by Nina Croft
Someone coughed.
Raven shook her head, and her eyes widened in alarm as she came back into herself. It took Caleb a few seconds longer, and he was glad he was sitting down.
“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to—”
“I think what my daughter is trying to say, is she didn’t mean to turn this into a sex show,” Darius said.
“Dad!”
“And perhaps she didn’t realize the effect that sex show would have on her husband.”
“Oh God,” she muttered.
Caleb glanced across the table.
Kael’s hands gripped the arms of his chair as though to keep himself in it. “Get away from her,” he growled.
Raven stood up. Caleb wondered whether he needed to do something to protect her. Did she need protecting? He made to stand, but Regan put a hand on his arm.
“If I was you, I’d stay where you are and get that look off your face before Kael turns into something really big and nasty and eats you.”
He looked at her. Her eyes were narrowed on him.
“Sorry,” he said, though he had no clue why he was apologizing to Regan. “I wasn’t expecting it. He”—he nodded toward Darius— “said it had nothing to do with sex.”
“Actually,” Darius replied, “I said it didn’t have to be sexual, not that it never was.” He grinned. “I wouldn’t have made it sexual—you’re not my type, but Raven doesn’t have that good a control over her hunger yet.”
Raven kissed the top of her husband’s head, and then glanced across at Caleb. “Sorry,” she said. “I never meant for that to happen, but you smell of Kael, and it took me by surprise. You taste of him as well, of magic. You have shapeshifter blood.” She paused and smiled. “I guess this makes us family.”
Caleb closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, Regan was still watching him. “You were hoping we were wrong, weren’t you?” she said. “That you were human, after all.”
Caleb didn’t answer. The truth was, he didn’t know what he was thinking, or what this meant, whether it changed anything. He looked across the table, and his gaze locked with Kael’s. From when he was a young child, he’d fantasized about finding his mother’s family. This man, now staring at him with something close to hatred burning in his eyes, was all that remained. But then, how could he do anything but hate Caleb as the ultimate cause of his sister’s death. How had she ended up with Ethan? Caleb searched his brain for explanations, and the answers slowly formulated.
“My father always wanted a son,” he said. “It was an obsession with him.”
“And?” Kael prompted.
“If someone wanted to buy his loyalty, and they’d known anything of him, then that person would have realized it. My guess is that he was given Kyla in exchange for his support.”
“Which means,” Regan said, “that whoever he’s working with now had something to do with Kyla’s abduction.” She turned to Kael. “Do you know who took Kyla?”
“Sorien. But he’s dead. Your sister killed him. But Kyla could have been passed on to anyone. We found no trace of her when we rescued her sister, so perhaps she was kept on another world.”
“Another world?” Caleb asked.
“There are other worlds parallel with our own. Most are closed off but there are always some gaps where things slip through. Also, the witches can open portals between them. Probably what they want Regan for.”
“Which brings us back to who wants Regan.”
“Have you found any trace of Ethan Stone?” Regan asked.
“None. He’s vanished.”
“Damn.”
Caleb sighed. He wanted to be alone to think this through. He also wanted to try to contact his father, question him about Kyla. He pushed his chair back and stood up. “I’m out of here.” He turned to Regan. “Are you coming?”
“No.” But she rose to her feet. “I’ll see you out, then I need to talk to Catrin.”
“Caleb.” Kael’s voice stopped him at the door. He turned.
Kael’s eyes were cold. “The wolves will pay for what happened to Kyla.”
His jaw clenched and his hands fisted at his sides. He stared into the other man’s icy-blue eyes. “My father is responsible. Do what you like to him—it’s more than time he paid. But none of the others. Keep off them.”
His words surprised him. The wolves were not his responsibility, but neither were they the Council’s. Get rid of his father, and the wolves might have a chance to redefine themselves.
Kael raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer, and Caleb turned away. He strode out of the room with Regan behind him. They’d only gone a few feet when the door behind them opened, and Raven hurried after them. Caleb kept on walking, but Raven placed her hand on his arm so he had no choice but to stop.
“Caleb, when you want to learn more about your people—come back.”
“I don’t think your husband will be accepting me as family anytime soon.”
“You’re wrong,” Raven said. “He’s feeling guilty—”
“Guilty? Why the hell should he feel guilty?”
“Because he gave up on his sister, because he believed her dead. He can’t bear the idea of her being a prisoner for so long, what she must have gone through. I was a prisoner of the fire-demons for seven years, and they nearly broke me. Kael saw that. Now he knows that Kyla had two thousand years of such an existence. It’s hard for him, but he will come around.” Caleb nodded once, and Raven smiled. “We’ll meet again.”
Caleb wasn’t so sure. He wanted to get away from this place. He waited as she went back into the room and the door closed behind her, then started walking again with Regan beside him.
They were silent on the way back to the car, but as he made to climb in, Regan put her hand on his arm. She stared into his eyes.
“It’s full moon tomorrow night. Run with me.”
He nodded once.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Regan said. “We’re not a pack or anything like that. I just think it will be better for both of us not to be alone. I don’t trust your father.”
