“You said you wouldn’t—” I moaned against his lips.
Irvine pulled away, and gave me the faintest smile. “And I’ll abide by my word. But that doesnae mean I cannae make a convincing argument for myself.”
I looked away, biting my lip. “I can’t. I want to so bad, you have no idea—”
“Oh, but I think I do,” he growled. He stroked my cheek with his hand, the action lighting a thousand candles under my skin.
“—but not tonight. There’s so much …” My tongue caught on the words. What could I say? My mum taught me that your kind are evil and monstrous. I’m just starting to see that things might not be so black and white. I need some time to wrap my head around it.
But that wasn’t true. Not really. No one has ever wanted me. The only person who’s even seen me naked told me I was disgusting. I’m just getting to know you. I’m just starting to like you. To see your face curl up with loathing like that … I can’t deal with it.
I’m broken. I’m deformed. And you … you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. As soon as you realise that, this is all over, and I don’t want it to be over.
I wanted to savour the ache, the desire in his eyes, just a little longer.
I met his gaze, my lips begging for his touch. “Can’t we—”
The look Irvine gave me was wracked with need. “Willow Summers, do you have any idea what you do to me? If I taste those sweet lips again, I’m gonnae blow. And as much as I need that right now, I want to save it until I can come inside you.”
His words sent a shiver through me that nearly made me change my mind. “I’m sorry.”
Irvine tipped my chin up, assaulting me with an intense gaze. “Donnae ever apologise for being your gorgeous self. But you’ll be forgiving me if I pop outside to the bathroom for a moment to get things in order.”
I nodded. “The bathroom is outside?”
“Aye. You have to walk around the back of the cabin, and there’s no light. But Dinnae worry, I’ll hold your hand if you’re scared.”
“I think I can manage.”
Irvine drew back, a sigh escaping his lips. He reached into a drawer under the bed and handed me a t-shirt. “You can sleep in this,” he said. “I’ll be right back, and then you can use the bathroom.”
I glanced at the chair beside the fire. “Are you really going to sleep there? It doesn’t look very comfortable.”
Irvine shook his head. “I’m gonnae be outside.”
“Outside? It’s freezing out there!”
“I wonnae feel it through my fur.”
I gulped. He was going to shift, right here in front of me. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that, either,” I said.
“Willow Summers, I swore that I’d protect you, and protect you I shall. I can do that much better if I can stand guard out there, with my wolf senses ready to catch the scent of any would-be stalker. Besides, you showed me your secret, the hidden side of you that no one else sees. It’s only fair that I give you the same courtesy.”
I found myself nodding, even as a heavy ball of fear rose in my throat. Irvine kissed the top of my head. “I’ll do it outside,” he said, his eyes boring into mine. “On the porch. You can see me through the window over the bed. You donnae have to look, but I’ll be there, Willow Summers. I’ll protect you.”
Before I could say another word, he backed away, and disappeared outside. I heard a door creak open as he went to the bathroom. The lump of fear rose through my throat, but I gulped it down. I leaned over and pulled off my shoes and socks, then slid off my trousers and finally released my prosthetic leg, rolling the sleeve and liner off the limb.
With shaking hands, I pulled the one-shouldered top over my head, unclipped my bra, and dragged on Irvine’s t-shirt. I breathed in the heady scent of him that clung to the fabric, and lay back against the sheets, trying to quiet my swirling mind.
Irvine was outside, beating himself off and transforming into a werewolf, so he could stand guard over me.
The door creaked again. Was Irvine back from the bathroom? Was he human, or wolf? I couldn’t look, even though my fingers itched to grasp the windowsill and pull myself up. The curiosity ate away at me as Irvine’s scent invaded my nostrils.
If I looked, it would make everything real.
I’d remember that he was a werewolf. That he was a monster.
It would all be over.
He called me beautiful.
I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to lose the first person who’d made me feel like I was okay, like I wasn’t broken. Even if he was supposed to be my enemy.
