by Limelan Z
Vince seemed to notice my queasiness.
‘Do you need something to drink?’
I shook my head. ‘Just a toothbrush. What’s going to happen now?’
He moved over to the window. ‘Wolfe is downstairs meeting with the other alphas. Then I guess we head back so you can rest up.’
Real life – real responsibilities – flooded me. I tipped my head back and ran my hands over my face. ‘How am I going to explain this to Fi? She thinks I’m at a conference dinner. I’m going to be going home in crutches.’
‘Just tell her you hurt yourself dancing. Wouldn’t be the first time.’ It wouldn’t have been. Conference dinners can get quite rowdy. When you get a group of antisocial underpaid scientists together and enforce human interaction, throw in free wine and music, stuff’s bound to happen. The year before at the faculty Christmas party, I had accidentally knocked over a full punchbowl while dancing and taken a few people down with me. I’d got a pretty nasty sprain out of it. Vince winked at me.
‘Ugh…’
I suddenly had the distinct impression that Wolfe was watching me. I felt an inappropriate excitement in the pit of my stomach and turned my attention to the door. No one was there. I glanced at Vince, who frowned at me and then suddenly dropped his eyes. A moment later, Wolfe appeared.
Had I sensed his increasing proximity? I certainly had felt a shift before Vince had reacted. Were my senses now better than his?
As Wolfe approached, it wasn’t just his proximity I noticed. Emotion was pouring off him in waves. Pride – definitely pride – but there was something else too. My breath caught when I met his eyes. I knew that look. Perhaps not as a wolf but as a woman.
I blushed.
‘I’ll be downstairs,’ Vince said, quickly exiting.
I swallowed embarrassment and brushed my hair behind my ears. I suddenly felt very self-conscious. Wolfe stayed at the foot of the bed, a slight smile on his lips.
‘How do you feel?’ he asked, hands in pockets.
‘Fine,’ I said before my stomach growled. ‘And a little hungry.’
He gave a nod. ‘They are preparing a tray.’ He looked at my leg. ‘And your wound?’
‘I can’t feel it. Dr Haymes apparently gave me something for the pain. It seems to be working.’
‘Good.’
He went silent and I tried to subdue a sudden desire to touch him. Was that Ariane pushing me to rut with her mate? Embarrassing though it was to admit, it didn’t feel that way. I was wanting it. I was wanting him.
I cleared my throat. I needed a distraction from the intensity of that molten look he was giving me. ‘Vince said you were speaking with the other alphas about what happened,’ I prompted.
He seemed amused at my bluster but played along. ‘Yes. They no longer doubt your credibility. May I?’ He indicated a chair. A tingling spread along my skin at his request. I gave a nod and he sat. ‘Ariane showed immense restraint. Did you fight with her?’
With her? I shook my head. ‘It was just like before. I don’t remember anything that happened.’
‘At all?’
‘No. You are saying she stopped herself from killing him? You weren’t involved?’ Perhaps she wasn’t the crazed werewolf I thought she was. A little bit of carnage – well, a lot – but nowadays she drew the line at murder?
‘It is a grave dishonour to interrupt a challenge,’ he said. ‘I believe your bond is growing. I believe that you encouraged her to leave him alive. The Ariane I remember would not have done that.’
And there it was. Hope. In those few sentences, Wolfe had let me hope that when she resurfaced – and it was only a matter of time – she wouldn’t resort to the massacres that apparently made her famous.
Chapter 14
Armande was in a bad mood when he swanned into the cell at Wolfe’s place the next day. He threw his oversize tote bag onto the coffee table and rubbed his eyes.
‘Ok, let’s do this,’ he said in an impatient voice.
I hobbled upright on my crutches and clacked over to him. ‘Is everything okay?’ It clearly wasn’t. I wasn’t in the best mood at the thought of being experimented on, so I was happy to postpone if he needed a time-out.
‘Not, it’s not okay,’ he snapped. And then glared at me. ‘My ex, Jorje,’ he said, ‘he’s Portugese, he is taking our cat, Alan.’
I blinked at the cat’s name. ‘Alan?’
