Wolves’ Bane (20 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Mine

Cal was pleased with their progress, but not totally satisfied with Morgan’s abilities. She hadn’t yet mastered the right strength or angle to kill the beast, even after hours of training.

And now she looked ready to collapse with exhaustion while she forced another forkful of food into her mouth.

They had trained past dinnertime and had missed the meal with the others, so he’d picked through the leftovers to put together something edible. It was probably for the best anyway, since they were both covered in sweat and stank like the beast.

Morgan closed her eyes briefly as she slid another piece of roast beef into her mouth and slowly began to chew.

“You did well today, Morgan.” He couldn’t help his pride from seeping into his words. Even though she hadn’t perfected the technique, she had put in a more than adequate amount of effort, not even wanting to stop when he insisted that they give it a rest for the day. She was determined to succeed.

Morgan opened her eyes, a lazy smile spreading over her features. “Thanks.”

“You’ll nail it tomorrow,” he offered, as he cleaned the last of the gravy off his plate with a hunk of bread and plopped it into his mouth. “We still have six days to prepare.”

Morgan put her fork down and pushed her plate toward him. “I’m too tired to chew. You want the rest?”

Cal shook his head as he stood from the kitchen island, pushing his stool back to rise. He took both of their plates to the sink and scraped the rest of her food into the garbage before putting both dishes into the washer.

She was standing on unsteady legs when he finished, and he swooped toward her, his arm going around her waist to hold her up. She leaned in to him and he wrinkled his nose. “You stink.”

She cocked an eyebrow up. “You’re not smelling so hot yourself, tough guy,” she teased as he started them toward the door. “Is that tub in our room big enough for the two of us?”

His heart thudded with renewed energy and his cock grew hard instantly, surprising considering how exhausted he’d felt only moments before. “Oh, yeah, it’s big enough.”

They moved up the stairs and down the hall arm in arm, his eagerness to get into that tub making it next to impossible not to run with Morgan in his arms all the way there.

When they were in the room, Morgan stripped off all of her smelly clothes and left him staring dumbfounded at her bare ass as she waltzed into the bathroom. The sound of water pumping into the giant Jacuzzi tub was enough to have him frantically ripping his own clothes off too. A brief moment of guilt tugged at him. She was clearly exhausted, barely able to eat. What was he thinking? Wanting to ravish her body when she obviously needed some sleep? And yet, seconds later, there she was, poking her head out from the bathroom, her finger crooked to beckon him.

“What are you waiting for?” she purred as she ducked back into the room.

Cal scrambled out of his pants and quickly followed her. She was already submerged, her body hidden by the soapy suds of bubble bath. The room smelled like fresh fruit, a far cry better than the stink of the beast that they’d been smelling all day.

Morgan smiled at him as she pulled her hair out of its ponytail. It dipped into the water at her shoulders, clinging to her skin. “I found some apple-scented bubble bath the other day in the cabinet. I thought this would be a good time to use it.” She scanned his body, her eyes leaving a hot trail of lust as she swept her gaze over his pulsing cock then licked her lips.

“Aren’t you too exhausted?” he asked.
Shut up, shut up, shut up.
Despite his words, he moved toward the tub and motioned for her to scoot forward.

“Too exhausted for a bath?” she teased as she moved.

Cal hissed a breath as he eased himself into the hot water. “Christ, woman, are you trying to scald me?” It was hot, really hot, but as his legs slid around her and his body adjusted to the temperature, there was no way he was getting out—not with her slippery skin pressed against him.

She pushed herself toward him, nestling her back into his hard erection. “I like it hot. It helps get the dirt off.”

He smiled as he lowered his nose to her hair, inhaling deeply before sputtering out a lungful of rank air. “Holy shit, your hair reeks of that beast. You need to let me wash it for you.”

Morgan shrugged as she reached to the side of the tub and handed him a bottle of shampoo. “Go for it.”

He took the bottle and gobbed a generous amount of shampoo into his palm while she dunked her head partially under the water. When she sat back up, her hair was soaked through.

She hissed a moan through her lips as he massaged the goop into her hair. It smelled better already—the flowery scent of the shampoo quickly overpowering the disgusting odor of the beast.

