Wolf Hills

by Bianca D'Arc

  This was something Sally could do for her. Something Carly could no longer do for herself.

  “Great. I’ll start tomorrow. Thanks, Carl.”

  They talked a bit more before Dmitri made his reappearance and Sally started yawning wide enough to crack her jaw.

  “I’ll leave you two lovebirds for now. We mere mortals need at least a few hours of sleep and I’m sure newlyweds need their time alone.”

  Carly would have protested, but Sally knew she was being polite. It was time to turn in. She said her goodnights and made her way to the guest room. It wasn’t long before she was fast asleep and dreaming about lush green woodlands, softly scented wildflowers, and a handsome man who could turn into a wolf.

  Chapter Eight

  Sally had always only needed a few hours of sleep to sustain her. She was outside by about ten a.m., strategically planting the seeds she’d bought the day before. She had a plan in mind for a little patch of land near the back patio that could become a lovely nighttime haven for her friend if it worked out as she hoped.

  She made the holes for each seed with precision and dropped one in each, covering it with a fine layer of dirt. The earth here was very rich in nutrients. The seeds should have a good shot at reaching their full potential with little outside help. Sally could read plants. She understood soil. She could hear the whisper of the wind through the trees and listened to its song. It was instinctive and something she’d never questioned though she knew it was different. She’d never met anybody else who could make a seed grow just by whispering to it.

  When her pattern was complete, Sally stood in the exact center of her newly planted garden. It was bare earth all around, only the seeds and the disturbed ground marking where she’d put them. Crouching down and balancing on the balls of her feet, she placed her hands on the ground. Sending her will into the earth, she made contact with each tiny seed she had planted and asked it to sprout. Then she talked to the sprout and coaxed it to grow until it reached the surface. Then she cajoled the seedling to take what it needed from the soil and sun to grow large and fast.

  When she opened her eyes, the bare earth was gone, covered with lush green foliage and a few daring buds that would bloom that night. Every flower in the new garden was of a night-blooming variety. Though it had taken some planning and hard work, this little garden was going to be her gift to her friends. She knew Carly would love it and she hoped Dmitri would appreciate it as well.

  They didn’t need to know she hadn’t bought the plants full grown. That was the ruse she’d used for years when friends asked how she managed to establish such a lovely garden so quickly. She always just told them she knew a good nursery in the area. Nobody needed to know about her weird gift. She didn’t understand it herself and she certainly didn’t know where it came from. It didn’t harm anyone and it certainly wasn’t evil, she didn’t think, so she kept it to herself.

  “How in the hell did you do that?”

  Damn. So much for keeping it to herself. Sally turned around to find Jason standing about five yards away, his eyes wide as he looked at the new garden.

  She sighed, resigned to her fate.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s just something I’ve always been able to do.”

  Jason walked up to her and sniffed rather obviously. “I did scent something else in you, but I still can’t quite place it. It doesn’t smell like mage, but after what I just saw…” He trailed off, obviously lost in thought. “Are you sure there’s no magic user in your family tree?”

  “I have no idea. To be honest, I really don’t know much about my family. I was raised by a series of foster parents until I was eighteen. I didn’t have much of an attachment to any of them, nor they to me, so I don’t consider that I ever really had parents. Not the way most people do.”

  Jason startled her by reaching out and taking her into his arms for a fierce hug. She clung to him out of surprise at first, but after only a moment, she soaked in the comfort of his embrace. There was something to be said for a hug from a friend. And she realized she did consider him a friend, even if they’d only known each other a short time. She was more comfortable with him than she’d been with people she’d known for years. Except the study group. She’d clicked with those girls from the very beginning and their friendship had lasted all this time.

  What she had with Jason had a built-in expiration date, but she hoped she could count him among her friends even after she went back home to San Francisco. They wouldn’t be close. Not like she and the girls were. But maybe she’d add him to her Christmas card list. Or perhaps she could call him just to chat when she needed a friend.

  Nah. Probably not. His wife—make that mate—probably wouldn’t like it.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he whispered near her ear, his touch comforting, not sexual in nature. It felt so right to be held by him. “I wish I could’ve been there for you. We don’t let orphans go to strangers in our society. Every child belongs to the Pack and we all take care of them. With Pack, you always know that you are loved.”

  “It sounds so beautiful.” And a far cry from the way she had grown up.

  “It is,” he agreed, letting her go by slow degrees. When he looked around at the new garden his gaze softened. “This is beautiful too. A night-flowering garden for your friend. She’s going to love it.”

  It touched her that he understood without being told what she’d done. He was a very intuitive man with a sensitive side, but she knew he was a warrior too. He hadn’t become Alpha of a Pack of werewolves without being able to fight.

  “I hope so. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “They won’t hear about it from me.” He let her go and walked around the small, circular pathway she’d left bare so the blooms could be enjoyed to their fullest. There was a stone bench to one side of the new patch of garden and the patio bordered one edge. “I like the way you planned this out. By the way, I suspect most of the office staff saw your little miracle out the window. They were watching you when I walked in, though they pretended they weren’t.”