‘Yes, Alan!’ He flung his hands into the air. ‘He is an evil man. I hope he burns.’
I gave a commiseratory nod. ‘He sounds horrid. Is there nothing you can do?’
He gave a dramatic shake of the head. ‘No. He was Jorje’s cat for three years before we were together. Legally, I can do nothing. Also, he works for the RSPCA.’
‘And illegally?’
He cast me a sly glance. ‘There is a rule about casting and relationships.’ And then he seemed to notice my leg. ‘You are injured?’
I looked down at the cast. ‘I broke my ankle.’
Armande seemed suddenly amused. ‘Zee needs to be more gentle with his mate. You are not yet up to werewolf passions.’
I flushed. Doubly so when I realised Vince had heard the whole thing. He laughed as he came through the door carrying paper cups.
‘If last night was anything to go by, I’d say Wolfe is the one who needs to limber up.’ My mouth gaped. ‘Latte, right?’ I took the drink.
‘Aren’t you supposed to show me more respect?’
He met my eye. ‘I respect you, Ceri,’ he told me. He was sincere. I knew it. In the years I had known him, I’d never had cause to doubt it. Vince is a good guy. He passed Armande his cortado and then perched on the end of the table with some kind of heavily-syrupped, whipped-cream, caffeine concoction. ‘Do I stay for this bit?’ he asked Armande.
‘Can you control your puppy?’
‘On occasion.’
Armande seemed to enjoy his response. ‘Then you may sit.’ He turned to me. ‘Are you sleeping?’
‘A bit,’ I said. ‘I’ve been having weird dreams.’
‘Those are memories. They will come in sleep for a while until you are ready to remember.’
‘Ariane’s memories from before?’ He gave a nod. I had expected as much. They were so violent. And vivid.
‘Have your senses improved?’
I thought on it. ‘It depends what you mean. I don’t think I can see or hear things any better than before, but I can sense certain things.’
‘Such as?’
Wolfe. ‘Certain emotions,’ I said, diplomatically.
‘What emotions?’
‘Fear,’ I said after a while. ‘Yesterday.’
I looked at Vince. He frowned. ‘The pack weren’t scared.’
‘Wolfe was.’
He frowned harder. ‘Was he?’
‘Well, I’d thought so. Was he not?’
He gave a small shrug. ‘He may well have been. I didn’t sense anything. Maybe you pick it up because you’re his mate.’
I let out a breath. ‘Or I completely made it up and can’t actually sense anything.’
He straightened. ‘Then let’s test it. Now. What do you say?’
Armande didn’t seem to mind and I had nothing better to do, so agreed. We both closed our eyes. The idea was that Vince would focus on some memory to incite an emotion and I would try to sense that emotion.
With my eyes closed, I tried to keep my senses alert. And then I felt it. A small tug of emotion. It pulled at my chest. It hurt.
I opened my eyes. ‘Sadness?’
Vince opened his eyes. He gave a nod and gradually I felt the emotion dissipate. Live long enough and everyone has some sad memories, but I wanted to know what had made Vince hurt like that. He was my friend and the sadness had been all-consuming, deep. But it was a conversation for another time.
We continued.
Anger – tick.
Happiness – tick.
Fear – tick.
Admiration – tick.
A
rousal.
I opened my eyes again. ‘Hey,’ I said warningly. ‘You’re in company.’
He grinned at me. ‘Of course, you’d know that one. It follows you and Wolfe around whenever you get within fifty yards of each other.’
I let out a long breath to calm my embarrassment. Armande seemed to be enjoying the teasing. Well, at least it was distracting him from Jorje and Alan.
‘Ok,’ I said, choosing to side-step any more talk of Wolfe, ‘so I can sense emotion now. That’s good.’
Armande gave a noncommittal head wiggle and sighed. ‘Let us attempt to unbind other things.’
I shifted back a little on my crutches. ‘You’re not going to do what you did last time, are you? I’m already in pain with my ankle.’
‘Well, what would you prefer? If not sight or hearing, then what? Memories? It is coming back gradually anyway.’
‘How about healing?’ I suggested. If Armande could speed up my memory retrieval and unblock my ability to sense emotion, why couldn’t he give me an ability to get off those damned crutches?
