Wolf Tales Interlude: The Gift

Changeling Press Presents
Hot Toddy #1
Wolf Tales Interlude: The Gift
Kate Douglas

All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2004 by Katherine A. Moore
No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Changeling Press LLC.

ISBN 1-59596-082-1
Formats Available:
HTML, Adobe PDF,
MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader
Publisher:
Changeling Press LLC
PO Box 1561
Shepherdstown, WV 25443-1561
www.ChangelingPress.com
Editor:
Sheri Ross Carucci
Cover Artist:
Bryan Keller

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Chapter One

Stefan set the phone back on the table and sighed. Anton and Xandi had arrived safely in Portland in spite of an unexpected snowstorm. The house seemed so empty with them gone. He hadn’t expected to miss them this much, but hearing Xandi’s sweet voice made his heart hurt.

A week, no longer. It should only take them a week for Xandi to sign off on the lease on the apartment she’d once shared with her ex-fiancé, formally resign from her old job, pack her belongings and make the long drive in the rental truck, back to Montana.

If Anton hadn’t had business in Portland, Stefan would be the one with her now, but he had and it only made sense Stefan be the one to stay here with Keisha.

Keisha
. Stefan watched her through the large front window. She leaned over the deck railing, her slim body silhouetted by the setting sun, her once kinky black hair now falling in soft, tousled waves past her shoulders, its new texture a direct result of her
Chanku
heritage.

She looked so lonely out there, so alone. He’d grown used to seeing Anton by her side. Always touching, protecting, loving her. Keisha was such an enigma. Fun loving, brilliant, beautiful -- yet still so conflicted Stefan’s heart ached for her.

He pushed himself to his feet and poured a couple of glasses of wine. Keisha looked up at him and smiled when he shoved the door open with his shoulder and joined her at the railing. The freezing air practically took his breath, but the clear sky and brilliant stars were worth the chill.

“Beautiful out, isn’t it?” He handed Keisha the glass of Chardonnay, watched her throat constrict when she took a small sip, nodded when she smiled at him.

He opened his mind, but found her thoughts blocked. Unlike the others, Keisha kept her barriers in place more often than not. He wasn’t certain, but he suspected her rape and assault were never far from her mind, that she still suffered the trauma of her attack.

Looking at her, at the pensive, far-away look in her eyes, he imagined it was still very much part of her. Stefan sipped at his wine, then set the glass on the railing. “Xandi just called. She and Anton are settled into their hotel room. Anton’s got appointments all morning long and Xandi’s hoping to close out the lease and take care of her formal resignation. Packing her belongings will take longer, and they’ll have to rent a truck to move everything here. It looks like they won’t get home until at least Friday.”

“That long?” Keisha frowned as she sipped at her wine. “That’s Christmas Eve.”

“I know. Weather’s been pretty sketchy, too, but they’ll leave as soon as they can.”

“I’ll worry about them all week.” Keisha blinked and looked out across the snow-covered meadow.

Stefan saw the glint of tears in her eyes. He touched her chin with his fingertips, turned her face to him. “They’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. Wanna go run?”

Her eyes widened. “Oh. I guess I never thought of you and me running. I figured we’d wait until they got back.”

Stefan began working the buttons down the front of his flannel shirt. The freezing air made his fingers clumsy. “You’re kidding, right? Go a week without shifting? C’mon.” He slipped out of his clothing, aware of Keisha’s hesitation, her sudden shyness. It wasn’t easy to keep from grinning at her. “Keisha, we’ve shared the same bed. We’ve been naked together, we’ve shifted countless times together.”

“I know.” She dipped her chin so he couldn’t see her eyes. “Anton and Xandi have always been here.”

“Are you afraid?”

Challenged, she glared at him. “No. No, I’m not afraid.” She whipped the sweater over her head, slipped out of her jeans and shifted, her amber eyes glowing in the early twilight.
I’m fine. What’re you waiting for
?

The barriers were still there, still blocking her innermost thoughts. He shifted.

