Tempest of Passion (17 page)

“
It is the house seal,” his father declared, throwing the
sheet of paper on the desk. Charles eyes pierced into his. He
didn’t speak, but his thoughts were as clear as the sun on their
fur on a warm spring day. Someone wanted him here in London this
day.

“
Emily dear, why don’t you come with me to the kitchen and
I’ll make you some tea? Surely you’re hungry after your
trip.”

William stared at his mother. Her eyes were red but there were
no tear stains on her visage. He frowned. Someone wanted him in
London. Someone close to them, for how else could they have found
the house seal and used it?

“
I’ll take care of her, son.”

He didn’t
want to let Emily go. It was insane, but the idea of having her out
of his sight frightened him.

“
Mother…”

“
I’ll protect her with my own life, Will.”

William
chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“
William.” He cupped Emily’s face. She gave him a toothy
smile. “I shall go with her. You must speak with your
father.”

He nodded. Bending his head, he kissed her, careless of the
image he was giving his parents. Emily was his lifeline, his
happiness, his everything. She might not love him, but she cared,
and only for that he’d love her more. Reluctantly, he finally
released her.

His mother winked at him as she led Emily outside. William
turned toward his father.

“
George, can you leave us?”

Blotches of red appeared on his cousin’s face. Displeasure was
clear on his scent, but he nodded.

“
What were you doing here, anyway, George?”

The blotches turned a deeper shade and George scratched the
back of his head. William laughed. He knew that gesture. His cousin
was in some sort of trouble, most likely, woman trouble.

“
A pretty girl, I take it,” William offered.

George grinned.

“
Not as pretty as yours, Will, but…” he moved his hand in a
curvaceous gesture. William chuckled.

“
Go home, George. This is no time for that nonsense.
Don’t––!”
“Don’t worry, Uncle, I won’t tell anyone I saw William.”

With a perfunctory wave he walked out and shut the door with a
click.

William remained standing, watching his father as he reclined
against the chair and rubbed his eyes. For the first time, William
noticed the exhaustion on his father’s face. His usually jovial
features were lined and dark shadows danced beneath his eyes. He’d
also lost weight.

“
Are you ill?”

Charles
shook his head.

“
As ill as any man whose son has been condemned and expelled
from his pack can be.” He swallowed. Placing his hand on the table
in front of him, Charles entwined his fingers. “I never had any
doubts about your innocence, son, but this missive, it puts the
whole family in danger … and what’s more, it means that whoever is
trying to hurt you is closer to us than we thought.”

William
nodded. “I realized that as soon as I saw you in the doorway
looking more or less healthy.”

Charles
nodded. He passed a hand through his auburn locks peppered with
silver. “You’re not mated,” he said gazing at the closed door.
“Why?”

“
We are married,” William said, contrite.

“
Why?” his father persisted.

William
leaned into his chair and sighed. “You know the rules as well as I
do, if she doesn’t feel the same.”
“Yet you’re married?”

“
There have been attempts against her life, and I couldn’t let
them…” He swallowed hard, his throat swelling with emotion. His
heart beat erratically against his chest and his wolf whimpered in
distress. “If something should happen to her…”

“
So you married her without knowing if she cared for you
enough to accept your true nature?” His father all but spit out the
words. “William—!”

“
She cares. It’s just…”

“
She hasn’t said so.“

William’s father huffed. Abruptly he broke out into a grin.
“You were always one to follow the rules. To the fault, sometimes.
You resemble me. Your mother, she’s always been more carefree.”
Charles shook his head. “You come rushing to see me thinking me
dead, breaking the Elder’s rule … but you don’t perform the mating
ritual with the girl that has your heart in her hands because of
the rules. What are you, daft, boy?”

“
I don’t understand.”

“
Your mother is probably better suited to explain this but I
don’t think we have the time, so I’ll try to be as clear as
possible.” Charles cleared his voice. “You don’t have to wait for
her to say the words out loud, you silly pup. You feel her love?
You feel she cares? Truly? Not a momentary sensation or hopeful
wishing? Does the world cease revolving when you kiss her? Does
your wolf howl in eagerness when she’s near? When she looks at you?
When she touches you?”

William
nodded, flabbergasted and speechless.

“
Your wolf knows she’s your mate and he’ll hunt her down. A
woman has a choice but it’s a choice that will show itself early
on. If she doesn’t want you as a mate, she’ll let you know quite
clearly in no uncertain terms that she doesn’t care for you. Oh,
she’ll find you attractive all right, you could probably ease your
way into her skirts, but she’ll hate you with such vehemence that a
look from her will cause your wolf to wilt in distress. We’re
animals, you fool, we can tell if we’re wanted or not. A woman that
doesn’t want her mate will scare the wolf and you will know it. Is
your wolf scared?”
“No, sir.”

“
Of course not, all you have to do is look at you two. You’re
each falling over each other.” His father wrinkled his nose. “Not
to mention the scent. You smell like her and she smells like you.
Whether you want to or not, the mating ritual has already started.
You will not be able to resist much longer without biting her and
making her one of us.”

“
I don’t know what to say.”

“
Don’t say anything. When you get out of here, mate her.
She’ll be safer as a wolf. She will be able to run faster and be
stronger. She needs to be safe, for herself and for your own peace
of mind.”

Charles’s
smile wilted.

“
Now, let’s get down to business.”

