Come Moonrise (11 page)

Maybe it was because Ty was a werewolf. Or
maybe it was just because she loved him and was more attuned to him
than she'd ever been to anyone else.

Then a thought struck her and her hands
stopped in their task of drying her off. She stood in stunned
disbelief for several seconds as something that should have
concerned her a great deal the night before finally registered.

The reason Ty’s scent had been so strong on
her that morning was because they hadn’t used condoms when making
love. And since her last sexual relationship, her only sexual
relationship - no matter what her foolishly jealous lover thought,
had ended over two years ago...she wasn’t on the pill.

Doing some quick mental calculations, she
realized she was at optimum time to get pregnant.

She sat down on the side of the tub as her
legs gave out. That was all she needed, to be pregnant on top of
everything else. Not that the idea of having Ty’s baby was all that
repellent, but right now she couldn’t decide if she loved him or
wanted to kill him.

That was not the kind of dichotomy of
feelings a woman should have for the father of her child.

She spent the rest of the afternoon and
evening vacillating between hope and terror at the prospect of
being pregnant. She couldn’t believe Ty had left her by herself,
but then if he was close to the change maybe he didn’t want her to
see it.

Maybe it was really gross.

The thought was less than comforting.

She found a pack of cards in a drawer in the
kitchen and played several games of Solitaire before going to bed
early. Rescue would not be coming tonight and she was still pretty
exhausted from her long session of lovemaking with Ty.

***

The brown wolf stood outside the cabin,
sniffing the air. He could smell her. So close. He wanted to see
her. No lights were on, but then he hadn’t expected there to be.
The position of the moon said it was well past midnight.

He’d run with the pack, enjoying their
companionship, but he couldn’t stay away from her. She was his
mate. It was his job to make sure she was safe. Protected.

He edged toward the window of the bedroom,
his silent stealth as much a part of his wolf nature as his
instinct to hunt. Once he reached it, he lifted his forepaws to the
sill so he could look inside.

His wolf vision could make her out clearly
under the quilts. She was curled around the pillow he’d used the
night before, her silky brown hair spread across her own
pillow.

He wanted to be in there with her.

Needed it.

He had to touch his mate.
It was the first time he had ever wanted
inside
a building during the full
moon, but the urge was irresistible. He scratched at the window
with his claws.

***

Frankie woke feeling disoriented. Where was
she? There were no branches outside her bedroom window, but
something was scratching on it. Then she remembered. She wasn’t
home in her small apartment in Billings. She was stranded in a
cabin out in the middle of nowhere...a cabin that also had no
nearby trees.

She looked toward the window and
screamed.

Monstrous, gleaming eyes and glowing white,
sharp canine teeth in a big hairy head were illuminated by the
moonlight reflecting off the snow outside. The head disappeared at
the same moment she registered what the monster was.

A wolf.

Her heart beat very fast and she tried to
breathe, but her lungs weren’t cooperating.

Was it Ty? It could be another werewolf.
According to him, there was an entire pack in the area. How big was
a pack? Was it like wolf packs that could vary in size from two to
thirty, or did werewolves have even bigger packs?

It could be a regular wolf too.

Oh, man...was the door locked? She thought
so, but couldn’t remember. She hadn’t thought of any reason to lock
it. After all, who was going to come by? She couldn’t picture a
marauding rapist tramping to the cabin in snow shoes.

There was a scratching sound at the front
door and then the unmistakable sound of it opening.

She trembled, unsure what to do. If she got
up and tried to shut the bedroom door, the wolf would reach her
before she reached it. She could run for the bathroom, but
again...she didn’t think she could reach it in time. But she
couldn’t just stay there like a dolt, waiting to get eaten.

Wolves were hungry in the winter.

Their food source was scarce.

The door shut and her heart leapt into her
throat, but then reason asserted itself. Would a wild wolf really
take the time to shut the door? For that matter wouldn’t he already
be in here, ripping into her throat?

Yuck. Icky imagery. Reminder to self...do
not think so much like a vet in the future.

The wolf came to the doorway and stood
there, just looking at her. It was a dark color, she thought brown,
but although the moonlight was bright, it was dimmer than the sun,
or a lantern.

She swallowed. "T-Ty?"

The wolf barked once, but didn’t move.

"Am I safe with you?"

He stepped into the room. Oh, gosh...he was
big. Huge. Bigger than any wolf she’d ever seen.

He moved regally, but slowly, like he was
afraid of spooking her. His canine head nodded up and down and she
realized he was answering her question.

She was safe.

She let out the breath she’d been
holding.

"Can I light the lamp?"

He barked once. She took that as a yes and
gingerly climbed out of the bed. He didn’t move, but his eyes
followed her. Once the lamp was lit, she placed it on the tall
dresser, illuminating a fair portion of the room.

He was brown, his coat sleek, but his eyes
were Ty’s eyes...Gentian blue. Beautiful.

It was her wolf...the wolf from when she was
a fifteen and inside the man she had loved since that age.

CHAPTER
SEVEN

She licked her lips. "You’re gorgeous."

He padded forward until his head butted up
against her torso. Even after his assurances, standing this close
to such a large beast was terrifying. She hadn't been afraid when
she was a teen, but then she'd been younger...hadn't studied wolves
and their habits so thoroughly.

Now she knew just what one this size was
capable of.

He nuzzled against her chest and whined.

Oh, wow.

