Lone Wolf_Tales of the Were

by Bianca D'Arc

“I just want you to be sure you know what you’re getting into with him. I don’t want to see you hurt. He’s…a bit…wild for you, Deena.” Duncan looked somewhat uncomfortable with his own words.

  As well he should be! How dare he disparage Josh?

  “All I’m saying is, are you sure your grandmother would approve?” Duncan asked.

  The crafty old bugger. She got the feeling he’d been trying to provoke her, but that last bit about her grandmother…

  “You know as well as I do that Grandmother would be pleased to see me involved with a shifter. The fact that he’s got a lot of fey blood in him is probably a bonus. But the most important thing is that he’s the right man for me. And I won’t say anything more on the subject to you right now. It’s only fair that any declarations I have to make be made to Josh first, not to you.”

  Duncan regarded her steadily for a long moment, then slapped one hand down on the kitchen table as he smiled. She almost jumped at the sound, but Duncan was still smiling.

  “As I thought. I just had to say it, Deena. Forgive me for being an old busybody, but I do like your grandmother—and you—and I don’t want to see you hurt in any way.”

  “Josh would never hurt me,” she said, knowing in her heart the truth of her words.

  With that out of the way, they started discussing the best way to go about reconstructing her wards. They wouldn’t be the same. No, the plan was to make them better than they had been before. Stronger and constructed of more flavors of energy, utilizing all three of their brands of magic. The very fact that Duncan was including Josh in his calculations was significant, and appeased the sense of outrage she’d had a few moments before when Duncan had called Josh wild and questioned their involvement.

  When Josh walked in a few minutes later, he was dressed again in his T-shirt and jeans and his hair was slicked back. He must’ve dunked his head under the water spigot again. She couldn’t blame him. It had been a hell of a day so far, and it wasn’t over yet. She could do with a reviving splash of water herself.

  She went to the sink and grabbed a clean dishtowel, wetting it down and using it to rub at her face. Within moments, she felt a little more awake and alert. Good. She’d need that for the magic they were about to do next.

  “There’s a rental car parked up near your mailbox,” Josh told her. “From the scent, I’d say it was Felicia’s ride. I followed her trail down from the car. She must’ve ditched the rental up there by the road and come in on foot while we were distracted with Reggie.”

  “I figured it had to be something like that,” Deena replied. “How do we get rid of her car?”

  “I’ll handle it,” Duncan told them. “I can drop it at an airport in the next state and make it look as if Felicia returned it herself. As for the dirt bike I saw out by the barn…”

  “I’d like to hang onto it if it’s clear of Reggie’s magic and won’t bring down more trouble on our heads,” Josh replied before Deena could answer.

  “Any magic either of your attackers had left when their energies were reclaimed by the Mother of All have dissipated by now, but I’ll check the bike over in detail before I leave. Then, of course, there are mundane ways to alter serial numbers—” Duncan started to say, but Josh cut him off with a friendly wave of his hand.

  “I know how to make it untraceable by human standards,” Josh revealed. “I was just concerned about some kind of magical trace.”

  Duncan nodded slowly. “Well, as I said, I’ll check, but I think it’s probably clean now that Reginald’s magic has been permanently removed.”

  Josh nodded with apparent satisfaction. Deena wasn’t sure what he wanted the bike for, but living frugally as she did, it seemed a shame to toss it. They couldn’t very well return it to Reggie’s next of kin, so the only other alternative—throwing it away—seemed too wasteful.

  Plus, she had to consider that Josh had been dropped off on her doorstep with no means of transportation. Maybe he felt trapped on the farm with no wheels. She didn’t think that was the case, but she also knew that grown men usually liked to have some independent method of transportation at their disposal. And motorcycles of any kind were probably the ultimate guy toy.