  He had a smile on his face, but she was shocked at her own stupidity. She hadn’t realized anyone could see her from that far away, but these were werewolves. They could see better than any human. Damn.

  She looked up and realized one side of the office wing faced the little patch she’d chosen to work on. No doubt more than a few of them had seen her in action. She’d never been so sloppy before. Then again, she’d never worked on someone else’s land before. She’d always been gardening in her own yard, even if it was a rental property. She’d been careful to do it when nobody else was around.

  “I guess my secret is well and truly out.”

  “That it is,” Jason agreed. “But it will only add to your mystique. The stories circulating about you already have you at a cross between an Amazon warrior and Bruce Lee’s little sister. They figure you must be some kind of ninja to be able to take down Serena so easily. Colleen has done her part too. She thinks you’re the bravest woman she’s ever known to take her place when those guys were shooting at her. You’re causing quite a stir in my Pack, Sally.” He moved into her personal space again, his hands on her hips, pulling her close to him as his head dipped. Their foreheads met and he stared into her eyes.

  “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” she said softly, as overwhelmed by his physical presence as she had been the day before. His effect on her senses hadn’t diminished now that they’d been intimate. If anything, it had gotten even more potent now that she knew how he could make her come.

  “You don’t start trouble,” Jason said, kissing her lightly. “According to growing local legend, you end it. They’re beginning to think you’re a superhero.” He seemed amused by the whole idea.

  “And you? What do you think?” Her voice was breathless and low.

  “I think you’re all of those things, and more. I think you’re perfect, Sally. I think you’re mine.”

  He kissed her for real then, hau
ling her body into his, plundering her mouth with his tongue and making her come alive with need and want. She had never wanted a man so intensely. Jason was a law unto himself.

  Before she knew what was happening, one of his hands was up under her T-shirt, the other was reaching down inside her waistband and under her panties to cup her ass. Truth be told, she didn’t care if the entire office staff was watching. All that mattered was him in that moment. His touch, his taste, even his scent.

  The masculine smell of him—leather and pine and something indefinably attractive—reached deep inside her, wrapping itself around her. She never wanted to let go. She never wanted to be let go.

  It was Jason who broke the kiss. He was gasping, as was she. He rested his forehead against hers, his lower body rubbing against her in the most sinful way.

  “Where’s your room?” His demand was rasped in a low growl.

  “Follow me.” She didn’t ask questions. She wanted the same thing he did, that much was obvious.

  He let her go, but not far. He kept his arm around her waist and crowded her as she walked over the patio and into the house by the nearest entrance. Her room was only a few yards away, down the corridor. It might as well have been on the moon.

  As soon as the patio door slammed closed behind them, his hands went to waistband of her T-shirt, dragging it up and over her head even as she turned into the corridor. He dropped it somewhere along the way. She was in too much of a hurry to wonder much about it. Her bra unhooked at the back today and was dropped on the floor as she opened the door to the guest room she’d been using.

  He turned her around, using her hips to guide her motion, and unsnapped her jeans even as he walked her backwards toward the bed. She was glad to see he’d ditched his shirt as well and already had his jeans unbuttoned and unzipped. A quick look told her he’d gone commando again. How convenient. She licked her lips.

  He pushed her backward and a moment of slight disorientation later, her butt hit the mattress. He followed her down, whipping the jeans and panties down her legs. She’d already kicked off her sneakers, thank goodness.

  Jason paused only to push his own jeans down far enough to free his hard cock, then he pushed between her thighs, sliding home without any preamble. It didn’t matter. She was primed and ready for him. She’d been dreaming of him—of this—all night and had woken in a state of arousal. It had only abated while she concentrated on the garden, but even then, he was in the back of her mind, making her body yearn for his.

  He felt so damn good inside her. Like he belonged there. Like he was meant to be there, with her, forever.

  Dangerous thoughts. Sally pushed them away, concentrating on the slide of him in and out, the way his breathing hitched on each stroke, the way his heat surrounded her, permeated her, branded her as his, indelibly. He was, by far, the best she’d ever had. The best she ever would have, she feared. After him, she’d be ruined for any other man but she didn’t care. All that mattered was this moment, this man, this mounting passion that drove her higher and higher.

  Sally cried out as his pace increased. This was raw fucking. The kind of animal heat that came along only rarely. At least for her.

  She didn’t want preliminaries. She didn’t want sweet moments. Not now. Maybe later, but definitely not now. She wanted it hard and fast, just the way he was giving it to her.

  He seemed to pick up on her needs, pushing in short, hard jerks that brought him into contact with her clit on every pulse. His fingers circled her wrists and held her hands immobile by the sides of her head. He dominated her in every way and she loved it. Loved the feel of him blanketing her, overwhelming her. Hot, fast, hard and long.

  It couldn’t last. Tornadoes never did. Like that force of nature, his intensity shattered her building passion, sending her into a tailspin that picked up speed as she spun out of control. It culminated in a climax so great, she nearly blacked out as it broke over her. Dimly, she heard a scream and realized it was coming from her.

  Damn. She’d never been a screamer before. Leave it to the werewolf to bring out wild side.

