The Mating Season: Werewolves of Montana Book 6 (6 page)

“How can you ask this of me?” Niki yanked her hand away. “You want me to become your lover…”

“My mate,” he corrected.

“Lover, mate, does it matter? You want me to become the mother of your baby, and I haven’t even really lived my life. I’ve spent twenty-five years locked away,” she pointed to the castle turret, “like a princess in a fairy tale, only the fairy tale always had you lurking in the background, the grim reaper my father told me would cause my demise.”

Tristan’s mouth narrowed to a slash. “I have some control here, but there are forces I cannot control. And I will not risk you being smashed by my enemies.”

He snapped his fingers and the tide rushed over, engulfing them and crashing into the castle. The outer walls crumbled beneath the onslaught of the waves.

She saw not a castle crumbling from forces he could not control, but Tristan himself, ruthless and determined, his sexual intent overshadowing her as fiercely as the tidal wave.

Nikita looked at him and his expression shuttered, but she caught a glimpse of his sorrow, as opaque as mist.

“Why?” She tugged at his arm. “Why are you so overprotective?”

“Because I cannot bear for you to die again, as you died while I was in purgatory of the Shadow Lands.”

Niki searched his tightened face. “You saw my death?”

“I felt it. I felt your spirit ebb, and that of our son.” He placed a hand over his heart. “It was like all the energy had left me, Nikita. And I could do nothing to aid you. I died all over again that day you perished,” he said quietly, refusing to meet her gaze.

He turned his head and regarded the horizon. “Lupines live a very long time, but they are still fragile. But there is a way for you to become immortal, as I am.”

She felt boneless with shock. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. It is not a simple matter. It requires a choice.” Tristan turned back to her. “The choice will be yours. I cannot force you into it. But if you choose to become immortal, then nothing would ever harm you again.”

Nikita gripped his arm, her emotions in a lather. She wanted to remember, wanted to erase the deep sorrow radiating from him, but she also needed time and space. “I’m not like the sand castle, Tristan. And Lupines are not fragile as humans. I am wolf, and I have defenses. And despite the fact that I’m naïve in some ways…”

She flicked out a hand and let her claws emerge. Confidence filled her. “I have my own natural defenses. My wolf is smart, and she’s very protective of me. My father, brothers and my twin taught me well.”

His expression remained inscrutable. “A wolf offers flimsy protection against the darker forces I have encountered, Nikita. You are indeed naïve to think that your wolf can handle such evil.”

The insult stung deeply. Though her temper was rising, she retracted her claws. “Nice of you to have faith in my abilities. It’s a wonder you even abducted me, if you think I’m a weak Lupine who can barely hold my own. Maybe you should look elsewhere for a mate and a lover. Try a Lupine dating service. I’ve heard they work wonders, even for sour wizards.”

She stood and walked off.

Tristan suddenly materialized at her side. “I am not a sour wizard, my sweet. I am a man who is worried about protecting my mate. And I did not abduct you.”

Nikita gave him a pointed look. “You carried me off and I had no say in the matter.”

“You were ill! Dying! I saved you!” He dragged in a deep breath, clearly frustrated.

“Then, thank you. If I’m not your prisoner, then let me return back to my home. Nia and Aiden can care for me.”

“Nia and Aiden are not at your home. They are at the Mitchell Ranch, and they are quite preoccupied…with each other.” Tristan softened his voice. “All of your pack now lives with Aiden’s people. The ranch has been closed. Nikita, nothing is the same as when you left.”

Nothing. She was naïve.
You can’t go home again. You don’t belong there and the home you had is no longer there.
She envisioned the ranch, wind rustling through the dead grasses, the ghosts of her past swirling around like dead leaves…

“There’s no place like home,” she whispered.

Tristan looked distant. “
The Wizard of Oz
. A very good movie.”

A lump clogged her throat, but she would not surrender to tears. There was no yellow brick road or a way back for her. She would not cry in front of him. “If I no longer have a home there, then I can make a home elsewhere.”

