Page 12 of Kin of the Wolf (Magnetic Magic #3)

12

The brilliant light faded, and I found myself in a dim forest, rain falling from a gray sky as I looked at my mother’s medallion. It had been around my neck, but now it hung from a tree branch, the wolf on the front howling and glowing faintly. I walked toward it, but the forest around me disappeared.

Suddenly, I was in a sunlit market with hundreds of dark-skinned people around stalls where street vendors hawked everything from scarves to grilled meat on skewers to glass art and carved wooden knickknacks.

An out-of-place pale-skinned man in a safari hat meandered past the stalls, a distracted look in his eyes as if he were daydreaming. A child pickpocket reached for him, but the man had the wherewithal to swat the probing hand away. He turned toward a stall, and I gaped with surprise. It was my ex-husband, Chad. And on a table in the stall lay a hodgepodge of knickknacks, including the ivory wolf case.

Hell, was that really how he’d found it? I’d assumed he’d been lying, that something so valuable wouldn’t have been for sale in a street market. What about that story about how it had come from a vampire’s castle? No, Radomir had said it had been stolen from the vampire’s castle. If that was true, it had taken a long journey before Chad found it.

His eyes locked onto the case and sharpened, and he twitched, as if a hand had slapped his cheek, knocking him out of a trance. Gesticulating and waving American money, he negotiated with the vendor. A twenty-dollar bill was all it took, and he walked away with the prize.

A sense of satisfaction emanated from him. No… it seemed like that feeling came from the case . But in the weeks I’d been close to it, it hadn’t given off any emotions, none that I’d detected.

This was a dream or vision, I reminded myself. Not reality.

The view blurred and changed to show Chad on a ship, sailing back to the Pacific Northwest where he would store the case in our apartment. Once more, the view blurred, and there was Chad again, standing on a dock stretching out from a sandy beach with tropical vegetation behind it. In the first vision, he’d had a beard. Now, he was clean-shaven and a couple of years older.

Duncan stood in front of him, looking just as he did now. Again, there was gesticulating. The vision didn’t offer any words, any hint about what their conversation was, but if Duncan had told the truth, they were discussing him going to get the case.

I sensed that satisfaction again. From Duncan? No, it seemed to come from the case. Maybe all this was from the vision itself. Which originated… Where? In the cave? The paw print drawings? The magic that a powerful werewolf had infused in this area generations ago?

The last vision I received was of Duncan sailing out of the tropics. Toward the Pacific Northwest and the same place where the case had been stored. And not far from where Mom’s wolf medallion existed.

Though no words ever floated into my mind during the vision, the magic somehow conveyed the idea that the bringing together of the artifacts had been orchestrated. By whom? The power of the moon? Of destiny? I hoped not the weirdos in the potion factory.

Blackness replaced the visions, and I slept.

What seemed like seconds later but might have been hours, I woke to night’s embrace, the cloudy sky visible overhead, though dark branches largely blocked it. My head should have hurt—I remembered hitting it—and I was aware of a swollen lump, but it didn’t bother me. After the visions, or whatever those had been, I felt… good . As if that magic had infused me with health and vigor. Since it had also tossed me on my ass, I couldn’t be entirely grateful.

I’d been knocked out inside the cave though. How had I gotten out in the gully? Since I was lying on my back, there should have been cold rocks or damp earth underneath me, but I felt the warmth of someone else pressed against me. Duncan, I sensed, his scent and his aura comfortable.

He’d returned to his human form, sitting with me lying half in his lap, his arms around me, his back to a boulder. When I shifted a hand to touch his arm, I found him clothed. Since he’d been in his wolf form when I’d been… What had happened to me? Some kind of mental overload that had knocked me out? And for how long? It was still night, but that didn’t mean much. This time of year, twelve hours could have passed, and it would remain dark.

“You’re not naked,” I mumbled, my mouth dry.

I had a feeling I’d been out for a lot longer than a few minutes. The memory of the visions remained, sharper and more permanent than dreams.

“If that’s disappointment in your voice, perhaps I erred in fetching my clothing before returning to protect you.”

“Is that what you’re doing now?”

“It is.”

“I feel cuddled.” I couldn’t complain. Being in his arms was better than being sprawled askew on the rocky cave floor or lying in a bed of dew-damp ferns.

“A good man knows how to protect and gently cuddle his lady.”

“That must be why my mother kept suggesting you as a mate.”

“You think so? She seemed overly concerned with the power of magic within me and if I’d pass it on to any children we might have.”

His voice was light, and he didn’t sound put off, but I couldn’t tell for sure. The words made me wonder if Mom’s idea of using him for breeding stock had offended him. It would have offended me .

“She noticed your abs too,” I said, hoping to keep the conversation light.

“That was more alarming than flattering.”

“Are you speaking the truth, Duncan Calderwood? Something tells me you’d find being ogled even by octogenarians flattering.”

“Hm.”

“I thought so.”

“I’d prefer being ogled by you and would be happy to make my bulletproof abs available for the purpose. Unfortunately, you were unconscious when I shifted back into my naked human form.”

