Compelled (27 page)

Thorn.

I ran to him, practically plowing into his body, but he didn’t react. My nose touched his head, hoping and praying he wasn’t dead and cold.

He had to be alive.

He had to hold on long enough for me to save him.

He was mine.

His chest rose slowly.

I licked his face with relief and whined.

“Damn you, woman,” he whispered. His voice was faint. Even to my ears.

I licked him again and again. Taking in his scent as I covered him with my warm body. My fur tickled his face, and he laughed softly.

As much as I wanted to change back and do the spell, I needed a moment to rest first. Changing so quickly would leave me too weakened to help him. So I laid my head near his and continued to protect him. Every so often, I made sure he was breathing.

“I’m here.” He reached out and pressed his hand against my flank.

Slowly, I let the change happen. With each breath, I pushed again. First, my right leg. Then my left. My hands and then face. Never had I ever used such concentration to go from being a wolf to a human. It was freeing in a way. Most of the time, I let the wolf take over like it always wanted to do, but this time, I was in control.

I’d lost track of time, but when Thorn’s now warm hand tucked my hip closer to his body, I sensed I was done. He opened his coat and drew my naked body toward his.

It was time.

“Don’t move,” I whispered.

I took his face between my palms. His eyes blinked as if sleep tugged at him.

The words burned into my mind came smoothly. Unlike when I had to free the old magic spellcasters, there was no doubt in my mind this time. My heart swelled as the power pumped through me, and death’s dark hue around him was exposed to me as I spoke. It was dark gray and slithered around him like spreading ink in water. I continued to speak, feeling the magic tug at the blackness around him, slowly plucking it away. The curse retreated and turned from black into an opaque white that disappeared.

By the time my skin chilled from the cold and the sun sat on the horizon, the darkness was gone.

My beloved was free.

“Home?” he murmured finally.

“Definitely. As soon as possible.”

“So how are we getting there?” he asked weakly.

“Ha!” I couldn’t help laughing. “First I need some clothes. Then you and I are getting passports, and we are getting on a plane and flying like normal people. I don’t care how much it costs. No more teleporting. No more casting spells. I want to have a normal life—as normal as I can—for at least the next decade.”

He kissed my neck. “Normal sex, too?”

“Boring, normal sex. Dry humping if necessary.”

He smiled sweetly at me. “I can work with that.”

“So much has happened to us and I’d rather face our issues back home than what we’ve gone through. I’m about to get royally chewed out when I get back, but a new Natalya Stravinsky is ready to make her mark on South Toms River.”

Chapter 27

Our flight back to the U.S. was the smoothest experience I’d ever had. Even the drive from the airport in Newark to South Toms River had gone off without a hitch.

The multiple plane rides had taken nearly a day to complete, but with Thorn at my side, everything was damn near perfect. Even the mystery salmon dish for the airline meal didn’t taste that bad.

But as we approached my parents’ house that evening, my heartbeat sped up and my grip on Thorn’s hand tightened.

“Don’t be scared,” he said.

“I’m not.”

“Then how come I feel like you’re about to break my hand?”

“We have been apart for a while. I’m catching up…”

“Mmm-hmmm.” He gave me a side glance that told me I wasn’t fooling anyone.

After Thorn pulled into the driveway, I took a moment to breathe and wipe the sweat off my palms. Then I opened the car door.
Might as well get it done and over with.
I walked with Thorn up to the house. Someone must have heard the car, the door was open and my mother waited behind it. Her grip on the door tightened and her blue eyes widened as she took me in.

Almost as if she didn’t expect to see me.

I caught the scent of dinner through the door. Mom had prepared fried duck for Dad and Grandma.

Dad joined Mom at the door. They didn’t say a word, merely getting out of the way as Thorn led us inside.

We stood in the middle of the living room as Grandma entered from the dining room. At the sight of me, her eyes brightened. Then she caught the glare from my father.

“I brought her back, Fyodor,” Thorn said. “Or, I should say, your daughter brought
me
back.”

My dad didn’t move. Besides the loud thumping of my heart, the only other sound that bled in was the bubbles from the soup cooking in the kitchen.

