“Noah?” Something shook his arm, a familiar touch that had him turning slowly, blinking at the sudden influx of sight and sound. “Are you all right?”
Smiling slowly, Noah nodded. “More than all right. She totally accepted me. Hell, she thanked me.”
The branches of the yew tree swayed above them, sprinkling them with the soft, scented needles it grew.
Iva smiled delightedly. “She loves you.”
“The feeling is mutual.” The leaves of Iva’s tree rustled in the back of his mind. It wasn’t nearly as strong a presence as his wolf, but the link was there nonetheless.
“How are you? Any tiredness? Weakness?” She put her arm around his waist, staring up at him with concern. “You don’t look pale.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
She chuckled. “Yeah, that’s good. Most people who experience being introduced to a dryad’s tree pass out afterward, or are really, really exhausted. But you seem just fine.”
Yew’s branches rustled above them in silent laughter.
“What did she do?” Iva was staring at her tree. There was some sort of buzzing in his head that...sounded like them, like a blend of Iva and her Yew. He couldn’t explain it, but that was okay. The buzzing soothed both him and his wolf, as if both Iva and her tree were humming happily inside him.
Her eyes went wide in surprise, her body twitching against him. “She gave you energy? I’ve never heard of that happening before.”
He shrugged. “She likes me.” Noah’s smug response garnered the sensation of laughter from Iva’s tree. He and Iva were closer now than when he’d claimed her.
Perhaps the dryad claiming would allow Yew to help Noah protect Iva. He could already guess at how it might tattle on her when she was hurting and refused to speak of it.
Yew’s quiet agreement went unnoticed by its dryad.
“This is so weird.” Iva crossed her arms over her chest and darted glanced between him and Yew. “I get the feeling she’s talking to you without me.” Her tone was distant yet hurt, as if she were trying to puzzle out why she’d be kept out of the loop.
Noah took her in his arms. “She is, but I think that’s a good thing. Between Yew and I you’re never going to be alone or vulnerable again.” He hugged her tightly, ignoring her slight attempt to move away. “She’ll be able to tell me in a heartbeat if you’re in trouble that you can’t handle alone.”
“That’s never happened before,” she muttered against his chest. “Our trees never speak to others, only us. I mean, they acknowledge the partner, might even share the occasional sensation like amusement, but that’s it.” She moved so that her nose was buried in the crook of his neck, an intimate position in wolf culture. “Is she using words?”
“No, but I think she could if she wanted to.” He tapped her forehead. “You’re the Mind, sweetheart. It stands to reason my bond with your tree would be different than with other dryads and their mates.”
“I don’t think my mom could hear Dad’s Yew, though, and she was an owl shifter.” Iva sighed, the warmth of her breath giving him goosebumps. “Maybe it’s because you’re an alpha?”
“Who knows? I’ll take it, though, and everything that goes with it.” If he let this go on she’d keep them up all night with speculations and guesses. “C’mon. Let’s go to bed.”
“Bed?” She pulled away from him and stared up at him with those innocent, dark eyes.
He let her go, only because of what he’d planned next. He needed to get her out of her headspace and into something a little more fun. He picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder fireman-style. “Yup. Bed.” He petted the curve of her butt as he began walking toward the staircase that would lead him down to her apartment. “Feel like fooling around?”
Her muffled giggle was his only reply.
He’d take that as a yes.
Noah carried her down the steps and into her apartment. The doors to the other apartments had been left open, allowing the residents to keep an ear out for the kids. He nodded to a surprised looking Ash before quietly closing Iva’s door behind him. He put her down and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll check on the kids. You go get ready for bed.”
“Yes sir.” She saluted him and sauntered off.
He couldn’t help it. He watched her swaying hips until she disappeared into the bedroom. Shaking himself, he headed for the room where the kids were sleeping.
