A Shift in the Air (33 page)

She giggled at the absurdity of his
question and the shivers that ran down her spine as he nipped along
the curve between her shoulder and her ear. “I love when you do
that.”

“
This is part of the
mating,” he said softly. Another line of kisses trailed along the
other side. “Shows trust. Do ya trust me with your heart,
luv?”

“
I do.”

***

Liam slept soundly, though Caitlin
couldn’t manage to quiet her racing thoughts. She pressed a kiss to
his forehead. “I won’t be far,” she whispered.

Padding down to the kitchen in one of
Liam’s flannel shirts and her pajama pants, Caitlin headed for the
fridge. She looked inside, rummaging for ingredients, when she
sensed a presence behind her. Whirling around, her cheeks flushed
with heat.

“
I made ya each a
sandwich.” Farren leaned against the counter with a mug of coffee
in her hands. “Let me guess: you let Liam eat both of
them.”

“
He needed them more than
me.”

Farren chuckled. “He probably did.
I’ll make ya another.”

“
I can manage. You look
tired.” Caitlin accepted the plates Farren handed her and slathered
mayo on four slices of bread. Turkey, swiss, and lettuce
followed.

“
I could say the same.
Though ya have a bit of a glow about ya. The moon passed. Ya had
enough time?”

A warmth burst over Caitlin’s skin,
and a gentle breeze ruffled her hair. “Yes.” She hadn’t had a
family in years. Did this sort of sharing happen regularly? Would
Cade and Mara expect to hear about her sex life too?

“
I’m glad for ya. And Liam.
Ye’ll return to Seattle soon?”

“
We haven’t discussed the
future. But his life is there. His pack. And I’d started to carve
out a place for myself there as well. I don’t know why we
wouldn’t.”

Farren hastily swiped the back of her
hand over her cheek and came away with a single tear. “I’ve never
seen Seattle.”

Sadness hung between them, and Caitlin
kicked herself. Farren had lost three members of her pack to this
fight, and the pain of those wounds would be hard to soothe. A
subtle hint of roses infused the room, and Farren pulled open the
refrigerator door, ostensibly to retrieve pickles, but Caitlin
caught the shake of her shoulders before she stood up and set the
jar on the counter.

“
If you have something of
Colin’s, I can find him.” Caitlin sliced both of the sandwiches in
half and divided them between two plates.

“
Peter’s out looking for
Colin and Abagail.” Cade’s deep voice startled them both, and one
of the plates rattled on the counter as a burst of Caitlin’s
element escaped. “You’ve got Liam to tend to. If we don’t find him
by tomorrow, then you can have a go.”

“
I’m their alpha,” Farren
protested. “I should be the one out there.”

“
You’re too close to the
pain,” Cade said and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “We owe
you our lives. So let my pack help you now. Rest and give yourself
a break. You didn’t turn them against us. Fergus did. Who knows
what happened to Brian and Abagail, but that’s on Colin and Fergus.
Not you.“ He snagged a slice of turkey and popped it into his
mouth. “And if we can’t find him, then Caitlin will.”

“
Maybe ye’re right. But my
pack…how can I hold them together now?”

“
All you can do is make
peace with Tierney and Ewan. They’re out back drinking beer. They’d
probably like company.” He jerked his head towards the door, and
Farren nodded and headed for the exit, leaving Caitlin alone with
Cade. How did pack politics work? She’d asked him to accept her
back in Dublin. Did she need to do anything special now?

She glanced towards the kitchen door,
wishing for Liam at her side, and Cade quirked his brow. She really
wished she’d pulled on something a little more formal than Liam’s
shirt and her pajama bottoms.

Self-conscious, she offered him a
plate. “You want one?”

“
Sure. You’re going to
learn how much weres eat pretty quick.” He piled another six slices
of turkey on his sandwich before joining her at Farren’s dining
room table.

The two ate in silence, looking over
the expanse of countryside outside the windows and the three
werewolves deep in conversation on the patio.

“
How’s Mara?”

Pain tugged at Cade’s shoulders.
“Exhausted. You’ll help her, right?”