Chapter Twenty

William grasped Emily’s hand tightly. To his surprise, she did
not protest. Delicately, he sniffed the air. Her scent was
sweet––tinged with nerves, but sweet. He sighed in relief. When
they’d left London, his mother had hugged Emily goodbye and both
women had shared a conspiratorial smile. He grasped the horse’s
reins more firmly. What had they talked about?

Certainly, their conversation had been a far cry from the one
he’d had with his father. Charles Dalton was a block of wood.
Worse. Wood could be chiseled and molded with instruments, but the
old Alpha of the Dalton clan was impossible to cut through. He was
set in his ways, even if life in the world around them was
changing. Even if William himself had been witness to the fact that
pack-less wolves existed. Or worse: that London was not the city of
the Elder, as the council chose to believe. Other wolves existed,
and they had a right to roam the city as much as anyone
else.

“
Why are you so angry?”

William
glanced at Emily. Her large eyes washed over his face with innocent
curiosity. She didn’t know anything. She didn’t have to
know.

“
Times change, father. A lone wolf can find others like him
and create his own pack. He doesn’t have to respond to the Council.
He doesn’t have to respond to anyone except his alpha.”
“The council will know.”

“
And do what? Banish them? There are other cities, other
countries. There’s a world out there … maybe it’s what those wolves
are trying to tell us.”

“
Those wolves are isolated cases. They have nothing to do with
you or your banishment.”

“
How do you know? Have you spoken with any of
them?”

His father looked uncomfortable. “No.”

“
Why?”

“
They refuse to speak to us when we meet them,
and…”

“
You can’t catch them.”

William laughed. He passed a hand across his face. For the
first time in his life, he was realizing just how broken the
Council of Elders was. They were nothing but a group of old men
trying to keep control over everyone––but there were too many of
them. The wolf population had grown and would continue to grow and
the Elders wouldn’t be able to keep control of all of them. The
best they could do was teach the future generations the basic rules
of the pack and hope that everyone complied.

“
William?”

He shook his head and glanced at Emily at the corner of his
eye. Her lips had thinned and her scent had changed.

“
What did you and your father talk about?”

“
I can’t say.”

The words were out of his lips before he could stop them. He
knew he was shutting her out, but now was not the moment to explain
everything. They were out in the open, miles away from London and
miles away from their destination. He knew he had to tell her. She
deserved to know the truth, but even if his father stated that she
loved him, he was still unsure. He couldn’t be sure until she
discovered the truth, but that wouldn’t happen until they were both
somewhere relatively safe. He heard Emily’s whispered curse and
allowed her to pull her hand away from his. Displeasure rolled off
her in waves. They rode in silence for a few minutes.

“
We’re running away, attempting to avoid being caught by an
invisible enemy of which you have some knowledge and I know nothing
about. What if I were to find this enemy? How would I recognize it?
I deserve to know what is occurring.”

“
Yes, you do.”

The surprise was evident in her silence. William smiled but
did not offer an explanation.

“
Then why won’t you tell me anything?”

“
Because now is not the time.”

“
When will it be the time, William? We’re in the middle of
nowhere. There is no one about for miles. What better time is
there, than this one moment for me to discover what is occurring in
your life. Your life, that by extension and by force is now my life
as well. What are you afraid of? Are you frightened I will
run?”

William cringed at the sound of her hollow
laughter.

“
I have nowhere to run to. I am your wife now. Your property.
You made sure of that.”

Abruptly she became silent. William glanced at her. He grasped
her limp hand firmly between his and brushed his thumb across her
knuckles. He felt tempted to stop the coach and kiss her, but he
did not feel safe.

“
You’re not my property, Emily. You’re not my brood mare, my
dog or any other animal comparison you can think of. You are my
wife. My love. My precious angel. I’ve told you.”

“
You love me, yes, so you say. Show me. Stop telling me and
show me.”

“
What do you want me to do, woman? I assumed last
night…”

“
All you’ve shown me is that passion exists
between us. You don’t trust me, William. You bed me and leave me.”
She slipped her hand from his grasp again. “If I had not persisted
you wouldn’t have even told me why you were so worried about
visiting London. We sit as close as two people can sit, and there
is a chasm between us.”

“
Emily, I cannot.”

“
You do not, William. Stop making excuses. You do not. For
some reason I cannot fathom you refuse to speak to me and make me a
part of your world … yet you demand I let you into mine. Don’t
expect it to happen.”

William’s wolf whimpered. He curled his fist around the
leather straps until they dug into his flesh. The sun was still
high in the sky. He had to make things right. He tugged firmly at
the reins, stopping the horses.

“
What are you doing?”

He stared at Emily. His mouth dried. His heart raced. The
animal inside cowered in fear. What if he told her and she didn’t
love him? What if his father was mistaken? He took in the details
of her face. Would this be the last time he saw those vivid eyes?
Would he never glance upon that mole near her temple? Would he
never see the lines around her mouth and her eyes
deepen?

“
William?”

He ran his thumb over her disappearing lips. Her mouth parted.
He smiled and swooped in to capture them between his teeth. Emily
gasped against his mouth. Her hands rested on his shoulder. He
could sense her indecisiveness. Pull him away or pull him closer?
He ran the tip of his tongue across her bottom lip. The pressure of
her fingers increased. William nibbled on the soft flesh. She
moaned. He placed his hand on the nape of her neck and angled her
head so he could plunge deeper. As he thrust his tongue into her
warm recess, she pulled him closer. Elation burst in his heart. His
wolf howled with glee. Passion. Love. Emily. To him it was one and
the same. She was his passion. She was his love. She was his mate.
She was his.