by Jo Ellen
“What!” Devlin finally looked away from Olivia to stare at his friend.
Niall nodded. “My Queen said to tell you yer destiny has arrived.” He looked over at Olivia and lowered his voice. “She says now that you’re over one hundred years old, and yer brothers have settled down that you needed your mate too.”
Devlin was angry for a moment, thinking the Queen needed to mind her own business. But his anger did not last long once he looked over to see Olivia straining to hear what Niall was saying. She was beautiful, intelligent and kind. Instead of being angry, he silently thanked her for her blessings. Remembering the first part of the message, he asked, “Why do you need to guard my back?”
Olivia listened to the exchange and was mad when Niall tried to keep her from hearing the entire message. She knew she had to have heard wrong when Niall said Devlin was over a hundred years old.
“She had a bad feeling, nothing else.” Niall shrugged.
Devlin sat that information aside, knowing he could take care of himself, so he focused on Olivia. “Tell me about Jack.”
“I’m not your business, boy. You just keep Olivia safe and don’t be sticking your nose into my business.”
“I’ll stick my nose wherever I want to. She’s mine, and you’d better back off.” Devlin scowled in the direction of Jack’s voice.
Niall leaned back in his chair with his fingers steepled as he grinned at the show in front of him.
“Mine? Are you kidding me? What planet are you from?” Olivia yelled as she marched forward to poke him in his chest. “Oh crap, are you from another planet?”
Devlin laughed as he wrapped his fist around her hand. “No, my love. I was born right here in Texas.” He pulled her back over to the daybed to sit beside him while he explained. “My kind know their mates as soon as we meet them. Didn’t you feel that tingle, that knowing when you saw me?”
Olivia did not want to admit how drawn she had been to him on first sight, and still was, so she ignored that part of his question. “My kind?” She glared at him, waiting for the next surprise. “I talk to ghost, there is a man that comes from outer space sitting in my room, and you seem to be telling me you’re another species. What next?”
“I’m a werewolf,” he said simply.
They both jerked to stare at the window where they heard choking, then laughter coming from the area. “Seriously dude, that’s the best you can do?”
“Fuck you, man. I come from a long line of werewolves that have been in this area for hundreds of years. We’re gifted with a magical pond that sits in front of our home that we protect from evil. There’s a hell of a lot more going on in this world that you don’t even know about.”
Devlin turned to Olivia, hoping to make her understand what she was to him. “We’re blessed with the ability to recognize our other half, without having to spend months or years dating like the human world does. We mate for life. I will love, protect and take care of you. All I ask is that you’ll give us a chance. I know this must be difficult to understand, but we’ve been given a gift that not everyone obtains in life.”
Olivia stared at him wide eyed, waiting for some semblance of normality to return to her psyche. She remembered how people thought she was crazy when she spoke to dead people. Now the shoe was on the other foot. She either believed what she’d seen with her own eyes or called these men crazy. “Show me,” she stated flatly.
“Show you? Um, okay.” Devlin reached over and pulled her into his arms, nuzzling her neck and inhaling her scent. He could feel their connection getting stronger simply by touching her.
Olivia pushed back, rolling her eyes. “No dumbass. Show me what a werewolf looks like.” Crossing her arms, she raised her eyebrows in question.
Chuckling, he turned to Niall. “Wait for me downstairs,” he turned towards the window, “you too, Jack.”
Niall stood and opened the door, mumbling as he left. “Happy to. I dinna need to see you naked.”
“I’m not leaving her alone with you.”
“It’s okay Jack, he won’t hurt me.” Olivia stared into his eyes, seeing the truth. Somehow she knew and accepted him. The two of them were connected metaphysically.
Jack snorted, “I’m going, but we need to figure out why I can suddenly be heard by these two.”
Olivia saw Jack fade away, “He’s gone.”
Devlin stood and pulled his t-shirt over his head. “I don’t want to ruin my clothes when I shift.”
