Читать книгу Wolf Tales VIII - Kate Douglas - Страница 9

“Yeah, we’re all worried about him.” Holding the phone to his ear, Stefan Aragat leaned back in the deck chair and rested his heels on the railing. The forest loomed dark and inviting, but little Alex was being a pill and Xandi had her hands full with the baby.

There’d be no running through the woods tonight, damn it all. AJ Temple’s voice was a welcome diversion to a man who would rather be deep in the forest making love to his woman. Of course, AJ in person wouldn’t be a bad diversion himself.

“You want to send three of them up here? Why not all six?”

AJ’s answer made perfect sense. There really wasn’t a good place for six new Chanku shapeshifters to run in downtown San Francisco, especially since a recent attack in Golden Gate Park had everyone watching out for killer dogs. The last thing they needed was a wolf sighting. Millie and Ulrich had asked for two or three people to help with the wolf sanctuary in Colorado. Sending the other three to Montana should work out just fine, if the Montana pack was okay with it.

“I agree, AJ. Plus, I think it’s what Anton needs. Three kids without a lick of sense to take his mind off whatever’s bugging him.” Stefan laughed. It hadn’t been all that long ago he’d been just as stupid. He liked to think he’d smartened up in the past few years, but Anton might have another thought altogether.

“We’ll see you guys at the end of the week. You say one of them is definitely a doctor? It’ll be great to have a doctor around, even if it’s just for a while. Maybe he can figure out why Alex is so colicky. Adam hasn’t been able to help him much and Xandi and I are at our wits’ end. I’ll let Anton know we’ve got company coming. Give my love to Mik and Tala.”

Stefan clicked off the phone and stared out into the forest. The attacks on the Chanku appeared to have ended, at least for now, though he’d not been able to get past a lingering sense of unease. Life should be settled and comfortable, but he missed his best friend and lover. Anton hadn’t been the same since his near-death experience, but then neither had any of the others. They’d all come too close to their own mortality.

Stefan saw the fear in his mate’s eyes and wondered if that same look was mirrored in his own. He wondered, too, if their concerns for their son’s safety might be part of Alex’s fussiness. Was the baby picking up their anxieties? It was still hard to relax, knowing there were nuts out there just waiting to capture a real shapeshifter. The constant worry was making all of them a little crazy.

He’d never expected it to touch Anton. Anton Cheval was the one constant among them, the one who always seemed to have it together. But lately…Lately there’d been the sense that Anton was one step away from losing it entirely. Having three new kids here, young, brash Chanku without any of the baggage the rest of them carried from that harrowing period when they’d all been hunted…Stefan chuckled to himself. This could definitely be interesting.

Almost as interesting as the fact six new Chanku had appeared at the same time, drawn together by their common heritage and the unusual varieties of grasses planted in a garden in Golden Gate Park. Grasses the Chanku needed to become shapeshifters. What were the odds of those six young people meeting up with Tala, AJ, and Mik, members of the San Francisco pack?

Pretty good, obviously, since one of them had shifted into wolf form and protected Tala from an assault—without knowing he even had the ability.

The more he thought about their visitors, the more Stefan liked the idea. That was, if Anton and Keisha didn’t want to kill him for making the invitation.

He sensed Xandi’s approach even before he heard her. “Is Alex asleep?”

Her warm hands slipped over his shoulders. “Yep. Thank goodness. Lily’s out like a light, too. I swear that baby girl has a very old soul. I was so frustrated, I finally decided to try putting Alex down in the same crib with her, but he wouldn’t stop crying. She woke up when Alex was fussing, reached out and touched him and he immediately settled down and went to sleep.”

Stefan covered her hand in his. “Let’s hope that works when they’re teenagers and learn to shift.” He tugged on her fingers.

Xandi slipped around the side of the chair and plopped herself down in his lap. “We’re going to need to figure that one out—I’m not so sure I’ll ever be ready for sexually active teenagers.”

Stefan laughed. “I know. Anton and I were talking about sending them off to separate boarding schools until they’re at least twenty-five.”

Xandi jerked around and glared at him. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Kidding! We were just kidding.” He cupped the back of her head and pulled her close. “I love you.” His fingers tangled in her shiny, russet hair and he traced her lips with the tip of his tongue. She tasted sweet. There was no other way to describe his woman’s flavor. He sipped at her mouth, ran his tongue along the seam between her soft lips and slowly gained entry.

She turned in his lap and draped both arms over his shoulders, kissing him with slow, steady sweeps of her mouth. The side of her breast pressed against his chest and he was sorry for the thick sweatshirt he wore against the evening chill.

