Wolf love, p.87
Wolf Love, page 87
“And you’ve kept it under control since then?” Shawn knew keeping the animal at bay wasn’t easy.
She nodded. “My raven has been tempted to the surface, but I’ve managed to push it back down.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Until you.”
“Not because I’m a stressful situation I hope.”
“Stressful? No.” She brought his hand up to her lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Sexy? Yes. I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”
He cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her lips. “Me either. You make my wolf want to howl.”
“So let’s have your story. When did you first change?”
Where to start?
“First you should probably know I’m not the only werewolf in the vicinity.” Would Flidae allow him to tell Jessica these secrets?
“Aye. I will.”
Jessica jumped out of her seat as Shawn looked over his shoulder to see the goddess herself standing in his living room in a cloud of white mist.
“Flidae,” he said.
“Wolf fighter.” Flidae floated toward them and Jessica backed up into the refrigerator. “Do not fear me, raven lass.”
“Because she’s always so friendly,” Shawn mumbled. A second later, his head felt as if it was about to split open. He waved a hand in surrender to the goddess. “All right, all right. I take it back. I’m sorry.” Instantly the pain subsided and he got to his feet to go to Jessica. He stood in front of her to face Flidae.
“An apology? Interesting what you’ll do to show off in front of the raven lass.” Flidae chuckled and the sound made a shiver roll through Shawn. “Now, let me see her.” She raised a hand to signal for Shawn to move.
But he didn’t.
“You can see her from there.” No way was he going to let the goddess do anything to Jessica. To his angel.
“She’s mine first, wolf fighter. All creatures are mine first.”
“You didn’t even know about her.”
“Do you know how many creatures I oversee? Once in a great while, someone slips by me. This raven lass has done just that, but I must claim her now, before someone else does.”
Shawn held up his hand. “What does that mean? Who else would claim her?”
“That is not for you to worry about. That is a matter for the gods and goddesses.” Flidae stared at him now, her gaze powerful and unwavering. “Now move. It’s in everyone’s best interest that you trust me.”
“Trust you? What reason do I have to trust you? You’ve done nothing for me.”
“I let you live—let all of you wolves live—when ending you was what I was supposed to do. Your deaths were requested. I fought to find another punishment.”
Shawn felt as if someone had punched him in the gut and he was struggling for oxygen. The wolves Reardon made were supposed to be dead? Flidae had defended them? Banishment was a lesser punishment?
“What is she talking about, Shawn?” Jessica’s hand on his shoulder had him looking back at her.
“Let me claim her and you can tell her your story, wolf fighter.”
Hesitantly, Shawn moved out of the way, hating the wide-eyed, frightened expression on Jessica’s face. He took her hand. “I’m right here, Angel. Don’t be afraid.”
Flidae’s gaze shifted between them then she stepped closer to Jessica. “You’ve never seen a god or a goddess before, raven lass?”
Jessica shook her head.
“Good.” Flidae raised her arms out to her sides and said, “Creature of the sky, as you fly, know that you are connected to all living things, to me. I walk with you.”
Shawn let out a noise and Flidae shot him a glare, which made his face go back to neutral pretty damn fast. If the goddess hurt Jessica...he’d... he’d....protect her any way he could.
“I’ve never seen you this nervous, Shawn McMannus. Love has unleashed all sorts of emotions in you, hasn’t it? You’re halfway to your something worthy.”
With that, the goddess disappeared into her familiar white mist.
Shawn turned to face Jessica, his hands going to her shoulders. She was so pale. “Are you all right, Angel?”
Slowly, she nodded. “What did she mean about you being halfway to your something worthy?”
He tugged her into the living room and nudged her into a seat on the couch. “Time for my story.” He sat at the other end so he wouldn’t be tempted to touch her, to collect her into his lap, to soothe those worry lines out of her brow. “I wasn’t born a werewolf. I was a regular man. I was a soldier. In Ireland. In the past.”
