by Nina Croft
“Good girl,” Connor murmured.
He saw the moment the magic took over, and the creature within her roared to be free. For a moment, she held it at bay. Then she opened her eyes and they gleamed feral. The change came over her smoothly, no pain as she accepted her beast. Then she vanished, and in her place stood a dark brown wolf, with deep golden eyes.
Connor felt a moment of regret for the woman she had been and would never be again. She was one of them now.
One of the monsters.
But even as the thought crossed his mind, he pushed it aside. Keira could never be a monster. Whatever this changed in her, she was intrinsically the same person.
Did that mean so was he?
Had he been wrong all this time? Could it be that he didn’t have to be evil after all?
***
The door opened. For a moment, she stood poised in the opening. Low in the sky, the fat yellow moon hung heavy and the magic shifted inside her. She leapt to the ground and stood on all fours sniffing the air. The world was changed. Twisting her head, she stared at the rich dark chocolate fur covering her back. She lifted each paw in turn, placing it down with exaggerated care, her sharp claws digging into the soft earth.
Breathing in, she caught a wild feral scent. She turned as a huge black wolf appeared behind her, his tail wagging frantically.
Connor.
The name whispered through her mind and she took a step toward him, touched her nose lightly to his and then jumped back with a yip when she found it cold and wet.
She gazed around her. Everything was sharply defined. Her ears swiveled, to pick up the sound of the wind in the treetops above her, and somewhere far off an owl hooted. She opened her mouth and tasted the rain on her tongue. The scents of the night filled her nostrils, the rich damp earth, leaf mold, the musky aroma of strange wolves. Her muzzle twitched, and she searched the edges of the clearing.
They came out of the trees.
Wolves.
At their head, stalked a huge silver wolf with dark blue eyes. Keira’s legs trembled with excitement as he approached. Behind him trotted two smaller wolves, silver and red.
Her sisters.
Then others. Until they surrounded her in a circle. In unison, they raised their heads to the sky and howled. And Keira threw back her head and joined them. Wild excitement tugged at her. She needed to move, to run, to…
She found Connor at the edge of the circle, watching her from his dark wolf eyes, his black plumed tail waving. He caught her gaze, yipped once then turned and headed into the trees. The circle parted and she followed, stepped through and into the darkness of the trees.
She raced through the dark forest, the pads of her paws making no sound on the soft leaf-littered floor. Smoothly, she twisted her way between the gnarled trunks of the oaks, chasing the sable wolf. As the trees thinned, she picked up speed, running ever faster, until she was aware of nothing but the wind flowing past her. All her tension, the loneliness that had plagued her for so long fell away beneath the relentless stretch and release of muscle and sinew. A wild exhilaration filled her. She didn’t falter as she reached the edge of the forest, and she was racing out in the open under the full moon.
Without warning, a huge form slammed into her from the side, pushing her to the ground, knocking the air from her lungs. She rolled, then jumped to her feet, shook herself, a growl rising up in her throat.
The black wolf faced her, hackles raised. When he saw he had her attention, he growled softly then looked back towards the dark shadows of the forest. She knew he wanted her to return to safety, but she didn’t want safety. For the first time in so long, she was wildly alive, filled with joy. Laughter bubbled up in her mind but could find no release, and she sank to her haunches, threw back her head, and howled.
She woke in the first light of dawn. The moon had set and the rising sun painted the sky in pinks and orange. She was back in human form, lying under a huge oak tree, naked. But warm and cozy with Connor’s strong arms wrapped around her. All her senses were acutely aware. Above her, the breeze rustled the canopy, and the scent of damp earth and warm musky werewolf filled her nostrils.
And something else.
She pulled free and sat up. Connor stirred in his sleep but didn’t awaken.
Something teased at her mind and she rose slowly to her feet as two figures stepped out of the forest. Tasha and Anya.
Wonder filled her as she realized how close they were and neither was in pain.
It had worked. She was free.
She walked slowly toward them, then she was enfolded in their arms as she blinked back hot tears.
“It worked,” Tasha said.
She nodded. “I guess.”
“Can you hear us in your head?” Anya asked.
For a moment, fear froze her brain, then she reached out tentatively, opening her mind and a whole deluge of images poured in. Too many to make sense of.
Shaking her head, she laughed. “Yes, but perhaps I need a little practice.”
“We’ll help you. We just wanted to check you were okay. And bring you some clothes. You get used to being naked after a while but it takes a little time.” Tasha dropped the bundle she was carrying and then peered past Keira to where Connor still lay sleeping.
“I guess we’ll leave you then,” Anya said. “You probably have things to do.” She grinned. “But when you get back we need to talk. Serious girl talk.”
“That sounds wonderful—I’ve never done girl talk.”
“We’ll see you later then.”
“You will. And thank you,” Keira said. “For looking for me.”
“It was our pleasure.”
Keira turned back to Connor. He was awake and watching her out of half-closed eyes. His gaze dropped to her body and her nipples tightened in anticipation of the dark promise in his eyes.
He held out a hand. She closed the distance between them.
“Good morning.”
