Werewolves of New York (10 page)

E
li waited
for her to say something and saw thoughts flying through her mind, evidenced by her changing expressions. He let his wolf out a little, this time purposefully allowing his eyes to glow brightly. Her breath hitched as she gazed at them.

"What are you?" she whispered.

"I'm someone who can't stop thinking about you."

He pulled her along and walked for another block, feeling her cling to him, as they paid no attention to their surroundings. He stopped and pulled her close without warning, leaning down to kiss her. She responded as his mouth searched for permission to tell her everything, moving with her like they were made for each other. Crushing her to him in a desperate embrace he wondered at how good she felt, at how much being with her relieved that itch haunting him since he’d seen her last. Their kiss escalated and he let her go, gasping for air. His wolf wanted more and he wanted it badly, but Eli had images of wedding rings in his head. "Fuck!"

Rose stared at him, scanning his expression to read what was going on. "Don't you dare," she whispered. "Don't you dare do this to me again, Eli!"

He grabbed her hand and led her up the street again, swearing aloud at the tornado of emotions ripping him in two. Back there in the restaurant he was going to tear that guy to shreds. When they'd arrived, he hadn't seen Rose at first. But then he smelled her! He fucking smelled her scent by the hostess desk and, searching the room, saw her smiling and flirting with some bastard in a green sweater. A green sweater! Really? The guy had future husband written all over him and Eli went nuts. Nathaniel had told him to calm down. Dontae had growled, "Don't tell me we've lost another one," and Darik asked the hostess, "Can we have a table far away from that one over there?" Michelle whispered, "Oh my God, I'm sorry. I just had to try. Is he going to fight the guy?" Nathaniel assured her, "Eli can control himself."

That's when he'd advanced on the table, with those words at his back.

Walking up the street with her hand squished in his, he began talking to himself like a lunatic who's trying to figure out how to avoid the Apocalypse. "
Eli can control himself.
See, that's the thing. I can. Except when it comes to you." He was walking so fast, she was jogging to keep up, and she kept quiet, listening as he worked it out. "When it comes to you, my eyes are glowing when I don’t know it. I can't stop smelling those damn panties you left behind. I was going to shred that guy. I could taste it. I could taste his blood and I was gonna do it if you hadn't run out. When we were at that speakeasy all I wanted to do was pay them to shut it down so I could be alone with you. I have never been as haunted by a woman as I am by you." He turned and grabbed her face, making her cheeks go chipmunk. "I don't want to get married! Do you understand! I don't want to put a ring on your finger and fuck you as my wife. Do you hear me!" She started to cry. "I don't want to fall in love with you but my wolf knows that’s where I'm going. But I don't want it! Do you hear me, Rose?" He crushed his lips to hers, her tears wetting his cheeks as he embraced her and kissed her deeply. He worked rough kisses to her ear and down her neck, repeating her name over and over with gasping breaths.

She pulled away and forced him to look at her. She was blushing and her blue eyes were liquid with fresh tears. All the anger and resistance was gone from her as she said, gently, “Hey, hey, hey. Listen. Slow down. Who said anything about getting married? I just met you! I’m not Michelle. How about we go on a date first?”

“Where do you want to go? I’m hungry. How about you?”

She blinked and chuckled lightly, laying her hands on his hips. “Now? You’re going to Bogart my date with Danny?”

His wolf thrashed violently at the sound of his name. “Don’t bring him up again. Not tonight.”

She nodded. “I was making a joke, but I can see it’s not a joking matter. How about I never bring him up? Is that better?” He nodded and she smiled. “I’m hungry, too.” Off his look, she laughed like an innocent girl. “For food.”

He threw his head back on a laugh and grabbed her hand again. “Then let’s get dinner. I could eat Florida right now.”

The city moved steadily by them, though neither was aware of it. After a few blocks, he asked, “You like Indian?” glancing down to hear her answer.

“Mmhmm. Eli?”

“Yeah?”

“What did you mean when you said your wolf is…” she bit her lip and stopped.

“I’ve never told anyone this before, so I don’t know how to say it.”

She tugged on his hand for him to stop walking. “What if I guess it? Don’t laugh at me if I’m wrong, okay?”

He didn’t return her nervous smile. “I promise not to laugh.”

“Are you an angel?”

