IceSurrender (3 page)

“I still don’t know why he couldn’t tell us where he was
going or why he wouldn’t be coming back,” Meadow said. “I think of Taylor as a
brother. I feel as if I’ve lost a family member.”

Durlach put his arm around Meadow’s shoulders and kissed her
temple. “He must have had a very good reason. I’m sure he still thinks of you
in the same way. If he didn’t he would have up and left with no word to you. He
even let you try for two hours to get him to change his mind before he said he
couldn’t wait any longer to leave.”

Meadow sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I know, but that doesn’t
make me hurt any less. He’s always been there when I needed him. I’m going to
miss not having him around.”

“He knows you’ll always have me to protect you. I doubt he
would have left you alone if that wasn’t the case.”

“It’s too bad he didn’t want to become a member of our pack.
Then Edensaw, as his alpha, could have ordered Taylor to stay.”

Edensaw chuckled from where he sat in the armchair with his
son in his arms. Cassidy was perched on the armrest. “Taylor is a cougar
shifter. I don’t think he would have felt very comfortable with a bunch of
wolves as his family. Besides, from what he taught us about his kind, they
don’t have packs. They only stay together as family groups.”

Meadow sighed. “You’re right. Taylor wouldn’t have been able
to adjust to it.”

Durlach kissed his mate’s temple again. “Who knows, maybe in
the future he’ll come back at least to say hello and show us he’s still all
right.”

Meadow looked at Wren. “Wren, what do you see? Is Taylor
going to be okay?”

Ryder watched Wren get the distant look in her eyes she got
every time she saw into the future. So far that wasn’t one of his abilities,
but it more than likely would be once he came into his full powers.

Wren nodded. “Yes, Taylor will be fine. His going away was
something where he had no choice in the matter. I can’t see what caused to it
to happen, though. Only that he had to go.”

“At least he’ll be all right,” Meadow said. “I’ll have to be
happy with that.”

Ryder leaned against the wall just inside the room. All the
seats were taken, which just left the floor. He didn’t mind sitting there, had
done so on many occasions, but that was where Wren was. Knowing her, it didn’t
matter where he sat on the carpet, she’d only get up and sit closer to him.

But that didn’t stop her from setting her gaze on him. A
quick glance showed she had focused on him. Ryder looked at everyone else but
her, though he still felt her watching him. Soon he found himself unable to
completely ignore Wren. He gazed at her for a few brief seconds before he
stared at something else.

Dinner was soon served, cooked by Kajakti’s mate Jaren, a
trained chef. The kitchen was her territory when it came to the evening meal.
Since there were so many of them, and they couldn’t all fit around the kitchen
table, they filled their plates, then sat in the living room to eat.

Ryder managed to snag one of the only two armchairs. Wren
came back into the room and plunked down onto the floor at his feet. She sat
close enough to almost lean against the lower part of his leg. His cock
twitched, telling him how much he liked it.

Once everyone sat, eating, the conversation turned to the
two dark wolves Brice, the leader of the local werewolf pack, had in his
custody. Their location was being kept from the rest of Brice’s pack, mostly
because they didn’t need the enemy going after them if they happened to get loose,
and the fact they had been part of Brice’s pack before Tanner, the leader of
the dark wolves, had turned them. Brice was afraid some of their family would
try to set them free.

The meal finished, they all helped clean up, then returned
to the living room to talk some more. After Cassidy and Edensaw put Wyatt to
bed, they put a movie in the Blu-ray player.

Ryder hadn’t been so lucky the second time to get one of the
armchairs. He sat on the couch with Wren next to him. Since they tried to fit
as many people as they could on it, she was plastered right up against him. He
could smell the scent of the shampoo she used in her hair and the light
fragrance of the perfume she liked to wear. He had to fight not to turn his
head, lean in and take a good whiff of the long brown locks that were so
temptingly close.

Wren placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed. Ryder
jerked, not because he disliked her touch, but because he liked it more than he
should. His cock came instantly to life.

“Relax,” Wren said quietly. “You’re too tense. Maybe I
should give you a back massage. That’ll help.”

Oh yeah, that would
really
help. The only thing that
would do would be to make his dick harder. What Ryder wanted her massaging was
his cock, and
that
wasn’t going to happen. No matter how much he wanted
it. But if he did let Wren do it, it wouldn’t exactly be him breaking his
ancestor’s edict about no sex, would it? Technically he wouldn’t be engaging in
sexual intercourse. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t jerk himself off when he
couldn’t take it anymore.

Ryder gave himself a mental smack in the head. In no way
could he allow Wren to get her hand on his cock. He would want to take it much
further than that. He didn’t know if he would have the control to stop things
at that.

