Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild)

11

Questions. So many questions. Why had he left her bed during the night? What was he doing on the astral? Where had that horrible taint of evil come from?

Why is he here? What does he want? What will I say to him?

Does he truly care about me?

She thought of stopping at her cottage to clean up, to rinse away the earthy scent of the forest and sex and everything that made her exactly who she was, but that wasn’t her way.

No. She was Lily Cheval, and she would play no games. Not for any man. Especially not for Sebastian Xenakis, though she did stop her headlong rush as she neared her father and mother’s home. If, by chance, Sebastian was watching for her, she’d rather he first saw her trotting casually across the meadow rather than running like a lovesick fool.

She was really glad she’d slowed down as she crossed the meadow. The back lights went on, which meant her father was watching for her. He’d not communicated a word since his first call for her to return. She wondered what had happened, what he thought of Sebastian. She tried to imagine what the two men had talked about. On second thought, no. She’d rather not go there.

The brilliant deck lights illuminated the entire back of the house and much of the meadow. Nothing like a spotlight when a girl had to shift. She leapt easily to the deck, clearing the railing with room to spare. Pausing to sniff the air, she picked up the scents of both her father and Sebastian, so close they must be out here on the deck.

She swung her head to the left and spotted the two men almost lost in shadow, sitting next to each other on top of the picnic table, feet resting on the bench seat below. Each of them held a glass of what she was certain had to be her father’s favorite Hennessy cognac. Another good sign. He didn’t share that with just anyone. Both men looked relaxed, shirt sleeves rolled back. No blood, no bruises.

Still looking good. Her dad’s shirt was unbuttoned and untucked, and he was barefoot, but he rarely wore shoes at home. She’d always thought her father was a beautiful man, but sitting beside him, Sebastian looked even better, so darkly handsome he took her breath. Her wolf definitely approved. She padded across the deck and rested her chin on her father’s knee.

I’m glad to see you haven’t tried to kill each other.

Anton glanced at Sebastian, who was obviously fighting a grin. “I have strict orders from your mother to behave.”

Good. I’ll have to thank her. Hello, Sebastian. I’m surprised to see you.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off her. “I’m glad to see you. I’ve missed you. I never should have left.”

No, you shouldn’t have.

She shifted, standing tall and proudly naked. Her father handed a brilliant red sarong to her. She quickly wrapped the silky fabric around herself and expertly knotted the ends so they lay in the valley between her breasts.

She knew her hair was probably a tangled, windblown mess and that the scent of wolf would be strong, but from the look in Sebastian’s eyes, none of that was an issue.

“I’m going inside, gentlemen. It’s chilly out here without my fur. Care to join me?” She walked inside without looking back, went straight to the bar, and poured herself a healthy shot of the same cognac the men were drinking.

Taking a seat on one of the bar stools, she waited. Her dad took his usual spot behind the bar, but Sebastian sat on the stool beside hers.

And still he watched her.

But it was her father who spoke. “Your mother’s waiting for me to join her, and I imagine you two have a lot to discuss, but I wanted to find out what happened today on the astral.” He glanced at Sebastian but focused his gaze on Lily. “I’ve spoken with Eve. She said there’s something dark and unnatural affecting the normal flow of power, something she associated with Sebastian after she saw him today.”

“Eve?” Sebastian glanced at Lily. “Was that the really powerful mage beside you?”

“Not a mage,” Lily said. “Eve is our goddess, the entity who watches over us. She resides as spirit on the astral plane, but when I visited with her today, she told me that there’s something wrong, a dissonance that she believes is based in dark magic. It’s affecting the patterns on the astral, her ability to follow us and protect us. It’s also interfering with her communication with the Mother who watches over all creatures.”

Sebastian stared at her as if she’d grown a third eye, before looking at her father. “You communicate with a goddess? One who lives on the astral?”

Smiling, Anton nodded, but Lily answered.

