Fever (Blood Moon Rising, #1) (6 page)

Chapter 6

Gage watched her go, forcing himself
to stay rooted to the spot. He wanted to give chase - all wolves
did. And normally he would have, had she been any other
she-wolf.

Danica was nothing like them. She was
so much more.

The image of her body, bared and
smelling of roses and her arousal, was burned into his mind. He
hardened thinking about her. He could still feel the soft plumpness
of her breasts against his hands, taste how eagerly her nipples had
responded to him.

Groaning, he shook his head and paced
the room, trying to cool down. The fact it was warm in here due to
the fire didn’t help.

Striding toward the balcony, he opened
the doors and strolled out into the crisp night air. He gripped the
railing, inhaling deeply. The smell of cigarette smoke drifted
toward him. Lucky Strikes. He didn’t need to look to know Nik was
standing a few feet away.

The two wolves stood in silence for a
moment. “Looks like you two are going to get along just fine,” Nik
said, the sound muffled because the cigarette was caught between
his lips.

Gage smirked. “I should have known you
were watching, you dirty bastard. I’d think you’d see enough porn,
as frequently as your bed is occupied. You should have been an
incubus.”

“
Nah.” Nik took one last
drag then tossed the butt. “I couldn’t deal with the ‘no
relationships’ clause.”

Gage smiled softly. “You’ll find her.
Be thankful your fever hasn’t taken hold.”

Nik grinned. “Can’t wait ‘til it
does.”

Gage snorted. A light flashed in a
window from the corner of his eye, and he looked up. He sucked in a
sharp breath. Danica was watching him from her room. The drapes
quickly drew shut, and Gage’s shoulders slumped.

“
How’d she take the
werewolf thing?” Nik asked.

Gage avoided his brother’s gaze and
mumbled, “I haven’t told her.”

“
Shit.”

“
Cut me some slack. What
was I supposed to say? That I kidnapped her so I could have sex
with her and bind her to me forever?”

“
Nah, talk about destiny.
Women like destiny and soul mates.”

Gage sighed. “You’re
hopeless.”

“
Besides,” Nik said, “it
didn’t seem like she was putting up too much of a
fight.”

Gage’s jaw ticked. It didn’t bother
him so much that Nik had been spying on them as it did he’d seen
his mate partially naked.

Nik studied him for a long, silent
moment. “You know what I think?”

“
I don’t know why you
bother asking. You’ll just tell me anyway, whether I want to hear
it or not.”

“
Damn right I will.” Nik
crossed his arms. “I think you’re afraid of scaring her
off.”

“
What? Don’t be
ridiculous.” Gage looked away.

Nik pointed to himself.
“Werewolf, remember? And your brother
and
packmate, at that. I can sense
your fear. I just hit the nail on the head.”

Gage’s hands gripped the railing so
tightly his knuckles were white. “I can’t lose her. Ever since I
got packmaster, I’ve felt like I was king of a castle of cards,
like the whole deck can topple at any minute. Our peace with the
other packs - and with each other - is fragile.”

Nik’s expression softened, and he
placed a hand on Gage’s shoulder. “You did what you had to do.
Exiling those set on war was the right thing to do. They’ll find
new packs.”

“
Do you think one of them
is behind this, wanting to kill Danica, that is?”

Nik sighed hard and rubbed the back of
his neck. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s hard to say.”

“
Do we have any
leads?”

“
Not yet. A few have
checked in, saying they haven’t found anything.”

Gage’s frown felt heavier.

“
Don’t worry. We’ll find
the son of a bitch who tried to kill your mate. And when we do.” He
cracked his knuckles. “We’ll do what we do best.”

Gage’s mouth quirked up in a small yet
wicked smile.

Nik slapped him on the back as he
walked by. “You should go see your woman. It’ll be a shame if she
goes through her first Change without a warning. Been there, done
that. It sucks.”

“
I know,” Gage murmured,
resting his elbows on the railing and running his hands through his
hair.

Nik left, leaving Gage alone with the
wilderness. A blanket of moonlit trees spread out before him, and a
lake shimmered in the distance. Normally, he’d find this
environment calming, but tonight the moon, about a week from
swelling to its fullest, reminded him of the impending Blood
Moon.

Growling a curse, he turned and
strolled back inside and up the stairs. Nik was right. Danica had a
right to know what was happening to her. The question was, would
she listen to him long enough for him to explain? Or worse, would
she think him crazy?

With trepidation, he knocked on her
door and waited. Soft footsteps padded closer; he knew she was
standing on the other side of the door.

“
Who is it?” she
called.

“
Gage. Can we
talk?”

“
I don’t want to
talk.”

“
You said you wanted
answers.”

There was a pause, then the bolt
clicked and the door opened a hair. Green eyes stared back at him
warily. “You just want to talk?”

He nodded.

She stared at him, biting her lip,
then at last opened the door and stepped aside.

He strolled in and she shut the door,
folding her arms over her chest. “All right. Let’s hear
it.”

She’ll make a fine
queen
. Pushing aside his admiration, he
gestured to the bed. “Sit with me?”

Her eyes turned suspicious.

“
Or you can stand,” he
amended cautiously. “Just thought you may want to be sitting down
for this.”

The suspicion in her eyes immediately
shifted to fear. “Why? Is it that bad or shocking?”

Sweetheart, you have no
idea
. He took a moment to figure out how to
start. “The tattoo on your hand is permanent. It’s called a
Mark.”

She looked at it. For a moment, he
feared she’d refuse to believe him, but she surprised him by
saying, “How did it get there?”