Nothing. Let’s go
.

The week-old snow had formed a hard crust, enough to support their weight as they raced across the frozen meadow. Stefan quickly took the lead but Keisha followed closely behind, to the right of his flank.

He ran hard, leaping fallen logs, skimming along the icy surface of creeks and bogs, his mouth wide, tongue lolling, ears sleeked back against his skull. Without warning, Keisha nipped his flank and sped past, her eyes bright and tail streaming out behind.

She hit the surface of an old mill pond where the ice was thick and the surface broad. Stefan ran directly into her, bowled her over so that she slid on her back across the ice before scrambling to her feet.

She rushed him, eyes gleaming, jaws wide, ducked her head as she reached his belly, dipped her snout under his chest and flipped him expertly over on his back.

Stefan landed hard, slid into a snow bank and came up with his face covered in ice crystals. Snorting, he shook his head.

Keisha stood about ten feet away, feet spread wide and planted firmly.
Gotcha! Don’t ever mess with the Alpha bitch
!

Alpha bitch! You still pulling that crap
? He heard her laughter in his mind as he jumped, covering the distance between them in a single leap and bowling her over before she could react.

The impact took both of them halfway across the pond. A tangle of gaunt willows against the bank stopped their slide. A huge drift of snow cascaded over their heads.

You okay
? He heard Keisha wheezing for breath. He scrambled out from under the snow, shifting to his human form as he moved. The cold hit him like a fist, but he reached into the drift and pulled the wolf free.

She shifted, laughing so hard he realized at once the wheezing hadn’t been a problem at all.

Naked as he was, she wrapped her arms around her slim body and shivered.

“Shit. I’m freezing.” Keisha shook her tangled hair and snowflakes cascaded all around. “Let’s get back. It’s really cold tonight.”

They shifted together. The run back to the house was more leisurely, the sense of family stronger than ever. Keisha seemed to relax and really enjoy herself.

Still, Stefan felt the barrier, the sense of secrets Keisha couldn’t -- or wouldn’t -- share. He was still wondering how he could help when they finally reached the house, gathered their clothing and went inside to shower.

Chapter Two

“Why are you so quiet?” Stefan paused as he cleared the dishes from the table. “Didn’t you enjoy dinner? Oliver outdid himself.”

Keisha blinked, caught dreaming. “Oh… I’m sorry. Dinner was excellent.”

Stefan held the plates out of sight. “What did we have?”

“What?” Oh lordy, what had she just eaten? She blinked. “For dinner? Uh… we had… I ate…” Keisha felt her skin heat, knew she was probably blushing. Caught, she slumped in her chair. “I don’t know. Sheesh, I feel really stupid.”

“You’re worried about where you’re going to sleep tonight, aren’t you?”

Did he have to look so damned smug? How could he know what she was thinking? Her blocks were tight, not a thought escaping. “I…”

“With me, I hope, but you know you don’t have to and I won’t mind.”

She took a deep breath. “I want to. Sleep with you, I mean. It’s not like we haven’t before.”

“Yeah, but the others have always been nearby, or with us.”

He set the dishes near the sink, walked back to the table and knelt beside her chair. It was so eerie looking into Stefan’s eyes… eyes exactly like Anton’s. He seemed to be weighing something when he took her hand in his, turned it and traced her lifeline with his fingertip, following the dark crease along the lighter flesh of her palm.

She felt each stroke all the way to her womb.

It was such a sensual thing, the callused tip of his finger slowly, gently tracing that deeply etched line, back and forth, over and over. Mesmerized, she watched him while her pussy clenched and she felt the hot moisture gathering, readying her.

“Stefan?” She placed her other hand over his, stopping the motion before she embarrassed herself and jumped him right here in the kitchen.

He covered her hand so that he knelt there, their hands sandwiched together as if he were proposing. His eyes were luminous, his expression troubled.

