Cloaked (11 page)

His hands slid under my blouse, pressing into my flesh, his skin alight, and the hardness in his pants pressed against my belly. I slipped my hand down and stroked him. He moaned as his mouth devoured mine.

Breaking our kiss, he left a peck on my nose and spun me around with his hands on my hips. Before I could catch my breath, his hands roamed down the sides of my legs and curled under the hem of my A-line skirt before peeling it up to my waist in slow motion.

I gasped with pleasure.

His hands cupped the curves of my butt and squeezed. With one smooth move, he slid my panties down, and I stepped out of them.

“Damn, you're hot,” he said.

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

The sound of his belt unbuckling spiked my pulse. Next thing I knew, his cock was hard and scorching hot, pressed up against my butt. One of his hands curved around under my blouse, which he tugged up over my head, along with my bra. A hand cupped one breast, waiting for the other to join in kneading, his fingers squeezing my beaded nipples.

Moans poured from within, and the apex between my thighs was ablaze.

“Please, Connell. Stop teasing.”

Releasing my breasts, he guided me to bend over the bed with my butt perched high in the air. Gently, he parted my legs wider. His breaths danced across my opening, hot and teasing. I glanced over my shoulder to find him kneeling behind me, fitting on a condom.

Soon his tongue was on me, licking my silkiness. I mewled louder, my legs quivering as he inserted his tongue inside me repeatedly. With his fingers rubbing my hot spot, the first ripples of pleasure rode with me.

“Not yet, babe.” Connell pulled free and blew a warm breath across my heat.

“Tease.”

Up on his feet, the tip of his cock slid along my wetness and pressed into me, slowly at first. He gripped my hips and plunged into me, over and over, rocking his hips, faster, harder. My screams of pleasure intensified, hands fisting the bed sheets, and a rapid orgasm vibrated through me. He pushed inside me again.

When he withdrew, I collapsed on the bed, adoring the ecstasy rolling and swelling through me. Turning onto my back, I marveled at the desire in Connell's eyes, the hardness of his cock.

“Why don't we do this all day?” Raising myself on my elbows, I drew my knees up and parted them wide, inviting him. “I'm not quite sure I've had my fill yet.”

“Oh fuck. Me neither.” His gaze stayed between my thighs. He fell to his knees, grasped my hips, and hauled me to the edge of the bed. With my legs draped over his shoulders, he dove in, mouth first. My body vibrated with excitement.

Yep, we'd get to the animal case soon, but first, I intended to scratch the itch that refused to leave me every time I was in Connell's company.

The shrill ringtone of Connell's cell phone shattered our perfect moment, the one where another orgasm was escalating. He broke his hold, easing my lower back onto the bed.

I sighed, rolled over, and sat up in bed.

“Hold on.” He reached across to his pants, snatched his phone, and frowned as he glanced at the screen before answering it. “Chief.”

A faint voice from the earpiece reached me, but I couldn't decipher the words. Connell didn't move or nod, but stared at the wall behind me. “We're on our way.” Another pause while he listened. “Be there in fifteen minutes.”

Connell shook his head and hung up. His gaze found me. “We've got to leave. They're waiting for us at the ranch so we can start our investigation.” Then his attention dipped lower, and a provocative grin widened his lips. “We'll go soon.” He returned me to my former position, leaned in between my legs, and kissed me, then his tongue licked ferociously.

I groaned with fervor, and my hips rocked from desire surging through me.

Connell's finger found my entrance and glided inside, quick and intense.

My screams resonated in the room, and I didn't care who heard us. Every part of me rippled as Connell's tongue and fingers worked their enchantment.

An orgasm tore free, and quivers spread inside me. My thighs tightened against Connell's head. He wasn't releasing me either and rode my wave of delectable pleasure.

My legs parted, every muscle tingling from the euphoric sensation.

Connell stood, his shirt crinkled, cock hard, and lips glistening. “We'll return to this later.”

“You bet.”

He left the room, and the door to the bathroom creaked open.

Within a few minutes, we were presentable, dressed, and back in Connell's car, driving toward the crime scene. I couldn't ask for anything else. In that moment, my life was perfect.