“
Through magic.”

She snorted. “Yeah. Okay.”

His hope deflated. “I know this sounds
nuts-”

“
It’s not just nuts. It’s
completely out in the stratosphere. Magic doesn’t
exist.”

“
Do you really believe
that?”

She stared at him. “Yes.”

He braced himself. Looked like this
was going to require the hard way…. “I’ll have to prove you wrong,
then.”

Taking a deep breath, he closed his
eyes, feeling his skin tingle with the first twinges of the Change.
It didn’t hurt like it did the first few times. His body was used
to it, anticipated it even. He tried to focus on nothing, to let
the Change flow effortlessly, molding his bones and muscles into a
new shape. The thing about weres and shape-shifters is that they
never quite lose touch with their humanity, even when inhabiting
another form. It was a fantastic blend of animal and human, and he
reveled in its power. It reminded him of what he was supposed to be
- where and who he was supposed to be. The power of nature brought
security, something he hadn’t had growing up. Being the baby
brother in his rowdy family didn’t exactly help.

As his wolf senses took over, he could
sense more of the emotions rolling off Danica - surprise, denial,
awe, terror.

Not wanting to repulse her, he quickly
pushed the Change along. Within seconds, a great white wolf stood
on four paws before her.

Danica shrieked, backing up against
the wall. “Oh, my God! What the hell? Help!”

There’s no need to call for
help
, he said, reaching out to her through
her mind. Thanks to the Mark, he knew she’d be able to hear it. She
was bound to him now, connected in a way no other man or woman
could ever be.

Her head whipped around. “Who said
that?”

I did
. He took a careful step forward.

“
Stay back!” She edged
closer to the fireplace, taking her eyes off him only long enough
to grab a fire poker.

I won’t hurt
you
.

“
This isn’t happening,” she
said, pinching herself hard. “Wake up!”

All right, maybe shifting before her
wasn’t the best idea. He quickly Changed back, standing completely
naked and covered in sweat.

Her face went completely white, those
enchanting green eyes going so large he thought they may pop from
her head. “What are you?” she at last whispered.

He kept his eyes on her shaking knees,
preparing to catch her should she faint. “I’m a werewolf….” He
swallowed hard and sucked in a breath. “As you will soon
be.”

“
What are you talking
about?”

“
That Mark - it’s the Mark
of the Change. All werewolves have them.”

“
No. I don’t want to be a
werewolf. I didn’t ask for this.”

“
Few of us rarely do,” he
said darkly. His heart broke a little, staring at her terrified
face. “I’m sorry, but once the Mark has been given, there is
nothing I or anyone else can do to revoke it.”

“
But that’s impossible!
Surely, somebody, somewhere, knows how to get rid of
it!”

“
Believe me, people have
tried.”

She stared at him for a while, silent
tears falling down her face. “I just wanted to go on a date, maybe
fall in love. Start over.”

He walked toward her, but she whipped
up the fire poker, holding it before her like a sword. His hands
clenched into fists as he paused. “This doesn’t have to be a curse.
It can be a gift - a new life.”

“
What kind of
life?”

“
A life with me, as my
mate.”

“
What are you talking
about?”

“
That Mark,” he pointed to
it, “it only appeared when I touched you. That only happens when a
were finds his mate.”

“
You mean… like
forever?”

He pressed his lips together, bracing
himself for her rejection. Since when did he so desperately crave
this woman’s approval?

“
I know this is a lot to
take in,” he said slowly, gently lowering the poker.

“
A lot to take in? My whole
life has been turned upside down!”

“
When you came to the bar
that night, you were looking for something, for someone to belong
to. Otherwise, what’s the point of dating?”

She stared up into his eyes. Hope,
longing, and fear mingled in the green depths of her irises. Her
breathing quickened as she wetted her lips. “This Mark… is it
responsible for making me feel this way around you?”

“
What way is that?” he
murmured.

She swallowed hard. “I want you,” she
whispered. “I don’t know why, but… since meeting you, it seems to
be the only thing I can think about.”

“
And what kind of things do
you think about?”

She took a breath and wetted her lips,
her long-lashed eyes ducking to his mouth. “All kinds of
things.”

Those beautiful eyes looked up, a
question in them. He could feel her fear - and her desire. For a
long moment, they stared at one another. She was so exquisite, so
innocent.

So fragile.

With perfect tenderness, he reached up
and cupped her cheek, brushing away a wisp of blonde hair with his
thumb. His tanned skin contrasted nicely with her creamy flesh.
“May I kiss you, my lady?”

Her throat flashed as she swallowed
hard, and her pulse picked up its pace. “Yes.”

He didn’t waste another second. No
sooner did the answer pass her lips then his mouth crashed down on
hers, his hands burying in her hair. She moaned as he ravished her,
his hands searching every inch of her plush, silky body beneath the
robe he was ready to tear off.

“
I would treasure you,” he
whispered against her mouth, “would treat you like the queen you
are. Please, don’t fear me.”

She sighed with pleasure as he kissed
her neck, stooping to her breasts, her nipples erect and primed for
his tongue. She reached forward and grabbed his length, stroking
him long and hard.

He groaned. “Yes, just like
that.”

She gripped him with both hands,
pumping him in slow, tantalizing movements. He felt himself growing
longer for her, needing to be inside her wet, hot depths, needing
to claim her.

Slowly, she lowered herself to her
knees so her face was in front of his crotch.

“
What are you doing?” he
asked raggedly.

A coy smile was his answer. “Seeing
what I could potentially be getting myself into.”