“Neither do I.”
“Okay then. I have to get back.”
He nodded again, then reached out a hand, slipped it beneath her hair. His fingers curled around the back of her neck, and he pulled her toward him. He held her close, feeling the steady thud of her heart against his, then he tilted her head and kissed her.
It felt so right, and he didn’t want it to feel right. He needed to sort out his life and these feelings for Regan only muddied the waters. Raising his head, he saw the same confusion mirrored in her face. He dropped his hands from her and stepped back.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Chapter Fourteen
Regan lounged against the wall, arms folded across her chest, as she waited for Caleb to emerge from the elevator.
Exhaustion tugged at her mind. She’d spent the whole night and most of the day going through the Council’s archives, trying to find something, anything that could help her either find Ethan or reverse the werewolf bite. She’d found nothing and had finally left Catrin to continue while she came back here to meet Caleb.
The elevator doors slid open, and she watched as he strode out and across the floor. For a moment, their eyes clashed, and the shroud of weariness lifted from her mind. Then he turned away to talk to the woman at the reception desk. Regan straightened and moved in a little closer, wanting to hear the conversation. She found this whole “normal life” thing fascinating.
“You have a finance meeting at ten tomorrow morning,” Gretchen told him.
Caleb glanced toward Regan before answering. “Cancel it. I won't be in tomorrow.”
“But—”
Caleb turned away without waiting for the woman to finish. He came toward Regan, moving like some sort of jungle animal, radiating a leashed power that had the blood thundering in her veins. How could he pass for normal? How could they not see him for what he really was?
; Then she glanced at the receptionist and realized in all likelihood he wasn't fooling anybody. The woman's eyes were fixed on him as he walked away. They might not know what he was, these people who worked with him daily, but they recognised him as something more than human.
“I think your receptionist has a hankering for you,” she murmured as Caleb came to a halt in front of her. “I may have to turn her into a toad after all.”
A look of surprise flickered in his eyes. He glanced back then smiled. “No need to be jealous. I never have relationships with people at work.”
“Who said I was jealous?” She studied him closely. “So, you don't have relationships with your own kind, and you don't have relationships with people at work. Who do you have them with, Caleb?”
“If I need it badly enough, I pick up a woman in a bar. We have sex, and that’s it.”
“Hmm, you know, I think you’re even sadder than I am. At least I have Catrin and Gina and Lola. Who do you have, Caleb? Don’t you ever feel lonely?”
He took a minute to answer. “Probably. I don’t really think about it.”
“Perhaps you should.”
He shrugged. “What good would it do?” He put his hand to her shoulder, tugged her toward him, and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Just in case the toad has any ideas,” he said, drawing back.
The brief taste of him woke the hunger slumbering inside her. She was suddenly aware that it was late in the day, and soon the full moon would rise. She wanted Caleb as she could never remember wanting anyone before.
She hooked her hand around the back of his neck and dragged him to her. Staring into his dark eyes, she recognized her own hunger reflected there.
“A kiss like that will just give her ideas,” she whispered. “But a kiss like this—”
She kissed him, putting all her need and desire into her embrace, not hiding anything. For a moment, he resisted, then he moved closer until his body touched hers, his mouth opened, and his tongue thrust into her, filling her with the hot, wet taste of him.
She forgot everything, where she was, who she was, and inside her wolf awoke, threw back her head, and filled Regan’s mind with a howl to be free. She sensed Caleb’s wolf answer, and he went still against her.
He drew back and stared down at her, his expression vaguely rueful, and Regan had to fight the urge to pull him back into her arms. Then she remembered where they were. They were in a busy reception area, surrounded by humans, perhaps not the best place to turn wolf and start howling.
She licked her lips, and his eyes followed the movement.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said.
He nodded.
“Where are we going?” she asked when they were in the car and driving out of the city.
“An area of forest about an hour away.”
“Is it safe?”
“It’s as safe as it can be that close to the city. It’s fenced and sign-posted as private.” He grinned. “I reckon anyone who ignores that deserves to get eaten.”
She turned in her seat so she could watch him as he drove. “Tell me,” she said, “how come you became a businessman? You don’t seem the type.”
He sat in silence for a minute, and Regan was sure he wouldn’t answer. Then he began. “After I left the pack when I was sixteen, I wandered around for a few years, then joined the army.” He glanced toward her briefly. “I didn’t mind the fighting, but I was crap at taking orders, so I did my time and got out. Afterward, I put my own unit together, did some lucrative jobs, and earned enough to start the company. That’s it.”
He made it sound easy, but she guessed that Caleb was the sort of man who would succeed at whatever he did.
Less than an hour later, they drew up outside a set of electric gates. A metal fence extended on either side of the gate as far as she could see. Huge warning signs were posted every few metres. Caleb hit a button on the dashbaord and the gates slid open. They drove on for a while farther until they reached an area of dense pine forest. Caleb pulled the truck off the road and parked.
He turned to her, and she could see his excitement flare, his eyes darkening with a restless anticipation.
