Pursuing Paige (4 page)

Before Paige could answer, an enormous silver wolf
came bounding from the forest into the front yard. Paige screamed
and scrambled to her feet, backing away. The thing was as big as a
horse and heavily corded with muscle one could clearly see rippling
through the beast’s beautiful silky fur.

Kaitlyn casually rose to her feet as the wolf
approached. “It’s okay, Paige, it’s just Torrent.”

“What’s a Torrent?” She was still backing toward the
house.

“He’s the head dire wolf, ruling alongside, Emma, the
female elder.

So this was a dire wolf.
Oh, god
.

Torrent came to a stop before Kaitlyn and the air
around him shimmered. A moment later and a huge, gorgeous, dark
haired man stood before them.

He was gloriously naked.

Paige swept her gaze over his body, and then turned
her face away, coloring. Kaitlyn didn’t seem fazed by it, nor did
the man seem chagrined to be standing before them in his birthday
suit.

“
Paige
Gannet
?” came the
man’s deep voice.

“Uh, yes?” Paige kept her eyes averted.

“It’s okay, Paige,” said Kaitlyn, laughing. “I know
it’s strange at first, but the Lycaon don’t have the same sense of
modesty as humans. He won’t be offended if you look at him.”

“I’m not worried about offending him.” She was more
worried about embarrassing herself by staring at him. Paige winced,
then turned her gaze to the man’s face, willing herself not to drop
her gaze. “Uh, yes. That’s me. Hi.”

Torrent’s dark hair was
cut close to his head, framing a strong jawed face and beautiful,
vaguely troubled blue gray eyes. His mouth spread in a smile, one
that didn’t quite reach all the corners of his face. “I welcome you
to Selaryica. I hope you can find happiness and peace here.”

She gave him a broad,
genuine smile and forgot his nakedness. “Thank you.”

He turned his attention
back to Kaitlyn. “I need to speak with all of you. It’s
urgent.”

Kaitlyn nodded and
turned toward the house, presumably to gather the men, but they
were already heading out into the yard.

“Torrent,” greeted
Jarek. “I don’t like that look on your face. What’s going on?” The
men came to a stop near the women. Kaiden and Jarek both flanked
her in a protective way. She hated that she liked it.

“It seems I never visit
for a reason other than the threats ranged against us and this
occasion is no different.” Torrent’s voice sounded grim.

The energy around Paige
seemed to grow a bit more serious.

“What is it, my
brother?” asked Lucas.

“Magica scouts were
spotted near here, far too near for our comfort. We managed to kill
all but one of them and we believe that scout may have sent a
message back to the master hunters. We need all available
protectors to their guard stations immediately.” He nodded in
Paige’s direction. “With the exception of Kaiden. It’s more
important you stay with your prospective mate.”

Kaiden made a sound of
frustration. “No. As much as I would like to stay behind, I can’t.
I need to do my job protecting her and the rest of my people.”

He was counting her as
his mate in that sentence and as one of the Lycaon. It should have
felt wrong, but, somehow, it didn’t.

Torrent nodded. “As you
see fit. Rafian, Lucas and Kaitlyn, I’ll need all of you.”

“Wait a minute. Why
Kaitlyn?” Paige stepped toward Torrent. “This sounds
dangerous.”

“It is dangerous,”
Kaitlyn answered, “But I’m a protector. My eyes as a hawk can see
great distances. I’m a true help and happy to do it. I told you,
Kaitlyn, the men protect their women here, but they don’t coddle
them. They know we’re strong and capable, and they rely on us.”

Okay, maybe, but she
was still worried about her sister’s safety. “But...what about the
shields? Kaitlyn told me there are sympathetic Magica mages who
keep shields up around Lycaon territory to hide it from the Magica
hunters. Why can’t you rely on those?”

“Those mages are taking
great risks and can be found out at any time,” Torrent answered.
“We are grateful beyond words to them, but we can’t trust that they
will always be there to help us. If scouts grow too close,
immediate action must be taken.”

Kaitlyn took Paige’s
hands in hers. “Don’t worry. This isn’t the first time this has
happened. I’ll be all right.”

