Forbidden Attraction (9 page)

He left his littermate to her fun. Tearing through the snow, Heidi leapt quite a distance ahead of him. But she wouldn’t get out of his sight. One thing mattered—Heidi wouldn’t get away!

Her scent was clear, but her speed was incredible. The snow hindered his progress.

He just wasn’t accustomed to the stuff, at least not this much of it. But he had to keep moving. No way would he fucking lose her. The little bitch ran into a world of trouble, leaping across Malta territory like she did. Any werewolf on this side of the mountain would pick up her scent. He smelled her panic, her terror and her determination. But the little bitch had a hell of a long run back to her pack, with too much snow to make it a safe journey.

Heidi disappeared over the side of the mountain, but then he found her leaping down the side of a cliff, jumping over snow-covered rocks. He flew over them, following her, sliding over several of them and feeling the freezing moisture cling to his coat. Nothing would stop him from catching her though. Not the cold, the snow, the dangerous, slippery rocks. Nothing! Heidi wouldn’t be safe until he had her back by his side.

A roaring sound shook the ground underneath him, and he forced himself to slow down. Just in time too. He lowered his head, his ears perking to the noise rumbling beneath him.

Water, moving below the ice. He’d reached part of the waterfall, covered by snow and ice, but nonetheless roaring still. And a dangerous, terrible death to any werewolf who crashed through the packed snow and got trapped underneath.

His heart pounded. Heidi’s scent lingered around him, but he didn’t see her. Damn her white coat for fading into the snow that covered everything. He wouldn’t lose her.

No one would protect her but him. Even if she did make it to her pack, she faced certain reprimand and discipline for taking off. He’d heard her pack leader through the phone, 45

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and he wouldn’t have some
lunewulf
taking his hatred toward Malta werewolves out on Heidi.

Running along the buried water, he reached a tree, its branches hanging low from snow. Nicolo leapt into its branches, ignoring how they scraped his hide. No amount of pain mattered at the moment. All that he cared about raced down the mountain on the other side of the water.

Nicolo gained speed, racing the length of one of the heavier branches until his weight brought him dangerously close to the water rushing under the snow. He leapt, using all of his strength while he roared in determination. He slid on the snow, reaching the other side of the rushing water and continuing to slide before gaining his footing.

Giving himself a vigorous shake, he sent snow flying from his fur. At the same time, he sniffed the air, searching for her scent. He didn’t find it. He kept his nose close to the ground, moving farther down the side of the mountain until he spotted smaller paw prints—the prints of a werewolf smaller than his breed.
Lunewulf
prints.

Then the snow parted, large cracks stretching over hard-packed snow that sparkled all around him. It made no sense why it broke here, split open and adding to the danger around him. He moved slowly, keeping an eye on his surroundings while continuing to sniff the ground.

Suddenly his footing gave out underneath him. He crashed into snow up to his shoulders and struggled backward as quickly as he could to keep from falling deeper into snow that had recently collapsed from someone else’s weight.

And that’s when he saw her. He’d almost missed her. The snow deceived him and it had deceived Heidi too. Nicolo stood on the edge of a cliff that fell a good fifteen feet down. So much snow covered the edge that someone wouldn’t notice the drop if they ran too fast to be paying attention.

Heidi had fallen over the side of the cliff and lay on the ground below, not moving.

Snow threatened to cave in around her.

Nicolo’s heart pounded so hard in his chest that it drowned out all sounds around him. This little bitch risked everything to seek him out. Her energy, openness and desire to be with him called out a part of him that had never surfaced before. His muscles shook from the rush of emotions that hit him as he stared down at her unmoving body.

Beneath her, the snow started fading from white to pink and then red.

No! You won’t die, little bitch.
He howled with so much ferocity that his body shook, causing more snow to give way underneath him.

Nicolo jumped off the cliff, landing next to her. Snow flew around him, blinding him while her scent and the rich smell of blood filled his system.