  While it was true that Josh could always go wolf and cover a lot of distance on his own four paws, that wasn’t the most practical means of getting around. For one thing, he’d be naked when he shifted back to human form. Of course, she didn’t mind seeing him naked, and he didn’t seem to have the same inhibitions as most other beings. Still, a fellow could get arrested by human cops for being naked in the middle of town.

  “Planning your getaway already?” Duncan challenged Josh’s motive for keeping the bike in a way Deena never would have.

  “Nothing of the sort,” Josh answered in a firm voice. “It’s just always good to take advantage of opportunities, and having a new vehicle on the farm that’s able to handle cross-country terrain seems like a good one. I’ve taken a look at Deena’s truck and that thing is lucky it’s still running. It could never handle even a mile on grass in its current state and the bike gives us flexibility if we ever need to make a run for it.”

  Deena’s heart melted a little bit more. He’d been thinking of her safety. That’s why he wanted the bike. As a means of escape, should they ever need it. He was taking care of her again, and it made her want to reach out and kiss him breathless. If Duncan hadn’t been standing there, she would have done just that. As it was…they still had work to do and a fey warrior all but tapping his foot in impatience to get on with it.

  Duncan nodded at Josh’s explanation and let the subject drop.

  “Normally, I’d wait to raise wards until you were rested and at peak strength, but this cannot wait, and with three of us working the spells, we should be able to do something worthwhile…and hard to break,” Duncan said, eyeing her with a concerned expression.

  “Three of us?” Josh repeated. “You know I’m just a novice when it comes to magic, Duncan.”

  “A novice couldn’t have done what you just did to a Venifucus mage,” Duncan countered. “You may not know all the methods and spells yet, but you’ll get there. What counts, when all is said and done, is power and intent. You’ve got those in spades.”

  “Glad you think so,” Josh muttered, just at audible level.

  She wanted to go to him, but Duncan’s presence inhibited her. Josh didn’t seem to be inhibited, though. He walked right up to her at the kitchen sink and took the damp towel out of her hands. Invading her personal space in a way she rather liked, he took over dabbing at her face, which made her think maybe there were smudges of dirt or smoke that she hadn’t known about.

  But when he followed up the gentle cleansing with a kiss to her forehead and a loose embrace, she wanted nothing more than to melt into him and stay there forever. This tender side of Josh was dangerously attractive, and somewhat surprising.

  “We’d better get started,” Duncan said in a voice that was just a little too loud as he rose from his chair at the kitchen table. “I have places to go and people to question, and I suspect you two need to rest and recover a bit, which you can’t do until the wards are back up and your territory is better protected.”

  Josh nodded and stepped back. Deena was sad to lose his comforting warmth, but she agreed with Duncan. They had to get those wards up and running before she could rest easy in her own home.

  Josh was fascinated by the spells Duncan taught him and the creation of the wards around Deena’s farm. Thankfully, the skill seemed to come easily to him, and Duncan was a great teacher. Deena followed Duncan’s lead, too, which surprised Josh at first, but then again, he figured one person couldn’t be expert on all aspects of magic. Plus, Duncan was one hundred percent fey and very, very old, though he didn’t look it. He’d probably forgotten more about magic and spells than Josh or Deena would ever know.

  It took a couple of hours, and by the time Duncan pronounced himself satisfied with the layers of protection they’d erected around the f
arm, Josh was dragging. Deena looked tired, too, and Josh put his arm around her waist to support her as they turned to walk back to the house.

  Setting the wards had involved walking the perimeter of the farm, with a long stop in the stone circle. Each time they stopped to layer a spell, the magic poured out of him—and Deena—and he could almost feel it sinking into the land. It felt good and pure, but there was also no question, it drained him.

  Duncan had looked at him a little oddly the first time they called the magic and those pure white sparks appeared. As near as Josh could figure, Deena and he were somehow tuned to work together now, and when they added their magic to the mix, it came out unified, with that white light show he’d seen first in the circle of stones during the full moon ritual.

  It had grown stronger since then, which was a little disconcerting, but Josh figured it was a good thing. The more power to keep their enemies at bay, the better.