The movie ended and Durlach, Meadow, Carson and Laci said
their goodbyes before they left for their own homes. After that, everyone else
decided to go upstairs to watch TV in their rooms. Ryder knew some of the
couples would be doing a lot more than that once they were alone.

They all stood. Cassidy asked Wren, “Do you need me to get
your blankets out of the dryer for you? I washed them earlier.”

Wren shook her head. “I’ll get them tomorrow. Tonight I’m
sleeping with Ryder. He finally agreed.”

Every set of eyes turned in his direction. Of course they
would want him to confirm what Wren had said. He’d hoped she wouldn’t make such
a big deal about it.

He nodded. “Yes, she is. We found out something earlier.”
Ryder went on to explain what had happened in his dream and how Wren had
managed to get inside it and manipulate it.

“Way to go, Wren,” Eryn said. “None of us would be able to
help Ryder like that.” She smiled at him. “I’m glad you two have found
something to bring you closer.”

Ryder decided not to remark on that last comment. Eryn had
been pushing him to take Wren up on her offer of a relationship for a while
now. Wachei’s mate had come to the conclusion that he and Wren would be perfect
together. So now Eryn liked to give hints whenever she could in that regard.

“Tonight is only a test to see if Wren can do it again,”
Ryder said.

“Well, let us know what happens,” Edensaw said as he guided
Cassidy out of the room.

Everyone else left as well. Wren took a few steps to the
entrance, then stopped to look over her shoulder at him when he didn’t follow.
“Are you coming or not?”

“Yes, but it’s too early for me to sleep. I usually stay up
late.”

“We can watch TV until you’re ready. It’s early for me as
well.”

Ryder walked past Wren and headed for the stairs to the
upper level. She followed him. He opened his bedroom door and allowed her to
step inside ahead of him before he closed it behind them. He made a point of
not locking it. He wasn’t going to give her any ideas.

Wren looked around the room before she sat on the bed. Ryder
remained by the door, watching her. She had noticed he hadn’t locked it after
he’d closed it. She knew he’d done that to make sure she didn’t get the wrong
ideas. Well, she did have other ideas that could lead to those wrong ones. If
she was lucky.

She bounced on the bed. “Comfy. Are you going to join me or
are you going to stand there all night?”

Ryder slowly crossed the space between them and sat on the
other side of the mattress as close to the edge as he could get without
actually falling off. He picked up the remote from the bedside table and turned
the TV on.

Wren decided now would not be a good time to push things.
She’d let Ryder get more comfortable with her being there, then she’d see how
receptive he’d be to her. The night was still early. A lot could happen before
morning, if he finally relented and let her closer.

It took far longer than Wren had anticipated for Ryder to
relax. An hour must have gone by before he leaned back against the headboard
with a pillow at his back instead of sitting ramrod straight. She gave him even
more time, then by slow degrees put her plan of attack into action.

In the first phase, Wren slowly shifted closer to Ryder by a
half inch every few minutes. She kept that up until she was way over on his
side and her thigh and shoulder were against his. He stiffened at the initial
contact but did nothing to shoo her away. Instead he kept his gaze focused on
the television. So far so good.

She sat like that for the next half hour. The second phase
involved a lot more touching. This she wasn’t sure if Ryder would balk at right
away. Wren hoped not. She wanted to break down some of his barriers, and there
was a chance she wouldn’t get another opportunity like this if she couldn’t get
into his dream again.

Wren slouched down and leaned to the side so her head rested
against Ryder’s shoulder. She forced a yawn as if she were starting to get
sleepy. He didn’t pull away, so she took it to the next level.

She put her hand on his thigh. Ryder sucked in a sharp
breath, which was his only reaction. Wren didn’t stop there. She rubbed the
hard muscle under her palm, following it from above his kneecap to the bottom
of his hip. It twitched at her ministrations.

Wren’s heart beat a little faster as she continued to stroke
Ryder. God, she wanted him. Too many times she’d made herself come, imagining
it was him who touched her, brought her to climax. She’d go crazy if she didn’t
get his hands on her soon.

She changed the direction of her stroking so she massaged
across Ryder’s leg, angling toward his inner thigh. Wren kept that motion up as
she rubbed higher, moving in closer to his crotch.

Ryder croaked, “Wren, what are you doing?”

She tilted her head back to look at him. “What does it look
like? I’m massaging your leg. Since you didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea
of me rubbing your back, I decided to do this instead.”

“Stop it.”

“Why? I’m not hurting you.” She stroked a bit higher.

A pained-sounding groan escaped Ryder. “No, but I really
wish you’d stop.”

“I don’t want to.”

