Charmed by the Werewolf (24 page)

“Xavier?
” She needed him to say
something
.

“I
’m not a fortune teller, Sophia. I cannot assume to know what you will or will not do, but I can tell you this. There are far too many decisions to be made in the next two days. Whatever happens, it’ll be as Fate has decreed. You cannot thwart destiny. It’ll arrive when it is supposed to, whether we want it to or not.” The leather of his seat creaked as he shifted. “Let’s go.”

“Go where?
”

“The end of the rainbow.
” He leaned on the horn again then growled when the three cows didn’t move. “It seems we’ll need to walk since your bovine friends remain stubborn.”

“Okay.
” She slipped her cell phone into a pocket of her blazer then stowed her purse under the seat. She followed him out of the car while he held open her door.

The drizzle let up and in its place came weak sunlight. “I don’t see anything yet.
” Shoving her glasses into place, she squinted. “Oh, oh, look there!”

Barely visible, about a quarter of a mile in the distance, a rainbow sliced through the clouds to meet the soggy ground. She always thought the rainbow’s end was a myth. “Do you think there’ll be gold or maybe a leprechaun?
”

Xavier scoffed. “What kind of stories did you read as a child?
” He laced his fingers through hers and tugged her in the direction of the bovine crew. “I can assure you there will be no gold. The world simply doesn’t work like that.”

Xavier grinned when Sophia patted the head of each of the cows they passed.

One bovine acolyte decided it wanted to be with her and followed along behind. Every time he looked at his mate, he saw a new facet to her personality, but what he admired most was her gentleness of spirit. She honestly cared for all beings that were incapable of caring for or looking after themselves. The knowledge made his heart lurch painfully.

As much as they belonged together, he feared Fate still held a wild card and would cast more obstacles in his path before he could rightfully claim her.

“Poor thing. I think she’s lonely.
” A pretty blush colored Sophia’s cheeks when she met his gaze. “Can we let her come with us, at least for a while?”

“She
’s a cow, not a pet.” His rumble of laughter floated on the chilly air. “It would be in the cow’s interest if you’d find a way to tell her to stop following you.”

“What do you mean?
”

“The best she can hope for is to live out her days in this field, but I suspect she and her sisters will grace the tables at a nearby steakhouse soon. Or, if it would set your mind at ease, I could make her death quick and painless…
” Of course, he wouldn’t eat as a wolf in front of her, but he couldn’t resist the opportunity for teasing.

“You
’ll do no such thing.” She turned and faced the one brown cow whose long-lashed eyes steadily regarded her. “Listen, I know you think I’m probably your friend.” She stared into the trusting brown face. “At any other time I’d love to shoot the breeze with you, but I’m kinda busy today.”

The cow remained silent.

When Xavier snickered, Sophia shot him a dark look. “I’ll handle it.” Squatting down, she said into the cow’s ear, “I didn’t want to tell you this, but that man over there is a werewolf. He’ll eat you and your sisters without a second thought. So please, I beg you, stay here. I promise if you do this one thing for me, I’ll find you a great home with all the grass you can eat.”

The cow continued to stare, occasionally chewing her cud.

“Sophia, we need to leave.” He slipped an arm around her shoulders. “If you’d like, I’ll buy a field you can populate with all the cows you want.”

“You’d really do that for me?
”

“Yes, and more. I
’m incapable of denying you anything, cows and all.”

“I’ll hold you to it but this is what you get for teasing me.
” She pinched his arm then squeaked as he grasped her hips and drew her against him. “What are you doing?”

“This is what
you
get for teasing a werewolf.” He leaned in and brought his lips crashing down on hers. She met his first advance by thrusting her tongue inside his mouth. He refused to let her take control, even if her initiative went strain to his groin and pushed his arousal painfully into his fly. Xavier devoured her lips, slowed the kiss as he nibbled and nipped them, then changed the tempo once more by claiming her mouth hard. He bent her body over his arm for greater access, touched his tongue to hers, wooed it, made love to it, and finally sucked on her bottom lip to finish the embrace.

Sophia grew pliant. A soft sigh escaped her. She clutched at his lapels, her knees buckling.
“Mmm.”

