Dana Eberharter - Shadow of the Wolf

He handed her clothes to her with a small bow. “Here you are, m’lady.”

She took them, smiling warily. “Thanks.” She gestured towards the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.” She headed for the bathroom, giving him an unreadable look before closing the door behind her.

Christopher settled into one of the chairs by the small table, filling his plate with food. She might not be hungry, but he was starving.

She came out a few minutes later dressed in everything but the poncho, socks and boots she’d been wearing the night before. “Thank you for washing my clothes.”

He smiled, trying to look harmless. “You’re welcome.” He stood and held out her chair. “Are you ready to finish breakfast?”

She studied him intently for a moment, the scrutiny making him vaguely uneasy, before settling daintily into the chair. “Thank you.” She took another bite of the cooling eggs, then a sip of the coffee. “Mmm. It’s good, even cold.” She smiled at him. “Now.

Forever mates. Ancestral curses. A daily yearning for Kibbles ‘n Bits.”

Christopher winced. “Hmm. Yes, where were we?”

“Let’s start with what makes you think I’m your mate and go from there.” She took a bite of crisp bacon, her eyes closing in pure pleasure. “Damn. Okay, for bacon this good you get to call me Lana.”

He swallowed hard. He wanted to see that look on her face while he fucked her into the mattress.

Her eyes opened and something of what he was feeling must have shown in his face, because she sat back, wiping the pleasure away with a quick shake of her head.

Christopher took a sip of his coffee, trying to ignore the way his hand trembled. He’d never wanted anyone so badly in his entire life. What made it worse was his wolf pushing him to pounce and mate. He was having a hard time resisting both his own instincts and his wolf’s. “About a month ago I cast a spell.”

“A love spell?” She was frowning at him now, her eyes turning hard.

He glared back. “Do I look like I want the universe to slap me upside the head?” Her expression eased. “Wizards follow the threefold rule as well, you know.” And one of the worst spells to cast was a spell that forced someone to do or be something they weren’t.

The Lord and Lady took a dim view to that sort of thing.

She had the grace to look sheepish. “Sorry.”

“The spell is one my ancestor came up with after several years of research. Each Beckett male, when … certain feelings become overwhelming, gather the ingredients, place the Beckett ring in the circle, and cast the spell.”

“The Beckett ring?”

“It’s the ring my great-grandfather used in the spell to call his mate to him. It became my great-grandmother’s engagement ring.” He liked the soft smile that curved her lips.

“When his brother was ready, the ring was lent to him, the spell cast, and his mate came to him within a month.”

She sat back in her chair, frowning thoughtfully. “So every Beckett male casts this spell and boom! Instant girlfriend?”

“More like instant fiancée.”

Her expression turned from intrigued to mildly panicked within seconds. “Uh…”

He placed his hand over hers, reveling in the feel of her smooth skin. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep the engagement short.” He kissed her fingers, resisting the urge to taste her skin again. He already knew she would be addictive.

“And you think it was the spell that brought me here?”

“I’m certain of it.” He sat back, sipping from his coffee. Her face was so expressive.

Every emotion she felt flitted across it. He was certain she’d never be able to tell him a lie without his knowing it.

“Well, bud, let me set you straight. It turns out that I was there for a bachelorette party, with male strippers and everything, and if my car hadn’t broken down on the road, you’d never have met me.”

She sat back with an air of triumph, oblivious to the fact that his coffee mug had begun to crack. Male strippers? She’d been around half naked men last night? He had the urge to shred the bright turquoise v-neck T-shirt she was wearing, knowing where she’d been the night before. It read Go Forth and Sin Some More. He’d smiled when he’d seen it last night, but now? Now it needed to meet a trash can. He set the mug down carefully on his empty plate, hoping she wouldn’t notice the slowly spreading coffee under the mug. “And what drove you into the woods, Lana? Lust?”

She opened her mouth, the closed it, looking startled. “Instinct.”

“Instinct.” Interesting. “And what kept you from accepting Cole’s offer of help?”

She frowned again. “Was that his name?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“He was a wizard.” She waved her hands vaguely. “And his aura was funky.”

He bit his lip to keep from smiling. “Funky?”

“Yuk it up, furball, but you didn’t see the colors that were swirling there. Black and icky green. Not the good green like grass, but that glowing eerie shit that scares you in bad horror movies.”

“Furball?” Wait. “How did you know he was a wizard?”

She shrugged. “The same way I knew you were a wizard. It’s in your magic.”

He blinked. “I had no idea you were a witch.”

“Really?” The surprise in her voice turned into a smug smile. “Cool.”

He rolled his eyes. “I can show you the spell I cast to call you to me if you like.”

She tilted her head. “You think I’ll understand your spell?”

“I don’t see why not.”

Her mouth opened again but nothing came out, the surprise there nearly causing him to laugh. She must not have expected him to offer to show her the spell. “Huh. I never thought I’d see the day a wizard offered to show a witch his workroom.” She stood.

“Bring it on.”

He grinned. “Follow me.”

“Where have I heard that before?” She followed him out of the bedroom and down the stairs. “Oh, wait, isn’t that the time just before you drugged my hot chocolate?”

“Can you prove I drugged your hot chocolate?”

She growled, then huffed out a breath. “No.”

“Well then.” He opened the door to his workroom. “Here you are.”

She walked past him into the room that only family was allowed into. His wards let her in easily, barely rippling around her. “Whoa.” She put her hand to her forehead.

“What was that ?”

“My protection spells.”

Her eyes went wide, her face paling. “Am I about to experience being inside out?”

He huffed out a startled laugh. “No, of course not!”

She turned to look up at him, her gaze following him when he moved into the workroom. “Because you’re with me, right?”

He merely raised one brow.

“Right?”

He sat behind his desk, ignoring the open Registry. He had no doubt she would be looking him up in it soon enough, the same way he’d looked her up. “It let you through because it knows you’re family.”

She sat in front of his desk with a thump. “Oh.”

He leaned forward. “Welcome home.”

Welcome home? Oh crap. What have I gotten myself into this time? Lana stared at the wizard behind the desk, trying to ignore how the mambo dancing butterflies came back every time she saw him. “My home is in Philadelphia.”

“Is it?”

“Geez, I can’t wait until you and Grammy meet. The entire conversation will be questions and obscure Confucius type conversations.”

That slow, sultry smile was taking over his mouth again. The butterflies went from mambo to Macarena in two seconds flat. “Do you want to see the spell?”

“Uh-huh.” She cleared her throat, wondering if he’d heard how breathless her answer had been. “Yes, I would.”