“You can, my sweet. I had hoped…you would make one with me.”

The vulnerability in his voice caught her attention. Niki turned to see a shadow enter his gaze. And then she felt a cold rush of power, so frosty that her stomach squeezed tight. Tristan’s expression hardened. He swore quietly.

A blonde woman of ethereal beauty approached them. Wearing a red bikini that was more dental floss than cloth, she was tall and model-slim, with eyes green as moss and a full, sensual mouth. But she radiated no warmth, and her beauty seemed otherworldly and chilling.

I know her.
Nikita shivered.

The blonde stopped before the sand castle they had abandoned.

“How quaint.” The blonde woman looked amused. “Trying to recreate the past, Tristan?”

“Mara,” he said, his deep voice growing distant.

Niki’s blood went cold. Faint recognition filled her. She knew this woman, perhaps from that long-ago life, and felt the coldness radiating from her like the blast of an air conditioner upon her damp skin. A shiver skated down her spine. Power pulsed from the woman in small, sharp blasts. Tristan had the same power, but his power felt like a warm, comforting blanket on a winter’s night.

This woman was frost personified; the bite of ice when one lay shivering in the snow…

“What do you want, Mara? Whatever it is, I will not grant it.” Tristan stepped in front of Niki, as if shielding her from the woman’s view.

But Mara peered around Tristan. “Darling, don’t be such a stuffed shirt wizard. I heard through the Fae grapevine that you found your Nikita and I wanted to say hello.”

Niki did not smile. “You’ve seen me. Good-bye.”

She wanted to be far, far away from this woman. Gooseflesh broke out on her bare arms. Sensing the threat, her wolf growled, fearful of Mara’s intentions.

“My mate is correct. You have seen her. Now leave, lest you face my wrath.” Tristan flung out his arms and stepped forwards.

Power sizzled in the air, and his dark eyes turned a glowing, ethereal blue. Tristan seemed to grow in height, his mouth curled in a vicious snarl, his fangs descending. The raw fury of his magick undulated through the air in invisible ribbons, crackling and snapping.

Nikita shrank back.
Please…stop.

And then he turned, saw her and his expression grew stricken.

Tristan’s eyes turned brown once more and he resumed his normal appearance. Whatever normal was.

“I’m sorry, my sweet. When you are threatened, I tend to overreact,” he murmured, cupping her cheek with one warm palm.

“Oh, how very endearing.” Mara clapped her hands, but her face remained cold and impartial. “Tristan, you are smitten. Delightful.”

The Fae waved a hand. “I’ll be on my way. Have a good morning!”

Nikita’s heart did not stop racing until the woman was well down the beach. Tristan growled slightly, then relaxed as he turned to her. “Are you all right?”

She managed a nod. “I’ve never seen such a display of your power.”

He searched her gaze. “You fear me.”

Who wouldn’t?
“I’m a little overwhelmed.”

“I would never hurt you, Nikita. Never.” His face tightened. “I would give my last breath to protect you.”

Tristan’s hand dropped to his side. He looked lost and distant once more and she inwardly sensed him pulling away. “You need more time. I should not have brought you here, into the open, where that one could find you.”

“You can’t shut me away like I’m some buried treasure, Tristan.” She fisted her hands. “I’ll admit, that…witch…scares me, but I won’t hide from her, or anyone else. I’ve done enough hiding in my life, forced into it because my family was trying to protect me from being abducted, and destroyed, by you. If it were up to me, I would have lived free and wild as a wolf.”

“You always were courageous. That has not changed.”

Courageous? Her? Far from it.
I do a good job pretending, that’s all.

He turned back to the hotel. “I can sense your distress. Let’s return to the room, so you may rest.”

Rest? She wanted to explore, not remain trapped behind four walls as she had been before. “No. I’m not an invalid.” She studied the wash of foamy surf curling upon the shore and then gazed into the horizon. A red and white flag upon a white buoy floated on the gentle waves. She’d seen that flag in movies and books.

