by K. S. Martin
“Dylan.” Frankie said. “I am sorry about Henry and Pete but I think that you did a good thing. It was very kind of you to let them go out with honor.” Frankie stuck out his hand and Dylan accepted it. “You can come back to the bar anytime you like. I know now that you will take good care of her.” Dylan nodded.
“You can expect a full bar tomorrow but you are going to have to hire a waitress. Cami is giving up her jobs.” Her jaw clenched.
“I am not! I like waitressing at Frankie’s.” Cami stomped her foot and Dylan grinned. She was so adorable when she was mad.
“You can finish your two weeks but after that, I want you at home with me in the evenings. You are going to be very busy as female alpha Darlin’ and you won’t have time for all of your jobs. The pack needs you for other things.” Her mouth popped open again but he put his finger to her lips to shush her. “And you will get a paycheck for your efforts.”
“Okay.” He would pay her well, he always did. If she was the alpha’s mate and that came with responsibilities, she would accept them, of course. Cami watched the waiter come inside the diner cautiously. She watched him over Frankie’s shoulder. He was watching her too. Cami nudged Dylan with her elbow and looked over to where the waiter sat down in a booth. What the heck was his name? Was it Mario? She thought so. Dylan crossed the diner to his table and stood over him.
“Mario? How are you?” He looked around at the other wolves in the diner. “Is something wrong? You seem anxious but you are among friends here.” Mario shook his head.
“I’m very sorry to hear about Henry.” Dylan patted his shoulder. “I know he was your friend as well as alpha. I know you were close.” One side of Dylan’s mouth quirked up and he nodded. “Can we speak privately? Later? At your house? I will come by.”
“Sure Mario, you’ll be my first official guest. Whenever you’re ready just stop by and have something to eat before you go. There is a really good cherry pie that Betty made.” Dylan checked on other guests while Cami brought food and drink out to them. She kept an eye on Mario because she thought he was acting suspiciously, he kept watching her, and it was creeping her out.
Every pack member had stopped by throughout the day and paid their respects then congratulated Dylan on his new position and mating. As the sun began to dip low in the sky, Betty cleared the diner and told Dylan to take his mate home. She would clean up and was closing the diner tomorrow to recover. Cami hugged her good bye and they headed for home.
He carried her to the bedroom and helped her out of her clothes then led her to the huge bathtub. “I want you to soak and relax.” He poured bath salts and bubbles into the steamy water. “You’re exhausted.” Cami piled her hair on top of her head in a sloppy bun then sank down against the side until just her head poked out. Her eyes slid closed and she sighed. Dylan smiled and went back to his bedroom to change out of his dress clothes and into a pair of sweats and a tee shirt. Hearing the doorbell, he hurried to the front door to let Mario inside.
“Right on time old friend, we just got in.” Dylan closed the door. “Beer? Water?”
“Beer please, Mr. Ellis.” Mario looked around the foyer. “This is nice.”
“Dylan. Thanks, and follow me.” Dylan went to the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge. “So what’s up, you needed to talk.”
“Where is the Principessa?” Mario glanced down the hall as he followed Dylan into the rec room. “This concerns her too.”
“She’s soaking in the bath. I thought she needed to rest for awhile. You can speak with me Mario.” The small bushy haired man nodded sharply.
“Word has spread about her rather quickly. She used her powers in public and the gossip is flying like wild fire. Soon word will circle the globe that the Principessa has been found.” Dylan grimaced and drew deep on his beer. “She is not safe Dylan. Word will eventually make it to the people responsible for her parents’ deaths. We will have our work cut out for us if we want to protect her.”
“We?”
“Yes. My family has protected the family of the Principessa for centuries, so yes, we. I have called in some family members who are on their way.”
***
Cami listened for a long time in the hall. Apparently, Mario was convinced that she was royalty and that a whole world of bad guys were going to rush in here to either steal her away or to hurt her. That was disturbing. Why would anyone bother? Cami thought. Mario’s family was headed for Fern Valley from Europe to protect her and to test her. Dylan was against it of course. He did not want strange wolves in the area. Cami went into the rec room and plopped down on the couch beside Dylan. He wrapped an arm around her. “Principessa.” Mario went to his knee.