Both Milo and Sana were sound asleep. Sana was clutching her favorite stuffed toy, Po from Kung Fu Panda. Milo was sprawled out, arms and legs splayed, the sheets kicked to the bottom of the bed. Noah chuckled silently at the sight. Whoever wound up being his mate would have to get used to sleeping with a starfish.
He closed the door and headed to the bedroom, where he could hear Iva moving around in the bathroom. “You almost done?” He kept his voice down in deference to the sleeping rugrats in the next room.
“Yup.” The water turned off and Iva came out, rubbing some sort of cream into her face. “Gotta moisturize before bed.”
His brows rose. “Okay.” The mysteries of feminine hygiene would forever elude him. Soap and water were his friends. He understood them. They got him clean. But the gunk women put on, like serums and moisturizers and stuff that turned them orange? That he’d never get, and he didn’t want to. As long as she was happy—and he got laid in the next ten minutes—he was happy.
“Bathroom’s yours.” She took a seat at a table covered in mystery bottles and boxes and started to put more stuff on her face.
Leaving her to her...whatever...he headed into the bathroom to take care of business. Five minutes later he exited, teeth brushed, cock washed and ready to rumble.
Iva lay in bed, naked, covered to the waist in a sheet. A nightgown and panties lay on the end table next to her. She must have done that, aware that two little people would be joining them in the morning.
“Good idea.” He grabbed a pair of boxers and his favorite sleeping shirt and put them on the end table he now considered his. He climbed into bed, eager to explore his mate.
Mate. God, he’d waited what seemed like forever to find her. She might not know it but he was a goddamn possessive bastard. She was never getting away from him.
He stared at the tempting buffet of flesh laid out for his enjoyment. He couldn’t decide what to start on first. Her neck, where he’d left his mark, tempted him, but her breasts, oh, he loved the sounds she made when he sucked those hard little nips into his mouth. Her smooth skin was scarred from what the Van Helsings had done to her but that didn’t bother him one bit. He considered them to be badges of honor. She’d survived when so many hadn’t. Hell, she’d even helped Ash defeat the shadow man while she was being tortured.
There was no one stronger than his woman.
Noah decided he’d start with her neck. Sucking hard, his fangs dragged over her skin. She shuddered beneath him, her nails digging into his back.
He stared at the hickey he’d left behind with satisfaction. It would be dark, the twin marks of his fangs on either side. It was the distinctive mark of a wolf.
Kissing down her chest he reached her breast, loving on her nipple until it puckered. Her areolas were brown, dark against her pale skin, twin kisses topping perfection. He couldn’t get enough of them, licking and sucking until she was squirming.
Iva groaned as Noah left her breasts and began licking his way down her belly, pushing the sheet aside impatiently to bare her completely. He hadn’t had the chance recently to taste her. The memory of last time, of how she’d gone wild, haunted him. Kissing just above her clit made her moan, the sound both desperate and feral. Noah stared at the black curly hair, running his fingers through it and dipping down to stroke her clit.
Iva lifted her hips. “Noah,” she murmured, rocking against his hand. “Now. Lick me.”
Noah smiled. She was so bea
utiful like this, eager for him, demanding his touch. He obeyed, tasting her, taking her clit into his mouth and sucking until she was clutching at his head. He ignored the pain of her pulling his hair in favor of making her come on his tongue.
She did, grunting out her pleasure, her whole body quaking. His baby was one of those people whose whole body clenched during orgasm and he loved it.
He debated for a moment making her come again before sliding into her body, but she took the decision out of his hands. “Move.” She managed to maneuver them so that she was on top, her pussy hovering over his mouth. She took his cock—
“Holy fuck.” Noah couldn’t believe how hot and tight her mouth was. The suction was incredible, and her tongue, dear Goddess her tongue, should be registered as a lethal weapon.
It wasn’t until she wiggled her rear that he remembered what he was supposed to be doing, but who could blame him? Whoever taught his mate how to suck cock needed an award, then he needed to die in a horrible wolf mauling. Noah got down to business, determined to do as good a job as she was. If her muffled moans were anything to go by he was at least getting it close to right.
