Luna Junction 1 Feasts with Wolves (W) (9 page)

I shook my head. “What an asshole,” I
muttered.

Cade chuckled in my ear. He hugged me
briefly. “Damn but I knew you had some fire in you.”

The man standing in front of me
suddenly looked like Michael Casteel but his expression was far
less deadly. He grasped my hand warmly. “Abe Casteel. I’m less of
an asshole.”

I shook his hand, liking him already.
“Good. I’ve had my fill for the evening.”

Abe jerked his head in the direction
of a broad-shouldered young man. “That’s our little brother,
Gideon.”

Claire hugged them both fiercely.
Gideon lifted her in the air and she squealed. “Gid’s a star
quarterback at Williams High.”

Gideon’s dark blonde hair fell in his
face as he peered at me shyly. “Trying to convince Michael to allow
me to accept a full ride to UCLA.”

Abe slapped his brother’s shoulder
playfully. “No worries, Gid. If I have anything to say about it,
and I do, you’re going.”

Claire beamed in the embrace of her
two brothers. An assortment of Casteels sifted past, murmuring
greetings. I’d begun feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the families
and faces. The muscles of my face were also hurting due to an
excess of smiling.

As the tension wrought by the brief
confrontation with the hunters began to subside, the Luna Junction
Yule celebration could be mistaken for a typical holiday party.
Adults lurched around overfed and drunk. Children careened around,
engaged in their imaginary battles. The food was all but gone,
having disappeared with shocking alacrity. I observed with some
small pride that even my lumpy cookies had some takers.

Hours passed before the children began
to tire. Their protests were sleepy and vague as they were carried
out to hay-lined barn, their parents issuing soothing promises of
the next day’s joys.

Minutes ticked past and the moon rose
higher. I glanced at my watch. It was technically Christmas. I
jumped slightly at the first howl and Cade put a steady hand on my
shoulder. A hundred other voices joined the first in a long howl of
life and celebration. If I were a wild creature in those dark woods
the sound would almost certainly make me piss with terror. I
watched, captivated, as clothing was shed without modesty or
ceremony and living shapes changed form.

Cade wrapped his arms around me as the
werewolves of Luna Junction leapt into the woods. Matthew and
Claire smiled at one another, then promptly tossed off their
clothing and joined in the howling parade. I looked up at Cade,
wondering if he was going to participate.

He read my gaze and shook his head.
“Not this time.”

“
Hey, don’t deprive
yourself on my account. I don’t mind, really.”

But he only kissed me sweetly and
patted my rear end before he wandered off, stepping over a variety
of clothing piles. He pointed to the nearly empty buffet table.
“Think I’ll start cleaning up this mess.”

Without Cade beside me, the cold
seeped in. I hugged my body, figuring I might as well assist with
the cleanup effort so I headed to the kitchen in search of trash
bags. I hadn’t seen Michael Casteel since he disappeared into the
crowd after our unpleasant little exchange. When he materialized at
the threshold of the Landon house, I was afraid. His eyes were none
too friendly as he coolly appraised me and though he stood closer
than I liked, I didn’t flinch.

He touched the lapels of my coat and
pulled me forward a few inches. “You’d be better off wherever you
came from.”

I twisted away from him. “What the
hell is your problem, anyway?”

Michael’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
He was probably unused to anyone, let alone a meager human,
speaking to him so sharply. “I don’t like you,” he said
frankly.

“
I’m not terribly fond of
you either. But really, why don’t you just keep your snout out of
who is mating with who?” A shadow played out of the corner of my
eye and I saw Cade tensely watching.

The Sheriff of Luna Junction regarded
me thoughtfully. Finally he burst into laughter. He walked over to
Cade and slapped him harshly on the back. “Shrill little thing,
isn’t she? Have her, then, Landon.”

“
I don’t need your
permission,” Cade growled but Michael Casteel was already
sauntering away.

“
Nonetheless, I’m giving it
to you.” Michael waved a dismissive hand and began removing his
clothing, dropping garments where they fell. When he was completely
naked he turned his face to the sky and bayed a long and lusty
howl. In the space of a breath the giant dark wolf which replaced
his human form bounded into the woods with all the other
werewolves.

I exhaled thickly, watching the dense
cloud of my breath evaporate. Now that my adrenaline was fading I
felt a little shaky.

Cade stared at me anxiously. “You
okay?”

I kept my voice even. “I’m fine, Cade.
Just perfect.”

There was a hint of pride
in his dark eyes as a smile played at the corners of his mouth. I
knew I had pleased him by holding my own with the sheriff. I was
glad. Though I had plunged into this secret reality fearful and
unknowing, Cade Landon soothed my restless spirit. I had never
loved a man or been loved by one before. Cade was willing to endure
censure from his friends and face a disquieting unspoken menace
from the shadowy hunters in order to make me his mate.
Mate
. I smiled as the
word rolled through my head. It had sounded so odd to me at first,
though as I watched the muscles of his strong back flexing as he
casually lifted the giant table I realized how fitting it was. Even
as I adored Cade’s humor, his familial devotion, and the tenderness
of his caress, my body was also jarred by the deep curl of want
which would only be satisfied by his hard flesh pounding into my
open readiness. I dropped my jacket on the ground and walked over
to him briskly.

He heard me coming and turned, a
question in his eyes. When I pulled my shirt over my head his mouth
widened in a knowing smile. I did not mind the bitter cold, so
fevered was my skin for his touch. As I flung away my bra, his face
moved to my exposed breasts and his smile disappeared, replaced by
the appetite of passion. I savored the way his eyes burned as I
playfully rolled down my jeans and then discarded my panties. His
clothing was swiftly abandoned and we faced one another under the
radiance of the moon. I was not embarrassed as I let my hands roam
my own hard nipples and finger the waiting moistness between my
legs.

Then Cade could wait no longer. He
seized me and was instantly everywhere, fondling, stroking,
licking. I matched him eagerly, even bending between his legs
briefly and taking his solid organ in my mouth until he lifted me
roughly. My legs went instinctively around his hips as he pulled me
down to the ground with him. He lay back and gripped my hips so
that I remained upright, straddling him, as he pushed himself
inside of me.

“
Ride me, Tatum Landon,” he
demanded and I was eager to obey. Our bodies found the rhythm of
nature and I let myself move with abandon as the pleasure throttled
us both again and again. Dimly I heard the howls of the running
wolves and there, under a Christmas full moon with my mate’s seed
releasing inside me, I answered with a howl of my own.

***