Wolves’ Bane (5 page)

Cal nodded as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. “You can trust me to follow through.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes, cocking his head and studying Cal intently for a moment. “Yes, Kelly seems to think that your intentions are good but that your actions will speak louder. Cal, I’m serious, keep your emotions in check. Don’t get too attached.”

Cal’s frown deepened. “Don’t worry about me, Andrew. I won’t let Kelly down.”

But I don’t know how I’ll keep my emotions under control where Morgan is concerned.

Chapter Seven

Destiny

I sensed Caleb’s body nestled close to mine, felt his warmth in my dreams and it made me instantly wet and aching. I drifted out of a deep sleep to find him curled behind me in bed, slowly drawing patterns over my back. After my shower, I’d thrown on a pair of panties and a tank top before crawling onto the huge down-filled mattress. Now Caleb’s hand was snaking up under my top to touch my skin and continue his tracing.

I kept my eyes closed, loving the feel of his fingers gently stroking my flesh. My stomach fluttered with excitement. Sleep clouded my brain, making me fuzzy, making it all seem like a dream. A deliciously erotic one.

“You should get some more sleep,” he whispered, his lips brushing my earlobe, sending shooting spasms of pleasure through me.

“Mmm hmm.” I felt the prodding of his erection against my butt and imagined he was naked next to me. Sleep was the last thing he wanted me to do.

If this was a dream, it was the best dream ever.

I turned toward him, my stomach fluttering with new excitement as his hand slid around, following my movement, skimming across my belly until it stopped just under the swell of my right breast. I stared up at him. In the muted light, I could just make out his chiseled features as he propped himself up on his elbow, his upper body hovering above the bed.

“I hope you don’t mind.” His smile was wicked, what I would consider naughty, and it made my heart beat faster.

It feels so real.
My brain was still cloaked by sleep, my thoughts now muddled with lust, reality and unconsciousness swirling together like I was under some kind of spell.
Just go with it.

I smiled back, my hand shaking slightly as I raised it above the sheets and ran my fingers along his jaw. He had showered and shaved. “How long have I been asleep?”

Caleb shrugged, closing his eyes briefly as I caressed his cheek. “Only a couple of hours.” He opened them again to stare down at me, his gaze shifting to my lips. “I have some things I need to explain to you. Some important things about us.”

I nodded slowly, barely able to concentrate, as I traced my thumb over his bottom lip. “I feel like this is right, Caleb. Why is that? I hardly know you, but I feel like we’re meant to be together.” Words tumbled out, no hesitation, or any kind of censor on my sleepy brain.

“You can call me Cal. Caleb was what my guardians called me when I was in trouble.”

I smiled at the thought. By the look of him, I imagined that Cal got himself into quite a lot of trouble over the years. “Okay, Cal.” I shifted down slightly, twisting to move his hand onto my breast. “I like it when you touch me.”

Cal moaned and covered my breast with his palm, taking my suggestion and putting his own spin on it as he moved his fingers over my aching nipple. “We are destined to be together, Morgan. That’s why you feel so comfortable with me.”

Less talking, more sexy.
I nodded as I ran my hand down his chest, my mind dimly registering that he was telling me something I’d recently heard. When was it? I tilted my face up closer to his, and he took the cue again, reading my actions as well as my mind. He lowered his lips to mine, electrifying me with pleasure as he slipped his tongue into my mouth and slowly began to caress me from within.

Yesssss, that’s what I need.

I had never felt this way before, my body aching from a mere touch. Never had I wanted a man as much as I wanted Cal.

It was that thought that shattered over me, as his hand moved from one breast to the other. It was that thought that had me pulling away from him. It was the psychic—she was the one who had said those words. Two men, destinies entwined—how would I know who was the right one?

I jolted, eyes wide, brain suddenly snapping to attention. That settled it. This was no dream.

He looked down at me, a frown on his face, his teasing fingers halted. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought I was dreaming.” I stiffened, and started to pull away, mourning the loss of his touch as I did.

Cal captured my fingers in his massive hand and brought them to his lips, the tension in my body leaving as suddenly as it had come. “It’s okay. You don’t have to fight it.”

Cal continued to kiss my fingers, one after the other. Drugging me with lust, turning me into a puddle of want.

