Howling Moon (22 page)

Raphael retrieved his
cell phone from the seat of the Jeep. Three missed calls. He hit the button to check the numbers. Raven’s cell phone number was first on the list, then two calls from Raphael’s own home phone.

Raphael felt a surge of happiness. Raven was home! While he was incredibly proud of the fact that his boy had risen to the position of second in command at Wolven, he hated that it forced them to see so little of each other. Still, his son was due to be on leave for months yet. There was a better-than-average chance he’d come up to Boulder for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Raphael grinned. Between the two of them, by the time Star was done with her visit she’d feel like a whole new woman.

He was still smiling when he retrieved his messages. They were short and to the point. Raven was in town for a few days and had brought someone along he wanted his father to meet. He’d brought steaks and would hold dinner until whatever time his father managed to get back to the house.

“Cat, would you mind if we eat at my place instead of going out?” Raphael asked. “I’ve got unexpected company and there’s somebody I want you to meet.”

“Sure. Why not?” Cat climbed into the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt. Reaching over she turned all the heat vents to blow directly on her. “Besides, I’m curious to see where you live.”

If she was disappointed that they wouldn’t be alone, it didn’t show. With the vents all blowing her scent away from him he couldn’t tell if she’d been hoping for some intimate time together as much as he had. Ever since the other night his imagination had been giving him very specific images of what he’d like to do to and with Cat the next time he had the opportunity. Their little romp in the snow hadn’t helped, either.

With the four-wheel-drive engaged, he moved easily over the unplowed side streets. The roads were nearly deserted now. Pretty much everyone was either home or wherever else he wanted to be. Only the salt trucks and snowplows were moving in force. He could hear their heavy diesel engines in the distance.

It was a short drive. Raphael’s shop and house were both located on large plots of land on the far outskirts of the city. He’d planned it that way. After all, why make the commute worse than it had to be?

“It’s beautiful!” Cat exclaimed softly.

The house perched atop a tall hill, surrounded by a stone wall. The lights of the city spread out below like glitter on black velvet. A heavy blanket of snow lay across the manicured lawn leading up to a ranch-style house with a comfortably wide front porch just meant for sitting and looking out at the view.

Raphael was looking at a view – just not the one she was. Every time he looked at her she was more amazing. It wasn’t just her looks, or any one thing. It was everything. He was captivated by her smile, and by the dry wit that
made
her smile; her courage in dealing with the changes in her life, her intelligence, and those long, long legs. Raphael found himself grinning as he watched a playful breeze tug at the ends of her long blonde hair. Light moved against her skin in a soft caress, throwing her perfect features into stark relief.

He watched the tension slowly ease out of her body as she took deep breaths of fresh air, the sights and scents working their own type of healing magic. He loved this place, and a part of him was hugely pleased to see that she admired it.

The porch lights came on and Raven appeared at the door with a woman behind him.

“ ‘Bout time you got here,” Raven groused good-naturedly. “Let me guess. The towing business was busier than usual?”

“Yeah, well not everybody’s driving a Hummer.” Raphael nodded toward the rental vehicle that took up a fairly large section of his driveway.

“Seemed like a good choice, considering.”

“Cat Turner, this is my son, Raven.” Cat stepped forward to shake the hand Raven extended. He watched as in one glance she took in his appearance from head to toe, all six foot six of him, from the steel-toed work boots he wore, past the jeans and Harley-Davidson T-shirt, to the hair that hung to his waist, held back by black rubber bands.

He saw her note the ways in which Raven looked like his father, and the ways he didn’t. And he could almost hear her puzzlement over the fact that standing next to each other almost anyone would have guessed Raven to be the older man.

Raphael turned to the elegant woman who stood next to his son. She wasn’t pretty, but she was striking, with milk-white skin and sharp features. Her hair was prematurely white. She wore black dress slacks with a button-down blouse of royal purple silk that brought out the color of her eyes and was cut to emphasize her spectacular cleavage. “You must be Emma.” He extended his hand, and she shook it. “Raven’s mentioned you.”

“And you.” She smiled. “It’s a pleasure.” She stepped forward, extending her hand to Cat.

Raphael watched as Cat took a delicate sniff and tried to identify their species the way he had trained her.

So, what are they?

I
think
Emma is a bird of some sort. She’s not very tall and has the long arms and overdeveloped chest you said were common among the raptors.

