by Skye Malone
With a male one, no less…
Anxiety knotted in her stomach. She suddenly felt like a teenager bringing a boy home for the first time.
“He’s, um, one of Hayden’s… pack.” The word sounded strange to her even now. For so long, her friend had seemed like such a loner, which was part of the reason Lindy felt safer around her than she ever would have around another ulfhednar. But now Hayden was part of a group of her own kind—and in a relationship with their alpha for that matter. But by extension, it also meant Lindy now knew half a dozen of the wolves, even if they hadn’t known anything about her.
At least until now.
Wes came back out of the bathroom, his focus going immediately to her as if checking she was still okay. She gave him a tight smile, gripped by the sudden impulse to reach out to him and bring him closer for moral support.
Even if that was absurd.
“Dad. Frankie. This is Wes.”
Her father extended his hand, which Wes shook carefully. “Andrew,” her father said by way of introduction.
Wes nodded in greeting.
Frankie stuck his hand out too, the look on his face pure challenge. Taking it, Wes shook his hand as well with a solemn expression, only the slightest crinkling around his eyes hinting at a suppressed smile.
“And this is Henry Blackburn, a good friend of mine,” Andrew continued. “We’ve been his guests for about two weeks now.”
“You never mentioned him,” Lindy managed.
Andrew glanced at the big guy. “Yeah, well, Henry likes to keep a low profile. But after the power and radio went out, I thought staying at our house probably wasn’t the best plan. Henry’s something of a prepper, though—”
The large man chuckled at the description.
“—and he graciously didn’t mind sharing his supplies,” her father continued, echoing the chuckle. “So he offered to let us room here for a while.”
Lindy hesitated. There was so much left out of that explanation, she didn’t know where to begin. “Any sign of Mom?”
“No.”
A shuddering breath left her.
“Hey, uh, Frankie?” Henry offered into the silence. “How about you show me some of that Fork Night stuff?”
The kid gave him a dry look. “Fortnight.”
“Ah, Fork Night sounds more my style, but okay. We can check that out too.”
Frankie rolled his eyes, but as Henry headed for the hall, the kid still hesitated, glancing at Andrew and Lindy.
“I’ll come see you in a bit,” she said to him. “Okay?”
Her brother nodded and followed Henry down the hall, the large man teasing him the whole way.
The door closed.
“Perhaps we should continue this conversation, um…” Andrew glanced toward the den and then at Wes, his mouth tightening. Ulfhednar hearing was incredible. Even if he asked Wes to stay in the foyer, the wolf would probably still hear everything.
And Lindy didn’t want him to go, regardless. Yeah, this was her dad, so it made no sense to be uncomfortable. For that matter, her father probably knew what was happening to her—if not the details—so it wasn’t like there was anything to hide.
But still.
“Let’s all talk back here,” Andrew finished, nodding toward the rear of the house.
Lindy followed him. At the door, her father paused, letting her and Wes walk past him down the short steps into the sunken den. The room seemed built for comfort, with an oversized sofa and armchairs ringing the space and a huge television on the far wall. To her left, the windows were nearly snow-covered, while a massive fireplace stood below the television, flames crackling merrily inside.
She studied the framed images on the mantle. Henry and a woman, three boys with them, all pictured in countless activities on bright and cheerful days. The woman laughed at a park or grinned over a Christmas present. The boys played sports or wore silly costumes for Halloween. In picture upon picture, years of family life played out over and over again, and it took her a moment to catch what was wrong.
A cold feeling stole over her. In every image, Henry was younger and everyone’s clothes were out of date.
Her eyes slid back to the door. The house was so still, with only the distant sound of Frankie’s video game breaking the quiet.
Andrew pulled the sliding door shut, sealing them in the den. “How bad is it?” he asked immediately.
Lindy cast an aborted glance at Wes. “Bad.”
Andrew drew a breath, the sound slightly shaky. “How far along?”
She could feel Wes watching her. Reaching up, she pulled aside the neck of her sweater to reveal what they both knew was there.
Her father’s breath caught. “God…” Running his hand over his face, he swallowed hard. “But you’re still… I mean…”
“I’m still me,” she said quietly. “For now.”
Her father nodded. “Good. That’s good.” His brow furrowing, he threw a glance toward the rest of the house. “Listen, would it be okay with you if I brought Henry in here?”
Lindy gave him a confused look. “Why?”
“I’d just like him to hear this, please.”
“But—”
“Please.”
Warily, she nodded.
Andrew pulled open the door and hurried out of the room. At a loss, she looked to Wes, who came over immediately, taking her hand.
Drawing a steadying breath, she closed her eyes, and he squeezed her hand, not saying a word. A smile crossed her face and she squeezed back, something inside her chest loosening at the feeling of him here. Whatever else he was to her, right now he felt like a rock holding her stable.
And that was something she sorely needed.
Footsteps came from beyond the den. Wes squeezed her hand once more, gently, and then stepped back again.
Gratitude filled her chest, and she gave him a small smile as her father walked back in.
Henry followed him, his size suddenly making the enormous furniture seem ordinary by comparison. His jovial attitude was replaced by a solemnity that left her wanting to retreat.
