if Warrick ever broke free. Several times over the year Warrick had wanted to just give up and die, but every time he came close, Gabriel had reminded him that if he died Hope would be the one to take his place.
“Do you think she’ll scream?” Gabriel would ask him as he ran the knife along his side. “I’ve never had a virgin. Poor Hope, she has to be in her thirties now and as long as you’re alive her wolf will never let her sleep with another man. But if you die…”
“If you touch her, I’ll kill you,” Warrick would threaten while struggling against the chains.
Gabriel had chuckled before sliding the knife into his side. “You couldn’t save her before big brother. I should’ve been born first. You’ve always been weak.”
Warrick stayed alive just to keep Hope from the hell he had been living in. Gabriel had told him one night after drinking too much that he had tricked everyone into believing he was him. Using his blood magic and black magic to trick both packs. It crushed him to think that she believed he had killed her parents and had tried to kill her.
But she was safe. That was all that mattered. He would suffer for all eternity so long as Hope was safe. Now that the two were together, Warrick worried that Gabriel would come through on his threats and come after Hope. Damien and Viktor were training the packs to fight and defend themselves and Viktor had a few of his dragon guards help patrol their town, promising to help keep them all safe from Gabriel in case he decided to get his revenge.
With no sign of Gabriel in the past two months, Warrick wondered where his brother might have gone. He didn’t know much about the witches that would visit Gabriel. They were the complete opposite of the Earth witches that resided with the dragons.
Those witches had been beautiful on the outside but the first time one of them had touched him, his skin crawled and his wolf had growled wanting to be far from her. She had smiled, a cold calculating smile before talking to the others. “This one is strong,” she purred. “He’ll be perfect.”
At the time, he didn’t know what they had meant but after the first time they cut him and collected his blood to cast their first spell, he understood. They were going to use Warrick and his imprinting on Hope to make them think Gabriel was him. The smell of sulfur had curled in his nose and the more they came around to cast their spells the more he felt like he was covered in a sticky film. He had been surrounded by it so long that when he awoke and for the first time felt clean, he thought for sure he had finally died.
Warrick tried his best to push his wayward thoughts aside and fall back to sleep. As his eyes finally closed he heard his brother’s distinct voice in his head, “Do you really think you can keep her safe? I’ll always be stronger.”
4
After tossing and turning the rest of the night, Hope went downstairs as soon as the first rays of sunshine started peeking into her room. Throwing back the covers, she grabbed a short robe at the foot of the bed. The red silk robe barely covered her ass and for a moment, she debated about putting on a pair of sweat pants. She wanted a relationship with Warrick. One where he slept with her at night. Hope had a feeling if she pressed too hard he would run but she saw him looking at her last night and felt, at the very least, that he was interested in what he saw. Maybe she could use that to her advantage. The man might resist, but if his wolf was anything like hers, it just wanted to be with its mate.
Downstairs she started the coffee. Not much for eating the second she got out of bed she made herself a cup with plenty of sugar and creamer before sitting at the dining room table. Hope reached up and touched her throat thinking about the events of last night.
She had woken up to the sound of him screaming her name. Hope had run into his room thinking that someone was attacking him. She had felt his pain and when he screamed, “No!” she couldn’t help but touch him. She had been unprepared when his hand had wrapped around her neck and squeezed hard enough that she could barely say his name to wake him.
The sound of the back-door opening caused Hope to jump. Getting up, she walked to the kitchen, surprised to see Warrick standing there. Used to being alone she didn’t even think to check and see if he was in the house when she woke.
“You’re awake,” Warrick said as she walked into the kitchen.
“So are you,” Hope said, as she looked him over. Warrick flushed slightly and she wondered how long he had been awake and what he had been up to.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” she asked needing to break the awkwardness.
“Yes, please,” Warrick replied before saying, “Black.”
With a nod she made him a cup. When she’d put her robe on she had hoped to entice him but since he was already dressed and had been outside she felt a little awkward. When she turned to give him his coffee she noticed he had been watching her and that his blue eyes had darkened in just the slightest way. Hope cleared her throat as she handed him the cup. “I should get dressed. Damien will probably be here sooner rather than later, even if I don’t text him.”
Warrick reached for the cup and for the briefest moment his fingers brushed hers and she felt a shock of awareness. Having imprinted on Warrick at such a young age, she never had any interest in anyone else. When the girls in school would talk about boys and how their stomachs quivered in excitement, Hope would lie and say she had felt the same. But for the first time she felt that quivering sensation and a desire to lean into someone. Warrick’s face had gone blank and she sighed. As Hope walked up the stairs she wondered if she was the only one who felt this way.
