Seth

by Lisa Carlisle

  Yes, she had an agenda. She wanted to impress her father by introducing Seth to him. But her plan was compromised by her feelings. No matter how she tried to shrug it off, that kiss proved her dismissals were full of crap. She was falling for him, too hard and too damn fast, and everything about that situation was wrong. Since he would be leaving soon and she’d likely never see him again, this infatuation could only end one way—with her being the one crushed.

  “All right?” he asked while picking up a towel.

  “Fine. You?” She kept her eyes averted while he dried off, resisting another peek at the water dripping down his muscular thighs.

  “Felt good to go back in. And the sting is all but gone.”

  “That’s good.” She began to look at the wound, but it was far too close to a part of him she was trying not to stare at.

  He laughed. “If you’re avoiding looking at me naked, don’t worry, I’m decent now.”

  When she glanced at him, he’d covered himself with a towel. “You should put some clothes on.”

  “Ah. In case anyone sees us.” He winked. “Got it.” He dropped the towel and reached for the pile of clothes.

  “Jeez,” she blurted out, while her gaze drifted down there again. “You don’t have any modesty, do you?”

  He pulled the pants on, leaving them low-slung. Adding the white shirt, but leaving it open to expose his tanned chest, he could be the ideal male model for a clothing line.

  “Of course not. It would be rather daft. You ever see animals covering their body parts?”

  A reminder of his other side returned; he was part wolf. Still, it was difficult to imagine that this fine male specimen could transform into a four-legged animal.

  She might be pushing her luck, but she couldn’t avoid asking. “Will you do something for me?”

  He narrowed his eyes and straightened. “What?”

  “Will you show me—how you change?”

  For a long time, he stared at her and she figured he was thinking some choice words in reply.

  “Why?” he finally responded.

  “I’m-uh-well—” How could she describe it so he didn’t think of it as freakish curiosity? All she came up with was the simple truth. “I’m fascinated.”

  He continued to appraise her through a steady gaze. “You’ve been open with me. Answering my questions.”

  A flash of guilt swelled through her, a reminder of a selfish side of her that wanted to unveil him for her father.

  “What is it? I sense your discomfort.”

  Jeez, was she that readable? “I’m just hoping you’ll say yes.”

  After another few seconds of scrutiny, he said, “Aye, I will show you.” He surveyed the land. “Not here, I’m guessing.”

  Her mouth dropped open. Never did she think he’d agree. She searched the nearby area for signs of groundskeepers. None were around, but still, this required cover. “No. Let’s go into the woods.”

  After they dressed, they walked toward the tree line. Excitement had her at a near skip. He was going to show her something she never dreamed possible, what she thought were only stories conjured during long cold winters in the Highlands.

  When they were deep enough into the forest, surrounded by a thick frame of oak and pine trees that would provide cover, she said, “Here?”

  He unbuttoned the white linen shirt, exposing his golden skin bit by tantalizing bit.

  Taking off his clothes again? “What are you doing?”

  She doubted she’d be able to get through this striptease without saying or doing something embarrassing.

  “I need to take them off so they don’t tear.” He continued to unbutton the shirt. “Turn away if it bothers you. I forget how prudish humans can be.”

  Bother her? No, it definitely didn’t have that effect—she quite enjoyed the view, no matter how distracting. She was having difficulty tearing her eyes from that seductive picture he painted.

  She closed her slack jaw and raised her chin. “I’m not a prude. It doesn’t bother me one bit.” She went for a nonchalant tone, but her lingering stare on his chest undermined it. “Besides I’ve already seen you naked. More than once.” With a raised brow, she added, “You seem to enjoy being in that state.”

  He paused and grinned, disarming her. “More so in some instances than others.” After he removed the shirt, her gaze was drawn to those contours of his chest, dropping to the defined six-pack—no, that had to be at least an eight-pack… Under the sunlight, his golden skin glistened under its kiss. No way was he mortal. He had to be some kind of god. Why did he keep teasing her this way?

  “Catch.”

  He tossed the shirt to her, but she didn’t react fast enough and the linen hit her in the face.

  “Sorry, I forget humans aren’t as quick, either.”

  She could use that explanation to her advantage. It was better than being caught ogling him.

  When she opened her mouth to reply, she forgot what she was going to say when he unfastened the pants and removed them.

  He handed them to her. “Ready?”

  Ready for what? Her mind had become frazzled, distracted by the picture of Seth. Crap, what was he asking her about? Oh yes, she’d asked to see him shift. That was the reason he’d removed his clothes. It wasn’t to put on some glorious striptease that would render any woman speechless.

  She nodded, swallowing. “Yes.”

  The air around him seemed to vibrate. Or maybe it was his body shimmering with energy so palpable that currents of heat coursed along her skin. She could practically taste the energy on her tongue. His form began to change, outlines turning fuzzy as they disappeared and reformed. Her eyes widened in fascination. After she blinked, Seth was gone.

  No, not gone. He was there, staring at her through the amber eyes of a wolf. Holy crap. They were the same eyes of the wolf she’d saved from drowning. If she had any doubts that Seth and the wolf were the same being, they shredded on witnessing the actual transformation.

