Wolf's Promise (Caedmon Wolves) (10 page)

He raised an eyebrow. “You never did tell me the reason you came here.”

She smiled sweetly. “That way I know you’ll definitely call me.”

“See you later, Selene.”

“Bye, Nick.” She slid on the backseat and he shut the door.

He walked up to the driver door and handed the Nash, the driv
er, his fare and a tip
.

Nash didn’t was
te any time as he pulled off.

Nick
looked after the yellow taxi cab as it began to pick up speed and merge onto the main highway. He stood there so long that the dust fanned over his face. He swallowed down the lump in his throat, and walked toward the door of the small station.

The
chimes hanging over the d
oorway
rung as he came inside.

“Nick, man. Long time no see, bro. What have you been up to?” Charles greeted from behind the cash register.

“Nothing much,
Charles. How’s the mate and pup
s?”

“They’ve turned me into a slave.”

They both laughed.

“What brings you up here?” Charles asked.

“I planned a mountain climbing trip to seek solitude and get my head together
.
It was cut short by a band of cowards.
”
Nick grimaced, thinking about the way Darius’s men had tied him up with the ropes to overpower him.

Charles leaned forward
and lowered his voice. “Have you heard the rumors around here?”

“Concerning?”

“Nothing ain’t the same no more, man. You’ve got Darius
and his
followers threatening a whole bunch of town folk.”
Charles frowned. “That wolf has been up to no good.”

“
It’s precisely why my retreat was halted
.” He grabbed two
box
es
of beef jerkies from a nearby shelf. “I need to get back to the village. I should warn you and any others to stay on
this side of the property line until things are handled.
”

Charles shook his head. “As soon as we thought we had stopped that bastard
…
”

The door chime rung again. Nick didn’t think to look up until he got a whiff of
a familiar
cinnamon
fragrance
.
Selene…

His head jerked u
p, and he focused to find her
standing at the door.
Even dressed down
in
his ove
rsized clothes
, she took his breath away. Although it wasn’t just her beauty that astonished him; her very presence affected h
im in ways he’d never imagined.

When their eyes met, he knew in that instant why she’d come
back. He dropped the jerky on the counter, quickly crossed the distance between them,
and embraced her.

“Nick, I couldn’t leave. I don’t know why, but…” her words rushed out of her.

“I know
. You don’t have to say anything.”

He slid his palm behind her neck and grasped her abo
ut the waist with the other
.
She had a small frame, but her rounded hips had him thinking about the naughty things he wanted to do to her. Selene would fit perfectly to him.
There was no doubt in mind.

He had to know—just had to find out how she tasted.

As Nick pulled her closer into him, she lifted her chin, and
her
delicate mouth
parted. He
bent and
took her lips gently at first, testing her.
Their lips glided against each other’s effortlessly.
The feeling that rushed through him was heavenly. His taste buds seemed to pulse as he basked in the taste of cinnamon and honey.

Selene
made no efforts to pull away and even pl
aced her palm against his chest, grabbing at the fabric of his shirt.
T
ilting her
head
, he deepened the kiss
, pressing
firmly into her lips.
She felt
smooth like satin, and gentle like water.
Their tongues
finally
touched and white hot passion seared through his chest.
Her thighs molded against him when she pushed her body to his. He wanted t
o take more of her. H
e
wanted to give—
needed to give her what she desire.

Nick set a slow, sensuous pace for the kiss, sipping at her plush lips.
Her scent, her taste—everything about her—was addicting.
Something rippled beneath his skin and his wolf spirit pulsed erratically within his veins. Her body became pliant in his arm, and he held her tightly to him.

Charles cleared his throat behind them, and they jumped apart.

“Um,
sorry to interrupt, but
if you two need a room, there’s a bed and breakfast about a mile or so up the road in case you’ve forgotten.”

Taking Selene by the hand, he threw some money on the counter, grabbed the jerky, and exited the store. The cab was still waiting, and this time he got inside with her.

“Are we ready this time?” Nash glanced at them in the rearview mirror, impatiently drumming his fingertips on the steering wheel.

“Change of plans,” Nick said. “Take me home.”

He glanced over at Selene. She had the tips of her fingers pressed to her lips, a look of puzzlement on her face.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” she whispered.

***

Selene stared back at her reflection in the mirror. On the outside, she was the same.
On
the inside, she felt like a changed woman.
She touched her lips again. Eve
ry time she thought about how Nick had kissed her
, she experienced a tingling sensati
on there. In all her twenty eight
years, no one had ever
held and kissed her like that.

After what had happened to her at the hands of the scarred faced man, she a
ppreciated her life more. She’d certainly learned her lesson. She would never skip town without telling anybody again. Anything could have happened to her. She could have been dead…probably would have been dead if it weren’t for Nick.

