“There are consequences for everything,” I told him.
He leaned in again and his lips traced my earlobe. “Damn the consequences.”
My breath hitched and I let my weight fall into his arms again. The tension left my body. My emotions were calm, and I was at peace again.
I arched into him as his mouth trailed across my neck. “I should have known you were a risk taker. Can I ask you a favor? A big one?”
“I’ll do anything.”
“Can we forget about what happened tonight?”
“Sure.” He kissed the top of my head, pulled back, and took my hand in his.
“I like it better when it’s just you and me.”
“So do I.”
We began walking, hand-in-hand, along the edge of the river. Dawson kept me warm while we talked and kissed under the moonlight. He honored my request to not bring up the subject of my past and my mom again. I knew sooner or later we’d have to revisit that topic again, though. I couldn’t move forward into my future without understanding my past.
Hours had passed before he retrieved his car from the valet, made sure I was comfortable inside, and then went to collect our coats and other things from the restaurant.
When Dawson came back, he had two small paper bags and two bottled waters in his hand. He handed me one of each.
“What’s this?”
“I got us something to eat on the way back. I heard your rumbling belly down by the river and I didn’t want you to starve any longer.”
I blushed. “Thanks.”
He reached into one of the bags and handed me a fork and a small white takeout container. I opened it to discover some zucchini rolls inside. Appreciative of the gesture, I accepted with a smile. He withdrew a burger from another bag, unwrapped it, and took a few bites before driving off.
As he drove, one hand on the steering wheel and the other taking monster bites of his burger, I stole glances at him. He was attractive, irresistible, and driven. And oddly, he wanted to help me. Dawson was a welcome distraction from the unsettling scenarios going on in my head about what my future might hold, and he was also the only one that could settle my nerves.
Back at the bus station, he led me over to my car and kissed me sweetly before helping me inside. He grabbed my hand just before I pushed the keys in the ignition.
“You’re safe with me, Alessia. You know that, right? There’s nothing my wolf or I wouldn’t do to protect you.”
“I get that, Dawson. You’ve been sincere with me this whole time. Question is…are you safe with me?”
“I’ll call you in the morning. Get some rest, okay?”
I nodded, started the engine, and closed the door.
Chapter Twelve
Alessia
“What do you know about Dawson Caedmon?” I asked Donna the very next day over the phone.
“Oh my God!” Donna shrieked. “You met Dawson Caedmon?”
I turned the speaker off on my cell phone and switched to the headset. “Yes, I saw him at the party the other night.”
“I wish I could have gone. How was it?”
I sat down on the edge of my bed and pulled my boots on. “It was…great. I left early, though.”
“Hmmm. It doesn’t sound like you had a great time.”
“I didn’t really know anyone there. I walked around for a bit, something came over me, and I decided to leave.”
“Something came over you? But you said you met Dawson? How? What did he say?”
“Yes. He’s really nice. Almost too nice, considering the fact that we’ve just met.”
“Isn’t he handsome as hell? I don’t know what kind of water they have out there in the country where he claims he’s from, but he is built like a fucking linebacker. And that growly noise he makes when he and his friends wrestle on the mat at the local gym. Jesus, he’s hot!”
“He is, isn’t he? Anyway, do you know anything about him other than where he’s from and that he’s hot?”
“He seems to be the ringleader of whatever cult he’s a part of.”
“Ringleader of a cult?”
“Yeah. I don’t think it’s a bad cult, though. Not that I know of anyway. It’s almost like a fraternity. He and the guys he hangs out with are very close and very secretive about it. Except for the parties, they mainly stick to themselves.”
“Do you find anything odd about Dawson?” I asked, trying to decipher if Donna knew that Dawson was a shifter.
“Other than the fact that he’s built like a sex god—no. He’s very popular with the ladies. He’s very selective, as well. I hope your cover wasn’t blown at the party. So, what did he say to you?”
“We just exchanged names, but then he visited my gallery and we had a long conversation about some things.”
“Oh my God,” Donna shrieked again. “Did he ask you out?”
“Well, kind of…” I wasn’t sure that I was ready to tell Donna that I was going on my second date with Dawson. She’d have more questions than I had answers.
“Do you know how many women try to get his attention these days? Wow. I’m so jealous. When’s the date?”
“Tonight, right after work.” I laced up the back of my boots. “I’m actually on my way out the door right now.”
“You and me both. I’m working late tonight, but I’d love to hear how that date goes. Give me a call, okay?”
“All right.”
“And don’t just say that either,” Donna said. “I can’t believe you waited this long to tell me about you and Dawson.”
“I didn’t think anything of it until he came to visit me at my gallery.”
“Dawson’s a good guy once you get to know him.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” I said.
There was a knock on my bedroom door.
“Alessia,” my dad called out.
“Hey, Donna…I’ve gotta go. Dad’s calling me.”
“Okay, have fun tonight.”
I swung my bedroom door open and Dad was waiting patiently on the other side. He was dressed in a suit and tie and he had his briefcase and keys in his hand.