  Mind-blowing.

  He remained standing, watching her for several seconds. Perhaps, he was gauging her reaction. Although a tiny part of her instinctually reacted with wariness, she swallowed to overcome the sensation to flee. It would undermine all she’d been working for, to reduce people’s irrational fear of wolves. Only a miniscule fraction had ever been attacked, while much larger numbers of humans and wolves had co-existed. A much bigger part of her was enthralled by what she’d seen him do. It was incredible.

  And this wasn’t a typical wolf. This was Seth.

  She reached her hand toward him, palm open. He took a few steps forward and sniffed at her fingers before letting out a gentle sigh. Raising her hand slowly, she touched the fur on the top of his head. When he didn’t appear to mind, she ruffled her fingers through the fur, letting the soft bristles brush against her skin.

  Oh my God. This was real. He was both man and wolf. Not some myth or legend. Thinking it was one thing, seeing and touching it was quite another.

  He stepped back from her, and his fur appeared to vibrate. His wolf form reshaped and grew taller while the fur retracted into his skin. Within moments, he was back in human form. Beautiful, golden, nude human form.

  She blinked so many times she gave her eyelids a damn cardio workout. “That’s amazing.”

  He shrugged. “It’s natural for us.”

  “I can’t believe it’s possible. How easy you switch from one form to another. Like—like—blinking. It’s unbelievable.”

  His face turned stony, unreadable. “Now that you’ve treated me back to health, it’s time for me to move on.”

  Her stomach seemed to crash onto the forest floor. “Where will you go?”

  “Not sure. Try to find others like me, I suppose.” He glanced at the sky. “It’s late in the day to get started, though. Mind if I stay tonight and I’ll get an early start in the morning?”

  She exhaled. At least she had one more night with him. “Of course,” she said, trying t
o keep her voice neutral. “You can stay as long as you’d like.”

  Then she swallowed a bitter taste. Only one more night. Why did he have to recover so quickly? Was there anything she could do to delay it? Her father was returning in two more days and she at least wanted to have him meet Seth. Was there some way she could convince him to stay until then?

  They walked over fallen leaves that crunched underfoot toward the brighter area visible through the gaps of the trees.

  “Tomorrow should be long enough. I need to move on.”

  No, he couldn’t leave so soon. Her father had to meet him, live and in the flesh. If he could see what she just saw with Seth’s transformation… She wasn’t exactly sure what it could mean, but it was a tremendous discovery. Her father was brilliant; this knowledge might have a profound impact on their projects.

  But, she’d promised Seth she’d keep his secret.

  Crap.

  “These are no good,” he said with a grin before grabbing some rhododendron seedlings and pulling them from the soil.

  Her heart fluttered. He’d listened to her about removing non-native plants as part of the conservation efforts at the estate and had taken that step on his own. How many grueling hours had she spent pulling up roots with Liam? That small gesture tugged at her. He couldn’t leave, not yet.

  “Wait,” she blurted out. “My father is returning from London in a couple of days. Will you at least stay long enough to meet him?

  Seth paused at the edge of the meadow. “I don’t trust humans.”

  Her ribs tightened, seeming to crush her lungs. Why did that statement slice her right to the core? “Even me?”

  He avoided looking at her. “How could I? I don’t even know you.”

  What the hell? After all the time they’d spent together, she thought they were building something—at least some element of trust. Apparently, she was dead wrong.

  She raised her chin. “But it’s okay to go around kissing them?”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Hailey’s heart pounded while she waited for his response, surprised be her heated reaction.

  He raised his arm to her and dropped it, staring at an unfixed point. “It’s not like that.”

  “Well, what is it like then?” She powered on through the long blades of grass. “Because I’m human.” She turned and pointed at her chest. “Have I done anything to make you think poorly of us?”

  “You, no. You’re different.” He moved closer, stopping inches before her. “I tell you too much. I don’t know why… but…”

  His voice lowered to a near whisper, and that irresistible burr softened her defensive response. Why was she reacting so irrationally anyway? No reason to be so affronted. He’d only just met her, so he wouldn’t have any reason to trust her. But still, she thought something had been developing between them and his declaration had stung her like a slap. But now, his explanation changed. She prodded, “But what?”

  “I shouldn’t be sharing anything about my kind with you.” He resumed walking through the grass, with long, quick strides. “But you’ve offered me shelter and cared for me and something about you…stirs me. Yet calms me. It doesn’t make sense, I know.” He gritted his teeth. “I’ve heard what other humans are like. They’d try to study us. Figure out what we are and why we shift. Poke and prod at us in a lab. Same as they do to lab animals. Even with you—I saw the look in your eyes when you watched me shift.”

  She trotted to keep up with him, as well as follow the conversation. He seemed as rattled as she was by the incongruity between them—the difference in their species, yet the dynamic connection that seemed to transcend that. “I won’t deny that I’m fascinated by what you can do. That doesn’t mean I would do any of those things you mentioned. And I’d never let anyone do that to you.”

  He raised one eyebrow. “Do you think you could stop those in power from doing so?”

