"Alright," I say softly as I squeeze her hand. I let go to reach up and cup her cheek, and I sigh as she leans into my palm. "I really am sorry," I murmur as I run my thumb over her gorgeous full lips. "I get a little worked up just thinking about you getting hurt."
"A little?" she asks, her mouth quirking into an impish smile.
I fixate on her full pink lips. My God they're perfect. I can't help wondering what they'd feel like wrapped around my-
"Hello?" Raven interrupts my train of thought as she waves a hand in front of my face. "Earth to horny werewolf?" she asks, now wearing a full-blown grin. Desire-laced amusement dances in her electric blue eyes and spills into me through our bond.
I grin back at her. "Sorry."
She arches a brow. "Now that apology is a bunch of crap."
I lean in closer until our lips are just shy of touching. "Sorry, not sorry," I whisper, then kiss the hell out of her.
I let her feel how much I want her along with each stroke of my tongue against hers. I let her feel how much I missed her since seeing her yesterday, and how much I love her. She moans happily, her desire rising with mine. It takes all my effort not to lift her over the center console and onto my lap, so I can have my wicked way with her.
Suddenly, the startling shrill whistle of a catcall has us both jerking apart.
"Get a room!" I hear a male voice bellow out.
I glare out the windshield to see a small group of teenage boys on the sidewalk walking past my Jeep making lewd gestures at us. I growl low in my throat at the interruption, then stare daggers at their backs as they swagger away. Assholes.
"I hated teenagers even when I was one," I grumble out irritably beneath my breath.
Raven laughs at my comment, and the sweet sound banishes my annoyance in an instant. I look at her, drinking in the warm smile gracing her kiss swollen lips, and her pretty flushed cheeks.
"You're beautiful," I tell her.
"So are you," comes her soft reply. She gives me a quick kiss. "Come on," she says. "Let's go get my big bad wolf fed before he eats a couple of teenagers."
I smirk. "Alright."
We climb out of the Jeep with a leashed Luna in tow, then join hands once we're on the sidewalk. When we reach the diner's entrance, I open the door and usher Raven and Luna in ahead of me with a hand flourish.
I'm pretty sure that the Wolcott Diner hasn't had a single change to its interior since it opened in the 1950s with its dark-red tile floor and fading wood-paneled walls. A long metal-rimmed Formica lunch counter with dark-red vinyl stools stretches along the wall to the right, and matching tables and booths fill the rest of the room. The place is crowded, as per usual on most given nights, since Wolcott only has a few restaurants. All eyes turn toward us and land on Raven as we approach the hostess stand. Newcomers in a small town like this always attract attention, good and bad. And speaking of something bad, it's sauntering toward us right now.
A busty blond with big hair, over-tweezed eyebrows, and enough make-up plastered on for at least a dozen girls approaches us. Her generous hips sway as she directs a sickly sweet smile at me. She's dressed in a low-cut shirt about two sizes too small and a Wolcott Diner apron over skin tight jeans. Her name is Stephanie Birchwood, and her family has owned this place forever. I'm ashamed to say she was one of my impulsive teenage mistakes and indiscretions.
As she nears, her eyes flit over to Raven. Her smile vanishes in an instant to be replaced with open contempt. Her gaze falls down to Luna in her blue service dog vest, and her eyes harden into something ugly. Yeah, I don't know what I saw in her either, but I was seventeen, horny, and stupid.
"We don't allow animals in here," she says haughtily, her whiny voice grating on my ears.
"She's my service dog," Raven says with a frown.
Stephanie's eyes slide judgmentally up and down Raven in her simple hoodie, T-shirt, and jeans. I wrap an arm around Raven in an open show of possession and support. My Raven would look sexy in a damn sack. Stephanie, who's been unsuccessfully panting after me ever since our one time together, has nothing on my mate. Bitch.
"You don't look handicapped to me," Stephanie says snidely.
I bristle instantly, ready to rip into Stephanie for her tactless and rude comment, but Raven beats me to it.
"And you don't look like someone dumb enough to discriminate against a customer with a disability either," she bites out sternly. "But I guess appearances can be deceiving."
