"I’m awake, you know."
Kieran tensed. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you."
"As if this situation weren’t disturbing enough." But she didn’t move, her head still resting on him. Her hand still close to his morning erection.
"You couldn’t know I would shift back," he consoled her, his voice gruff as he tried to control the surge of arousal.
"How did that happen anyway? I thought you were too low on Might to shift."
"I was. Either my reserves filled while I slept or our combined energy was enough to trigger it."
He felt her smile. "It’s a good thing I’m here then."
"Yeah." He moved his hand to brush her hair, some of which spread over him in a silken veil. "Weren’t you afraid to sleep next to a wolf?"
She laughed softly. "Didn’t we already agree that I’m the biggest bad?"
"That we did." He kept stroking her hair, his movements slow, relaxing. The strands felt like silk, the colour ever changing in the morning light, gold, copper, brass.
She was quiet for so long that he thought she had fallen asleep again. "My wolf friend—Colm—was in wolf form most of the time. I got used to it." Her recollection made his heart ache, for his brother and for a little girl who had needed Colm’s protection. He imagined her sleeping next to a huge wolf, and in a way it helped him too. It brought his brother back to him. "Besides, how could I fear your wolf when you were sleeping so peacefully? And you were so soft and warm. I couldn’t resist."
He was glad she hadn’t, and that she was still lying next to him. He liked how she felt pressed against him, liked how they fit together so seamlessly. His arousal was becoming impossible to stifle, her warm body an irresistible temptation.
She tensed and he feared she would flee. They had known each other for such a short time and she didn’t have a sentient entity inside her pulling her to him. Not that he needed his wolf to find her attractive.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, directing their attention away from him.
"I’m fine."
Kieran frowned. "I can sense you as well as you can sense me, you know."
"Oh, I can sense you all right." They both laughed, and the tension eased a little. "I guess I could use some blood."
A jolt, of fear or excitement, he couldn’t tell, and then he spoke words he hadn’t thought he ever would. Yet they felt right.
"Would you like to feed from me?"
Gemma’s fangs shot down and she began to salivate, an unprecedented reaction to a notion of feeding. It was a duty for her, like taking her vitamins. Then again, no one had offered to feed her before. She only fed from strangers, people she knew she would never have to see again, who were charmed from the beginning to the end so that they knew nothing about it.
The temptation to experience the other side of feeding, the intimate connection it could be, was strong, but she hesitated. "I don’t know if I should accept your offer."
"Why not? I’m not afraid of little pain."
"I don’t think pain is the issue. It just feels too … intimate."
He laughed softly, the sound echoing under her ear that was pressed against him. "More intimate than this?"
He had her there. He was naked, for gods’ sake. But she didn’t want to move. He was warm, as warm as he had been as a wolf. It had felt wonderful to burrow into his soft fur. And the man—he felt great too. "I prefer feeding from strangers. I can go find someone else just fine."
"No!" His denial was absolute, as if the mere idea was repulsive to him.
Take the offer.
Still she hesitated. "It can be pretty exhausting, you know, and you’re drained as it is."
He stiffened and she knew she had said the wrong thing. No man wanted to be reminded of their weaknesses. "I can handle it."
She was sorely tempted. Shifter blood was so potent that she wouldn’t even need much. She could smell it already, beckoning her. "If you’re sure—" The phone interrupted her.
Fu … ck.
Chapter Twelve
Cursing, Kieran reached for his jeans that were on the coffee table, neatly folded. Gemma sat up so that he could dig the phone from the pocket. She shivered for losing his warmth, feeling cold despite being fully clothed.
He sat up too, not ashamed of his nakedness, running fingers through his tousled auburn hair. She didn’t mind the view, though she only saw his back, lean and strong, wonderful to rest on. And scarred, she noticed, frowning. She hadn’t taken that close a look the previous times, but she was sure she would remember the red welts.
Teeth marks. What exactly had happened the previous evening?