I forced myself to pull back, needing to put a stop to this before it went too far. The psychic’s words echoed eerily in my thoughts. There were two men—well, one werewolf and one man. I shuddered, remembering Lazarus. Where was the choice? My heart beat faster as Cal released my hand and moved his lips to trail along my neck, his soft touch almost unhinging my train of thought once again.

“I can’t do this.” I swallowed before continuing. “As much as I really, really freakin’ want to right now. I can’t. Not when so much doesn’t make sense to me. I’ve been down this road before. Can’t deal with another broken heart.”

Cal paused in his kissing, his lips resting on my collarbone. When he pulled himself up to look at me, the frown had returned and I knew that I’d effectively ruined the moment.

“You don’t have to worry, Morgan. I’m not going to hurt you.” He turned me around so that my back fit against his torso and once again began his gentle caresses along my skin, lightly trailing down my arm.

I wanted to argue. I wanted to protest—to extricate myself, put some distance between us, but I suddenly found myself so tired, so deeply tired that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. The last thing I heard before slipping into sleep was Cal whispering something I couldn’t quite make out.

Chapter Eight

Introductions

I cracked my eyelids open to discover the sun’s bright rays streaming into the room and a teenage girl seated across from the bed.

“Oh, did I wake you?” Her voice was sweet, but it held undertones of mischievous delight.

I glanced over at the now open blinds and cocked an eyebrow in her direction, but she was already off the chair and bouncing around the room like a pinball, opening the closet door, shifting books on the shelf, nudging my duffle bag that still sat on the floor.

“So, you’re like, Cal’s Huntress, right?”

I frowned.
Huntress?

The girl turned to look at me when I didn’t answer. “Oh, shit…I mean,
shoot
. He hasn’t told you anything yet, has he?” She grimaced. “Sorry, didn’t mean to spill the beans.” She closed the drawer she’d been snooping in and moved back toward the bed, her hand stretched out in front of her. “I’m Candy.”

I sat up and clasped Candy’s hand. “Um, nice to meet you, Candy. I just got here.”

Candy pulled her hand away and smiled. “Yeah, you’ve been asleep for ages. A whole day and night. You must have been tired.”

I frowned again. Had I really been asleep that long? Candy was rooting through my duffle bag now. Apparently, the kid had some issues with personal space.

“Do you live here?” I asked.

Candy nodded enthusiastically as she pulled my cell phone from my bag. “Yep. I’m going to be bonded with Jeremy in a few years, once I’m twenty-one.” She held up the phone. “Hey, did you know this is dead? You should really keep it charged.”

I flinched at the words—the same words that Jimmy had uttered moments before he died. “Yeah, I did.” I wanted to get out of bed but felt a little self-conscious about being half-naked. “There’s a charger in the bag. Would you mind getting it out and plugging it in for me?”

Candy nodded as she riffled through the bag once again, yanked out the cord and quickly found a plug to connect it to. “There you go.”

“So what does it mean to be bonded, Candy?” I edged to the side of the bed, being careful to keep myself covered from the waist down.

Candy looked over her shoulder at me, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “You mean Cal didn’t bond with you yet?”

I shrugged. How the hell would I know?

“Oh man.” Candy’s pale skin flushed with color and she turned toward the door. “You know, I’d better go. You need to get up. Breakfast has been happening for a while already. If you don’t get downstairs, soon the guys will eat all the food. They’re pigs—they eat everything in sight.” She stepped out of the room but poked her head back in to add, “It’s nice meeting you, by the way. There aren’t any other girls here to talk to so it’s great to have you staying.”

I forced a smile, suddenly feeling like an idiot for not knowing about the bonding process. What did that mean—to bond? Were we about to bond the night before when I put the brakes on? Could it be something as simple as having sex? I rested my forehead on my upturned palm, too many questions rolling around in my head. I needed to find Cal.

After a quick wash up and fresh change of clothes, I made my way downstairs, following the scent of bacon and maple syrup to the large dining room off the side of the main hallway. I stood at the door watching with amazement as a dozen incredibly large men shoveled food into their mouths at an alarming speed. Candy was right—these guys ate a ton.

