“So we’re only mated because James wanted to save your life?” I was positive he could hear the hurt in my voice, maybe even feel it in the bond we shared. He came up behind me and wrapped me in his strong arms. I couldn’t help myself from leaning back into him.
“Shelby, I love you. This is something that I’ve wanted since I met you. I’m so sorry it had to happen this way, but I’m not sorry it happened.” I could feel the truth of his words through our bond.
“What does it mean?” I whispered. His arms tightened around me like he was afraid I would take off.
He whispered softly into my hair. “Wolves mate for life.”
I froze.
My mind was already jetting a million miles an hour and it seemed like someone had just lit the afterburners. There suddenly wasn’t enough oxygen and my legs started to give out. Cash’s arms around me kept me from collapsing on the floor in a heap. He spun me around until I faced him, concern swimming in his expression. I looked up at him, tears brimming in my eyes.
“You want to be with me? Forever?”
My father had left me for the rodeo, my mother left for the bar and men, and my grandfather had left me when he died. Not entirely his fault, but still…
Until this moment I hadn’t realized how much I wanted someone to be there, always. Bright golden beams of his love exploded in my mind and pushed everything else out of its way. His heart was in his eyes as he leaned down and kissed me softly, using his thumbs to gently wipe away the tear tracks on my cheeks.
“Oh, baby girl,” he sighed, his expression soft.
He deepened his kiss until there was nothing else but him and the glowing sun in my mind. When he finally did break away from me, I realized with embarrassment that we had been sucking face like teenagers in front of his brother. I blushed.
I looked at the Cash’s shirt while I probed James in my mind. He should have been a bright emerald green with envy but he was simply lying casually on the sofa staring at his hands. My, my, my… I looked questioningly at Cash, who shook his head.
“So,” I said wanting to break the awkward silence. “What’s so special about me?”
Cash smiled, his sapphire eyes twinkling. “Besides the obvious?” I elbowed him in the ribs, but not seriously. “I’m not really sure yet, but your scent just called to me, and it seems you’re just as appetizing to other lupines as well.” His voice was grim, and I knew he was speaking about his brother. He walked me to the chair and pulled me back into his lap again.
“So I get why I feel you in my head, because of the whole mating thing?” He nodded in agreement. “But why is it that I feel James and a few dozen other people, lupines I’m assuming, in there too?”
Cash sucked in a breath and I felt surprise flash through both of the brothers’ bonds. James sat up abruptly and looked at Cash. Shock, fear… I looked between them, their fear merged with my own and gripped an icy hand around my heart.
“Oh shit,” whispered Cash.
“What? What is it?” I yelped as I leapt off Cash’s lap once again.
He regarded his brother and it seemed like they were silently conferring with each other with their eyes. Cash’s had gone all stormy and dark. When they finally turned to regard me, my heart dropped and had a seizure on the floor.
“Usually if we do mate with someone, that person can only feel their mate’s bond. But those other people you’re feeling are lupine, and of a pack other than ours. We only have about ten people in ours and they’re all in Wyoming, so those others must be your pack.”
Cash looked over at James, who nodded solemnly and took over. “It seems that you might be a lupine too. Only a lupine can feel the other people in their pack.”
Once again I found myself trying to fit together pieces of the world that had just shattered around my head. It seemed that I missed a lot of them.
“I don’t remember going all hairy at the full moon, so how can I be a lupine?”
“If you have some lupine blood, it might stay dormant in your system so you wouldn’t ‘go all hairy’, and the full moon thing is a myth. But my bite may kick start your change-over, or it may not. There’s not really any way to know.”
I felt a wave of heat roll through me and I put my hands on my knees and leaned over. “I think I’m going to puke.” I moaned. Cash pulled my hair back and rubbed my back all the while sending me feelings of love and comfort through the bond. Little by little the nausea passed and I could sit down. “I want to go home.”