“That’s who you saw today.” Lily sighed. “Sebastian, I have to know this. Do you practice dark magic? Blood magic? That’s why she shouted at you and forced you out. She said your magic was tainted with evil. That it felt the same as what’s been causing the trouble.”

He looked stricken. She didn’t think he could fake that expression of absolute horror if he’d tried. “Good gods, Lily. I had no idea. That was my first time. I wasn’t even sure if I’d ended up in the right place, and I was absolutely shocked to see you. When she yelled at me, I lost my grasp on the spell. Got tossed back into my room in San Francisco.”

Lily stared at him, sickened. Blood magic? The taint of evil she’d thought was his father was actually Sebastian? Using sacrifice to power his spells? She swung around and glared at her father. Did he know this already? It changed everything!

Anton quickly covered her hand with his. “Lily, it was blood magic, but he used his own blood. He didn’t use a live sacrifice. Stupid, but not an unusual thing for an apprentice wizard to do. We’re always testing limits. Learning.” His eyes actually twinkled, and Lily felt the tension melt away.

He squeezed her fingers. “Trust me, sweetie. I tried the same thing in my early days when I was still learning the craft, and my results were just about as disastrous.”

She glanced at Sebastian and nodded. “Okay.” If her dad wasn’t concerned, she wouldn’t be, either. She trusted his instincts. She’d never known him to steer her falsely.

Anton focused on Sebastian. “Actually, I think my experience might have been worse. You said you were nauseous? I puked all over myself. It was not a pretty sight.” He studied Sebastian for a moment, and Lily was surprised that Sebastian didn’t even flinch. Her father’s close scrutiny could be more than a little bit intimidating.

Then he did something even more surprising. He rested his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. “Sebastian, I’m not positive, but I suspect your father might be linking to your magic. Piggybacking on your power, so to speak. I’ve met Aldo, and he’s a very strong wizard, but I sense more power in you. Untapped and untrained, but still very much a part of your basic nature; more than Aldo Xenakis will ever wield. I can only imagine his envy, because he’s not a man who wants to be second to anyone.”

Sebastian was obviously turning that over in his mind when Anton added, “I think that might be what Eve sensed on the astral today. Not you and your spell, but your father’s spirit tagging along for the ride. He’s probably curious as to what skills you have, how powerful you are. I’d like to help you work on your shields. It’s a different method of blocking when you’re trying to keep another mage out of your mind, but I think it’s something you need to consider. And if you’re interested—and I’m not trying to force you into anything—but I’d like to work with you, help you learn to use your magic. Learn to find power in other methods than blood and sacrifice.”

Sebastian shot a quick glance at Lily. She merely raised one eyebrow, but she really wanted to do a handstand or two. She’d never known her father to make such an offer.

“Thank you. Yes. Definitely yes. There’s so much I don’t know, so many things I’ve tried to learn, but my father’s ways aren’t mine.”

“His is dark magic, worked with blood and the energy gained from stealing a life force. Ours is a little different.” He caught Lily’s eye and winked. You might want to explain the source of our power to him. I’m sure he’ll be interested.

Then he took Lily’s hand and held it tightly, and there was something in his eyes that gave her pause. She tried reading him, but her father’s shields were powerful. Right now they were stronger than she’d ever sensed. “Lily? I think your mother and I learned our lesson with Alex. This must be your decision. Do you want Sebastian to stay? He’s taken the first capsule. I’ve told him I would like for him to remain among us until we know for sure he’s Chanku, but it’s really up to you.”

She gazed directly at Sebastian. “Actually, it’s up to you. I think the question is, Sebastian, do you want to stay here?”

He reached for her hand and wrapped his long fingers around hers. “Try and make me leave.”

“Good.” Now, this could get awkward. “Dad, I’ve given my cottage to Alex and Annie for the night. Are any of the guest rooms here at the house made up?”

He raised one very expressive eyebrow. “Alex and Annie?”

“Yep.”

“Interesting. And you don’t mind?”

“No, Dad. I don’t mind. Guest rooms? Available?”