10
Irvine
I hope you ken what you’re doing, Irvine Baird.
I snorted, trying to quiet my thoughts. But they refused to be tamed. Everything I’d done tonight was a bad idea – I’d flirted with Willow, I’d got her to open up, at least a little, I’d introduced her to the pack, and they would quickly sense the connection between us. And, worst of all, I’d brought her here, the most delicious temptation, her gorgeous body and wide eyes begging me to give up my destiny for her.
I’d tried the last few days to get her out of my head, but it wasn’t going to happen. And after what she’d told me about that guy outside her flat, I couldn’t turn my back on her.
I peered in the window, a warmth spreading through my veins as I watched her sleeping body curled up in my bed. I’d expected her to toss and turn, sick with the ken that I was outside in my wolf form. Instead, she fell asleep within minutes, her hair falling over her face as a thin line of drool snaked from her lips to the pillow.
Willow was just beginning to trust me, and to believe that shifters were not all evil. And here I was, the very monster she should fear most of all.
If Willow found out the truth, she’d never speak to me again. And while the thought of that tore at my heart, I ken that I would survive the guilt and the loneliness. I’d survived it for the last five years. But I wouldn’t be able to live with what it would do to her.
She cannot ever ken.
I ken we were doomed from the start, but I didn’t care. I would protect her with my life, and that started with this stalker. Who was he? Why was he after Willow? I peered back through the window at her sleeping figure, trying to puzzle it out. I believed her when she said she didn’t recognise the guy, which meant it wasn’t an ex-boyfriend, or one of her grooms with an axe to grind. Unless someone had hired a guy to keep his identity secret. But then, surely a professional would be better at spying and stalking. This guy seemed pretty amateur. He didn’t seem to care if she saw his face. He wanted to talk to her, deliver a message, perhaps?
If it wasn’t one of those things, then what could it be? It could’ve been a harmless drunk, but I doubted it. They were rich houses up around Blossom Road – not the sort of area where drunks were staggering around in the early evening. No, I reckoned it had to do with why Willow left London. She didn’t speak about it, and evaded every question I had about her mother. I had a creeping sensation she was deliberately hiding something from me.
I glanced up at the sky, noticing how large the waxing moon had grown. The full moon was only days away. When it came, I’d have to leave Willow, but how could I do that when I ken she might be in danger? I needed to get to the bottom of this, and fast.
Come out, come out, wherever you are, creepy stalker dude. My teeth and claws want to have a little conversation with you.
* * *
I stayed outside all night, my ears and nose pricked for someone stirring in the trees. The crazy stalker didn’t show.
I spent a lot of time staring at Willow through the window. She looked so serene when she slept, her face smushed against the pillow.
My mobile phone started ringing. Shit. I didn’t want Willow to pick it up. I forced my change, and dashed inside and grabbed it, just as Willow’s phone also started to buzz angrily. She groaned as she rolled over and reached for it. Her eyes widened as she saw me running at her completely naked.
I didn’t have time to savour her expression. I snatched up my phone and pressed it to my ear.
“Irvine, it’s Caleb.”
“Mmmmgh … Caleb … what’s up?” I rubbed my eyes. My body ached for sleep. I fumbled along the bench for the kettle. Coffee, need coffee.
Behind me, Willow sat up and answered her phone. “Elinor, hey. What’s going on?”
“Irvine, listen, we have a massive problem.” Caleb sounded desperate. “Someone broke into Resurrection Ink last night and trashed the entire place. It looks like it might’ve been a wolf. You need to get over here right now.”
11
Willow
“Willow, I’m so sorry to wake you.” Elinor sounded frantic. “I banged on your door, but there was no answer and I couldn’t see your car. So did you go home after the pub last night? You didn’t hear anything?”
“No … I wasn’t home. Hear what?” My heart pattered against my chest.
“Someone trashed Resurrection Ink. The front window’s smashed and all our equipment is completely ruined. The police are saying it’s some kind of wild animal.”
Shit.
