Charmed by the Werewolf

by Sandra Sookoo

  “Not good.” She emitted a few gasping breaths. “I have to get out of here.”

  “Don’t think about claustrophobia. You’re better than the situation, sweetness.” He looked in her direction. Thankfully, his wolf sight kicked in. Sophia huddled by one wall, her face pale, her eyes rounded. “You’ll get through this. Come over to me.” The tiny closet appeared to be three feet by three feet and contained an upturned bucket in one corner as well as a lightweight carpet sweeper and an old-fashioned broom. Wooden shelving lined two walls above their.

  “Quiet.” Outside, the door to Sterling’s office opened. Heavy footsteps invaded the room. A thin line of light sliced the darkness from under the closet door.

  Whoever was in the office had flipped on the overhead fluorescents. He heard a rustle at the back of the closet and wished Sophia would remain calm.

  She reached around him to fumble for the doorknob. Xavier stifled an annoyed growl and pinned her against the opposite wall. “Let me out.” Her breathing was heavy and rapid.

  “Settle down.” He removed the files from her hands and placed them on one of the shelves above his head then he wrapped his arms around, pulling her close. “Concentrate on the sound of my voice.” He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled the floral scent. “Everything will be fine, we won’t be caught, and after it’s all over, we can thumb our noses at Sterling.” He kept his voice a calm monotone as he stroked his hands down her back.

  “Don’t leave me.” Hysteria tinged her whisper. She gathered his turtleneck in her fists.

  “Never.” Outside the closet, the occupant of the office moved furniture. Xavier whispered a steady stream of comforting words and soothing sounds into her ear, being sure to maintain contact with her. “I’m your mate. You’ll never be alone.”

  “What if we’re caught? What if we’re turned over to Sterling? What if—”

  With a soft grunt, Xavier pressed his mouth to hers, nibbling her bottom lip. “Hush. Stay here.” He detached her hands and pressed his ear to the door. A loud hum blotted out anything else that lurked outside. He couldn’t identify the sound. “What is that?” Sophia moved behind him, her fingers resting on his back. He ignored the shockwaves that coursed through him at the light touch.

  “A vacuum cleaner. It’s the cleaning staff.”

  “Ah, see, it is nothing.” Xavier turned and enfolded her in his arms once again. “No need to worry.” He pressed his lips against her forehead.

  “Worry is what I do.” A shiver shook her. “If Sterling captures us, I’ll find some way out of the Mines and locate you, wherever you are, providing I’m alive. I’ll—”

  He gathered her closer. “It won’t come to that, but I appreciate the sentiment.” Even in such a dire situation, she still wished to protect him. He swallowed past the sudden tightness in his throat. “Thank you.” Her scent filled the stifling air of the closet. Gardenias, lily of the valley, honeysuckle, what was it that blended so sweetly with the vanilla? When the cleaning person moved on to the other side of Sterling’s office, he released a sigh of frustration.

  “How long do you suppose we’ll be stuck here?” Sophia’s words warmed through the cashmere of his shirt.

  “I couldn’t say.” His knees wobbled when she glided her hands around his neck and her fingers tangled in his curls. “Perhaps you should enjoy the time away from your houseguests.”

  “True and we were interrupted earlier...”

  “Indeed.” He couldn’t think when she stroked the sensitive spot beneath his left ear.

  “Thank you for being the calm one.” She trailed her fingertips over his chest. His muscles tightened. “I’m not good in a crisis situation.”

  “Don’t underestimate yourself, Sophia. In a crisis, people can surprise you. We all have untapped wells of courage inside us, waiting for the right moment to surface.” Need sliced through his gut when one of her hands drifted lower toward his waistband. “Bravery comes in all forms.” He stood still, afraid if he moved the moment would shatter.

  “Let’s change the subject.”

  The steady hum of the vacuum filled the empty spaces. Xavier decided to see how willing she would be to a bit of light flirtation to pass the time. “Anything specific?” He released her hair from the ponytail elastic then massaged her scalp. “Obviously, there’s not much we can do in this small space.” Her warmth turned him on, made his temperature rise, pressed his erection against his zipper.