She mingled her fingers with his and he tugged so she collapsed to the soft ground beside him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m wonderful. It worked, Connor. I’m healed.”
“That’s good.” His eyes darkened to black as he focused on her face. “Very good.”
He pulled her to him and rolled her so she lay beneath him and his hardness pressed against her belly.
“I owe you an orgasm,” he murmured against her lips.
Chapter Eleven
At his words, every muscle in Keira’s body locked up tight.
She was cured. Totally cured. So why couldn’t she banish the fear that she would hurt him again?
He must have sensed her tension, because he came up onto his elbows and cupped her face between his big warm hands. “What is it, querida?”
“Querida?”
“It means darling in Spanish.” He stroked the hair from her face. “Tell me…”
“I’m scared.”
“So am I. Scared I won’t please you.”
There wasn’t much chance of that. Just looking at him pleased her. “I keep remembering the first time. I thought I’d killed you.” A shudder ran through her. “Maybe you should just do it quickly. Not worry about me.”
A rueful smile curved his lips. “Then I’d owe you two orgasms and that would hardly be fair.” He nudged a knee between her thighs, pushed up against her sex so a jolt of pleasure shot through her. “Just relax,” he murmured.
Keira gave a shaky laugh. “I don’t think I can.”
“Well, I’m going to have to try really hard to get you over that.” His voice was a low husky purr. The sound sent quivers trembling across her skin, as one hair-roughened thigh massaged her, rotating against her most sensitive spot, eliciting a delicious friction.
He lowered his head and nibbled her lower lip, then stroked her with his tongue. Her mouth opened beneath his, and he pushed inside. She gave up thinking for a while, her fears melting beneath the intensity of his touch. His lips c
aressed her cheek, then the soft spot below her ear and lower, to scatter kisses across her breasts. Her nipples tightened as he drew closer, teasing her with his mouth and tongue.
“Breathe,” he whispered against her skin and she drew in a shuddering gasp of air just as his lips closed over her nipple. A bolt of pure pleasure flashed to her groin. Her sex grew hot and heavy, moist with need. The last of her fear was slipping away, the tension seeping from her as her insides turned molten and her belly filled with hot liquid heat.
Connor moved to her other breast, bit down gently on the taut peak, and then soothed her with kisses. Keira was squirming beneath him now; she’d never felt anything like this. Well, not since that first time…
The thought doused the fires burning within her. She went still.
As though he sensed her unease, Connor raised his head to stare into her face. “We’ll just take it very, very slowly.” His hand slid down between their bodies, ruffling the curls at the juncture of her thighs. She stopped breathing again as he delved between the drenched folds of her sex. His clever fingers drew lazy circles around her clit, driving every thought, every fear from her mind until she was aware of nothing but his hands, his mouth, his big body poised above her.
His erection pressed scalding hot against her thigh and suddenly she needed him inside her. “Please, Connor.”
He shifted, positioning himself. “This is for you.” And he eased into her.
Last night, when he’d taken her, Keira hadn’t allowed herself to think about what was happening, had concentrated on anything but the fact that he was deep inside her. Now her body shuddered under the realization that they were joined as one. He was big and he filled her, stretching her, completing her.
He stared down at her, his eyes dark with desire. “Okay, I lied. This is for me as well—that feels so good.”
He moved slowly, withdrawing almost to the tip, then pushing back inside. At the end of each stroke, he rotated his pelvis against her core. Her clit was swollen with need and so sensitive that each grind of his hips had her hovering on the edge.
She opened her legs wider, wrapping them around his waist. She’d lost the ability to think, all she knew was the swell of pleasure rising and falling, each time taking her higher than the last.
Then he slid his hands beneath her, clasped the globes of her bottom, and ground her against him. She came in an explosion of pleasure, arching her back. He leaned down and swallowed her cries with his kiss, as his body went rigid and he spilled himself inside her.
For a second, she froze, waiting…
And nothing. No screams of agony.
She had no time to savor the relief as Connor rocked her against his still hard shaft, and she came again. Happiness mingled with the exquisite pleasure.
She was cured.
Connor lay behind her, his body pressed along the whole length of her back, hot and hard. One long muscular leg was hooked across hers and one arm wrapped around her. She peered down, her gaze captured by the sight of his huge hand cupping her breast, his olive skin dark against her paleness. His fingers were long, sprinkled with short black hair. As she watched, they tightened on her, sending a spasm of intense pleasure shooting from her breast to her belly, and then lower, so she writhed against him.
The sun was directly overhead and she’d lost track of who owed who orgasms a long time ago. They’d made love, and talked, and dozed in the warm sunlight. Then woken to make love again.
Now she felt him harden behind her, his cock nudging her bottom. His leg shifted to slide between hers, parting her thighs so he could push inside slowly. His fingers plucked at her nipples then stroked down over her belly, into the damp curls at the base. Then lower to find her swollen bud at her core. He massaged her lightly in time with his strokes. She was so sensitive and the pleasure built quickly, like a great swelling of sensation, filling her with warmth and light. She relaxed into it, letting the feelings take her over until they exploded in a starburst of light behind her closed lids.
