Wild: Devils Point Wolves #1 (Mating Season Collection) (4 page)

Dante's head nodded, "He's right. We need to get you somewhere more secure."

"No, no. This is crazy." Why did they keep looking at her like that? As if she was a child who couldn't comprehend reality. She knew reality just fine and it wasn't some fairytale gone nuts. Wolves don't turn into humans.

"I think Rebel should get off this island immediately and go home with me. "

"No." Both men said in unison. "You wouldn't last five minutes if you tried to leave Devils Point alone." Damien took a few steps closer. "I'm sorry it had to be like this, but we'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Even if that means we have to save you from yourself."

Fear sliced through her at the chill of his words and the demanding tone of his voice. Now she understood why he made her feel so unsettled. It wasn't just an air of strong masculinity like she'd thought. It was danger.

She wrapped her arms around her waist and tried to think. Her sister was passed out on the bed and somehow she needed to get them both past two large and determined men that stood between her and the door. In hindsight she now wished she'd taken that self defense class her freshman year. Campus security had strongly urged new students take the course and she'd scoffed at them. Her idea of safety was a locked door behind the walls of a secure apartment complex and that had served her well for four long years.

Suddenly the ache in her wrist began to burn. Not a little "ouch that stings", but an honest to God, "holy fuck that hurts." She grabbed the bandage and pressed down on it, while stumbling backward as her body swayed to the side. Why did her skin feel like it was on fire?

"What's wrong?" Damien rushed forward and caught her around the waist before she crashed to the floor.

"Skin–skin's on fire," she gasped.

Damien swept her into his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He turned the cold faucet on, ripped her bandage off and shoved her arm under the running water. At first she cried out and tried to pull free, but he held her steady and after several long seconds some of the burning receded.

"It's already infected isn't it?" Faith wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked down at her wrist. The wound was bright red, but she couldn't tell anything else.

"Your body is trying to expel the wolf's enzymes. The animal DNA strand is very strong and often overpowers a human."

"Am I going to get sick?" She was still ignoring the fact they expected her to believe she’d been bitten by some kind of human/animal shifter. But an animal bite of any kind carried risks.

"Probably. This kind of bite isn't as well documented as one during mating. It has to be watched."

"I don't want to–" Pain cramped her stomach and she tried to turn away as the meager contents of her stomach came hurling out in a horrific projectile way. Tears sprang to her eyes and sweat popped out all over her body as her body heaved, trying to get rid of everything inside her. Or at least that's how it felt.

"Shit."
 

Damien moved behind her and she wanted to disappear. He grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet, wet it under the faucet and to her horror began washing her. She wanted to object, fight this somehow. Anything to end her humiliation and she couldn't. She was too weak.
 

He propped her against his chest and careful not to touch her wound, he cleaned her face, chest and arms. "I'm taking you home."

She tried to object but the sound came out as barely a whimper.
 

"Don't waste your energy. I know. You won't leave your sister. She's coming too. Dante will bring her.”

Faith nodded. What else could she do? This brilliant trip had officially kicked her ass.

And for some strange reason (despite his crazy) she strangely trusted Damien to keep her safe. Maybe because he'd been her sister's boss for months and other than the fact he peddled flesh for a living, he didn't seem so bad.
 

Or maybe it was that Rebel trusted them. She didn't just work on this island. She lived here and refused to leave no matter how much Faith tried to convince her stubborn sister that this was no life for her. There had to be something to that. Had to be. Or she’d failed their parents big time...

Chapter Six

Damien sensed the moment Faith woke up. She hadn't moved a muscle but her breathing had changed and since she was currently in his bed with his body curled around hers, he saw, heard and felt everything. For example, her heart beat had quickened and now her muscles were taught.

"Easy, Faith. It's just me," he whispered into her ear, not bothering to mask the desire coursing through him when he spoke. "How do you feel?"

"I don't know. It's kind of hard to tell with you laying on top of me."

He chuckled and tightened his hold. He wasn't ready to lose her quite yet. "I was keeping you warm. Your fever broke hours ago and I didn't want you to get cold.

She started to stir, which resulted in her panty covered bottom rubbing across his very hard groin. She froze. He bit his lips to keep from laughing.

"It's first thing in the morning, what did you expect to feel?"

Her heart was beating faster and her breathing shallow. He inhaled deep, taking in the scents throughout the room. At least this time she didn't smell like fear. That agitated his wolf and the last thing he needed to do right now was agitate anything.

He did however, scent the faintest touch of arousal blossoming across her skin. Unable to resist her, he buried his face between her shoulder blades and lapped at the silken flesh that taunted him most of the night.

"What are you doing?" She asked, although he noted she did not try to move away like he expected.

"You smell good. I wanted a taste."

The scent of her arousal got stronger and he smiled.

"How long have I been here?"

"Just since last night. Your fever spiked and broke within the span of six hours. I think the worst is over."

She wiggled her body through his arms and this time he let her go. As far as he was concerned they had time to get where they needed to be. Provided of course, his pack located the rogue and put him down before he caused any more trouble.

He'd been attracted to this woman since the first time they'd met, a fact that used to annoy him. Her humanity didn’t bother him. Her need for a simple, safe life did. He thrived on the unknown and relished a hunt that involved danger.
 

