Dana Eberharter - Shadow of the Wolf

I hope wherever we’re going I can take my boots off. My feet are killing me.

“Are we there yet?”

Up ahead the wolf gave a strange chuffing cough.

“And I’m sure I’d understand that if I spoke fluent woof.”

The wolf stopped, staring back at her for a moment.

“What?”

The wolf gave a shake of its head before moving forward once again.

“Yup, you’re male.”

Once again that proud head turned towards her. She could almost sense the question it wanted to ask.

“You haven’t once stopped for directions and you don’t make a lick of sense.”

Those golden eyes narrowed, almost as if… Nah. Not possible. Grammy had told her a long time ago that shapeshifters were a myth. Although he could be someone’s familiar.

That would explain how he seems to understand me. But even familiars didn’t have the level of intelligence this wolf seemed to possess, unless it was under a compulsion spell of some kind.

And anyone who put a compulsion spell on someone else wasn’t someone she wanted to meet.

She felt the magical barriers before they passed through them, early enough that she stopped before going in. “Wait.”

The wolf, on the other side of the barrier, yipped impatiently.

“No way. I have no clue what’s on the other side. For all I know you actually work for tall, blond and dorky. That could be an evil lair you’re luring me to.” Not that she actually believed that, but for some reason her instincts were telling her that crossing that border meant nothing would ever be the same again. She wasn’t certain yet if that was a good thing or a bad thing, since her insides were currently filled with butterflies doing a crazy, half-scared, half-excited mambo.

The wolf lowered his dark head, golden eyes closed. She could almost hear the pleas for patience.

Guess that answers that question. A familiar, then. At least she knew for certain now that she was dealing with someone magical. “Besides, judging from the look and feel, whoever’s on the other side is a wizard.” The wolf’s head snapped up. “Not sure I’m so eager to meet up with another one of those any time soon.” The wolf slowly shook his head. “Well, what would you do if you were in my,” she looked down at her feet

“boots?”

The wolf snorted.

“Yes, I know, Pup in Boots, doggie drag, call it what you will. The question remains.

Would you put your life into an unknown wizard’s hands?”

The image of the wolf blurred until a tall, wet, naked man stood in front of her.

“You already did.”

Lana blinked. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out, other than a whimpered

“Ugh.”

The man’s lips twitched. “Are you coming through or do you like getting rained on?”

Lana squeaked.

Hot, wet, naked male, with dark hair and golden eyes. Golden eyes.

Sorry, Grammy, looks like you were wrong.

The man’s mouth curved up into a sensuous smile. “Of course this would be a great deal more fun if you were also naked.”

“Guh.”

He held out his hand. “Come to me.”

Lana hesitated. There was something about his stance, about the way he phrased that command, that worried her. There was something irrevocable about it that had her wanting to take a quick step back.

The smile left his face. Determination hardened his features. “Come to me.”

The whispered seduction of his voice wrapped around her, teasing her senses, tugging her forward until she crossed the barrier, mambo dancing butterflies be damned.

Well, fuck. Looks like I get to dance with a wizard after all.

Christopher could barely contain his excitement. His mate was standing outside his home, staring up at the lit windows cautiously, her dark eyes somber. She was shivering with the cold, soaked to the bone, and still stubbornly refusing to enter. “Come inside.”

“Said the spider to the fly.”

He would have found it amusing if her teeth weren’t chattering so hard. “You’re soaked to the skin and freezing. Would you rather stay outside and run the risk of getting sick, or would you like to come inside and get dry?” He would force the issue if she tried to remain outside, consequences be damned.

She studied him warily before nodding grudgingly. She stepped over the threshold and into the warmth of the house.

He pointed towards the floor. “Strip. Drop your clothes there. I’ll be back in a moment with blankets and towels.”

She actually growled at him before tugging off the poncho.

Satisfied that she was following his commands, he turned away, heading into the laundry room for some clean towels. He hadn’t had a chance yet to fold laundry that evening, and now he was grateful for it. He toweled himself off and tugged on a pair of jeans, hoping that covering himself would make her more comfortable in his home.

He strode back out into the kitchen and froze, every single thought driven out of his head. She stood there clad only in simple white cotton, but that cotton was drenched, clinging to her skin like the finest silk. He could see the dusky color of her nipples through the cloth, the thatch of dark hair at the apex of her thighs.

One hand went to cover the sweet triangle between her thighs, the other reaching up to cover her breasts. “Towel. Please.”

He stalked towards her, putting every ounce of seduction he knew into it, gratified to see her fingers trembling from more than the cold when she took the towel from him.

“Follow me.”

He didn’t wait to see if she obeyed him. He led her farther into the house, towards the fireplace in his great room. With a wave of his hand and a few muttered words, he lit a roaring blaze guaranteed to warm her through.

The crystal ball wasn’t the only “pre-programmed” spell in the house.

“Great.”

He turned to find her glaring at him. He reached behind her to the sofa, pulling the blanket draped over the back off of it and wrapping it around her shoulders. “What’s great?”

“Nothing.”

He could feel one of his eyebrows trying to climb into his hairline. “Why does that tone bother me?”

“You’re the wizard. You figure it out.”

He settled on the rug in front of the fireplace. “Why do I get the feeling you’re prejudiced against wizards?” And why do I suddenly think you aren’t one? A thought he hadn’t entertained. After all, he’d asked for another wizard for a mate.

Hadn’t he?

“Maybe because wizards are prejudiced against me.” She settled on the opposite side of the fireplace, her expression wary. He would have to see what he could do to remedy that.

But for now he would deal with the first issue. “Why would wizards be prejudiced against you?”

She licked her lips, and everything male in him stood at attention. He didn’t hear her reply, too focused on what that pink tongue would feel like lapping at the head of his now aching cock.

“Hello!” The snapping of her fingers brought his attention back to the rest of her face. “Do I want to know what you were thinking just now?”

“Do you like chocolate syrup?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Do you like chocolate syrup?”

“Uh, no?”

“Then no.”

The wary look was back in her eyes. “Alrighty then. Can I borrow your phone?”

“Borrow my phone? Why?”

“To call for someone to come and pick me up, obviously.”

When hell freezes over. “Perhaps after we’re dry?”

“I could have them bring over clothes. And I need someone to take a look at my car.

It broke down on the road, and why am I telling a complete stranger all this? You could be an axe murderer.”