by Nina Croft
He stood before her naked, and, for a brief moment, the creature inside her stilled as the woman took over. She stared at him. He wasn’t aroused, but as she watched, his cock twitched and pulsed.
He groaned. “This really isn’t the time for that either.” His voice was gentle, but at his words, the beast rose up and clawed at her insides.
She whirled away, tore at her own clothes, and in seconds, she stood naked in front of him. His gaze flickered down over her body, and her skin burned hotter. The rain was coming harder now, but no longer cooled the burning heat.
Shooting pains speared through her body. She was losing control, and she hated that. She couldn’t afford to lose control. Her breath came in short, hard gasps, and she forced herself to slow it. She remembered Ethan changing. It had appeared so painless, so easy. There must be something wrong, and she fought frantically against the agony that threatened to consume her mind and body. But Caleb didn’t seem in pain, instead his hard face was stamped with excitement, and his eyes no longer appeared human, the pupils dilated.
“What must I do?” she asked.
“Relax. It only hurts because you’re fighting it. This is magic, let it flow through you.”
Well. She knew all about magic. She held herself immobile, closed her eyes, and the power welled up inside her.
“Good girl.”
Regan heard the murmured words and almost smiled. It was a long time since anyone had dared call her a girl, but then all thoughts were wiped from her mind as the magic took over, and the creature within her roared to be free. For a moment, she held it at bay. She opened her eyes. Caleb stood before her and then he was gone, and in his place stood a huge, black wolf, with deep-blue eyes. He raised his head to the sky and howled.
Regan relaxed her mind and let the magic overwhelm her.
The world was changed. She twisted her head and stared at the rich, dark-red fur that covered her back. She lifted each paw in turn, placing it down with exaggerated care, digging her sharp claws into the soft earth.
She looked around her. Everything was sharply defined. Her ears swiveled to pick up the sound of the wind in the treetops above her, and somewhere far off an owl hooted. She opened her mouth and tasted the rain on her tongue. The scents of the night filled her nostrils, the damp air, leaf mold, the musky aroma of wolf. Her muzzle twitched, and she searched the clearing. He was standing, watching her from his dark wolf’s eyes, his black plumed tail waving. He caught her gaze, yipped once, then turned and headed into the trees.
She ran through the dark forest, the pads of her paws making no sound on the soft leaf-littered floor. Effortlessly, she weaved her way between the gnarled trunks of the oaks, chasing the sable wolf. As the trees thinned, she picked up speed, running ever faster, until she was aware of nothing but the wind flowing past her. All her tension, the restlessness that had plagued her for so long, fell away beneath the relentless stretch and release of muscle and sinew. A wild exhilaration filled her. She didn’t falter as she reached the edge of the forest, and she was racing out in the open under the full moon.
Without warning, a huge form slammed into her from the side, crashing her to the ground, knocking the air from her lungs. She rolled, then jumped to her feet, shook herself, a growl rising up in her throat.
The black wolf faced her, hackles raised. When he saw he had her attention he growled softly then looked back toward the dark shadows of the forest. She knew he wanted her to return to safety, but she didn’t want safety. For the first time in so long, she was wildly alive, filled with joy. Laughter bubbled up in her mind but could find no release, and she sank to her haunches, threw back her head, and howled.
When she opened her eyes, dappled daylight filtered through the forest canopy. Regan lay curled up on a bed of leaves under the shelter of a deep overhanging rock. Beyond the rock’s edge, the rain fell steadily, and she could hear each drop as it splashed against leaves and stones. She breathed in the musky scent of wild garlic that grew nearby, the loamy smell of the rich damp earth. All her senses were acutely alert; she felt more alive than she had for a long, long time, as though she’d been experiencing the world through a veil, and now she had ripped it away. Or rather, wolf had ripped it away. At the thought, her wolf stirred sleepily, sated and content, but still present.