Overdeveloped
chest?

I’m quoting
you,
Raphael.

Ahhh.

Now, Raven… That’s easy. Despite the name, he’s a wolf, just like his dad.

Very
good! Right on both counts. She is a raptor, a snowy owl.

Cat shivered as a gust of wind hit her.

“You’re cold,” Emma observed. “Shall we go inside?”

“Please!”

Cat stopped just a few steps inside the doorway. Taking her time, she took a good look around. A person’s dwelling can say a lot about him. Raphael’s home was just that, a
home.
The style was reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright, with lots of natural wood and stone, combining spacious rooms with remarkable details. It was immaculately clean, beautifully decorated, and undeniably masculine. It was
not
impersonal or sterile. The living room was spacious and airy, with one wall dominated by a bank of west-facing windows. The entire north wall was a natural stone fireplace, its broad mantel adorned with dozens of family photos: Raphael standing next to a tow truck with the company logo on it. School photos of Raven and other brown-eyed, dimpled children at various ages, an aged and faded black-and-white wedding picture of a couple, the man looking remarkably like an older version of her host.

She stepped over to the fire, both to warm herself and to get a better look at the painting that hung above the fireplace. It was huge, an original landscape done in oils depicting a night not so different from this one, but with a pack of wolves gliding through the shadowed winter woods. It had been framed in distressed hardwood that perfectly matched the coffee and end tables.

All of the furnishings were of southwestern style, both beautiful and functional. Exactly what she would’ve expected of him.

Again her eyes were drawn to the painting. It was signed and dated, but she couldn’t quite make out either because of the glare on the protective glass.

“Do you like it?” Raphael appeared at her elbow.

“It’s gorgeous.” She couldn’t keep the admiration from her voice, and didn’t try. “You can practically smell the snow.”

“Thank you.”

It was his tone of voice that let her know. He wasn’t just thanking her for complimenting her taste. At that moment she just knew. Raphael had painted not only this canvas, but the sign at the tow company and the wolf mascot on the press box. “You should paint professionally.”

“No, I’ll leave that to Star.”

“Star?”

“Raven’s mother, and Charles’s granddaughter. She’s brilliant, a genius really. Makes my stuff look like paint by numbers.”

“I doubt that!” Cat protested, her eyes irresistibly drawn to the painting.

“Trust me,” he answered wryly. “If you’re a very good girl, later I’ll show you a couple of the pieces she did for me back when we were together. I got them appraised recently. They’re insured for more than the house.”

“Hey, Dad,” Raven interrupted them, calling from the kitchen over Emma’s laughter. “Do you want to fire up the grill? I brought enough steaks for everybody.”

“Sure. No problem.” Raphael took Cat’s hand in his and led her down a short hall and out a set of French doors onto a flagstone patio.

A clear glass awning had kept most of the patio clear of snow, so the two of them were able to walk hand in hand to the huge stone and iron grill without wading through drifts. The metal doors of the built-in cabinet squealed only slightly when Raphael opened them to retrieve the bag of charcoal. A little lighter fluid, a few matches, and the coals began burning merrily.

Cat waited until he’d finished putting away the coal and lighter fluid. She knew they didn’t have long, maybe only a minute or two, before Raphael’s guests demanded his attention. While she had the chance, she took advantage of it. Stepping forward she put both hands on his chest and kissed him.

It started out as a gentle press of lips, but that wasn’t what either of them truly wanted. It grew and deepened, passion and power both flaring as Cat and Raphael each explored the other’s mouth. Raphael’s hands cupped her thighs. He lifted her easily, lowering her onto the edge of the stone table, spreading her legs so that he stood between them, her knees bending so that her legs wrapped around his waist. Cat couldn’t think, could barely breathe, her entire body felt as though it were on fire with the need to have him inside her as her hands slid beneath his clothing in a quest to find skin.

She moaned when he moved his head to her throat, his mouth seeking the throbbing pulse at the base of her neck, his hand sliding beneath the thick fabric of her sweater to tease her nipples through her thin silk bra.

“You fucking
bastard!. Let her go.
She belongs to me!”

