Blood for Wolves (21 page)

He shifted his body.
Yes,
I
chanted in my mind,
yes, yes.
He rubbed the tip of his shaft up and down
my slick folds. I squirmed my hips in anticipation. He smiled, amused and
pleased with my reaction. He lowered himself and slowly pushed into me. I
closed my eyes, moaning. He felt so
good!
I’d never felt this way
before. Never wanted a man as badly as I wanted Wolf.

“Caroline. My heart,” Wolf said,
his voice thick with desire, “open your eyes.”

I did.

“I want you to
look
at me.”

With a single thrust, he buried his
full length inside of me, my body instinctively wrapping around him. Wolf’s
eyes burned gold into mine as I let out a breathless cry. His body shook and he
groaned, as if trying to hold himself back. Then he began to rock, a slow,
delicious movement that made the entire world fade away until there was nothing
else. I moved with him, every second nothing but heat and desire, the coolness
of the lake and breeze long forgotten. I never knew it could be this perfect. That
two people could fit together like lock and key, lost souls making each other
whole. I clutched at his shoulders, his back, soon crying out every time he
pressed into me, filling more than just my body. He silenced me with fierce
kisses. Beads of sweat glistened on his brow, his breathing heavy as he ground
against me.

I begged for more. Said his name
too many times to count. We were gone, swept away on absolute ecstasy, nothing
but his body and mine, fused together, mates for life. He whispered my name in
my ear, told me how he loved me, and then murmured the word “never” over and
over as if he’d forgotten what he wanted to say, his eyes shut tight as he
drove deep, fast. I could only breathe, “I know” against his neck, my arms
around him, desperately holding on, so close to the edge but not wanting to
reach it. Not yet. I wanted more. More of his heat. More of him. All of him. Always.

Finally I couldn’t hold on anymore,
and the world became a flare of stars and bliss, my body shaking with pure
pleasure as I came. A moment after, Wolf’s body went rigid and he clung to me
as he pulsed deep inside. Both of us lay in a heap on his coat, breathing hard,
slick with sweat. My entire body trembled and Wolf’s heart felt like it was
beating a million miles a minute. For several minutes neither of us could move.
After a time, I kissed the rough stubble on Wolf’s cheek.

“Am I heavy?” he mumbled, one of
his hands finding mine and clasping it tightly.

“No.” I wriggled beneath him. “You
feel wonderful.”

“Mm. So do you, my heart.”

After a few more moments, he raised
himself on his elbows to look down at me. His eyes were still gold. His tail
came around to sweep against my side.

“I’m going to have to jump into the
lake again,” I said, smiling. “I’m all hot and sweaty now.”

He grinned wolfishly. “I like you
like this.” He closed his eyes for a moment as he breathed deep. “Besides, now
you smell like
me.
”

I laughed and grabbed his
shoulders, hauling myself up to kiss him. For a moment I had a vision of
rolling him over, kissing him senseless and riding him like there was no
tomorrow. The thought made my skin flush, but I dismissed the notion.

“Come on babe,” I said. “We have to
get back to Alex and Marianne.”

He nipped at my nose and then got
up, helping me to my feet.

I did get into
the lake again, but only for the briefest of dips. Wolf said I smelled like
him. I did. And I liked it.

I yawned, snuggling deeper in
Wolf’s coat. What a day. Saved Wolf’s life (all right, so Alex actually saved
Wolf’s life, but damn it, I’d tried). Rescued Marianne (with help). Made love
to Wolf. I tossed a leaf into the fire. The combination of my dip in the lake
and the best sex I’d ever had left me in a place far beyond content. All things
considered, I was surprised that Alex had fallen asleep before me. He lay
stretched out near the fire like a cowboy, snoring softly beneath his black
hat. Wolf sat beside me, gnawing on a piece of jerky. Marianne stared at the
fire, occasionally throwing in a small twig or sprig of grass. I guessed she
didn’t want to fall asleep with Wolf so near. Or maybe because she’d been
asleep for so long already. Whatever the case, I was determined not to sleep
until she did. If I was her Guardian, then that was my duty.

Wolf suddenly swallowed down his
last bit of jerky and sat up, his nostrils flaring.