He laughed. She hit him on the chest, stifling a grin that was half-amused, half-angry. “You promised!”

He couldn’t stop smiling. “I am no angel.” He burst out laughing again and she hit again, harder this time. “You can’t hurt me, woman.” She smacked his chest a third and final time and he grabbed her hand and held it, leaning down until he was an inch from her lips. He could feel the heat of her breath, could smell the sweetness of it, her natural breath turning him on. “I’m your soulmate,” he teased, though there was truth behind the words. They both felt it.

“Eli,” she breathed, eyelids heavy. “What are you?”

“I’m a wolf.” She searched him and he nodded just enough that their lips brushed each other. “I’m a wolf. There is a wolf inside this man, a wolf who has claimed you as his own. I would have taken longer but, it’s done. He has to have you. I have to have you.”

Her breath hitched. “Are you a,” she glanced around to make sure they were alone. He knew they were. He had been listening very closely. “Are you a werewolf?” Her light brown eyebrows rose.

Bracing himself for her to run from him, he nodded slowly. She stayed where she was which was a miracle to him. He blinked and took a deep breath, explaining, “But we’re not like in the horror films. We’re not ruled by the moon and I can’t turn you. You don’t have to be afraid.”

Her heart had picked up speed. “We?
We’re
not? Do you mean Nathaniel? Dontae? Darik?” He didn’t nod. He didn’t have to. From the look in her eyes, she already knew. It felt so strange to tell their most well kept secret to someone outside their pack and he couldn’t help wondering how Nathaniel did it. “That makes so much sense. The four of you when you’re together, you’re so powerful!”

When he was younger he had taken pride in it but now that he was almost thirty, it was a part of life, but hearing her point it out, it made him think of his friends. They’d given him this gift tonight and had sacrificed themselves in the process, in a way. His bond to them deepened. “They are my brothers. And Rose, you can’t ever tell anyone what we’ve shared with you.”

Rose made a face as if that were foolish of him to even say it. “That’s what Michelle has been hiding from me! She knows, doesn’t she?”

“You can understand why she couldn’t tell you.”

On a slow nod, a series of questions tumbled from her. “How many people know? Have you always been this way? Your body, it’s so strong, do have supernatural powers? The woman you gave my number to, how do you know her? Michelle said you like to help people…did she mean you guys are superheroes or something?”

He grinned, humbled. “You’re so smart, Rose. That mind of yours won’t let up until I tell you everything, will it?”

She smiled. “I love that you get me.”

He kissed her. “Let’s talk over dinner. How about burgers? This place look good?” He pointed to Bareburger, a restaurant just up from where they stood on Laguardia Place. He was starving now that they weren’t fighting anymore.

“It’s perfect. French fries and burgers are perfect. Let’s go.”

He led her there and opened the door for her. She made a beeline for a corner, pale green booth and sat down without ceremony.

He joined her and glanced around the casual environment. They were the most dressed up of anybody there. A female server headed over and Eli and Rose ordered quickly. He got the boar burger, and she beef burger with bacon and cheese. He loved that she didn’t order salad, and when he asked if she wanted a shake she looked at him like he was an idiot for having to ask.

“Two chocolate shakes, please. Thanks. And I’ll give you a fifty dollar tip if you keep these two tables empty.” He pointed to the booth behind them and the table to their right.

The server was surprised, but offered, “I could get reserved signs?”

“Perfect.” He flashed his dimple. She flushed and disappeared.

Keeping his voice low, he leaned across the table. Rose met him in the middle like two people drinking from the same glass with two straws. He had her full and undivided attention, so he began in a voice so quiet only she could hear. “I was born this way and my family was, too. My mother passed away years ago and my father still lives in the woods. He never took a new mate. We lived there up until about five or six years ago? Wait,” he stopped and tried to recall. “Is it longer than that?” Shaking his head, he muttered, “I’m not sure. Darik’s better with that stuff. Anyway, it was some years ago, we were friends but not as close as we are now. Nathaniel and I have been like brothers since we met eleven years ago. I remember that date well because I’d just turned eighteen.” She nodded slowly, soaking in every detail. It felt good to have her so interested and to be honest for maybe the first time outside of when he was with his pack. Her eyes were so sharp he knew she wasn’t missing any of this, which meant a lot since it was his life he was talking about. “We moved to New York when Dontae said he wanted more than the woods. I think I’d felt that way for a long time, but hadn’t voiced it until he brought it up. Nathaniel jumped on it. He broke the straw for me and Darik was good to go at about the same time. We told our pack–that’s what we call them–and most didn’t understand. But we live a free life and so no one stopped us.”