“Mmm, that feels good, Cal.” Her eyes were closed as she tilted her head back even farther, and he ran his fingers through her hair, gently untangling the knots.

He was surprised by how happy he felt. Washing a woman’s hair had never been at the top of his list of things to do, but with Morgan it was different. The feeling of contentment, mingling with his desire for her had his heart almost bursting with happiness. How could he have denied himself this? It would have driven him mad if he’d gone on without her. And to think he had been about to sever this bond. No wonder his father was insane. Cal could only imagine the depth of loss he would feel with permanent separation.

Once he had finished with the shampoo, he turned the taps back on and used the detachable showerhead to rinse all of the soap out, then repeated the process with conditioner, leaving her hair smelling much more pleasant.

She cocked her head and smiled, her eyes sliding open a fraction. “Much better. Thank you.”

He reached around her and grabbed the body wash and cloth from the side of the tub. “I’m not done yet,” he said as he nudged her forward so that he could pour the wash over her back.

She moaned again as he scrubbed her skin with one hand and used the other to massage away the knots that had formed from her hard day of training.

Her head hung forward and she moved with him, allowing his skilled fingers to dig into the tension and ease it away.

“You said that there were two things Lance hadn’t taught me. One was how to kill the beast. What was the other?”

He furrowed his brow. “The other is not really something I can show you how to do. It’s more like something I have to warn you about and help you to understand.” He poured another glob of wash onto her shoulders and began cleaning and massaging down her right arm. “It’s to do with Lazarus and his”—he hesitated, not sure what to call what Lazarus could do—“skills.” Finished with the right arm, he quickly focused his attention on her left, sliding the cloth down as his fingers trailed behind.

She moaned softly and lay back against him, her head on his shoulder, forcing him to bring his one arm around her front to continue his massaging. His forearm pressed against the swell of her breasts and his cock hardened even more, aching to be inside her.

Her voice pulled him out of his lustful thoughts, her words bringing his brain some clarity. “You said before that he can be very seductive.”

He puffed out a breath. “Yeah, that’s a bit of an understatement. In his wolf form, he can be very alluring. I don’t know if you realized it or not, but the reason why you didn’t run or faint or totally collapse with fear when you encountered him at the carnival was because of this power he has to captivate his prey. It’s one of the most dangerous traits of the wolves. But as long as you avoid eye contact, you can beat it.”

“Okay, that doesn’t sound so hard. I’ll just avoid looking into those ugly yellow eyes again.”

Cal shook his head as he dropped the washcloth into the tub and continued to massage her arm. “It’s not that simple. I told you that he’s at his most vulnerable on the night of the lunar eclipse because he transforms into his human form, and that he’s very seductive in that form. What I didn’t tell you is that if you’re his bride, you’ll be weakened by this, and you’ll be especially susceptible to his charms.”

Morgan snorted. “Are you saying that in the middle of the battle, when Lazarus comes out in his human form, I’m going to want to have sex with him?”

Cal frowned. “Actually, yes, that
is
what I’m saying. It’s in your genes, Morgan. If you are truly his bride, you won’t be able to help yourself. You
will
become enthralled by him. Other Hunters have seen it happen.”

Morgan turned her head to the side, catching his eye with a sideways glance. “Well then.” Her voice was low, husky. “I guess you’d better do something about that.”

When he arched his eyebrows with surprise, she giggled and grabbed his hands, bringing them both to rest over her breasts. He groaned as her nipples budded into hard peaks under his palms.

She wedged her ass tighter between his legs, teasing against his throbbing cock. “You’d better fuck me so hard that I don’t forget who you are and what you mean to me.” He groaned again as she lifted herself up and arched back, sliding herself over his cock. “What are you waiting for, Cal? I need you to mark me, brand me so that I can’t lust after another man.”

Her words excited him. What if what she said had some truth? What if Cal could make her immune to Lazarus simply by being with her? She nudged him again, the tip of his cock resting at her entrance.

“Well?”

He moved his hands over the slick skin of her breasts, molding them in his palms as he flicked her nipples. “You are mine,” he growled, a low whisper in her ear. “And I’m not going to share you with anyone.”

