Pricolici (5 page)

“I'm sorry. It's been…hard, lately.” Not to mention Stelian would be the first lupe who hadn’t jumped him, when given the chance. This time it was Tucker's turn to avoid looking at Stelian. He still shivered, but he didn't feel like his heart was going to pound out of his chest. Stelian's aura flowed through the room and brushed gently against Tucker. Instead of choking him with his dominance, or scaring him into thinking that Stelian was going to attack, the touch soothed and petted him. Tucker’s chin sank to his chest, and he sighed softly as Stelian’s aura retreated. 

“Thank you,” Tucker murmured. He looked up and saw Stelian’s eyes narrow at him.

“My wolf sensed your fear and came, as if you summoned him. I didn’t intend to do that. I thought if you felt my power, you’d be scared. You shouldn't have been able to do that.” His sharp tone sounded like more than irritation to Tucker. Things could get ugly if an alpha was angry with a lower-ranked lupe. Tucker quickly opened his hands and tilted his head back, exposing his throat to Stelian. He clenched his hands together, fighting not to move.

“I didn't mean to; you have to believe me. I'd never try to control your wolf. You're an alpha, I’m not even a strong submissive. I—”

“Stop that.” Stelian shook his head, interrupting him. “I'm not upset, just surprised. It seems there is a lot more about hultans I don’t know. I told you, you're not a lupe. Things like pack dominance have no bearing on you. You are neither dominant nor submissive. You are a hultan. You are
other
.”

Instead of making him feel better, that made Tucker more upset. Stelian’s nostrils flared. “Why are you sad now?”

“Other means alone. You’re saying I'm a freak. If there’s no one else like me, I'm truly on my own.” Stelian opened his mouth, but Tucker cut him off. “I know I've been alone since I left my haitas, but from what you say, they were never my pack. I've always been alone, and I never knew it.”

“No. You're not alone. I told you, we’re meant to be mates. We're connected. Your power has bound you and me together. At the next pack meeting, I’ll explain it to my haitas. When you're ready, we'll mate and announce our intention to have the full moon ceremony.”

Ceremonies? Tucker felt his stomach start flipping. He wasn’t a lupe, he’d somehow made the scariest fucking lupe in the world his mate with powers he didn’t know he had, and now that male wanted to show him off in front of his entire haitas? And where exactly did Stelian get off
telling
him they were going to be mates.

“I need some time to think about everything. I—” His voice shook. “This is all so much, I can't think straight. I need to be alone.” Tucker shoved his chair away from the table. The scents of his anxiety and confusion radiated from him so strongly, he knew the other man could smell them too. If what Stelian said was the truth, he might not have a choice…
but could he trust him?

“There are gardens in the back, and you're welcome to go anywhere in the house you want, other than my office. I ask that you please don't leave the grounds if you do go outside.” Stelian’s voice took on a rumble, and his eyes glowed yellow for a moment as the wolf stared out at Tucker. “There are guards, of course, but I will hunt you down if you try to run away, and you won’t like what my wolf will claim from you for the trouble.”

Stelian stayed in his chair as Tucker rushed out of the room. Tucker flushed, his face heating, when he heard Stelian mutter, “At least he didn't pass out when he panicked this time.” His embarrassment only made him flee faster.

Chapter Five

He didn't really see the house as he followed the scent of flowers. He had the impression of big rooms and a lot of fancy furniture throughout, but Tucker focused on getting out of the house. He burst through a pair of French doors onto a wide patio. Steps led down to a garden where all sorts of plants grew in neat beds. Tucker spotted a stairway off to the right and stumbled down to a well-groomed gravel path.

Winding through the flower beds and past several benches, the path showcased the most beautiful areas of the garden. Tucker wasn’t interested in the flowers as he fled from the house. It’d been cold inside the house, but outside the warm air was almost too sweet with the heavy scent of the sun-warmed petals.

