Keri Arthur - Circle of Desire

Though any other man would certainly have slept beyond tomorrow.

She rose. While she was muddy and cold and more than half wishing she hadn't so readily discarded the wet blanket, she also felt incredibly invigorated. Maybe the magic he'd raised still pulsed through her blood. Or maybe it was simply all the great sex they'd shared.

Only it was more than just sex. It was a commitment. But not one meant for her.

She thrust away the pain of that thought and glanced skyward. Though the rain had stopped, the night was still bitter, and she didn't particularly want to leave him lying there naked. Frowning, she raised a hand and kinetically retrieved his discarded jeans. Then she turned the energy on him, lifting him gently and carefully pulling his jeans up his legs.

She took the condoms from his pocket then eased him back down. He stirred, murmuring something she couldn't quite catch. She waited until he was still again, then gathered a heap of undergrowth and leaves from beneath the nearby trees and covered him. They would help keep him warm and provide some cover from inquisitive eyes — whether human or animal.

She lifted her arms and called to the wildness of her alternate shape. On night-dark wings she headed back to her grandmother.

Gwen had the door open as Kat approached, allowing her to arrow inside before she shifted shape. "You just missed Ethan's boss and partner. They've been keeping me company while we waited for you two." Gwen hesitated, eyes twinkling and a smile twitching her lips. "Where have you left him?"

Kat kissed Gwen's leathery cheek. "Sleeping the sleep of the well sated. I hope. Do you mind if I shower while we chat? I need to get warm again."

She threw the condoms on the table and headed into the bathroom. Gwen followed her in and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "Something happened out there, didn't it" Kat felt the temperature of the water then stepped inside the shower. "Yeah," she said, avoiding the intentness of her grandmother's gaze by raising her face to the stream of heat. "The Mara tried to blow us up again."

"I know that. Benton got a call from the sheriff stating you and Ethan were still missing after being caught in a motel explosion."

She spat the water out of her mouth and quickly explained what had happened. "If the soul sucker thinks we're dead, it gives us a huge advantage. One we'd better take immediately."

"Then you're intending to go after her?"

"We don't dare do anything until we get those kids to safety. Once we have, you and I are free to confront the bitch."

Gwen nodded. "I don't hear Ethan's name mentioned in any of that."

"He'll be with me this morning."

"And later?"

"It's you and me. Ethan's task will be to get his niece to safety."

"And you think he'll settle for that?"

She smiled grimly. "It's what he came for. It's all he wants." Other than Jacinta. She grabbed the soap and quickly began washing.

The heat of her grandmother's gaze burned into Kat's back. After a while Kat said, "What?"

"You didn't answer my question, you know."

"That's because nothing of importance happened. You want to work up a kit of goodies I can take into the cave?

I have to get back to Ethan in case he wakes."

She knew her grandmother wasn't fooled by her casual tone and words. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away. Right now, she really didn't want to talk about it. Not when there were more important things to worry about.

Besides, she definitely didn't want to know for certain that she'd committed her heart, her body and her soul to a man who would never love her.

Gwen sighed then levered herself off the bathtub and walked out. Kat closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cool tiles. He'd told and told her he couldn't love her, but she'd refused to believe him. Until tonight.

Until he'd made his promises and celebrated a union to a woman that she wasn't. It hurt. God, how it hurt.

My fault, she thought. If she hadn't been so pigheadedly certain she was right and he was wrong… She took a deep breath and pushed away from the tiles. Right and wrong weren't important. Getting those kids back was.

Everything else could be worried about later.

She finished washing and quickly dried herself before heading into her bedroom to get dressed. She grabbed a sweater and boots for Ethan then walked back into the living room.

Gwen offered her the backpack. "You've got stakes, sleep bombs that'll affect both zombies and shapeshifters, and some holy water. Oh, and some masks for you and Ethan.

Be careful."

Kat swung the pack over her shoulders and gave her grandmother a hug. "Keep safe."

"I intend to kick this thing's butt, so don't you be worrying about me."

Kat grinned and grabbed her cell phone off the table.

"It'll take us an hour to get back up the mountain on foot, and God knows how long to snatch the kids. If you get a car, I'll give you a call and let you know where to meet us."

"I might let Ethan's boss in on the pickup. Might be handy if we can swap the kids into a different car somewhere along the line."

"Good idea." She kissed her grandmother again then headed for the door.

"Kat?"

She hesitated and looked over her shoulder. The understanding in her grandmother's green eyes threatened to shatter the wall she was building around her emotions.

"The promises a werewolf makes under the divine light are very rarely false ones."

"They are if the woman he sees when he's making his promises is not the one he's with," she said and walked out.

The soft sound of a footstep woke Ethan. He didn't open his eyes, remaining still as he listened. Material scraped against wood then silence fell again. The wind whispered through the trees and thunder rumbled in the distance. The air was crisp, cold and filled with the scent of the storm, the ripeness of the wet ground, and Kat.

Her scent was on his skin, her taste in his mouth. Every intake of air seemed bathed in her essence. Longing stirred his body to life, but right now, it was a need he had to ignore. At least until he found out what had happened and how he'd gotten here.

There was only one thing he was certain of — hours had passed. The storm had eased and dawn had come and gone. But the full moon was closer than ever, and the hunger in his veins would continue to escalate right through the day until the animal in his soul finally took control. Only then would he be free of the burning need.

He looked around. Kat was fully dressed and sitting cross-legged on a log six feet away.

"Gwen dropped them by," she said before he could ask.

"She also brought some weapons."

She was lying, though why he was so certain he couldn't say. He pushed away the forest covering him and rose.

Her gaze skated down his body and jumped away, but he could smell her arousal as easily as he could feel his own.

"What happened after the explosion?" he asked.

Her posture suggested wariness, and something churned in his gut. What on earth had he done?

"You don't remember?"

He caught the sweater she tossed him. "Not a lot after the explosion." He hesitated. He remembered the power of the moon singing through his veins, through the very air around them. Remembered howling her name to the moon. He brushed his fingers across his jeans pockets as he pulled on the sweater. Most of the condoms were gone, but that didn't really mean he'd used them. "I remember making love."

Relief flared briefly in her eyes, but he had a feeling it wasn't because of what he remembered but rather what he didn't. And that only made fear tighten his gut further.

"The explosion blew us and the bathtub well clear of the motel, but the moon had you in its grip. We escaped into this forest."