Pack of Her Own, page 6
But not tonight.
A chilly breeze drifted in through the open door and I watched Natalie roll over in her sleep. She moaned slightly and I was glad I had covered her.
“I’m sorry, Nat,” I whispered. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
I couldn’t help but think that Jason and his cronies had something to do with this. I hadn’t scented him in the woods, but then I hadn’t scented the hunters either. Not until it was too late. I pressed my hand to the wound, grimacing at the pain as I tried to stop the trickle of blood that was still running down my fur.
Silver tainted the blood, tainted everything, making it much slower to heal. If this was only the beginning of whatever was going to happen, I needed to be capable by then, before they hurt someone from town.
I left the cabin, closing the door tight behind me, and stumbled down the stairs in the direction of the forest. Twenty minutes later, maybe a little more, and I finally found my way back to my Jeep. I opened the back with my good arm and let down the rear seats, pulling out the spare sleeping bag and pillow I kept in there. Curling up in a way that didn’t hurt, I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep.
My last thought was the image of Natalie curled up on the floor. She’d been so brave, taking care of a wild animal like that. There was no way she could have known it was me, but she ran out to us anyway. That took a kind of strength I wasn’t sure she knew she had.
Want! my wolf howled.
“Me too, buddy,” I said quietly. “Me too.”
Chapter Eleven
Natalie
Surrounded by massive tree trunks, I ran through the darkness. Even with the moon overhead, barely any of its light filtered through the canopy, and I found myself all but blind. I ran with something behind me, hunting me. I felt its breath on the back of my neck—I could feel it in my bones. I could taste the thrill of the chase as my legs burned and lungs labored. I was the prey and there was a part of me that was loving it.
My foot hit an exposed root and I went down. I rolled and came back up in a smooth maneuver that wasn’t very much like me. But the pain caught up with me, and it wasn’t long before my run became something of a limping waddle. The predator was catching up to me. I needed to move, but the pain was too much, and I stumbled again, hitting the ground on my knees.
Movement echoed in the trees on either side of me. I fought down the wave of panic, desperately trying to get to my feet, but my legs refused to listen. Out of the trees to the left a massive silver-gray wolf erupted from the shadows. Its paws struck the forest floor and the ground trembled beneath the beast. I focused on letting the fear flow through me and out, instead of letting it control my actions. I was not weak. I could handle this.
Then another sound came from behind me, and I spun to stare at a tall, silver-haired woman who crouched in almost a mirror image of the wolf on the other side of me.
“Wren!” Her name dropped from my lips before I could stop it. My heart pounded at her savage grin, and I took in the feral green eyes that seemed to want to devour me.
“Natalie.” My name emerged from her lips like a sensuous moan, and I gasped in response. She wore the same flannel and loose jeans she’d been wearing at supper. She looked the picture of comfortable and wild all at the same time.
Movement behind me made me turn again, and I saw the wolf backpedal a step or two. Its eyes looked on in interest. If it felt threatened by us, it didn’t show.
My eyes were drawn back to Wren, who stared at me with naked desire. And it didn’t scare me. It didn’t make me want to run. I wanted those hands of hers all over me. I wanted her lips on mine, our skin touching. I wanted to know what she tasted like.
I took a single step toward her, and it was like an open invitation. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her lips locked upon mine. It started out awkward but became easier as I learned her lips, her taste. I closed my eyes and took her deeper into me. I tested the waters with my tongue, and she opened for me with a gasp and a moan, and I felt myself falling into her.
We parted, the kiss lingering between us, and I exhaled slowly. Her grin pulled her lips back, showing teeth that looked almost as impressive as the wolf’s, as she took my wrists and held them high above my head. She pushed me back until we hit one of the tall trees, the bark biting into my back as she held my wrists in place with a single hand. She reached up under my shirt with her other hand, and I gasped and moaned as she explored me. I struggled instinctively but gained no ground against the powerful woman.
She pushed her thigh between my legs, hard, and I writhed as panic and need warred within my chest. Even in my dreams, the fear of rejection reared its ugly head.
“Please!” I gasped when I could catch my breath.
“Please what?” she growled.
“Take me!” I screamed into the darkness as she ground her thigh upward.
The panic bubbled up, but I couldn’t stop her as she released my hands and tore my shirt away with a single tearing yank. She released my wrists, then her hands were on my chest, and she ran her fingers over my nipples, pushing me toward the edge of my climax already, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted more. Needed more.
I reached under her shirt and pulled it off before she could argue. I began to shadow her movements. I focused on her budding nipples and took one in my mouth while I used my hand on the other. I sucked and licked and clenched my teeth around her nipple. I ran my tongue roughly over my captive. She played with one of my nipples and I moaned loudly as she traveled south with her other hand.
“No!” I cried. The panic overwhelmed everything I was feeling and I twisted my hips away from her hand and her thigh. “Please, no!” I wanted to be perfect for her, even in my dreams. But I wasn’t.
She faltered and I wanted to wipe off the hurt and confused look on her face. I couldn’t, not yet. But there was more than one way to enjoy ourselves.