Both eyebrows this time. “How many?”

She raised her own, right back at him. “One.”

He cast an appraising glance over Sebastian and then leaned across the bar and kissed Lily’s cheek. “Take your pick, sweetheart. I’ll see you two in the morning. Sebastian?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Be sure and tell her about the bodyguards. And, Lily? Explain to Sebastian the power behind our magic.” Then with a final glance her way, he left the two of them alone.

Lily tossed back the rest of her cognac, stood, and took Sebastian’s hand. “You can tell me once we get to our room. Do you have any bags?”

“I wasn’t intending to stay.” He laughed. “I didn’t plan well at all. All I could think of was getting to you, apologizing to you, and hoping like hell you’d see me. I just caught a plane, didn’t even pack a toothbrush, and flew into Kalispell. Picked up a rental and came straight here.” He stood and took both her hands in his. “I had to see you, Lily. I wasn’t sure if you’d even speak to me, but I was wrong to leave when I did.” He sighed. “Hell, I’m not even sure why I left.”

She tugged and he followed, out of the den and down the hall to her favorite of the guest rooms. It was almost dead center in the house, farthest from both her parents’ rooms and Alex’s mom and dad. And far from Alex, when he stayed here, though he often used her cottage when she was in the city. She wondered if he and Annie were there now.

She opened the door and led Sebastian inside. The room was large, more a suite than a bedroom, with a small kitchenette and a beautiful bathroom with a tub large enough for two.

She stopped beside the bed, aware that her heart was pounding and her body aching. She’d shifted and run, and had just enough sex with Annie to take off the edge until watching Annie and Alex had aroused her again. But first she needed to ask Sebastian a question that had been haunting her.

A question linked very much to her father’s concerns. “How close are you and your father tied? How much control does he have over you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can he access your mind?” She sighed and took his hands in hers. Warm and strong, with long fingers and a dusting of dark hair at his wrists. A girl could feel safe holding hands such as these. Being held by these hands. His fingers laced in hers as she asked him the rest of the questions that had plagued her.

“These are the things I’ve been wondering. Was he the one who sent that sharp pain through my head at the reception? Could he have forced your feral side to dominate when we ran last night?” She paused, but her eyes never moved, and her gaze remained fixed on his. “Could he have made you leave my bed at precisely the time you did, just before that girl’s murder? I guess, Sebastian, what I want to know is whether or not your father is setting you up. Does he want you to be accused of the attacks on all those young women? Because it’s the only explanation I can come up with that makes any sense.”



He didn’t want to admit that he’d had a lot of the same thoughts. No son wanted to accuse his own parent of such horrible things, but he was beyond protecting his father, and he’d never lie to Lily. She meant too much to him. Somehow she’d gotten under his skin the first time he saw her, and the feelings weren’t going away.

Instead they grew stronger with every minute he spent with her. “I’ve wondered the same things for the past few weeks. There’s often a pressure in my skull that makes me think he’s either in my mind or pressing against my shields. The timing of the murders—they’ve happened up here when I’m in Montana, in the Bay Area when I’m in San Francisco. It’s too much to be mere coincidence. Then there’s the incident your dad wanted me to mention to you, about his bodyguards.”

Lily tilted her head and frowned. “Bodyguards? I didn’t realize your father needed them. Is his life at risk? The only cause he’s had lately is against Chanku, and we’re not violent. Well, killers by nature, but not when we’re acting civilized.”

She flashed him a grin as she sat on the edge of the bed. He loved the way she watched him. Her focus was absolute, but he could sense her mind spinning, coming up with an interpretation of everything he said. Open to him, but unwilling to be led; she thought for herself.

Even her father didn’t intimidate her, and Anton Cheval was not a man to be trifled with. He loved that about her. Admired her strength, the fact her personal integrity appeared to be absolute. There was damned little integrity in his father’s life.

Not nearly enough in his own, but that was going to change.