He glanced at the screen and frowned before answering. "Yeah?"
Gemma could hear Jamie on the other end. "I need you back at the manor. The police are here about a shifter invading a golf course grounds last night. Looks pretty much like you."
"Fuck. Yeah, I can explain that. I’ll be right over."
"Good. And bring the girl." Jamie ended the call.
"Jamie wants us at the manor." He sounded apologetic. Gemma felt upset that their moment was interrupted, but she nodded.
"Okay. I’ll just go put on proper clothes." She was running out of clean clothes—she had prepared for only a short stay on the farm—but she should have some old ones in her wardrobe that would do. She rushed upstairs to clean up, and when she got back Kieran was dressed. Such a shame.
He caught her looking wistful and grinned. "I wouldn’t mind doing this again."
She felt her cheeks warm. "Yes, well…" She cleared her throat. "I should probably feed the animals first. Do you think the police will wait?"
"Better than the animals will. I’ll help."
With Kieran by her side, Amanda didn’t frighten her at all. The horse and pigs got fed in record time and soon they were riding on her ATV towards the meadow.
The sheep were all there, as were both dogs. She had been too tired, frightened, and sad to go check on them again last night. If the commotion on the farm had been only a diversion, the strange wolves could have killed all the sheep undisturbed while she sat at home.
The dogs greeted her enthusiastically when they got off the vehicle, and grief for Rissa returned afresh when she looked at her wonderful progeny. "I should have taken Rissa with me last night."
Kieran pulled her into an embrace. She had never been hugged as much as he had done this past day, and already it felt natural. She even craved it. "You knew her hips were bad. Home was the best place for her. You couldn’t know the wolves would return to taunt you."
She stiffened. He let her go when she pulled back and lifted a hand to her mouth to ward off a sudden nausea. "It was revenge."
"For what? For killing your sheep?"
"No…" She really should have told the clan about those men. "I met strange wolves yesterday and we had words. I thought they left, but they must have followed me home."
Kieran frowned. "It’s best we head to the manor. Now."
Two uniformed officers were waiting for Kieran and Gemma at Jamie’s office when they entered, the dogs at their heels. The men were sitting on old armchairs in front of a blazing fire, looking acutely uncomfortable. The fire wasn’t what was getting to them. It was Jamie, seated behind his desk by the windows. Humans had trouble maintaining their equilibrium around him in general. Two so young didn’t stand a chance.
The dogs had no problems with Jamie. They rushed to him and were rewarded with petting they enjoyed for a while before settling down at his feet.
The officers got up when they entered. "Took you long enough," one of them said to Kieran, trying to sound authoritative, but he was inexperienced and too much a submissive to make an impression. Kieran gave him a once over, letting Might flair—what precious little he had gained during the night. Humans couldn’t properly sense it, but combined with his dominance it made the officers draw into themselves a little. It was petty of him to frighten humans, but he wasn’t about to stop it.
&n
bsp; "How may I help you, officers?"
"You were caught trespassing on Kingswood Golf Course last night."
Kieran lifted his brows. "Was I now?"
"Yes. Here’s a screen shot to prove it." The officer gave a piece of paper to Kieran, careful not to get too close to him.
Kieran took the paper print and studied the grainy black and white picture. However blurry the picture was, the man in it, standing naked front-first to the security camera, glowering with fury, was clearly him.
"Ooh, you look pretty when you’re naked," Gemma exclaimed, as if she hadn’t seen the real deal already, studying the picture over his arm.
Kieran laughed. "Do I? In that case, I’m sure I can oblige you with a private viewing later." She smiled, her dimples deep. He could have teased her forever to banish the gloom that had hung over her since she’d remembered Rissa’s fate. He felt grateful for her too, for defusing the situation with humour.
The officer wasn’t amused. "You admit it’s you then?"
"Of course." He went to give the picture back, but Gemma snatched it from him and put it in her pocket. He supressed a grin.