“I want to go snorkeling. I’ve never been in the ocean before.”

Tristan stared. “Now? After Mara has seen you?”

“Wait until she sees me in a red bikini. I’ve got bigger boobs than she has.”

Tristan’s jaw dropped and desire flicked in his gaze as he glanced at her chest. “Indeed.”

“If you’re not going with me, I’ll go alone. I’m not a porcelain doll you can lock away, Tristan.”

“I wish I could,” he muttered. He gazed up and down the beach as if searching for trouble. “Come with me.”

Half an hour later, changed into a red bikini Tristan had conjured for her, and carrying a dive mask, snorkel and flippers, she ran from the shore into the surf. It was chilly, lapping gently at her ankles.

She glanced backwards at Tristan, following her. He’d changed into swimwear as well. It revealed a lot more than the black tunic and trousers and boots.

A lot more.

A shiver raced down her spine. Gods, he was sexy. Hot, hot, hot as her twin would say. And as cute and hunky as that other wizard, Xavier, had been in a green Speedo that accented his muscled body and his very impressive package, Tristan was ten times more male.

His muscled chest boasted a triangle of black, wiry hair and his arms were firm with muscle and sinew. The black swim trunks were modest and hugged his lean hips and came to mid-thigh.

A faint memory tugged at her—the silky hair on his thighs rubbing against her legs as he lay naked atop her, fisting a hand in her long hair while he moved deep inside her, whispering a promise: “I will be inside you so deep, my sweet, that whilst I am gone, you will remember my cock claiming your tight cunnie, and long for the day I shall return to love you again.”

She felt arousal bite, sharp and sweet. Nikita bit her lip.

He looked at her with a knowing smile. “Does my body please you, my sweet?”

Oh no, not going there. Her shoulders lifted in a casual shrug.

His expression grew hungry as he studied her with a smile. “You look most lovely in that bathing attire. Very…fetching. I shall have to stick close to you as your protector to fend off all the lusty males.”

His grin grew wicked. “Very close.”

The only lusty male in sight was Tristan, whose bathing trunks had suddenly developed an interesting tent. Cheeks heated, she tore her gaze away from his groin and ran into the surf, heart beating fast.

He was at her side instantly. “Be careful of the riptide. It is to the left of the rock and quite strong.”

“I can swim,” she muttered.

As she waded further out to the coral rock the clerk at the hotel’s shop had told her about, Niki attached her mask and snorkel and began to swim in clumsy, big strokes.

Dad had taught her and Nia to swim, but his lessons had been brief. She never had much opportunity to use the pond on the ranch where other Lupines loved to splash and play.

She put her face into the water and saw the coral rock, and dozens of yellow and blue fish gathered around it.

So lovely. Enchanted, she swam among the blue fish, who swam upward as if to greet her. She waved her hand through them. They unfurled like a ribbon, as if her movements were hypnotizing them.

I could stay here forever.

She could hold her breath a long while. After tossing aside her snorkel, Niki sucked in a breath and dove deeper to investigate the fish. She waved a hand and the fish swam toward her, surrounding her like fans at a rock concert. Maybe this was part of the magick the wizards shared with her—a new ability to call animals toward her.

Time to test it out. She envisioned a big tarpon swimming toward her. Once she’d watched a fishing show on television, and the huge fish fascinated her. Niki flicked her fingers out toward the depths.

No tarpon. Instead, she saw several strands of brown seaweed floating in the water. It snaked toward her and with a sudden flash of movement, one curled around her neck, pulling her downward toward the left of the rock.

And the riptide, to suck her further out to sea.

Chapter 4

This could not happen.

Tristan stared, dumbstruck, as the rope of brown seaweed curled around Nikita’s neck. With her fingers, she struggled to escape as it pulled her toward the rock. Then he shook free of the shocked horror filling him.