She tossed her head back and cried out as he plunged into her from behind, shifting his weight so that he could thrust deeply. Water sloshed over the side of the tub each time she came down on him. His climax rose fast, and despite the exhaustion from the day, so did hers. She moaned as her pussy spasmed around his cock, milking him until he spilled into her in one giant release.

She rode him through every last twitch and spasm until they were both satiated, then slumped back against his chest, his cock still nestled in her, his arms wrapped around her waist.

“See, if we do that a few more times, there’s no way I’m going to even look at another man,” she teased somewhat breathlessly.

He kissed the top of her head, a smile pulling at his lips. “A few more times? I was thinking a few hundred more times.”

She giggled quietly and then sighed as she disentangled herself from his grasp and rose from the tub. He helped her out and watched with growing excitement as she snatched a towel and slowly began to rub herself dry. It was so damn sensual he itched to pull her back in with him for another go. But one look at her face halted any further thought in that direction. Dark circles lined her eyes and her skin was drawn with exhaustion.

“Aren’t you coming out?” she asked as she wrapped the towel around her body, blocking his view of her exquisite curves.

He ran his hand through his hair and grimaced. “I still stink. I’m just going to wash up a bit, then I’ll come.”

Morgan wrinkled her nose before walking out of the bathroom. “Okay, but don’t take too long. I can’t sleep well without you holding me,” she said from the bedroom.

He smiled at her words, loving the feeling of protective pride they brought on. Only he could soothe her, pleasure her. Only he was meant to touch her, make love to her. She belonged to Cal and he’d be damned if Lazarus thought he actually had a claim.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Calling Home

The next four days proceeded in much the same way. I would wake up in Cal’s strong arms, we would start the day by making love, then we would train. Hard. And once my muscles were mushy and my brain crying for more sleep, we would eat a big dinner, shower and make love again. It was a nice way to bookend the day, in my opinion.

Every time we made love, I felt more and more at peace. New fighting techniques flittered into my brain, more powerful magic symbols revealed themselves. Everything Cal had spent his life training to do, everything he had learned was slowly entering my conscious mind and awakening muscle memory I didn’t know I had.

I’d even mastered stabbing Norman. For two days straight now, I had repeatedly hit the sweet spot dead on, killing the taxidermied beast and feeling more and more confident that I would be able to do it for real when the time came.

In two days.

I was trying not to panic, even though I still knew little about what was actually going to happen the night of the eclipse. Cal had yet to tell me where we were going to be, how we would find Lazarus, or if he would find us.

What offered me some level of comfort was that, according to Cal, Lazarus was supposedly more vulnerable in his human form. Training on the beast would ensure that I hit home. Even in human form, Lazarus’s heart would be in the same place and the muscles encasing his heart would be stronger than the average human’s, but it was believed that it wouldn’t take as much effort to get the blade in. So training hard was actually preparing me more than I probably needed to be. It was comforting and not. I trusted Cal’s judgment and expertise, but really, when it came down to it, no Huntress had ever fought and won against Lazarus, so all that we had was conjecture. That made my mind restless and my body uneasy when I envisioned the battle to come.

I tied my shoelace and stood, stretching out my muscles for the day ahead. Cal had been called to Kelly and Andrew’s room, and he’d been gone for more than twenty minutes. I thought about heading down to the training room without him but I remembered that he mentioned he had other plans for my training today.

I glanced around the room, slightly embarrassed by the state of things. The bed had remained unmade for days, the two of us being simply too preoccupied, or too tired to give a damn. Our discarded clothes lay scattered everywhere. I sighed as I bent to pick up some of the towels that were strewn across the corner chair when my gaze fell on the phone. I hadn’t called Rachel in some time—over two weeks, actually. And with my cell phone gone, I was sure that she was freaking out having not heard from me.

I sighed as I dropped the towels back onto the chair and then plopped down on top of them. I had time for a quick call while Cal was talking to Kelly and Andrew.

I dialed Rachel, my heart suddenly ramping up a bit, knowing that she would probably be pissed at me and wondering how I could have let so much time pass without giving her a thought. This Huntress business had been all-consuming and an easy enough explanation…but not something I could tell Rachel about.

“Hello?”

“Rachel?”

“Morgan?” Her voice rose to an almost screech. “Where the fuck are you?”

Okay, pissed might have been an understatement. “I’m okay, Rach, calm down.”

