Emily's Story (11 page)

Her body stiffened and drew slightly away from his. Troubled eyes met Brandt’s. “I should have been sad.”

He used his greater strength and pulled her back against his chest holding her tightly. “Your mother was not in her right mind. No one does what she did to a child. Our cubs are loved and cherished. They are rare and we do nothing to harm them. They are God’s gift.”

“Do you have a child?”

“No I don’t. Beastkind cannot mate with each other. We must mate with humans to have children but we do not rape women.”

“I can never have a baby?”

“No.” His voice was almost violent and she jumped slightly. He slowed his breathing again, changing the conversation, and leaving so much unsaid. “I want you Emily, I want this,” his hand stroked through her hair and traveled down, “I want this,” his hand found her breast and squeezed gently, “and this.” His fingers skimmed down her belly and over her hip. His palm came to rest on the ache between her thighs. “I so want this.” He whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek gently. “We both feel it but not yet.” His hand traveled back up and came to rest on her shoulder.

“Why?” Her voice was pleading, breathy and filled with the longing she didn’t understand.

“When we mate and my wolf claims your body and yours claims mine, separation becomes difficult until we adjust. I need a clear head in the challenge tomorrow night and I’m trying to give you time to understand our ways. So much is out there for you and I want to show you and experience it all with you. We can’t stop our wolves from bonding once they’ve found each other but we can delay part of it.”

Ducking her head slightly Emily contemplated what he told her.

Resting his chin on top of her head he changed the subject again, “Tell me more about your drawings.”

“I noticed pictures hanging on your walls and they are beautiful. I don’t draw like that but now I’ve seen more, I want to put pictures on paper while my memory is good.”

“You will never need to draw by memory again. I’ll show you beautiful things you can sit and paint.”

“I want to put you on paper.”

His laughter brought a smile to her face and lightened the mood. “If you must, I’ll have art supplies delivered but please be gentle my ego needs a boost.”

“What is ego?”

“Hmm. That’s a little hard to explain. It is the sense of importance I feel for myself. It has been low lately, and I need to start doing my job and repairing the damage I’ve done to the pack. I also think myself quite handsome and I’m not sure I want to see me through your artist’s eyes.”

Tentatively her hands came up to his face and slowly traveled the contours. “You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen.”

“You see, that’s the kind of boost my ego needs. I won’t mention that you have only met a few people to make the comparison.” Bringing his hands up to hers, he trailed soft kisses on her cheek and neck. His control was at its limit and he avoided her mouth. Talking was best.

“I need to explain feral wolves to you. If beastkind grow up with no close interaction with others or with no touching, they can go crazy. Your mother gave you just enough to keep you sane. For another wolf, one like Dom for instance, the little contact you received wouldn’t have been enough. She would have gone feral and killed anything in sight. You are strong, mentally and physically. Only the strongest of our kind could stay sane in the world in which you lived.” He hugged her tighter. “We don’t kill humans without careful thought. Their laws are different from ours and we make adjustments for their weaknesses. You were never the evil one. Your mother was insane. Maybe it happened because of what your father did to her or because her mind could not accept that someone special like you existed in this world. We have been around longer than humans and far outlive them. My feelings of God are often confused so it’s something I spend little time thinking about. We are magic and I do not believe we come from evil. I don’t believe in demons or the devil. We follow our own path. We are similar in that both species have members who are bad and those that are good. You are part of me. Our souls intertwined. Your wolf killed your mother before she could kill you. It will always be your stronger side. Most of us don’t mix well with people but some make it work. Whatever our feelings, we live in the same world and tolerate them. Few humans know of our existence and we prefer to keep it that way.”

Emily was still and her breathing calm. Her body did not shake and he smelled her mating scent emitting from her pores. It was rolling off them both, mingling, becoming one essence. He would take it to the challenge the next night. When the fight was over, he would declare her his mate before the entire pack.

Taking her hand, they walked to the bedroom. He quickly removed her clothing and then his own. He had no intention of making love to her but their bodies needed to be close. Turning off the light he thought about what she revealed tonight. “Would you rather have the light on when you sleep?”