My throat went completely dry. Phantom pain shot through my leg. The stalker. The guy dressed in black who’d chased me outside my flat … he must’ve done it.
A shifter broke into the tattoo shop. That was no coincidence. Had it hit my place, too?
What if I’d been home last night? What would’ve happened to me? My whole body trembled.
When I didn’t say anything, Elinor continued. “I wanted to see if your place was hit too, and also if you saw or heard anything unusual last night.”
Only a crazy stalker trying to attack me as I went to my car. Only Irvine’s words that lit my body on fire.
In the corner of the room, Irvine fumbled with the coffee canister while he listened to Caleb. Judging by the way his eyes burned into mine, he’d just received the same news.
This was crazy. If the stalker was actually committing property damage, that was only one step away from hurting an innocent person. But if I said anything, they’d want to dig into my past, to try and figure out why this guy was after me. I couldn’t deal with that, not when Willow Summers was just starting to enjoy her new life.
A vision of bared teeth and pain flashed in front of my eyes. This was about saving lives. Maybe I could find a way to speak the truth without alerting them that I might be the cause.
“Um, I actually didn’t go home last night. I stayed with a … a friend.”
“Oh, I see.” Elinor lowered her voice. “Irvine?”
“No! Just a friend. You wouldn’t know her.” I took a deep breath, then said. “But I did see something. I’ve noticed what I think was someone in the bushes behind the shop last night. A man dressed in black. He ran at me when I went to my car to head to the pub. He didn’t say anything, but he looked pretty unhinged. I thought it was just some drunk guy.”
Irvine raised an eyebrow at me, clearly wondering why I’d decided to tell such a half-truth. I waved a hand at him. Not now.
“Did you see what he looked like?”
I’d never forget those wild eyes or the venom in his voice. “Yeah, he had really short hair and a black hoodie. He was young, but muscular, like he worked outdoors. He looked angry, or upset. When he ran at me he was screaming incoherently … Maybe he was on drugs or something?”
“Maybe.” Elinor’s voice was heavy. “Anything else?”
“No, but it was pretty dark when I left to meet you guys.”
“Okay. I’m here at the shop now so when you get the chance, come over and we’ll take a look at your flat. The police are here, and they’re going to need your statement. They might get you to sit down with a sketch artist. And Caleb will probably want to talk to you, too.”
Great. Just what I need, to be interrogated by a wolf. I was just about to say that, when I remembered I wasn’t supposed to know about werewolves or that Caleb was the alpha of their pack. “Um … why does Caleb need to talk to me? I hardly know him. Is he with the police?”‘
“He sort of …” Elinor paused. I think she realised she’d said something she shouldn’t. “… looks after things around here. If this guy is after you or Bianca, he’ll be able to help protect you.”
“How? Is he the mafia?” Irvine gave me an amused look as he handed me a hot cup of tea.
“No, Willow. He’s not the mafia. I promise I’ll explain someday. Just not today.”
“How’s Bianca holding up?”
Elinor paused. “Not good, but she’ll be fine. Just come as soon as you can.”
“Okay, I’ll—”
But Elinor had already hung up. I dropped my phone. My mind blurred. The stalker isn’t just a stalker. He attacked the shop. He’s a werewolf. He’s coming after me.
Strong arms wrapped around my chest. “Willow Summers, you listen to me,” Irvine’s deep voice boomed in my ear. “Everything is going to be just fine. He’s not gonnae get anywhere near you. We’ll make sure of that.”
A sob escaped my throat. “I only just escaped. I had my first taste of freedom and it was amazing. And now I’m trapped again.”
“I dinnae ken. What did you escape from?”
I buried my face in his shoulder, my body shuddering as I let out all the tension that had worked its way through my bones. The phantom pain subsided as all of my fear bled out in vicious tears.
“Isn’t it enough that I have to live without a leg? Isn’t it enough that I’ve been paraded around like a circus freak to further a cause I’m not even sure I believe in anymore? Why is this person after me? Am I that disgusting? Am I that wrong …” I broke down again.