I expected resistance. Instead I got: ‘Ok.’
A moment later, painkillers or not, I found myself in a splintering agony. I collapsed to the floor around my leg and whimpered. My face felt like I was being repeatedly hit, as did my back and arms. My skin was on fire.
The pain probably only lasted a few minutes, but it was so extreme I had wondered if I was about to die. I continued to whimper as it subsided and then a sweat broke out across my skin. I flopped back panting.
Three wolves came into view. I recognised one as Wolfe but the other two were new to me.
‘What was that?’ I choked at Armande.
‘Your ability to heal,’ he said as if it had been obvious. ‘Healing hurts.’
I wiped my brow with the back of my hand before testing out his theory. I carefully tried to move my ankle inside the cast. It didn’t feel numb, it didn’t sting. It just felt like my ankle.
‘Have I healed myself?’
‘It appears so. And more quickly than I imagine would most.’
It made sense. If Ariane was some super-beast, why wouldn’t she have a turbo-Wolverine’s healing ability?
I shuffled upright and sat back against the side of the sofa. I was tired. But no longer in pain.
‘Did you turn it off?’
‘No.’ He shrugged.
‘You mean this will happen every time I get hurt from now on?’
He gave a bored nod and sat on the edge of the table. ‘Why would you want anything else?’ It was a good point.
The wolves began transitioning back into their human forms. They must have felt my pain and fear and come to help. I liked that. Even if it was unnecessary, they had come. Like family. I guessed that was pack; they were my family.
I struggled to avert my eyes as a stark bollock naked Wolfe, Vince and Trevelyan appeared. None seemed particularly mindful of their state of undress. Not that they had any reason to be. Their predator-peak had set their bodies with strong, hard, rigid muscles that would have done any athlete proud. I glanced at Trevelyan’s knees but they looked normal as far as I could see.
Armande seemed more comfortable enjoying the view than I did. For me, it was weird seeing Vince naked. Especially in front of Wolfe. I didn’t care if it was a human reaction – I looked away.
Wolfe came over and crouched by me. It took every ounce of control to stare at his eyes. ‘Are you still in pain?’
I shook my head.
‘Are you certain? You pulse is racing.’
I rolled my eyes at the unfairness of it all. Was it so hard to ask for a bit of privacy when it came to my body? By now, he’d already figured out exactly why my heart was beating so fast. For him. Because of him.
‘Ah,’ he said, simply. He stood, lifted the sheet from the bed to wrap around himself, sent Vince and Trevelyan from the room, and returned. I sat grinding my teeth in frustration the whole time. ‘Better?’
No, it wasn’t better. As a human, I’d at least had the privilege of not publicly announcing every time I felt some attraction towards someone. It wasn’t as if it was something I could control. Even if being aware of physical reactions were normal for werewolves, I was still new to the game. Couple that with the seemingly normal act of public nudity and they must have all thought I was some kind of pervert getting my jolly’s as they lived their day-to-day.
I mumbled thanks and lurched to my feet. Wolfe helped to steady me.
‘Are you finished for today?’ he asked Armande, who shrugged.
I gave a firm nod. ‘Well, I’m done for today. I want to take this cast off and have a bath.’ And maybe spend some time doing non-werewolf stuff. Like binge watching a couple of series of The Mighty Boosh with a giant mug of hot chocolate.
‘I will take you upstairs,’ Wolfe said, giving me all the warning I was going to get that I was about to be carried. I gave a half-hearted protest and then gave up. I was tired and oddly comfortable against his bare chest. I also wasn’t in the mood for a fight.
God, he smelled good. And felt good. The heat from his skin seemed to call mine like a beacon. Was that the wolf in me lusting for her mate?
Armande smirked at me from over Wolfe’s shoulder. ‘And don’t forget, Zee,’ he called loud enough for the entire house to hear, ‘she is not yet strong enough for all your kinky wolf ways!’
I covered my face with my hands and pretended I was elsewhere. Did the whole world think we were sleeping together? I probably shouldn’t have minded – or at least have been flattered – but instead it made me feel awkward about being alone with Wolfe. Yes, I was attracted to him. Yes, I liked spending time with him despite my suspicions about his intentions. But somehow having everyone’s blessing and being his mate made the whole thing…too decided.