Part of him wanted to grab hold of the back of her head and fuck her mouth until he spilled. Already he could feel warning tingles at the base of his spine. Thinking about baseball or Greer’s hairy ass did nothing to stop his impending orgasm.
Noah pushed at her ass, hoping she’d move, freeing him before he came. He wanted to be inside her, fucking her, the desire to spill his seed inside her overwhelming.
Iva took the hint, sliding off of him and lying on her back, her head at the foot of the bed. Noah pounced, sliding inside her with a sigh. “You feel so good.” He began fucking her, the bed creaking as he pounded into her.
Iva began stroking her clit, her expression fierce. She was clenching around him, her free hand clutching at the bunched-up sheets.
“That’s it, baby. I’m close. Come for me.” Noah was so close his balls were tight, his teeth clenching as he tried to hold back for her.
Iva covered her mouth as she cried out, her whole body once more locking up as her pussy spasmed around him. The sight of her orgasm combined with the grasping spasms of her pussy pushed Noah into his own orgasm. His blood roared in his ears as ecstasy swept through him. He tried not to groan out his pleasure, peripherally aware of the small, sleeping people in the next room. This was not an education they were ready for.
Noah shivered out the last of his orgasm before collapsing onto his bent arms, barely keeping his weight off his mate. Blinking, he saw that she had her eyes closed and a sweet smile on her flushed face. “Better?” he asked, remembering how she’d teased him at their first coupling.
“Mm,” she murmured, stretching languorously. “Better.”
“Hmph.” Noah sniffed in pretend disgust. He decided to get some of his own back. “I guess you weren’t bad either.”
She opened one eye to glare at him. “Mister, that was the best goddamn blowjob you’ve ever had, and you know it.”
He moved so that he lay beside her. “I dunno. Betsy Toomley in college could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch. Hell, she could suck the trailer hitch off the truck.” Noah waited for her response.
It wasn’t long in coming. A pillow smacked him dead center in the face. “Who the fuck is Betsy Toomley?”
Noah laughed and swept his indignant mate into his arms. “My ex-girlfriend.”
“Grr,” she growled, raking her nails across his chest.
It was so wolflike a gesture that his chest puffed up with pride. “Don’t worry. You’re the only woman in my life now.”
She was giving him a side-eyed glare that made him want to crawl under something and hide, possibly forever. “You broke the rules, Mr. Wulfenbach.”
Uh-oh. “I did?”
“You mentioned an ex in bed.” She grinned, baring her teeth at him. “Want me to talk about mine?”
When hell froze over. “I’ll never speak of her again.”
The glare hadn’t died. “Wanna make it up to me?”
He nodded. “Yes, please, ma’am.” Only his mate could get him to say that, mostly because she was scaring the crap out of him.
“Go make me a sammich.” She rolled over, putting the pillow under her cheek. “Oh, and a glass of iced tea.”
Noah got up, walking around the bed to retrieve his shorts and shirt. “I live to obey, alpha mate.”
“Damn skippy you do. And make sure it’s got double meat.” She grinned again, and this time the expression was genuine. “Thanks, Noah.”
“My pleasure.” He lifted her and turned her so that she lay the correct way on the bed. Somehow, she’d managed to keep hold of the pillow, amusing him greatly. “One extra meat sandwich coming up.”
When he left she was pulling on her panties and nightgown. Shame. He would have liked to eat naked in bed with her, but he understood. Having Sana and Milo in their lives was worth a bit of clothing.
As he made the sandwiches he realized that he’d become as comfortable in her home as he was in his own. Living here part time would be no hardship for them, and if, as he hoped, they had children of their own they’d find a way to make things work. Wolves loved large families, a pack within a pack. Whether their child was a dryad or a wolf wouldn’t matter, it would still be pack.