“We will take care of
her,” answered Rafian. “You have our word.”

“We’re a family,” added
Kaitlyn. “We all take care of each other.”

With that Torrent,
Rafian, Lucas, and Kaitlyn all shifted. Then before her stood three
horse sized dire wolfs and a beautiful hawk soaring up into the
air.

“Oh, hell, I think I
need to sit down,” muttered Paige.

“You’ll be okay.”
Kaiden rubbed a strong, warm hand up and down her arm. For some
reason, his touch made her wistful and lonely. He was going away.
“And so will Kaitlyn. You have my word.”

She covered his hand
with her own, making him still. The action had even surprised her.
“Just promise me
you’ll
be okay.”

A flash of euphoria
swept over his face. “I will.” He leaned down and gave her a long,
sweet kiss on the lips. He straightened, met Jarek’s eyes and
nodded. A moment later, he was an enormous gray wolf standing
before her. The four dire wolves bounded into the forest and the
hawk gave an echoing scream of goodbye and they were gone, leaving
her alone with Jarek.

Jarek touched her
shoulder and made her jump. “He’s done this all his life. He’ll be
fine.”

“It’s dumb that I
barely know him, yet I’m worried.”

“Not dumb. We obsessed
over you before you were even in our reality. Our bond is strong,
Paige. It will only get stronger. It says a lot about his love for
you that he left today.”

She turned to face him.
“What do you mean?”

“He knew full well he
was leaving you alone
with me
. That’s a big deal and not
what he wanted. His desire to ensure your safety is that
great.”

She raised her
eyebrows. “Ah.
Right.
I get it.” She narrowed her eyes at
him. “Why? Do you think you’re going to get lucky while he’s gone
or something?” The way her body responded to Jarek, she couldn’t
really say he was wrong to expect it.

His eyes grew predatory
and his lips twisted in a smile. Her heart hammered. “Anything can
happen,” he replied in a silky voice.

She cleared her throat,
her face flushing, and looked away. “And what’s
your
job
during this emergency? Trying to seduce me?”

“I wish, but no. I’ll
have to go into town, meet with the governing body of our village.
You can come with me if you like. I would feel better if you were
at my side.”

“And how would I get
there?” She glanced around. “The village is far away, right? And
there are no cars, no horses.”

Jarek simply smiled and
spread his arms.

She laughed. “I saw a
dire wolf for the first time today. I don’t think I’m ready to ride
one.”

He had a mischievous
twinkle in his eyes. “But you’re curious, I can tell. You want to
know what I feel like between—”

“Jarek!” She narrowed
her eyes and gave him a suspicious look. “Is this an analogy for
something else?”

“Maybe.”

She laughed. “I keep
expecting to wake up, but I’m not going to, am I?”

He shook his head. “All
of this is real, one-hundred percent.”

She sobered and met his
eyes. “I
am
curious, you’re right.”

“I know.” He paused and
raised his eyebrows. “Shall we go?”

She hesitated, drew a
deep breath, then nodded. “Okay.”

“Take your dancing
shoes and leotard with you.”

Paige frowned.
“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

She shrugged and went
to grab her bag. She’d had her dancing clothes in her purse—really
more a tote bag—when she’d been pulled through the veil.

She returned to the
yard just in time to see him shift. The air shimmered and Jarek
stood before her in dire wolf form. Sun gleamed on his smooth black
fur. She caught her breath at his beauty and moved forward
carefully to touch his nose. Jarek closed his eyes and pushed
against her palm. His fur was downy as feathers.

Jarek inclined his
head, then lifted it toward his back. She moved to his middle,
trying to figure out how to get up there. She’d ridden horses a few
times, but there’d been a saddle and stirrups. Finally she just
jumped and climbed up his side.

Atop the dire wolf, the
world looked pretty small. She twined her fingers into his silky
fur for support and settled against his back. Jarek shuddered,
almost in a purr.

