by Brigit Aine
“I would like to do a quick reading with my cards. I feel so naked without doing that and today I have made all these decisions and have hardly consulted them. When I don’t do that, I really feel like a piece of me is missing.” Kat was already walking towards her reading table as she was talking to him. She hadn’t realized how much she had come to rely on the cards for a sense of security until just now. Reading six or seven times a day had become a habit. She relied on the cards to tell her when she needed to move, or if her father was close. Today the decisions had been made by others with her input, but without her cards.
“What a beautiful piece of furniture.” Kraig had followed her and now ran his hand over the tabletop with reverence.
“Why so taken with my furniture, Kraig?”
“My father was a wood worker. He wanted me to take over the business when I grew up, but I couldn’t live with the alpha of my pack. He was a hard man and as a beta I was beholden to him for everything. When the opportunity to become an officer of the law arose, I saw it as a chance to leave. I met Ethan and I haven’t been back. My father passed on a few years ago and the shop was closed. However, I grew up working wood and understanding the craftsmanship that goes into a good piece. This piece is exquisite and it sings to me.”
Kat seemed startled a bit as he said that, after all this table had been talking to her for years and no one else had ever said anything about it speaking to them. She thought she was the only one who could hear its whispers. Maybe the wolf made him a bit psychic as well. “I love this piece. There is a great story behind it and someday I’ll tell it to you.” She smiled saucily up at him, thinking there was time in the future for them to discuss her table. He bent down and grabbed a quick kiss from her lips.
“I’ll hold you to it. For now, you play with your cards and I’ll walk around the house and see what, if anything, it needs in order to be a safer place for you when you are here by yourself.” With that statement, he kissed the tip of her nose and walked off toward the rear of the house.
Kat frowned after him – play with her cards indeed, then smiled in spite of it. It was nice to have him in her house. They still had to have some serious conversations, but in the meantime, she would see what fate had to say for her. Sitting down in her reading chair and picking up the Shapeshifter Tarot from where it had been left this morning, she began the process of a quick reading. Closing her eyes and just shuffling, Kat felt the smoothness and familiar feel of the cards beneath her fingers. Suddenly, one popped out–not yet opening her eyes, Kat sat it to the side. She continued to shuffle, letting her hands and her mind do the feeling for her, rather than her eyes. Another card flew onto the table. After those two, Kat intuitively felt as if she needed to stop, so she did. Before looking closely at which cards had fallen out, Kat noticed the picture/writing on the cards and laughed. The Shapeshifter Tarot had been her favorite deck for a long time, and now, here she was in a town where shapeshifters were law enforcement and she was probably going to end up dating one very soon. Shaking her head and smiling, she began looking over the cards that had come. Kat looked down as saw Air Element 14 – Goddess of Air, Arianrhod and Water Element 10 – Happiness. Looking at the two of them together, Kat deduced that this was a time of renewal and for her to look toward a future where the past would be swept away and things were going to grow in a positive manner. The negative and positive in her life were going to come to a head and have to be balanced, but the future held only good things where she would find herself in a place of happiness. Smiling, Kat put her cards away. Yes, there was going to be a confrontation, but she wasn’t worried. For her entire life, Kat knew the confrontation with Christopher was coming. Now she wasn’t worried though. With her new friends standing beside her, helping to create an atmosphere of safety and love for her, and the cards saying everything looked positive; Kat knew this was the time to take a stand. In the end, there were only good things coming from it.
“Okay,” Kraig’s voice came from down the hallway. “I think that you are all set. There is one window that makes me nervous, but it is an easy fix with one run to the hardware store.” Stepping back into the front room he looked at her and asked, “What put that look on your face?”
“This is going to be okay. Things are going to be okay.”