Tucker’s feet began to ache, and he slowed into a walk, until he was as far from the house as he could get. He found one of the farthest corners of the garden—a small square of grass cut off by a shallow creek and ringed by bushes—and sat down on the bank. From the ground, he couldn’t see the house at all. The little spot was small and obviously man-made, but he liked it. The cool grass was out of the direct sun, which was beginning to feel too warm. At least he got one of the things he wanted by moving south.

He tugged up the cuffs of his pants so he could put his bare feet in the water, enjoying the chill as he rubbed his soles on the smooth rocks. He fell back onto the soft grass and stared up at the light blue sky. Holding an imaginary paintbrush, he traced the feathery clouds in a whimsical moment until he sighed, dropping his arm beside him.

He was stalling. He knew he was, but the thought of facing what Stelian said, even in his own mind, was scary. Stelian frightened and aroused him at the same time. His overbearing nature should have been obnoxious and stifling, but beyond the usual arrogance of an alpha was a man who could’ve taken advantage of Tucker, but didn’t.

Tucker had a rough childhood, losing his parents before he was old enough to really remember them was traumatic. Growing up in a pack of werewolves who were driven by their nature to be dominant or submissive wasn't easy either. He prided himself on his ability to see any situation for what it was and to be pragmatic about it. If he were honest with himself, he had to acknowledge what Stelian said wasn’t so far-fetched.

He'd always been different. He'd also been searching for something, almost driven to find it. He had a lot of energy, one of the reasons he loved to dance—at least before he began to shift. He got in trouble a lot as a kid for wandering off from haitas territory, too. That near compulsion to move, to explore, hadn't bothered him since he woke up.

The physical pull he felt before entering the bar had faded, now that he was thinking about it, it began to grow again. He could feel it building, the ache deep inside that demanded to be fulfilled.
The need
.

He growled and dug his hands into the ground. He wouldn't go back inside and ask that overbearing alpha what was wrong with him again. The man was condescending enough. The lupe had said he had powers, the ability to do stuff. He’d been waking up exhausted, like he hadn’t slept at all… except for last night. Maybe it was magic that created this feeling in him, because he hadn't used it.

But if he’d been projecting some part of himself in his sleep, how was he supposed to do it awake?

Tucker closed his eyes and tried to push his mind outside his body. He pictured hovering above himself like he’d seen in countless TV shows when someone had died and their spirit stuck around. His muscles tightened as he strained. That didn’t do shit.

He slumped back against the soft ground and sighed. He could see the arrogant lupe now; that stern, strong face staring at him, his full lips moving, holding Tucker’s gaze with his yellow eyes as he lectured him. He felt a warm glow, and tilted his head back, thinking it was the sun. The memory of Stelian’s hot, muscled body pinning him at the bar last night, for everyone to see, hit him like a hammer.

Tucker shuddered.

Suddenly, Tucker wasn't picturing Stelian anywhere he’d seen him before. He was sitting at a desk in a room lined with books. There was a big window behind him, and he was talking on a phone. His was scowling, his eyes narrow slits. They were glowing yellow, his wolf's presence peering out. Tucker focused on the way Stelian's mouth moved, trying to hear what had him so furious. Suddenly, he could.

“Phell will live only long enough to regret this." Stelian's voice was a low growl. "Gather the Hunters. If he thinks he can enter Pricolici territory and not die for the transgressions he commits, then I will disabuse him of that notion. Painfully." There was a pause. "You have one hour.”

He slammed the phone down and jerked out of his chair. Pacing the room, he shivered. Stelian leaned against his desk, his muscles writhing, like his wolf was trying to come out, and he was forcing it back.

“I know you are there, Tucker. Spying on me is a bad idea. A very bad idea.” Stelian's yellow eyes scanned the room. It was as though he could clearly sense Tucker, but he couldn't see him.

Was this what Stelian meant earlier about Tucker being in the bar? Had Tucker really done this before and not realized
it?