  Duncan left soon after, and Josh was glad. He wanted nothing more than to collapse in a bed and not think about magic or bad guys or anything other than holding Deena in his arms.

  “I’m glad that’s done,” Deena said as they walked through the house, heading for the guest room by unspoken agreement. “I’m going to shower, then I want sleep.”

  “I hear you,” Josh agreed. “You take the shower first,” he offered as they stepped into the generous-sized guest room.

  He was glad of his habitual neatness because he’d changed the sheets and made the bed before starting breakfast that morning—which reminded him. They’d never gotten to eat. She must’ve cleared the kitchen of their uneaten breakfast while he was out scouting the perimeter in his wolf form, and they’d been so busy since, there hadn’t been time to do much more than gulp down water and eat a few crackers she’d had in her jacket pocket.

  While Deena showered, Josh set up a moveable feast. He set up trays with thick homemade bread, creamy farm-fresh cheese, fruit from the trees out back, and a variety of beverages, with ice in tumblers, and brought them into the guest room, placing them on the small table by the window.

  He’d planned to join Deena in the shower. For one thing, he’d wanted to be sure she didn’t have any serious injuries that she’d been hiding all this time. For another, he’d wanted to hold her body close and maybe convince her that sleep was overrated. But she was out of the shower before he could make a move toward the bathroom door.

  The smile that lit her face when she saw the food trays was his reward, though. Wrapped in a soft terrycloth robe that had been hanging on the back of the bathroom door for her guests, she made a beeline for the table and had barely sat down before she started eating.

  Satisfaction filled him. The wolf rumbled happily in his heart. It liked providing for its mate.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  After eating, they tumbled into bed and slept the sleep of the just. It wasn’t even early evening when they fell asleep, needing rest after the physical and magical exertions of the morning and afternoon, so Deena wasn’t surprised when she woke up to find the moon just rising in the sky. She could see it out the window of the guest room, and it painted the dark room in its stark white light.

  She looked over at the face of her sleeping lover. Josh. He really was the most handsome man she’d ever known, but more than that, he had a beautiful soul. She hadn’t known him long as mortals counted time—which was how she imagined her fey grandmother would phrase it—but she knew him better than any man she’d ever been with. Not that there’d been that many. And none since she’d moved way out here. But she knew Josh’s soul. She’d shared magic with him. She knew the flavor and tenor of his innermost being, and even better, she’d really liked what she’d found there.

  No. Like was too simple a word. She was astounded by the depth of the man. He was complex and earthy in a way that stole her breath. His wildness was part of his very nature, but it wasn’t dangerous—at least not to her. He had a sense of honor as strong as the day was long, and his soul craved justice for those who had been wronged. He lived by his own code, and it was a strict one. An ancient one. One few men could live up to, but Josh managed, even in this more decadent day and age of man.

  One didn’t simply like a man like that. No. This was a man she could love. A man she did love.

  “Penny for your thoughts.” Josh’s voice was a deep whisper in the dark with a hint of sexy growl.

  “I was thinking how much I admire you,” she told him, brushing back the hair that had fallen across his brow with one hand, a gentle caress on his skin. She was taking a chance, but she thought she knew his heart, and she hoped—she prayed—he was thinking along the same lines as her.

  “That’s good,” he said, rising on one elbow to look down at her, lying at his side. “Because I admire the hell out of you, too, Deena.” He punctuated his words with a kiss. “In fact, I actually…”

  He paused, and she held her breath.

  “The thing is… I actually…love you. I hope it’s not too soon to say that.” His expression spoke of his uncertainty and concern that he might be rushing her, but she felt the smile leap to her lips as she all but tackled him.

  She kissed him with all the pent-up joy in her heart, pushing him down to the bed so that she was on top. She was the aggressor for the time being. She was letting him know in the most basic way possible that he hadn’t been wrong to take that chance and speak his heart to her.