For a minute, Regan lay quiet, her eyes tracing the patterns on the rock’s surface above her. She was back in her own body, she was no longer wolf, and a faint flicker of regret ran through her mind.
She’d been thinking of wolf as some sort of alien creature, taking her over, but it hadn’t been like that at all. The wolf was part of her, perhaps had always been part of her, lying dormant, lurking in her subconscious, waiting for something to set her free.
But wolf couldn’t be allowed her freedom. Regan remembered clearly the loss of control the night before, and she was too powerful to ever lose control.
She was naked, but despite the rain, she felt warm and cozy, probably because she was snuggled in the arms of a large, equally naked man. Caleb lay behind her, his body pressed along the whole length of her back, hard and hot. One hair-roughened leg was thrown across hers and one muscular arm wrapped around her. She glanced down, her gaze captured by the sight of his huge hand cupping her breast, his skin dark against her paleness. His fingers were long, sprinkled with short black hair. As she watched, they tightened on her, sending a spasm of intense pleasure shooting from her breast to her belly, then lower, so she squirmed against him.
His breathing was even, and she relaxed. She knew she should slip away now while he slept, but instead she lay in his arms and listened to the rain. It had been centuries since she’d lain in a man’s arms like this.
She shifted against him, restless, and the small movement must have woken him. His hand tightened again, then relaxed, and he slowly rubbed his palm over her nipple. It stiffened under his touch, and a wave of heat rolled over her, settling in the pit of her stomach.
His breath feathered against the skin along the back of her neck, and a shiver ran through her. He nibbled at the sensitive spot where her throat met her shoulder—small teasing bites that stoked the fire already burning inside her.
Regan pressed herself back into his body, the heat of his hard shaft nudged at the cleft in her bottom, and a sharp stab of satisfaction knifed through her. She wriggled against him, and he bit down harder. At the same time, his long fingers tugged at the tight peaks of her breasts until she was writhing against him, held in place by his thigh thrown across her own.
His other hand slid over her flat belly, his fingers drifting through the curls at the base, to where her thighs clenched tight together. He lowered his leg to give him better access.
“Open your legs for me, sweetheart,” he whispered against her ear. His voice was low, husky, a caress in itself, and tremors rippled through her. For a moment, she fought the feelings, but they were too strong.
Just this once, she told herself.
The last week had been fraught—the loss of her magic combined with the constant thought of the wolf lurking at the back of her mind. Now the relief that it was over, that she had come through it, if not unchanged, then at least unharmed, urged her to some sort of consummation. She wanted this as a celebration of life. It felt right.
She bent one knee, allowing his hand to slide between her thighs. His fingers slipped inside the folds of her sex, and he sighed his satisfaction against her skin as he found her already hot and wet.
She moaned softly as he drew back his hand. He turned her so she lay on her back and then came up on one elbow and stared down into her face, his dark eyes gleaming in the dim light.
He brushed her hair away, then leaned down and kissed her.
Chapter Seven
Regan had often been the aggressor in sex, but now she lay quiescent beneath him. His tongue pushed into her mouth, stroking against her own, filling her with the hot, spicy taste of him. She sighed against his mouth.
After a minute,
he backed off slightly, and his gaze wandered over her.
“You’re beautiful,” he said. His hand drifted down to skim lightly over her body, to graze over the peaks of her breast now taut and almost painfully engorged. Then lower, his fingers lingering over the mark above her right hip.
“What’s this?” he asked. “I noticed it when I was looking after you. Is it a tattoo?”
She raised her head slightly, so she could peer down the length of her body. His fingers traced the outline of the coal-black mark, which showed stark against her pale skin.
“It’s a birthmark,” she said. More like a brand of ownership. All the daughters of the Morrigan bore the mark, a crow with outstretched wings, but she had no wish to go into that right now.
“Pretty,” he murmured, then let his hand drift lower.