He’d much rather be naked with his woman right now. Naked and buried deep inside her welcoming heat. Naked and pressed tightly against all her warm, feminine curves, naked and…

“So, this is how he babysits when we’re away.”

Stefan and Xandi jerked apart.

Anton stood beside them, bare-ass naked and laughing, with Keisha right behind him. Laughing. Anton was laughing. Praise the Goddess…

“I finally got both little beasts to sleep. Don’t you dare wake them up.” Xandi leaned away from Stefan and kissed Anton soundly on the mouth.

“Looks like you guys had a good time.” Stefan glanced at Keisha and raised one eyebrow. She grinned back at him.

“I slapped him around a little, got him off his high horse,” she said, jabbing an elbow into Anton’s ribs.

Anton slipped his arm around Keisha’s waist. “Actually, she reminded me what a horse’s ass I’ve been. I’m sorry if I worried you guys. I’m still not sure what…”

Stefan grabbed Anton’s hand. “You went through a hell of a lot. No need to apologize. Of course, I may owe you one.”

“What for?”

“For telling AJ we’d take three of the new pups they’ve got. Remember the six homeless kids they found in Golden Gate Park? They need a place to run, to learn the ropes, and the park’s not safe. Ulrich and Millie are taking the other three. At least we get the doctor, but we also get one with his leg in a cast. Broke it.”

“They’re coming here? When?”

“This week. And they’re all yours.”

Anton leaned over and grabbed Stefan’s face in both hands. He planted a big, sloppy kiss on his mouth. “Thank you. Perfect. That’s absolutely perfect.” He turned to Keisha. “Don’t you think so? It’ll be fascinating to teach them what they’re capable of, to show them…Keisha? Don’t you agree?”

She held her hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to quell the giggles. “Perfect,” she said, and then she lost it.

Anton stared at her as if she’d lost her mind as well. Even Xandi’s body had started to quiver as she fought her own laughter. Finally, Keisha managed to pull herself together. “Yes, Anton,” she said, sounding absolutely prim. “It will truly be fascinating.” Then she looked at Xandi and both of them started giggling all over again.

Anton frowned. He glanced from Keisha to Xandi and back at Keisha. Then he looked at Stefan and shrugged. “I don’t get it.”

Stefan shook his head. “Me neither,” he said.

But he did get it. After more than a month watching their mentor fade into a shadow of his usual dynamic self, Keisha’s giggles were an obvious sign of her relief. Anton was back.

Their lover, their teacher, their leader, the one they counted on to find the answers to all their questions, had finally returned.

She jerked awake when the sound of a strange vehicle coming up the drive sent the images scrambling. A quick glance toward the big house told her there was an unusual amount of activity on the front porch. It was enough to snuff out the last wisps of yet another of those strange dreams that were more like hallucinations, so filled were they with vivid night sounds, the scents of the forest, and the sensation of thick grass bending beneath broad paws.

If only the disturbance had snuffed out the tingling remnants of sensual longing, the unusual arousal that always accompanied the dreams. Stretching carefully relieved some of the tension from her long hours in the confines of the hunting blind perched high up in the tall spruce, but it didn’t help the throbbing sense of unfulfilled desire.

At least a hand was good for that. A hand with nimble fingers accompanied by a vivid imagination. Later. For now, a twist of the lens focused the spotting scope on the big house. As always, watching them helped to take her mind off the inevitable sexual frustration.

The sun was still up and the day comfortably warm. A bunch of people milled about on the broad front porch. Generally they stayed on the back deck during the daylight hours, or inside, most likely sleeping. They were so active at night.

They, or the wolves. Even with the scope, there’d been no proof yet they could actually shift. Was her information wrong?

No. Father had been a man of facts. A brave man. A powerful man, brought down by one of them.

Proof would come, eventually. It would happen, and one of them would forget the risk. They’d forget long enough to shift within full view.

Father had always cautioned patience. She would prove she could be as patient as he. Given time, she would prove her worth.

Adam Wolf stepped out on the front porch when the dusty SUV rolled into the yard. He called out to anyone within hearing distance, “They’re here.” Then he waved and headed down the steps. Eve, his mate, followed closely behind, along with Keisha and Xandi.

Adam couldn’t help being curious about the three young Chanku, part of a group of homeless youth who’d banded together near the memorial garden Keisha had designed in Golden Gate Park. They must have been drawn by a subconscious need for the nutrients in the Tibetan grasses Keisha had used in her design, nutrients their bodies craved long before they knew anything at all about their amazing birthright.

Of course, they’d learned the hard way, when one of them had attacked a guy who assaulted Tala Quinn.

