by C. D. Gorri
For her to get through his supernaturally fast metabolism, she’d need more than that. She pulled on her jacket and went outside with a knife she grabbed from the kitchen and a flashlight she found hanging next to the door. She was suddenly grateful for the few lessons she’d had with a friend of the Pack’s at the insistence of the Alpha.
Werewolves typically did not like magic. It smelled strange and put their beasts on edge. Luckily, Sherry Morgan was a White Witch and super talented at healing. Her magic smelled like apple pie to Rayne. She was patient and polite too. She’d put Rayne at ease with her lilting accent and no-nonsense approach to healing. Thank goodness too!
Sherry had advised Rayne on alternative ways to treat supernaturals. A lot of it had to do with knowing which herbs affected which supes in what ways. Being that Rayne was a Werewolf herself and one of the Pack’s on-call doctors, that was where Sherry had focused her lessons.
Rayne closed her eyes and recalled the name and shape of what she was looking for. Once she had the image in her head, she remembered where to find the root. She stopped at a stand of deciduous trees that had long since lost their leaves and inhaled. The wind was biting and the snow deep. She closed her eyes and knelt on the ground and began to dig with her bare hands. This was the spot.
CHAPTER 9
She smiled as she felt for the dead leaves at the foot of the tree. Just there, under the hard ground. She took the knife and stabbed at the frozen dirt. A few inches below the surface she found what she’d been looking for. Sanguinaria Candensis or Bloodroot as it was commonly called.
The small, perennial plant graced the floors of forests across the northeastern United States. When in bloom, the small white flowers with their one, large leaf were quite pretty to look at. But it was the root, with its reddish sap, that gave it its name. That was what Rayne wanted.
When she went back inside the cabin, she shed her outer things and washed the snow and dirt from her hands. She cleaned and cut up the root and set a pot with water on the stove to boil. She turned her head and listened. Cael was still muttering in his sleep. She worried her lower lip with her teeth and went to him, drying her hands on a towel as she went.
She stopped in the doorway. He’d thrown off the blankets and was sweating profusely now. She bent to him and retrieved the sheet to cover his body. He must have kicked off the boxers too. She couldn’t help her blush as she covered him with the sheet. He grabbed her wrist, and his green eyes opened, they were glazed with fever.
“I’m sorry, Rayne, so sorry. You’re as beautiful as ever. Even if you are just a dream.”
“No, Cael, I am here now, with you.”
He sat up and pulled her to him, strong despite his fevered state. His lips pressed down, crushing hers against him and Rayne gasped. He took advantage of that small opening and kissed her deeper still. It was just like old times.
He was the only man she’d ever lost her head with. He cupped her boldly on top of her clothing as he sought to deepen the kiss and she was helpless to stop him. She felt his arousal pressed up against her through the thin sheet and she struggled to breathe as he moaned her name.
Rayne was so swept up by the kiss she nearly forgot where they were or why she was there. Being in his arms again was like coming home. Just like that he broke the kiss and fell back on the bed. Rayne sucked in air and tried to steady her nerves.
“Just a sweet dream,” he murmured, “But every night since I’ve wished for you in my bed. God, I didn’t want to stop that night. So sweet,” he let go of her arm as he slipped back into a restless slumber.
So many secrets, she thought sadly as she stood to check on the tea. She pressed a trembling hand against her swollen lips. Could he possibly have the same regrets? She smiled and rolled up her sleeves. First, she needed to get him on his feet. Then, she’d worry about the future.
A few hours later…
“This tastes terrible,” Cael muttered as he sipped his sixth cup of Bloodroot tea.
“Yes, I imagine it does, but it broke your fever.”
“I have never had a fever before,” he said and looked at her quietly. He didn’t remember much, but he recalled dreaming about her.
“It’s unusual for Werewolves to get sick, but it does happen. Especially, when said Werewolf hasn’t been taking care of himself,” she announced with all the authority of her position.
“I had a dream last night,” he began and watched her cheeks turn a bright shade of scarlet.
“Oh?” She avoided his eyes as she fed him scrambled eggs. She must have found the powdered eggs he’d bought as he didn’t recall her having any fresh eggs in her grocery bag.
“Yes. It was of you. You were bathing my head with a damp cloth, caring for me, and you kissed me and whispered so sweetly in my ear to get well. You said we had something to talk about?”
“That’s some dream, Cael. Finish your tea. I want to change the bandage on your leg.”
“Okay, doc, for now,” he said and watched her closely as she left the confines of the tiny bedroom.
He felt as if he’d just spent the night wading through hell itself. His body had been in a torment of pain and searing heat. Then suddenly, she was there, cooling his fever and caring for him in the most delicious way. Cael hadn’t had that in a long time.
If he was being totally honest, he never had that. He realized for the first time that he could have died if she hadn’t come by. Despite his withdrawal from society, he didn’t want to be alone, and he certainly didn’t want to die.
For the first time in a long while, he felt ashamed of how he’d handled the entire situation. He wasn’t a coward and he sure as hell wasn’t guilty of the crime he’d been accused of. Still, he’d allowed himself to be bullied and forced into fleeing his home.