“Come to me, before I have to come find you.”

Stelian was coming straight at him and Tucker jerked back in alarm, afraid that if he touched the angry man something bad would happen. He felt a force pulling on him, and he closed his eyes as nausea gripped him. He didn’t want to know if he’d see his body lying on the ground, as if he was dead. The thought suddenly unnerved him. One second it felt like he was moving, the next he was back in his body with every inch of his skin crawling.

He sat up with a gasp and pulled his chilled feet out of the small creek. Tucker scrubbed at his arms, trying to push away the crawling sensation. That had to be the most bizarre thing he’d ever done; it didn’t feel anything like shifting. Scrambling to his feet, he stared through the garden at the house. He didn't want to go in, but he was exhausted. Stelian didn't seem to be in control of his wolf. A wolf out of control around him was always bad news. He could get hurt.

He snorted.
Like that would be anything new.
Tucker wiped his wet feet off on the grass and then slowly made his way back down the path. He slowed further as he got close enough to see the house past some thick bushes.

A figure appeared in the right side of the French doors he’d left open, and Tucker flinched. He could feel his stare from the house, as if Stelian knew exactly where he was. The need he felt kicked up a notch and, even afraid, he felt the pull. A flash of heat shot upward from Tucker’s feet and through his body; that feeling he’d had for as long as he could remember really did lead to Stelian.

Tucker stopped at the edge of the lawn off the deck, not willing to go closer. The ancient lupe literally filled the doorway. Tucker could feel Stelian’s agitation. It cooled his heat somewhat; he felt like a little boy standing before his parent.

“I didn't spy on you on purpose,” he said. “I didn't think it would work at all; much less that I’d be able to actually see you.” Tucker had no idea what to do with his hands. He longed for pockets to stick his hands in.

Stelian shook his head. “I told you that you did. How do you think you found your way here, to my club? Why come straight to me instead of any other direction you could have taken?”

Tucker glared at him. “Shane sent me this direction. He actually told me to come to Carrow City!”

“You could’ve gone any other way once you left his territory. Why keep going? Why did you come to my club? I bet you drove straight there, didn’t you?” He was calming as he pointed out facts that Tucker couldn't argue against. Tucker was getting more upset by the minute as the truth—the fact he
was
a hultan—hammered into him with each question he couldn’t answer. Why did he have to be different?

“The fact is that you
are
a hultan. Your power knows that you need a strong mate and chose me. My wolf chose you after we finally caught your scent, at the bar, in person. Your visits have teased us over and over, and I'm barely able to keep from pouncing on you. Your powers have been growing since you first shifted; that’s why the lupes in Shane’s haitas lost control. He called me, and that’s when I knew you were hultan and demanded he send you to me.”

“Well, I must have been asleep before because I have no idea what I did all those nights, much less this time. All I was doing was thinking of you.” Tucker’s lips clamped shut when he realized what he’d said.

The flat line of Stelian's mouth became a curve as he smiled, and his posture changed. He leaned against one side of the door frame and his hips shifted, drawing Tucker's eyes down to the bulge tucked behind the buttons of his jeans. Tucker licked his lips, and his chest rose and fell faster as his breathing sped up.

It’d been too damn long since he’d been touched.

“You were thinking about me?” Stelian asked, his voice a pleased rumble.

Tucker jerked his gaze up Stelian’s body. Stelian's chest swelled as he took a deep breath, staring at Tucker. He knew Stelian had scented his arousal, but he couldn’t help himself—lupes were tactile, and no matter what he was, he’d been raised among people who craved touch. Another deep inhale drew Tucker’s gaze to the top buttons left undone on Stelian’s polo, and the small hint of curls he could see over the fabric. Tucker's fingers twitched. He wanted to touch those curls.

He also hated that he wanted to touch those curls.