  When she let him up for air, she was gasping for breath but still grinning like a fool.

  “I take it you’re okay with what I just said?” he asked, one eyebrow raised devilishly.

  “More than okay,” she said between breaths. “I love you, too, Josh. You’re the best man I’ve ever known, in every way that counts.”

  He looked a little uncomfortable with that last bit, but she wouldn’t take it back. He was hers now. She was staking a claim. He might not realize it yet, but she’d do everything in her power to make sure this worked out. That they worked out.

  There wasn’t time for more words then as Josh turned the tables, moving so that she was under him, and he was kissing her breathless once again. He really was a good kisser. Scratch that. He was a great kisser. And everything else he did to her was pretty darn awesome too.

  He wasn’t one of those men who needed a map and a compass to figure out what a woman liked. No. He knew. The sexy so-and-so.

  She got a little angry when she thought about the women he must’ve known in the past to gain such knowledge, but whether he realized it or not, he was well on his way to becoming a one-woman man. Deena didn’t have any plans to let him go any time soon. Come to think of it, she didn’t really want to contemplate ever letting him go.

  She’d fallen asleep in the damp terrycloth robe, though by the time they’d finished eating, it had mostly dried. Josh had worn only a pair of shorts, so all the luscious, warm muscles of his chest and arms were available for her to caress. Mmm. He was perfect. Perfect for her.

  She stroked his arms as he untied the simple knot at her waist. He continued his drugging kisses as he peeled the robe open, side-to-side, revealing her naked body.

  Soon, his kisses trailed down over her jawbone, eliciting a moan of delight as he worked his way downward, pausing at her breasts. His hands were busy, too, moving her thighs apart to make room, and then delving between, touching her most intimate places and preparing the way for an even more intimate invasion that she was eager to experience again. And again. And again.

  But she didn’t want to be just along for the ride this time. No, she had something else in mind.

  Pushing at his muscular shoulders, she got him to move back. He rolled with her until she was on top. There. That was better.

  She straddled him, happy to discover that he’d removed his shorts somewhere along the way. There was nothing between them but the open bathrobe. She leaned up and removed it, sliding it off one shoulder at a time, holding his gaze.

  Deena laughed as she flung it across the room,
feeling freer to be herself than she ever had. Josh made everything fun and exciting. He was so good for her. He brought her out of her shell without even trying and dared her to try new things.

  Speaking of which… She leaned down and kissed him. She reluctantly left his mouth, kissing her way down his hard body, teasing and caressing as she went along. When she grasped him in her hand, he shuddered with pleasure, and she felt a little zing of triumph. She’d done that to him—and she planned to do a lot more before she was through with him.

  By the time she licked the tip of his hardness and took him into her mouth, he was growling a deep, sexy murmur of sound that made her body respond. She was so ready for him, it wasn’t even funny, but she was enjoying learning the intimate taste of him and the feel of him against her tongue.

  Josh had other ideas, though. She must’ve been doing something a little too right because his growl deepened, and a moment later, he lifted her bodily away from him, flipped her over, positioning her on her hands and knees, and entered her from behind. He was urgent, but cautious, letting her take him in small increments until she comfortable with the invasion. He was a big man, and she was glad he’d taken his time at first, but now…she wanted motion.

  Hard, fast, deep motion.

  His growls were answered by her moans of pleasure as Josh hit a little spot within her on each stroke that sent her pleasure skyrocketing to the moon and back. As the sensations intensified, she began to shake, but he supported her, one of his big hands holding her hip, the other supporting her abdomen. He surrounded her until she wasn’t sure where she ended and he began. She felt so at one with him, it was almost sacred.

  And then…at long last…he joined her on that rocket to the moon, making the journey last while he held her and filled her, cherished her and whispered words of love that were engraved, at that moment, indelibly on her heart. She was with him through it all, and she would remember this moment for as long as she lived. One perfect, blissful moment with the only man she had ever truly loved.