Suddenly my dad rushed in to hug Thorn. The big man practically smothered my husband then pulled him back to bring their foreheads together. “I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again, boy. Things had been...grim for you.”

My family continued to face Thorn and I waited for what was to come. Would my dad reach for me next? But my mother hugged Thorn instead, then my grandma got a chance. She kissed his cheeks and looked him over.

“I can see you’re healing again like you should,” she said softly to him.

“Yes, Mrs. Lasovskaya.” He ran his fingers through his blond hair, the grays long gone.

“I told you to stop calling me that. You’re my grandson now. Call me Grandma.”

“I’ll try to remember next time.” Thorn took my hand and tugged me toward Grandma as if to say, “Your turn.”

Dad stepped forward, avoiding Thorn’s eyes out of respect. “Thorn, I need you to leave for a moment.”

Thorn and I exchanged a glance. I knew this was coming, but I managed to remain steady. I was ready for whatever was to come.

“There are words that need to be said to my daughter,” Dad said firmly. “Not to your mate.”

Thorn didn’t let go of me. “I want to shield her.”

Dad sighed. “That doesn’t matter right now.”

A loud knock on the door interrupted the moment. Mom hurried to open it. I held back a groan as all my relatives in South Toms River bounded inside and filled the room.

I was so screwed. None of them looked happy. Aunt Vera scowled and Aunt Olga looked about ready to use the fancy pair of high heels she had on to knock me out. All my aunts and uncles, followed by the cousins and such found a place to stand in the living room. My brother and his wife, who held the baby, came in last. I’d hate to say it, but even Sveta didn’t look pleased either.

“Five minutes,” my father said. He coughed and looked at everyone else who didn’t hide his or her displeasure. “Make that about ten.”

Thorn looked to me and I jerked my head toward the door.
I got this
, my eyes said. He reluctantly left to wait on the lawn with his arms crossed.

And so the conveyor belt of castigating began. Mom got a piece of me first.

“Are you out of your mind, Natalya Stravinsky?” she barked in Russian.

Based on past experience, I knew silence was the key. My mouth threatened to open, but Grandma made a subtle motion, drawing her fingertip across her mouth.
Zip it, girl.

“I worried about you for days after you left.” She pointed to Grandma. “Your grandma couldn’t sleep or eat properly while you were gone. And she’s too old
not
to eat.” By the time she finished, she was breathless, her face a deep red.

I expected her to even slap me, but she pulled me into a hug. Mom smelled so good—like a warm blanket you wrapped around yourself for protection on the darkest of days. The hug was so unexpected, it took my breath away. Then she released me and Aunt Vera closed in before my dad could step in. And so on and so on.

Even my younger cousins got to have a word or two.

But no one looked me in the eyes—which was rather amusing. I kept a straight face the whole time, listening to my punishment and accepting the embrace when it came.

And finally, my dad approached me. Big Fyodor Stravinsky who stood far taller than me with his imposing girth.

“My daughter is a fool.” He was so close I could make out the stubble growing on his face. I could take in his familiar and comforting scent. “A brave fool.”

I wanted to say, “I’m your brave fool, Papa,” but I remained silent.

He took me into his arms and I didn’t stop myself from sighing. I’d come so far since I’d been pushed out of the pack.

Grandma came last, walking silently across the floor. I waited for her words, but she reached up and cupped my face. Her hands were so soft. She gently kissed my cheeks again and again. “I can’t be mad at you,
vnuchka
. Never. A granddaughter I’d never forsake.”

She took me in, smiling with her soft brown eyes. “You did good, girl.”

“Thank you, Grandma.”

After that, I noticed a few family members had helped themselves to Mom’s food and began to sit and eat. She always made too many servings so everyone would be fine. The visitors weren’t done yet, though. Thorn came back inside to greet pack members. More werewolves from South Toms River came by, paid their respect to the returned alpha, and left again with bowed heads.

Even Rex came to the house towards the end.

“You look good, Thorn.” He strolled up to Thorn, but left a healthy distance between them. Briefly, he looked in Thorn’s eyes, but looked away just as quickly.