Desire swept through his body, as much from her reaction as from the tiny sounds she made.
He returned to kiss her swollen lips with no margin for error, wishing to leave her with such an undeniable example of his feelings, she wouldn’t forget it for months. She sagged against him, limp in his arms. If he let go now, would she fall to the road in a boneless heap of flesh?

“We’re running late. I
wouldn’t want to miss the rainbow for a simple kiss.” His lips twitched with amusement as she attempted to right herself.

“A simple kiss, huh?
” Her chest heaved with her labored breathing, but her eyes sparked a brilliant blue. “I’d hate to ask you to demonstrate a complicated one.”

“I
’d be happy to, just not at this time. You’re not ready for that.” He tilted his fedora at a rakish angle over his left eye. “Come along, woman. We have a date with destiny.”

“Woman?
” She made a sound of annoyance or frustration, he wasn’t sure which, and charged ahead of him on the road without a second glance at him.

“I meant no disrespect.
” He gave a playful smack to her rounded backside and growled. He ached to bury himself inside her warmth once more, but they needed to finish the quest. There’d be plenty of time during the years ahead to mate with her. “I’m certain you know in what spirit I issued the word.”

“Never fear, werewolf, I’m beginning to understand you and take no offense. Be warned, there will be paybacks.
”

“I look forward to it.
” His gaze caressed the soft curves of her back, the slight nip of her waist, the flare of her hips. Pride swelled his chest. She was his, and he’d do everything in his power to keep it that way, if not for his sake then for hers. Wolves mated for life. He could never survive without Sophia.

I love her.

So deep in thought, he didn’t become aware Sophia had stopped until he crashed into her. His arms automatically closed around waist, pulled her close. “Is there a problem?”

“Not with me.
” Her lips parted in a smile. “What’s the deal? Contemplating the meaning of life back there?”

“You could say that.
” Reluctantly, he released her and looked up the road. “It would appear we’re at the rainbow’s end.” Astonished the quarter of a mile passed with ease, Xavier assessed their new location.

On a slight hill before them, the tip of the rainbow
had crashed into the ground. Freshly turned dirt marred the perfection of the hillock. The multi-hued curve itself was more magnificent than anything he could imagine, sparkling and shimmering as if it had a life of its own. Perhaps it did.

“It’s wonderful.
” Sophia’s words were low and breathy, putting him in mind of her whispered comments following sex. He stifled a groan but kept his gaze trained on her joy-filled face.

“I told you this
wouldn’t resemble your storybook tales or pictures.”

She bestowed a bright grin on him as she fiddled with her glasses. “I had no idea a rainbow could be more substantial than refracted light through water.
” She slipped her hand into his. “Can I touch it?”

Xavier nodded and tugged her forward up the rise. “Let’s find out.
” He glanced at her damp hair and the thin wet shirt that clung to her breasts. His mouth watered, and again he wished for more time, sure the Fates mocked him.

A low pitched hum emanated from the rainbow, audible as they approached.

Sophia gasped and pointed to a spot near the rainbow’s end. “Xavier, look. I told you there’d be gold.” Not only were there gold coins, there were loose gemstones in every color imaginable, strands of pearls, diamond tiaras, gold and silver goblets. She moved closer to the fortune. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Forget about the baubles. They
’re meaningless in the vastness of the Universe. What you should really gawk at is the vessel.” His voice was low pitched and full of awe. Xavier dropped her hand. “Your so-called treasure rests in the trunk of a 1957 Aston Martin.”

He
took an involuntary step forward to caress the gleaming navy blue fender. “It’s in pristine condition. Do you know how much this is probably worth?” He poked his head through the open driver’s window on the right hand side of the car. “I’m impressed. It features a 140 bhp, 2,922 cc inline twin cam six-cylinder engine, and four-speed manual transmission, just to name a few of its attributes. It’s also a DB2/4 MK II coach.” He withdrew his head with some reluctance. “It’s the most beautiful object I’ve ever seen.”

Sophia cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Uh, that is apart from you, of course.” He grinned at her obvious annoyance. “But then I don’t consider you an object.”

“Right. I have no idea what any of that car jargon means.
” Glancing down into the wealth of riches, she smiled. “I never thought I’d see you salivate after something as simple as a car.”