The worry lines deepened and Jessica opened her mouth, but Shawn continued. “I’m not from your time, Jessica. Remember how I didn’t know what a microwave was? That wasn’t from a concussion. That was because I’d never seen a microwave—or any of the other countless inventions of this time. I come from a time of warriors. Warriors who were hired for their brutal killing skills. Kings paid us to slay their enemies and we did it. We did it well.”
“We?”
“Aye. Me. Kole. Jaemus. Others. Reardon led us. Reardon who was—is—a natural-born werewolf. He turned us when we finally met an enemy stronger than we were.”
“You were turned?” Jessica scooted closer to him. “Against your will?”
“Aye.”
“How could Reardon do that to you all? He had no right.” The color was returning to her cheeks and Shawn loved how she got mad on his behalf.
“He didn’t have a right, but at the same time, we probably would have all perished on that battlefield had he not done something.”
“So you’ve forgiven him?”
“Only recently, and I still have my moments where I get angry about it all over again. I’m learning to deal with it. Being turned into a wolf wasn’t the worst of it though. Flidae’s punishment was the worst. She was angry at Reardon for using us—wolves she considered hers—to kill.”
“So she banished you. To here?”
He nodded then watched as Jessica’s face went from disbelief to realization. Her hands went to her temples.
“The train tracks. She dumped you on the train tracks.” She clamped her hands over her mouth, horror filling her eyes. Then she pushed over to his cushion and threw her arms around him, wiggling onto his lap in the process.
Her warm tears dripped onto his neck and he rubbed his hands along her back. “It’s all right, Angel. You saved me.” He held her back to see her face. “I’m here because of you.” He kissed away her tears then squeezed her to his chest.
“All this time I’ve wondered how the hell you ended up on the tracks.”
“Never imagined it was because I’m a banished warrior werewolf from the past who angered the Celtic goddess of wild things?”
She laughed a little. “Never crossed my mind. No.” She hugged him again then slid off his lap to sit beside him. “What’s the something worthy part about?”
“If I want to get back to Ireland, I need to do something worthy.”
“Oh.” The simple word held loads of mixed emotions. “So you don’t want to stay here?”
He tipped her chin up, rubbing his thumb along her jaw. “I didn’t. Not at first. Not when my first introduction to this time was getting torn apart by a train. Not when I became a one-legged man and three-legged wolf. Not when I thought I’d never see Kole again. I missed Ireland. I missed being a warrior and fighting and the riches that came with that. I missed my brother and cousins.”
She blinked at him, and he could hear the wild thoughts bouncing around in her skull.
“But now, things are different.”
“They are?”
“Aye.” He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. Gods, she tasted good. “Now there’s you. Where will I ever find a woman so uniquely perfect for me? Not back in my time. Not in Ireland. You’re here so I want to be here too.”
Jessica beamed a smile at him that could have melted glaciers. She reached for his laptop on the chest in front of the couch. After opening it, she chewed on her bottom lip as she tapped at the keyboard.
“What are you doing, Angel?”
“Canceling the equipment order.”
Great. She wasn’t going to stay. All this was too much for her. He was destined to be miserable.
“I’m going to drive back to Maine after sailing today and pack up all my shit. I’m moving in here with you and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
Warmth spread through him. She wanted to stay. She wanted to be with him. “There is something I can do about it.” He tugged on her hair. “I can drive back to Maine with you and help you pack up all your shit twice as fast.”
“Deal.” She snapped the laptop shut and put it back on the chest. “We will, however, be ordering a new bed. Not only is yours uncomfortable, we also tore it up.”
“I’ll build you a nest.”
She punched his bicep. “I don’t think a wolf will be comfortable there, and I plan to have you in bed as much as possible.”
He pulled her into his lap again. “I like this plan.” He slid the strap of her sundress off her shoulder. Her bathing suit strap followed. His teeth grazed over her skin, nipping lightly as his hands found her breasts and kneaded them. Forget construction work. He wanted to make a career out of worshipping this magnificent woman-slash-raven that Fate had somehow put in his life.
