by Abigail Owen
At first, they concentrated on getting out of Fort Collins and heading up into the mountains. Eventually they hit a long stretch.
“So…” Leia broke the silence. “Tell me more about this ceremony.”
He’d already filled her in on the business deal, a large fleet of private aircraft and vehicles for the new combined wolf pack. “Marrok Banes has been a friend for many years.”
“He’s the groom?”
He nodded. “Yes, and the alpha for his pack.”
“You said Banes/Canis. Weren’t their families in a bit of a feud the last hundred years or so?”
He took his gaze off the road for a brief second to send her a surprised glance.
“What? Even nymphs without a spring to their name have a few friends left.”
Not many, her tone implied, but he should’ve figured she’d know something. Nymphs were bound to nature, as were wolf shifters, though in different ways.
“You’re correct about their families. The Titans and Gods have nothing on the Banes and Canises.” He exaggerated, but not by much. “However, Marrok has been determined to end the feud.”
“Let me guess, he’s marrying the Canis alpha’s daughter?”
“No. The alpha herself.”
“Oh!”
Female alphas were rare in the physically dominant wolf shifter world where alphas earned their right to lead, often in bloody ways.
“Does he love her?” was her next question.
“No idea. Knowing Marrok, love didn’t enter into the plan. But you could ask Delilah.”
She jerked her head to look at him. “She’s involved?”
“She introduced the idea to both of them, from what I understand.” Apparently, the enigmatic woman could add matchmaker to her list of services.
Leia glanced away, out the passenger-side window. “Interesting.”
He cocked his head at the disdain he detected in her. “Are you a closet romantic, Lyleia?”
No reaction. “You never call me Leia. Why is that?”
A non sequitur, like she often employed with him. She probably thought he used her full name for formality and distance, and that had been true at first. But gradually, that had become his name for her. His. And no one else’s. “It’s a beautiful name. Your true name,” he said. A name and a life she seemed to hide from. “Why won’t you look at me? Maybe you are a closet romantic.”
“I wasn’t not looking at you. I was looking at the scenery.” She waved a hand at the mountains. They’d left the interstate and were following Highway 36 along the St. Vrain river.
“Your side is solid rock,” he pointed out. “The scenery is out my side.”
From the corner of his eye, he caught her small movement as she raised her chin.
“I was keeping an eye out for bighorn sheep.”
“Sheep,” he repeated, not hiding his skepticism.
“Yes. According to my research, they’re more common down Big Thompson Canyon, north of here, but have been seen in this area as well. I’ve never seen one.”
He had to give it to his EA…she could bluff with the best of them, but he still wasn’t buying it. “Being a romantic isn’t a bad thing you know.”
“You’re an expert on romantics?”
He grunted at the disbelief in her voice. “I was one. A long time ago.”
She turned in her seat to face him more fully. “You?”
“Yes, me. I was married, you know.”
He waited for the sting of memory that always came when he talked of his wife. But, while the dull ache remained, the bite wasn’t harsh anymore. Softer. More bittersweet.
A rare interest lit Leia’s eyes. “That was a long time ago, Castor.”
No judgment filled her voice. More…concern. For him?
“I loved her deeply. We were childhood sweethearts. After she died, I never expected to love like that again, and I haven’t.” Now why had he confessed that? He never talked about Hilaera. Maybe the similarity between his wife and his feelings for Leia now, though the two women had nothing in common, had him thinking more of that time.
Leia was quiet for a long stretch of road. “Do you miss her?” she asked, her tone noticeably gentler.
He could have given a trite answer, but he didn’t want to. “Every day.”
She fiddled with her hands in her lap. “Are you lonely?”
“I’ve managed to keep occupied.” He tightened his grip on the wheel. He didn’t want her pity.
“I just…don’t like the idea of you lonely.”
His eyebrows shot up.
She rushed to explain, stumbling over her words. “It seems wrong. For someone immortal. Someone so strong. You know?”
He grunted a reply, thinking over her words. “I get the feeling you’re just as lonely.”
That wiped every emotion from her face in one fell swoop, automation taking over. “I’ve always been happier on my own.”
Castor hid a sigh. Damn.
Chapter Four
The rest of the drive didn’t take too long. Probably a good thing for his sanity and a raging erection, thanks to the spring rain scent of the woman sitting beside him.
He’d never been turned on by a simple smell before. These days it happened all the damn time.
“Now there is a hotel worth staying at. Your friend has good taste in wedding venues.” Leia made the comment as Castor drove them through the town of Estes Park to the Stanley.
The hotel sat up above a shopping center, high enough that you could see all the buildings. The front faced downtown Estes Park. Mountains rose up around them like a cathedral of granite. The hotel itself was stunning—Victorian in style, white with red tile roofs, stark against the darker colors of rock and pine trees.
Rather than valet, they parked and walked their suitcases in. Despite his power, his money, and everything else going for him, Castor still preferred to do most things himself.