“May I see?” Henry asked, twitching his chin toward her neck.
Lindy looked between her father and the big man. “Dad, what—”
“It’s okay, honey.”
She shook her head. “Who is this guy?”
Andrew sighed. “A researcher. One who specializes in the occult and the paranormal. We met when Frankie and I moved to the area, and about a year ago, I asked him to start looking into a few things for me.” He nodded toward her. “Things about this.”
Lindy blinked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I hoped it wouldn’t be needed.” Her father splayed his arms helplessly. “Why bring up something that might be another one of your mother’s delusions? You were finishing up college. You were moving on with your life. I didn’t want to worry you, especially when it may never have mattered.”
She nodded. “So… what did you find out, then?”
Her dad glanced at Henry.
“It would help if I could see it,” the big guy said.
She hesitated before pulling the sweater neck aside again. It was harder to do it this time in front of stranger, and of their own accord, her eyes went to Wes to find him watching her with so much care and concern, it felt like a lifeline.
Henry moved toward her, bending a bit as if studying her neck, and she recoiled, tugging her sweater into place.
“What other aspects have you seen so far?” Henry asked as if nothing had happened.
Lindy looked up at him, alarmed. “What?”
“Traits. Changes in personality. Compulsions.”
“I-I don’t—”
“Lindy, it’s okay,” her father said.
She trembled, her eyes finding Wes. Concern on his face, he hesitated and then twitched his chin in an encouraging motion.
Wetting her lips, she shoved her hands into her pockets. “I can’t eat. I just throw up. Bu
t I can tell where the Order and the draugar are, even from a mile away. Maybe more.” Her shoulders shifted uncomfortably. “And I feel numb, like I’m going away inside.”
Henry and Andrew shared a look she couldn’t read.
“I want you to come meet some friends of mine,” Henry said. “Tomorrow morning, we can—”
“No,” Lindy protested. “No, Dad, we need to go. I have a place where you and Frankie will be safe, but we need to head there as soon as we can.”
A frown crossed Andrew’s face. “What about you, sweetheart?”
“This is too important. There was an Allegiant on the way here. She said Mom was coming for you, and when she does…” A lump filled her throat. “Dad, she’ll kill you. To get to me and Frankie, you know she will. So, please, let me take you back to Mariposa first thing tomorrow morning. Hayden and her pack are there, and they can—”
“I understand,” her father interrupted.
“Okay. So let’s just—”
“But I also know what’s going to happen to you.”
A shiver ran through her. “Dad, that… Please. Just let me get you back to—”
“I’m not going anywhere, Lindy.”
She flinched at the iron in her father’s voice.
“We think we can help,” Henry offered into the silence.
Lindy looked between them, baffled.
“How?” Wes demanded.
“I’ve had friends of mine researching Lindy’s situation,” Henry said. “At her father’s request and because… let’s just say it matters to us too. To the world, really. Or wouldn’t you agree, given what you know about what’s happening to you?” His brow rose pointedly.
Lindy trembled.
“My friends will be the best ones to explain, though, which is why we need to see them first thing tomorrow. I—” He chuckled, glancing between her and Wes for some reason. “I don’t want to misrepresent the details here, so I’d ask that you wait. I’ve got the generator out back and plenty of room, along with supplies in the basement too, so there’s no need to worry. Just come meet them tomorrow; let us do what we can, and hopefully you and your family will be on the road to this—what was it? Mariposa?—as soon as possible.”
Lindy exhaled, wanting so badly to press for more.
“Come on, sweetheart,” her father said. “You’ve traveled a long way. Get some rest and with any luck, Henry and his friends will fix this in the morning.”
20
Wes
In a guest room, Wes lay beneath the thick covers without a clue what to think. There was hope—real hope—for Lindy, just as he’d wanted. And he was happy about it. Truly, he was.
But worry still gnawed at him, and the wolf wouldn’t quit pacing in his mind.
Lindy was somewhere on the other side of the sprawling house in one of the guest rooms, and the lack of having her in his arms felt… strange. After only a few days of sleeping with her, of traveling with her, he found he couldn’t close his eyes when he didn’t know for certain she was all right.
As much as she could be, anyway.
He adjusted his arm behind his head. He knew he was being ridiculous. Tonight had been the closest thing to normal they’d had in a while. Warm house, soft beds, even a rudimentary shower—and gods, how he’d missed that. And no, they hadn’t eaten dinner because Lindy looked terrified at the thought, but her father put her in a room right next to Frankie’s and his own, and surely, if anything were to go wrong, they’d shout and Wes would hear it.
Not that anything would.
Or really, that the distance was even the problem.
Closing his eyes, he willed the wolf to stop pacing so he could get some damn sleep. Lindy hadn’t told her father they were lovers, let alone anything more, because of course she hadn’t. And probably they weren’t. Their time together could have just been meaningless sex as far as she was concerned. But for him…
He punched the pillow under his head, trying to get the damn thing to be comfortable.
Hello, sir. I’ve been fucking your daughter every chance I get from Colorado to here, and my wolf is certain she’s my mate for life. Mind if we share a room?