Right when I needed her.
Standing, he hiked Jessica legs up around his waist and she clamped on. His mouth never left hers as he carried her down the hallway.
“Uncomfortable or not, I’m taking you to my bed, Angel.”
“Who needs comfort when riding a wave of ecstasy? Are all werewolves amazing lovers?”
A growl of jealousy rumbled out of him. “You’re not allowed to research that question.”
She chuckled, but he wasn’t kidding. Not even a little bit.
A ringing phone stopped them for a moment.
“Let the machine get it.”
Jessica grunted in reply as she feasted on his neck.
“Hey, Shawn and Jessica. Where are you guys? I called your cell phone a million times, Shawn.” Kole’s voice echoed through the machine. “We’re giving you fifteen minutes, then we ship off.”
“Ship off then,” Shawn growled.
Jessica loosened her leg grip around him and slid her legs down to stand in front of him. Her sundress and bathing suit straps were still hanging off her shoulder. Her hair was disheveled from his fingers raking up into it. And her lips... oh, gods, her lips were puffy and red from his kiss.
“I want to go sailing. I’ve never been.”
He touched his forehead to hers and sifted out a breath. “Sailing. Aye. Let’s go sailing.” Though he already had the port he wanted to anchor in.
Chapter Eight
Sunlight sparkled over Lake Champlain as Torrin’s boat cut across the water. The thirty-two-foot sailboat moved majestically, its sails full of summer wind and its captain navigating expertly.
“How long have you been sailing?” Jessica asked Torrin as she sat in one of the stern seats by the wheel, completely enjoying her first time out on the water.
“Since I was a boy,” Torrin said. “But this is the first sailboat I’ve actually owned.”
“See, we were a poor troupe of musicians,” Emma said as she passed out lemonade to everyone. “Then we came to Vermont and got discovered. Now Torrin thinks he’s a big time star.”
Torrin elbowed Emma as she squeezed by him to give a drink to Shawn. “What good is making decent change if you don’t spend it on things that make you happy?” He sent a look to the beautiful woman sitting on his right. He’d introduced her as Kari and clearly she was Torrin’s number one fan. Something told Jessica he’d spent some of his earnings on her.
“Well, I definitely think you guys are big stars. I love your music and this is a lovely boat. Thanks for letting Shawn and me join you today.” She sipped her lemonade and went back to soaking in the view.
With glances to the man beside her as well because that view was something to behold too.
After hearing Kole’s phone message, she and Shawn had wrapped up their fondling of one another with a quick, yet passionate round of kissing. Ten minutes later they were in her SUV, driving to the marina and preparing to board Torrin’s boat.
“We weren’t sure you were coming,” Kole had said as he’d shaken Shawn’s hand. “Something hold you up?” His grin said he’d known exactly what they’d been doing.
Jessica cheeks had flared and she’d huddled behind Shawn, making Emma laugh.
“No sense in hiding,” Shawn had said. “They can smell what we’ve been doing.”
Kole and Emma had become frozen on the dock, their eyes boring into Shawn’s then shifting to Jessica. Clearly they’d hoped she hadn’t heard what Shawn had said.
Shawn had reached back and positioned Jessica by his side, his arm going around her shoulders. “It’s okay. She’s like us.”
Emma had leaned closer. “She’s a werewolf?” She’d sniffed. “She doesn’t smell like one.”
“Wait, are you one?” Jessica had asked Emma. Shawn had said Kole was, but she hadn’t realized Emma was too.
Emma had looked back to Torrin and Kari who were already on board the boat and out of earshot. She nodded once.
“Jessica can shift like we do, but she isn’t a wolf,” Shawn had explained. When he’d looked down at her, genuine marvel over what she was filled his expression. She never thought anyone would ever look at her that way. “She’s a raven shifter. A beautiful one.”
“You can change into a bird?” Kole’s eyebrows had risen way up to his close-shaven haircut. “Like with wings? And flying?”