She had felt guilty for making the taxi driver turn around, but intuition told her to stay. There was something more than his irresistible laugh that intrigued her. Something about being in his presence calmed her soul and warmed her heart.

Selene exited the bathroom and walked out i
nto the main area of the cabin that Nick called his home away from home.
He was a puzzle, and the same curiosity that had got her into trouble a couple days ago now emerged again, eager to learn more about the man and the wolf.

The layout of the cabin was open with the only closed off section being the bathroom. There
was a tall folded divider marking off the sleeping area where a dresser, a nightstand, and large four poster bed sat. It had an extremely small galley kitchen, but it was complete with stove, counter space, and mini refrigerator. The largest section, of course, was the living area.

Nick was standing in front of the fireplace. His hand was rested on the mantle and he appeared to be glancing down into the flames. He straightened and looked up at her. His gaze lingered on her for what seemed like minutes. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better after the shower.”
She
came to stand in front of a sofa
. Taking a seat, she curle
d her legs up under her.

“I called a good friend of mine, Devin.
He’
s invited us to have dinner tomorrow at his home
.
His mate may have something you can wear in the meantime.
”

“I appreciate that.” She looked down at the pair of sweatpants she wore. They were comfy, but it took her a great deal of rolling at the waistband
to keep them up on her hips. “When
my car is found, I can repay you for it all.”

“There’s no need.” He pushed himself up off the mantle and came to sit next to her. “
I wish we’d met under better circumstances.”

“I’m just glad we met…when we did.”

He smiled.

“You were saying over dinner that
your pack has a new leader and that there is rivalry.”

“Yes. After Devin
claimed the title, those who were advocates of his opponent separated themselves from the pack. And if you haven’t figured it out already, the wolf that
held us
is called Darius.”

“So you were held prisoner for being an enemy?” she asked.

He nodded. “He seems to think he owns the l
and where they captured me. But
the history with Darius and I go way back. Even before he was banished from the pack, we held a serious grudge.”

“A grudge?”

Nick dropped his gaze to the floor. “Over a silly dispute.”

“What did he want from you?”

“He probably wanted to get Devin’s att
ention more than anything else,” he said. “Did Darius tell you why he held you captive?”

Selene swallowed the lump that suddenly rose in her throat. “He attacked me.”

“Attacked you how?” His seemed to hold in his aggravation, but the sound of his voice was angry and forced.

“Apparently, his wife cannot have children.”

Nick shook his head, his forehead creased in confusion. “Why would
he keep you against your will?”

“
He
tried to rape me and said
I would carry his child.”

Nick shot up to his feet instantly. “You’re kidding, right?”

She shook her head slowly.

“That snake!” He clenched his fists hard against his sides, and the veins rose on his neck. When he turned to her, his fangs were barred
. Upon seeing her state of alarm, he took deep breaths and his irate demeanor subsided. “Did he hurt you?”

“I was thrown in the cell with you for refusing and lashing out. If he was going to do that to me, it wouldn’t have happened willingly or easily.”

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” he said, returning to the seat beside her. “He will pay for this.”

“We’re free from being caged like animals, that’s all that matters.”

He cringed.

Suddenly, she realized what she’d said was uncalled for. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, I am an animal. There’s no changing that.
”

Selene took his hand in hers. “Tell me about the powers of the Caedmon.”

He leaned back in the sofa. “Some
of us are stronger than others, depending on h
ow far removed one is from the
founding tribe.
The ability to shift at will
is a given. Heightened agility, strength, endurance
..
.”

“So you shifted at will to save me.”

“I don’t think I could have remained in human form even if I tried. The downside to having a wolf spirit is that sometimes they take charge. Not only did I want to protect
you, but so did the wolf
.”

She turned his hand over and
traced the dark lines on the inside of his palm. “You barely know me. Why not just
leave me? You killed two guards to save me. Won’t that cause more of an uproar between Darius and the new leader?”

“It was bound to happen, Selene.” He shook his head. “From what I learned, Darius had plans to cause mayhem before you were captured. Even before I crossed the property line.”

“What were you doing out there anyway?”

“
I thought it’d be refreshing to bring back some good memories for a change.
I’d climbed the mountain before as a young boy with my father. We’d sit on the mountain top for hours waiting for sunset and then sunrise. He’d tell stories and I’d listen.
I missed him. I missed that kind of company.
”

“Watching sunset and sunrise
must be beautiful. Something I’d love to see.”

“It is. I’ll take you one day…whenever you are ready to face your fear of heights.”

She smiled, and brought his palm to her cheek.
It didn’t bother her that he was also an animal. There was a wolf inside, but from the very moment they’d met he’d been nothing but gentle with her. Plus there was this urge that she kept having. An urge that had never surfaced before for any man.

“I want you to kiss me again,
”
she said.

“You do
?”