“You know I was! This whole situation is messed up, and you're a huge part of it. What else am I going to be thinking about? It wasn't like that, though,” Tucker protested. He licked his lips, his nostrils flaring as Stelian’s spicy scent wafted to him on the breeze. It overlaid the scent of the flowers, the musk stronger than the sweet scent. “You’re talking like we’re already mates—like it’s a foregone conclusion. It’s a lot to take in, and I’m not sure if I want any of it.” Damn it, Stelian smelled really good.

Stelian raised an eyebrow at Tucker’s hostile tone and looked down at what was sure to be a bulge since the athletic pants didn’t hold anything in and Tucker didn’t have any underwear. “You sure you're not protesting a little too much?”

Tucker let out an irritated sound, shoving his hair out of his eyes. He glared at Stelian. “What is it with you? You were two seconds away from exploding and now you're fine, just like that?”

Stelian left the doorway, stalking toward him. “You’re 'what's with me'. I can smell your arousal and feel your need. Your body and magic want me. My wolf wants to mark you. We
are
going to be mates.”

Tucker looked over his shoulder, hoping a path would magically appear to take him away from the whole damn situation. That would be a valuable magical skill to have. He turned back to Stelian and gasped when he realized how close the large lupe was. He took a step back, bringing his hands up.

“Well, my mind isn’t made up, even if you’re so sure. Since that’s the part of me in charge, you can just back up. This is too bizarre. You could be playing some game with me. I don’t know you.” Tucker felt his breath grow shorter as Stelian left the porch and kept coming. He wanted to be afraid, but the stronger Stelian’s scent got, the harder it was to feel anything but arousal. He didn’t want to risk his heart on a stranger. He had to resist his urges.

“Really? You don't smell how much I want you? You don't feel how my wolf has already chosen you as his mate? You carry my scent.” Stelian paused in front of him. “It doesn’t have to be so complicated.”

Tucker wanted to caress that wide chest, but clenched his hands to keep from doing so. His cock was painfully erect. His nostrils flared. The whole house smelled like the older lupe, but he had noticed the faint scent clinging to his skin when he was walking through the garden “I slept in your bed and I’m wearing your clothes,” he pointed out, “so of course I smell like you.”

Stelian closed the last little distance between them. Tucker's breath caught as the older male dragged him into the circle of his arms, up against that hard chest. “No one else matches you like I can. Trust your instincts,” Stelian said.

Stelian was thousands of years old. His aura was powerful, and he meshed so closely with his wolf Tucker couldn’t separate them. But Tucker didn’t have his experience. How could he trust what he felt? Lust shot through him when their skin touched, but what Stelian wanted was so much more.

Stelian’s hands crept up the back of his shirt, and pressed Tucker closer. His palms were hot against the bare skin of Tucker’s back. He could feel Stelian’s need—and his own matched it as it never had with anyone else. It did feel right. Should he give Stelian a chance? He had nowhere else to go. He waited, vulnerable, to see what Stelian would do.

Tucker moaned as Stelian's teeth closed over the front of his throat. He waited, motionless, but Stelian didn't bite down. Instead, Stelian began sucking, hard. Tucker knew he’d have a dark red hickey. A long ridge pressed hard against Tucker's stomach. Whimpering, Tucker was two seconds away from crying out from the zing of pain tempered with pleasure when Stelian pulled off with a pop.

He stared into Tucker’s eyes. Tucker panted, trying to catch his breath. Tucker licked his lips and Stelian’s gaze darted down. He growled, and joined their lips in a kiss.

Like their first one, the kiss was rough and aggressive. Tucker sucked on Stelian’s tongue when he thrust it into Tucker’s mouth. They dueled, tasting and touching. Tucker’s heart raced with the need to move, to thrust his cock against Stelian’s barreling down on him. He gasped, breaking the kiss, desperate to breathe. Tucker held on to Stelian’s shoulders, his head spinning. Stelian’s dropped one of his hands down to grab Tucker’s ass and pull him even closer.