Attacked and killed—as a wolf.

He’d shifted without knowing he even had the ability.

Bet that shocked the hell out of his buddies. Not to mention the thug who’d attacked Tala.

He hadn’t been so lucky, but his death had been blamed on gangs with dangerous dogs. No one suspected a shapeshifting wolf.

Thank goodness Mik, AJ, and Tala had gotten the kids away from the mangled body and far from the park, long before the police arrived.

Now three of them were in Colorado with Ulrich and Millie, and the other three were here in Montana. All of them capable of shifting, but without any knowledge of their heritage or the responsibilities that went with their amazing birthright.

No wonder Anton was excited about the challenge.

Adam spotted Oliver and Mei. Hand in hand, they crossed the driveway from their little cottage. Oliver waved to someone behind the big house. Adam turned and spotted two large wolves he recognized as Anton and Stefan, trotting across the meadow. He wondered if they’d found anything suspicious on their run. All of them had sensed something out of sync the past few nights. A sense of something not quite right. After the attacks right here on the property barely a month ago, everyone was still on edge. It didn’t hurt to be careful.

Anton was proof you couldn’t spend your life living in fear. You had to live it as best you could, or it would destroy the better part of you.

Anton had come so close to letting fear overtake him, but somehow Keisha had hauled him back from the edge. The love of a mate was a powerful thing. Adam squeezed Eve’s hand and grinned at Oliver. “Nothing like hitting the newbies with the whole crew, eh Ollie?”

Oliver clipped Adam’s shoulder in a light punch. “It’s Oliver,” he said, laughing. “Let me maintain at least a little dignity.”

Mei leaned over and kissed him. “Too late, sweetie. I know what you’ve been doing for the past two hours.”

Adam raised his eyebrows. Oliver turned brick red.

“Wow, Ollie…I didn’t know you could blush like that.” He lowered his voice and turned to Mei. “Details?”

The doors on the SUV were opening. “Later. I will say that the time frame in question included handcuffs and a treasure trove of battery operated implements.”

“Enough, Mei.” Oliver flashed her a stern look, and she broke into giggles.

Grinning broadly at the two of them, Adam tugged on Eve’s hand and continued across the driveway to the visitors’ car. Mik and AJ climbed out of the vehicle and stretched. Both men turned to give Adam and his mate a hug. A lanky young man with shaggy, dark brown hair and a plaster cast on his right leg that stretched from midthigh to ankle climbed awkwardly out of the middle seat. He reached in to give Tala a hand. Another dark-haired man came next. He was tall, though a few inches shorter than the first one, and he looked a bit older with his hair cut military short. Adam figured he must be the doctor. He was followed by a striking young woman of mixed heritage. She straightened up and stretched her arms over her head, emphasizing her height. Adam figured she had to be at least six feet tall, and her lean, athletic build added to a totally impressive package. Her hair was long and glossy black like Mei’s, but her skin was almost as dark as Oliver’s.

AJ had told him she’d been a victim of the sex trade, brought to the country illegally as a small child. Lucien Stone, head of Pack Dynamics, the Chanku-run investigative and search and rescue agency in San Francisco, was still working on getting identification for her.

The newcomers milled about, stretching after the long drive and collecting their few pieces of baggage. Adam stepped back when Anton and Stefan came down the steps wearing nothing more than loose sweatpants, all they’d grabbed after their run.

Anton greeted Tala with a hug and a kiss. “You’re early. We didn’t expect you until later tonight.”

She laughed and kissed him back. “Over twenty hours, straight through. AJ actually let Mik drive for a while. I’m still in shock.”

“So am I, but I think it’s because of Mik’s driving.” AJ gave Anton a quick hug and then stepped closer to Adam with a pensive smile on his face. “I’ve missed you,” he said, and there was a world of meaning in his words.

Adam flashed back to a morning not so long ago when they’d not only had spectacular sex, they’d shared an amazing out-of-body experience that continued to haunt him. He wondered if AJ still dreamed of that mysterious morning encounter.

I do. It never leaves me. Nor does the second event, when we shared it with the others. I’ll never be the same.

Adam stared into AJ’s dark amber eyes and his body hardened, immediately aroused. He smiled, leaned close and kissed AJ’s lips. “Later,” he said, but when he turned away, AJ’s mental touch was like a stroke along his very erect cock. Adam bit back a grin, actually thankful for the tight fit of jeans that helped control and disguise his aroused state.