“As you wish.” The growl in her voice was less of a warning and more an outlet for frustration—one I couldn’t blame her for. But I didn’t want to stop entirely. She pressed her lips to mine again in a kiss that threatened to overwhelm me. I probed at her mouth with my tongue until she let me in. She gnashed her teeth at my lower lip and took it in a sudden bite and pulled until I gasped in equal parts pain and pleasure.
We parted and she darted forward to mouth one of my nipples and I made no move to stop her.
“Wren!” I moaned. I held her head to me like it was a life preserver—the only thing keeping me from drowning in her. She pulled back and spun us so her back was to the tree, and then put pressure on my shoulders.
“Kneel.” The command was hardly out of her mouth before I fell to my knees in front of her. I ignored the rough forest floor under my legs as I tugged her loose pants down. She tangled her hands in my hair and pulled me forward. She spread her legs and I lunged the rest of the way as she growled. “Take it all.”
I slid my hands up her ass and hips and anchored myself to her as I licked at the warm depths of her core. I tasted her like someone trying wine. I took small sips and tested her reactions until I knew how she would respond—and what would make her come undone. I pulled back a little and ran my tongue up her inner thigh while I played with her hidden clit, buried near the top of her lips.
“Natalie!” She gripped my hair tighter and sent shocks down to my core. “By the Mother, don’t you dare stop!”
I clenched her ass tight and I felt my nails break her skin, while I thrust my tongue into her, going as deep as I could. I sucked away at the hood that tried to conceal her swollen clit from me and raked my teeth over it to make her shiver and shake. I pushed my finger next to my tongue inside her and she bucked and rolled her hips, but she held me steadily between her legs as I lapped up everything that came out of her as fast as I could.
I held in a laugh as I heard her yip and growl like a dog as I worked her into a frenzy. Wedged between me and the tree, there was nowhere for her to escape to, and she twisted and moaned as I could feel her climax coming. I turned up the heat and pushed harder and faster with a second finger alongside the first and she let out a strangled moan that turned into a human howl that echoed through the dark trees. A gush of fluid followed the trail of my tongue, and I lapped it up with slow, lazy strokes as I took her all in.
I smiled up at her. I knew that she could see herself on my face, and I let her pull me hard to my feet and take my lips into her once more. She didn’t seem fazed that she could taste herself, and she devoured me anyway.
A howl split the air and I tottered on wobbly legs as the wolf who’d been forgotten made its displeasure of being left out known. I smiled at the furry beast, hoping to make friends with it. Suddenly, the darkness in the trees loomed and everything started to disappear.
“Wren?” I screamed. I toppled to the ground as she reached out her hands for me, her eyes full of concern. “Wren!” The trees closest to us disappeared. Then the wolf. “Please!” The moment the word left my mouth, the entire world went dark.
Chapter Twelve
Natalie
I clawed my way out of darkness and pulled the heavy comforter off my face to let in the bright sunlight. I cringed at the light, then groaned and pushed harder at the blanket, far too hot under the heavy weight, and felt the softness of the mattress beneath me. The adrenaline from the dream slowly faded, leaving me more tired than I would have expected. Maybe if I’d gotten a good night’s sleep, I would’ve been more aware, but it took a good five minutes before realizing I hadn’t gotten myself into bed last night.
I shot straight up. I was breathing hard as I tried to remember exactly what had happened the night before. I had woken up to gunshots. And then the injured wolf came to me and I helped it—I pulled out the bullet. Then that dream—
“The wolf!” I yelped as I threw aside the blanket and dashed out of the bedroom in nothing but my panties.
The rug at the front door still had the blood stain on it, but the wolf was nowhere to be found. I was about to run out the door when a sound in the kitchen drew my attention. Then I smelled the mouthwatering aroma of bacon and eggs.
Then I realized I was standing in the living room almost completely naked as Wren turned away from the stove. Her eyes fell on me, and she froze, a frying pan in her hand.
“Um…good morning?” She recovered enough to gently put the pan down.
“Fuck!” I screamed and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind me. “What the hell? What the fuck? Oh, my Goddess!” I desperately dug around in the closet and was tossing clothes onto the bed when there came a soft knock on the door.
“Natalie? Are you okay?”
Damn it! Why did she sound so caring? She was the one who was in the cabin without telling me. She did leave last night, didn’t she? I was pretty sure she did.
“What are you doing here?” I yelled back through the door, not up to opening it yet.
“I wanted to apologize for leaving so abruptly last night.” Her voice filtered through the door. “When I got here this morning the front door was wide open, and you were asleep on the rug with the blood, and I panicked.”
“What do you mean?”
She let out a heavy sigh. “I thought it was yours, so I picked you up and made sure you weren’t hurt. When I realized it wasn’t your blood, I put you in your bed.”
“And my clothes?” I felt the heat creep up my face even though she couldn’t see me.
“They were covered in blood! I didn’t think you wanted them on the sheets.”