"And what were you doing there at that time of evening in the buff," the officer demanded, not trying to reclaim the evidence.
"Pretty difficult to carry clothes with you when you’re a wolf."
"Kieran." The rebuke didn’t come from his alpha, but from the woman by his side. There was laughter in her eyes, but her face was serious enough.
He leaned over and kissed her nose, the gesture natural and greatly needed. She wrinkled it and her smile deepened. "I’m sorry," he said to her before addressing the officers. "I was pursuing trespassers to our territory. They fled to the golf course grounds where they had a car waiting. Suppose you wouldn’t have photos of them too? We could use them."
The officers exchanged looks. "How do we know you’re telling the truth?"
Kieran fought not to sigh. The security must have seen the footage right before his shift, where he’d fought the other two wolves. "Well, the security tapes would prove that perfectly."
"And what where these alleged trespassers doing on your territory that merited a chase?"
Kieran was about to say something along the lines that no one was allowed to trespass for any reason when Gemma spoke. "They killed my dog."
Everyone’s attention was on her now. She looked acutely sad, so Kieran pulled her into a comforting embrace, sharing energy with her. Neither of them should have anything left to share, but together they had plenty. It was odd, but he wasn’t about to question it.
"Killed your dog, how?"
She shuddered, so Kieran answered for her. "They tore her throat open."
The officers looked disgusted. "With what?" one of them asked.
Kieran resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "They were in wolf form. What do you think?"
"You mean, with their teeth?"
Give the man a medal for being fudging obvious.
Kieran almost laughed aloud when he remembered Gemma’s words to him the previous morning. "Yes. So it would be really helpful if you could show us the footage from the scene."
"Well, we don’t actually have the footage with us. We’d have to arrange it with the golf course security." The officer sounded like it would be too much trouble and he wouldn’t do it. Kieran waited patiently, assessing him, not saying a word. The man broke pretty fast. "But I guess we could arrange for you to take a look."
"I’d appreciate it."
"And we would be grateful too, if you could arrange to have a two-natured officer with us there," Gemma said. She looked composed now, and didn’t flinch when the officers frowned.
"Why?" They sounded suspicious.
Kieran wondered about the request too, but Gemma had a perfect explanation ready. "They may be able to verify certain things only two-natured can see. That way you wouldn’t have to take our word for it." Our word. Apparently she didn’t find it difficult to oust herself when it mattered.
The officers exchanged glances again. One of them clearly wanted to deny them the right, but the other was more flexible. "The only two-natured we have in our service is a sentient detective."
"Absolutely not!" Jamie had been quiet until now and his angry exclamation made everyone flinch. The officers paled. "No sentient will judge matters concerning my clan."
Gemma gave him a polite nod and Kieran admired her resolve. Jamie could make anyone’s knees weak when he was on a bad mood. "I understand how you feel. Sentients are responsible for the deaths of many of my family members too. But that was over two centuries ago."
"It was bloody yesterday as far as I’m concerned," Jamie bellowed. Kieran had been born long after the Sentient War had ended so he didn’t hate the third two-natured race as passionately as Jamie did, but he understood his alpha who had lived through some of the worst atrocities.
The officers looked like they were ready to flee, but not so Gemma, who straightened and shot a stern look at Jamie. "I had enough of that attitude from my father, thank you very much. I won’t take it from anyone else. The officers are kind enough to accommodate us and we will accept their offer. Gratefully." The last word was very emphatic.
Jamie, though formidable, wasn’t an unreasonable man. Kieran could see his mouth twitch as he tried to suppress a smile, and he relaxed muscles he hadn’t noticed he had tensed. But Jamie had a reputation to uphold before humans. "Fine. But I’m not attending, so you’ll be personally liaising with the sentient. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir." She sounded amused and Kieran’s heart warmed in delight. She addressed the officers who were staring at her like deer in headlights, not knowing if they should flee and who from. "We’d be happy to have your sentient detective join us when we view the footage."
