Davis, Liz - Under His Spell (Siren Publishing Classic) (21 page)

The sound of their breaths filled the silence, and the tips of their fingers brushed up against each other, performing their own little dance as they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes. Takoda swept a few damp strands of hair from her face and lightly stroked her cheek.

A few more moments passed before the sound of his voice pierced the air.

“I love you, Lynn.”

She felt a euphoric rush at the sound of his words, but she didn’t say anything back, only continued to gaze into his orbs. Then she snuggled in closer and covered his mouth with hers, slipping her tongue between his lips to give him a nice, juicy kiss. Her fingers tangled into his hair, and she massaging the surface of his tongue with the tip her own. When they finally pulled back from the kiss, both of them were left nearly breathless.

“I love you, too,” she replied.

The candles had burned down to barely a glow, leaving the moon as the main source of light. Positioning his body so that he could spoon her, Takoda encircled his arms around her waist. Nuzzling his face into her neck, he deeply inhaled her scent and gave a deep sigh of contentment.

With his hips pushed flush against her backside, he peppered soft, sweet kisses against the back of her neck. Then she felt the tip of his fingers press lightly against the curve of her hip, just barely tracing the softness of her skin. Fully immersed in the heat of his body, Lynn lost herself in the tranquility of the moment, blissfully content with the feel of his fingertips dancing against her skin.

* * * *

As Lynn’s eyelids came open, the first thing she saw was Takoda sleeping beside her. Draping her arm over his torso, she allowed her gaze to rove admiringly over the strong line of his jaw and the fullness of his lips. His handsome face was partially obscured by the long strands of his hair, so she used her fingers to sweep them back. She placed a tender kiss along the edge of his jaw, then slipped out from under the covers and padded over to the window.

She felt so free here, so completely unencumbered. It was a wonderful feeling, not having any neighbors around, and all she could see was the beauty of the forest in front of her. Raising the latch on the window, she opened it to let in some fresh, cool air. Then she walked over to the dresser and pulled the drawer open, digging through it until she found her favorite T-shirt. It was old and had been washed so many times it had that worn-out look, but that’s what she liked about it. After slipping it on, she pulled on a pair of jeans and then she headed downstairs to the kitchen.

She was just about to put on a pot of coffee when she heard the sound of her cell phone ringing, so she walked over to the table to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Lynn?”

The sound of annoyance which threatened to release itself from her lips was quickly stifled.

“David, hi. I didn’t expect to hear from you today. What’s going on?”

“Sorry to be calling you so early. I know it’s Saturday and all, but remember that project I told you about at work? The advertising campaign for that important client of ours?”

“Oh, right. I’d forgotten about it.”

“Yeah, well there are a few papers I need you to look at. Just a little something I put together to help you get more of an idea of what the client would like us to work on. So I thought I’d stop by your house to drop off them off.”

“Oh well actually I’m not there. I’m staying at my boyfriend’s right now. You can give them to me on Tuesday when I come back into work.”

David gave a short pause and then started to speak once again. The disappointment in his voice was very apparent.

“Okay, okay. Well, it’s kind of important that I get these papers to you today because I was sorta hoping you could come into work on Tuesday with some new suggestions. We really need your help on this project, Lynn.”

Running her fingers through her curly locks, she gave an exhale of frustration. “Look, David. Now really isn’t a good time. Can’t you just e-mail them to me?”

“Not really. It’s like a packet of papers, Lynn. Listen, I promise I’ll just drop the papers off and go. I wouldn’t be asking unless this was important. You’re still committed to this project, right?”

“Well, yeah, I am committed to it. It’s just a bit inconvenient right now, and I really don’t see why you have to come all the way out to the house. I’d rather you just give the papers to me on Tuesday.”

“We’re working on a deadline here, Lynn, and I’m only asking because I was put in charge of this project. I already know you’re with your boyfriend, so why would I come there to try anything with you? Look, if you don’t believe me you can call Steven and run it by him. He’s the one who suggested I call you to see to if it was okay to drop by.”

“I don’t understand why it’s so urgent, but if I must have those papers today, then I’ll drive out and pick them up from you. As soon as my boyfriend wakes up, I’ll have him give me a ride out there. How about that?”

“Yeah, that’ll work.” His voice was rife with disappointment.

“So tell me where you live, and I’ll stop by later. It won’t be until the afternoon, though.” Grabbing a pad of paper, Lynn picked up a pen and asked, “So what’s your address?”

“Hey, listen. I’m gonna have to call you back, all right? I’ll give you a call in a bit, and then I’ll give you my address.”

Wrinkling her brows in puzzlement, she replied, “Oh okay. I guess we’ll talk later, then.”

“Yeah, bye.” He hung up abruptly.

Lynn was used to David being annoying, perverted, and even a little strange, but he was really beginning to freak her out. She didn’t understand why he’d been so insistent on coming out here, especially since he knew that Takoda would be with her. She knew that his needing to drop papers off to her had been a lie. It was only an excuse so he could find out her address and see where she was staying. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d already stopped by her house, and when he hadn’t found her there, he’d probably wondered where she was. He’d stopped by unannounced before, so she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d done it again.

Now more than ever, Lynn was happy to be staying with Takoda. She really did feel safer here with him, and she liked that the house was tucked into an area which was secluded. She was also happy to not have to deal with unwanted and unnecessary visits from David. Just yesterday she thought he’d seemed to be acting pretty normal, but now that creepy side of him was starting to show itself once again. It was now that she realized it’d been a mistake to agree to work with him on the project. It only gave him an excuse to hang around her more and to try and nose his way into her business. In order to put more distance between her and David, she would need to talk to her boss Steve and let him know that she would have to pull out of the project. She didn’t know what she’d say yet, but she could always make up some excuse. She’d been looking forward to the extra money that working on the project would bring in, but it really wasn’t worth the aggravation. David was becoming way too much of a nuisance, and she couldn’t allow it to escalate any further.