He shoved his hands in his pants pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Civilized killers? Now that’s an interesting concept. The truth is, my father has a lot of enemies. When you crave power the way he does, people who get in the way get hurt. Not always physically, but he doesn’t have any problem destroying reputations. He’s good at finding ways to control people, and I don’t think he hesitates going outside the law to do it, though I have no proof of that. Right now, he’s got at least half a dozen big guys working for him who look like they’d take your head off without provocation. Two of the men with him this morning caught my attention. One had his right arm in a sling. The other had an ugly slash across his nose and needed a walking cast. Left leg.”

Lily grimaced as she nodded in agreement. “There’s our link. The one I’ve been looking for. I told you I recognized the scent of the wolves that attacked us. They were definitely at the site of that murder in Golden Gate Park. They must be shapeshifters, which means they’re Chanku. No other beings shift naturally, and I can’t imagine your father is powerful enough to change them by magical means. He can’t shift himself, can he?”

“No. He seemed surprised when I shifted.”

“Eve’s not in contact with any others beyond the known members of the pack, though we do know of a set of experiments, using the nutrients to find Chanku in the military, but that was years ago. It was deemed a failure and ended abruptly. We don’t know how many Chanku might have been discovered or where they ended up.”

“Then maybe that’s where we need to start looking. I’m positive my father’s bodyguards are the ones who went after us, and we can tie them to at least one murder scene. You said you’ve got a guy up here working on the Montana cases. Has he picked up any Chanku scent?” Damn, he wanted answers. He wanted all this behind them, because he really wanted Lily.

“Alex’s nose isn’t as good as mine. The difference between wild wolves and Chanku is really subtle, so no, he’s not noticed anything. I did tell him that I recognized the scent from the murder scene when those wolves attacked us, and he said that was the first really good lead. Now that we can link them to your father through his bodyguards, the evidence is even stronger.”

She looked at him with that wonderfully direct gaze of hers. “It’s not looking good for your father. Are you going to be okay with this, even if it results in him going to prison?”

He shook his head. “Absolutely. If he’s guilty of organizing these horrific crimes, he belongs there.” Actually, if Aldo was guilty, Sebastian knew it wouldn’t be easy to keep from killing the man himself. The murders had haunted him for weeks now. He couldn’t imagine what the women’s families were going through.

“Okay.” Lily squeezed his hand. “I just need to be sure. Eve’s checking on the military Chanku to see if there are any in the civilian population. We need to tell her what you’ve discovered and the scent link between the bodyguards and the murders. If your father is working with rogue Chanku, we really need to tell Eve. Tomorrow we’ll visit her on the astral.” She shot him a quick grin. “Without a blood sacrifice—yours or mine.”

“What about tonight?”

She smiled and ran her fingers across the front of his slacks. He’d been aroused all evening, but her touch immediately took him beyond mere arousal, straight to demanding need. She cupped him, holding his testicles through the soft fabric of his jeans, and smiled up at him in all innocence when he groaned.

“I’m exhausted. Tonight I need sleep, a shower, and a man. Not necessarily in that order.”

He struggled for breath. “How about we start with the shower and the man?” Leaning forward, he planted his hands on either side of her hips, caging her within his arms.

She glanced over her shoulder at the door to the bathroom and then tilted her head and looked up at Sebastian. “Works for me, but you’re wearing way too many clothes.”

He reached for the knot on her sarong. “So are you.”


Alex followed Annie as she trotted through the dark forest, taking the long way back to Lily’s cottage rather than using the shortcut through the caverns. He felt drunk on feelings, his mind so overwhelmed by Annie, by her love, her trust, her absolute faith in him, that he found it hard to concentrate.

He wanted her. Wanted her as his mate, as his wife, as his partner for all time. They’d linked closely during sex, but he knew it could be more.

Would be more, once they mated as wolves. He’d never felt this way around a woman, this sense of completion, as if the man he wanted to be had finally come into existence because of her.

