Dark Wolf: 1 (Spirit Wild) (18 page)

Climax caught them, lifted them together, tossed them to the stars, and then settled them, gently intertwined, connected in a way neither one had ever felt. They lay there in the cool grass, and she was lost in the harsh rasps of his breathing, the thundering beat of her heart pounding in time with his. Even the rush of blood in his veins turned her on, completed her. Her body clenched and pulsed around him, holding him deep inside, and she dreamed of the day they would mate as wolves. When they would bare all to one another and complete a link that had always been nothing more than a lonely young woman’s fantasy.

Except it wasn’t merely a dream anymore. No, not when she held the reality of Alex in her arms.

 

Lily felt like such a voyeur, but they’d known she was here all along, at least until they totally forgot about everything but each other. She brushed tears away from her cheeks and thought of sneaking away, but then she realized she wanted them to have her cottage tonight.

Alex still lived in the big house with his parents and hers, and Annie hadn’t been home long enough to think of where she might want to live, so Lily knew she must still be at home.

The idea of Alex spending the night there with Annie, under the same roof with her wonderful but intimidating father almost made her giggle. Almost.

She’d give them a minute to come down from their high, and then let them know her place was theirs, at least for tonight.

A visitor?
Who the hell would come all the way to Montana to see her, especially this late at night? It must be close to ten by now.
Who?

Holy shit.
Sebastian’s here? But . . . I’m a good half hour from home. Do you think he’ll wait?

She heard her father’s soft laughter.
Oh, I think he’ll wait. But hurry. We have much to discuss.

She glanced at Alex and Annie. They lay together in the tall grass, totally immersed in one another, but she had to leave, and she wanted them to know about the cottage. She glided across the pond, crawled out, and shook the water out of her long hair over Alex’s butt. It seemed only fair.

He whipped his head around and glared at her, but Lily just laughed. “Be nice to me, big guy. I’m here to do you a favor.”

“What?” He sounded surly, but she caught his private aside when he added,
You’ve already done me the greatest favor in the world.

She just grinned. “I thought you and Annie might like the use of my cottage tonight. The sheets are clean, and the fridge is stocked. I’ll stay in one of the guest rooms at the big house. Wish I could stay and play with you, but Dad’s summoned me.”

Alex sat up and brought Annie with him. She snuggled against his chest with a sigh of contentment, oblivious to Alex and Lily’s conversation. “Anything wrong?”

Lily shook her head. “I hope not. Sebastian Xenakis showed up on the doorstep tonight, looking for me. Dad hasn’t killed him yet, so that’s got to be a good sign.”

Alex frowned. “Xenakis is here?”

“He is, and if you meet him, you will play nice.”

Alex growled. Lily merely leaned over and kissed his nose. Then she turned away, shifted, and took off at a steady lope.

She wondered how her father and Sebastian were getting along. Wondered if the poor guy would be in one piece by the time she arrived. She certainly hoped so. She had to hand it to him, though. It took a brave man to meet Anton Cheval on his own turf, especially a man who was sleeping with his daughter.

Excitement simmered in her veins. This could be interesting.

It could also be an absolute fiasco.

Stretching out, Lily put on an added burst of speed as she raced down the mountain toward home.

Home and Sebastian Xenakis.

Now why did those two things sound just perfect together?

Q
uestions. So many questions. Why had he left her bed during the night? What was he doing on the astral? Where had that horrible taint of evil come from?

She thought of stopping at her cottage to clean up, to rinse away the earthy scent of the forest and sex and everything that made her exactly who she was, but that wasn’t her way.

No. She was Lily Cheval, and she would play no games. Not for any man. Especially not for Sebastian Xenakis, though she did stop her headlong rush as she neared her father and mother’s home. If, by chance, Sebastian was watching for her, she’d rather he first saw her trotting casually across the meadow rather than running like a lovesick fool.

She was really glad she’d slowed down as she crossed the meadow. The back lights went on, which meant her father was watching for her. He’d not communicated a word since his first call for her to return. She wondered what had happened, what he thought of Sebastian. She tried to imagine what the two men had talked about. On second thought, no. She’d rather not go there.

The brilliant deck lights illuminated the entire back of the house and much of the meadow. Nothing like a spotlight when a girl had to shift. She leapt easily to the deck, clearing the railing with room to spare. Pausing to sniff the air, she picked up the scents of both her father and Sebastian, so close they must be out here on the deck.

She swung her head to the left and spotted the two men almost lost in shadow, sitting next to each other on top of the picnic table, feet resting on the bench seat below. Each of them held a glass of what she was certain had to be her father’s favorite Hennessy cognac. Another good sign. He didn’t share that with just anyone. Both men looked relaxed, shirt sleeves rolled back. No blood, no bruises.