“Shells, I don’t think that’s a good idea. The other wardens didn’t catch the pot grower, and I found out the hard way the guy has guns.” Something in Cash’s voice and expression felt off.
“You’re not telling me everything. What is it?”
He flinched while James chuckled darkly to himself. “Can’t get anything past her, can you brother?”
Cash shot him a nasty glare before answering. “Usually it’s a lot easier to locate and track people when you’re a lupine, but this guy—” He scrubbed both hands through his hair and bits of it stood up at odd angles. “The bastard is using witchcraft to avoid us. So either he’s a witch and he’s just covering his tracks or he knows who and what I am. Either way he is dangerous, and he’s already gotten way too close to you.” I had a flashback of that night, but this time I knew that it was Cash the wolf who had lunged at him.
“That’s why you didn’t come when I called you,” I breathed. “You did come, but as a wolf.” He smiled a wry little grin and I winced when I remembered how mad I’d been at him. I gave him a brief kiss as my way of an apology. “Well, it seems to me that we’re bonded now. Since you’ve got your own special GPS chip on me I should be alright. Besides, I’ve got to feed my animals.”
“It’s okay, James can feed them.” Cash rubbed my shoulders convincingly.
James piped up from the couch. “Yeah, what’s one more day?”
I frowned over at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He smiled impishly and looked up from his hands. His eyes flashed quicksilver. “You’ve been out for five days.”
I barely made it to the bathroom in time before I lost my cookies.
Cash drove his truck back to my house and we sat in silence. I had millions of questions zipping around in my mind but I couldn’t nail down just one to ask. Finally, when we were halfway to my ranch, I snatched one out of my mind and threw it out there.
“What did you tell the wardens when you got shot, but didn’t go to the hospital?” He winced, eyes focused on the road. I could feel in the bond how much he disliked lying to his coworkers and friends.
“James took me to your house and patched me up. I was just conscious long enough to tell them I’d only been winged and they bought it.” He grinned. “The trick was explaining why James switched outfits and had stolen their truck. I told them you fainted at the sight of blood and since he was covered in mine, he’d had to change.”
I growled and stuck my tongue out at him. “Great, all your warden buddies think I’m a colossal pansy. Awesome.” I took his hand in mine and felt his affection bloom in the back of my mind. “Is James okay?” I asked quietly.
Cash sighed deeply and took a moment to gather his thoughts. “He and I have always had different philosophies on mating. I’ve always felt that if I was going to find mine, it would happen.” He brought my hand to his lips, brushing a kiss on my fingers. “It seems I was correct.” I smiled at his sweet words and the love blazing through our bond.
“James, on the other hand, has been desperate in his search for his mate and he’s constantly on the alert for her. Lupine men aren’t complete until we find our mates. It’s a natural imperative that is constantly in the forefront of our minds as soon as we hit adulthood.”
“Why is he so desperate?”
“A long time ago he found a woman he thought was his mate and had even gone as far as marking her, but when he informed her of our nature she bolted. It broke him and he hasn’t recovered.” H
e looked at me sideways as he turned onto my road. “You see, once we find our mate, that’s it. He marked her and never finished the mating, so in a sense, he is incomplete. He feels that hole constantly and he thinks if he finds another woman to mate with, she will fill it.”
My heart broke. I could feel Cash’s sadness for his brother and it became magnified by my own. Cash reached over and rubbed a tear from my cheek with the pad of his thumb. We continued on in silence until we drove onto my driveway.
A nasty thought broke across my mind. “Why would he want that fate for you? He wanted to steal me from you!” I whispered. Cash took one look at me before slowing the truck to a stop and pulling me across the seat into his lap.
“No. I don’t think that was his intention. Maybe at first when he didn’t realize I’d marked you. You are irresistible to us. I don’t know if it’s because we’re brothers and have similar taste in woman or if it’s the lupine blood you may have, but you’re like a bottle of fine wine to an alcoholic.” He licked his lips and a fire started behind his eyes.