His parents had said he would know, but they’d always hoped he’d know with Lily. Thank goodness she’d understood even before he had that they weren’t meant to be together. He loved her and would always need her friendship, but something about Annie was just . . . right. Such a simple concept, but so true.

She paused, one foot lifted, ears pricked forward as she gazed at him over her shoulder. They were close to the valley where most of the pack had their homes. Not far from Lily’s, but he knew immediately why Annie had paused.

She’d only been home a few days after so long away. He knew her parents must be worried. Do you need to let your parents know where you’ll be tonight?

I should. My father worries.

Would he stop worrying if you were my bonded mate?

She sat. Alex?

His heart twisted in his chest, as if it were growing too big to fit. So much emotion, and damn, but he actually loved the feeling, the sense that this was bigger than him.

Bigger than both of them. He’d never imagined himself saying those words, meaning them with every beat of his heart. When he spoke, it wasn’t his conscious mind coming up with the words. It was something more. Something deeper. Something totally beyond his control. I love you, Annie. I want you for all time. I think I knew as soon as I saw you today. You are so brave, so strong. You are the woman I want as my mate. The one I want to bear my children. To love me, if you can, for all time.

She stared at him as if she’d never seen him before. Almost as if she didn’t know him. You haven’t seen me for six years. How can you know?

He had no idea, but he knew. There was no doubt in his mind. I’ve never felt this way. Not this soul-deep certainty that you are mine. That we’re meant to be together. You said you loved me, Annie. Do you?

I do.

I won’t pressure you. It doesn’t have to be tonight, but I don’t want to wait. I want the link that allows us always to be connected. I want you to know what’s in my heart so there’s no doubt how I feel.

He’d moved closer to her until their noses touched. Her thoughts blossomed, stronger, even more intimate than before. It’s hard for me to accept, she said. You’ve always been Lily’s.

I’ve been Lily’s friend, her lover, and her excuse, just as she’s been mine. As long as we’ve stayed together, we didn’t have to pretend with anyone else. I’m through pretending. Let your parents know you’re staying with me tonight. When you’re ready, we’ll take that next step.

When I’m ready? How do I know when? I’ve always known I loved you, but there was never a resolution to that love. I never . . .

Now you will. With me.

She was silent for what seemed like a very long time. He didn’t pry, didn’t intrude on her conversation with her parents, but when she turned to him, her beautiful eyes sparkled.

My father says as long as I’m with you, he’s not worried.

Tinker said that? Martin McClintock, known to one and all as Tinker, was big and scary and loved by everyone in the pack. He was the one who generally kept the young men in line. A glance from Tinker was usually enough to settle any disagreement.

He’d saved Alex from himself more than once.

Yeah. He did. Pretty amazing, don’t you think?

You have no idea. He’d been one of those young men always pushing the edge. There were times he was convinced his own father wanted to strangle him, but Alex had survived his teen years without becoming a statistic—much to everyone’s surprise—and due in part to the mentoring he’d gotten from Annie’s father.

Even more surprising had been his choice as the pack’s liaison to the Flathead County sheriff’s department, but he’d discovered a talent for working with people, for calming situations before they blew out of control.

Right now, he was the one on the edge of control. He wanted Annie now, wanted her as his mate. He didn’t want to wait, but it appeared that she did.

So he’d wait.

Annie turned and raced down the hill toward Lily’s cabin. He loved following her, watching her beautiful tail waving like a flag behind her. He filled his head with her scent, oblivious to everything around him. Only Annie existed. She was beautiful. She was perfect. She was everything he wanted—and she was his.

Without warning, something big and hard hit him from the side. Rolled him off his feet. He cried out a warning to Annie, but she was down with a massive wolf at her throat.

He sent out a cry for help, a cry to the first name that came to mind, even as he twisted frantically, trying to break the grip of the wolf that clamped down with sharp teeth and powerful jaws on the thick fur at his neck.