“What is it?” I asked, on instant
alert. Marianne’s head snapped up. I stood and reached out around me with
whatever magic sensing power I had, but felt nothing. Wolf touched my arm.

“A pack.”

A group of wolves materialized,
stepping out from behind trees and thick brush to form a semicircle around us. I
tensed and moved to wake Alex. Marianne whimpered.

“No,” Wolf said. “Don’t worry. I’ll
talk to them.”

He bounded over to the wolves where
one—the biggest—came up to him.
Alpha
, I thought, then went to
Marianne’s side and put my arms around her. The alpha sat and stared up at
Wolf, his eyes glowing in the light of the fire.

“It’s okay. They’re not here for
you. They’ll go away once they’ve finished talking to Wolf.”

I really needed to quit saying
stuff when I didn’t know if it was true. But Wolf had chatted with a pack
before at night when I was completely helpless and nothing had ever come of it.
I wondered if this was the same pack.

Something shuffled in the leaves. A
wolf pup emerged in the firelight. By my guess, he couldn’t have been more than
a few months old. I wondered at the pack letting him run with them. Shouldn’t
he be at home under babysitter supervision? He sat on his haunches and stared
at the two of us, panting happily. I felt the tension in Marianne’s body
abruptly give way to confusion.

“What is that?”

Now I was the confused one. “That’s
a wolf pup.”

“A wolf pup?”

Good heavens did she really not
know? “A baby wolf. A young version of an adult. The way you’re a young
person.”

The pup tilted his head back to let
out an aggravated little yowl. He wanted to play.

“I didn’t know they were so small.”
Marianne inched closer for a better look. “Do they all start like this?”

“Every one of them. We start as
children, so do they.”

“He’s so cute.”

I smiled. Caroline McKenna, saving
wolves, one eight-year-old at a time. I decided to push things a little
further. I slowly extended my hand toward the pup, keeping my eyes on the alpha
the entire time. If he or any other wolf made the slightest move of
disapproval, I’d back off in a heartbeat. The alpha cut his eyes to me for a
moment, and I hung there. Wolf glanced back, his eyes luminous in the firelight
as always. The pup started licking my fingers. The alpha snorted and then
turned back to Wolf. The two resumed whatever conversation they were having. I
didn’t understand how that worked, seeing as the alpha didn’t actually speak. Though
I could see Wolf’s mouth moving and him gesticulating, I couldn’t hear what he
said.

I gave the pup a quick scratch
behind the ears and then sat back, patting my leg. He understood the gesture
and bounded over. They certainly were smart here. Marianne jumped in surprise
but didn’t recoil. I ruffled the pup’s ears. He tried to bite at my fingers in
play.

“Go ahead,” I said, “give him a
pat. He won’t hurt you. He’s just as curious as you are.”

Slowly, Marianne reached out to
touch the delighted pup. I took my hand away and his attention abruptly
switched to her. He sat silently, softly panting, as if he understood her
uncertainty. Then again, for all I knew he did. Marianne’s hand touched the top
of his head. Her eyes widened.

“It’s so soft.”

I smiled again.

“Caroline.”

I looked up to see Wolf beckon me. I
put a hand on Marianne’s shoulder.

“Stay here. Be gentle with him. I’ll
be right back.”

She nodded, her gaze still fixed on
the pup.

I went to Wolf’s side, wondering
what it was he—or the alpha—wanted. For several long minutes nothing happened. Wolf
remained silent and the alpha only stared. Finally I leaned over until I
touched Wolf’s arm with mine.

“What am I doing?” I whispered.

“I’ve been telling packs about you
when I’ve run into them,” Wolf said. “They told others, and this one wanted to
see you for themselves.”

I stood there for a moment,
stunned. “Am I really the only human that doesn’t hate wolves?”

“No.” Wolf gave me a small smile. “But
none of them would jump on an execution pyre or howl in the night.”

So he
had
heard me the night
the harpies caught me. I looked to the alpha. He stared at me, then tilted his
head.

I didn’t know if it was this place,
the wolf, or my extensive study of them at home, but suddenly we were having a
wordless conversation.

Can you help us?

I quirked my mouth.
I don’t
know. I don’t think that’s why I’m here.

Could you help us?

I don’t know.
I shifted.
I’m
sorry.