“Oh please don’t do that. It’s not necessary and if I am a Princess like you say, I don’t want to be treated any different than I always have been.”
“When my family arrives they are going to want a blood sample to prove that you are she.” Mario blushed. “I am sorry but it is necessary. My great uncle will come to confirm your identity, he has been with the royal family since he was a pup. You may be expected to return to Italy.” He bowed again from his place on the floor.
“No.” Cami said. Dylan glanced at her. “No, I won’t leave my mate and I won’t leave our home. I like it here and I don’t want to live in Italy.”
“Principessa…”
“I said no.” She raised her voice. “I will let them take a blood test but I won’t leave here. Now if there is nothing further…”
“Of course. I will leave you to rest. I expect them at any time.”
“Fine.” Cami left the room and went to her bedroom. Dylan could feel her anger and something else that made him uneasy.
“Mario, if you don’t mind answering a question,” Mario shook his head. “Her powers don’t work on me, why not?” Mario grinned then chuckled.
“They won’t unless she wants to be rid of you. You are her mate and its nature’s way of protecting you from a spat.” Dylan made a face. “We all say and do things to the ones that we love that we don’t mean.” Mario explained. “For example one might tell their wife that her cooking is terrible. If you said that to the Principessa and she reacted badly she could really hurt you. She could in fact kill you. Her powers are so much greater than your ordinary strength, so nature has protected you from her biologically. Her powers will never work on you unless she truly wants to be rid of you. Don’t make her hate you and you will always have the ability to walk through her fires.”
“I like that.” Dylan smiled.
“You would.” Dylan and Mario laughed loudly walking to the foyer.
“Thank you Mario.” They shook hands and Dylan opened the door to let him out.
“I will be outside until the guard arrives probably in the morning.” Dylan waved and locked the doors then turned his alarm system on. He didn’t usually use it when he was at home. It was mainly for when he was away. It would call the authorities if there was fire, theft, or flood. He turned lights off as he went and joined Cami in the bedroom. He could sense her anger before he entered the room.
“Is he gone?” She jumped from the bed to stand before him. “I don’t like him, he’s a scary little man Dylan, and I don’t want him here.” Dylan wrapped her up in his arms to hold her. She nuzzled his chest. “I meant what I said about Italy. I’m not going.”
“Of course you’re not sweetness. You stay with me.” His hand rubbed her back from the base of her neck to the base of her spine. She sighed and he felt her relax. “We need to talk about some things though. He’s outside guarding the house from whatever he thinks is hunting you. I don’t know if this threat is real or if anything that he said is true but for your safety and protection, I want to show you something.” He led her to the armoire against the wall. Cami looked at it and then him. Dylan opened the doors wide. “This is the entrance to a safe room. I had it installed to keep safe if humans ever decided to hunt us again.” He stepped through the doors and into a room. Cam
i followed him. Dylan closed the door and punched in a code on the keypad on the wall showing it to her. “Don’t forget it, same code to lock and unlock.” She nibbled her lip and shook her head. “Come.” They walked down the short hall and into a small room. There was a sleeping bag, a lap top, ready to eat meals and bottles of water. A toilet and shower stood in the corner. “I didn’t know that I would be mated so it was built for one but there is enough food here for a few months for the two of us and there is a television, satellite phone, radio, and internet. It is capable of withstanding a bomb blast and will keep just about anything out until help can arrive. I hoped we never have to use it.” Cami wrapped her arms around him again.
“Me either.” She murmured into his chest. “Wait. Hoped? We aren’t sleeping in here are we?”