He licked his lips. When he swallowed, she watched the muscles of his throat contract, mesmerized by the fluid motion. He was beautiful… every bit as gorgeous as Anton, just as sensual, just as caring, and Lord help her but she loved the man. Not in the same way she loved Anton, but the feelings were there, so strong and true it made her ache.

“Keisha?”

He looked troubled. Almost sad. She tilted her head, studying him, not daring to read his thoughts. His hands were warm, strong, holding tightly to hers.

“Sweetheart, have you ever talked to anyone about what happened to you? Have you told Anton, your therapist, anyone, about the wolf? About your attack?”

What
? She hadn’t expected that question. Not in a million years! “Of course I have.” She tried to tug her hands free, but he held on. After a couple of tugs she gave up. “Anton knows I was raped. So do the police, the therapist, and after that newspaper article, half the known western world.” She choked back a sound that could have been a sob… she hoped he’d think it was laughter.

Stefan stared at her a moment longer, then he smiled and stood up. Held his hand out to her. “C’mon. We don’t need to have sex, but I want you beside me.”

“You sound like Anton.” This time the laughter was easy when she took his hand. “That poor man… he was so frustrated and all I wanted to do was snuggle.”

“Snuggling’s good. Fucking’s better, but snuggling works.”

He grinned at her, perfect white teeth, brilliant amber eyes, the most gorgeous black hair shot through with silver… a body to die for. Without a doubt, the sweetest, most lovable guy she’d ever not fallen in love with…

But I do love him
.

Not the way she loved Anton. No, though just not as deeply, every bit as fiercely. “How’d I ever get so lucky?” She flashed him a smile as she let him pull her to her feet. “Let’s finish the dishes first. I hate to leave a mess for Oliver.”

She watched him, sneaking glances to her right as he carefully dried each dish she handed him. Maybe her brain wasn’t too sure, but her body definitely wanted more than snuggling. By the time the counters had been wiped down and the last dish put away, Keisha’s taut nipples were rubbing themselves raw against her sweater and she was afraid her jeans would show the dampness between her legs.

Stefan flipped off the light switch, turned and took her hand. His nostrils flared. She knew he’d caught her scent, knew just how aroused she was, how much she wanted him deep inside her. Keisha felt the awareness leap between them, felt it curling hot and live in her belly, flowing through her veins like liquid fire.

A low growl slipped from between his lips. Slowly he tilted her chin up, positioned her perfectly for his mouth, then took her in a long, slow kiss. He brushed his lips across hers, dampened the seam between her lips with the tip of his tongue.

She opened for him, suckling his tongue into her mouth, tasting the flavors so much like Anton, yet so unique to Stefan. He slipped his arm beneath her hips and lifted her easily, still kissing her, his tongue a warm and welcome violation.

She moaned. Could she come from just kissing? Stefan shoved the bedroom door open with his foot and deposited Keisha on the bed. Still fully dressed, he lay over her, kissing her mouth, the part of her throat exposed by her sweater.

There was something wonderfully decadent about making love fully dressed -- decadent but woefully unsatisfying. Keisha tugged at the soft flannel shirt tucked into his jeans, felt the pressure of his hips against hers as he kicked his shoes and socks off, slipped out of his pants, ripped the shirt off his shoulders.

Completely naked, gloriously aroused, Stefan knelt between her jeans-clad thighs, his huge cock trapped in his hand. Slowly, he pumped back and forth, all the way from the base to the thick, dark crown.

“Are you going to undress?”

She giggled, suddenly nervous, her mouth dry. Instead of answering, she leaned forward and licked the very end of his cock. He shuddered, his hand stopped all motion.

She licked him again, then arched back and raised her hips, putting pressure on his testicles. He groaned and settled himself closer against her. There was something empowering about Stefan’s nudity, the contrast to her clothed body. Something wild and carnal, to be fully dressed while he was naked.

Keisha leaned forward and licked his right nipple, then dragged her teeth across the hard little point. He groaned, pressed more tightly against her, arched his back to bring his chest closer to her mouth.