He moved toward the
trees, slowly picking up speed. Her body molded to his as though
made to fit him, moving with every lurch and long stride. Jarek hit
the woods at a lope, quickly speeding to a flat out run. She
balanced on his back, finding a rhythm. It was amazing how he could
avoid the low hanging branches, fallen logs and rocks. He cleared
them by jumping or dodging. Nothing came close to touching her. The
greens and browns of the forest melted together as his speed
increased and she put her head into his fur and closed her eyes,
enjoying the ride.

They finally reached
the edge of the village. The houses, mostly underground dwellings
that incorporated nature into their construction, began to become
more numerous. She watched everything carefully. It was so
different than what she was used to. One could tell without being
told that these people lived close with the earth. She’d never been
much of an environmentalist, yet this intimacy with nature spoke to
her.

There were few people,
but those who were around waved and smiled at her as they passed.
She assumed most everyone was absent because of the great Magica
Emergency.

Jarek stopped in front
of a non-descript building built into the side of a huge hill. She
slid off his back and, after a moment, he was a man again.

And he was quite a man.
Incredible sculpted muscle shaped his arms and chest. A trail of
dark hair leading down to his enormous—

She coughed and looked
away from him.

“Sorry. It’s the hazard
of shifting to dire wolf form. The magick eats up all the clothing
we’re wearing.”

“That must get
expensive.”
And chilly.
However the view was quite nice.

He shrugged. “We’re
used to it. The trick is, never get attached to any one particular
item of clothing. Follow me.”

They entered the
building and gasped at the interior. The foyer reached up at least
thirty feet and had wolves, bears, hawks and other animals painted
skilfully across its domed ceiling. She never would have guessed
the size or majesty of the place from the outside.

“Welcome to the Lyacon
Common Building. This is where all governance of the territory
takes place.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It’s very large and
fortified. The building reaches deep into the ground and houses us
in times of great threat. I have a meeting I need to attend, but I
have something special to show you first.” He grabbed a thin
bathrobe hanging from a nearby hook and put it on as he led her
down one of the hallways leading from the echoing foyer.

She followed him down
the corridor and then down another. Finally, he opened a door onto
a dark room. She stepped inside, letting her eyes adjust to the dim
light. Then she gasped. “A theatre?” Her voice echoed.

“The Lycaon are not
wholly without an appreciation of the arts.”

He flipped on the
lights so she could get a better view. The space was gigantic and
as finely appointed as any theatre she’d ever seen. The graduated
seats were plush and well cushioned and the stage was circular with
the patrons able to sit all the way around it.

She took a few steps
down. “Wow,” was all she could manage.

“I thought you’d want
to stay here while I’m in my meeting. You dance every day and this
is great place for it.” He paused. “Or there’s a lib—”

“Are you kidding?” she
said as she hopped down a few more steps with her bag slung over
her shoulder. “I’m staying here.” Now she understood why he’d told
her to grab her shoes before they’d left.

“I figured you’d say
that.”

Jarek turned to leave,
but before he could get out the door, she hopped up the stairs and
threw her arms around him. “Thanks for thinking of this.”

Looking surprised, he
pulled her close. “I understand you weren’t drawn here of your own
free will. We will do everything we can to make your stay here as
tolerable as possible.”

She blinked and tilted
her head to the side. “And permanent, right?”

“That choice is
yours.”

He twined an arm around her waist and pressed her
to him more securely.
She studied his mouth and bit her lip.
She wanted to kiss him, but remembering the power of Kaiden’s kiss,
she wasn’t sure it was a good idea.

Jarek took away her
indecision by slowly lowering his mouth to hers. He
let his lips hover an inch away for a
moment. She inhaled the heady scent of his breath and noted how it
came faster, as though his heart rate had skyrocketed. Then he
brushed his lips over hers, carefully tasting her. Making a low
growl of need in the back of his throat, he crushed his mouth to
hers.

She went limp in his arms as he rubbed his thumb
back and forth over the exposed skin at the small of her back and
flicked his tongue against her mouth. Her lips relented, and he
swept his tongue within.
Gah,
he
kissed like Kaiden, with every inch of his soul. A multitude of
fantasies rode her hard, made her want him to pick her up, carry
her to one of those soft theater seats, strip off her clothes and
bend her over the back of one.