Still looking good. Her dad’s shirt was unbuttoned and untucked, and he was barefoot, but he rarely wore shoes at home. She’d always thought her father was a beautiful man, but sitting beside him, Sebastian looked even better, so darkly handsome he took her breath. Her wolf definitely approved. She padded across the deck and rested her chin on her father’s knee.

Anton glanced at Sebastian, who was obviously fighting a grin. “I have strict orders from your mother to behave.”

He hadn’t taken his eyes off her. “I’m glad to see you. I’ve missed you. I never should have left.”

She shifted, standing tall and proudly naked. Her father handed a brilliant red sarong to her. She quickly wrapped the silky fabric around herself and expertly knotted the ends so they lay in the valley between her breasts.

She knew her hair was probably a tangled, windblown mess and that the scent of wolf would be strong, but from the look in Sebastian’s eyes, none of that was an issue.

“I’m going inside, gentlemen. It’s chilly out here without my fur. Care to join me?” She walked inside without looking back, went straight to the bar, and poured herself a healthy shot of the same cognac the men were drinking.

Taking a seat on one of the bar stools, she waited. Her dad took his usual spot behind the bar, but Sebastian sat on the stool beside hers.

And still he watched her.

But it was her father who spoke. “Your mother’s waiting for me to join her, and I imagine you two have a lot to discuss, but I wanted to find out what happened today on the astral.” He glanced at Sebastian but focused his gaze on Lily. “I’ve spoken with Eve. She said there’s something dark and unnatural affecting the normal flow of power, something she associated with Sebastian after she saw him today.”

“Eve?” Sebastian glanced at Lily. “Was that the really powerful mage beside you?”

“Not a mage,” Lily said. “Eve is our goddess, the entity who watches over us. She resides as spirit on the astral plane, but when I visited with her today, she told me that there’s something wrong, a dissonance that she believes is based in dark magic. It’s affecting the patterns on the astral, her ability to follow us and protect us. It’s also interfering with her communication with the Mother who watches over all creatures.”

Sebastian stared at her as if she’d grown a third eye, before looking at her father. “You communicate with a goddess? One who lives on the astral?”

Smiling, Anton nodded, but Lily answered.

“That’s who you saw today.” Lily sighed. “Sebastian, I have to know this. Do you practice dark magic? Blood magic? That’s why she shouted at you and forced you out. She said your magic was tainted with evil. That it felt the same as what’s been causing the trouble.”

He looked stricken. She didn’t think he could fake that expression of absolute horror if he’d tried. “Good gods, Lily. I had no idea. That was my first time. I wasn’t even sure if I’d ended up in the right place, and I was absolutely shocked to see you. When she yelled at me, I lost my grasp on the spell. Got tossed back into my room in San Francisco.”

Lily stared at him, sickened. Blood magic? The taint of evil she’d thought was his father was actually Sebastian? Using sacrifice to power his spells? She swung around and glared at her father. Did he know this already? It changed everything!

Anton quickly covered her hand with his. “Lily, it was blood magic, but he used his own blood. He didn’t use a live sacrifice. Stupid, but not an unusual thing for an apprentice wizard to do. We’re always testing limits. Learning.” His eyes actually twinkled, and Lily felt the tension melt away.

He squeezed her fingers. “Trust me, sweetie. I tried the same thing in my early days when I was still learning the craft, and my results were just about as disastrous.”

She glanced at Sebastian and nodded. “Okay.” If her dad wasn’t concerned, she wouldn’t be, either. She trusted his instincts. She’d never known him to steer her falsely.

Anton focused on Sebastian. “Actually, I think my experience might have been worse. You said you were nauseous? I puked all over myself. It was not a pretty sight.” He studied Sebastian for a moment, and Lily was surprised that Sebastian didn’t even flinch. Her father’s close scrutiny could be more than a little bit intimidating.

Then he did something even more surprising. He rested his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. “Sebastian, I’m not positive, but I suspect your father might be linking to your magic. Piggybacking on your power, so to speak. I’ve met Aldo, and he’s a very strong wizard, but I sense more power in you. Untapped and untrained, but still very much a part of your basic nature; more than Aldo Xenakis will ever wield. I can only imagine his envy, because he’s not a man who wants to be second to anyone.”

Sebastian was obviously turning that over in his mind when Anton added, “I think that might be what Eve sensed on the astral today. Not you and your spell, but your father’s spirit tagging along for the ride. He’s probably curious as to what skills you have, how powerful you are. I’d like to help you work on your shields. It’s a different method of blocking when you’re trying to keep another mage out of your mind, but I think it’s something you need to consider. And if you’re interested—and I’m not trying to force you into anything—but I’d like to work with you, help you learn to use your magic. Learn to find power in other methods than blood and sacrifice.”