“
I swear, Cade. I won’t
give up until I’ve translated every word in that book.”

With a nod, Cade cleared the dishes
and then followed her back to the bottom of the stairs. “He won’t
want to be away from you much at all in the next few weeks. Be
prepared for that. And he won’t want me or any of the other males
touching you. But I need to do this one thing.”

He held out his hand, and Caitlin
placed her fingers in his. “You had a bad start. In a lot of ways.
Fergus. Katerina. But you protected Mara. You kept the book from
Fergus so we can help her. Thank you. There’ll be some tension when
we get back. But I’ll smooth things over as best I can. You belong
with us, and I’m happy you’re family now.”

Caitlin didn’t know what to say. Cade
smiled and nodded towards the top of the stairs. “Go be with your
mate.”

***

“
Caitlin.”

Liam’s hand trailed up her stomach to
cup her breast. The peaceful blanket of night surrounded them,
broken only by crickets and the breeze creaking a tree branch or
rustling leaves.

“
Feeling better?” she asked
and then mewled when he pinched her nipple and bit her lightly just
below her ear. He’d slept almost twelve hours. She’d dozed too,
translated another few lines of the book, and looked in on Mara,
but she couldn’t stand to be away from him for more than a few
minutes. Mara assured her the intense need would wane in a few
days. At least for her. Liam—like all newly mated wolves—would be
insatiable for weeks.

He dotted her shoulder with kisses.
“Luv, I need to run a bit. I can shift now and heal more. But I
don’t want to leave ya.”

The moon had risen a few
hours ago, and though no longer full, Caitlin noticed an immediate
difference in the demeanor of her sleeping mate. Somehow stronger,
even in slumber, she marveled at their connection.
She
felt the moon, even
though she’d never be a wolf, never know the feeling of running
freed from her human form.

Caitlin rolled over in his arms and
pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “How long?”

“
An hour at most. I’m still
tired.” He smoothed a hand over her hair. “Tell me not to
go.”

“
No. Fergus is dead, Liam.
We’re safe here. Farren, Tierney, and Ewan ran tonight. Go find
Cade. I’ll even stay with Mara if he needs me to. And then come
back to me.”

***

Caitlin fixed herself a cup of tea
laced with whiskey and wrapped herself in a blanket on the patio.
Mara didn’t want to get out of bed, but Cade assured them she only
needed more sleep. An odd glint to his eyes confused her, and she
almost pressed him, but he stripped off his clothes and shifted so
quickly she didn’t have a chance to get the words out. Liam shed
his pants and, naked, pulled her into his arms.

“
I love ya, Caitlin. Ya
don’t need to wait out here in the cold for me, though. Ye’re
exhausted.” Liam slid his thumb along her cheek, tracing one of the
dark circles under her eyes.

“
I want to see you shift. I
know,” she said when his brows drew down. “But you were dying then.
Don’t bother denying it. You didn’t have long left. That wolf could
barely breathe from the pain. I want to see your wolf
strong.”

Liam crouched next to her. His eyes
changed first, glowing bright amber, the pupils shrinking to
pinpricks as the pain drew the first strained breath from his
lungs. Along his spine, the skin rippled and a series of cracks
reverberated in the stillness of the night. The bruises from
Fergus’s’ torture faded as his skin darkened into a thick pelt. His
nose lengthened, his teeth sharpened, and he tossed his head back
with a howl—equal parts pain and joy. As his wolf panted through
the last, traumatic moments of his shift, Caitlin pressed her hand
to her heart.

Her wolf—her mate—took her breath
away. Coiled strength and pride reflected in his stance, and he
padded over to her, sat, and raised his head to meet her
gaze.

“
Oh, Liam.” Winding her
arms around his neck, she buried her face in the soft fur of his
shoulder. “You’re magnificent.”

A chuffing bark shook his massive
frame. He pulled back and swiped his nose against her
neck.

“
Cold nose,” she said with
a laugh. “I like the human kisses a lot better.”

She’d spent less than an hour around
wolves, listening to their vocalizations, but she didn’t have any
trouble understanding Liam’s yips. He agreed with her.