"You know, we could call in someone from the MET just as well. They have all kinds there." The officer must have been terrified of Jamie to make the offer. The police could be just as territorial as wolves, so offering to call in someone from London Metropolitan Police was quite a concession.
"That would be acceptable too."
One of the officers took out a mobile phone with slightly shaky hands and made the arrangements. The other tried to restore some of their authority. "I’ll leave you with a warning this time," he said to Kieran sternly. "But you really can’t go traipsing nude in public places, not even in the countryside."
Kieran nodded. "I won’t do it again." He would make sure there were no CCTV cameras witnessing when he shifted.
He saw the men out. When he returned to the study Gemma had taken a seat on one of the armchairs. He went to sit on the armrest of her chair and put a hand on her shoulder. The five minutes he had been away from her felt like an eternity and he needed to establish physical contact. He had never before felt such need to be close to another person, but since touching her quieted the need, he didn’t question it. She leaned in to his hand so she must feel it too.
Jamie was watching them, amazed and amused, but he didn’t demand answers. He got up and, circling his desk, took the seat opposite them. "I’m sorry about your dog."
Sadness took over Gemma again, replacing the strong woman who had stood up to a powerful alpha. She leaned against Kieran, seeking comfort and he stroked her hair. "Thank you. She was old and in bad condition. But she deserved a better end."
"Absolutely. Do you know why they targeted your dog instead of your sheep?"
She pulled herself together with a sigh and straightened. Her hand sought his though, as if she needed the contact as much as he did. He held it, supporting her with his strength. As much as he had, he would give her.
"Well, we were at the meadow at the time with Kieran so maybe they knew it. Or … maybe it was a revenge for what happened earlier."
"What exactly happened?" He sounded too demanding, even to his ears, but the mere thought that she may have been in danger made his entire body go cold.
"I think I met the sheep killers."
"Where?"<
br />
She frowned at his sharp question. "At the Asda by the Brighton Road."
Not exactly what he had thought he would hear. "Asda?"
"They were at the parking lot. We had a bit of a run-in. I didn’t recognise them, but I know they weren’t Greenwood clan wolves."
"What exactly do you mean by ’a bit of a run-in’?"
Chapter Thirteen
Kieran’s anger was tangible, like a scent. The emotion was mixed with worry, however. Worry for her. That he cared for her enough to worry was curiously delightful, but it made her feel bad she would have to add to it.
"After you left yesterday, I was in a bad mood. I had to struggle to get my shields up when I was heading to the shop."
"Why? Because you were low on blood?" His sharp question reminded her that she did need to feed soon. If only their moment hadn’t passed.
"No, because my—" She stopped abruptly. He was genuinely concerned for her, but was that a reason to divulge a secret she had kept for over a century. Was the secret of all vampires even hers to tell?
"Your what?" Kieran wouldn’t accept an evasive answer. He deserved better too. Trust had grown between them, a bond forged last night, and secrets would taint it. But the truth wasn’t easy to accept either, and it could break the fragile bond. And she didn’t want that to happen.
As if seeking permission, she glanced at Jamie who shrugged and nodded. She evaded the question with one of her own. "What do you know about vampires’ second nature?"
Kieran frowned. "It’s magic, isn’t it?"
That was the official line. "Well, no. That’s how it manifests. Most of the time anyway." She rubbed her face to make blood flow better, trying to find right words. There weren’t any. "Our second nature is a bloodthirsty monster that kills everything if it’s let free."
His face went blank. Then he frowned, disbelieving. She could practically hear him question how a nice girl with dimples could turn into a monster. There was only one way to make him understand. She didn’t like to remind him of Colm when the memory clearly upset him still, but she had no choice. "Why do you think I was hiding when I was a little girl? Who do you think Colm was protecting me from?"
A Wolf of Her Own Page 9