Lily preened like a cat, sitting on the floor as Sebastian knelt at her back and dried her with a big, fluffy towel. She wondered if she’d ever get enough of him. He’d made love to her in the oversized tub, again as they’d showered to rinse off the soap, and now he was erect again, his cock rising high against his belly. His body was so big and hard and powerful, yet his hands held her and dried her, as gently as if he handled a child.

She tilted her head back and looked at him upside down. His eyes really were teal blue, the color of a tropical lagoon. His irises were ringed in black, his eyes framed in long, thick black lashes. “You have gorgeous eyes.”

“The better to see you with.”

She laughed. “Old, old line. Were your mother’s eyes that color?”

He leaned close and kissed the end of her nose. “No, her eyes were gold, like yours.”

Even better. “Not gold. Amber. I bet she had amber-colored eyes. Typical of Chanku. Most of us have eyes that color.”

He shook his head. “There’s no proof she was Chanku. I know you think I might be, but there was nothing about her that fits any of the descriptions I’ve read. That thing about the libido? As far as I know, she had none. No interest in men. She never dated. I didn’t know she’d actually been married to my father until I found the divorce papers.”

“Did she ever talk about him?”

He shook his head. “No. She was afraid of him. She divorced him before I was born; didn’t tell him she was pregnant. She changed her name and hid from him, kept my birth secret. I grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, a place she figured he’d never look for her. She never told me anything, only that my father was a dangerous man and she wanted to keep me safe. I was Sebastian Roberts, not Xenakis, though she did put his name on the birth certificate. That and the fact he was my father. Everything else was fictitious. My whole life was fiction.”

How sad, she thought. Her own childhood had been so amazing. Filled with love, with minds totally open and honest to each other. “Was Roberts her real name?”

“No. I think she was Romanian. Her real surname was Lupei. Angela Lupei. I found it in her records. I knew her as Angie Roberts.”

Lupei? That name sounded so familiar. She parted her lips to speak.

Alex’s frantic cry slammed into her mind.

Lily! Help. We’re being attacked!

“Something’s after Alex and Annie! C’mon.” Lily shoved to her feet, opened the sliding door to the deck, and shifted the minute she was outside. She could hear growling on the hill above and Annie’s frightened yips. She linked to her dad, but he’d already shifted and was leaping from the far end of the deck even as she hit the thick grass beneath.

Energy around her shifted, and she knew Sebastian had called magic for his wolf and then Tinker came flying out of his house with Annie’s mom Lisa right behind.

Others raced to join them, Annie’s brothers, Ricky and Mike, Luc and Tia Stone—all the members of the pack who lived here in the valley coming from all directions; Stefan and Xandi charged off the deck together, and two of their healers, Adam and Liana, ran out of the woods, all of them headed toward the fight taking place on the low hill just above their valley.

Lily and Anton raced ahead of the pack, and it took them less than a minute to cross the meadow and reach the fight. A massive wolf had Annie cornered against a fallen pine, but he bled from a ragged gash across his muzzle and another across his throat.

Alex was bleeding from a wound to his neck, but the wolf he faced was favoring his front leg, and one ear was torn almost completely away. Lily sensed more strange wolves in the forest, but she couldn’t be sure how many were out there or why they hadn’t joined their packmates in the attack.

Anton reached the fight first, but the two rogue wolves must have realized they were outnumbered. Spinning away, they raced into the forest with Anton chasing.

Lily shifted and went straight to Annie, who’d collapsed in a heap and lay on the torn ground. Alex limped a few steps closer and stood there, breathing heavily, head down, blood running from the deep tear at the back of his neck. Stefan and Xandi arrived and paused to converse silently with their son. Then they spun away and followed Anton in pursuit of the rogues.

Adam and Liana, both healers, arrived together and shifted to help Annie and Alex. Annie’s parents, Tinker and Lisa, skidded to a stop beside their daughter, but Adam already knelt at her head, his hands against her bloody shoulder.

Tinker and Lisa paced, both of them agitated and growling. Then Tinker’s hackles went up, and his growl sounded like thunder as Sebastian raced into the meadow. Lily shook her head. “He’s okay, Tink. He’s with me.”