But since she'd been bitten, it seemed fate had stepped in and made him an offer he couldn't refuse. If he didn't claim her someone else in the pack would. And that didn't settle well with him at all. Fuck that.

She looked down at her wrist and then held it up. "What about this? Is it okay?"

"Yes and no."

She placed her unmarked hand on her hip and cocked her eyebrows at him. A saucy smirk from a sweet woman. That made for a heady mix. And unlike her sister, she didn't seem to have that wild, screw the establishment and I hate the world, streak. Thank goodness. He liked Rebel just fine and she was one hell of a popular stripper in their club, but she was a handful in all the wrong ways.

"Where's Rebel?"

"Not here. She went out hunting with the rest of the pack."

"Hunting? Hunting for what?" Her voice rose several octaves, hurting his ears.

He covered his head with a pillow to muffle the sound. "Dante and the rest of the pack are out looking for the wolf that bit you."

"What?" She shrieked.

He winced. "Jesus, Faith. Shit. Take pity and never do that again."

She continued at the same high pitched volume. "You mean scream at you because you let my sister go out there," she pointed through the window, "and hunt for a wild animal that could kill her. Seriously?!"

He reluctantly pulled the pillow from around his ears and sat up. "She's with the pack. They're not going to let anything happen to her. Besides, do you know your sister? The minute the pack showed up here she was going and nothing short of tying her down
and
locking her up was going to keep her off the hunt."

"Why do you keep saying pack? Who is the pack? Your friends? Your work people? What does that mean?"

Thankfully she didn't scream those questions at him.

"My pack is everyone. My friends, my family, everyone who lives in Devils Point who is like me." He said all the words. He wasn't even sure if she remembered their discussion from the night before but they had to get it out in the open sooner rather than later so she could deal with it in case she still turned.

"Like you. What does that mean?"
 

"Do you remember what I said last night about your wolf bite. How he wasn't an ordinary wolf." He braced for her reaction, expecting more screaming.

Faith rolled her eyes. "Damien don't do this. I was feeling pretty good about being out here with you. You taking care of me when I got sick was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me. Don't ruin it with nonsense. Please."

The sadness and exasperation in her voice tore at his heart. She didn't believe him. That part didn't surprise him. It wasn't an easy revelation to swallow. But the disappointment that she felt because she thought he was letting her down cut deep.

He knew why he protected Rebel so much despite her crazy antics. It was the same reason he felt a connection to Faith. They lost their pack a long time ago and neither one of them realized that together they could still be whole. As long as they had each other they would be fine. At least as soon as they got it through their thick skulls.

She was still standing there staring down at the ground. The scent of sadness cloaked her, and somehow she was using it like a protective blanket. To keep him out.

The only way she'd ever believe would be to see. And to see would mean she'd have to deal. This is what Dante meant with her sister.

"Do you trust me that I will never hurt you?"

Her head jerked up. "That's a really weird question right now. I barely know you."

"I think you know me better than you think. Rebel knows me. No one in my family would ever allow you or her to be hurt. I need you to believe that."

Tears shimmered in her eyes looking at him. "I think I do. I can't really explain why but I do."

He yearned to pull her close. Envelop her in his embrace and press her luscious curvy body into his hard frame. But they were finally getting somewhere so he needed to stop thinking about peeling her t-shirt off and laying her back down in his bed so he could devour her–slowly.

He cleared his throat. "Look at me, Faith."

"I am," she responded.

He got up and took a few steps in her direction until he could reach out and cup her chin. "Look at me."

Thankfully, she did what he asked and lifted her head so she could focus on his eyes. Without further preamble he pulled on the strength of the inner wolf just enough to make his eyes change. Nothing too extreme. While his vision sharpened, she only sees the subtle color changes from green to gold.
 

Her breath hitched. "Your–your eyes. They're beautiful."

She sounded surprised but not scared and so far there was no scent of fear. Instead the way she studied him made him want to lean forward and capture her lips. Maybe pull her soft, gently rounded belly against his aching cock.
 

All thoughts he needed to stop having before this discussion derailed. They had to get through this before he could tell her that part.
 

"They're the eyes of my wolf. Like the one who bit you, I too can change. Part human, part wolf. My choice."

She stood transfixed, staring into his eyes. Both seeing and not seeing at the same time.
 

"It's not possible," she said. "That's made up fantasy."

"No baby, it's not. If you need me to I can show
 
you. But I really don't want to scare you. You've been through enough in one day."

And it was mating season. His wolf wanted her as bad as the rest of him. And this time of year the wolf had a way of getting exactly what he wanted.
 

Chapter Seven

 
Faith didn't know what to do. She harbored no secret beliefs in otherworldly beings or supernatural anything, but here she stood staring at the compelling yellow glow of his eyes while he told her he was what... a werewolf?

"You've stumbled into wolf country during mating season I'm afraid. The wolf that bit you is not part of my pack though. But rogue or not, we're all going through the same thing. The desire to mate and reproduce is almost impossible to control."

"This is about sex then."

He closed his eyes and shook his head, a low growl sounding from deep within his chest. "Most of us do spend the season searching and having sex. The odds of finding the right person to mate with are slim, so we relieve some of the tension other ways.
 

But the actual mating is far more than sex. It's a connection, a bond between mates that intertwines two people together for the rest of their lives. Like marriage but more. Especially when it comes to true mates. That’s such a rare connection half of us don’t believe in it unless we experience it."