He didn’t put her down until they were deep in the small crop of woods. He backed her against a tree and leaned down to kiss her. This time the kiss was full of love, the passion they both felt leashed for a moment. It was her total undoing, her last reservation melting away. He was her future, her reason for existing from now on.
When they came up for breath, she didn’t care anymore where they were or who would see them. She simply had to have him. She pulled off his sweater and he did the same for her. Their garments dropped carelessly onto the cold ground. She didn’t feel cold though; his nearness heated her from the inside out. His belt was next, her fingers clumsy as she tried to unbuckle it. And it didn’t help her task that he suddenly tensed. He lifted his gaze to look at something behind her, but before she could ask what he had seen, he swirled her around, blocking her view to whatever had alarmed him with his large body.
A shot echoed in the woods.
Charly didn’t comprehend what the sound was at first. Then Rafe began to sink down, pulling her to her knees with his lifeless weight. She watched in horror as blood gushed from a wound between Rafe’s shoulder blades. From courtroom photos, she recognised it as a close range shotgun wound, but she had no idea if it would be fatal to a shifter. He was breathing, if weakly, so she drew strength from that.
She could hear people running towards them, but she didn’t turn to look. She just lowered Rafe onto his side so that he could breathe more easily. She knew she was in shock, because she was observing everything as if from a distance, but she couldn’t shake out of it. Her wolf was desperately trying to get free and go to its mate, but she didn’t know how to calm it. She couldn’t even calm herself.
A snap of a dry twig breaking in the forest made her look up. The landlord from the pub was standing between the trees, a shotgun pointed at Rafe. “You filthy animals just couldn’t leave well and truly be. Do you think we want your kind in our village?”
Charly wasn’t listening to his words though. She saw only the threat to her mate. Rafe was defenceless and she had to protect him. Her wolf knew exactly what to do. She gave it permission and it was all it needed. Its aura began to stretch out of her, growing larger and pulling farther and farther until she felt something starting to break inside, her as if she was being torn apart like tight fabric. It was a painful sensation and she wanted to resist. And then her wolf was free.
The pain was exquisite, but it was over before they even noticed and suddenly the world looked, sounded, and smelled different. They got up on four slightly tottering legs, but they couldn’t afford the luxury of adjusting themselves. The shotgun was pointed at them now, more shakily than before, and they could smell fear, acrid and intoxicating. They didn’t hesitate and lunged quickly, sinking their sharp teeth into the wrist holding the weapon.
The man screamed in pain and the shotgun dropped from his hand. He tried to pull his arm away, but they were too heavy for him. He started punching and kicking them with all his strength, but they ignored the pain and held tight. Blood was gushing into their mouth and it tasted wonderful. They bit deeper, breaking bones. The man sank to his knees, weakened with pain, but still they wouldn’t let go. He had hurt their mate.
“Cease!” The powerful command made them pull their ears back and sink lower, but their grip held fast. A wolf in human form, their alpha, crouched before them and looked them straight in the eyes. “Let go.”
This time they had no choice, there was such force in his voice. They obeyed, but they didn’t like to do it and so snarled. Their alpha snarled back and they knew their place.
But then a new threat revealed itself. There were people around their mate. They charged at the intruders, showing teeth and growling, but their alpha was suddenly there again, taking a tight hold of their ruff. “Calm down, they’re just forcing him to shift by pouring Might into him. He can’t shift while unconscious, and he needs to do it so he can heal.” They watched tensely as the wolves in human form leaned over their mate. Over and over again, translucent wolves dove into him, rising up a little paler each time, until their mate’s wolf awoke.
Their alpha looked at it and gave it a command. “Shift.”
And it did.
Chapter Twenty-seven
“Come on, Rafe, you stubborn bastard, wake up. I need you to shift back to human.” They felt a hand shake them and they wanted to growl so that Jamie would let go, but they felt too weak for such a task.
A memory stirred. Weak wasn’t good. They needed to get their mate to safety.
They jolted awake and shot instantly to their feet. Their mate was lying next to them, a beautiful black wolf, and they pressed their muzzle against hers, inhaling her scent. There was blood, but she wasn’t hurt; it belonged to their enemy. They licked the blood off anyway, as it might attract predators otherwise.
“Come, shift back,” their brother commanded, but they didn’t want to obey. They were as they should be, wolf to wolf with their mate.
“Shift.”
This time they couldn’t ignore the command, and a strenuous moment later Rafe was back in human form, naked and cold. Matt tossed him his clothes and he dressed quickly before turning to scold Jamie. “What the fuck?” Even in human form he felt angry for being forced to leave his mate.
But Jamie was unfazed by his anger. “You have to make Charly shift back. She simply refuses to obey me.” He sounded both worried and admiring. Not many wolves could resist him. “The wolf’s been locked up for too long and now it won’t let her come back.”
His human brain registered only now that Charly had indeed changed form, and he turned to study her in awe. She was exquisite even to his human eyes, perfection. She pressed her head against his hand and he rubbed her ears affectionately. “She shifted? But how?” It wasn’t even a full moon.