Raphael pulled away so suddenly Cat nearly fell. He moved to stand protectively between Cat and the intruder.
“Michael?”
Cat gasped the name. “What – “

“You can’t have her,” Michael growled. “She’s
mine!”
He was drunk, smelling of whiskey, beer, and who knew what else. He was enraged beyond measure. But even in his fury his Sazi magic barely raised the hair on Cat’s arms. Cat moved to step forward, but Raphael continued to block her way, so that she was forced to speak her mind from behind his broad shoulders. “What in the
hell
do you think you’re doing? And who do you think you are anyway? You don’t own me!”

“You shut the fuck up, woman! This is between me and him.”

“The hell you say!” Cat’s temper ignited and her power flared with it. The snow at the edge of the patio sizzled and began to melt. Cat, go back in the house. Now.

Cat hesitated. She didn’t want to fight with Mike, but she didn’t want to leave, either. She half turned toward the door and saw Raven and Emma standing in the open doorway. The expressions on their faces were serious.

“I won’t let you take her from me! I challenge you!” Furious, Cat spun back to face Michael. How
dare
he! The stupid, egotistical
idiot!
He honestly believed he
owned
her, that she was
his?
Her power built, pouring off of her in waves. She heard Emma gasp with pain. As if from a distance she heard Raphael’s sharp intake of breath as she moved around him to face Mike down.

“Michael,” her voice was a soft hiss. He turned, mouth open to berate her, but she continued over the top of whatever he would have said. “You can’t have what you can’t hold.” She quoted one of the few rules she actually remembered from the training manual at him.
“Hold this!”

In a blast of pure energy she called out her beast, transforming in a flare of power and blinding light before bounding over the grill in a single leap to disappear into the night.

It wasn’t hard
to find her. Raphael would know her scent anywhere, and she hadn’t even tried to hide her tracks. Good for his purposes, but stupid otherwise. Cat had enemies. While Jack was foremost among them, he wasn’t the only one. Hell, half the wolves in the pack would attack her just to drive her out of their territory.

It would have been both simpler and faster to travel in wolf form. But as a wolf he wouldn’t be able to bring a pack large enough to carry a warm set of clothes for Cat. And she’d need them. Even in animal form she was too thin-blooded for the cold. So he’d brought a backpack with her purse and the coat he’d given her. He also took the time to go to the store and pick her up a change of clothes. It took an extra half-hour, but he knew Cat would appreciate it. Without even really trying, he’d been able to pick up her thoughts. He knew that she’d spent a long, miserable night huddled in the back of a small cave. He could practically feel the ache in her bones from sleeping on unforgiving stone.

He waited until he was only a short distance from where she had spent the night before calling out to her with his thoughts.

Cat, are you awake?

Raphael? Is that you?

In the flesh. I’m about a hundred yards from you. I brought warm clothes with me. I figured you could change back and we’d walk down to the Wolf’s Run for breakfast. There are things we need to talk about.

Last night. Cat’s embarrassment colored her thoughts. He could actually
feel
her blushing.

“Don’t be embarrassed,”
Raphael reassured her with both voice and mind.

He watched the rocks where he knew the entrance to the cave to be. Sure enough, she emerged, head hanging low, her entire posture announcing her misery.

“You
didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Oh, no? I only screeched at Michael like a shrew, exploded half of your patio, and took off in cat form.” She gave him a
look
that was no less expressive on feline features. “Perfectly acceptable behavior.
And
in front of your son and his girlfriend.”

Raphael crossed the distance between them. He slid the backpack off his shoulders, letting it drop by her feet. Leaning against a boulder he pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the pocket of his denim jacket. “Under the circumstances, you were the very picture of restraint.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Raphael took a long draw of tobacco and exhaled it slowly. “Normally, I would’ve let you come down on your own. But Michael’s actions last night have some serious consequences that you can’t possibly be aware of. I wanted to warn you about them before – “

Raphael didn’t finish the sentence, and put on a tight shield so she couldn’t read his thoughts. He’d been going to say
before Tatya and Lucas try to save Michael by tricking you into agreeing to som
e
thing you shouldn’t.
Not a politic train of thought. Of course that didn’t mean they
wouldn’t
do it, if they could. The thing was, he couldn’t let them. They were his Alphas. Michael was pack. Raphael
should
support them against the interloper. But he couldn’t.

Cat Turner brought out every chivalrous and protective instinct he’d ever had – and he knew why. He didn’t need the appointment with Betty. It was too late for testing to find out if he was mated – far too late.