“Willow, you’re not disgusting, and I’ll hurt the person who said that to you.”
“Curtis, my ex-boyfriend.”
Irvine’s face darkened. “Then he’s a dead man. But that’s for another day. If there’s something you’ve nae told me … I cannae keep you safe if I dinnae ken what’s going on.”
“I—” I opened my mouth to tell him everything, about my mother and Werewolf Watch and why I wanted to start over, but all that came out were more strangled sobs.
“Ssssh, sssshh, not now.” Irvine stroked my hair. “We’ll get this guy, Willow Summers. That is my promise to you. Everything’s gonnae be fine.”
* * *
I couldn’t even turn into the parking lot behind the shop because of the broken glass on the footpath. Instead, I found a park down the road. Elinor stood beside the shop window with a police officer, but came running over as I pulled up.
“This is what the bastard did,” she said, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the window, so I could get a good look at the damage inside.
“I’m so sorry.” I came into Resurrection Ink the first week I arrived in Crookshollow. I’d read online that it was a female-friendly clinic that wasn’t full of intimidating bikers. It had seemed pretty intimidating to me, with the skull paintings on the walls and the black tiles across the floor. But Bianca and Elinor had put me at ease, and it wasn’t long before the terrifying surroundings had actually seemed snug and homely.
Elinor looked like she was trying to hold back tears, but her expression was stern, businesslike. “It’s not your fault. Come on, let’s go see if he hit your place, too.”
I made Elinor go up the stairs first, so she wouldn’t see my limp. I shoved my key in the lock and opened the door to my flat, my stomach clenched tight at the thought of what I might see. But the sight that greeted me as I swung the door open was the same as the one I’d left last night – the secondhand couch covered with bridal magazines and folders, the kitchen covered in unwashed coffee cups, the sheets on Bianca’s old bed rumpled and unmade.
I let out a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding. “He hasn’t been in here.”
“That’s a good sign, at least,” Elinor said, placing her hand on my shoulder as we walked back downstairs. “Come have a closer look in the shop. I want t
o know if anything jogs your memory.”
“You seem very calm.”
Elinor gave me a thin smile. “I’m not calm on the inside, trust me. But I know what has to be done. I was a lawyer in London before I moved here to start my apprenticeship with Bianca. I guess it’s hard for me to let go of that analytical process.”
A lawyer to a tattoo artist? “That’s a bit of a career shift. What made you move here and change your future so drastically?”
This time, Elinor’s smile was genuine. “Love, of course. The only worthwhile reason to do anything. After you.”
She held open the door and I stepped over the police tape in the door of the shop.
It looked like a hurricane had torn through the place, flinging the heavy massage tables against the walls and snapping the legs off the chairs. The artwork had been torn from the walls and smashed across the tiles. Broken needles and pots of ink splattered every surface. The blood-red velvet on the chaise-lounge under the window was in ribbons, almost as if …
… as if it had been clawed to shreds.
I sniffed the air, but apart from the smell of the inks, there was no heady wolf scent beyond the faint smell of Robbie, who must visit frequently since Bianca owned the shop. I frowned. That didn’t make sense. If a werewolf did this, then why didn’t the place reek of him?
I thought back to last night. I hadn’t smelt the wolf scent when the guy ran at me, either. That could’ve been because I was too far away, or too scared, but now I wasn’t so sure.
But if a wolf didn’t do this, then who did?
What kind of creature is loose in Crookshollow? And why is he after me?
My phone buzzed. In a daze, I lifted it to my ear. “Irvine, I’ll—”
“Irvine, who is Irvine?” Mum’s voice screeched down the phone. “Willow, I need to know where you are, right now. There’s been a serious uptick of werewolf activity in the news. I just heard about this tattoo parlour in Loamshire that was attacked by some kind of animal. They’re getting bolder! I need you here to help me film another video. We need to get the word out and stop them before any more innocent people get hurt.”
Wedding the Wolf: A wolf shifter paranormal romance Page 8