“Of course they are Kat. I’m not going to let anything happen to you or to anyone who is important to me. And Ethan and Jared, well, let’s just say, they protect those who they consider part of their pack, and you are included in that group. I talked with Ethan while I was looking at windows – he called to give me an update. Deena, super computer whiz that she is, had no trouble finding your tracker. It didn’t look like he was trying to hide himself. His name is Grayson and Ethan and Deena are both talking with him. Ethan says Grayson isn’t a bad guy, and he doesn’t like your dad or what he is doing to you, so that is in our favor and we may be able to use it to help us deal with Christopher.”
“Wow, talk about fast. I’m glad this is going to be over soon.” Kat tried to work up the courage to walk over and put her arms around Kraig and her head on his chest. The feeling of relief was overwhelming her and made her want to be held and cuddled. And now she had a taste of his arms, she wanted to be back in them. Just as she was thinking she might bite the bullet and go over to where he was, he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.
“I couldn’t stand you being so far away. If we are going to be in the same space, then please feel free to touch me. Wolves are pack animals. We love to be touched, and in human form that need doesn’t go away. One of the things you will notice as you are around us is that Jared and Ethan always have a hand or arm on Cassie and Red, or the other way around. Our need for physical contact isn’t something we are embarrassed by.”
“Oh. Good to know, but be forewarned, I may have to touch you often. I was just thinking I wanted to be in your arms and you have given me the perfect chance to stay there.” Kraig looked down into her twinkling eyes. He could see she was getting more secure as they spent time together. “Well, in that case, why don’t we settle on the couch where you can touch all you want.” The last almost came out in a growl, but he managed to keep it in check.
“Well, before we get too comfortable there, remember you promised to introduce me to your wolf. I want to see him Kraig. Come on. Tell me what you need. More space? To be naked?” She asked, hoping the atmosphere stayed light.
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t be silly. If we are going to be spending any sort of quality time together, then I have to meet him at some point.”
“Okay, why don’t you sit on the couch and I will show you how it happens and then you can meet him.”
Kat walked over to sit on the couch like Kraig asked. She wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible – it was clear from the way he kept staring at his hands, and rubbing them on his jeans that this sharing of his wolf was something new for and important to him.
Walking over so he was in front of Kat, Kraig called to his animal. His wolf was eager to come meet his mate, and Kraig didn’t have any trouble at all calling him forth. He was waiting at the surface.
Kat couldn’t believe what she was seeing – one minute , Kraig was standing there, a regular guy just like any other, and the next, he began to shimmer as the outline of his body wavered and started to change. When the shimmering stopped, there was a wolf where Kraig had been, a beautiful chocolate brown wolf. Deep like his eyes, the color of a Hershey Bar, his coat was shiny and looked soft. Kat sat forward on the couch, and reached out before she could stop herself. “You are so beautiful,” she said as she stroked his fur. “Oh, and soft.” Getting off the couch, she buried her face in his scruff. “Amazing. Here I am talking to you – I assume you can understand me?” The wolf nodded his muzzle up and down and began nuzzling her hair and neck. He softly licked her cheek. “Thank you,” she put her fingers to where he had just licked her face, feeling as if she had been granted a special gift. “Can y
ou shift back right away?”
In answer, Kraig pictured his body and shimmered back into his human form. “So you think I’m beautiful, do you? You are so much more so.” He lifted her from her knees and put her on his lap on the couch. “We have to talk, Kat. There is so much I need to tell you before this goes any further, but I’m having a hard time not touching you.”
“So touch me while you tell me,” she whispered, as she leaned in and began to stroke her tongue across his lips.
Chapter Five
Grayson felt better about where the girl was after getting off the phone with the Sherriff of Torrent, and his computer tracker. She was protected. He was going to be in on the sting to catch the bastard who called himself her father. He was looking forward to it, and to meeting the woman on the other end of the phone. He was intrigued by someone who could have found him so fast. In his lifetime, no one had been as good as he was, so this would be a treat for him.