Tinker’s hackles went down, but he glared at Sebastian with his ears flat to his skull, wary of an unknown among the pack in a time of danger. Alex stood alone, panting, his head down, his wounds still bleeding. His thoughts were a cauldron of anger and fear, worry about Annie, and frustration that they should have been attacked here on private property.

Mostly, Lily sensed his anger at himself for failing to protect her.

Adam’s mate Liana left Annie’s side and took over with Alex, settling him with her hands, pushing him gently to the ground. He lay down, but his gaze never left Annie, and he stretched his muzzle across the torn grass as if trying to reach her. Lily glanced at Sebastian, who stood off to one side, still in wolf form watching the activity. “Adam and Liana are healers,” she said to him. “They go inside and repair injuries at the cellular level.”

Sebastian moved closer to Lily and sat beside her, but he remained alert, watching the woods. Guarding them. Lily felt warmth blossom in her chest. He had to be wondering how it was that Adam did his healing, sitting as he was, silently beside Annie’s wolf, his hands pressed to her shoulders, his face blank of all expression. Sebastian didn’t question anything. He followed Lily’s lead and watched for danger.

Lily ran her fingers through Annie’s thick pelt, searching for more injuries.

I’m okay. How is Alex?

“Good. You had me worried when I saw you go down. I’ll check on Alex. Lie still and let Adam decide how okay you are, okay? Your mom and dad are here.” Tinker sniffed his daughter’s wounds while Lily moved aside and went to sit with Alex.

“What happened?” she asked him. “Where did they come from?”

No idea. Annie and I were heading down to your cottage when the two of them shot out of the woods on the right. There might be more. I sensed others holding back, but those two hit us without any warning at all. The big one bowled Annie over, and the other one got me by the neck. Annie’s tough, though. And really fast. She got away from him and managed to do some damage.

“That she did.” Lily smiled as she stroked Alex’s shoulder. Liana’s hands were pressed to either side of the gaping tear on his neck, holding the skin together as she worked from the inside to rebuild the torn flesh. Alex was so proud of Annie, he didn’t even seem to notice his own injuries.

She sensed the change in energy as Sebastian shifted and sat beside her. “So this is your Alex,” he said. He gently placed his hand on Alex’s shoulder, as if to comfort him. “His aura is strong, even as an injured wolf. I can see why you love him.”

She turned and studied Sebastian. There was no sense of jealousy, none of the typical guy reaction to the other man in a woman’s life. “I do,” she said. “I’ve loved Alex since we were children. Even when he’s not all that lovable.” The wolf growled and she laughed.

Be nice to me. I’m bleeding.

“Not anymore. Liana’s got you just about put back together.”

How’s Annie? She says she’s okay, but . . .

“She’s going to be fine. I have a feeling though that her mom and dad might want to take her home with them tonight. You okay with that?”

No, but I can handle it. She just said the same thing. She feels badly about scaring them like this. I understand, even though I’d rather she stay with me.

“I bet. I’m guessing things went well tonight?”

Oh, yeah.

She chuckled. “I don’t want you to be alone tonight. Do you mind if Sebastian and I stay with you?”

I’ll be okay. But thanks. I don’t want to mess up your date.

I don’t think that’s a problem. She glanced at Sebastian who followed their interchange with avid interest. What would he say if she asked him to stay with Alex? If she asked him to share their bed? For Chanku, it was nothing unusual, but what if he wasn’t one of them? What if he was just what he said he was, a human with magical ability?

Sebastian? She narrowed her thoughts so that only he could read them. I really don’t want to leave Alex alone tonight. Do you mind if we stay with him?

He glanced at Alex and then at Lily and slowly shook his head. His hand still rested on Alex’s shoulder. Of course not. As long as he doesn’t mind a strange man in his bed.

She hadn’t expected that. Not at all. But she smiled and leaned against his side, while her fingers tangled in Alex’s fur and Liana finished putting the torn wolf back together.