Rachel scoffed. “Calm down? You run off with some long-lost boyfriend, basically fall off the face of the fucking planet and don’t bother to call anyone for—oh, I don’t know—two fucking weeks, and you’re telling me to calm down?”

I grimaced. It didn’t sound that great hearing it from my friend’s hysterical mouth. “I know, I know, I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Rachel’s tone was clipped. “Where the hell are you, Morgan? Should I be worried or are you really just a shitty, inconsiderate friend?”

I winced. “I’m really sorry, Rach. I’m not in trouble. In fact, far from it. Everything is great.”

“Okay, good to hear. But that doesn’t explain to me where the eff you are and who you’re with. Care to give a little more detail so that I’m not totally freaking out when you disappear for another two weeks?”

I sighed. “I’ll be home soon.” Would I? After the battle, if I didn’t die of course, Cal would let me go back home for a visit, I was sure. “Cal and I…”

“Cal? Is that his name? Why is it that I don’t ever remember you telling me about a long-lost love named Cal?” By Rachel’s tone, it was clear that there was no point in going into detail, as much as my friend might want me to, she was too pissed to actually listen.

“Okay, Rach, fair enough. You’re mad at me, I get that. I’ve been a shitty friend, like you said. I just wanted to give you a call to let you know that I’m okay.”

“Why aren’t you answering your cell phone?”

“It’s broken and I haven’t had time to get a replacement.” I sighed as I brought my hand to my forehead, suddenly very sorry that I’d called, as a blast of a headache pounded through my skull. “I have to go. I’m sorry that I’ve pissed you off. I just wanted you to know that I’m okay, and I will be home soon.”

Rachel sighed. “I miss you, hon.” Her tone had softened, the anger from moments before deflated. “Sorry I’m being such a bitch, but you’ve had me really scared. The cops were by the other day. Apparently Jimmy is missing, and they wanted to know if I’d heard anything.”

I gulped back a lump. “Jimmy’s missing?” Of course the police would be searching for him. They didn’t know he’d been turned into a werewolf and was now dead and buried.

“Yeah, they were asking about you too, thought maybe the two of you were away together or something. I told them you were on a mini-vacation with a friend. You might want to give the police a call, let them know you’re okay.”

My headache flared. Fuck. “Okay, good idea. I’ll give them a call today.”
Yeah right. And say what exactly?

“I kinda thought you might be with him too, ya know, and just didn’t want to say anything to me about it. But the guy you’re with, Cal—he’s someone from back home?”

I nodded. “Yeah, he is. I ran into him at the carnival, got to talking and catching up, one thing led to another.” I didn’t like lying to her but what else could I do? The truth was so not on the table as far as Rachel was concerned. “Anyway, I better get going. I’ll be home soon, and I’ll fill you in on all the details. Then you can meet Cal yourself and see why I left.”

“Okay, I’ll be here waiting. But, Morgan?”

“Yeah.”

“If you’re going to be gone for another two weeks, do you think you could give me a call just to let me know?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Good.”

“Talk soon.”

“I’ll stop by your place and make sure everything is cool.”

I nodded. “Thanks, I didn’t even think about the house. Do you mind?”

Rachel scoffed again. “No, I don’t mind, I just said I’d do it, didn’t I? Anyway, you need to get your head out of the clouds, friend. I’ve got to meet this guy. He’s got you off in la-la land.”

“You will meet him, and you’ll love him.”

“I hope so, Morgan. Take care.”

“’Kay, bye.”

I put the phone down and ran my fingers through my hair, blowing out my breath with a moan.
Shit, that was intense.
After a week of bliss with Cal, being confronted with a harsh dose of reality had my head not only pounding but spinning as well. I hadn’t given Rachel one thought since Cal had returned. I’d been so caught up in training and loving Cal that I hadn’t realized what my absence would do to her. On top of that, I hadn’t even considered that folks would come looking for Jimmy. Like me, he didn’t have any family left to speak of, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be missed.

I pushed myself up. Cal still wasn’t back and after calling Rachel, I was rather anxious to speak with him. I beelined to the door and yanked it open. It wouldn’t hurt to stop by Kelly and Andrew’s room to see what was taking so long.