* * * * *
Christopher picked up his phone, and flipped it open. Damn private investigator hadn’t called yet – surely the man knew who he was and that he wouldn’t be kept waiting.
“Grayson,” a gravelly voice on the other end said.
“Where is she? I want her found and I want it now.”
“I almost have her, sir. I have picked up several credit card receipts. Give me another day to track down where she is now and I’ll call you in. No matter what, I am sure she is within a few hours’ drive.”
“I’m not a patient man. You had better have her by tomorrow.” Slamming the phone closed, he leaned forward. Tomorrow, you little bitch, you will be back with me where you belong, he thought.
Chapter Six
“Talk while I touch you? I don’t know if I can multi-task.” Kraig’s hand was already wandering up Kat’s shirt. Her skin felt like velvet. He trailed his fingers up and down her spine, feeling her shiver under his ministrations.
“Try. For me. Because I like having you touch me, but I realize there are some things I need to know.” Arching against his touch on her back, she hoped he could see she was serious. His touch had become a necessity at this point. She felt like a cat, lethargic and being stroked. Now she knew why they arched against the hands that pet them.
“Okay. Well what do you know about wolves?”
“I don’t know much. I’ve never had a need to know about them. What I learned today from you guys is the extent of my knowledge.” Her head tilted to one side. “What more should I know?”
“Well, wolves can smell their mates. Each wolf has one mate – they mate for life. The mate has a specific scent to the wolf so they can find them.”
“Makes sense. Is it a pleasant smell?”
Lowering his nose to her neck, he inhaled before answering her. “Intoxicating.” His voice was almost a growl as the wolf caught and held onto her scent. “You see, when I walked into the bakery this morning, I caught that smell, and it was you. My wolf found his mate and bonded with you almost immediately.”
Kat started. She knew something had happened when he walked to the table, and the others had been aware of it. She even remembered talk of mates, but to sit here in his lap and realize she was his, and that wolves mated for life, that was heady. She smiled at him. “Really? Does that mean that no other woman will ever make you as hard as you are right now? I’m the only one you growl for now?”
Kraig’s eyes widened. This was certainly not the response he was expecting, but it was one he would take. “Oh yeah, baby, that is exactly what it means.” He leaned in and caught her lips between his teeth, nipping at the bottom one. “But before we start exploring where all that will lead us, there are a few more things.”
“Do I have to know before or can we just skip to the really juicy parts and you can fill me in?” Kat couldn’t see a downside to the mate thing and she really wanted to feel him.
“God, Kat, you’re going to kill me,” he groaned, as she slipped a hand inside his jeans to find his cock, hard and throbbing. “You should probably know before we start but at this rate I don’t care, we can do whatever you want.”
“Oh goody. In that case please carry me down the hall to the bedroom so I can suck on this oh so ready cock.”
Kraig picked Kat up. He wasn’t sure how he managed it, but by the time they were in her bedroom they were both naked. She might have helped and he thought he heard some buttons rip, but with her dropping kisses over his chest and the wolf wanting to mark her and claim her, he was a little distracted.
Dropping her on the bed, he got ready to crawl up to the headboard with her. He did a cursory glance around the room, even though he had been in it earlier when he did his surveillance and security check. A comfortable room with a big king-sized bed and lots of pillows done in swirls of blues and greens, it fit both a man and a woman and he felt very much at home. He moved one knee up onto the bed, and stopped as his cock was enclosed in the soft velvet of her mouth.
* * * * *
Kat couldn’t believe the wonderful feel of his cock in her mouth. She ran her tongue along the underside and felt him jerk, his hips bucked forward trying to get closer to her. She felt his hand over her back and down her butt, cupping and pinching lightly. He groaned as she pulled off. Getting ready to put him back in, Kat found herself on her stomach with his weight behind her. As he pulled her up onto her knees, she felt his hand on her stomach and abdomen, splayed out and caressing her skin. She shivered when his fingers found a particularly sensitive spot near her hip. He stroked there again and she responded, pushing back against him, trying to get him to push his cock into her. She knew what it felt like and she wanted it deep inside of her.