"You...you..." Stephanie sputters out indignantly as she glares at Raven, then glances at me. Like I'm going to side with her.
"Her dad's the newest member of the Wolcott P.D. too," I add with a scowl. "I'm sure you'd hate for him to show up here asking your father why his daughter's rights are being violated."
Her face instantly blanches and shoots a glance toward the kitchen where her father is most likely cooking. She sputters again, but this time follows it with babbled apologies that I'm not in the mood for tonight.
"Just get us a table, Stephanie," I finally cut her off irritably.
For once, she does the smart thing and shuts up, then leads us wordlessly to a table at the back of the room with a view of the entire restaurant. She tosses a couple of menus on the Formica table top and thankfully makes herself scarce as we slide into the booth across from each other. Luna lays down obediently on the floor next to Raven's side of the table. I glare after Stephanie with a scowl. Ugh. Maybe I should have just taken Raven home instead.
"You slept with her, didn't you?" Raven asks out of nowhere, her tone unexpectedly casual.
I deflate with a sigh. "Yeah," I confess as I eye Raven carefully, waiting for her to get angry. "It was a long time ago, and I'm not proud of it."
She gazes curiously after Stephanie as she disappears into the kitchen. "Well, she's not completely unfortunate looking, minus the fake hair and slathered on makeup anyway."
"She's a bitch," I say flatly. "Don't sugar coat it. If she had her way, you'd be back out on the sidewalk right now."
"Ah," Raven says knowingly. "She wants another slice of Emmett pie."
I snort out a laugh. "She ain't gettin' it." I reach out to grab her hand and smile warmly at her. "My pie is all yours now, Rav."
She smiles back, and we stare at each other for a long moment. Our feelings flow back and forth through our bond as I rub my thumb across the back of her hand.
"Well, well," announces an amused and familiar female voice. "Fancy finding you here."
I groan inwardly and turn my head to find my little sister, Lyric, standing next to our table. There's an impish smirk on her lips, her baby blue eyes twinkling in amusement and her caramel blond hair pulled back into a long ponytail. Just behind her stands my other sister, Harmony, and my brothers, Wyatt and Beckett.
My oldest twin sibling's smirks are more subdued than Lyric's, but no less annoying as they fix their intense gazes on Raven. Wyatt and Harmony may not be identical, but they look a lot alike with golden-brown eyes like Mom's and their dark sable hair. Harmony's hangs long and thick around her shoulders, and Wyatt's is cropped close to his head and matches his full beard.
Beck is the only one not wearing a smirk. He gives me a sheepish shrug and an apologetic expression from over Harmony's shoulder. He has Mom's golden-brown eyes and dark-blond curls cut a little longer than Wyatt's hair.
"What are the chances?" I say with a sharp glare for the four of them, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
Lyric knew exactly where I'd be tonight, and no doubt dragged them all in here. This is no happenstance. Damn nosy siblings, and my big mouth for telling Mom about my date in Lyric's presence while we were eating lunch at the orchard today. In fact, Mom invited all my siblings over for dinner tonight to keep them occupied, so something like this wouldn't happen.
Lyric ignores my surliness and focuses on Raven, her smile radiant and welcoming. "Hi, Raven," she says as she slides uninvited into the booth next to her. She leans in close with a conspiratorially arched
brow and points at me. "I'm Lyric, this one's baby sister and kid number five."
Raven's wary expression softens into a surprised smile. "Hi," she says kindly. She glances curiously at Harmony, Beck, and Wyatt.
Ever the kind and easy-going guy, Beck steps forward and introduces himself next as he reaches out to take Raven's hand. "I'm Beck, kid number three."
Harmony goes next, gracefully extending her hand to Raven. "I'm Harmony, sibling number two."
"Wyatt, one," my brother growls out succinctly in his usual rumbling tone. He shakes Raven's hand too, dwarfing hers with his wide palm and long fingers. She stares up at my oldest brother's hulking frame with intimidated awe. Yeah, he has that effect on people.
"Does Mom know you're all here?" I ask Lyric accusingly, the most probable instigator of this chance meeting. "Because I'm pretty sure I remember her telling you not to bother me on my date."