“A simple car is a dirty slur on a wonderful machine such as this.
” He trailed his fingers over the door handle before he drifted to stand next to Sophia once more. “What I wouldn’t give to acquire this piece of art.”

“Now I’ve seen it all. You have automobile lust.
” She snickered. “Come on. Help me load some of this loot.”

“Wait.
” The hair on the back of his neck prickled, signaled alarm. He pivoted slowly, surprised to see another woman standing there, anger deeply etched on her face.

“Keep your hands to yourself and no one gets hurt.
”

*****

Unconsciously, Sophia stepped behind Xavier. “Who are you?” She leaned close to the werewolf and whispered in his ear, “I really hope I don’t know her.”

Platinum blonde hair hung to her shoulders in a thick bob, swinging each time she moved. A swift pang of jealousy cut through Sophia’s stomach. She’d always wanted to have hair like that. Two inches shorter than Sophia, the woman possessed voluptuous curves that bordered on old Florentine decadence and gave plenty of places for her silvery-white gown to cling.

“My name is Alexia. I’m the defender of the treasures of the rainbow.” Her light, melodious voice floated on the air like a child’s bubbles. “I must ask your intentions.”

Sophia narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?
” She stepped out of Xavier’s shadow. “Why don’t
you
tell us
why
you want to know?”

“Kid gloves, Sophia.
” The werewolf planted his left hand firmly at the small of her back, the other he offered to Alexia. “My name is Xavier Leighton.” He tipped the brim of his fedora. “I’m here to ascertain if you’d part with three ounces of magic dust so I may complete a potion.”

“Look, I don’t care what you’ve got going on in your life.
” Alexia crossed her arms under her curvy bosom. Her full lips turned down in a pout. “Do you plan to stick around for a while?”

Shrugging, Sophia inched closer to the Aston full of loot. “We hadn’t planned on it.
” She frowned and scanned the immediate area. “Shouldn’t there be a leprechaun here?”

“You’ll have to excuse her.
” Xavier reeled her back to his side. “Sophia is under the assumption she would see a bearded man in green.” He gave Alexia a disarming smile. “Perhaps you should explain a few things first.”

She sighed. “You’re right.
” Twirling a strand of hair around her forefinger, her silvery blue eyes rested on Sophia. “You look familiar. Have we met?”

“I hope not.
” The knot in her stomach reminded Sophia of its presence. “Uh, I see so many people. It’s hard to say.” She slid a glance to Xavier, but he only had eyes for the car. “You wouldn’t happen to know a guy named—”

“Sterling Abbignon.
”

“He’s my boss.
” Sophia clutched Xavier’s hand, glad for his comforting, if distracted, presence. “Which one were you?”

“The unicorn.
”

“The one who escaped.
” Sophia’s heart pounded a frantic beat. She remembered Sterling’s rage when the woman had given him the slip. “He was mad for three days after you left, refused to talk to any of us. He broke quite a few of the office windows before Astral finally calmed him down.”

A ghost of a smile parted
the unicorn’s lips. “I went into hiding.”

“Things weren’t all that bad. I got my first vacation in ten years out of it.
”

“Oh, you think those three days were idyllic and stress free for me?
” Alexia advanced toward them a few steps. She clenched her pale hands into fists, the three silver bangles on her wrist tinkled. “Sterling sent his Enforcement Unit after me. I only avoided them because I stumbled across a rainbow.”

“Really?
” Sophia kept Xavier between the angry unicorn and herself. They were a rare and evasive breed of people, who harnessed unusual magical powers. She didn’t know what to expect from Alexia since unicorns were good at hiding but very rarely studied because of their proclivity for keeping out of sight. “Well, what do you think he did to me, the Gatekeeper whose job it was to haul you into his office? He’s not a pleasant man to cross.”

Alexia snorted. “Once the goons left the area, I decided to settle down here. What was the point of continuing to run?
” She circled around them as if they were a Maypole. “When I found the rainbow’s end, I stopped to ask the leprechaun directions to the nearest town.”

“Ah ha!
” With a cry of triumph, Sophia jammed a finger into Xavier’s ribcage. “I
knew
there was a leprechaun.”

“You win this time.
” He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and easily hauled her to his side. “You both need to remain stationary. I grow dizzy watching you move about.”