The alpha looked at Wolf, then at
me again.
You may touch me.

I blinked in surprise. I didn’t
hesitate too long though; I didn’t want to insult him. I wasn’t sure what he
expected to get out of this, but he must have some ulterior motive. I knelt and
ran my hands over his head, gently rubbing his ears. Then it hit me. I was
petting a wild wolf. A wild wolf in a magical place where they could
communicate. I started grinning like an idiot.

You are truly not afraid of us.

I bent to put my forehead against
his.
No, I’m not.
Then a thought hit me; alphas moved in pair.
Where
is your mate?

I have not yet found one.
He
leaned forward and sniffed me. He cut his eyes to Wolf again.
She is the
sort for whom I might become human. A fine choice.

Whoa. Random.

He licked my cheek and got to his
feet. He let out a brief howl to gather the others. Over my shoulder Marianne
was feeding the pup a small bit of jerky. He gobbled it down, licking at her
fingers greedily. Marianne was smiling for the first time since I’d met her. The
alpha howled again and this time the pup obeyed. With a little yip in
Marianne’s direction, he bounded off with his pack. The wolves melted away into
the darkness of the trees, vanishing the same way they’d come.

I sat down beside her. “So what do
you think?”

“I don’t know,” she said, sounding
as though she were surprised at how little she knew.

I put my arm around her, hugging
her close. “I understand. Think you can sleep now?”

She nodded and nestled into me,
closing her eyes.

“Is there room for one more?” Wolf
asked above me.

“Only if it’s okay with Marianne.”

She opened her eyes and stared up
at Wolf. After a moment, he hopped back and crouched on the ground.

“I can stay over here if she
wishes,” he said, gazing longingly at me.

After a few more minutes, she
nodded. Wolf immediately moved to my side, putting one arm around my shoulders
and resting the other hand possessively on my leg. He pressed his face into my
hair and inhaled deeply. I laughed to myself. Within a few moments more I
drifted off, my head resting comfortably against Wolf’s chest.

The next morning felt like any
other. Cool. Full of bright sunlight. The perfect time for camping. A shame we
weren’t actually camping for fun. A tent would have been nice. At least I felt
cleaner.

Our breakfast consisted of rabbit,
courtesy of Wolf, cooked over a newly built fire courtesy of my lighter, which
delighted both Wolf and Marianne to no end.

Finally we were on our way again,
traipsing along the path until Wolf informed us that we had to leave it in
order to get to Marianne’s village. We marched through the leaves, probably the
strangest group to travel through the kingdom since the days that wolves and
humans were friendly. Wolf led the way with me and Marianne behind holding
hands, and Alex in his Sentry uniform bringing up the rear. Probably enough to
make anyone who saw us think he was hallucinating.

“Do you know the story of Little
Red Riding Hood?” The question had nagged at me ever since I’d heard the name
of the kingdom and the apparent problem with wolves.

Wolf gave me a funny look. “No.”

“So no story of a wolf eating up a
grandmother and then a little girl, only to be rescued by a huntsman? Kind of
tragic?”

Wolf scoffed. “Do you mean the
story of how the House of Red and House of Hood came to be?”

“Uh, sure.”

“That’s not how it goes. The only
truly tragic stories are the ones with love in them.”

“So if I’m wrong, tell me the real
story.”

“It’s a story long forgotten by
humans. That or most of them muss it up to know it the way you know it. There
was a lovely girl named Adria Red, and she was the next queen of the kingdom. She
was in love with a wolf, and he was very much in love with her. They might have
made things better for wolves in the kingdom, had they married. But a huntsman
by the name of Teron Hood wanted Adria to himself. The kingdom was just extra
fat on the bone.”

“Is this going to be a Romeo and
Juliet story?” Alex asked, less than thrilled at the prospect. I shushed him,
and Wolf continued.

“One day Adria set off to visit her
grandmother who lived in a small house in the forest. After living so long in
the castle, she wanted to be free and out in the open—some say the grandmother
might have been part wolf herself, but no one really knows. The wolf wanted to
surprise Adria by showing up at her grandmother’s, and when the huntsman saw
him heading that way, he decided this was the perfect opportunity to get rid of
the wolf. He got to the house first and poisoned the grandmother. Then he snuck
out to wait for the wolf.