She watched as his fingers ruffled the dark red curls at the base of her belly. She held herself tense as they slid between her open thighs. Her breaths were coming faster now, and she gasped as he parted her sex and pushed inside her.
The sensation was incredible, and her legs tightened around his hand.
“Relax,” he muttered.
For a moment, she remained tense, then his finger flexed inside her and a spasm of pure pleasure shot though her body. She wanted this. She let her head fall back to the soft earth, her eyes drifted closed, and she gave herself over to the exquisite sensations.
***
Caleb slowly withdrew from the hot, wet heat of her. She’d gone boneless against him, but he could hear her shallow breaths. He slid his fingers over her sex, found the swollen nub at her core, and stroked slow lazy circles around it until her hips rose and pushed against him. When he knew she was ready, he ran the pad of his thumb over the sensitive spot. She went rigid against him, every muscle clenched as her back arched, and her sex pulsated against his hand.
He glided his palm over her belly and cupped her full breast, soothing her. His cock was hard, had been from the moment he woke with her wrapped in his arms, now it ached with the need to be inside her. He came up over her, kneeling between her open thighs. Her eyes opened, huge, languid, containing no hint of denial as her hand moved between them. She cupped his balls, and pleasure shot up his spine. She shifted her grip, caressed his shaft, then held it at the entrance to her body.
He hadn’t meant to do this, but holding himself poised above her, it felt inevitable; as though it was meant to happen from the time he’d laid eyes upon her in the forest all those days ago.
Mine. The word whispered through his mind.
He ignored it.
It didn’t have to mean anything. It wouldn’t mean anything. He wouldn’t let it. All the same, he had to have her this one time.
When he sank into her, it felt like coming home. He held himself still, closed his eyes, and fought against the feeling of rightness. This was just sex. Nothing more. Just an affirmation of life, a natural continuation of what they had shared together in the forest.
Unlike the rest of the pack, Caleb had always been able to shift at will, and while he experienced the pull of the full moon—it did not rule him. He rarely allowed his wolf to run and always alone, but last night he had given in to the need. He had run with Regan’s wolf, and it had felt so good.
Now her muscles contracted around him, his head went back, and he fought for control. He stared down into those strange, inhuman eyes and started to move inside her. She was so tight that each thrust was an exquisite drag of pleasure. He took her slowly at first, withdrawing only to push back in, reveling in the way her hips rose up to meet him. When he saw she could take him, he increased the pace until he was slamming into her. Her legs came around his waist, her hands gripped his shoulders, and he rode her hard.
She came apart beneath him, and he released the last of his control. He came seconds later in an explosion of pleasure more intense than anything he’d ever experienced. He threw back his head and roared.
Mine.
Again, the word echoed through his mind, and he knew he was in trouble. Deep trouble, and he needed to get out of there before he got in even deeper. He had an idea that Regan had the power to bury him so far down he would never climb out, and that was something he would never allow.
He pulled out of her and rolled onto his back, ignoring the sense of loss that washed over him.
***
In the aftermath of their lovemaking, Regan lay relaxed in both body and mind for the first time in what seemed like forever. She rolled her head to the side to watch Caleb. His eyes were closed, but he opened them as though he could feel her gaze upon him.
“What?” he asked when he saw her watching him.
Regan wasn’t used to thanking people; it didn’t come naturally, but without him, last night could have been a total disaster. She knew her wolf now, and she would have torn herself apart if she’d remained locked in that cellar. Regan likely owed Caleb her life. Why was it so hard to put into words?
“Thank you,” she said. “Not for the sex,” she added quickly. “For being with me, showing me how it should be.”
A slight smile flickered across his face, as though he could tell exactly how hard that had been for her. Then the smile was wiped away, and a grim determination took its place.
“You’ll be okay next time,” he replied. “Just remember a couple of rules—away from people but out in the open, and you’ll do okay. You already have strong control, stronger than I’ve ever seen in a new wolf. You won’t need me again.”