“Good morning, Dad.”
“Morning, sweetie! I just thought I’d come check on you before I head out. I’m catching a flight to Cincinnati in about an hour, but I should be back home later tonight if I can get on the standby list.”
I kissed him on the cheek. “Call me when you get there.”
“I will. Just in case I don’t make it back until tomorrow, Marjory will be out to clean the house in the morning. She has a key so don’t be alarmed if you see her wandering around.”
“Sure thing.”
Dad shuffled his feet and fumbled with the keys in his hand. “Look, um…I meant to ask you something.”
“What?” I asked when he hesitated.
“You came home a little late last night,” he said. “Is everything okay?”
I swallowed and nodded. “I had a good time.”
He smiled briefly and gave my shoulder a pat. “We still need to have that talk. Things keep coming up, but as soon as I get back, we’ll sit down together and discuss that million dollar portfolio of yours.”
“All right. Have a good trip.”
He nodded once and left.
Chapter Thirteen
Dawson
“Elisa?” I pressed the phone to my ear as Troy, Dalton, and Adam pulled up on their motorcycles. “You there?”
“Yes, Dawson. What do you want?” my half-sister, Elisa, spoke.
I moved over to the far corner of the building where my friend’s noise wouldn’t interfere with my hearing. They were earlier than expected. Every week we went for a ride down the freeway and then made a stop in the forest to run freely as wolves. It was important to let the wolf run free once in a while if not every day. Caedmon spent the majority of their time in human form, but when a shifter refused to take wolf form for long periods of time, the suppression was known to be detrimental to a wolf’s soul.
<
br /> “I’ve been trying to reach you since Sunday.”
“Sorry,” she said. “Maybe I was in an area with poor reception. You know these cell phone companies offer stinky service these days.”
“Where are you?” I asked. “I visited your condo this morning and the landlord said you’d moved out.”
“Okay, and…” she said defiantly.
“Your winter break is over. Haven’t classes started back up again?”
“They have.”
“You’re going to flunk out,” I told her.
“Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing. Plus, my professors and I understand each other.”
“Whatever…where are you?”
“I’m not telling you where I am.”
Elisa had always been stubborn. Young and stubborn didn’t mix well.
“Why not?”
“If I tell you, then you’ll run your mouth and tell Devin, then this one, and then that one, and sooner or later, it’ll all get back to Tristan.”
“So now you’re intent on trying to run from Tristan and the inevitable?”
“Trying?” She laughed.
“I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but you need to be very careful about being out on your own.”
“Your warning is appreciated, brother, but I’ve managed this long on my own,” she said. “If my intuition is right, something tells me you need something—from me.”
“My mate is a witch.”
There was silence on the other end.
“Elisa, you there?”
“How are you certain?”
“I’m not. I’m just…her mother was a witch.”
“Well, that doesn’t mean she’s a witch. And you, better than anyone else, should know that. Witch blood runs through my veins as well, but I was aware of my powers well before I knew that. I don’t go around calling myself a witch, and no one else does either, for that matter.”
“I think she’s kind of like you. I mean, not entirely. She can’t see the past or future like you—that I know of anyway—but she can certainly move shit without touching it. Isn’t that telekinesis?”
“Sounds like it.”
“From what she’s told me, it sounds like she’s growing into her powers. Powers that she doesn’t understand,” I said. “She calls what she has a condition, like it’s some kind of sickness. But I know better.”
“Witches mature around a certain age. It depends on the strength of the bloodline, too. How old is she?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Hmmm. What exactly did she move?”
“Matter. Wind, debris. A fucking picture frame. Shit, I even think she stopped my heart at one point when she got angry.”
“Really…? You okay?” Elisa voice changed and she seemed more concerned than she had been when she’d first answered the call. “Did she chant anything?”
“No. That’s the fucked up part of it. She just…did it.”
“Have you told Devin about this?”
“Yeah. Not the part about her stalling my heartbeats, but I mentioned the telekinesis to him. It’ll get back to him somehow anyway.”
“Yup, it always does.”
“Like I said, she doesn’t seem to have any other powers like you do or like Roman did,” I told her.
“Well, that makes sense. My mother had witch blood, and so do I. I’m also born of an Alpha. So was Roman. We’re shifters. She’s still pretty much a human, right? Her gifts won’t be as strong unless, of course…”
“She’s an actual witch. But she says she doesn’t practice witchcraft.”
“Women lie. Witches lie. All men lie.”
“I trust her, Elisa. I really do, but in case you misheard me, I said she’s my true mate. I know that for a fact. Why else would I keep sniffing around her and see her in my dreams?”
“Hmmm. The last time someone we know claimed to have a witch for a mate was Darius. He mated her and look what happened. She somehow convinced him that the Alpha’s seat belonged to him, and he pursued it with malice in his heart. She was his true mate, but she was also a very bad woman. He turned into a fucking lunatic, murdered his own cousin—your brother— and now he’s dead.”