We drove through Braşov, gorgeous Renaissance buildings everywhere, and in no time, we reached the other side of the city. The farming district.

Connell parked behind a squad car, and we climbed out. The typical morning winds thrashed the long grasses in the field around us, and the trees in the distance swayed. To our right lay a simple farmhouse—one story, white walls, with a brick-red roof. Nothing unusual. Bare branches lined the trees standing in the front yard like a skeletal fence, and behind the building lay several barnyards.

I crossed the road, trailing behind Connell and past several police officers at the front of the property. Behind the house, we passed a garden and a truck shed and reached a fenced-off section dotted with dozens of bloody sheep carcasses.

My insides curdled at the sight of the butchering. What would do such damage? At least fifty sheep were slaughtered. A gust of air infused with the stink of rotting entrails knocked me backward, and I held my breath, cringing as we entered through an open gate. Grass stained with blood stuck to my boots.

We wove alongside the bodies toward a group of people gathering in the center of the massacre. The sheep's stomachs had been ripped open, intestines missing or lying alongside the bodies. I halted near one animal with its throat torn out. The rest of the body remained intact.

“Are you all right?” Connell stopped next to me.

“This wasn't a senseless killing or a feeding by a pack of wolves.” I pointed to the dead sheep around us. “It's calculated and classic territorial behavior.”

“What sort of animal?”

“Wolves might behave this way to mark new territory … ” I paused and glanced at the scatterings of remains. “But never on this scale.”

I breathed in a fresh breath of air, the heavy scent of blood and decay cloying at the back of my throat. Then something stirred deep in my gut, heavy and guttural. My wolf.

I froze. Couldn't be. The full moon was tonight, not now. Must be in my head—the dead animals were getting to me.

Ahead of us, a young woman snapped photos of the carnage, while three men stood talking. I recognized the chief of police when he turned to greet us. A scowl marred his face.

While Connell approached him, I knelt next to another gutted animal. At the edges of the torn belly, I noted several score lines marking the flesh. There was a bite mark on the hind leg, which lay broken and bent in the wrong direction. Leaning closer, I took a long sniff, and the faint smell of wolf lay there, buried beneath the heavy reek of festering flesh and death. Well, we were dealing with wolves, all right, but I had no explanation for their behavior. Had a new wolf pack moved into the Carpathian woods?

Straightening up, I sensed the warmth of my inner wolf once again, stronger this time, prodding at my insides for release. My skin rippled. Panic encased me as I backed away.
Fuck.
Was I about to change? Maybe this close to the full moon, the blood was affecting my inner wolf. But this had never happened to me before.

Connell glanced in my direction, curious, with a raised eyebrow.

“I'll be back, going to explore the area.” I didn't wait for a response but sped out of the gate and rounded the fence, heading to the cluster of trees alongside the farmhouse.

Shivers crawled up the backs of my knees. This couldn't be happening. Not a transformation. Not now. Not outside a full moon. I hurried, resisting the urge to bolt and draw unwanted attention my way.

Once in the woods, I ran, putting distance between me and the police investigators in case my wolf charged forward and spilled free.

Inhale. Exhale. Breathe.

Twigs and dead branches snapped beneath my quick steps. When the police were barely visible through the dense trunks, I stopped and leaned against a tree.

Each inhale shuddered on its way down.

Connell would never accept the wolf side of me, so telling him was out of the question. I had to find Radu as soon as possible and find out what was happening to me.

Breathe in and out.

Nothing else mattered except keeping my wolf at bay.

“Daci?” Connell's voice reached me.

My head jerked up. He was rushing across the field toward the trees.
Hell
,
not
now
.

I adored his protective nature, but if he found me transforming … My mind numbed at the thought. He'd shoot me. I raised my chin and refused to give in. With each inhale, I pressed my wolf back into her place, picturing myself living with Connell, him bathing me in his love, us caring for each other.

Entering the woods, Connell moved closer. His posture curled forward as if he were chasing down a criminal. When his gaze met mine, a smile chased away his frown.