Wren rolled to her side, using her other hand to continue
her massage. She looked down at the front of Ryder’s jeans and saw the bulge
there was definitely bigger than it had been before. She nibbled her bottom lip
and gently ran her fingers across it. Yup, he had an erection hiding in his
pants.

Ryder grabbed her wrist, stopping her movements. “Wren,” he
said, his voice strained and gruff. “Stop.”

She met his gaze without trying to pull free of his grasp.
Why would she? Her fingers were still touching his cock. “You like me doing
this. I can see that for myself.” She glanced down at his crotch. “Plus, I like
it. Just being here like this with you is making me wet.”

The last words had barely left Wren’s mouth when she found
herself flat on her back with Ryder on top of her. His lips were on hers,
kissing her as if he’d waited a lifetime to do so. His tongue stroked hers as
he moaned from deep inside his chest.

Wren lifted her arms and took two handfuls of Ryder’s long
hair, curling her fingers into it, as she kissed him back just as hungrily. A
wolf’s growl pushed out of her as her arousal increased. This was how she’d
wanted him, wild, not holding anything back. Now she had the answer she’d
sought. Ryder did want her as much as she did him. He’d been holding back for
some reason.

She sucked on his tongue as she lifted her legs and wrapped
them around his waist. She rubbed her jean-clad pussy against his equally
jean-clad cock. It set the simmering fire inside her to full flame. She dropped
her hands from his hair and grabbed Ryder by his butt, holding him exactly
where she wanted his erection. Wetness leaked into her panties.

Ryder roughly threw himself away from her so he lay on his
back, breathing hard. He swore under his breath. Wren rolled toward him and
placed her hand on his chest. His heart thumped at a rapid pace under her palm.
Not to be put off yet, she caressed her way lower on his body, but he caught
her wrist before she reached his cock.

He met her gaze. “I can’t.”

Wren growled with frustration. “Why are you fighting it? You
no longer can deny you want me.”

Ryder blew out a breath. “You don’t understand. I can’t.”

“Then explain it to me.”

“I didn’t want to, but I don’t think I have any choice in
the matter since you won’t stop. I can’t have sex with you, or any other woman.
To gain my full powers I must remain celibate until I have them. The first
shaman to the wolf brothers, my ancestor, made that very clear in one of the
visions he sent me. If I don’t, I can’t come into them.”

“Shit.” Wren pulled out of Ryder’s grasp and flopped onto
her back. “So the man I’ve desperately craved for months on end I can’t have.”

Ryder chuckled but there wasn’t any real humor in the sound.
“You have no idea what I’ve been going through. Sometimes I have a hard time
thinking about anything but you.”

Wren rolled to her side and propped herself up on her bent
arm so she looked down at Ryder. “You should have told me sooner. Now I have
even more reason to help you get your full powers. Once you have them I can
screw your brains out.”

He laughed, this time for real. “Are you always this frank?”

She shrugged. “Yes. A trait I got from my mother. She always
said what was on her mind.”

Ryder met her gaze, his expression growing serious. “I can’t
promise you anything, Wren. Even after I have my full powers.”

“I can’t accept that. There shouldn’t be anything holding
you back once it happens. Your need to remain celibate will be no more.”

“I…won’t know what I’ll become in the end. I could very well
no longer be myself. It could change me irrevocably.”

Wren shook her head. “I won’t believe that. Yes, you could
be different, but you won’t completely lose yourself.”

“Do you know that for a fact?”

She had a decision to make. She could either give an answer
that was only partially right or tell Ryder the full truth. Wren decided on the
latter. “I did ‘see’ something of your future. You become more powerful.”

“But? I know there’s more.”

“There was a darkness about you.” That was something Wren
hadn’t understood when she’d first seen that bit of Ryder’s future, and still
didn’t. How could he be dark when he was one of the good guys?

“See?” Ryder asked. “That’s why I can’t make you any
promises.” He reached up and gently caressed her cheek. “Please, Wren, don’t
take this any further than we’ve already gone.” He dropped his hand. “Let’s go
to sleep.”

Knowing there was no use arguing with him now, Wren nodded.
She stood next to the bed and yanked her shirt off over her head.

A strangled moan escaped Ryder. “Why are you taking your
clothes off?” He’d pushed himself to a sitting position, facing her.

“I’m not going to sleep in my t-shirt and jeans.” She undid
her pants and shucked them as well. “So I’ll do it in my bra and panties.”

Ryder’s gaze ran over her body, heating with each second
that passed. “What about pajamas? I know you own some because I’ve seen you in
them.”

“I don’t feel like going downstairs to get any.” Plus, this
way Ryder got to see exactly what he was missing out on. She might have decided
not to push him right now, but that didn’t mean she’d stop enticing him.

“Are you trying to torture me? After everything I told you?
Seeing you like that isn’t helping with my control.”