“Thanks. I appreciate you
taking
care of things while I was gone,” Thorn said.

There was hidden meaning behind his words. Almost as if they had been carefully chosen. My husband rarely smirked at his friends, but I caught the hint of one in his face this time.

“As always,” he replied. “I’d do it whenever needed.”

“Hello, Rex.” I looked at him this time, but he didn’t look in my eyes either. Not once.

“Natalya, it’s good to have you back.”

“I’m glad to be back.” I continued the conversation, waiting for him to say something, to bait me or make me feel beneath him, but he remained silent. And I remained strong.

Rex left a humble man.

I think I destroyed that wall, Aggie.

The night wore on and the celebration continued with wine. The one person I expected to see hadn’t shown up yet.

“Dad, have you seen Aggie?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “I haven’t seen her since you left. Thorn’s brother Will has been out of town, too.”

Thorn nodded at the news. “Maybe they decided to have some time alone?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she left a note or message.”

“We’ll have to look when we get home,” Thorn said.

Just hearing the word “home” made me smile. I hugged my husband and pulled him close to me. His firm chest was the perfect place for my head.

His eyes grew stormy as he kissed my nose. “It’s time for us to go.”

“Most definitely.”

There wasn’t a note or message from Aggie, but I didn’t learn that until the next morning. I spent the night making love with Thorn like we were a bunch of horny newlyweds. He was definitely back to his old self.

Being at home with Thorn, with all our things together, brought me comfort. Not all my Christmas ornaments could fit in his house, but enough fit in the small spare bedroom to keep me happy.

I wanted to go back to my routine or at least try to pretend things were normal. And that meant seeing Bill and begging for my job. I usually got time off when I needed to go somewhere. This time I’d disappeared and left him high and dry, which was rare for me.

I’d probably been fired during my absence.

But there hadn’t been any message from Bill on the answering machine. Just a few from the Home Shopping Network on new sales. Thorn had ignored them, thank goodness.

It was a Tuesday, and I could just as easily go in to face the pesky goblin.

Thorn’s hands circled my waist, drawing me out of my moment of reverie. “I know that face. What’s on your mind?”

“I wonder what’s going on at The Bends…”

“Well, the last time I passed it, they were selling antiques and the spring sale should be going on soon...”

“Stop it. I mean I wonder if I have a job anymore.”

“Do you have to work there?” He grabbed my chin and rubbed his nose against mine. “You don’t have to go back. There are other jobs.”

“But not like that one. It’s a good fit for me.”

His hands drifted down my sides to my lower back where he kneaded the muscles there. He pulled me close to show me what he really wanted me to do instead of going to work.

“You could stay at home. I could stay with you, and we could reproduce. Breed. Make babies?”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

“I can do that—at night—and work somewhere else during the day.” I escaped out of his arms. “Wait here. In bed. And I’ll be back in an hour after I talk to Bill.”

He offered a half-smile. “You’re not going to be back in an hour.”

“How do you know?”

“I know my wife.” He took my hand and led me to the closet. From there, he picked out a blouse and a pencil skirt. “This gray skirt should fit just right,” he said with his eyebrows wagging.

After he picked out my clothes, he laid down on the bed with his hands behind his head. “If you’re gonna leave me I should at least get something nice to look at while you’re gone.”

As I took off my nightgown, and then my bra, I gave him a well-deserved show.

The Bends was relatively busy for a Tuesday morning. There still weren’t any spellcasters, but the cashiers appeared to be rushing to keep up with helping customers and ringing up purchases. I itched to step in and help, but I kept on walking to the business office instead, my heels clicking on the floor. Quinton lumbered out of the dock and waved my way.

“Hey, Nat.” The Bends’s janitor appeared a bit less pale today.

“Quinton.”

“Good to see you at work,” he said.

“Thanks.”

He almost turned to leave, but stopped mid-stride. “The smell is gone.” His facial expression turned apologetic. “And I’m sorry, but I haven’t found the time to do research for you.”

“I don’t need to know what it is—it’s okay. You’re busy with a new girlfriend and she should have your spare time.”