  “We could revisit the subject you brought up earlier…” A sigh swallowed her words. Her pulse increased beneath his fingertips. “Unless you’d rather not.” She smiled like the vixen she was.

  Surprise ricocheted through his chest at her teasing. More minx than Gatekeeper, it seemed Sophia had a wild side he was eager to explore. “What did you have in mind?” He cupped her face in his hands, brushed a thumb over her bottom lip. “We’d have to be quiet.”

  “I’m sure it won’t be a problem.” She tugged the hem of his cashmere turtleneck from his pants and ran her hands up the length of his torso. Everywhere she touched left flames of heat so intense he expected to be burned at any moment. “I want you.”

  A pardon from the gods would never sound as sweet as those four little words. “What kind of a man would I be if I didn’t indulge my lady?” He claimed her lips, slanting his mouth over hers, swept his tongue along the crease of her lips. “I must warn you this act may not be as memorable as it could be were we given a proper bed.”

  Sophia’s scorching kisses on his chest banished the thin thread of insecurity. “You talk far too much, werewolf.” Her whisper penetrated his brain, robbed him of all thought.

  “And you tempt me beyond sanity.” Xavier lifted her and maneuvered her back against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist and gripped his shoulders. “I’ve wanted to do this since the moment I met you, since I knew you were mine.” He took another kiss. The sweet scent of her arousal filled the air, spurring him onward. “Damn, you feel good.” He ground his erection into her softness, anxious to relieve the tension.

  A faint sound from beyond the office sank into his desire-flooded consciousness, jarring for the simple fact that it didn’t belong. He ignored it in favor of nuzzling the hollow of her throat.

  “Xavier.” She pushed his shoulders.

  “Don’t rush, Sophia, we aren’t animals.” His chuckle was low and soft as he hiked her skirt up around her hips, slipped his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties, brushing his fingertips over her pubic hair. “Well, at least you aren’t.”

  “Xavier.”

  “Sophia.” He pressed a searing kiss on her mouth, hard enough to draw blood from a tiny cut inflicted by one of his sharp canine teeth. He licked the wound, tasted the spicy, sweetness of her life essence, glad he didn’t hear the sound again. He wanted this woman like he’d wanted nothing else in life. Slipping his fingers under her sweater, he molded his hands around her full breasts, teasing the pebbled nipples. “Your skin is so soft,” he marveled then pressed his forehead to hers, his breathing labored. “I—” He lifted his head, his hands stilling. “Did you hear that?”

  “Yes.” She shook her head. “I thought I heard something a few minutes ago, but then we were… Do you think it could be him?” Tremors moved from her body to his.

  “There’s someone else in the office now.” With regret, Xavier released her, but not before he let her slide down his body until she regained her footing. His raging case of lust would have to wait. “Quiet.” He moved stealthily to the door, and laid an ear against the metal.

  “I want to hear, too.” She nudged him in the ribs with an elbow. He refused to budge. “Is that…? She rubbed her hands over her arms with jerky movements.

  “Hush.” He felt her fear as sharp as if he owned it himself.

  Sophia laid an ear to the door. “It’s Sterling! What are we going to do?”

  “Steady. Let’s be patient and see the drama play out.” Xavier squeezed her hand, wanting to put her
fears at ease. Deep down, he knew they were trapped.

  Cracking open the closet door, he saw the glass and chrome structure that served as the Portal Master’s desk. Sterling rifled through a stack of contracts on the corner and glanced in the cleaning person’s direction.

  “Hello, Alberto. Don’t mind me; I’m not here to work. I need to pick up some paperwork then I’ll be on my way.”

  The cleaning man’s response was indiscernible, and Sterling didn’t say anything more. The sweat coating Xavier’s back turned to ice when the Portal Master looked up from his contracts and slowly scanned the room.

  “Alberto, has there been anyone in this office since you’ve been here?”

  Xavier held tight to Sophia’s hand as the cleaning man answered in the negative. Her terror flooded the cramped space. Frustration from the situation held him captive.