“No, but if you ever feel threatened or unsafe, I want you to come in here and lock it down. Okay?” She nodded against his chest. “Come on, it’s been a long day.” Dylan tugged her back into the bedroom and closed the armoire then scooped her up and carried her to bed. They climbed in and he held her close, Cami was asleep almost instantly. Dylan lay listening to the house in the darkness. Would someone come for her? Try to hurt her? He’d just found her, surely they were entitled to more than a few weeks together. He loved this woman, and he wanted to keep her around for a long time. He wanted children with her. His breath hitched. Children? Really? They were a huge responsibility. If she really was royal his children would be heirs to some far away throne. That was some screwed up shit. A huge responsibility just turned into an astronomical one. Dylan’s ears perked at something outside. Mario was walking around the house, and he was still alone. How long would he do that? He was taking this guard crap seriously. How many of them were coming? Could they trust them? Dylan had doubts. No one got his trust except Mike when it came to Cami’s safety. Mario paced by the window again and Dylan heard a familiar snarl. “Shit. Mike spotted him.” Dylan jumped up from the bed and went to the window opening it. The alarm blared loudly when the window connections were broken. “Son of a bitch!” Dylan shouted when Cami screamed and jumped off of the bed. “Easy girl.” Dylan pulled her to him. “It’s okay.”
“Too loud!” She yelled at him with her hands over her ears. Dylan grabbed his keys and pushed ‘off’ on the key fob for the house alarm. It beeped twice and a voice said “Disarmed, not ready to arm.” Cami jumped again. “House alarm sweetness. It’s okay.” Dylan went back to the window. “Mike! Cut the shit, that’s Mario.” Mike shifted back into his human form.
“What the hell is going on? Why is he out here in the dark casing the house?”
“I am not casing, I am guarding like you should be. The Principessa needs protection.” Mike pulled a hand down his face.
“Cami, are you okay?” Mike called to her.
“No. I’m nearly deaf and am about to have a heart attack.” Dylan chuckled and pulled her against his side. He kissed her temple. “What is going on?”
“Mike attacked Mario who put up one hell of a fight it looks like.” Mario and Mike smiled at that. “I had the alarm on because Mario has you freaked out and I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep yet. Mike, Mario, come inside and I’ll turn the alarm back on. You can guard from in here. Mike, we’ll be in the room.” Mike nodded. “I’ll let you guys in through the kitchen.” Dylan lowered the window. “Cami go inside the safe room, at least it will be quiet.”
“Gladly.” She picked up her pillow and opened the armoire. She stepped inside without looking back. Dylan let the men in through the kitchen and started the coffee maker.
“Help yourselves, work out a schedule, I’m going to sleep.” Mike was eyeing Mario when Dylan left them alone. The best person to guard the house was Mike, he knew every square inch, and if they were both inside, Mike could keep an eye on Mario. Cami said that he was freaking her out, maybe her gut was telling her something. Dylan went into the safe room and locked it down after turning the house alarm back on. Cami was curled up in the sleeping bag waiting for him. “Hi Darlin’.” Cami nibbled her bottom lip because she loved that tone of voice. It always raced straight to her core. Dylan climbed in beside her. “Tomorrow we’ll get a bigger bag and an air mattress.” Cami kissed his cheek and curled into his side drifting off to sleep just as quickly as before.
Chapter 10
Cami woke to the most wonderful sensations. His tongue slid into the well of her vagina then up over her center to curl around the sensitive bundle of nerves. Cami trembled and slid her fingers into his hair. He chucked against her. The vibrations teased her more. “Good morning Darlin’.” He left a trail of wet kisses on the insides of her thighs. Cami tugged him back to her center and he chuckled again. She arched her body up to him. He obliged her and used his tongue on her swollen clit again. The orgasm tore through her, white lights burst behind her eyelids, and she cried out for him. Dylan was there now, over her, covering her. His cock rested against her entrance. Cami wrapped her legs around him and pulled him to her. He smiled against her neck and thrust into her. She cried out again, her body bowed urging him further. He filled her so well. She loved this feeling, being this close to him, this intimate. She gazed up into his eyes and saw how deeply his emotions ran. He loved her, she saw it, sensed it. His eyes glowed amber, his wolf surfacing, and she felt hers. His growl rumbled through his chest and she answered him with her own. Desire, love, want arousal, and pleasure were all conveyed with that sound. Dylan bucked into her, his hips rolling against her. Their bodies slicked and slid against one another with the sheen of sweat that covered them both. “Come for me sweetheart.” Cami’s body convulsed and seized, her core milking him, grabbing and tightening. Dylan roared his climax against her shoulder. She clung to him for a long time after he’d collapsed against her. “I’m crushing you aren’t I?”