“I’m aware.”
“And don’t you remember what happened to Nick before he found Selene? A witch pretended to be his true mate using her magic. They were temporarily bonded for a long while. According to him, it took a considerable amount of time for the mate bond, even though it was fake, to be broken. She was telekinetic, a crook, and a fraudster. How do you know—?”
“Don’t. Don’t compare Alessia to Silvia or anyone else.”
“Alessia is the name, huh? You’re playing with fire,” Elisa told him.
“Can’t you just tell me something about my future, Elisa? Look into your fucking crystal ball or something. This could mean life or death for her or me. Or both.”
“My gifts don’t work that way, Dawson. I’m sorry.” She actually sounded disappointed about that.
I sighed.
“I may be able to do something—”
“What?”
“Will you let me finish?”
“I’m all ears.”
“I need some of her blood.”
“Are you insane?” I gawked.
“I am.”
“How?”
Elisa laughed. “You’d have to spill it. Slit her wrist, cut her throat…bite her neck.”
I nodded. “Yup, you’re insane. Just forget it.”
“It’s up to you. Either that or make her give it to you willingly.”
“Make her? What part of ‘she’s my mate’ don’t you understand?”
“I’ll be able to verify if that is a fact too with just a few drops of her blood. So what will it be, brother?”
I felt her grin of mischief on the other side of the phone.
“Come on, man!” Dalton yelled from the other corner of the lot, revving his motorcycle’s engine. Troy, Dalton, and Adam were getting impatient.
“Wait a fucking minute!” I yelled back.
“Are you out with the guys again?” Elisa asked.
“We’re going for a run,” I said.
“Something I need to do myself. It’s been a while since I shifted.”
“Do it, sister. Don’t deprive your soul that way.”
“I’ll take your advice if you take mine. Watch your back. Don’t turn into one of the bad guys. But that’s easier said than done, especially if your supposed mate is up to no good herself.”
“Not a word of this to anyone,” I said to Elisa, walking back over to my motorcycle.
“You’re walking a tightrope, Dawson. Bring me her blood and I’ll tell you just how deep in chaos you’ve buried your own ass.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” I said. “Take care.”
I disconnected the call and motioned to the guys that I was ready to go. Speeding down the freeway and wolf runs in the forest were also a chance for me to clear my head and reconcile with my wolf. I had lots of reconciliation to do, and hopefully, by the time I met Alessia for our date tonight, I would have decided what I was going to do about everything.
Chapter Fourteen
Alessia
This time, it was daylight when we met at the bus station. Dawson was already there, leaning against his car. He pushed off the door when I rolled my car into the parking space beside his.
Excited to see him, I rose from the car and our bodies met. The light snow flurries floating in the air could do nothing to put out the fire between us. His soul, the man and the wolf, called to me.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi,” he said, sweeping my hair back from my cheek and sliding his fingers against my neck. “I couldn’t wait to see you again.”
“Sorry I’m late. I—”
Dawson cupped the back of my head and brought his lips to mine. I allowed his kiss and pressed my chest closer to him as my core swelled with an overabundance of emoti
ons. Soon, we were both lost in a full-blown kiss and had completely forgotten that we were at a bus station during a busy time.
“You taste good,” he said, pressing light kisses against my mouth.
“You smell like the forest.” I sighed against his lips and then pressed my cheek against the softness of his leather jacket.
“I ran today. As wolf.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“I hope my dreams come true and that one day you will run with me,” he said.
When I glanced up at him, he looked sincere and hopeful. I didn’t want to disappoint him. I wanted everything to go right this time.
“Where to?” he asked.
“I think maybe we should start somewhere quieter than last night. Somewhere that we can talk without interruption. Just you and me.”
“The only nonpublic place I can think of where we won’t be interrupted is my condo.”
“Won’t that be boring for you? I mean, aren’t you the outgoing type,” I asked.
He smiled. “I am. But nothing about you is boring. What we talk about and do are what will make this night the most exciting.”
“Okay, your condo it is.”
“Why don’t you follow me there? I don’t have anything to hide, and you should know where I live.”
I followed Dawson in his car for about thirty minutes until he pulled into a parking garage attached to a high-rise building. I’d always figured that wolf shifters lived out in the country in secrecy. Here I was with one who lived in a city condo, but still kept his privacy. Maybe there was no need for a shifter—part wolf, but also part man—to hide out. Maybe it was better to blend in with human society.
“How long have you lived here?” I asked as he led me to the elevators.
“Less than a year. It’s closer to the city and many of my regular clients. On the weekends, I tend to hang out with my Pack on Caedmon land or at my mansion if I feel up to it.”
“The one where the party was held? That’s all yours?”
He nodded.
“I would like to have a place of my own soon, but I still live with my dad. It’s not that I’m super dependent or anything; it’s just that I was raised to be frugal and it just so happens that my dad condones it. I’ve been saving and socking away what I would normally pay for rent.”
Wolf's Temptation (Caedmon Wolves Book 7) Page 8