Well, didn’t she just have a damned answer for everything? The problem was I couldn’t fault her for any of her actions. She knew this area better than I did. If I wasn’t hurt, then what was the point of calling the police, especially if she could get the story about the bloody rug when I woke up? Hell, I was probably lucky she hadn’t woken me up earlier to demand answers.
After a couple of calming breaths, I pulled on a simple black T-shirt and pair of cargo pants. Dressed now, I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, forcing her back. I gave her a glare but softened it enough to show I wasn’t entirely angry with her.
“Thank you.” I didn’t want to look her in the eye while I said it, but I did catch the smile that bloomed across her face. A flash of that same smile surrounded by darkened trees rocked me and I stumbled into her, clutching her shoulders as I shook my head to clear it. She winced under my weight, and I pulled back quickly.
“Are you okay?”
I took a moment before nodding. “I think so.” I proceeded to brush imaginary dust off her shoulders where I’d grabbed her. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She took my hand in one of hers and pulled me back to the living room with her. “Breakfast is ready, and you can tell me what happened after I left last night.”
I joined her at the island as she slowly dished out the eggs and bacon onto two plates. She was favoring one of her arms this morning.
“What happened to your arm?”
She fidgeted under my scrutiny. “Pulled my shoulder last night at the diner,” she said, focusing on her plating. “Stupid, really. The box was heavier than it looked.” She shrugged. “I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
I leaned back in my chair, relaxing a little. Normally, having someone in my living space who I didn’t know well would have me on edge enough to cause anxiety attacks. Wren was different. She moved like she owned the world, always in balance, always knowing what she was doing and where she was going. Her presence didn’t make me anxious—it calmed me. As I watched her, it was hard to believe anything possibly managing to damage that lean body of hers, even if it was something stupid.
“So?” she said softly, settling her breakfast beside mine on the kitchen island. “Are you going to tell me about the rug?”
I glanced over my shoulder at the blood-stained rug and cursed. I’d have to replace that for Rory. I didn’t want to stick her with the bill to clean or replace it.
“I woke up in the middle of the night,” I began, telling her everything that had happened the night before, as we enjoyed the culinary queen’s breakfast. I faltered a little, talking about the wolf. It had been the biggest one I’d ever seen, not that I had a lot of experience working with wild animals. I thought again of working with a wildlife sanctuary or something, but that required a school degree. And if my life kept going the way it was now, I wasn’t going to get that degree anytime soon.
“Wow, that must’ve scared the shit out of you,” she said when I’d finished. I felt I could only give a shrug.
“I was scared at first, but when I got the wolf back in the house, I was too focused on helping her to be scared.” I looked back at the rug again. “I thought I’d locked the door behind us, but if she got out, then I must not have. I hope she’s okay out there.”
Wren nodded. “I’d say maybe ask someone in town, but if there were hunters out there at night looking for a wolf, then someone has probably declared it a nuisance, and they want it gone. I worry what will happen if they go back out there tonight.”
“I hope she goes to a new area maybe. But probably not, huh? I just don’t want her to get hurt again. She was a beautiful creature.”
A sparkle gleamed in Wren’s eyes as she smiled. “You know, that’s kind of adorable.”
“What?”
“How much you loved that wolf last night.”
“I did not! I was scared out of my mind!”
She laughed. “You just admitted that you weren’t.”
“I—” My words failed me in the moment, and I smacked her lightly on the shoulder. She winced again and guilt flooded my mind. “Oh, Goddess, I’m so sorry. I forgot.”
She held up a hand. “It’s okay. If I couldn’t take something like that, I’d have to return my butch card.”
A surprised laugh slipped out of my mouth, and she joined it with her own. I stared at the smile on her lips, wondering how things felt so damned easy with her around. So comfortable. Even Rory rarely had me this at ease.
“Wren—” I began as a phone started to ring.
“Sorry,” she said, pulling out her phone. “It’s the diner, I should take this.”
I nodded and she pulled herself off the chair and wandered into the hallway. I finished off the last forkfuls of my breakfast before Wren’s voice rose in anger and worry.
“What do you mean she’s not picking up?”
There was no way I could hear the other side of the conversation, but something was clearly wrong.
“No. Stay at the diner. I’ll deal with this. Keep calling her until she picks up or you hear from me. Understood?”
Again, an answer came, but Wren hung up the phone and stormed back into the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, Natalie, but I need to go.” She headed for the door, slipping her shoes on with practiced ease.
I leapt off my stool. “What’s going on?”
She shook her head. “Just business with the diner.”
“That sounded like some pretty sketchy business.”
“I’m sorry I have to run again.”
I waved a hand. “It’s fine. I’ll just come with you.” The words surprised the hell out of me the moment they were spoken, but I wasn’t going to take them back. I didn’t want her to go. I didn’t want to be alone.
“No,” she said shortly, reaching for the door.
“Why not? It’s just diner business, nothing secretive or anything, right?”
She let out a low grumble. “Look, I can’t talk about it right now, but I need to go.”
“Are you—” I began but she was already out the door and climbing into her Jeep. I didn’t remember seeing her move between the two points. As I tried to puzzle out this new side of Wren, the Jeep kicked up gravel as it spun around and took off down the rough road.