“Adam, I want you to meet Christopher March, otherwise known as Deacon.” Tala tugged on the tall kid’s hand and dragged him forward. Long and lanky, he nodded his head, obviously embarrassed to have been singled out. “Deacon hasn’t shifted yet. Little problem with a compound fracture, but we know he’s ready. We’re hoping you can work your mojo on him and help him along.”

She smiled and reached for the young woman. “This is Jazzy Blue, and no, I have not gotten shorter. She’s just real tall.” Tala grinned up at her.

Jazzy laughed and patted the top of Tala’s head. “I think you’re shrinking, Little Bit.”

Stefan laughed. “You let her get away with that, Tala?”

Tala winked. “You’d be surprised what I let this girl get away with. Believe me, I am really sorry she’s not coming home with us.” Her smile left little doubt in Adam’s mind where Jazzy’s talents lay.

Tala reached for the dark-haired man standing quietly behind Jazzy. “This is Logan Pierce. I’m sure he’ll tell you more about himself later, but Logan’s a doctor. A general practitioner from Los Angeles.”

Logan nodded. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” Instead of shaking hands with any of the Montana pack, he reached for Jazzy’s hand and held on to her. His dark eyes shifted over each of the men, obviously staking his claim.

“Are you bonded?”

Adam grinned. It would be Stefan who’d ask.

“We are. Jazzy is my mate.”

Stefan nodded. “Congratulations to both of you. Happened fast, didn’t it?”

Logan merely shrugged. “So did finding out I was a wolf…and a doctor.”

“You didn’t know you were a doctor?” Oliver held out his hand. “I’m Oliver, Logan. This is my mate, Mei. That’s Adam’s mate, Eve Reynolds. Stefan Aragat and Xandi, and these two are Anton Cheval and Keisha.” He took a breath after the introductions. “How could you not know you were a doctor?”

Logan’s smile was brief and reserved. “Amnesia. I was mugged almost a year ago and didn’t find out what I’d been before the attack until Jazzy and I bonded.”

Tala snorted. “Yeah, he gets his memory back and finds out he’s a doctor. How come when mine came back, all I remembered was being a whore?”

Mik slung his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “Because you were a whore, sweetie. A damned good one.”

AJ looked up from his conversation with Anton. “Well of course she was a good one. What do you expect?” He laughed and shook his head when Tala stuck her tongue out at him.

Laughing and talking, everyone headed up the steps to the main house. Adam fell into step beside Deacon. “You’re handling the crutches really well,” he said. “How long has it been since you broke it?”

“About three weeks, now. Ever since the others started shifting. It’s healing, but not fast enough. They don’t want me to try shifting because the cast won’t make it through, and the bone’s too badly damaged to go without the cast.” Deacon’s frustration was obvious in his long, drawn-out sigh.

Adam nodded. “If you’ll give me some time later this afternoon, we might be able to speed things up.”

Logan stepped behind him midway up the long staircase. “Mik and AJ mentioned that. You’re saying you can make a bone knit faster? How?”

“Yep. I use a link, but with the body, not the mind. I actually go inside, to the source of the injury and repair it on site. It’s sort of telekinesis and mindtalking at the same time. I’m not really sure how I do it, but it seems to work. You’re welcome to piggyback and go with me.” He shrugged. “Maybe you can help me figure out just what the hell I’m doing.”

Logan stopped in his tracks and stared quizzically at Adam. “You’d do that? Show me how?”

“Of course I would. Hell, you’re a doctor…a healer, right? I’m a fuckin’ mechanic! You have no idea how much I’ve wished for more medical knowledge when I’m trying to put someone back together. It’s a lot more complicated than a valve job.”

Deacon broke in. “Do I have anything to say about this? It’s my leg…”

“No.”

Adam shot a quick look at Logan—they’d both answered Deacon at the same time. When Logan finally stopped laughing he slapped Adam on the back. Adam felt as if he’d passed some sort of test. “And you’re laughing why?” he asked, fighting back his own laughter.

“It finally makes sense, the way Tala says the Chanku healer ‘fixes things’.”

Pretending to grumble, Adam continued on up the stairs. “Well, that’s what I do. I fix things. Just ask Oliver.”

He left that line hanging and wondered if Logan would ask. He didn’t know of a single doctor who’d ever successfully replaced a missing pair of testicles on any man.

And he would put Deacon’s leg back together.

As he reached for the front door, a shiver raced along Adam’s spine, powerful enough to stop him in his tracks. He turned with his hand on the doorknob and glanced down the long driveway, toward the forest. The voices around him faded away as he studied the dark trees and listened to the uninterrupted chatter of birds. Nothing. Nothing at all out of the ordinary. He took a deep breath and shrugged off the uneasy feeling.

Then he opened the door and went inside the house.