  “Did you see anyone on the staircase on your way up?” Sterling’s dark eyes took in every nook, cranny, and shadow of the office. “Is someone on this floor?”

  Again, Alberto confirmed he was alone.

  Sterling’s gaze lingered in the general direction of the supply closet then moved away. “Very well. Carry on, but if you see any strange activity please report it at once. I have a strange suspicion all is not what it seems.”

  It never is. Xavier quietly pulled the door shut. He slumped against the wall, exhausted, and hauled Sophia against him. “That was close.” The hum of the vacuum began once more as Alberto finished the last of Sterling’s office.

  “Too close.” She shivered. “How can we be certain Sterling won’t be lurking in the building by the time we what to leave?”

  “We cannot be certain of anything, Sophia. We can remain vigilant and have a bit of luck that we’ll escape unharmed.” He pressed a kiss to her hair, content to keep her in his arms. “You must trust me sometime.”

  “How many more narrow escapes can we get away with before Sterling reels in the net that surrounds us?” Hysteria laced her voice. “You need to leave…”

  “Don’t say it. Let me remind you once more. You belong to me, and I to you. There’s no point in trying to ditch me.” He absently stroked a finger over the front of her sweater, grinning when one of her nipples sprang to attention at the slight touch. “I’m going to play the cards I have been dealt.”

  “You’re the boss.” She settled against him, obviously willing to wait.

  Damn straight.

  Fifteen agonizing minutes later, the office remained quiet. Then the distant drone of Alberto’s vacuum sounded somewhere on the floor below. Sophia tugged at his hand. “Come on. At this point, I need a cup of coffee.”

  Xavier gathered the file folders and exited the closet, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of Sterling’s office. “I’m so famished I could eat a person.”

  She gawked at him. “Are you serious? I thought we discussed this issue?”

  By the gods, she was such fun to tease. He looked forward to a lifetime of such activities. “You’re going to have to learn how to take a joke.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Many different styles of shape shifting or transformations are referred to in popular literature today. One is the bodily alteration where the human shape physically changes into the animal or inanimate object. Depending on what the subject is changing into, the body will shift, stretch, compress, grow fur or scales, or expand altogether. This type of shifting is often a slow and painful process and articles of clothing are usually lost or destroyed.”

  Sophia snapped the book on lycanthropy closed and stared at Xavier. “Any luck?” She reached over the middle console of the werewolf’s SUV and poked him with a forefinger. “Well?” After breaking out of Sterling’s office, they’d driven a couple of blocks over and parked in the relatively empty parking lot of a superstore.

  Xavier shook his head, stroking his goatee. “Nothing yet.”

  “Give me a file and I’ll help out. Maybe the search can go a bit faster.” He handed over a manila folder and Sophia propped it open on her lap. “This guy looks promising.” A shiver rocked her body when his arm jostled hers as he leaned over to look at the paperwork. “Says here he’s a lawyer now but originally came from Demon Realm. If that doesn’t suggest a dragon I don’t know what will.”

  Xavier chuckled. “Just because a person is an attorney does not necessarily make them evil or a dragon.” He closed his file and added it to the small stack on the dashboard. “What else does the dossier say?”

  “Divorced, forty years old, goes by the name Braeden.” She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “His office is supposedly located in Vincent Towers. Should we call for an appointment?”

  “I don’t want a dragon masquerading as an attorney to know in advance I’m looking for him.” He shifted positions, rolled his shoulders, and straightened his turtleneck. “Ready to go?”

  “Now? I haven’t eaten yet.” When she met his intense gaze, Sophia quickly dropped her eyes. His overt sexiness unnerved her. “Can we pick something up on the way?” As if to emphasize the fact, her stomach grumbled.

  “Do you have to constantly worry about your stomach?” He jammed a black fedora over his curls.

  “Well, excuse me if I can’t just eat a passing mailman.” She glared before rubbing her scratchy eyes. “I don’t guess you’ll want to stop by the apartment so I can take out my contact lenses?”

  “Not really. You have beautiful eyes. They should never be hidden behind glasses.”