  Jason followed a few moments behind her, growling as he pushed into her. His muscles clenched as he strained toward his own climax and when it hit, he howled. Not a perfect howl like you heard on a dark summer night, but a broken-voiced howl drawn involuntarily from his throat. It was endearing and shocking and it sent a whole new round of shivers through her midsection.

  She could feel the heat of his release flood her. It felt right. Warm, exciting and intensely satisfying on a level she hadn’t expected. She’d rarely let a man come inside her. She hadn’t had sex without a condom in a long time. She knew she was out of practice, but Jason’s loving sent her to a whole other level of pleasure.

  Jason collapsed over her and she reveled in the solidity of him pinning her to the bed. She loved the way he responded to her. He held nothing back. He made her feel like a femme fatale. A sex goddess.

  Sally had never in her life felt like a sex goddess before. At best, she’d been a gifted amateur. Jason had changed all that.

  “Sorry.” His voice was still rough. She loved the sound of it. Knowing she had done that to him. “I must be crushing you.”

  “It’s okay.” She was quick to reassure him, enjoying running her fingers through his shaggy hair.

  He rolled off her anyway and took a moment to position them both on the bed, spooning her from behind. Oh, yeah. Wolves seemed to like to cuddle. Sally could get used to that real fast.

  “Sorry, sweetheart.” He nibbled her ear. “I didn’t mean to jump you first thing in the morning.” Amusement laced his words.

  “Really? After dreaming of this all night, I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t.” She stroked the muscled forearm that circled her waist, enjoying the feel of him and the laziness of satisfaction that stole over her.

  “You dreamed of me? Of us?” he asked in a hot whisper.

  “Mm-hmm,” she answered in the affirmative.

  “I think I like that.” Smug approval filled his tone.

  “What am I going to do about the garden?” She thought aloud, hoping he might have some solution. “Your Pack members will probably tell Carly about my little ability.”

  “I wouldn’t call that little. Besides, I thought she was one of your oldest friends. You mean to say she doesn’t know about it already?”

  “I’ve never told anyone before. Nobody’s ever seen me do it.” Hesitancy filled her voice.

  “You never questioned why or how you could make things grow?”

  “Yes and no. When I was little, it was just natural. The trees and flowers talked to me. Not in words, but I understood them—better than people most of the time. As I grew older, I began to realize that other people couldn’t hear them. The other foster kids in the place I lived from when I was seven to ten years old were pretty mean. I learned not to draw attention to myself. I spent a lot of time in an old tree house, away from the other kids. The place was falling down around my ears. The Frantonis—my foster parents at the time—didn’t allow anybody up there, but I went anyway. I knew the tree would hold me up and keep me safe, away from the teasing and bullying.”

  Jason’s arms tightened around her. She felt him place a gentle kiss on her temple. “I’m glad you had someone on your side, even if it was just an old tree. What you’ve said gives me an idea about what that other blood of yours might be.”

  She turned in his arms to look at him. “Really?”

  “It’s a little farfetched, but I think you might have an ancestor who was one of the ancient forest spirits. Not many of them stayed in this realm, but one makes her home on Pack land. In fact, she lives not far from that little waterfall I took you to yesterday. It’s funny. My first impulse was to take you to that spot, though I’ve never taken a woman there before. That patch of forest has always been my solitary refuge. The place I go when I want to think things through on my own. The Pack knows not to bother me there. But when I first saw you
, I wanted to share that special place with you. I wonder if your ancestry might have something to do with that impulse?”

  “I have no idea.” She was really touched by his words. That he’d want to share such a private place with her meant a lot.

  “There’s one way to find out. We should pay her a visit. Maybe she can tell us for sure if your special abilities stem from that sort of heritage.”

  “What kind of being is she?” Sally was almost afraid to ask.

  Jason grinned. “A nymph.”

  “You’re kidding.” Sally was shocked at the idea. “They’re real?”

  “As real as you or me. From what I understand, there used to be a lot more of them. But like all of the supernatural races, they suffered greatly during the rise of man. They need forests to survive. You only have to look around at the sprawling cities and acre after acre of cleared farmland to realize why many of them may have chosen to leave this realm.”

  “Are there other…realms?” She wasn’t familiar with his usage of the word. It sound is as if there were parallel worlds coexisting alongside each other or something.

  “Many,” he confirmed. “But like humans, werefolk are pretty much grounded to this earthly realm. There are Others, though. Very magical Others, who can travel between them, and live and thrive in many places. Or so I’ve heard. I’ve never actually met a Fey, but I do know they exist. One came to the aid of the High Priestess not long ago. I heard he’s been hanging out with a vampire in New York City lately.”

  “A fairy? In New York City?”

  Jason burst out laughing. “He’s not a fairy like you’re probably imagining. This guy is a Fey warrior. He’s more like what you would think of as an elf in the tradition of Tolkien than a Disney fairy, flitting about on tiny little wings.” He scooted away from her in the king-sized bed and stood. “I promised to deliver you to the police station today, to make your formal statement. As much as I’d love to stay in bed with you all day, we’d better get moving.”