Heidi!
He licked her fur, feeling life pump in the warmth of her body underneath her cold, wet coat. She lived. Her heart throbbed steadily against his chin when he rested his head over her. For the moment, he grabbed on to that knowledge to wash away the panic that threatened him briefly. He ran his tongue over her face, cleaning 46

Forbidden Attraction

every inch of her, and then her head, down the back of her neck and to her shoulders.

He didn’t find where she was hurt. She had to be lying on wherever she was cut.

Slowly her eyes fluttered, and then she yelped, fighting instantly to stand. Relief hit him so hard he almost fell over. She growled, wrinkling her furry white lip and baring long white teeth.

Be still, my little white bitch. You aren’t going anywhere but back with me.
He fought a grin when she tried so hard to stand on her injured leg.

Instead she stumbled and then held her leg gingerly while trying hard not to let him hear her whimper. Her pain had to be intense at the moment. Blood stained one of her shoulders and streaked her leg. He’d get her back to his den and clean her up. A good night’s sleep and she’d just have a little limp tomorrow. Werewolves had very high metabolisms—one thing he knew that didn’t vary from breed to breed. She’d be fine in a day or so.

Heidi didn’t fight him as much as he thought she would when he grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. Her struggle was short-lived, which showed him how much pain she endured at the moment. He lifted her off the ground, standing still until she relaxed and curled up like a cub when he held fast to the soft part of the back of her neck.

Carrying her like a bitch would her pup, he slowly worked his way back up the snowy cliff, taking the long way to avoid the frozen river that flowed down the mountain.

Twice he stopped and wrapped his much larger body around Heidi while she licked her wound and then panted. She was alert, keeping an eye on her surroundings, although he smelled no fear on her.

You’re safe with me
, he growled, fighting to keep his cock from getting hard while her warm body nuzzled against his. Her white fur was so soft, shorter than his but thick and straight, with no discoloration. The soft tilt of her almond-shaped eyes gave her an exotic look. She had a narrow mouth and a moist black nose that barely twitched when she sniffed the air between them. Her slender neck faded into muscular shoulders and a perfectly shaped body.

Honestly, Nicolo had only seen
lunewulf
in their fur from a distance. If she were any indication of what a normal
lunewulf
looked like, then she came from a very handsome breed. Somehow he doubted every one of her kind was as hot and sexy. But it was more than that. As she turned, shifting against him and licking her wound, she had an elegance and poise to her that he’d never seen before on any bitch. It was almost as if he stood in the presence of royalty, of a goddess whose movement and actions rated his full attention.

When she finished cleaning her leg, she relaxed against him. His heart pounded painfully in his chest when she slowly looked up, staring into his eyes with deep pools of silver. The amount of trust and faith he saw in her gaze stole his breath. He lowered his head, rubbing his nose against hers. In spite of the smell of her pain, he detected her desire. It hadn’t subsided even though she was hurt.

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In their fur, she was half his size. As she rubbed against him, cuddling closer and creating enough heat between them he swore the snow would melt, her lean, muscular body, so perfect and petite, called forth every protector’s instinct inside him. He’d fight and kill for her. And although Nicolo would kill for any bitch who needed his protection, something about Heidi hit him harder than any other bitch ever had. Her spirit, her drive and determination to seek out and do what she wanted appealed to him even though her actions had brought her close to getting her adorable ass in deep shit.

She needed a leash put on her. Or maybe, she needed him.

That thought got him so fucking hard, he adjusted himself quickly. But not fast enough. Heidi stumbled, sensing the change in his scent. She growled and then moaned when she put too much weight on her bad leg.

Don’t ever doubt me when I tell you that you’re safe with me
. He wouldn’t have her fearing him, and he lowered his head as he growled, demanding she learn and accept that fact immediately.

The stubborn little bitch attempted to leave the safety of his body. She limped away from him, getting a few yards before he overtook her. Latching down on the back of her neck, he held her with his mouth until she collapsed under his weight and he easily picked her up again. Forcing his cock to go limp proved impossible, especially when her hot little body bumped against his repeatedly when he moved back up the mountain.