Instead of answering Ryder, Wren pulled back the covers on
her side of the bed and slipped under them. She fixed the pillow the way she
liked it, then looked at him expectantly.

Ryder mumbled something under his breath about stubborn
women before he got off the bed and crossed over to his dresser. He took out a
pair of pajama bottoms, then walked out of the room. Wren heard the bathroom
door shut a few seconds after. It only took him a couple minutes to return, the
sleepwear in place of his jeans. He also had taken off his t-shirt, leaving his
upper body bare.

Wren wondered who was tempting whom now. She couldn’t take
her gaze off Ryder’s chest as he walked by to put his jeans in the laundry
hamper in the corner of the room. It was hairless and had well-defined pecs.
Looking lower, she saw his abs were equally defined, showcasing a six-pack.
Ryder might not be as bulky as the sentinels, but he was muscular enough to
make her mouth water.

Ryder turned off the TV and lights before he headed for the
bed. He reached out his hands, feeling for the sheets, then climbed in next to
her. Being a werewolf, she had no problem seeing in the dark. She could see as
if it were daylight.

Once Ryder was settled, Wren rolled toward him, tangled her
legs with his, her hand on his chest and her head on his pillow next to his.

That lasted all of two minutes before Ryder said, “This
isn’t going to work. There is no way I’ll be able to fall asleep with you
practically on top of me.”

Wren sighed. She rolled to her back but took his hand,
linking their fingers together. “Better? I have to touch you to be able to get
into your dream.” Since the main goal of tonight was to see if she could do
that, Ryder had to fall asleep first. There was no point making it so he
couldn’t.

He nodded. “Mostly. Good night, Wren.”

“Good night, Ryder.”

Wren closed her eyes, not worried about the outcome of
tonight. She was more than sure she’d be inside Ryder’s dreams once more. Even
when she was asleep she was positive she’d be pulled into it because she
continued to touch him. When she was, she’d be more than ready to fight the
dark wolves that stalked the man she wanted more than anything to be hers.

* * * * *

Ryder had no idea how long he’d been asleep when the same
bad dream he always had played through his mind. The landscape was skewed from
reality as he walked through a thick forest. Once he reached the small clearing,
the growls of the four dark wolves sounded around him as they slunk out of the
trees, their lips pulled back in snarls.

He turned in a circle to find he was hemmed in from all
sides, all avenues of escape cut off. The enemy stalked forward, closing in around
him. Ryder searched the area. Would Wren be able to show up and take out the
dark wolves?

A sigh of relief slipped past Ryder’s lips as Wren suddenly
appeared behind two of the dark wolves. Her body blurred and shimmered as she
took on her hybrid dire wolf form. It hadn’t been a fluke the first time. Her
being in his dream again proved that not to be the case.

Once more, Wren took out the enemy one by one until they had
all disappeared. She walked up to Ryder, then rubbed her lupine head along his
fingers. He obliged her and petted her with long strokes from her forehead all
the way down to her back. It was the first time he’d actually touched her when
she was a wolf.

After another minute, Wren shifted to her human form. She
smiled. “I told you it would work. Even sleeping I was pulled into your dream.”
She lifted her hand. “As long as I touch you somewhere on your body, I’ll be
here for you.”

“Now I should be able to get more sleep.”

Wren stepped closer, lifted her arms and wrapped them around
his neck. “I think I can do a little more here than just take out some dark
wolves.”

She put a hand on the back of his neck and brought his mouth
down to hers. She kissed him with the same passion she’d done earlier. It
caused Ryder’s blood to heat and rush to his cock, making him hard.

Before he got too worked up, Ryder pulled his mouth off
Wren’s. “We have to stop.”

Wren shook her head. “No, we don’t. This is your dream,
remember? What takes place here isn’t real. It’s all inside your head. So if we
were to make love it wouldn’t count. In reality, you wouldn’t have gone against
your need to remain celibate.”

Ryder thought over what Wren had said. It was true. This
was
his dream, all inside his mind. In the real world, both of them were fast
asleep on his bed, doing nothing. Whatever he did in here with her wouldn’t
count. He wouldn’t be putting his full powers at risk.

Arousal surged through his body as he put his arms around
Wren and tugged her closer, his hard cock pressed against her lower belly. This
time he was the one to initiate their kiss. He swept his tongue along her lips
until she let him in, then stroked it along hers.

Wren pressed her body harder against his as she moaned into
Ryder’s mouth. The sound was on the verge of a wolf’s growl. Because he was part
of a werewolf pack, even though he wasn’t one, the sound was far from
unordinary for Ryder. If anything, it showed how much he was getting to her,
and he liked it. He wanted to hear it. The noise cranked up his arousal more.