She was staring at him, those penetrating green eyes making him even more nervous. “Look, why don’t you take the bag in the cave and get changed.”

“Sure.” She grabbed one of the shoulder straps in her teeth and carried the bag back through the cave opening and out of sight.

Raphael started speaking. Surprisingly, it was easier to talk to her if he didn’t have to look at her. Then again, maybe it wasn’t so surprising. Every time he looked at her, in either form, he tended to get distracted by her beauty, grace. It was only a short step from there to having his sex drive kick in and shut down higher brain function.

“Has Betty or anyone else told you anything about challenges within the wolf packs?”

“No.” Cat’s voice was muffled. It sounded like she was pulling on the sweater. “I’m a cat. I don’t think Betty figured I’d need to know.” Her voice was clearer. Raphael had to fight the picture his imagination provided of her sliding black lace panties over those long, shapely legs.

Get a grip Ramirez. We’ve got a crisis here.
The logic of that did not clear the image from his mind, or keep his jeans from binding.

“Fine.” Raphael crushed the stub of his cigarette against the boulder. “There are two kinds of challenges: mating challenges and challenges for position. For the positions of Alpha male and female, a position challenge is to the death.”

There was utter silence in the cave. Raphael couldn’t even hear her breathing. He hadn’t had to explain the implications, but that was no surprise. After a long, silent moment she asked die question he was expecting.

“And mating challenges?”

Raphael struggled to keep his voice utterly neutral. “If you publicly claim that I am your mate, Michael has the ability to challenge me. He and I fight. If I win, I
am
your mate. For
life.
Since we’re both fairly powerful, life for us could be several
hundred
years.” He paused, letting her digest that bit of information. It took a minute or two. “And we all know how Jack is liable to react to the news.”

“He already wants me dead, Raphael.”

“There are worse things than dying.” And he didn’t doubt for a minute that Jack would put her through every one he could think of if he ever even suspected Raphael was attached to her. And he
was.
God help him, more every day.

The scent of Cat’s emotions was strong enough to drift out to him from the cave. A complex mixture of too many feelings to sort, although fear was prominent, followed closely by anger.

“Michael isn’t strong enough to beat me, so I am
going
to win.” Raphael plodded on.

“But that would mean – “ She swallowed hard. “I mean, me other night was spectacular, but… I barely know you!”

“Exactly.” He sighed. “Now, if you claim you’re Michael’s mate, he’ll believe it. In his current frame of mind – “

“That’s bound to cause major problems.” She finished his sentence for him as she stepped out of the cave into the sunlight.

“In the long term, yes. In the short term, though, he has the
right
to challenge me because I stepped on his turf. When I beat him, I win the right to court you for six months.”

“Court me?”

“Date, try to convince you to choose me, win you away from him. For that six months, no Sazi is going to approach or date you. They’re honor bound to give me my chance.” He gave her a crooked smile, but it wasn’t happy. “The upside is that Mike will have to stay completely away from you for six months, by which time, with therapy, he
may
be able to function normally.”

“The downside?”

“I was just getting to that,” Raphael answered. “We already talked about Jack. If he learns of it, which is likely, I will once again be pursuing another of
his
women.”

Cat shuddered. She came over and leaned up against the boulder next to him, their bodies not quite touching.

“But there are other things you need to take into consideration as well. During the six months that we’re seeing each other exclusively, we can’t have sex.”

Her eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?”

He looked at her strongly. “If we have sex it will mean you’ve accepted me.
I’ll
be considered mated, again, for life. No other Sazi woman will have me. Or if she does, she’ll be disgraced. Although, honestly, it might not be an issue.”

“Why?”

Raphael weighed his words carefully. “I’m relatively certain that I actually
am
mated to you already. If we see each other regularly, and particularly if we have sex again, I will bond to you. If mat happens, losing you could literally kill me.”

“Oh.”

She seemed a little stunned by that. He didn’t blame her. “What about me? If you die will I die, too?”

“You’re a feline. They tend to react differently to the mating bond. Even if you do mate with me, you could lose me and probably be just fine.”

“No.” She said it softly. “I wouldn’t.”

Raphael looked over to where she stood, the breeze tugging at loose strands of hair that gleamed like spun gold in the morning sunlight. “Sweetheart – “

“Look,” Cat interrupted him. “Are there any signs, symptoms, that let you know if you’re mated?”