Once Damien arrived with Kassandra the two men went into the office to discuss pack business first. With both of their packs moving to the same town, Damien and Warrick were both determined to rebuild them to their former strength.
Kassandra, with a box of donuts in hand, had taken one look at Hope and offered her one. Choosing a chocolate donut, Hope curled up on the opposite side of the couch from Kassandra and sighed.
“Rough night?” Kassandra asked as she tucked her feet under her, her body turned so she could face Hope.
“I don’t know what the Fates were thinking. We imprinted so long ago and so much has happened since then,” Hope said. Hearing the pout in her voice, she took a bite of the chocolate goodness wondering how much chocolate she would need to eat to feel better.
Kassandra sat there with a smile on her face. “You know you’re talking to the girl who drugged her mate the first time they met, right?”
Hope laughed. Her brother Damien’s distress about meeting his mate followed by having her drug him made him so mad she felt it and rushed over thinking something had happened. “That was funny,” Hope said, still laughing at the memory.
“I wish dragons recognized their mates by scent like you guys do. Would have made things a little easier with your brother,” Kassandra said, shrugging her shoulders. “Neither one of you guys are responsible for Gabriel’s greed. But you’re both going t
o have to figure out how to put it behind you in order to be happy.”
“I wish I knew how he felt,” Hope said as she looked toward the office door.
“Have you thought about just seducing him?” Kassandra asked, a big smile on her face.
Hope blushed. She could feel how hot her cheeks were and by the grin on Kassandra’s face she knew her friend was enjoying her discomfort. Could she seduce him? She was a virgin. Would she even know how?
“I don’t even…” Hope started to say unable to meet Kassandra’s gaze.
“You are a beautiful woman, Hope. The Fates have already decided you’re his. He just needs a little push in the right direction,” Kassandra said still grinning. “You don’t have to be too aggressive, small touches here and there. Just be… overly friendly.”
Before Hope could open her mouth to reply, the office door opened and Warrick and Damien came out. Both of them had a look of relief on their faces and Hope couldn’t help but think at the least the two of them were getting along.
Damien came out and walked to Kassandra giving her a kiss. Hope looked away pretending not to hear how her brother told Kassandra he loved when she tasted like chocolate. A glance up at Warrick showed he felt just as uncomfortable.
“The barbeque was a success and I was telling Warrick that in a couple of days we should have several of the other homes ready for the families to start moving in,” Damien said as he grabbed one of the donuts. Offering the box to Warrick, he took a seat in the chair closest to Kassandra.
“That’s good,” Hope said, feeling guilty for thinking about her own problems instead of the pack. “What can I do to help?” she asked looking between the two.
“There’re a few women that are going to be cleaning up the homes, maybe you can just check and see what they need. They’ll also need furniture. Could you work with the store and maybe come up with some items that could be delivered soon?” Damien suggested with a shrug. “The list of families and addresses of the homes are in the office.”
Hope nodded and after a few more minutes they all got up to take care of things. Kassandra was helping set up all the kids in school while Damien and Warrick were both going to help finish up with the grocery store. That would be the town’s first stream of income. After that they were going to take a group of men and train with the dragons.
After she finished getting ready, Hope walked to the door. She was surprised when Warrick grabbed her hand, stopping her. “Be careful today. Maybe have someone go with you to pick out the furniture.”
Hope nodded giving him her best reassuring smile. “I’ll see if one of the girls at the house wants to go.”
Warrick nodded and for a moment she thought he forgot he was holding her hand when he suddenly dropped it and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked so vulnerable that Hope couldn’t help herself and kissed him on the cheek goodbye.
“Have a good day, Warrick,” Hope said before exiting quickly, not wanting to see his face.
Hope made her way to the homes on the list that Damien had given her before she left. Dressed in a pair of jeans and an old grey shirt she had pulled her hair back ready to get dirty by helping clean up the homes. The five houses were next to each other and she noticed that the one on the lefts front door was partially open. She walked up on the porch and quietly entered the house making her way into the living room to see if anyone was there. She followed the sound of laughter to find a group of women of all ages in the kitchen.
They all stopped when she entered the room. Hope smiled at each one. She had met them briefly last night. After meeting so many people over the last few days she felt bad she couldn’t remember everyone’s first name. The girl standing by the table seemed to be the leader of the group. Hope smiled brightly remembering her name was Sandra.
“Hi. I came to see what I could do to help?” Hope said feeling uncomfortable when no one spoke.
At that, the group instantly wwelcomed her, everyone telling her hello at once. Sandra came forward and surprised her with a hug. Sandra had long dark hair and brown eyes and if Hope had to guess, was probably in her thirties. “Thank you so much, we’re just finishing up our coffee and trying to figure out which house we wanted to tackle first,” Sandra said with an easy smile.