He came a moment later, pulsating inside her.
His breath feathered her skin, as he kissed the back of her neck, his teeth nipping at the spot where he’d bitten her all those days ago.
It seemed like another lifetime.
“I love you,” he whispered the words in her ear.
A wave of happiness washed over her. She didn’t know where they would go from here. Their relationship had formed too fast, under such extreme conditions. But right now, it was enough. The moment was perfect.
She pushed herself up, needing to see his face when she spoke her reply.
His eyes held such tender passion that her heart ached. She rested her palm on the curve of his cheek, stared into his beautiful eyes.
“I—”
Her words were cut off abruptly as a small red dot appeared on Connor’s chest.
“What is it?” he asked.
She swallowed and nodded downward.
“Shit.”
Don’t move, Keira.
The voice spoke inside her head. And she went instantly still.
And tell your friend not to move.
“Connor, don’t move.”
She sat totally still. The red dot never wavered from Connor’s heart. She peered sideways as four people stepped out from the trees to their left.
A woman flanked by three men. Dressed in a black pant suit, with dark glasses covering her eyes, something seemed familiar about her. Was this the woman who had been hunting her on Rannoch Moor? Keira thought it must be, but as before, she couldn’t shake the idea it was more than that.
The woman came to a halt in front of them, a smile curving her crimson lips, a pistol gripped in one hand. She waved the other and the red dot vanished. Keira breathed again.
“Sorry to disturb you,” the woman said. “But at least we waited until you’d finished.”
“Who are you?” Keira asked.
The woman took off the glasses revealing dark golden eyes and arched brows. “My name is Darla.”
“Shit, you’re twins,” Connor muttered.
The woman grinned. “I’m guessing you’re right, though those bastards back at the Agency never let on. They could have warned me—not that it makes a difference.” Her gaze wandered down over Connor’s naked form. “Nice.”
She strolled across the clearing, picked up the bundle of clothes, and tossed them over. “I suggest the two of you get dressed. Pity to cover him up, but I want out of this place and quick. I’m not expecting any company, but I’m not a country lover and fresh air does nothing for me.”
Keira’s mind reeled. She had a twin sister.
Who worked for the Agency.
And was a complete bitch.
She searched the woman’s face. It was no surprise she hadn’t recognized her the other day. She’d been at a distance plus, Keira hadn’t seen her own reflection in years. And this glossy woman was like a pampered thoroughbred racehorse, next to Keira’s muddy underfed pony. She became acutely aware she was naked, her hair tangled, and she reeked of sex. What a time to get self-conscious about her appearance.
All along, she’d known the Agency would destroy her if they ever found her. How could she have forgotten them so completely? Now she’d got Connor taken as well. She had no doubt they would kill him without a second thought. But probably not before they tortured him to find out if he knew anything—if she had passed on any of her secrets.
“You don’t have to do this,” Connor said in a low voice that wouldn’t carry to the men who stood about ten feet away. “You can come back with us. We’ll help you get away from the Agency.”
“Now, why would I want to get away from the Agency? They’ve been good to me.”
Conner got to his feet and pulled on his pants. “Because they tried to kill your sisters, and as soon as your usefulness is over or they see you as a threat, they’ll turn on you.”
“Well, I’d better make sure that I stay useful then.”
Keira force
d herself to function. Pushing herself to her feet, she took a deep breath and tried to control the shaking of her limbs. She dragged on the jeans and T-shirt. “How did you find me?”
“I sensed you back in Scotland. But I couldn’t hone in on you. Rather than waste time in that godforsaken place, I set up satellite surveillance on the area. We caught you leaving, but afterward, we lost you. And then not a flicker from either of you.”
She waved the pistol in the direction they had come from to indicate they should start walking.
“Then I got a message last night that your doctor friend had been spotted by another surveillance unit, driving through London. After that it was easy.”
“Do you know what they’ll do to me?”
“Do I seem the type to care? Look, sweetie, I’ve learned that you trust no one in this life. You’re alone in this world. You think your new boyfriend there wouldn’t turn on you in a moment if he thought it would save his life?”
Keira looked at Connor, and he smiled a slow smile that told her so much.
“You’re wrong,” she said. “He’d die for me.”
Darla shrugged. “No doubt he will. And probably soon. Now, let’s go.”
Keira pushed her fears aside. Somehow, she needed to get Connor out of this mess alive. She wouldn’t allow him to die because of her. Once they got inside the Agency, their chances of getting out were around zero. She had to find a way to avoid that.
It seemed as though Darla knew little of what was going on. Did she know they were werewolves? Could they shift and escape in the confusion. But she could almost feel the guns trained on them.
After a fifteen minute trek through the woods, they came to a black van. Darla indicated the open back door.
“Wait,” Keira said.
Darla gave an exaggerated sigh. “What?”
“You know once we get inside the Agency we’re as good as dead.”
“So?”
“I don’t want to die.”
“Well, isn’t that a goddamn pity. Neither do I. So if you’re after some sympathy, you’re looking in the wrong place.”
“Not sympathy. I may have something to trade.”