But taking her in their fur would mate them. Call him old school, but certain traditions would always be honored. No matter who the werewolf or what breed or pack they came from, pack laws and traditions held true and strong—or they should.

Heidi would learn and understand that Nicolo held honor higher than anything. And if she didn’t now, he’d make sure the little bitch ran with the same honor and appreciation of what made all werewolves the strongest species on earth. Nicolo would get to know this little bitch better, a lot better, and if and when the day came when they wished to mate, it would be something both of them wanted with all their hearts. That is how it would be.

It took them a lot longer, but Nicolo took a backward route toward Malta dens, so that it was late afternoon by the time they reached his place. The clothes twisted around her neck would need to be washed before she could wear them again. And even then, he wouldn’t know until he untwisted them if the bloodstains would come out or not.

Either way, she’d bled enough that she didn’t have the strength to change into her human form when they entered his den.

He left her sleeping, curled in a ball by his fireplace, while he returned to his human form and dressed quickly. Then, getting a fire roaring, he arranged several blankets around her before settling onto the couch. No way would he leave her unattended for even a minute. At the moment, he really didn’t care where Dimitri was, but his little bitch wouldn’t wake up and face the wrath of Dimitri without Nicolo there to intervene.

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Heidi stretched and immediately a dull throb attacked her arm. She burrowed herself farther under the covers, seeking the warmth while she took her time waking up. The hardness underneath her brought her to her senses. And her arm didn’t want to straighten. Her head pounded while she fought with memories that hit her like flashes of light. Staying with the Malta bitch, Erin…leaving her den, running through incredibly deep snow…being attacked…running from all of them.

Nicolo.

He’d dragged her out of the snow and carried her like a pup.

“Oh shit,” she groaned, sitting up quickly.

And he sat facing her, stretched out on the couch with one leg reaching the other end while the other relaxed on the floor. He wore loose-fitting gray sweatpants and no shirt. Black curly hair barely sprinkled over otherwise smooth, hard muscle. The blanket that covered her slid down her body. She grabbed it, realizing she was naked.

Nicolo’s hooded gaze dropped to her breasts. “Ready for something to eat and a hot shower?”

“Why am I naked?”

“When I brought you in here, you were still in your fur.” His expression didn’t change other than his mouth curving slightly. “If you like, next time I can dress you.”

Heat sparked her insides like electrical currents. “Next time?” Thoughts of Nicolo’s hands touching her while dressing—or undressing—made it damned hard to focus on what was going on at the moment.

“You’re right. There will be no next time.” With an effortless, quick movement, he leaned forward on the couch, coming from a reclined position to elbows on knees in the fraction of a second. “Promise me now.”

“Promise you what?” She swallowed, knowing she dealt with a deadly predator and sat naked on the floor in his den. But damn it, no one ever bullied her.

“If I’m fighting to protect you, don’t run from me.”

She stared into his dark eyes. Everything about him was dark. And damned fucking appealing. She needed to say something so that he’d understand. But as he stared at her, muscles in his arms twitched. He shifted one leg, straightening it. So much werewolf sprawled out in front of her. His scent—a mixture of determination and lust—

wrapped around her and made it damned hard to think.

Finally she looked down, noticing for the first time that her arm was bandaged. “I wasn’t running from you,” she said quietly. “I ran because of you.”

“I don’t want you running from me for any reason.” His baritone gave her chills.

He stood and held out his hand to help her up. “Come here. Let’s get you showered. You’ve slept for quite a few hours and I would bet that cut is fairly well healed. Fortunately, you didn’t break any bones.”

Her arm was stiff, but there wasn’t any pain. And it had been wrapped fairly tight, making it even harder to straighten, but it was necessary to close any torn skin together 49

Lorie O’Clare

and allow it to heal properly with minimal scarring. She would have wrapped it the same way if she’d been awake to do it.

If she took his hand, she wouldn’t be able to hold up the blanket. So she ignored his gesture and held the blanket to her breasts with her good hand so that she wouldn’t be naked in front of him. Although with just the blanket loosely wrapped around her, every inch of her tingled as if she were completely exposed.