Pushing the strange phone call out of her mind, she put on a pot of coffee and then walked into the living room to look out at the beautiful view from the bay windows. She was intrigued by the forest, and was curious about what lay out there beyond all of those trees.

Once the pot of coffee was finished, she poured herself a cup and casually sipped it as she gazed out at the view. Contemplating whether or not she should go outside, she stared into the thickness of the birch and aspen trees. She knew there was a possibility of danger lurking out there, and yet there was also the beauty and wonder of the forest. It was only a few steps away from her, and even if Dex was out there somewhere, Takoda would never let any harm come to her. She wore his mark, so the connection they had was very strong. Besides, she couldn’t stand the feeling of being on edge and always wondering about that creep Dex. She knew that the more fearful she was, the more drawn to her he would become. It was negative emotions, after all, that he loved to feed upon. Slipping her feet into a pair of sneakers, Lynn opened the door and headed outside.

There was something about the early-morning hours that she’d always found magical, and here in the forest it was easy to pretend that she and Takoda were in a world of their own.

Rays from the early-morning sun shone through the trees, illuminating the forest with its heaven-like glow. Walking around the perimeters of the house, she explored the immediate area. Lifting her chin upward, she glanced all the way up to the peaks of the trees. The dense, green thickness of the forest was beautiful, and the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind made her feel blissfully calm. Spotting an unusual leaf on the ground, she bent over to pick it up. She was studying the intricate pattern of it when she felt something cold and wet nudge up against her calf. When she looked behind her, she was surprised to see a wolf sitting behind her, and she realized that the cold wetness against her skin had been the wolf nudging its nose against her leg. The animal had a thick, gray coat, a strong, powerful chest, and beautiful eyes the color of pale yellow. This wolf was identical to the animal form Takoda had shifted into on the night he’d been fighting Dex.

“Takoda?”

The wolf walked closer, wagging its tail playfully.

She found it strange that Takoda would just shape-shift for no particular reason at all, but then again what did she know about shape-shifting? All of this was still so new to her, so she really didn’t know what to expect in terms of him shifting from his human form. The wolf was now close enough for her to pet, so she reached her hand down to lovingly stroke its fur.

“So you decided to shape-shift, huh? Last night I went to bed with a man, and this morning I wake up and he turns into a wolf.” Shaking her head humorously, she continued, “Well, what do you say we go inside and I make us some breakfast? That is, unless you’d prefer raw meat, or whatever it is wolves eat.”

Continuing to pet the wolf, Lynn admired the soft, glossy texture of its coat. As the sound of a familiar voice came suddenly from behind her, her shoulders jolted upward in surprise.

“Get inside, Lynn.
Now
.” The voice was filled with tense urgency.

Whipping her head around, Lynn saw the sight of Takoda quickly walking towards her. His eyes were firmly planted on the wolf which sat beside her, and she could see a mixture of fear and anger in his eyes. Her eyes widened in surprise as the sight of her lover, and her gaze turned back upon the wolf which was beside her. So if Takoda was still in his human form, then who was this wolf in front of her?

Removing her palm from the wolf’s coat, she began to back away from it, watching it with wary-filled eyes. She didn’t know who this wolf was or where he’d come from, but she wasn’t so sure she wanted to find out, either. Right now all she wanted to do was to put as much space between her and this trickster as quickly as possible.

With a look of puzzlement, she asked Takoda, “What is this, and who is this wolf?”

“Please don’t ask any more questions. Just do as I say and go inside.”

Lynn hurried over to the door, and as soon as she crossed the threshold, she slammed it shut behind her.

As soon as she was gone, the wolf shifted into the form of a human male.

“Damn, you just had to ruin my fun, didn’t you?” The man’s lips twisted into an evil grin.

* * * *

Takoda bristled with anger as he took in the features of the man standing before him. He had dirty-blond hair, green eyes, and a jagged scar along the lower edge of his bottom lip. Although Takoda couldn’t stand the sight of him, he’d found himself dreaming of this moment many times. He’d dreamed of the day he’d finally come facetoface with him and visualized very vividly what he’d do if he ever managed to get his hands on him.

“Stay away from her, Nick.” Takoda’s voice was loud and threatening.

“What if I don’t?” The man raised an eyebrow, giving Takoda a nasty smirk.

“Try and challenge me and I’ll rip your head right off.” Taking a few steps forward, Takoda dared the other man to make a move.

Nick’s only response was to smile. He tried to appear calm, but it was apparent he was no match for Takoda.

“Why are you here?” A frown creased Takoda’s eyebrows.

“I’m here to even the score and set things right.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I can’t believe you even have the nerve to stand here in front of me.” His fists clenched tightly, nails digging into palms as a strong wave of anger rolled through him.

“I’m here for justice. You killed Aiden.”

Takoa expelled a snort of disgust. “He got what he deserved.”

A bitter smile crossed Nick’s lips. “Still holding onto the past, huh? You really need to let that go, because nothing’s going to bring her back
.
That chick is dead and long gone.”

Takoda’s jaw clenched, and his nostrils flared. “How could you betray me? What could we ever have done to make you attack us like that?”

“It was your time to leave. No one agreed with the way you were running things. Aiden was much better suited to lead the pack.”

“If Aiden wanted in as alpha, he could have just gone for me. So why did he kill
her
?”

Giving a dismissive shrug, Nick responded, “Guess you could say she got caught in the cross fire.” Shaking his head and tsking sarcastically, he gave a little pout. “Poor little Ehawee.”