He scowled. Dammit, he hated being this far from her. Hated how his wolf wouldn’t stop wearing a goddamn groove on the inside of his skull about it, either. The beast was half-crazed being apart from her when she was struggling.
But these people tomorrow would be able to help. Even if Wes didn’t have details, he had to trust her father would never risk her.
Parents being so trustworthy and all.
He rolled to the side, punching the pillow again to get it into position. Andrew wasn’t like Wes’s own parents. The man obviously loved his daughter, and not in the shitty way his mom and dad ”loved” him through nearly fatal torture. No, Andrew wanted her safe, so he must know this Henry guy wouldn’t harm her.
Unless Andrew was wrong.
Wes rolled to his back again with a groan. Henry’s friends were the best option. Hell, they were the only option, considering the alternative was a race between Lindy killing herself and the Order’s curse taking hold. So Henry’s plan had to work. Whatever it was, it had to work, which meant with any luck, Lindy would be back to her normal self by tomorrow.
Though the gods only knew what that meant for anything to do with the two of them.
He threw an arm over his face, swearing at himself. Gods, he was selfish. Foolish too. There was no “two of them.” Neither of them had made any promises. They’d shared nothing but a bed and a few days of trekking through snowy oblivion.
But damn him, he hated being this far from her.
A small click came from across the room. His head snapped up, his eyes locking on the door as it slowly opened.
Lindy peered through the narrow gap, her face cast in silver from the way his eyesight compensated for the dark.
“Wes?” she whispered, her voice barely a breath in the silence.
He sat up. “What is it?”
She hesitated and then pushed the door open just wide enough to slip inside. “I, um… Listen, do you mind if I just… I mean…” Her mouth moved as if she was giving up on various explanations before they could make it past her lips, and when she finally spoke, her words came out in a rush. “I’m scared I’ll hurt Frankie. Or my dad. And I don’t want to risk you either, of course. I can get blankets and sleep on the floor. I just don’t want to be where I might—”
She cut off as he threw the quilts aside and crossed the room. Tensing, she wouldn’t meet his eyes while he put a hand to the door, pushing it closed behind her.
“Like hell,” he said softly.
Taking her hand, he led her back to the bed, not letting go until she sank down onto the spot he’d vacated. Circling around the other side, he climbed in.
“Come here,” he offered.
She shifted around, curling up beside him, and he wrapped her in his arms.
Tension melted from him like ice on a summer’s day. And maybe it was just the past several nights of her sleeping in his arms that made him feel this way, some nonsensical muscle memory he’d eventually have to shake, but…
Gods, he’d missed her.
On impulse, he kissed the top of her head. “How are you doing?”
A sigh left her. “Worried.”
Gently, he brushed a hair away from her cheek, and she reached up, catching his hand. Lifting it to her lips, she kissed the back of his fingers.
His heart felt like it swelled in his chest. “What do you need?”
In the darkness, she looked up at him. “You.”
Warmth filled him. He shifted around on the bed, mounting her as his lips met her own. She opened to him immediately, the minty remnants of her toothpaste mingling with the taste he knew only as her. His hands slid up through her hair, holding her to him as he breathed in her scent and relished the feel of her beneath him.
He’d more than missed her. Everything in him felt like it’d craved her, like ev
en in this dark room, somehow her presence brought back the light.
Her body arched up against him, grinding at him, and the wolf inside him growled. But he pushed the beast back. They had to be quiet. Couldn’t risk waking anyone. But for the first time, they were in a warm bed and damn if he didn’t want to take his time with it.
“More,” she murmured, pressing herself against him.
He pulled back, smiling down at her in the darkness. “Not yet.”
A noise of equal parts protest and confusion left her, and she writhed beneath him with a pouting look on her face.
His pulse pounded. Gods, he loved her teasing side, the one she hid except when they were in bed.
Pulling back, he slid down her body, his hands slipping over her sides and then drawing her flannel pajama pants down with him. She lifted her legs, helping him pull them free, and then tugged her shirt over her head as well.
His eyes flicked up, finding her beautiful breasts—one free of any markings, the other covered in twisted tattooed lines—and his hands itched to take them now.
But one step at a time.
He wanted to taste all of her first.
Slowly, he slid his hands along her thighs, easing her legs apart, and was rewarded with Lindy’s quiet gasp. A smile tugging at his lips, he massaged her for a moment and then delved between her legs.
Her hips lifted toward him, the motion seeming involuntary, and as he licked between the soft folds of her flesh, she gave a stifled moan. His tongue twisted over her, playing at her clit, tasting her while she writhed and made tiny noises as if trying not to cry out. Her scent filled his head like an aphrodisiac, and her taste was like a fine wine. He couldn’t get enough. With one hand, he reached up, taking her breast, teasing at her nipple while he worked her over and over, licking and sucking at her clit while she pled with him in ragged whispers not to stop.
Not that he would.
He kept up his motions, devouring her. There were so many things he wanted to do with her. So much pleasure he wanted to explore giving to her.
If only they had the chance.
He shoved the worried thoughts aside. Somehow, Lindy would be okay, and everything else could be figured out later. But here, in this moment, her pleasure mattered more than any doubt.