But that was a thought for another day. Right now he had a hungry woman to feed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Her eyes were going to start bleeding soon if she didn’t stop staring at the computer screen. Seriously, why was she the one stuck sitting indoors, researching demon names? Even the kids were outside, playing with Ash while Selena made them breakfast. She’d been up all night doing this, unable to sleep after Noah’s introduction to her tree. There was something different about the way he’d reacted. He’d not only kept to his feet, he’d been almost overflowing with energy while they made love. Yew had been humming happily, pleased with itself, all night long. That certainly hadn’t helped with Iva’s restlessness.
What in the world had happened between the two of them?
Iva rubbed her eyes, trying to focus once more on the task at hand. Ruaḥ Tum’ah, unclean spirit, was the name the demon had given itself when it had been attached to Selena, but that wasn’t its true name. Iva had a bit of the entity’s name, but so far that hadn’t been enough to identify it. She sat back, staring at her computer screen and wondering when she’d gotten lost on Wikipedia reading about ancient Hellenistic magic rather than researching demon names.
Wikipedia sucks you in faster than a con man on a time limit. Since it cited sources, she could sometimes use it for the beginnings of research, but she couldn’t rely on it as a sole source. And frankly, nothing in it had proven useful anyway, not even the links. And the Ars Goetia, which listed seventy-two supposed demons, was actually a list of djinn or spirits who were forced to work for the magician who summoned them. Their names had been warped by Christianity, but the spells still worked against them despite that. They were considered neutral, or gray, in the scheme of witchery, but they abided by their word and the compact that was created between the summoner and the summonee.
She might need to pack up and head for the library. After all, even the World Wide Web had its limits. Ancient, mystical texts were hard to come by on the Barnes & Noble site, but she should have better luck at their local library. She couldn’t tell if the demon’s partial name was the beginning, middle or end, hence her problems. The letters they’d found had translated to b, i and a, and weren’t much to go on. There were a number of demons she’d found with those letters in their names, but unfortunately most of them were listed in her Dungeons & Dragons books.
She was not going to go to Gideon with her Monster Manual in hand. Not happening. She’d boarded that Nope train to Fuckthatsville hours ago. She picked up her purse and squared her shoulders. As m
uch as she loved the library, finding the older tomes and grimoires could be a pain. The head librarian, Shawn Howell, was very careful who he let touch them.
At least she wasn’t a fire elemental. Some of them were banned from even glancing at the section holding their oldest texts.
“Where are you off to?” Noah’s sleepy voice came from behind her.
He and the kids had spent the night, but Iva had been too keyed up to sleep. Now was the time to strike, and strike hard, at their enemies. She’d delayed too long on this research as it was.
She’d do anything to keep Noah and the kids safe, and this was the first real step to doing so. “The library.”
He frowned, straightening up from his slouch. “Did you eat anything?”
She strode for the door. “No time, gotta work, see ya!”
She was yanked back so fast she lost a shoe. Noah carried her back to the kitchen, where he sat her down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. “Sit. I’ll cook, you eat, I shower, we go.”
She frowned. “Don’t you have alpha type things to do today?”
His brows rose. “Would you rather go with Paisley?”
“Bring on the eggs.” Paisley in the library was a bull in a china shop situation just waiting to happen. Iva didn’t need any lawsuits on her hands. According to the town gossips Shawn and Paisley had had a raging fight on the front steps over the library. Something about the latest Twilight book not being on the shelves, or was it Fifty Shades of Gray? Iva didn’t have the details, but ever since then Paisley had asked her brother to pick up her library books rather than going herself.
Noah turned to the fridge and whipped up a quick breakfast in record time. He made sure the kids were safe with Selena and Ash before taking a quick shower. Within half an hour they were on their way to the library.
“So, what are we seaching for?” Noah strode up the steps of the public library and held the door open for her.
“Ancient texts on demons with the letters b, i and a in their names, in that order.” Iva thanked him quietly as she entered the building.
Hour of the Wolf Page 21