“I don’t know, he was pretty predatory—” I said, doubt heavy in my tone. He laughed, the green flame of desire flaring brighter in his irises.
“Shells, we are predators! Besides, he likes getting a rise out of me, as do all my younger brothers.” He said ruefully. My eyes went wide in horror as one of my millions of questions popped into my head. Speaking of predators…
“Oh God! I shot you! That first night, I could have killed you!” I covered my mouth with my hands which had suddenly gone icy cold. Cash’s eyes blazed in the darkness as he grabbed my frozen fingers and kissed each palm.
“We heal fast.”
I just gaped at him, appalled that I almost shot and killed the love of my life. His eyes were shining emeralds in the darkness which failed to hide his mirth. “This is so not funny! Why were you chasing my cows?” My dismay shifted to irritation at his delighted laughter.
Cash lifted his hands in surrender before he answered. “I was out running and I caught a scent, your scent,” His voice made it clear when he said ‘running’ he wasn’t talking about going for a jog. “You have no idea how good you smell. I think my wolf side knew you were mine before I did as I followed your trail. You must have just been there because your scent was all over the place. I wasn’t going after your cattle, but they didn’t know that.”
“And after I took a shot at you? I grazed you, I know I did.” He grimaced and pinched my butt.
“Yup, you got me right here but it was just a flesh wound,” he said winking. “Honestly, I was so absorbed with your scent I didn’t even notice you were up wind on the hill until after I got hit. I did follow you home afterward.” His cheeky grin worked its magic and I started to chuckle.
“What were you thinking about me after I shot you?” His grin split even wider showcasing those amazing dimples as his eyes twinkled with glee.
“That I had to have you even more. Although, we’re going to have to work on your marksmanship.”
I swatted his arm. “Let me guess, no one called you about me shooting either.” He feigned guilt, but I could feel his amusement through our bond. “I knew it!” I smacked his shoulder again and dissolved into giggles.
I ran my hand down the side of his stubble-roughened cheeks and basked in the love and happiness in his eyes. Another question popped in my mind and tumbled out of my mouth. “How old are you?”
I could feel the surprise and weariness through the bond. “I told you, I’m twenty nine.”
Lie. I felt it in my mind and smiled a predatory grin. Gotcha!
“I know you just lied to me, Cash. I felt it. How old are you, really?” I almost started to giggle when my wolf actually squirmed and looked sheepish. Ha!
“I was born in 1945.” He said so quietly I almost didn’t hear it. Shock flooded my system as I tried to wrap my head around that little tidbit of information. Sixty-six. My boyfriend was sixty-six.
“Kinda robbing the cradle, aren’t you?” I asked.
“I feel like I’m twenty-nine, so that’s what I told you. Lupines age a little under half the rate that humans do. James is fifty.” I looked up at Cash. His eyes were scanning at my face, trying to gauge what my reaction is. I could still feel all the love he had for me, but in it were black little threads of worry.
“How long will I live?” I asked quietly.
The thought of growing old while he didn’t made me shiver with dread. I huddled against his chest, not missing the fact that he didn’t answer immediately. He squeezed me gently before answering.
“I’m almost positive you have lupine blood and that in of itself will probably slow your aging, even more so if you actually change, but I just don’t know.” He pushed a strand of hair out of my eyes and I could feel the regret in the bond. Not wanting that nasty thought to kill the moment I tried to lighten the mood.
“Oh, so that’s why you’ve been such a gentleman with me. You’re from the era of sock hops and poodle skirts!” For the first time since I’d known Cash, he blushed. A grown man of sixty-six actually blushed! I burst out laughing and he gave me a dirty look.
“Yes, and if you’d ever quit throwing yourself at me all the time I could make an honest woman out of you!” He growled. I froze and looked at him, searching his eyes and his bond that he was messing with me but I only found love and hope.
“What are you asking?” I breathed.