“Do you go back…there?”

“To Maine? Sometimes. Not as much anymore. We love it here. You know we design buildings now, right?” She nodded. “There’s something in a man’s D.N.A. that makes building something from the ground up extremely fulfilling. And to abate our missing the forest, we use eco-friendly materials and as much stone and wood as we can. It’s a balance, but we do our best.”

She smiled. “I’m so excited. Thank you for telling me this.”

It was like a weight he didn’t know he was carrying had suddenly disappeared.

As they ate their burgers and fries, they talked. Eli described about Darik, how he was different and therefore special. His blue eyes gave him away to his kind, but to humanity, he fit right in since he’d started out as one of them. Eli scraped his lettuce off as he added, “but Dontae’s the powerhouse. We don’t have a pack leader, but if we did, he’d want it to be him.” A rueful smile lit him up at the thought. “Yeah, he’d love that.”

Rose smiled, chewing a French fry and picking up her shake to swallow it down with. “Would you like to go to Tahiti with me?”

He’d just stuffed a big bite of rare boar meat into his mouth, so all he could do was nod and hit the table, trying to chew fast. She laughed as he spoke through half a mouthful, “Fuck yeah! When?”

She sipped on her straw, acting innocent. “Tomorrow?” Her eyes twinkled and she laughed. “I quit my job yesterday. I start my own practice soon, but I haven’t had a vacation in…” she paused, thinking about it. “I don’t think I’ve taken a vacation since I graduated from law school! Oh, that’s horrible!”

He reached over and touched her hand. “Let’s go.”

“Really?” she yelped. “Oh, my God, I just squealed. I don’t squeal. But…REALLY?”

“Let’s go. Hang on.” He pulled out his phone, calling Nathaniel who picked up after the second ring. “What took you so long?”

“I had to get the phone out of my pocket. How’d it go? Where are you?”

“I told you those pants are too tight,” Eli joked. “Well, it’s going really well.” He shared a smile with Rose, holding her eyes as he asked, “Can you guys cover for me at work?”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday.”

“I know. But I’m going to Tahiti for…”

“Just a few days,” she whispered.

“A week.” She jumped around her chair, freaking out with excitement as he grinned into the phone, “Rose and I are going to get to know each other.”

Nathaniel laughed and told the others, “They’re going to Tahiti.”

Dontae’s voice was stern. “Tahiti is sixteen hours away.”

“How do you know that?” Darik asked.

“Never mind.”

Nathaniel asked. “You hear that?”

“Yeah.” Eli leaned in to tell Rose the bad news, “Tahiti’s sixteen hours away.” She blanched. “Yeah, how about the Bahamas?” More chair jumping and she covered her mouth so as not to squeal for the second time.

“You’ll need a passport,” Nathaniel reminded him.

“He’s got one from when he went to London for that British chick,” Darik said.

Eli didn’t share that forgettable fact with Rose, but he did ask her, “You have a passport?” She nodded and he had to shove down the jealous rush that jumped up as he imagined her with some French dude in Paris.
This woman has me by the balls.
He coughed and muttered, “Bahamas it is. Cover for me?”

“For a honeymoon?” Michelle asked.

“No!” Eli interjected before Nathaniel had a chance to even breathe. “We are NOT getting married.”

Rose emphatically shook her head. “NO! Tell them we are NOT.”

He smiled to Nathaniel, “So, you’ve got it covered, yeah?”

“Yeah. Hey, you tell her?”

“Yes. Listen, I want to get off the phone so I can stare at this gorgeous creature and you’re keeping me from that. So cut it out with the questions. I’ll tell you all about it later tonight. Rose and I are not sleeping together. I’m coming over, or you guys can come over to my new place.”

Rose lost her smile. “We’re not?”

Eli laughed, “No, we’re not. We’re waiting until we’re in the Bahamas. Because I say so and I am the master. Right?”

She grinned while biting her bottom lip. “Mmhmm.”

Nathaniel chuckled. “Alright, see you back at our old place.”