She tentatively reached around and patted
him, then buried her hand in the fur of his neck. He turned his
head and licked her wrist. Tears filled her eyes. She didn’t know
why, just that she was moved unbearably by her wolf’s presence in
the house...his desire to be with her.

She leaned down and kissed his muzzle. He
licked her face, his tongue warm and gentle.

She smiled. "I wish you could talk right
now."

I do
too
. The voice was in her head, but it was
Ty’s voice. No doubt about it.

"Ty?"

He looked at her, his eyes questioning.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but
did you just talk in my head?"

You heard me?

"Yes." The tears spilled over. "This is so
strange, but special too. Can all mates hear each other?"

No
.

"Why can I hear you?"

Because you are meant
to
.

She laughed at that.

It’s hot in
here
.

"If you will wear a fur coat inside, what
can you expect?"

A rumble sounded in his throat, almost like
a laugh.

"Do you want me to open a window?" His wolf
instincts would probably like the sense of easy escape that would
give as well as the drop in room temperature it would bring.

He barked once.

She went over and did as she’d offered,
opening it wide and letting in freezing air that made her lungs
tight.

She scooted over to the door and shut it as
well as the one to the bathroom, so the rest of the cabin’s
temperature wouldn’t drop significantly. Her entire body was
shivering by the time she reached the bed. She dove under the
quilts and shook, despite their added warmth.

You are
cold
.

"A little."

I can keep you
warm
. He waited, as if he needed her
permission to get close.

"Okay," she said softly.

He bounded onto the bed,
his move powerful, but graceful. He lay down beside her.
Cuddle up to me
.

She did, sighing with pleasure as heat
emanated from his body to her immediately. "This is nice."

He licked the side of her
face.
Yes, it is
.

The sound of barking outside the cabin
startled her and once again, her body jolted into fight or flight
mode.

Don’t be afraid, my mate.
It’s only my parents and Duke
.

"Do they know about us?"

I told Duke. He must have
told Dad and he would have told Mom, no question
.

"Are they angry?"

I don’t know. I can’t talk
with my parents in wolf form
.

"But Duke can?"

Only with
Dad
.

"This is all pretty confusing."

I’ll explain it all to
you
.

A large silver wolf’s head appeared in the
window, his forepaws on the sill.

She moved closer to Ty, fear a metallic
taste in her mouth.

Duke told me to tell you
to relax. He’s already hunted and he’s not hungry
anymore
.

"Thanks a lot. That’s not all that
funny."

The wolf in the window growled at her and
she turned her face into Ty’s fur.

He’s just cranky. The
growl meant nothing
.

She lifted her head and glared at her future
brother-in-law. "Stop trying to scare me, or I’m going to shoot you
with a tranquilizer gun on the next full moon and dose you for
worms."

That strange rumbling sound vibrated in Ty’s
throat again and Duke barked in obvious censure before disappearing
out of the window.

"He’s so surly."

He has
reason
.

"What did Marigold do?"

I’ll tell you later. First, tell me how
you’re feeling.

"Nice and snuggly with you beside me."

I meant from our
lovemaking. You were sore
.

She blushed at the reminder and hid her face
against his fur. She liked the feeling of the soft pelt against her
skin and she nuzzled him. "I’m better."

An almost purring sound
rumbled in his chest.
Good. Moonset is in
less than four hours
.

"Is that when you return to your human
form?"

Yes
.

"And you want to make love?" She wasn't sure
how she felt about that, but she wasn't as averse to the idea as
she'd been right after their talk anyway.

Very much. I missed out on
the kill in our hunt because I kept thinking about it...about you.
I wanted...needed to be with you
.

He talked about making a kill like it was so
natural and for him it would be, she supposed. But was that so
different from the men she'd known growing up who went hunting
every season and weren't happy unless they came home with a deer or
elk for their trouble?

Her own uncle had gone
camping with his friends every year and brought home more than
one
trophy
. But
for wolves, hunting was also a way of establishing a wolf's role
amidst his peers. It was more than sport, it was necessity...and Ty
had missed out on the most important part...for her.

"Funny, that doesn’t sound like it’s just
sex for you. Not unless you’re no more controlled than a horny
adolescent."

He growled, the sound rumbling through his
huge wolf's body and she grinned, but he couldn’t see it because
she was still nuzzling him with her face.

She yawned, the adrenalin rush draining from
her body, leaving her exhausted. Now that Ty was back, she felt
safe and her sleep up to now had been fitful.

Sleep. I will stay with
you
.

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

Yes. Duke is taking care
of the truck and they’ll come for us later today
.

"Will you wake me up so I can watch you
change?"

You want to see it?

"Of course." She leaned back so she could
look in his animal-human eyes. "You can’t seriously think I would
want to miss it."

It’s not anything special
to watch. It just happens
.

She shook her head. "Your view of
interesting and mine don’t match obviously."

Okay. I’ll wake
you
.

"Promise?"

Yes
.

She snuggled down beside him. "Is it
gross?"

No
.

"Good."

You’d want to watch just the same, though
wouldn’t you?

"What do you think? I’m a vet, just like
you...gross is part of our job."

He nuzzled her and it felt really nice.

"You came back just to be with me?"

Yes
.

"That’s nice."

You are my mate. It is my
duty to protect you
.

She yawned again, cuddling in closer. "Stop
trying to be such a hard ass. I don’t understand all that’s going
on here, but you could have watched over me from outside the cabin
and you made love to me like you meant it. Those facts say
something about your feelings for me even if you’re too stupid or
obstinate to see it. Or both."