He wondered if things would have been different had he stayed and fought. But he couldn’t do that to David and Rayne, well, they’d only just started going out. How could he drag her through all the mud with him? It was an impossible choice.
He left to save everyone the trouble of walking out on him as they eventually would have. His brother worked for years to get where he was, Cael couldn’t ask him to risk it all. He growled and banged his fist on the bed. Regret left a foul taste in his mouth even more so than the red Bloodroot tea she served him.
CHAPTER 10
In the kitchen, Rayne was clearing away the breakfast dishes. She blushed helplessly at the memory of the past night. Cael was burning with fever, and she’d worried herself sick about him despite her medical training. It didn’t make things any easier that her Wolf was worried too.
She brewed the Bloodroot tea the way Sherry Morgan had taught her. She spoon-fed it to him and bathed his face with a cool towel to keep his temperature down. He whimpered under her careful ministrations, and she couldn’t help but feel for him.
The kisses she placed on his eyelids were for her benefit as much as his. She remembered pressing her forehead to his and whispering encouragement and other things, things she didn’t have the guts to say in the light of day.
He had to get better first. That was what she needed to focus on. She went back into the room and found him asleep again. She looked at his pale face and traced it lovingly with her eyes.
Get well, Cael, she thought, then you can show them who you are.
She went outside to gather some wood for the pot-bellied stove and huddled inside her jacket against the howling wind. Her phone was fully charged, but a fat lot of good it did her. There was no reception out here. Besides, she wouldn’t leave him until he was back on his feet.
She went back inside as fast as she could and placed the wood near the fire. The logs would have to dry out a bit before she could add them to the flames. Somehow, they’d gotten damp under the tarp.
Rayne didn’t pretend to know anything about that. She was a doctor for Pete’s sake, despite being a Werewolf. Her parents were educated and proper. Neither of them had gone through the Change, and it was quite a sh
ock for them when she had at just sixteen years old.
She’d had to face down the still present sexism in her small neighborhood, and it wasn’t until she came to Maccon City that she saw the amazing steps towards equality amongst the sexes within the Pack that her Alpha, Rafe Maccon had made. He was amazingly progressive for an Alpha Wolf.
He’d even made her an official Pack doctor. She’d been honored and overwhelmed, but her training and amazing inner calm had kept her steady. She worked hard her entire life, this was everything she wanted for herself.
She hardly dated while she was in school as her studies were incredibly difficult. Her residency was even worse on her social life. By the time she met Cael, she was resigned to being alone. But her Wolf had recognized his, and she lost her heart in the space of a few dates. Her one regret was not making love with him, but he’d put her aside the one time they’d gotten close to it. She’d been too afraid to ask why.
She really didn’t want to hear that she didn’t appeal to him like that. She was a doctor and understood that the male body could sometimes react in the presence of other bodies that had nothing at all to do with feelings. In other words, a hard-on did not equal true love.
Rayne told herself that he respected her too much to use her that way. That was why he had stopped. It was easier than the truth. He’d been somehow disgusted with her forwardness. She’d practically thrown herself at him. It embarrassed her now, but at the time she was willing to do anything for him.
Cael struggled with the same memories as he lay in bed. He felt much better after Rayne’s doctoring and couldn’t allow himself to wallow in self-pity. God, she was still as beautiful as ever. He’d never forgotten the way her sweet little mouth felt when he used to kiss her. Damn, last night had felt so real! He could still taste her, lavender and honey, on his lips. But how?
She listened and heard the water running from the small shower. Cael was up. That was a good sign. She went into the bathroom and stopped when she saw him with the shower curtain open and the water spraying over his beautiful, though thin, body.
“Yes?” he asked, and there was a heat in his eyes she didn’t realize he was quite healthy enough to have.
“I, uh,” was going to tell you to call me if you needed help getting out of the shower,” she said matter-of-factly. Then she licked her lips and ruined the professional image she was trying desperately to portray.
“I think I need help with my leg, doctor,” his voice was deep, but she saw nothing unusual in his request.
She walked over to him and bent to look at the wound. He’d removed the bandage, and the small, straight stitches looked infinitely better.
“The stitches are holding, and the swelling and redness have gone down. I can probably take these out by the end of the day. Any dizziness? Pain? Itching?”
“I have an itch,” he said and as she looked up to ask where he lifted her with more strength than she would have given him credit for and tugged her inside the stall with him.
Rayne gasped as the warm water hit her, soaking through her clothes. It was just the opening he needed. He pressed his firm lips down on hers and ignored her protests as her clothing clung to her like a second skin.
“Let’s get you out of these wet things, doctor,” he murmured against her shocked mouth as he opened buttons and pulled her wet clothing from her body.
Rayne could hardly move. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Now?! In less time then she had to wrap her mind around the scenario, she was as nude as he was, and he had her trapped in his hard embrace.
“What’s wrong, doctor? You’re a medical professional, nothing here can shock you.”
“I, I am a professional.”
“So, when I do this, it’s only natural, right?” He lifted his large hands and cupped her suddenly swollen breasts. She gasped at the tingling sensations that were racing through her body at his masterful touch.
“Cael!”