Olivia watched as his hands slid the button out of the slot in his jeans before slowly lowering his zipper. She was determined to watch and not look away. Admiring his chest, she mentally outlined his muscles with her finger, following the delineation of his pecs, down to the ridges of his abdomen, and finally looking away when she saw him push the jeans down his slim hips. No tidy whities, briefs, or boxers. She felt her cheeks warm when he finally stood naked before her and finally had to look away.
Grinning, Devlin spoke, “It happens quickly love, so you’ll want to watch.”
Olivia turned her attention away from the brick wall and braced herself. The man had no inhibitions whatsoever. He stood with his hands planted on his hips while he waited for her to look at him again.
She focused on his forehead, which made it look as if she was staring him straight in the eyes. Being naked when you’re about to have sex was fine, but being around someone who was virtually a stranger was extremely uncomfortable.
Devlin couldn’t help but laugh. He was used to being naked around his pack, but he sometimes forgot how uptight humans could be with nudity.
Olivia saw a shimmer in the air around him, then a large brown wolf stood proudly in front of her. She gasped in amazement and walked over to squat in front of him. She should be afraid, but found herself more curious than frightened. She held her hand out as if she were meeting a strange dog and wanted to allow it to sniff her.
He didn’t take the bait. Instead, Devlin used his muzzle to push her back and topple her over before he laid a sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek.
“Ewww, come on, get off me.” She pushed at his huge head trying to move him away.
He flopped down, pinning her to the floor before shifting back. “Don’t you like my kisses?” he grinned.
Now she pushed his shoulders, but he did not budge. “Let me up. I need to wash the dog slobber off my neck.” This was so surreal she needed some time to compose her thoughts.
Devlin stopped smiling when he realized she was in shock. Her face was pale, and her hands were shaking again. He knew she had been handling this too well and wanted to kick himself. She put on a brave front, but he could tell she was freaked out. Jumping up, he pulled her to her feet and swooped her up to lie on the daybed. He maneuvered her body so that he could pull the covers out from underneath her and cover her up.
“Try to relax. I understand it may take awhile for all this to sink in.” Devlin kept talking, deepening his voice to soothe her nerves. “My oldest brother is alpha of our pack, and he’s mated to a witch. Well, she didn’t know she was a witch at first, but anyway, she totally freaked when he told her about us.”
He watched her eyelids droop down and was relieved when she passed out. The shock had overloaded her system, and he knew sleep would be the best thing for her. Stretching out beside her on his side, he laid his fingers on her wrist and started counting the beats while listening to her breathing.
Satisfied all was well, he put his clothes back on before joining her on the bed again. He rolled onto his back and placed his hands under his head, locking his fingers together to stare at the ceiling.
He couldn’t wait to take her to his home and show her around. His lips quirked thinking about how his brothers would react. He was sure they would be giving him a hard time, knowing how adamant he’d been about settling down. He’d have to wait to introduce her to Ian and Melanie since they were travelling somewhere. Rafe would be home with his mate, Lisa, and Devlin was counting on them both making her feel welcome.
Lisa was always happy to have another female around the place since the brothers outnumbered her three to one since moving into the castle. Once Ian had found his mate Melanie, her odds had improved. He silently chuckled remembering how they’d take a vote, and then decide activities for all of them to do. Lisa would try to persuade one of them to her side and go against any suggestion Rafe would make, just to mess with him.
Things would go much smoother if he could only convince Olivia to move in with him. He found himself tensing up again when he thought about this new threat at the club. He could not believe a ghost could be strong enough to throw Niall through the doors and out onto the sidewalk.
Once she woke, he would use logic to talk her into going home with him. Sighing, he knew he would have to put up with Jack tagging along. They needed to band together and figure out how to handle a psychotic ghost.
He rolled back onto his side when he heard her breathing change and watched as her eyes fluttered open. Staring into her pretty blue eyes, he saw the moment she became aware of him. Her eyes widened, and he knew she was remembering.