"Nope." She grins wide and unapologetically as she waggles her eyebrows at me. "She had an emergency call, and what she doesn't know can't hurt her."
"And Dad?" I ask pointedly. My father is the wild card here. He's just as likely to side with Mom as he is to be a pushover for his youngest daughter, who's been chomping at the bit to meet my mate.
"Parking the truck," Lyric answers brightly with yet another smirk.
I growl at her with narrowed eyes, noting Raven's amused expression as she watches my interaction with my sister.
"Don't worry," she adds patronizingly as she slides back out of the booth and stands. "We're going to sit on the other side of the room." She shoots a big grin at Raven. "It was nice meeting you, even if my brother is a butt-head."
I growl at Lyric again. "Get lost," I growl as I glare at all my siblings in turn. Lyric winks at me as the four of them shuffle away while smiling knowingly at me.
"It was nice meeting all of you," Raven calls after them with a laugh.
My idiot siblings cross the room and start pushing a couple of tables together with a loud clatter. I purse my lips and shake my head at them. I slide Raven's menu over to her, then pick up mine and start scanning through it.
"So..." Raven says quietly as she leans closer to me across the table over our now open menus. Her brows are raised curiously as she glances around furtively. "Um...are they all...um...like you?"
"You mean are they all butt-heads?" I ask with a smirk. "Because that's definitely true."
She rolls her eyes and grumbles out, "You know what I mean."
I nod with a more serious expression. "They are," I reply as I notice my father walking through the diner's front door.
Raven follows my line of sight and smiles. "That's your dad, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"You look just like him."
I shrug. I get that a lot.
Dad's attention immediately zones in on me, and he makes his way over to our table. A few other patrons call out greetings to him, and he nods in acknowledgment as he passes them. Luna leaps to her feet and wags her tail furiously in greeting as he stops next to the table. Dad smiles down at the little husky and stretches his hand out for the dog to sniff his fingers. He turns his smile and an inquisitive expression on Raven as a satisfied Luna lays back down again.
"You must be Raven," he says warmly in his usual gruff voice. "I'm Rett Weylin." He nods toward me. "My son has told me all about you."
"It's nice to meet you, sir, and I hope everything he said was good," she replies with a smile as she shakes my father's outstretched hand.
"My son adores you, honey," Dad says matter-of-factly. "He's got nothing bad to say about you."
Raven's grin widens radiantly, and it just about slays me. She just met all these werewolves, and she's not intimidated one damn bit. This woman is something else. Resilient. Strong. Yet still sweet and innocent too. Yeah, she's damn near perfect. I stare at her like an imbecile.
"Well, I'll leave you two alone," Dad announces, pulling my attention from Raven. He gives me an amused expression. "Have a good time." He nods to Raven. "I hope to see you again soon, honey."
"Me too," she says sincerely.
Dad wanders over to the table full of idiots, who keep sneaking not so surreptitious looks over at us over their open menus. I roll my eyes. You're not subtle, guys, not subtle at all.
Our waitress, an older woman who is thankfully not Stephanie, approaches our table with a friendly smile. "What can I get you two tonight?" she asks.
I glance over at my family again to find five sets of eyes watching me like this is the most entertainment they've had in years. I growl under my breath, then meet the waitress's gaze. "Can we get this to go?" I ask her.
"You sure can," she answers.
I look to Raven, who gives me an inquisitive expression with raised brows.
"How does a moonlight picnic for two sound, Rav?" I ask.
She glances briefly over at the table currently holding my nosy meddling family. Then she grins as she reaches across the worn Formica to take my hand. I feel her approval ripple through our bond and fill me with warm pleasure as she speaks.
"That sound just about perfect."
21
RAVEN
Emmett moves with an easy and careless grace as he leads me by the hand through the darkened forest, my Luna in tow on her leash. He breathes in the cool night air, and I can feel him relishing the scent of the trees, and moss, and loam. I listen to the hum of insects and the rustling of leaves in the slight breeze all around us. I sense how much the wolf in him rouses in response, wanting to be let out, to sink his claws into the sweet earth and run free.