“Something more pressing occupied me.”

“Yeah.” He brushed a lock of hair away from my forehead. “Are you well? I didn’t get there in time to catch you when you fell, and you cracked your skull on a boulder. I didn’t expect you to fall after touching a rock.”

“It was startling to me too.” I reached up, touched the lump, and found it tender, even if it wasn’t giving me the splitting headache it probably should have.

“I wasn’t sure what to do. Your medallion glowed toward the cave wall, and those paw paintings kind of glowed back with light that surrounded you. I lifted you off the ground, figuring I could carry you back to your mother’s cabin, but the magic intensified and sizzled all over my skin. Enough to be painful. It seemed like a warning and resisted when I tried to take you outside, so I left you in there. After making sure you were breathing, I ran to the cabin and let your mother know what was happening. She only nodded, like she’d expected it, and said you would be fine. I… got a little pushy with her and might have forcefully demanded that she call the wise wolf to come check on you.”

“Did it work?”

“I don’t know. She’s not an easily intimidated woman.”

“No. She was—is—a somewhat difficult mother too.”

“I expect so. I was worried about leaving you alone for long, especially after seeing all those animals with the red eyes, so I hurried back.”

I thought about pointing out that he’d briefly had glowing red eyes after lapping at the pool, but he continued on before I could.

“By the time I returned, the paws had stopped glowing, and so had your medallion. You were alone in the dark in there. I’m glad nothing happened. That fox was outside the cave and looking in when I got there. I scared it off and carried you out here. I was still thinking of taking you to your mother’s cabin, but you seemed to be waking up a bit. You kind of moaned and wrapped your arms around me.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“No? There was even nuzzling.”

“Are you pulling my leg?”

“Nope.”

“I don’t remember that either. I guess I’m glad it was you and not a random Sasquatch that came out of the forest and scooped me up.”

“As far as I’ve seen in my various travels around the world, there’s no such thing as Sasquatches.”

“I’ve heard people say there’s no such thing as werewolves.”

“A valid point. We most certainly exist.” Duncan rested his forehead against mine. “Anyway, because you were stirring, I settled here to wait for you to wake up. Since you seemed to feel amorous, I thought you’d be more inclined to want to get frisky if we were in a romantic forest gully rather than your mom’s living room.”

A raccoon with glowing red eyes ambled past on the other side of the stream.

“Romantic, huh?” I asked.

“It’s a little eerie, but werewolves don’t mind things like that.”

“You don’t think so, huh?”

“No, they find such environments stimulating.” Duncan brushed his fingers down the side of my face.

Pleasure swept through me. “I probably hugged on you because of the lingering vestiges of my… I guess you’d say I had a vision.”

“One that encouraged you to mate with me? I hope you weren’t dreaming of a Sasquatch.”

“You were featured in the vision.” I couldn’t quite keep the puzzlement out of my tone as I went on to relay everything to him. It wasn’t until I was almost done that it occurred to me to wonder if I should have been so open with him. Somewhere along the way, he’d become a confidant, one who was easy to trust. Maybe that was a mistake, both because of how we’d initially met and because his Lord Abrams—his creator —might use his control to learn everything Duncan knew.

“So, my role in your dream was to unearth the wolf case.” His tone was dry. “I’m not sure how that led to nuzzling.”

“It’s possible I was unconsciously pleased with you for lifting me off the cave floor.”

“Your foot was dangling in the pool.”

“I’m lucky it’s not glowing red. I should have given you a—” I stopped myself from saying the first thing that came to mind, feeling it would be a little crude at this point in our relationship. Instead, I finished with, “—kiss.”

“I’d be amenable to that,” he murmured, brushing his lips to my forehead. “Pretty excited by it actually.”

My cheeks warmed with the certainty that he knew what I’d almost said. “I figured. You are a guy, after all.”

“A guy who’s into you.”

“Did you hold my boob while I slept?” I smiled up at him, tempted to lift my lips and invite a kiss.

He snorted softly. “I refrained. That would have been presumptuous.”

“You did it before while you slept.”

“A man can’t be held responsible for what his body does while he’s unconscious.”

Since I’d apparently been nuzzling him while I’d been knocked out, I didn’t tease him further. I merely lifted a hand to his face above mine, brushing my fingers along his strong jaw, the beard stubble bristly against my skin.

“Maybe you should grow this out,” I murmured. “So it would be softer and lusher.”

“Like my fur when I’m a wolf?”

“Maybe.”

“My chin hair is unfortunately a little coarser and not as appealing. I’ve tried the full-on beard before.”

“Hm.” I pushed my hand further up the side of his face, threading my fingers into his wavy hair. That was lusher, cool as it fell against my skin, and I kneaded his scalp.

“Luna,” Duncan murmured, closing his eyes, longing in his tone.

It pleased me that my touch could make him feel that way, that he was drawn to me for multiple reasons. “Yes?”

With a growl of desire, he lowered his lips to mine. That growl, feral and a little dangerous, tantalized me, making me aware of what he was, a powerful werewolf, not only a playful friend and faithful protector. He was every bit as strong and virile as his teasing jokes promised, and I wanted to be with him.