  “Doesn’t matter but thank you. You’re still going to have to because I need lens solution and my case. I can’t just wear them all night.”

  Xavier uttered a slight growl. “Fine. I’ll stop at a drugstore so you can take care of your issues.”

  If only that were possible with one stop. What she said was, “Thanks. I knew you’d see it my way.”

  He started the engine, letting the vehicle idle for a moment. “Anything else about the attorney we should know before going in?”

  “Let me check.” Sophia rifled through the few papers then sucked in a breath. “People refer to him as The Dragon because he wins every case he works on. He’s feared within his company, admired among his colleagues, and one of the most sought after bachelors in the city.”

  “I’ll drop you off at the apartment and handle him myself.” The low, silky tone of his voice brooked no argument. “Call Mona and let her know.”

  “I don’t think so, Alpha Boy.” Sophia snorted. “Anything you can do I can do.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her denim jacket and slumped in the seat. “Besides, I’m not afraid of a lawyer. It’s ridiculous to fear someone based on rumors. He’s just a man.” She whipped out her cell phone and texted Mona regarding their plans.

  He cleared his throat. “Regardless of your foray into bravery, I’ve vowed to protect you. You’re staying at home.”

  “What the hell? This isn’t life on the frontier.” Her glare lost strength when he reached out to caress her thigh, moving his fingers beneath her skirt, dangerously close to brushing against more sensitive parts of her anatomy. “What next, keep me barefoot and pregnant?”

  “Is that a valid option?” He glided his hand up a fraction of an inch to rub against the cotton crotch of her panties. He gave a soft laugh when she squirmed. “I’ve been attempting to see you naked for a couple of days now.”

  “Mmhmm.” Tingles radiated up from her core to chase a wave of delicious warmth through her insides. “I get that you want to keep me safe. I understand why you don’t want to put me into danger, but if we both go, we can get the job done sooner.” She ran a hand over his arm to pat him on the cheek. “Work first, naked later.”

  “Is that a promise?” His golden eyes held hers captive.

  She sighed as her resistance to him crumbled. “Yes, it’s a promise.” Sooner or later, she’d end up in the werewolf’s bed—and for her sake, she hoped it was sooner or else she’d spontaneously combust.

  *****


  “How long do you think he’ll keep us waiting?” Sophia glanced at the carriage clock on the receptionist desk and sighed. “We’ve been here for thirty minutes.” She thumbed through an outdated magazine before slapping it down on the table. “It’s almost four o’clock.”

  A growl signaled Xavier’s annoyance. “No matter how often you mention the time, I still won’t know how long we’ll be kept here. Practice patience.”

  “You’re just as irritated as I am.” He drummed long elegant fingers on the brim of his fedora. “Admit it.”

  “I’m aggravated, but what would you have me do? Eat the receptionist?”

  “No.”

  A tiny smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “While we’re waiting, answer me this. How well do you know your friend Mona?”

  “What are you getting at?” She stared at him and shifted in her chair. “I think I know her pretty well.” A curl of anxiety sketched through her gut. “I rescued her from a mugger three years ago then invited her to stay with me when I found out she didn’t have family here. Why?”

  “You might find this interesting.” Xavier held out a newspaper. “Read it.”

  Glancing at the logo for the Off Realms Gazette, Sophia frowned. “Was this lying out in full view?” That was strange. Usually subscribers of the newspaper were not eager for mere humans to be privy to the news occurring beyond the Mortal Realm.

  “It was folded inside a magazine. Someone obviously was interrupted.”

  “This will be a problem.” She scanned the photo of four people—a man, a woman, and two teenaged boys—then moved to the headline. “First Family of Moussai in Hiding.” Her eyes watered, as she read the article. “Missing daughter of the First Couple sought for questioning.” An old grainy picture of Mona accompanied the piece. “Damn. I had no idea Mona’s family was that important. No wonder she never wants to talk about them.”

  “I think the greater problem is what she is running from and why.” Xavier brushed at a piece of lint on his pant leg. “If she’s wanted in any of the Realms and the Enforcement Team comes to collect her, she could conceivably spend time in prison.”