“Apparently a threat against her mate enabled her to conquer some very strong magic,” Foley said dryly, and Rafe turned to look at the vampire who was observing them a little distance away, surrounded by his warriors. “But she can’t stay in that form any longer. It’s only her first shift.”
Rafe understood immediately. A similar thing happened with all cubs during the first shift, the freedom intoxicating for them. But any adult could order them to change back to human. Charly, however, was an adult, and a dominant to boot. He got worried even as he admired her strength. “I don’t know what I can do. You’re stronger than I am,” he said to Jamie, who nodded.
“A mate can overrule an alpha in some occasions. You have to try.”
Rafe crouched before the beautiful wolf, wincing slightly in pain when something twitched in his back. “Why does my back hurt?”
“You were shot. It was the landlord from the village pub. The police have him now.”
“The police? How long was I out?” And more importantly, how long had Charly been in wolf form? This might be more difficult than he had anticipated.
“Far too long,” Jamie answered gravely. “The police left with the bastard twenty minutes ago.”
This wasn’t good. Rafe took Charly the wolf by its muzzle and stared deep in its eyes. He felt an onslaught of Might streaming back from it as the wolf expressed its will to stay free, but he didn’t back down. There was a time and a place for even the strongest man to bow before his woman, but this wasn’t it.
Mind to mind communication between shifters was easier when both were in animal form, but it could be done even if one of them was in human form. It just took some concentration. Unfortunately, his healing had left him feeling a little weak. Sweat was soon streaming down his back as he battled with Charly the wolf. Come on, my love, I know you’re in there, he murmured into her mind. The wolf was at the forefront. It growled at him and he growled back. I don’t want to hurt you, I just need to talk to Charly, he assured it. He could feel its suspicion, but he murmured soothing words and little by little it lowered its defences, allowing him through. Charly, are you there?
Yes. Can you get me out? She sounded scared, her
worst fears having actualised, so he assured her that he could do it in the most persuading voice he had.
Just follow my voice.
It took more convincing, but finally the wolf lowered itself before him, pressed its head down, and he rubbed its black fur to show that he wasn’t angry with it. “Shift.” He put the last remnants of strength he had left into the command. And thankfully, she obeyed.
It took longer than it should have, but finally Charly was back in human form, lying naked and panting in exhaustion on the cold grass. He pulled her into his lap, and when someone gave him a blanket, he wrapped it around her. She was shivering, and he pressed her closer, protecting her with his warmth.
“I’ll never do that again,” she declared in a feeble voice after a while.
“What, shift? I’m afraid that’s not possible.” He smiled against the top of her head, happy to have her back, but she must have heard the amusement in his voice.
“It bloody hurt!”
“I know, baby. But it’ll get easier, I promise. After a couple of shifts you won’t even notice the pain.” He rose up with an effort, taking her with him, and refused when Jamie offered to carry her to the car. He wasn’t dead, so he was strong enough to carry his mate. She needed pampering after everything she had been through and it was his privilege to provide it. A bath was in order. And then he would make love to her until their brains melted.
The shift had worn Charly out worse than she had believed. She fell asleep during the drive back to the manor, and again in the warm bath. She wanted to look after Rafe’s wounds and take care of him in return, but she was too exhausted, too tired to make love even, something she knew he wanted. Lying naked on the bed, he simply drew her close to his warmth and told her to sleep. He would watch over her.
A small part of her feared she would shift back to a wolf in her sleep, but even that couldn’t keep her eyes from closing. When she woke up, the sun had already set and it was dark outside. Someone had built a fire in their fireplace, so it was warm and cosy, and she felt content to just lie there next to quietly dozing Rafe. She was still human and her wolf was hiding, happy to do so now that it had been given its freedom.
She hadn’t lied when she’d told Rafe the shift had hurt, but she didn’t regret letting it happen. She would do it again in a similar situation. No one could hurt her mate and get away with it. She felt fiercely protective of him even though she knew he was strong enough to look after himself – and her.
She must have stirred because suddenly Rafe woke up, instantly alert to his surroundings. She turned to look at him and saw him smiling down at her. She smiled back. “Did you sleep well?” he asked, reaching to stroke her hair.
“Yes. Does it always tire one this badly to shift?”
He pulled her closer. “No, it’s the opposite, in fact. It should energise you.” She must have looked sceptical because he suddenly grew serious. “I’m sorry it was forced on you in such a manner. I would have prepared you better for it. Do you regret it?”
His question was hesitant and she reached up to stroke his face. It felt a bit raspy against her soft palm, but wonderfully manly. “I have absolutely no regrets,” she assured him, and she felt him relax beneath her hand.
“Thank you,” he said with feeling.
Though she wasn’t sure what exactly he was thanking her for, she answered anyway. “My pleasure.”
Then it definitely was her pleasure as he set out to fulfil the rest of his plan for pampering her.
An hour later, they entered a noisy dining room where Harry and a dozen or so men were having their dinner. A friendly food fight was going on between the two sides of the table, the cause of which wasn’t immediately clear to Charly, but she didn’t care. They seemed comfortable and loving with each other and she could feel the welcome extending to her as well. Having been rejected by her parents, she needed the acceptance of her adopted family.