Soon...very soon, I think, and then I'll meet him.
The dim light from the battery-powered lantern in Emmett's other hand illuminates a small circle around us. It lights the way for my less acute human vision, so I don't stumble and fall or drop the bag holding our dinner. He dug the lantern out of his garage along with a few blankets for my peace of mind and comfort on this little excursion into the Wolcott Nature Preserve just behind his cabin.
"Are we there yet?" I ask in a hushed yet humorous tone. My voice soothes the wolf's restlessness into a temporary complacency.
"Almost," he says, his voice deeper and gruffer than normal.
He squeezes my hand and glances back at me with a smile. The lantern light glints off his eyes with more silver than their usual ice-blue. I can feel the barely restrained wildness of the beast poised restlessly just beneath the surface of his emotions through the mating bond. I can feel the steady pull of the waning full moon on his wolf, urging him to shift and break free from his current human form. It's so alien to anything I've experienced before. I feel it on such a deep and visceral level, that for the first time, I fully comprehend that there's magic at work here. Emmett truly is more than the human he appears to be.
We continue for several more minutes, until Emmett leads me into a small clearing. The open space is illuminated in a wash of moonlight that glitters down through the leaves to pool on the forest floor at our feet. I smile. It's the perfect place for a picnic, the perfect place to meet Emmett's wolf. I don't say it out loud. I just let my approval flow into Emmett through our bond.
He stops and turns to face me with another warm smile, then squeezes my hand before releasing it. He takes one of the blankets from me and lays it out over the soft leaf-strewn ground. He places the lantern down near the edge of the blanket next to me, then snags the bag of food from me. He sets it on the blanket before wrapping the other one around my shoulders to combat the slight chill in the air. Then he sits and tugs me down with him, and makes quick work of pulling out the burgers and fries from the bags, one for me and four for him.
He starts inhaling the food, and I sit in stunned wonder as I watch him. The first sandwich is already half gone after two bites as he wolfs it down. I snort out a laugh at my inadvertent pun, and he looks at me and raises his brows curiously.
"What?" he asks before taking another massive bite.
"Nothing," I giggle out as
I pick up my own burger to take a more civilized bite.
He shakes his head as he grabs another of his sandwiches, then absently hands it to Luna. She's been sitting close by on the blanket intently eying our food. She eagerly snatches it from him and starts snarfing it down as quickly as he does, and I grin at them. By the time I finish my burger and only half my fries, Emmett has inhaled every bite of his dinner, minus the small amount he shared with my dog.
"Wow," I say. "That was impressive. Did you even taste all of that?"
He glances at the empty food containers, then shrugs as a smirk pulls at one corner of his lips. "I have a high metabolism, and need a lot of food," he says gruffly, his silvery-blue eyes glittering with amusement and something more animalistic.
I reach out to touch his arm and feel the wildness of the wolf just beneath the surface of his emotions. It surges through me, my body responding with a wild rush of anticipation that I know he can feel.
"Show me," I whisper.
He nods, knowing exactly what I'm talking about, and doesn't question my request since he can feel my sincerity and eagerness. He stands, his tall powerful body dwarfing mine, and pulls his T-shirt off over his head and tosses it on the blanket. The rest of his clothes quickly follow until he's completely and gloriously nude. The moonlight shining down through the opening in the tree canopy above us casts every dip and curve of his hard toned muscles in stark relief.
His eyes spark with bright silver and burn with raw bestial power. His entire body shudders, his breathing becoming stilted and erratic. He hunches over in what looks like a convulsion and brings his hands down to the ground. Dark-gray fur begins to burst free across his body as a rippling wave moves beneath his skin. It's accompanied by the sharp popping sounds of shifting muscles and sinew. It looks and sounds so painful. His back arches as his face begins to stretch and elongate, his mouth opening with a low growl as his teeth morph into long and deadly sharp fangs. His arms and legs change shape too, feet and hands becoming massive paws with claws. They slowly extend to sink deep into the soft earth. It only takes seconds and then a huge and intimidating wolf stands mere feet away from me.
Wild Blood: The Trueborn Saga Book 1 Page 15