‘Wolves are,’ he said carefully as we got in the lift, ‘no more imaginative in their lovemaking than humans.’
I glanced up at him. Did he think I was uncomfortable because I thought he had exotic tastes? I held my breath.
‘Armande is teasing you.’ I raised my brow. He resolutely looked straight ahead. I didn’t doubt for a second that Armande thought it was funny to tease me, but I was more interested that Wolfe wanted to protect my sensibilities. He cleared his throat. ‘I imagine our humans would have the same interests.’
I felt mortified. Still, I asked: ‘Sexually?’
He gave a nod as the doors opened to the same suite I had prepared for the party in. ‘Being a mate means you are attuned to the other.’
I doubted it. ‘We’ve been apart a long time.’ He set me down on the sofa. ‘Are you saying you haven’t learnt a thing or two since then?’
‘I haven’t been with anyone to learn anything since then.’
He’d said it so casually that it took a moment to sink in. ‘You’ve been celibate for four centuries?’
‘Yes.’ He seemed blasé about the admission. ‘That time is not so long.’
‘Four centuries?’ I repeated.
‘I mourned my mate.’
I was lanced by an unwelcome pang of guilt. He had been tortured by loss and I…had not. ‘You understand I didn’t do the same. I didn’t know you existed.’ I felt need to labour the excuse. Even more so when I saw – when I felt – his reaction.
‘I understand,’ he said stoically. ‘This world is still new to you. I do not expect you to feel the same bond for me that I feel for you. I hope that will come with time. A bond develops gradually. You may feel indifference for me now, but—’
‘I’m not indifferent,’ I corrected with a frown. ‘I know you can sense my emotions when I’m around you.’ I glanced at his perfect chest then for good measure, sending predictable shivers of desire across my skin.
‘We are not discussing arousal, Ceri. You have always been aroused by me.’ He held my eye. ‘But you have also been scared of me. That should never be the case. You do not yet trust me.’
I trusted him. To a certain e
xtent anyway. Even if he did want to use me as a weapon, I had felt his fear when I had to fight. He definitely cared for me. Well, for Ariane. I didn’t doubt he wanted me alive, I just didn’t know what for.
‘What are the Northlands?’
He watched me carefully a moment and then sat on a nearby chair. ‘They are the area of land at the north of England.’
‘Scotland?’
‘The border is further south, but yes.’ Why didn’t they just say Scotland? ‘There is a dispute over the territory.’
‘And you want it?’
He gave a nod.
‘Whose is it?’
‘Currently, no one’s. The, er,’ he cleared his throat, ‘previous owner died some time ago.’
‘Died how?’
‘Battle. The Reckoning. The last one was in 1832. When the magical imbalance of a place grows too strong, war ensues. And death. And the population falls.’
I frowned. ‘Everyone magic wants to live in Scotland?’ I didn’t hate the place, I just…didn’t get it.
‘The Highlands hold a deep strength. They amplify power and there are relatively few humans around to interfere. There are only five such other places in the world that compare.’
‘If it’s so popular, what makes you think you can claim it? Excluding me, I mean. Presumably you staked a claim before you realised I wasn’t dead.’ I sensed distaste at my words.
‘It is in my bloodline.’
I frowned. ‘You mean pack?’
He shook his head. ‘My ancestors. My great-grandfather was an alpha. The territory was once his.’
‘You’re English?’ He didn’t look it. But then, who was I to say what the island’s indigenous people looked like before the wave after wave of conquerors?
He frowned. ‘Egyptian would be more accurate. Some time after he turned me, my great-grandfather expanded his territory north through Spain and much of Europe. For a while he had the largest empire in the world.’
‘He must have been a force.’
‘He was.’
‘What happened?’
He paused and sat back in his seat. ‘He was killed during the Reckoning of 1512.’ He caught my eye. ‘It is a good death for us,’ he explained. ‘A great warrior dies in battle, not because of insurrection.’ He was talking about challenges by other wolves.