“I’ll take that.” He held out his hand for Leia’s luggage.
“No, you won’t.” She pulled out the handle and started rolling it to the building.
Castor shook his head at her independent streak but didn’t argue and followed in silence. They made their way up a set of stairs to a large porch covered with white wicker chairs to enjoy the view. Several double doors leading into the reception area were thrown wide, letting in the brisk May breeze, carrying with it the crisp scent of pine trees.
Once inside, the receptionist at the hotel had a surprise for them both.
“Mr. Banes did what?” Leia squeaked beside Castor.
The woman’s smile wavered. “He placed you in the suite beside theirs.”
“A single room?” Leia asked for clarification.
“It’s a suite, but yes.”
She turned to Castor. “You take the suite. It’s obviously meant for the guest of honor.” No surprise a demigod at the ceremony would have garnered attention. “I’ll get another room.”
“We don’t have any more rooms available.” The receptionist gave them an apologetic grimace. “And I doubt you’ll find anything anywhere else. There’s a horror film festival going on this week.”
Oddly appropriate. Castor just kept from pulling a face in front of Leia who was visibly freaking out. Her knuckles turned white as she crushed the nice brochure she’d plucked from a holder on the desk when they’d been waiting in line.
Castor covered her hand with his. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t—” She bit down on the words when she turned and recognized the warning he was trying to silently communicate with his eyes.
“Let’s get settled. Then we’ll figure it out.”
Her lips were pale as she clenched her teeth, but she gave him a jerky nod. After they got their keys, she followed him without a word. Their suitcase
s made a clack-clack-clack as they crossed the lobby with its original wood floors. They passed large fireplaces with comfy seating around them, then headed up the grand staircase covered in a deep maroon velvet carpet.
“I can’t stay here with you,” she said as soon as they got to their room and the door closed behind them. “I’ll get a hotel room down in Denver or Fort Collins if I have to.” She crossed to the mini fridge in the corner and pulled out a bottled water, which she proceeded to gulp down. Never a good sign when Leia needed to chug water.
The woman always had a bottle with her, but he’d just assumed she was being healthy. Until the first time she’d downed three bottles in front of him in rapid succession. That had been the day his brother showed up at the office with their father in tow. If looks could kill, Zeus would’ve been toast.
Guilt pressing on him—he’d fucking put her in this position—Castor shook his head. “There are too many events, and I don’t want you driving the canyons at night. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
She glanced at the couch in the sitting room, a piece deliberately created to imitate an old-fashioned sofa, with the scrolling back and armrests in wood, and the cushions in a patterned, pink silk. Then she moved her pointed gaze to him, eyeballing his six-foot-three frame. Like every demigod, his body was built for battle.
She shook her head. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
But he didn’t like that option, either. Having Leia on the uncomfortable piece of furniture didn’t sit right with him. Before he could offer another suggestion, the phone rang.
He held up a finger and crossed the room to answer it.
“How do you like the suite?” Marrok asked after they exchanged hellos.
“Thank you for the upgrade.” He caught Leia’s wrinkled nose from the corner of his eye and had to bite back a laugh. What else was he supposed to say?
“My pleasure. Thank you for agreeing to stand up for me on the big day.”
Castor glanced at Leia in case she’d caught that. He hadn’t warned her about his role in the ceremony, yet. But she’d stopped paying attention to him. Instead, she’d started unpacking and hanging her garments in the closet. He took the opportunity to appreciate how her black skirt highlighted her lovely backside. She’d removed her jacket, allowing him to see her hourglass figure better. He fucking adored those pencil skirts she favored.
“Castor?”
He pulled his attention back to the conversation. “Absolutely, buddy.”
“Tala and I would like to have lunch with you and your date today.”
Castor glanced at his watch. “What time were you thinking?”
“Noon.”
An hour to convince Leia might be enough. “Sounds good.”
“We’ll meet you in the lobby.”
Castor hung up and turned, conjuring up his most winning smile. Though, he used it so rarely, it felt more like a crack breaking concrete on his face.
She turned from the closet, paused at the sight of him, and crossed her arms. “Don’t even bother with that smile, Castor Dioskouri.”
He blinked and snapped his mouth closed, swallowing the words on the tip of his tongue.
“I heard,” she said.
“I see.”
She nodded. “Give me a half hour to wash off the travel and change. More casual for lunch with a friend, I assume?”
“Probably a good idea.”
She pulled a dress from the closet where she’d just finished hanging it. He stayed where he was as she gathered other things and crossed the room.
“By the way…”
Her voice pulled him out of his head, which had gone on ahead to her naked in the shower. Where the hell had his control disappeared to? Now she stared at him from the doorway to the bathroom.
He raised his eyebrows in question.
“Congrats on being the best man at the ceremony.” The woman actually winked before she closed the door behind her.
I am never going to figure her out. And that was half the fun.
Chapter Five
“You should probably know this mating is not an easy one.” Castor tossed the words in her general direction as they crossed the lobby of the hotel.