“Where does your father and the pack run at full moon?” she asked.
“They live well away from the city, well away from everywhere.” He glanced across at her. “I’m not telling you where, so don’t bother asking.”
“Why? I’m forwarned. He won’t take me by surprise again.”
“You still don’t understand. He won’t need to surprise you. You’ll crawl to him with your tail between your legs like a good little wolf.”
“I don’t believe he could change me. I’ve got more control than that.”
He shook his head. “Still arrogant. Let me try something.”
“What?” She eyed him suspiciously.
“You say you have control over your wolf, but all wolves answer to the call of the one who made them. I have my father’s blood, let me try and call your wolf.”
Of course he wouldn’t be able to. “Why not?”
He shook his head. “Always so confident.”
“I’ve had two thousand years to get that way,” she replied.
“And in all that time no one has ever bested you?” She looked away but didn’t answer, and he shrugged. “Come on, then. Out you get.”
Regan climbed down from the truck. Wolf stirred restlessly inside her, but she quieted her with a thought. She stood waiting for Caleb to make his move.
“You might want to strip,” Caleb said.
“I don’t think so.”
He shrugged. “Your loss.” He moved to stand in front of her. “I’m going to try and call your wolf. I want you to stay human as long as you can.”
Regan rolled her eyes. “Get on with it.”
He smiled, then stared into her face. Inside her, wolf came instantly awake. She threw back her head and howled. It was unlike anything Regan had ever experienced before. Wolf was frantic, pacing inside her, clawing at her, fighting to be free.
She closed her eyes, shut out Caleb’s tall figure and fought the compulsion, but wolf tore through her body, whining and snarling.
“Regan, let it go.”
She heard Caleb’s words as though from a distance, but couldn’t seem to stop fighting the change. She clenched her hands until the nails dug into her palm, fell to her knees and onto her side, biting her lip to prevent the scream of agony escaping her. Her spine spasmed and she did scream, so it filled her ears. Something snapped inside her, and wolf broke free.
She lay on her side and whimpered softly, her whole body wracked with pain. Caleb crouched down next to her, and she flinched from his touch but couldn’t get up the energy to move away. She snarled softly as he stroked the fur of her muzzle, soothing her, and after a few minutes, the pain faded enough for her to struggle to her feet. She swayed, her nose hanging almost down to the ground. She closed her eyes and summoned up her human form.
Regan lay, naked and panting, ripples of pain dancing through her. She hugged her arms around her body and fought for control. Next to her, Caleb straightened up and held out a hand to her. She looked up into his face expecting to see triumph. Instead, he looked grim.
She slid her hand into his, and he pulled her to her feet and into his arms, cradling her against his hard body as the tremors shuddered through her. The pain faded, and her mind filled with shock. Caleb was right; she’d been thinking of herself as invulnerable. That all she had to do was find Ethan and kill him. It seemed it wasn’t going to be so simple after all.
The roughness of his clothes scraped against her sensitized skin. Pushing herself back away from him, she forced herself to stand upright on her own.
“That was…” She shivered, unable to put into words the feeling. It wasn’t the pain so much as the loss of control, the loss of self.
Caleb reached out and stroked her hair from her face. “Forget it,” he said. “I won’t do it again, but I needed to point out that you
’re not as invincible as you think. If my father has the power to turn you, then what good is your magic?”
“Has anyone done that to you?” she asked.
“No, though not for want of trying on my father’s part. Probably my mixed blood prevents it from happening. But I’ve seen it done before—plenty. My father uses it as a punishment.”
She shivered again. “I can see why.”
For the first time, she was scared. It was unexpected, and she almost didn’t recognize the emotion, but it didn’t change anything, really. She would just have to be prepared, not give Ethan the chance to try to turn her.
She shook off the feelings and glanced down at herself. A light sheen of sweat coated her skin, and beneath it, goose bumps covered her body in the chill air. She looked up to find Caleb’s eyes on her. As she watched, he reached out, cupped one full breast in his large hand, and stroked the pad of his thumb over the nipple. Her nerve endings, already sensitized from the pain, burst into life and pleasure shot through her. His head lowered, and he took the now taut nipple between his lips and bit down gently. Heat flooded her belly, and she gasped.
He released her, stepped back, and started to unbutton his shirt.
Together, they raced through the darkness of the night. At the top of a hill, she came to a clearing in the trees. It was a cloudless night, and the full moon lit up the landscape. She sat on her haunches, the black wolf beside her, and together they threw back their heads and sang to the moon.
Regan rested her head back against the car seat. She was sated. Her whole body relaxed. No doubt, the problems would resurface soon enough, but for now, she emptied her mind of the future. Beside her, she could sense Caleb also at ease. She recognized his moods now, and this morning, he was definitely mellow. He drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on her denim-clad thigh. The contact felt good.
Their wolves had run together through the night, and as dawn broke, they’d taken their human forms and made love on the dew-damp grass. At the memory, Regan had an instant flashback to his dark head between her thighs, his hot, wet mouth caressing her sensitive flesh, and her muscles clenched beneath his hand.