Ken noticed me first, and hastily stuffed a piece of toast in his mouth as he rose from his chair and motioned me in. “Morgan,” he mumbled through the food, “so nice to see you up and about.” All eyes turned toward me and I suddenly felt like the prized pet on display.

I smiled, self-conscious and barely making eye contact with each of the men before trailing my gaze to Cal, who was seated at the end of the table, a forkful of eggs suspended halfway to his mouth. A moment of electrifying heat passed between us as our eyes locked, broken only when Lance slapped him on the back, sending his eggs splattering to his plate.

Okay, so apparently I still wanted him. That little impulse hadn’t disappeared while I’d slept.

“Cal, don’t you think you should offer Morgan a seat?” Lance was smirking as he pulled his chair out and motioned for me to sit. “Here, take mine. It’s my turn to clean up anyway.” He picked up his plate and moved toward the swinging door behind Cal. “I’ll get you some food. Be back in a jiffy.”

I moved slowly, my eyes still locked with Cal’s. He stood awkwardly and motioned to the seat next to him. “There’s a spot here for you.”

I nodded and eased down into the chair. Lance bounded back into the room and laid a plate piled high with food in front of me. “I hope you’re hungry,” he teased.

I smiled up at him, loving the fact that the man’s playfulness erased some of the awkward tension between me and Cal. “If you think I can’t eat this all, you’re mistaken. I can eat any one of you under the table.”

A whooping round of laughter rang through the room and my smile widened.

Lance beamed. “Well then, sugar, eat up…there’s more of that in the kitchen when you’re done.” He winked. “You know, Morgan, I think you’re going to get along just fine around here.”

I nodded, ignoring Cal’s burning gaze as I dug into the food.

“Come on, Cal, are you at least going to introduce us?” an attractive red-haired fellow asked with a wicked grin.

Cal cleared his throat. “Morgan, that’s James.”

I smiled in his direction. “Hi James. Nice to meet you.” Before I even finished my sentence, Cal was rattling off the names of everyone else.

“And that’s Phenton, Darren, Kevin, Peter, Andr…”

“Whoa man, slow up,” one of the unnamed ones laughed. His smile was infectious, his blond curls and spray of freckles making him look cherub-like. “She’s clearly overwhelmed. I think it might be better if we just introduce ourselves to Morgan over the next few days.”

I smiled gratefully. “Thank you. I think I made it up to Peter before my brain started to sizzle.”

“That’s okay.” The cherub rose from his seat and walked over to me, offering his hand. “My name is Andrew. My bonded is the Oracle, Kelly. I’m sure Cal has told you about her.”

I shifted my gaze to Cal, who suddenly became totally engrossed in his plate. I bit my bottom lip as I turned to look back at Andrew. “Not really. I mean, I’ve been asleep.”

A frown passed over Andrew’s face. “Oh, I see. Well, I’m sure he’ll explain everything to you today, won’t you, Cal?”

“Yeah, I’d planned to.”

“Good, good.” He patted my shoulder. “I’ll be with Kelly. Cal? I want to speak with you after you finish filling Morgan in.”

Cal nodded. “Yep, sure thing, Andy.”

“Nice to have you with us, Morgan. Please let me know if you need anything,” Andrew said before turning to address Ken. “It’s Dougie’s team on patrol this week, right?”

Ken nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. “Yeah, they’re monitoring the pack—called in a half hour ago to say that everything is quiet.”

“Quiet? Really?” A frown shadowed Andrew’s face once again as he gave a curt nod. “Let me know if anything changes,” he added before he walked out of the room.

Ken and the rest of the men resumed their eating and yammering, so totally engrossed in one another that I felt safe to lean over and address Cal without fear of being overheard.

“Don’t you think we should talk? I mean, everyone else seems to think we should.” I felt annoyed and stupid again, like the whole house knew things about me that I didn’t.

Cal looked over at me, his expression grim. “Yes, I suppose we should.” He pushed his chair back and rose. “But not here. There’s a sitting room on the other side of the hall. No one will bother us there.”

I laid my napkin down on the table and stood, lamenting the loss of the rest of my breakfast but needing information more. Cal walked past me, his arm brushing mine as he went. I shivered at the contact, amazed once again that such a little thing could get me so excited.