Sebastian shot a quick glance at Lily. She merely raised one eyebrow, but she really wanted to do a handstand or two. She’d never known her father to make such an offer.

“Thank you. Yes. Definitely yes. There’s so much I don’t know, so many things I’ve tried to learn, but my father’s ways aren’t mine.”

“His is dark magic, worked with blood and the energy gained from stealing a life force. Ours is a little different.” He caught Lily’s eye and winked.
You might want to explain the source of our power to him. I’m sure he’ll be interested.

Then he took Lily’s hand and held it tightly, and there was something in his eyes that gave her pause. She tried reading him, but her father’s shields were powerful. Right now they were stronger than she’d ever sensed. “Lily? I think your mother and I learned our lesson with Alex. This must be your decision. Do you want Sebastian to stay? He’s taken the first capsule. I’ve told him I would like for him to remain among us until we know for sure he’s Chanku, but it’s really up to you.”

She gazed directly at Sebastian. “Actually, it’s up to you. I think the question is, Sebastian, do you want to stay here?”

He reached for her hand and wrapped his long fingers around hers. “Try and make me leave.”

“Good.” Now, this could get awkward. “Dad, I’ve given my cottage to Alex and Annie for the night. Are any of the guest rooms here at the house made up?”

He raised one very expressive eyebrow. “Alex and Annie?”

“Yep.”

“Interesting. And you don’t mind?”

“No, Dad. I don’t mind. Guest rooms? Available?”

Both eyebrows this time. “How many?”

She raised her own, right back at him. “One.”

He cast an appraising glance over Sebastian and then leaned across the bar and kissed Lily’s cheek. “Take your pick, sweetheart. I’ll see you two in the morning. Sebastian?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Be sure and tell her about the bodyguards. And, Lily? Explain to Sebastian the power behind our magic.” Then with a final glance her way, he left the two of them alone.

Lily tossed back the rest of her cognac, stood, and took Sebastian’s hand. “You can tell me once we get to our room. Do you have any bags?”

“I wasn’t intending to stay.” He laughed. “I didn’t plan well at all. All I could think of was getting to you, apologizing to you, and hoping like hell you’d see me. I just caught a plane, didn’t even pack a toothbrush, and flew into Kalispell. Picked up a rental and came straight here.” He stood and took both her hands in his. “I had to see you, Lily. I wasn’t sure if you’d even speak to me, but I was wrong to leave when I did.” He sighed. “Hell, I’m not even sure why I left.”

She tugged and he followed, out of the den and down the hall to her favorite of the guest rooms. It was almost dead center in the house, farthest from both her parents’ rooms and Alex’s mom and dad. And far from Alex, when he stayed here, though he often used her cottage when she was in the city. She wondered if he and Annie were there now.

She opened the door and led Sebastian inside. The room was large, more a suite than a bedroom, with a small kitchenette and a beautiful bathroom with a tub large enough for two.

She stopped beside the bed, aware that her heart was pounding and her body aching. She’d shifted and run, and had just enough sex with Annie to take off the edge until watching Annie and Alex had aroused her again. But first she needed to ask Sebastian a question that had been haunting her.

A question linked very much to her father’s concerns. “How close are you and your father tied? How much control does he have over you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can he access your mind?” She sighed and took his hands in hers. Warm and strong, with long fingers and a dusting of dark hair at his wrists. A girl could feel safe holding hands such as these. Being held by these hands. His fingers laced in hers as she asked him the rest of the questions that had plagued her.

“These are the things I’ve been wondering. Was he the one who sent that sharp pain through my head at the reception? Could he have forced your feral side to dominate when we ran last night?” She paused, but her eyes never moved, and her gaze remained fixed on his. “Could he have made you leave my bed at precisely the time you did, just before that girl’s murder? I guess, Sebastian, what I want to know is whether or not your father is setting you up. Does he want you to be accused of the attacks on all those young women? Because it’s the only explanation I can come up with that makes any sense.”

He didn’t want to admit that he’d had a lot of the same thoughts. No son wanted to accuse his own parent of such horrible things, but he was beyond protecting his father, and he’d never lie to Lily. She meant too much to him. Somehow she’d gotten under his skin the first time he saw her, and the feelings weren’t going away.

Instead they grew stronger with every minute he spent with her. “I’ve wondered the same things for the past few weeks. There’s often a pressure in my skull that makes me think he’s either in my mind or pressing against my shields. The timing of the murders—they’ve happened up here when I’m in Montana, in the Bay Area when I’m in San Francisco. It’s too much to be mere coincidence. Then there’s the incident your dad wanted me to mention to you, about his bodyguards.”

Lily tilted her head and frowned. “Bodyguards? I didn’t realize your father needed them. Is his life at risk? The only cause he’s had lately is against Chanku, and we’re not violent. Well, killers by nature, but not when we’re acting civilized.”