“No, I know I’m safe when I can hear your heartbeat.”

He crawled onto the bed and brought her close. Her body wrapped around his. His erection swelled and he wondered if she understood its meaning. Finally, her breathing slowed and became even. His eyes remained open. He thought of ways he could have tortured Carolynn. His anger turned to cold fury. He held tight to his rage, it would go with him into the challenge.

Chapter 13

The sunlight peeked through the curtains while they ate breakfast. Then Brandt grabbed the comforter off the bed. Taking Emily’s hand, he led her outside and down the steps of the porch. A direct patch of sunlight fell through the trees where he shook out the blanket. Pulling her down beside him, he lay back.

It was early in the day but the summer heat made it warmer than most wolves liked. He didn’t think it would bother her. Rolling over he drew her close and then without warning rolled them off the blanket onto the pine needles.

Giggles spilled from her lips. His hand came up and with gentle fingers he picked the long pokey needles from her now ruffled hair. “I want you to smell the soil and feel it in your pores. This smell is freedom and magic. The earth feeds the magic and we need to spend time outdoors being wolves. After you are good and dirty, I want us to change. You need to explore the differences in our wolf form. It’s miraculous and the only way to explain is to show you.” He then proceeded to roll them over the dirt and fallen pine needles again.

Her giggles became full laughter until he stood and removed his clothing. Her heart stopped for a moment. Hard sculptured lines of muscle moved; flexing, and then relaxing. His shirt then pants dropped to the ground. His knowing smile picked up her scent change, she wanted him. His hand came down and with no hesitation she took it.

Shedding her clothes quickly, her change followed his by seconds. Inhaling, her wolf gloried in the wild scent. Sudden impact tilted her world momentarily. Brandt nipped at her hind leg after his tackle. Running a short distance away, he charged in for another gentle bite. She sidestepped and then took off.

They ran.

She found her stride and her legs became stable beneath her. Wild with her freedom, four legs carried her across the terrain in her demon form. She felt no guilt or shame for what she was.

Following behind, he gently nudged her side giving her silent direction.

He smelled the child before Emily realized she was there. Kinsee was in wolf form but immediately switched to human when she noticed the two wolves. Plopping down hard on her bottom, she began crying. Loudly. Emily approached cautiously and a few feet from the child she dropped to the ground. Rolling over, displaying her soft white underbelly, she waited. Childish giggles replaced tears and a small hand tentatively reached forward landing in soft white fur and rubbing back and forth.

“You’re silly. You shouldn’t call people bad names. I’m not a demon, I’m Kinsee.”

Shifting her wolf form to human, Emily rolled to her side facing the child. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’m Emily. I would like to be friends?” Emily’s voice was hopeful with a singsong childish quality to match the little girls.

“I will ask my mom. She says you are wild and I shouldn’t be around you. She says Brandt knows what he’s doing and if you stay wild he will eat you. I hope he doesn’t. That would hurt.”

Brandt spoke into their minds because he had no intention of changing form. “You young lady, need to stay closer to your parents. This is the second time I’ve found you away from adults. I don’t think you would taste very sweet but if I catch you again, I will find out.” He leapt forward and licked her arm. “Nope, not sweet but I’ll suffer through a few bites if I must.”

The little girl squealed with delight and changed back into her wolf form scampering off through the trees. Brandt turned and headed in the opposite direction, back toward the cabin. He didn’t go fast allowing Emily to catch up. Two hundred yards from the cabin, he saw a rabbit run through the trees. Giving chase, he relayed orders to his mate without thinking, “Circle around and then don’t move. I’ll bring her to you.”

Emily complied but when the rabbit came close and Brandt yelled, “Get it.” She only turned her head to watch the gray fluff scurry by.

He approached her side, not quite knowing what happened, “You were supposed to catch her.”

“She was beautiful. Why would I catch her?”