“You look shocked, doctor, but this is just biology, right?” He pushed himself fully against her and let her feel the evidence of his arousal for the first time with nothing between them.
“But, you, you’re sick. You’ve had a fever that’s why you’re doing this-”
“I have a fever alright,” he growled and took her mouth with his. His long fingers caressed and teased her body, arousing her in ways she’d never felt before.
“I ache,” she whispered as if it were some dark secret, “Cael don’t-”
“Please Rayne, I need you,” he breathed into her mouth. He bent his head, his brows furrowed as he kissed her with an expression as close to anguish as she’d ever seen.
“Don’t play with me. Please.”
“Who said I’m playing?”
He kissed her again, wildly hard and passionate with everything he’d been holding inside of him for over a year. It had been a long dry spell and he’d missed her. She was pure sweet passion in his arms.
He shut off the water and grabbed a towel from the rack without ever stopping his kiss. He wrapped her up against him and walked with her in his arms until he hit the bed with his legs.
“Are you sure?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, and she tumbled them both onto the bed.
“I’ve been dreaming about this for more than a year,” he growled as he nipped at her lower lip and grabbed her hips with both his hands.
“Me too,” Rayne moaned and opened her legs wider, breathless with anticipation. Frightening new sensations pulsated through her body. She’d never felt this way before, not with anyone else. It’d always been Cael.
Before either of them could get a handle on the situation, he pressed his engorged manhood inside of her welcoming heat. Cael growled, his Wolf was shining brightly behind his glowing green eyes as he claimed her.
“I need you, Rayne. You’ve been mine from the first time I ever saw you,” he growled and felt his teeth elongate in his mouth.
“Yes, Cael, I am yours,” she moaned her response. Her body seemed to know what to do and expect from his fierce desire. She was not afraid. She watched and lifted to meet him. Excitement and more made her heart thud wildly inside her chest. Mine.
“I need to claim you,” he growled and looked at her, begging her permission. She could see her future in his eyes and she wanted it. The good, the bad, she wanted it all. She would take whatever he gave her.
“Yes,” she answered. His eyes glowed brighter as he thrust his hips and opened his beautiful mouth.
It was savage and primal, the way he bit down on her shoulder as Rayne gave herself to him. She felt her maidenhead break. The fleeting moment of pain had her wide-eyed with wonder. She gasped with joy as the pleasure began to build. She felt her Wolf as close as ever. Mine.
She felt the power of their connection, hers and Cael’s and their Wolves, course through her veins like a shock of beautiful white light in her very blood. She turned her head and nipped his shoulder with her sharp teeth as a million nerve-endings she never even knew she had started to sing as he built up speed and continued to thrust inside of her.
Rayne felt tears roll down her face at the sheer magic of what they were sharing. She’d found her mate. Mine. Forever.
CHAPTER 11
Cael growled with pleasure as he moved her into a closer position and filled her even more completely. Delicious sensations rippled over them both like waves in a vast ocean. They started small then increased in strength and persistence. His strong hands were everywhere, as his mouth devoured hers. It wasn’t enough.
Soon she felt herself tugging him with her as she rolled him onto his back. Instinct was her guide, her emotions leading her where she wanted to go. And that was to him. Only him.
“Are you sure?” His eyes glittered with pleasure as she sat astride him. Beautiful and brazen in her nudity. Cael had never known true possession, but he felt part of his soul belonged to her now. Nothing had ever felt so right.
“Oh, yes. I want to show you how I feel, Cael.”
She watched as he closed his eyes and groaned as she slowly lifted herself up then brought herself down on him, hard.
“Like that?” She asked though the answer was obvious in his helpless response to her movements.
Rayne had always been a quick study. She loved the feel of his body moving under hers as she rocked her hips up and down, building speed and strength as the pleasure threatened to drown them both. Her moans increased in volume as spasms danced up and down Rayne’s spine. The rhythm increased, and she clung to him, grasping at his kiss as if she needed him to breathe. Right then, she did.
Her body moved in a mindless submission to his despite her position on top. He gripped her hips and set the pace, thrusting upwards, impaling her with all his masculinity. His scent grew stronger, musk and freshly fallen snow. It invaded her nostrils and made his possession of her all the more complete. She loved it. She loved him.
Making love in this remote cabin with the one man on earth she ever cared about was about as close to heaven as Rayne Davis had ever dreamed she’d get. He growled, and suddenly she was on her back again as he drove into her.
She opened herself up and gave him everything she had. And more. She wanted him like no other, she wanted to belong to him, to be owned by him, like this, forever like this. Her thoughts were scattered as she kept up with the demands her body and his were making.
She whispered things to him in her desire that would make her blush scarlet later when she was her normal self again. Her voice was husky and breathless. Thirteen long months without him, wondering what could have been. It was all worth the wait.
Cael was attentive and demanding, his fingers found the hard pebbles of her nipples and squeezed as his tongue sought the hollow space between her neck and collar bone. She was searching for something just out of her grasp, her movements became frantic, desperate even, then suddenly she went rigid. Her body seemed to erupt in waves of uncontrollable delight as she experienced her first orgasm. Rayne moaned his name unashamedly worshipping him with every single inch of her.