A brilliant white smile grew on Cash’s face as he leaned down letting his lips just brush mine as he spoke. “Shelby, will you marry me?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
It felt as if my heart would burst from my chest. I squealed and started kissing him frantically, grabbing hunks of hair in my fists and dragging his face to mine. It took him several minutes to finally pull me away enough to look in my eyes.
“So, is that a yes?” He grinned in immense satisfaction and I poked him in the stomach, receiving a satisfying grunt.
“Of course it’s a yes! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” He continued laughing and I began kissing him again. It was a while longer before we broke apart.
“Technically, we are already married, since you mated with a lupine.” He informed me casually. “It’s a lot more binding than a human marriage. But I figured you’d appreciate doing it the old fashioned way.”
“You figured right. Oh! I can’t wait to see Jesse’s face when I tell her! She’s been planning my wedding since we were ten.” Cash’s smile fell from his face and his eyes filled up with horror.
“Oh crap, Jesse! James said she’s been leaving increasingly threatening messages on your answering machine. She’s going crazy wondering where you are.” Cash looked supremely guilty.
“You didn’t call her?” My question came out as a screech but I was in a panic.
“Shells, I’ve been asleep almost as long as you have. I didn’t have time.” His expression was sympathetic, but all I could think about was Jesse, and how I was would kill James the second I saw him.
My stomach dropped to my feet at the thought of what my best friend would be going through after I dropped off the face of the earth for five days. She must be going nuts!
“Oh no. Oh no...no...no...no—” I moaned as Cash pulled the rest of the way down my driveway. There was a piece of paper stuck to my front door and I had a bad feeling it wasn’t a love note. I hopped out of the truck before Cash could even open his door and ran up my front stairs. Snatching the note off the door, I opened it up and read:
Shelby Rae Flint,
You had better be lying in a ditch unconscious somewhere because that’s the only thing
I’d ever forgive you for being MIA for five days.
Jesse
“Well, she’s not too far off there,” said Cash as he read the note over my shoulders. I smiled wanly at his attempt at levity, but I was still really nervous about facing my best friend who was obviously angry enough to pull out the middle name bomb. I turned around and found myself face to face with
my fiancé. Hehehe…fiancé!
Suppressing my internal desire to jump up and down giggling, I smiled up at Cash. “I think you should go. I’m not going to be able to think with you around and I’ve got to face the music sometime with Jesse.” He tried to look hurt and sad, but the bond gave him away. He didn’t want to be anywhere near ground zero when I had to tell Jesse. “Oh, quit giving me that look, puppy dog.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Only you are allowed to call me a dog,” he growled.
By anyone’s standards Cash and I had a whirlwind courtship, more like a tornado. But his embrace felt like home. I breathed in his unique woodsy scent and tried to borrow some of his strength.
“You can’t tell Jesse what we are, Shells,” he whispered into my hair.
I pulled out of his grip. “How am I going to explain this past week? She’s my best friend, Cash and she’s known me forever. She’ll know that I’m lying to her!” My voice got more and more frantic with each word. I never lied to Jesse. Besides Grandpa, she was the only constant in my life, and even the thought of lying to her felt like the worst kind of betrayal.
I looked up for reassurance, but Cash’s whole mien was loving sternness. It pissed me off. I pushed past him and walked into my house and my breath misted.
“Geez, James couldn’t be bothered to turn on the heat? It’s colder than a polar bear’s ass in here!” I grumbled, stomping over to the thermostat to flip the heater on. Cash wasn’t affected by my surliness. He leaned against the wall looking more inviting than an electric blanket. Stupid hot fiancé.
I pressed play on my answering machine, mentally preparing myself for Jesse’s verbal onslaught.
“Hi Shelby, it’s Vince with some good news. Your cousins have agreed to arbitration and the date is set for eight am Monday. It’d be good if you could get your grandfather’s medical records so we can prove he still maintained his mental faculties well into his decline. Call me if you have any questions.”
Hunter Moon (Lupine Moon Series) Page 20