“No, it feels good. I like it when you stay inside of me when I come because it lasts longer if you don’t pull out right away. Stay.” She kissed his neck and shoulder, running her tongue over her mark. He twitched inside of her. “Oh, that’s good to know.” She licked the mark again with the same result. His laugh vibrated against her shoulder. He ran his tongue slowly over his mark on her neck and her inner muscles tightened and squeezed him deliciously.
“Yeah that is good to know. Come on, get up.” He pulled out of her leaving her bereft. “Let’s eat breakfast, I’m starved.”
“I’ll shower first. There are too many overactive noses in the house.” Dylan nodded and pulled his briefs on. They stepped out of the armoire into the bedroom and went their separate ways. “Pancakes?” She called after him. Her belly growled loudly.
“Yeah, pancakes got it.” His laughter boomed from the hallway.
Cami showered and dressed quickly hoping the pancakes were ready, she really was starving, and her appetite was getting ferocious lately. Sliding into her sneakers she hurried to the kitchen to find several pancakes ready and sitting under a lid. She went up on her toes and kissed Dylan’s cheek, grabbing two pancakes she went to what had become her seat at the bar. Mike and Mario were both asleep on the couch in the rec room.
“I feel so much safer.” Cami murmured stifling a giggle. Dylan grunted and sipped coffee. Bacon popped and sizzled in a pan next to sausage and his egg mix still waited in the bowl. She didn’t really care about the rest of it. She was more interested in the pancakes, her mouth watered as she poured the maple syrup over it.
“I’ll have to pour that on me later.” Dylan winked at her and Cami licked a drop off of her finger making a popping sound with her mouth. His breath hitched. “Or now.”
“Pancakes first pretty boy.” Cami winked back at him and cut a triangle then stuck it in her mouth moaning. His eyes gleamed and she smiled at the nearness of his wolf. Mike wandered into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. Dylan finished cooking breakfast and made himself a plate when Cami waved off the eggs, bacon, and sausage. “So what do we do now?” Cami asked between bites.
“Well, I guess
we wait for Mario’s people but in the meantime, life goes on. We can start with that maple syrup and move on from there.” Cami nudged his shoulder. “What? You thought that I was kidding?”
“Can we get everyone out of the house for awhile?” She whispered.
“As soon as I eat, I’ll be nothing more than a memory.” Mike offered from his place at the table. Dylan chuckled. The doorbell rang at the same time that Mario’s cell phone started it’s rendition of Volare by Dean Martin startling him awake. Mario grumbled then jumped off of the couch like he’d been stuck with a pin.
“Oh Principessa! Are you alright?!” He rushed into the kitchen. Cami had just stuffed more of the pancakes in her mouth.
“Fine.” She said around it. He answered his phone speaking Italian. Cami watched him gesture and nod before heading to the front door. Dylan was right behind him. Cami heard him enter a security code into the alarm keypad then heard the voice. “Disarmed, ready to arm.” The front door opened and there were voices. Loud and growling voices, one of those growls belonged to Dylan. Mike was at her side instantly and shifting sensing danger. Cami finished her pancakes. She was still chewing when they entered behind Dylan. He came to her side. “How many of them are alphas?" She asked quietly.
“Apparently all of them are, so it must be interesting at their house at Christmas.” Cami giggled. “I don’t think that they mean you harm but be ready in case I’m wrong. Mike, would you care to join us?” He was standing at Dylan’s side in less than a second. “Mario, introductions?” Mario stepped from behind the huge wolves that were crowding into the kitchen. Cami didn’t like the wall of men. They were all tall, all foreign, and all scary, as far as she was concerned.
“Can you ask them all to sit please? I’m claustrophobic.” Cami asked Mario.
“Of course, Principessa.” Several of the men gasped, they were murmuring to each other and ignoring Mario’s requests, several shook their heads. Cami’s lips pursed. Dylan snarled and the men sat down around the table. Cami counted six, two more lingered in the hallway, they looked like soldiers. The six at the table varied in age, one that looked to be nearly eighty must be the uncle she surmised. The five with him looked official in their black suits and ties. They were dressed like Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the alien movie. She certainly was not an alien! None of them spoke but all watched her with their black intense eyes.