She repeated with the left nipple, almost preternaturally aware of his racing heartbeat, the blood in his veins, the harsh intake of air. Moving slowly, Keisha slipped out from beneath his parted thighs and pushed Stefan to his back. She straddled his hips, trapped his erection beneath her pussy and slowly rubbed her jeans-clad body over his.

Even through the denim she felt his heat, the hard ridge of his cock, the solid strength of his muscular thighs. On each backward sweep, the broad, plum-colored head peeked out between her legs, then disappeared as she swayed forward.

She palmed his nipples with both hands, supporting herself as she continued rocking, back and forth, moving slowly, smoothly against his rigid flesh.

The seam of her denims hugged her clit, his erection forcing the fabric tightly against her pussy. Keisha gasped. Her body tightened, her breath caught. Awash in the familiar coil of heat and need and lush sensitivity she strained against him, riding this gorgeous naked man to completion.

Faster, uncaring how rough her jeans might feel to him, taking control, she turned her body loose. Back and forth, with Stefan’s hands now clasping her hips, helped her ride him hard and fast, his cock suddenly jerking, spurting, shooting his seed all over his belly. The sight of his climax tipped Keisha into her own. Her body convulsed, spasmed. She arched her back and pressed down hard.

Her pussy clenched against the emptiness, as if searching frantically for more. Her heart pounded.

Stefan laughed. “Shit. Haven’t done that since I was a teenager. Feels good, but not nearly so good as…”

He flipped her to her back. Still boneless from her own climax, she could barely move her hands. Giggling, gasping for air, she helped him tug her jeans off, helped when he pulled her sweater over her head.

Could only lie back and moan when he fastened his mouth between her legs, stabbed into her with his tongue, licked her sensitive clit. Gently, so very gently, he brought her back to the edge, brought her to crying, quivering need before kneeling between her legs and slowly, surely, driving his newly erect cock deep inside.

This was what she needed, this hot, stretched feeling of total fulfillment. Raising her hips to meet his, she took him deep inside. The thick head of his cock touched the hard mouth of her womb on each downward thrust.

His fingers clutched her buttocks, holding her close. He thrust hard and fast, harder, until she shattered once more, until her arms and legs trembled and her pussy clutched his cock.

She felt him dragging his fingers through the moisture between her legs, then the soft slide as one finger found her ass, pressed lightly against the puckered flesh, then gained entrance. Still caught in the throes of climax, her mind missed the significance of his slow, tantalizing thrusts as first one finger, then two, then finally three stretched the taut muscle.

When the head of his cock pressed against her, she freaked.

“No!”

What the fuck did he think he was doing? Screaming, crying, she shoved him with her legs, pushed him away and scrambled to the far side of the bed. Huddled there, crying, lost in shame, so embarrassed she wanted to fall through the floorboards and just disappear.

Stefan sat back on his heels and watched her. He offered no comfort, didn’t try to hug her, as if he realized any movement on his part might send her over the edge.

She fought for control, hugged her arms around herself and took deep, steady breaths. Looked anywhere but at Stefan.

“Mind telling me what just happened?”

Keisha shook her head. Stared at her toes and felt more naked than she’d ever felt in her life.

He grabbed his jeans off the floor and pulled them on. Then he threw a soft afghan to Keisha. She wrapped it tightly around herself. Hid within its multi-hued folds.

“I asked you earlier if you’d ever talked about the rape and the wolf with anyone. What just happened is linked to your assault, isn’t it?”

She nodded. Still couldn’t look at him.

“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

She watched him go and thought her heart would break. Couldn’t tell him she’d had the same reaction when Anton had tried anal sex, though she hadn’t remembered why, then.

This time, the memories were clear and true. Brutal and bloody, so horrible she couldn’t tell anyone how afraid she was… not for herself, but for them.

One other man had taken her that way, and because of him, three men had died a horrible death. Screaming in agony, bleeding, terrified to the final moments when their torn throats were no longer capable of sound.