5
Warrick spent the day with the electrician trying to help wire the buildings. He wasn’t able to do anything major on his own but was able to get him set up so things went smoothly and they were able to finish two of the four buildings. The grocery store and the gas station looked to be on track to open by the end of the month.
Viktor had offered to give them the money to get everything up and running but a wolf’s pride ran deep, and instead they finally agreed on an interest free loan. The families that were interested in running the small businesses had submitted an application and Damien and Warrick were to pick families to be the individual owners, along with making suggestions for managers. Several of the wolves had found jobs in the surrounding towns with Viktor’s recommendation. Warrick and Damien were hoping that they, as a community, could start supporting themselves by the end of the year and begin to pay back Viktor for all his help.
After spending the better part of his day with the electrician, Warrick drove to Viktor’s to spend a few hours training. Warrick needed to get his strength back in order to protect Hope. He wanted to convince himself that the voice in his head was just his mind playing tricks on him but with him and Gabriel being twins, there was a chance Gabriel was talking to him through their connection.
As Warrick walked to the training grounds he heard Chase’s voice say, “You need to keep an eye on your surroundings even during a fight. Just because there’s one person there when you started the fight doesn’t mean a second one isn’t coming up behind you.
Warrick stepped around the corner just in time to see Chase grab one of the wolves from behind, holding him in place making him an easy target. Chase released the trainee before telling him to go back in line. “Some days you can do everything right, and nothing will go your way. Just remember always keep your head. The fastest way to lose a fight is to lose your temper. Keep your calm and remember your training.”
With that Chase dismissed the class and Warrick watched as a mixture of dragons and wolves walked toward the barracks. While he had been recovering he’d eagerly watched the training sessions from his window, wanting to join them and stretch his muscles.
“Warrick, good to see you,” Chase said a smile on his face. “Did you come for a private lesson?”
Warrick shook his hand in greeting, “Yeah, if you have the time. I tried to get here before you started training but we’re almost finished wiring the second building and I couldn’t get away.”
Chase nodded taking a swig of his water. He was just a little shorter than Warrick, standing at about six feet tall with golden brown eyes that turned completely gold when his dragon came out. Warrick had only seen him change once, when his mate Violca was outside. Before climbing onto her mate’s back she nuzzled the dragon’s neck whispering to him. Since the town was nestled into a remote section of a mountain range the dragons were able to shift and fly as long as they stayed aware of how far they had gone. For that reason alone, the rangers kept strict accounts of when and where tourists were in the area.
“Sure, we could do some one-on-one. Since they pair up I don’t get much of a workout,” Chase said looking toward the house. “Just make sure you don’t push yourself. Violca will skin me alive if I let you hurt yourself after all the work to get you up and walking.”
Warrick laughed, nodded, and kicked off his shoes. After walking in on Warrick in the halls at night, doing what the doctors called physical therapy, when he thought everyone was asleep, Chase had decided to help him out. Warrick fully expected Chase to lecture him but he instead gave him a cocky grin before saying, “Violca says I’m the worst patient, but you might have me beat.”
With that, he had helped him walk around for part of the evening, pus
hing him a little more every night. When the two of them were ready they circled each other. As Warrick looked for an opening he was surprised when Chase asked, “So how is it finally living with your mate?”
Warrick lowered his guard for a moment, not sure how to answer then he saw Chase throw a punch. He managed to duck just in time. The punch was so close he felt the wind brush his hair. Warrick used this position to land a punch to Chase’s side. He took a step back and saw Chase curving his lips into a grin. “Funny, never heard the guys complain that you fight dirty.”
Chase chuckled and the two of them circled each other again. “Not dirty, but I do believe in teaching people not to get distracted during a fight.”
The two of them continued to spar. Every time Chase landed a hit or a combo he would take a moment to teach Warrick how to defend himself against such a move. When Warrick landed a combination, Chase praised him and then gave him a few ideas on how to follow up.
After an intense hour, the two stopped. Chase reached into one of the coolers and tossed him a water bottle. “Not bad, just make sure you keep that guard up and remember to follow through.”
Warrick nodded taking a big swig of his water when he noticed Chase looking up the trail from the house. He smiled seeing Violca walking toward them. Violca was the oldest of the Earth witch sisters and was known for being protective over her patients.
“Warrick, I see you’re obeying the doctor’s orders not to push yourself,” she said rolling her violet colored eyes, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. Her full lips tipped up in a smile as she gave her mate a disapproving look. “You better not have pushed him too hard.”
Chase smiled, reaching out and pulling her into his arms. “Of course not,” he said before giving her a quick kiss.