Olivia closed her eyes to block him out so she could think. She felt her world shift when she accepted all she’d seen today.
“Welcome back, love.”
She shivered at the low timber of his voice. “Why do you call me that? You don’t even know me.”
“I know you. I knew you the moment we met. Once we mate, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the soul bond. Right now you’re at a low hum, but once we’ve sealed the deal, you won’t be able to live without me.” Drawing small circles on her belly, he looked up and grinned.
Olivia shoved his hand away, trying to get around him and off the bed. “Narcissist.”
He laughed as he sat up and lifted her over him to place her feet on the floor. Keeping his hands on her hips, he made sure she was steady before releasing her.
Olivia stood there, amazed. No one had ever made her feel small or delicate. “How do you do that? I’m over six feet tall!”
“My kind are exceptionally strong, and you’re a lightweight.”
Olivia snorted. “Yeah, right. Well, I need to go downstairs and see if I still have a job.”
“Wait, we need to talk. Don’t worry about the job; it’s still yours if you want it. I need to know about your magical abilities and what’s going on. Have you ever been attacked by a ghost?” he asked grimly as he reached for her hand.
“Magical abilities? This isn’t magic. It falls under the title of physic abilities.” Olivia sat back down, shrugging her shoulders. “They talk to me, it’s as simple as that. I learned early on to keep my mouth shut. People think you’re schizo if you tell them their dead aunt haunts the kitchen complaining about your cooking methods. A lot of them don’t need any help. They’re there to visit and like to hang around places or people they love. Sometimes I do get a lost soul that doesn’t understand they need to move on. Or someone that wants a loved one to know where some important paperwork is. I try not to meet with the intended recipient since most people are not open to some stranger saying their dead relative has a message. If I have an email address, I’ll send them a note. If not, I’ll send a letter. Then the balls in their court.”
His grip tightened on her hand. “And Jack? What’s his story?”
Olivia gnawed her bottom lip, thinking. “He’s different. His presence is stronger. I don’t know how to describe it. The others I’ve dealt with were weaker, more like a mist with some small details recognizable as a real person. Jack is almost solid with a strong voice. He comes and goes, and his energy level is longer lasting than most.”
“Was he an old boyfriend?” Devlin growled.
“No! I ran into him at the rodeo a week ago. I’d gone with some people from work and saw him standing by the chutes. I didn’t think much of it at the time. He saw me staring at him and realized that I could see him.” She laughed. “Boy, he was annoying. Appeared right next to me in the stands and wouldn’t shut up. I had to tell my coworkers I wasn’t feeling well and left so that I could talk to him.”
“So? What’s his story?”
She sighed dejectedly. “We’re not sure. He can’t remember what happened. He thinks he may have died at the rodeo, but it’s speculation. We didn’t find any record of someone named Jack dying there. Oh, I forgot to say, he also doesn’t know his last name. So far, the only information we have is that he’s a cowboy named Jack. It’s not much.”
How very sad, Devlin thought. He couldn’t imagine dying and then losing the memories of your loved ones.
“Come on, we need to go collect Niall and Jack and head to my house.” Devlin stood when she jerked her hand from his.
“Your house? No. I’m staying right here and going down to the bar so Hank can show me around. I need this job.”
Devlin shoved a hand through his hair, frustrated. “Your job is not a problem, but this other ghost is. I need to let my brother know about this threat in our territory. We need to sit down with Jack and find out all we can on how to handle a malicious, cruel ghost.” He could tell she was going to be stubborn. Sighing, he said, “Okay, I’ll bring you back here after we’ve all talked.” He’d be staying at the bar also, only he’d be patrolling the hallway in wolf form; he doubted she’d allow him to sleep with her.
Chapter 3
Olivia sat between Devlin and Niall in the pickup, staring out the windshield at the dark woods surrounding them. Even with a full moon, she could not see deep into the forest. “Hey, it’s a full moon. Don’t you feel the urge to howl or something?”