“
Go run. I’ll be upstairs
when you’re through.” Caitlin kissed the top of his head and ran a
hand down his back. “Be safe.”

***

Caitlin stood at the bedroom window,
letting the gentle breeze bring the scent of spring wildflowers and
the sea air to her nose. She’d seen Cade and Liam running around
the property several times, and Liam’s limp hadn’t lessened. He
matched Cade for speed, but she suspected the alpha held back.
Sorrow wrapped around her heart. A mournful howl from the east
matched the tenor of her own sigh, and moments later, Liam’s wolf
padded unevenly to the patio, glanced up at her, and groaned as he
shifted back into a man.

When he burst through the bedroom
door, she threw herself into his arms. His bruises had faded, and
only his leg bore any evidence of his torture. He smelled fresh and
clean, and the thick locks of his hair tickled her shoulder as he
nipped at her neck.

“
Naked. Now.” Liam pulled
her tank over her head and threw the gauzy material across the
room. The appreciative purr that rumbled forth as he closed his
mouth around her nipple sent a wave of desire through her.
Desperate hands tugged at her fleece pants.

Teeth scraped tender flesh, and his
fingers teased the tight bundle of nerves aching for him. He
dragged her up his body, letting her wrap her legs around his waist
and hold onto his neck while he brought her to the bed, never
stilling the desperate dance of his tongue against hers or the
thrust of his fingers inside of her.

He draped her over a pillow, a slight
arch to her back offering her breasts to him. A hand tightened in
her hair, angling her head so he could kiss a line from her nipple
to her ear, and when he bit down lightly on her ear lobe, she
thrust her hips towards him.

“
Inside me,” she gasped.
“Please!”

“
No.”

She thought to protest, but when his
tongue pressed to her clit, the words died on her lips as the rest
of the world fell away and only Liam remained. He slid his hands
underneath her ass, and when he closed his teeth over the throbbing
nub between her legs, she screamed his name.

Pleasure sent her flying off the
precipice, and she bucked and cried out as he wrung a second, and
then a third climax from her weary body.

By the time he entered her, she
couldn’t speak—only moan hoarsely. Still, she grabbed his hips and
pulled him deeper. Liam rocked into her, gently at first, then with
a need she’d thought only existed in books. He held her with his
gaze every bit as much as his body.

The bonds of love and mating that wove
around them strengthened with every touch, every shared sensation,
every kiss. And when he wrapped her in his embrace, they lost
themselves in a storm of pleasure.

Epilogue

Peter left to return to the States,
but he and Caitlin had forged a tenuous peace in the days after
Liam’s rescue. Her willingness to put her own life before Liam’s
changed the dynamic between them. He hadn’t made a final decision
about leaving the pack, but Liam feared he’d be gone when the rest
of them returned to Seattle.

Cade, Mara, Liam, and Caitlin spent
two weeks with Farren. Caitlin had to file paperwork with the local
Garda office to prove Caitlin Brannigan hadn’t died eleven years
ago, and a new passport arrived by courier, expedited by a friend
of Farren’s late mother.

Farren and her two remaining wolves
put on a good front, but Colin and Abagail hadn’t been found.
They’d either perished, or they fled so far away that Caitlin’s
charms couldn’t locate them. The loss weighed on Farren, and she
offered to release Tierney and Ewan to a pack outside of Dublin if
they chose. Ewan went to visit, but Tierney took offense that
Farren would even think he’d want to leave and sulked for three
days before apologizing.

Liam’s injuries faded to memories,
though he would probably limp for the rest of his life. His wolf’s
gait loped a bit now as well, but he insisted he felt
fine.

The only lasting fears Caitlin had
surrounded Mara. The water elemental had lost her vibrant energy,
even after days of rest and freshly cleansed and recharged quartz
surrounding her bed. Caitlin spent hours with Farren’s laptop and
the book, but only one decent reference for ancient Gaelic existed
online, and so far, she’d managed to translate only half a dozen
pages. None of which made any sense. Still, she’d vowed not to give
up.