“Why?”

“Just answer the question… please.” She added the last word almost as an afterthought when he started to look annoyed.

Raphael sighed. He thought for a moment, trying to go into teaching mode and treat it as if it were an academic matter rather than one of the most intensely personal issues of his life. “It’s very much like being in love, only more so, almost an obsession. You actually
need
to be around the person as much as possible. You can’t stop thinking about her. You don’t want anybody else, hell you can’t even imagine wanting anyone else. Eventually, mated males are incapable of sex with anyone other than their mate.”

“Oh.”

Raphael didn’t look at her. Instead, he stared straight ahead. “If the mating is one-sided, the person on the receiving end can pull power from her partner. The magical link can kick in if the person she’s mated to is hurt or in danger, and there’s magic…
real
magic between them when they touch.” He paused, swallowing hard. “And you
need
to touch the person; as much and as often as possible. It’s almost an addiction.”

“What if they’re both mated to each other?”

“That’s very rare,” Raphael acknowledged. “There have been a few double-mated pairs, but not many. But fully mated pairs can talk mind-to-mind even without telepathy, and they share their strengths and talents without really trying.”

“You mean like me being able to see that you glowed blue the night with Corrine? Isn’t that one of
your
talents?” A pregnant silence stretched between them.

Raphael turned to her, his eyes wide. “Are you saying…” His voice was tense with excitement, his scent a combination of hope, joy, and fear.

Cat nodded. “I think so. Is there any way we can find out for sure?”

“Yes. Like I said, there are tests. I’ve been scheduled for mine for a few days.” He smiled sadly. “I was waiting for a particular person to be on vacation. I didn’t want word about my condition to get out. I would never deliberately put you in any danger.”

Cat reached over, taking his hand in hers. Electric power trickled between the two of them. She saw Raphael shudder with pleasure. It felt so damned good.

“So what’s the plan?” She asked. “Can it be a mating challenge if we acknowledge I’ve been dating you and Mike’s mated to me? Or do I have to say I’m mated to one of you, or what?”

“I’m not sure.” He frowned. “I was assuming it was one sided: mat Mike and I were both mated to you. That’s pretty common with powerful alpha females. There are lots of onesided matings among the wolves. Under those circumstances, you claim to be interested in him, I challenge, and we date for six months without sex.”

“Celibacy?” She turned to face him, giving him a disbelieving look. “I don’t think either one of us is going to be too good at
that”

“I know.” He sighed, and pulled his hand from hers. He took the cigarette pack from his pocket and took a stick from the pack, but didn’t light it. “Particularly if it is a mutual mating. But damn it, I don’t want Jack knowing for certain about us. It’s too dangerous!” Raphael ground his teeth in frustration. This
should
be the happiest moment of his life. He loved Cat. He was mated to her. She’d just acknowledged that she might be mated to him. By all rights they should be celebrating together. Instead, he was stuck trying to figure out a way to keep her safe from not only Jack, but the pack, and find a way to keep Michael alive as well. “You’d be safer if Mike was dead.” Raphael hated to say it, but it was true. Mike was mated to Cat, and unstable from it. He wouldn’t harm her himself, but there were others in the pack who’d be more than happy to do it for him.

“I can’t do that,” Cat answered simply. “I just can’t. I mean he’s an ass and an idiot, and I’m royally pissed – “

“But you can’t let him die.”

“Nope.”

He turned, and she was suddenly in his arms. Before he could think, she was kissing him. It started gentle, almost chaste, a silent acknowledgment that they were in this together. But even that small touch made heat and need flare through his body like wildfire. Raphael’s jaws worked, forcing her mouth to open for his, their tongues exploring. He pressed her against the boulder, bringing his knee between her thighs as his hand slid beneath the heavy knit of her sweater to cup the fullness of her breast.

She moaned into his mouth, her hand sliding down the front of his jeans along the length of his erection.

His mouth moved away from hers to nestle at the base of her neck. He could see and hear the thundering of her pulse. The scent of her need made his body ache. He’d gone so far as to open his mouth to bite down when he recognized the urge for what it was. Cat Turner
was
his mate and a primal part of him wanted to mark her as
his
so that the world would know it. Damn the consequences.

“Raphael.” Cat pushed him back gently.

“Mnnn?”

“Celibacy?”

“Shit!”