His kiss was hungry, his body tense underneath me, muscles taut with restraint. I realized he’d probably been thinking of doing this all the while he’d held me and protected me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, shifting in his lap for better access to him.

His hand drifted down my throat, stroking my curves through my clothes, and I arched toward him, inviting him to explore. As we kissed, lips brushing, tongues stroking, his fingers slipped under the hem of my shirt and trailed over my bare abdomen. My muscles quivered with delight at his caress, and when he cupped my breast, stroking me through my bra, heat flushed my entire body, heat and desire.

I kissed him harder, nipping at his lip, my fingers curling into his scalp. Need throbbed within me, almost startling in its intensity. By the moon, I hadn’t thought I could still be this aroused by a man.

His fingers slid across my abdomen again, trailing lower this time, and I squirmed, almost panting as I pressed up toward him, willing him to unfasten my jeans, to touch more of me.

Another growl drifted from him, sounding far more animal than human. I could feel his hard desire against my body, and he groaned when I shifted, rubbing against him as we kissed and stroked each other. Knowing he was into this excited me. He excited me. I stroked him through his shirt, then pushed the fabric upward, wanting to feel his bare body, his hard muscles.

Our lips parted only long enough for the removal of shirts, first his and then mine. As our mouths crashed back together, like the surf meeting the sand, he slid my bra off with practiced ease. He wasn’t an inexperienced lover, but I hadn’t expected that at his age. As he stroked my breast, sensitive flesh finally bare to him, I felt with certainty that he had the experience to know how to bring me great pleasure. And I wanted that more than I’d wanted anything for a long time.

But something intruded upon my senses, the awareness that we weren’t alone. I sensed, at the top of the gully where they could look down upon us, two other werewolves.

My first thought was that we were in danger, that my cousins or some other enemy had found us, but this… This was worse. That was my mother and Rosaria, the wise wolf. I’d forgotten Duncan had said he’d asked my mother to get her.

“Duncan,” I murmured, my lips pressed against his.

It was hard to pull away, to stop. My fingers kept running over his shoulders and the back of his head, rubbing and kneading. I longed to give in to passion, to let Duncan take me.

He hadn’t yet stopped stroking and kissing me. With his greater senses, he had to know witnesses were up there. Did he not care? Or maybe he was so distracted that he didn’t know we had an audience.

“I think she’s okay,” came distant amused words. Rosaria.

“Apparently so,” my mother said. “I hope he gets her with child.”

I groaned, not, this time, because of arousal. Duncan stiffened, also not because of arousal, and turned his head to look toward them.

Silver light bathed his face, and only then did I realize that the medallion still around my neck had started glowing. Above me, Duncan was breathing as heavily as I, and sweat dampened his skin. He was beautiful and magnificent and… his face was hard when he looked toward our observers. Observers who, thanks to the magical light, could see everything we were doing as if a roadside flare had been set up on my chest. I groaned again.

Rosaria and my mother must have noticed us looking at them. They backed away, but their voices continued to float down .

“I want grandchildren,” my mom said.

“You have grandchildren,” Rosaria reminded her.

“Not from her loins. She’s the only one who came from him, from the one who stirred my passions like none other, and who had the power of the ancients.” She wasn’t talking about Lorenzo but my long-gone father.

Duncan shifted away, and disappointment swept through me. I was tempted to sit up and try to reclaim the moment, but I didn’t want him to think there was any truth to my mom’s words, that I’d kissed him because I wanted him to give me offspring . The moon forbid, I had no desire to have babies again. I didn’t care what my mother wanted.

“I’m sorry.” My ears and sense for the magical told me that Mom and Rosaria had left the area, heading back to the cabin and giving us privacy now that they’d made sure I didn’t need help, but the moment had passed. “I don’t want you because of, you know.” I waved vaguely toward my uterus.

“I know,” Duncan said, but there was a distance to him now.

Mom had definitely ruined the moment.

“I didn’t even want you up until recently.”

He managed a faint smile. “I know that too. You’re still ambivalent about me.”

“I don’t think my kiss was that ambivalent,” I muttered, wondering if I’d left fingernail marks on his shoulders.

“No.” His smile broadened. “I enjoyed it. I…” He squinted, peering toward the top of the gully.

I couldn’t detect any werewolves up there, but that didn’t mean Mom wasn’t headed back.

“Did you intend to confront your cousins tonight?” Duncan asked quietly.

“I intended to ask my mom if she was okay with me confronting them. If I can’t convince the elders to do anything. ”

Duncan nodded, his gaze still toward the top of the gully. “And?”

“You were there. I almost think she wants me to challenge them, but she also said that if I could get evidence of their wrongdoing, the elders might kick them out of their own accord.”

Duncan rose to his feet, grabbed our shirts, and gave me mine while offering a hand up. “It’s good that she didn’t forbid you to fight them.”

“Why?” I accepted his hand warily, letting him pull me to my feet. “They’re not here, are they?”

“They are. Augustus and several others.”

“Hell.”