He stroked her flesh, looking for another sensitive spot for her to react. He licked at her shoulder. He pulled her so she was upright on her knees, her back pressed to his front, and just as he shoved his cock into her, he pinched her clit with one hand and a nipple with the other.
She felt herself clench around him and began to cum almost immediately. He shoved inside her one last time, bit down on her shoulder, pinched with each hand again and she shattered around him. It was enough to make him shudder and cum too. As she began to shiver lightly and come down from the heights, he laid her down gently on the bed. He disengaged his teeth from her shoulder, and she saw him looking down at the mark the wolf had made. Kat didn’t worry about the mark—she knew he would never do anything to hurt her. She had told him they would deal with the rest of it later. Sighing in contentment, she felt Kraig pull her closer and wrap his arms around her.
Chapter Seven
“Well?”
“She is in a small town called Torrent not far from here. I have a daily schedule for her.
She goes to a bakery there in town every morning. I think the meeting needs to take place there.” “When?”
“Tomorrow morning? 10:00 a.m.?”
“I’ll be there. You better be ready to help me bring her home and convince her to stay.” “Oh, I’ll be there.”
Grayson got off the phone with a sense of satisfaction. Stupid bastard didn’t know what
was coming. After talking with the Sherriff some more and trusting some of his own instincts, Grayson realized Torrent was more than it seemed and the old bastard didn’t realize he was going to get hit between the eyes. Grayson was curious to see what was going on there, and if it was maybe someplace he himself could settle. So he was going to go this evening, meet with the Sherriff and set up the trap.
Chapter Eight
Kat woke up from her nap, still wrapped in Kraig’s arms. She liked it. She was sore, but it was in such a great way. The feeling of being protected and loved was one she could get used to. This was the place, in his arms, in Torrent, that she wanted to be. Just then, Kraig’s cell phone began to ring. He reached over her to the nightstand, where it magically appeared to be, since it wasn’t there when she had drifted off. She hadn’t noticed him bringing it in—he must have gotten it after she fell asleep.
“H
ello. Where? When?” He peered at the clock on the nightstand. “Sure, give me twenty.” He closed the phone and leaned in for a kiss. When they finally came up for air, they were both breathing hard. “I don’t have time for another round, but goodness Kat, I want you again. Feel what you do to me.” He grabbed her hand so she could feel how hard he was from just the kiss. “This is all for you, girl.”
“Yummy, too bad you don’t have time; your twenty is already down to fifteen. Want to tell me where you are going?” she asked, as she continued to stroke his cock with her hand. He was growing harder by the second.
“Stop,” he growled and reached for her hand to be still. “I have to meet Ethan and Jared. They are setting a trap for your dad. When I come back, I’ll fill you in on all the details. I have no doubt you will be an integral part of what they are scheming.”
“A trap,” that had Kat’s attention. “How are they going to do that?”
“I’m not sure–that’s why I have to go.” There was wryness to Kraig’s voice as he pulled on his pants causing Kat to smack at his arm.
“Brat. Okay, you head over but don’t forget to come back here.”
“Oh, no worries there. While I’m gone there will be regular patrols in front of the house. Don’t leave while I’m gone, but if something happens and you feel like you have to get out then call me first. Do not leave without calling me.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and a pen and wrote his cell number down on the back of it. “I only intend to be gone an hour, so try to stay out of trouble.” He grinned at her as he said this and she settled back down on the bed. She began running a hand up and down her stomach, over her nipples and then back down, dipping into her still wet pussy trying to entice him back.
“Oh, I’ll stay out of trouble alright–I’ll just sit right here and think of you the whole time,” Kat realized she was playing with fire as she saw his eyes flash. The wolf was close to the surface, and wanted to come out and play and she was going to enjoy teasing him until it could happen.