“Thank you for giving me this,” she said to Rafe quietly as he led her to the other end of the table, away from the line of fire of bread rolls.
He smiled at her happily. “No, thank you. I know you had your doubts and that you wanted to explore the shifter side more thoroughly before committing to it. But you didn’t hesitate to embrace your wolf for me.”
His eyes shone with love as he watched her. He was the strongest man she knew, yet he didn’t mind showing her how vulnerable he could be in front of audience. Could she be anything less? “For you, it wasn’t a sacrifice at all. It’s how it should be. This is what I’m meant to be, a wolf-shifter, and your mate. I love you.”
His smile deepened. “I know you do. You conquered powerful magic for me. Only love can do that.” He pulled her against him and looked her deep in the eyes. His eyes offered love and she accepted it. “And I love you.”
She let her wolf out and, as it mingled with his wolf, she suddenly understood what everyone, her wolf included, had meant by the wolf’s call. There it was, their connection in Might, and her wolf accepted it. It was so beautiful she got tears in her eyes and he kissed them away.
“So what happens now?”
Rafe looked amused. “Life happens now. And it’s a long one, so we can take it slow. You don’t have to make hasty decisions about anything, but I would like you to move in here with us. And I’ll definitely want children.”
She didn’t have anything against that. “What about my job?”
He gave her a teasing smile. “You can work. I’m not that old-fashioned. If you like your current job, keep it. After all, fifty years from now you can do something else.” It was a mindboggling thought. “Or, if you like, you can come to work for our firm. We could use someone like you there.”
That sounded fine too. Everything sounded wonderful now that she had found her true self and the man who let her be what she was, a strong woman and a wolf. She reached up and kissed him. She would never shy from showing emotions again, showing him and the world how much she loved him, her wolf.
Warrior's Heart
“Who the bloody hell are you and why are you here?”
When an apparent human-on-human shooting turns out to have non-human origins, vampire DI Philippa Audley is ordered to investigate. It would be easier, however, if she hadn't been ordered to work with Jasper Grayson, one of the legendary vampire warriors of the Crimson Circle. An old-fashioned relic of a bygone era with very peculiar notions of what a woman can and can’t do is not an ideal partner for Philppa who has made a life’s career of being the first vampire woman in everything. It doesn’t help either that her late father, a Circle warrior himself, was Jasper's last partner.
Jasper Grayson isn’t very accustomed to vampire women, let alone a woman as unique as Philippa who is used to giving orders and being obeyed. His Hunger compels him to protect her, but how is he to protect someone who refuses to listen to very reasonable commands to stay safe? And how is he to gain her trust when he is keeping a secret from her?
Black magic is afoot and a deadly enemy to vampires forces the pair to find a way to work together. But will they be able to put aside the demons of the past for a shared future?
Warrior's Heart, preview
Continue to the next Two-Natured London novel, Warrior’s Heart.
Chapter One
“Wake up, sleepyhead!” The cheerful command was followed by the swift removal of Jasper’s duvet, leaving him feeling cold and exposed in his nakedness. That didn’t stop him from shooting out of the bed and punching Jeremy in the shoulder.
“Fuck off, Jem, you twat!” Jasper sat back down and rubbed his face to banish the last remains of his sleep.
“Now, now, Jas, is that any way to address your little brother?” Jeremy asked good-naturedly, not even massaging his shoulder, the show-off. Jasper had given it a good punch, but the idiot had deserved it. You didn’t wake a sleeping vampire and not pay for it. “It’s your night off, remember. You can’t spend it sleeping.”
“I can do what I bloody well want,” Jas gro
wled, still annoyed at the interrupted sleep. “I’m over three and a half centuries old. I need my constitutional.”
Jem snorted. “Well, Papa Bear - or should I say bare,” he added with a grin, shooting a meaningful glance down at Jas’s naked torso, “those of us who aren’t quite that old are heading to Sudden Death, and you are coming with us.”
Jas would have punched harder if he had known Jem was here on such a blasted errand. “Like hell I am.” Sudden Death was the most popular night club in London among the two-natured kind, vampires and shifters alike, but Jas was yet to see the appeal. Most warriors of the Crimson Circle went there regularly, but Jas had been there maybe twice during its existence, and hadn’t frequented any of the other joints that had enjoyed the warriors’ patronage before that club either. He didn’t get the attraction of loud music, overcrowded dance floors and rubbing shoulders with shifter pups and vampires barely out of their fulfilment. Now, get him into a pub - a proper English affair such as he remembered from his youth - with a pint of whatever was on tap, and he was happy.
“Can’t we go to the Crown instead?”
“Nope. Zach feels like dancing tonight,” Jem said, going to Jas’s wardrobe and pulling it open. While he rummaged through the contents - and good luck with that - Jas resigned himself to his fate. Zacharias Hamilton, the Second Son of Alexander Hamilton, Lord Foley, the leader of the Crimson Circle, loved Sudden Death, its atmosphere, its music, the dancing and the booze. But most of all, he loved the women and there were plenty of those to be had there. And they all loved him back. He was a force of nature when it came to partying so Jas might as well head to the shower.
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