She kept the pleasant smile plastered to her lips despite the desire to glare at the man beside her. “Delilah’s involvement and it being an arranged mating was a pretty strong clue,” she muttered between clenched teeth. “But what else haven’t you told me?”
Her frustrating boss flashed another smile. Two in one day had to be a record. This one, she figured, was only meant to buy him acquiescence. “Great dress by the way,” he said.
While she did like the knee-length, blush-colored dress with a sweet belt tied in a bow at her waist, he wasn’t going to distract her. “Thank you, but you’re not off the hook.”
“Too late, they’re right over there.” He put one hand to her back while he raised the other to catch his friend’s attention. “Marrok.”
The wolf couple was waiting for them in white wicker chairs on the large porch at the front of the hotel. Leia was glad she’d changed, as both were dressed casually. Like Castor, Marrok wore jeans and a button-up with the long sleeves rolled back. Tala Canis wore a stylish single-piece pantsuit in a striking blue. They appeared to be deep in serious conversation until Castor hailed them. They stood, and Leia noted both were tall and lean, typical build for wolf shifters.
After the two men shook hands, Marrok introduced his bride-to-be. The male wolf’s voice had a dark rasp to it, like a rumbling growl. Deep laugh lines around his eyes spoke of an inherent kindness. She decided she liked him.
“Congratulations on your upcoming mating.” Leia offered her felicitation to them both.
Behind Tala’s shoulder, an older woman did a double take, probably at Leia’s word choice. Damn. She’d have to remember they were among humans here.
Marrok simply nodded. Deep blue eyes gazed back at her from under thick black eyebrows. He had silver at his temples, not unusual for an alpha, even a relatively young one. She placed his age around thirty-two.
The small smile she received from Tala was shadowed by a wariness in the elegant blonde’s stunning green eyes. Castor had said this wasn’t a love match, but was the bride reluctant?
“I’m surprised the dragon shifters in the area didn’t have something to say about it,” she said. “Isn’t the Alliance headquarters close to here?”
From what she understood, the kings and clans had established colonies in the Americas, and the Alliance were their trusted men who ruled in their stead.
“Farther north,” Marrok confirmed. “We have a—” He glanced at Tala who rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say we have a truce of sorts. We don’t get involved in their stuff, and they leave us the hell alone. Not that they care about wolf shifters.”
Interesting.
“How long have you two been dating?” Tala asked with a polite smile.
Castor turned to Leia, his hand at her back again, warm through the thin silk of her dress. She resisted the urge to lean into that hand and straightened away from him instead, then shot him a pointed look.
Resisting the man was supposed to be part of her job. Dammit.
He cleared his throat. “Lyleia is my executive assistant.”
“An office romance? That’s new for you, old man,” Marrok teased.
“I’m not his date,” Leia explained tightly. “Just his camouflage.”
Marrok looked back at Leia with a grimace. “I hope my changing your rooms to a suite isn’t an issue, Lyleia?”
She gave him a serene smile. “Call me Leia, please. Everyone else does. And not at all. I’m a nymph, which means I have a natural resistance to demigods.”
If only she could remember that fact. Especially through the ceremony.
“Oh really?” Marrok’s drawl
cut through Castor’s warning grunt.
She tipped her head up. “Of course. In fact, it’s why I was hired to be his assistant. Dark, movie-star good looks, brooding personality, and adorable though rarely sighted dimples do nothing for me whatsoever.” She gave Castor’s arm a patronizing pat even as she lied through her teeth.
His eyebrows winged high. “You think my dimples are adorable?”
She rolled her eyes. “You would only pay attention to that part.” She turned back to the other couple, who’d watched the exchange with wide-eyed interest. “Shall we?”
At least that got them moving. Marrok led them outside and around to the valet parking. “It was a good idea to bring a shield to the ceremony.”
“The unclaimed women will be naturally drawn to his power during the ceremony,” Tala murmured. “He’ll have to beat them off with a two-by-four even with you there.”
“So now I’m a giant bat?” She shook her head at Castor who just shrugged. “I think I need a raise.”
They got into a sleek gray Jaguar sedan with Marrok behind the wheel. The wolves’ scents, which had been subtler in the open air, swirled around them, reminding Leia of warm days in fresh plowed fields of fertile black earth, like the land close to her spring in Greece. She inhaled appreciatively, giving a small hum of contentment, muscles letting go of tension despite herself. “You smell like home.”
Beside her Castor gave a small jerk. No wonder, as Leia never talked about her life before.
Tala turned from her seat in the front. “Most people say we smell like dirt. Or wet dog.”
Leia shook her head. “I like it.”
“You said you’re a nymph?” the other woman asked, only mildly curious.
“I was.” Five hundred years of facing that harsh reality gave her the strength to keep the tremor out of her voice. “My spring was buried under lava and destroyed.” Thanks to a werewolf. Tala and Marrok’s ancestors.
She kept that last part to herself.