Pushing off the tree to meet his approach, I sighed as my wolf retreated.

“I was worried,” he said. “With a wild wolf on the loose, perhaps now's not the best time to go into the woods on your own.” A gentle breeze fluttered strands of blond hair around his head. The wind wasn't as fierce within the protection of the forest.

“Just searching for clues.”

He stopped in front of me and cupped the side of my face, a thumb grazing my lower lip.

I kissed his thumb.

“Sorry you had to see this brutality.”

“It's okay.” My voice wavered at the idea of
him
seeing
me
accidentally change into a moonwulf. The butchered animals didn't compare in horror. Connell nodded and grinned at me, the kind of gesture that said a million things words never could, reminding me how much he loved me. I didn't want to lose him—the man I knew, deep inside, was my fated mate. Whatever it took to remain with him, I'd find a way to leave my pack and remain with him.

Whatever it took.

The door to the underground bunker rattled, sending twitches down my spine. I threw the books back onto the shelf, blew out the candle, and froze in the darkness. It might be Radu, coming to help with the research. Or it might be Sandulf, who'd be less than impressed with my presence. That'd be just my luck for the alpha to bust in on me.

The door clattered again. My hands fisted as I silently prayed it wasn't Sandulf. If he found me here, I'd never be able to explain it away. He'd see right through any excuse I made for being in the pack's library. I was the outdoors kind of girl, not the studious type. If he guessed I was researching the lupul elixir, I was dead. Or as good as dead.

For the third time, the door shook on its hinges. The smell of rain teased my nostrils, along with the earthy fragrance of trees, but no Sandulf. I released a long breath. A storm was coming, and the gale continued to pummel the entrance.

I hurried up the stairs and slipped outside into the cold morning. With the door locked, I brushed foliage over the entrance with my foot. Lofty trees crowded the forest around me with minimal sunlight breaking through the canopy above. I inhaled the crisp, pine scents and took off. The wind tore through the area, tugging my blouse and pants, tossing brown hair over my face. Another night spent alone where I'd lost track of time searching for secrets of the potion. Later that night I'd be back doing more research, though Radu's help would make it a lot easier. He'd missed our catch-ups three days running. That wasn't like him. He was never late. Maybe he'd given up on helping me?

I pushed the trepidation down, knowing it wouldn't do me any good to think about it, and Connell Lonescu came to mind: his strong arms wrapped around me, loving whispers in my ears, and kisses that melted my insides. If I didn't find the potion before the next full moon, everything with Connell was over.

A loud footfall on the forest floor iced me over.

I held my breath. Darkness filled the gaps between trees where the sun didn't reach. A shadow flitted behind the broad trunks. I sniffed the downwind: timber, car fumes from the city of Braşov, and a barnyard scent.

The woods fell silent.

Stop freaking out.

I rubbed the chill out of my arms and kept moving. The crunch of foliage beneath my boots echoed.

I had just forced my legs into a jog when a prickling sensation slithered down my back. I wasn't alone.

The moment I whirled around, something massive and dark struck, hitting my chest. I screamed. It knocked me to the ground. I threw my arms up in defense, expecting to be bitten, and scrambled backward. My body pinched with pain. My heart thumped against my ribcage. The foul stench of wet sheep and dung smothered my senses.

A black wolf the size of a sedan crouched several feet from me — ears flat against its head and lips peeled back over pointy fangs. Rumbling growled from the animal's chest. Hot air steamed from its mouth, and it eyed me as if I were a free meal.

I couldn't breathe. A man-eating dracwulf, the same unstoppable animal said to eat entire villages, was in the Carpathian woods. The urge to transform into a moonwulf wriggled over my skin. But it wasn't my time of the month, yet I swore I sensed my inner wolf rising inside me.

In slow motion, I climbed to my feet.

The beast lunged.

I threw myself sideways into a roll, leapt to my feet and ran. The dracwulf was on my heels, swift and heavy, crashing through the underbrush. Each tree offered an obstacle to dodge around and stop the creature from jumping me from behind. Low-hanging branches snagged on my clothes and hair.