“Yeah. And I guess it isn’t as weird as I thought it was.”
“You have to see her.” Shawn had dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “She’s magnificent.”
“She must be,” Emma had said as she pulled Jessica into a hug. “You only genuinely smile when she’s around, Shawn.” In Jessica’s ear she’d whispered, “Welcome to the club, sister.”
And Jessica did feel welcome among these people. Welcome in a way she’d never felt anywhere before.
Kole had warned her not to say anything while they were sailing as Torrin and Kari didn’t know what they were and it needed to stay that way. Flidae didn’t like regular humans to know about shifters unless those regular humans were soul mates to a shifter or had some role to play involving shifters. They’d told her that Brandy was also a werewolf, turned by Reardon when they’d fallen for each other, and that Kole had accidentally turned Emma. Nika, however, hadn’t been changed yet. Jessica had also learned that little Kylie was a werewolf and that Dylan and Meredith knew about everyone.
“Keep it hidden from anyone else,” Kole had warned.
“No problem,” Jessica had said. “I’ve kept it hidden for most of my life.”
“Well, you needn’t hide with us,” Shawn had said.
Emma had squeezed Jessica’s hand. “After sailing, will you show us your raven form? I’m so curious. We can stop at Silver Moon. The sanctuary is a safe place for us.”
Jessica had glanced at Shawn, but he’d said, “Up to you, Angel. If you’re not comfortable—”
“I’d love to.” She had squeezed Emma’s hand back before releasing it.
Now, listening to water slap against the sides of the sailboat, Jessica looked forward to sharing what she was with these people. They would accept her, feathers and all. She could finally relax and be herself.
“I need a few days off,” Shawn said to Kole now.
“Why? Are you fighting again?” Kole’s blue eyes darkened. “We came up with a new plan.”
Shawn held up his hand. “Easy, brother. We did come up with a new plan. I’m not going to fight anymore. I want to work with you, Reardon, and Jaemus. In fact,” he winked at Jessica, “I have some money to contribute to starting Warrior Construction.”
“You do?” Kole leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
Shawn nodded then slid his hand to Jessica’s knee. “This wonderful woman here won’t let me pay her back for this.” He lifted his left leg.
“You are paying me back.” Jessica rested her hand atop his on her knee, that simple touch making her wish they were back at Shawn’s cabin, naked and making love. “You’re letting me move in with you.”
Emma shot to her feet. “You’re moving in with him!” She clasped her hands together and held them up to her cheek. “Oh, this is such sweet news!”
“Don’t mind her,” Torrin said. “Since she’s fallen in love with Kole, everything is romantic to her.”
“Shut it, Torrin.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
“Yeah, shut it, Torrin,” Kari said. “You’ve got a fair amount of romance coursing in your veins too. I seem to recall waking this morning to breakfast in bed and then a shower that—”
“Okay, okay,” Torrin interrupted. “We can agree we’re all a little mushy currently.”
Kari wrapped her arms around Torrin from behind him and his smile deepened.
“I need a few days off to go to Maine with Jessica and help her pack up.” Shawn grasped Jessica’s hand and brought it up to his lips. He pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand, not appearing the least bit hesitant to show his affection for her in front of his family.
This is it. I’m finally going to be happy.
Coming to Vermont had been the best idea she’d ever had. Loneliness would be a thing of the past.
“By all means, take a few days.” Kole raised his lemonade glass in salute. “To Jessica and Shawn and love and all that touchy-feely stuff.”
“You’re a true poet, Beast.” Emma leaned her head on Kole’s shoulder as she clinked glasses with him.
“Yeah, can we use ‘all that touchy-feely stuff’ in our next song?” Torrin asked. “It’s brilliant. Such a wordsmith.”
Kole directed a middle finger at Torrin, making everyone laugh.
“Where’s Kylie today?” Jessica asked. She was curious about a child werewolf.
“She’s with Dylan,” Emma said. “Reardon and Brandy offered to take them horseback riding. Kids their age like to be constantly busy.”