Regan sat up, hugged her knees to her chest, and studied him. She realized with a start of surprise that he was warning her off. Telling her this was a one-off and not to expect anything more from him. Wasn’t that supposed to be her line? She was always the one to set the boundaries.
“You sound like you’re not planning on being around next time.”
He pulled himself up so he sat facing her, the top of his head almost grazing the rock roof above them. His face took on a closed, shuttered look. “I’m not.”
Regan knew she should leave it alone. He obviously wanted nothing to do with her, and she was fine with that.
Or maybe she wasn’t.
“Why?” she asked.
She thought he wasn’t going to answer. Then he shrugged. “This isn’t my world.”
“This?”
He gestured toward her. “I don’t know what you are, exactly, but I’m pretty sure you’re not human.”
“I’m a witch.”
A flare of surprise showed briefly on his face, and his gaze wandered over her. “That figures, but it really doesn’t matter. I decided a long time ago that I didn’t want any part of your world.”
Regan frowned. She was missing something here. “How can you say that—you’re a werewolf.”
Something dark flashed in his eyes. “I am not a werewolf.”
“But I saw you change.”
“Werewolves are humans that get bitten. I wasn’t bitten.”
She looked at him carefully, sensed he was telling the truth. How fascinating. “Have you ever been human?” she asked.
His eyes narrowed. “I’m as much human as anything else.”
“Who are you, Caleb?”
“You really want to know?”
She nodded.
“Ethan Stone is my father.”
Her mouth fell open. Shock filled her mind, quickly replaced by fury as her brain tried to make sense of what he was telling her.
“Ethan Stone? As in Ethan Stone, the goddamn, stinking werewolf that bit me?”
He nodded.
How could Ethan be his father? She clearly remembered Catrin telling her werewolves couldn’t have children; that werewolves were made, not born. Then again, Caleb had told her he was not a werewolf. But she’d seen him change.
Regan scrambled to her feet and backed away, needing to put some distance between them. She was naked, it hadn’t mattered before, but now it felt wrong, and she muttered the words of a spell. Caleb’s eyes widened as he
r clothes appeared, but she ignored the look. She’d told him she was a witch. Didn’t he know what witches did?
If he was Ethan’s son, what did that mean? Had it all been a setup? Caleb finding her in the woods. “Rescuing her.” Coming to her aid last night.
Was it all part of some hidden agenda? She didn’t want to believe it, but she remembered Ethan’s promise that she would do what they wanted because she would be one of them. Could this be part of a plan to get her allegiance?
She paced the small clearing in front of the shelter. The rain continued to fall, but she ignored it. If it was a setup, then why would he say he wanted nothing more to do with her? She shook her head. None of this made sense.
Caleb watched for a few minutes then stood up abruptly and stalked toward her, coming to a halt only inches from where she stood. He was still naked. It was distracting. Regan whispered a spell, and he was dressed in a pink satin robe that stopped abruptly at mid-thigh. He glanced down, then back up at her his eyes narrowing. “Don’t do that,” he snarled.
She raised an eyebrow but ignored the comment. “Are you working with your father?” she asked.
“I told you, I have nothing to do with that world.”
“Why do I find that hard to believe?”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what you believe. With any luck, we’ll never see each other again.”
“So, what does he want? Your father, I mean. Why did he change me?”
Caleb shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“What were you doing there, that night? You say you have nothing to do with that world, but you were there. Why?”
“My father asked me to meet him. He—”
“Here?” she interrupted. “Had you ever been here before?”
He frowned. “No, but he told me he had some information I wanted. Then when I got here, he started on about some world domination crap. Werewolves taking over. He said he was working with someone. They had plans, and this person was going to make it all happen.” Caleb ran a hand through his hair, then tightened the belt on the pink silk robe. “He wanted me to come in with him. I told him I wasn’t interested and left. I was on my way out of there when I heard you scream.”