He growled into her mind. It was more chiding than angry. “Hmm, we have things to work on. Your killer instinct came out with Zeb yesterday but when a meal is at hand you let it get away because it was cute?”

“You wanted to eat her?” Her she-wolf nose soured up and there was disgust in the words.

He couldn’t help himself. Tackling her, his rich laughter flowed into her mind. Tumbling on the ground, his wolf form changed to human. His hands held both sides of the scruff of her neck. “Change Emily.” His voice was a husky order.

Cerulean blue eyes met liquid brown, her body naked and aching with desire.

His lips claimed hers, thrusting his tongue deep while bringing her on top of his firm chest. Strong fingers gently skimmed her luscious curves. The kiss seemed to continue forever. But finally, he stood and picking her up and carried her to the comforter.

Both dirty, with a light sheen of sweat coating their bodies, they lay side by side facing each other.

Taking her hand, he placed it on his chest. His words came out choked with sexual need, “My body was made for you, but I don’t think you’re ready for all that entails. Not making love is killing me.” He instantly saw the concern on her face, “No, not that kind of killing.” He grinned, “It’s the kind that aches from deep inside and won’t go away. The union of our bodies is the only thing that will give relief. First though, you need to know and understand how my body works. I’m different from you.” This time he saw a slow smile touch her lips. He rolled to his back and placing his hands to his sides, he encouraged her with dark eyes.

Small sparks hummed across her nerve endings. She brought her hand back to her side but her eyes traveled downward. His face; beautiful with sharp angles, eyes now black, his clenched jaw accenting broad lips, she wanted to touch but her eyes continued their path. The corded muscles in his neck strained, becoming broad shoulders with defined lines melding one solid muscle to the next. The skin on his chest, at least a shade darker than her own with two small pointed nipples and shadowed by a thin line of dark hair captured her gaze. She stared in fascination at the trail, the light dust of curls running down the center of his chest. Her hand came up, her fingers unable to resist. She touched the hair centered in the middle, splaying her hand, feeling a slight tickle across her fingers, pressing downward, her smooth palm met the heat of his skin.

He sucked air sharply into his lungs. His chest muscles expanded and unable to breathe for a moment, he closed his eyes feeling her caress; light, inquisitive, and killing him. He finally breathed raggedly, in and out.

Her hand followed the path of her eyes past his belly button. His large erection extended up from the patch of hair between his thighs. She touched hard silky flesh, this amazing part of him, completely different from her. He expelled a low growl and her eyes snapped to his.

“I don’t have one of these,” she said with soft wonder.

“Oh God,” he groaned.

“God?”

“God has nothing to do with this,” was his tight response. “It’s a figure of speech. When you touch me this way, it feels like the most incredible thing on this planet but it leads to other amazing things and now is not the time.”

“What if I want it to be the time?”

“I am most definitely not going to survive this.” Gently, he unlocked her fingers and moved her hands to his chest. “Your body was made to receive mine.” His hand trailed down past her breasts and traveled to the soft down between her legs. This is where my body wants to be. It’s a special place and only for me.” His finger gently entered the soft moist opening waiting for his touch. Her eyes grew large and he could feel, more than hear, the growl coming from within her. It reverberated throughout her body. He looked into her eyes. “Kiss me.”

Smiling, she brought her lips to his. His finger delved farther. The rumble in her body turned into a full groan. He released her mouth and soft wet kisses trailed to her breasts; silky and slightly rough at the same time. His tongue twirled around her nipple then drew it into his mouth, sucking gently.

Dark knowing eyes slid up to hers. Head tilted back and eyelids closed, she was exquisite. “Watch me.” He whispered and then continued the sweet suction of first one nipple and then the other. Her eyes opened partially and followed his every move. Kissing his way lower, he stopped at her belly. She inhaled sharply. “It’s all right Emily, trust me.” His words were low and sexy, filled with want.

Her sweet intimate musk spiked his desire. Removing his finger, his tongue tasted wild honey. Emily’s cry jolted his senses and tightened his groin painfully. Placing his hands under her bottom, he pulled her tighter against the invasion of his mouth.