  “No, but my father wouldn’t—”

  “Much worse could happen to my kind if humans know of our existence. Those who don’t understand us could fear what we are and try to destroy us.”

  “You think the worst of us,” she said. “There are plenty of people who would be fascinated by you and yes, I and my father are two. But that doesn’t mean what you fear. Kill you? Destroy you?” She crossed her arms and shook her head. “Never.”

  Seth grunted. “Think about the long and violent human history. Not only do you destroy cultures you don’t understand, you destroy your own. I watched the news earlier and all the violence and madness is insane. No reason for it. Putting my faith in human’s hands is not a risk I’m willing to take.”

  She blew out a long sigh in frustration. “I understand why you might feel that way, but I hate to be painted with that same brush. I’m not like that. That’s not me, nor my family, nor any of my colleagues. I’ve told you about our projects. The group I’m involved with—we’d never consider any of those things that you’re concerned about. We’ve devoted our lives to improving the world around us. Not destroying it.”

  Something flickered in his eyes, making her think she might be getting through to him. “And how many humans believe the way that you do? A minority, I’m guessing.”

  It was true their numbers were small and they had a long way to go before they reached their goals. “Our followers grow every day. We’ve banded together with other like-minded groups to accomplish similar goals. Through social media, we’re able to reach—”

  “I don’t understand human technology,” he cut her off.

  “Okay. Well, let’s just say with this technology, we have a power to communicate our message over the globe.”

  “Wait, media?” He straightened. “My pack has warned me about that. I’ve heard they skew the truth and invoke panic. They’re one of the biggest human threats we face. If they discovered what we really are, they could broadcast it and turn humans against us.” He snapped his fingers. “Like that.”

  It was true; the media could induce a panic in the way they reported facts. “It’s not that type of media.” How strange her afternoon had turned. Was she about to explain Facebook and Twitter to a man that could shift into a wolf form and back? “I can post a message on my computer that communicates our news to readers.”

  His narrowing gaze indicated she’d lost him.

  “Listen,” she tried another tactic. “My father is not someone you should worry about. He’s one of the most prominent leaders in the rewilding efforts here in Scotland that I’ve told you about. He’s a driving force to bring back the wildlife to the Highlands, reintroduce lost species, and reclaim some of the lost Caledonia Forest.”

  “Caledonia?” Seth straightened and slanted a sideways glance at her.

  “Yes. Why do you say it like that?”

  “My pack originated from the Caledonia Forest. We relocated to the isle when we lost precious space due to human development.”

  She nodded. That was one of the repercussions with the cutting down of forests—pushing species out. “This land used to be part of the forest, which has been reduced to only one percent of what it used to be. It’s unbelievable what we’ve done to it. Not only destroyed the trees but the homes of so many animals.”

  “Aye, that’s why my pack relocated. With human encroachment on our lands and them hunting wolves down to destroy every one, we had to leave.”

  Her bright eyes widened. “We’re trying to undo it. It’s a perfect reason to meet my father. He’s trying to bring back what forced your pack to leave. Maybe you could help us understand what wolves would need.”

  His face became unreadable as he considered her words. For a moment, guilt trickled through her. She was pushing him to do something he didn’t want to do, to fit her agenda. His hands were rolled into fists at his side and the hardened look on his face solidified her fear that he was seconds from storming off. When he didn’t respond, all her muscles tightened as she braced herself to hear his refusal.

  “What are you worried about?” h
e asked.

  Him and his senses again? “I know you’re not crazy about the idea, so naturally I feel a little guilty about asking you.”

  “I find it difficult to say no to you.” To her surprise, he faced her again, relaxing his shoulders. With a brilliant smile, he said, “All right, I’ll meet him. What’s a few more hours?”

  The sound of an approaching car caught their attention. Her neighbor Rogers drove up, not looking pleased.

  He stopped the car when he spotted her and demanded, “Where’s your father?”

  Seth stepped toward Rogers, and she took his arm to stop him, all the while pleased he seemed to want to protect her.

  “He’s not here. What’s wrong?”

  “I heard it last night,” Rogers said with accusatory eyes. “A wolf’s howl. He’s gone ahead with his mad plan, hasn’t he? Brought wolves to live here.” He scanned the lands.

  Hailey recoiled as if slapped while Seth’s forearm muscles tightened in her hand.

  “No, of course not. I don’t know what you heard. Maybe it was your TV.”

  Seth broke from her grasp and stepped within a foot of Rogers. “Don’t talk to her that way.” After staring Rogers down, he added, “Leave.”

  How he put so much command in that one word, she didn’t know, but it rattled Rogers enough that he stomped to his car, swearing under his breath.

  After he drove off, squealing his tires, she faced Seth. “Howling?”

  ***

  “Aye,” Seth admitted. “Last night, I couldn’t sleep. I ran in wolf form over the grounds—and I may have gotten vocal.”

  A worried look came over her face. “You need to be careful. If the wrong person hears you…”

  “Like him? Who is he?” He nodded in the direction that that neighbor had gone.

  “Rogers. His land borders ours.”

  “I’d never fear a weak human like that.”

  “Still. I’ve heard so many ugly things the opposition has said about wolves. Just—be careful.”