Niall laughed outright while Devlin shook his head and said dryly, “Yes, I’m fighting the change as I drive. Normally I would be out running and searching for virgins to ravish.”
Olivia giggled. “You’re out of luck then.”
Arriving at his home, Olivia stared in awe at the huge castle looming before her. “Wow. Just, wow.”
Devlin slid out and held out his hand for her. “Yup, this is home. My family built it a very long time ago.” He pulled her back up against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and pointing out to the front of the property. “See that pond over there? It’s a gift from the Faery Queen to us. After we mate, you and I will walk into the water, and you’ll become a wolf shifter, just like me. The water is pure magic, which is why we protect it from evil.”
“Whoa, back up a minute. I just learned about you guys. I’m not ready to change anything,” Olivia stated.
“You’ll change your mind, trust me. Werewolves live a very long time, and as my mate, you’ll stop aging as fast as you do as a human. You’ll look this same age for another fifty years.” Devlin smiled at her, anticipating her reaction.
“What? Exactly how old are you?” she asked.
Devlin thought she would be thrilled to know she’d look younger for years, thinking that’s what most women wanted. He sighed. “Just a little over a hundred. In human terms, I’m around thirty years old.”
Olivia gasped. “I thought I’d heard wrong when you were talking to Niall. This is too much to take in right now.”
Grabbing her hand, he pulled her along to follow Niall into his home. “Rafe, Lisa, I’d like to present my mate, Olivia. She talks to dead people.” He announced as soon as he passed the threshold. He couldn’t wait to see their reactions. He grinned as Rafe gulped his drink before setting the glass down on the bar.
Olivia rolled her eyes. “That’s the best you can do? Sheesh, I knew someone would say that.”
Slipping off his stool, Rafe walked over and pulled Devlin into a bear hug, pounding him on the back. “Congratulations! Olivia, welcome to the pack.” He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“Um, thanks?” Rafe was just as handsome as his brother, looking almost like twins. His green eyes twinkled down at her as he stood an inch taller than Devlin. She found it a nice change to be around all these tall men.
Olivia waited as the redheaded woman jumped off her stool with a squeal
and wrapped her arms around Devlin. “This is so cool baby brother.” She turned and grabbed Olivia in a tight squeeze too. “It’s so nice to meet you. Devlin is a great guy, genius extraordinaire you know. Welcome to the family.”
Olivia stepped away from the smaller woman once she was released. “Thank you both for the welcome, but we are not a couple.”
“Come and have a glass of wine and we’ll talk. Trust me when I say, been there, done that.” Lisa put her arm through Olivia’s elbow and guided her to the bar.
Olivia let her pull her over to sit at one of the bar stools. While Lisa got another glass, she turned to watch as Devlin sat down in the middle of their huge sofa. Rafe sat in one of the recliners at the end while Niall leaned against the mantle, observing them all.
She loved how open the living room was with a clear sight line all the way through the kitchen to the back yard. She turned back and rested her arms on the counter as Lisa sat down across from her.
“This is all too much, and I’m still reeling. Yeah, he’s gorgeous and all. But a werewolf saying I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with him?” Olivia shook her head. “No, no way.”
“I know! They dump this huge life changing announcement on you and think you’ll simply fall in line to be their next breeder,” Lisa informed her.
“Lisa!” Rafe roared as he stood up. “That’s not how it is at all, and you know it.” He marched over to the bar and glared at his mate. Turning to Olivia, he said, “We love our mates for themselves, not for their reproductive abilities. I’ll admit to rushing my mate, but she needed my protection.”
Lisa grinned as she jumped off her stool. “You should have seen it. Totally freaked me out when by best friend turned into a wolf right in front of me.” She gazed up at Rafe and murmured softly, “But I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Rafe kissed her gently and turned back to Olivia. “We need to know what’s going on. Devlin has been telling me about Jack. Is he here now?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
