Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance (14 page)

there was a long table laid out with food.

"Grab a plate," he told her as he was doing so himself.

"No thanks, I've already had dinner," she declined politely.

"You should eat," he urged. "It's considered rude if you

don't."

"Okay." She took the plate he was offering her, but only

put a very small amount of food on it. They found themselves

a grassy area to sit.

He made few comments during the meal, and this did little

to rid her of the feeling that she was an intruder here.

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Finally sensing her discomfort, Justin told her. "Come with

me, there are some people I'd like you to meet."

Helping her to her feet, he led her back toward the crowd.

In the middle of the dance circle, a bonfire had been lit. The

setting sun cast shades of amber on the scene lending to it,

an unreal quality.

Leaping flames had bathed the arena in dancing light and

many people had already begun to move into the circle.

Leaping and twirling as if they had become one with the wind

and the flames. Their movements flowed with a natural grace

until they appeared to become one.

She and Justin came to a stop beside the man whom he

had introduced as his uncle the day before.

Arch extended his hand. "Our wildflower has decided to

grace us with her presence."

Blushing, Laura took his hand. "Thank you. It's nice to see

you again."

Arch stood aside and Laura saw that he was with a woman

who looked to be a little younger.

"This is my Aunt Ida." Justin motioned toward the woman.

Ida's smile was guarded, her eyes distrustful.

"Hello," Laura managed to get out.

At that moment, the same little boy whom Laura had

encountered on her previous visit, came barreling into them.

With him was a teenage boy that Laura guessed to be about

seventeen. Already, the older boy was nearly as tall as Justin.

He wore his black hair long. His golden colored eyes were

hard and distrusting, much like Ida's.

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"Hi, Justin." The younger boy's smile was bright and full of

innocence that only a child can possess.

"This is my cousin ... Ben." Justin ruffled the boy's hair.

"And his older brother, Vance."

Ben's dark eyes rested on Laura and his smile widened. "I

remember you." He giggled, and then ran off to find some

other amusement.

Laura decided she liked Ben, but the others she was not so

sure about.

Arch said something to Justin in an unfamiliar language.

Justin looked to Laura. "I'll be back in a moment. My uncle

needs to speak with me concerning tribal business."

"But...." Laura sighed. She had hoped to ask him about his

role with the
Sungmanitu
, and why he hadn't told her about

it, but she concluded that there would always be time later to

talk with him about it.

The two men moved to a secluded spot behind a tree.

Laura could hear them speaking in urgent tones. She

wondered what could be so important that they would discuss

it on a night that was suppose to be festive.

Justin returned only a few moments later and Laura

thought he looked extremely troubled. "Why don't you get

Laura a drink?" Though he was speaking to Laura, he was

looking toward his aunt.

The look that passed between Justin and his aunt left

Laura with a vague feeling of unease. She almost refused the

glass of punch when Ida returned with it.

Chiding herself for letting her overactive imagination get

the best of her, Laura smiled and took the glass. "Thank you."

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Justin led her to an area where she could sit and enjoy the

dancing. "Will you wait here for me? I have a pressing matter

I must attend to."

Night fell while she awaited Justin's return. The spot he

had chosen for her was shrouded in the darkness outside the

dance circle. Laura sipped at the punch sparingly while she

watched the dancers. She found herself transfixed by the

whirling mass of feathers and fur. The drum had a hypnotic

quality that caused time to slip away unnoticed. Her heart

seemed to become one with its rhythm.

Laura gradually became conscious of how dry her mouth

was. Tipping the glass, she swallowed the last of the punch.

She looked around for Justin, but he was nowhere to be seen

in the bustle of activity. Laura rose, thinking that she would

just go find some water, but halfway up she felt dizzy and

was forced to return to the grass.

What was wrong with her

It felt as if she might be coming down with something.

Deciding that she had better stay where she was until her

head cleared, Laura lay back in the soft blanket of grass. Her

vision became increasingly blurred as the minutes slipped by.

Her eyelids growing heavy, she closed them thinking she just

needed to rest.

Laura was overcome with the sensation of falling into a

deep tunnel and there was the sense of suffocating under

layers of darkness.

When she again opened her eyes, her numbed

consciousness registered only one thing—the dance arena

was deserted. Only the crackling of the fire interrupted the

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stillness. She had the sudden understanding of being the only

living soul present.

Where had everyone gone?

Laura tried to rise but her limbs felt as if they had been

weighted down with lead. In defeat she lay back in the

velvety grass, letting the warm breeze comfort her. Focusing

on the pool of darkness above, she lost herself in its twinkling

silver lights.

Some time later, the murmuring of voices brought her

attention away from the sky. Justin stood above her, holding

his hand out. Weakly grasping it, she let him pull her to her

feet. She used his arm for support as she allowed him to lead

her into the trees.

"Where ... where are you taking me?" Her tongue felt thick

and she found words were difficult.

"I want to show you something," he whispered.

Too disoriented to ask more questions, she followed him

further into the forest. It seemed to Laura that they must

have walked for miles before coming to what looked to be a

small canyon. A cascade of water fell from the rock walls. The

full moon gave the water the appearance of liquid silver—its

dazzling beauty adding to the dreamlike quality of the night.

"This is the place of the Talking Waters—a place where

spirits dwell. All that we need to know can be discovered

here." His soft voice caressed her as softly as the night

breeze.

Laura didn't answer. She focused all her attention on the

rushing silver water. It seemed to fill the night with a

mysterious energy that penetrated her down to her soul.

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"Why did you bring me here?" she asked, when she was

finally able to tear the words from her mouth.

"Because here ... I would see what is in your heart. There

can be no untruths in the presence of the moon and the

water. You are at the gateway of a magical place that will

always demand the truth."

"What truth did you need from me?" she asked.

"I wanted to know if you were here with me because of

what it in your heart, or because Duccini is paying you to get

close to me."

Gently, his lips touched hers, his kiss sweet and

undemanding at first, soon conveyed at urgency that spoke of

a yearning so powerful that it threatened to carry them away

in its unyielding current.

Breaking away, he stood back to look into her eyes. "I

believe that what is in your heart is true, but you must

understand that I am not what you think I am."

"I don't care," she whispered in a hoarse voice, too caught

up in her own need to really hear what he was trying to tell

her.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his hand reaching up to caress

her cheek.

"Yes." She nodded. Her eyes sought him out and she found

that she was only mildly surprised that he no longer wore any

clothing. Maybe he had not even been wearing clothing when

he came to her? She searched her memory but found it

clouded with cobwebs—she just could not be sure.

The sight of rippling muscle beneath copper skin sent

shockwaves of sensations through her body.

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"And what did you see in my heart?" she asked.

Her voice was barely above a whisper. Somewhere deep in

the recesses of her mind, she knew that his answer would

forever change who she was.

He drew her into his arms. "The moon has reflected in your

eyes, all that I need to know. I believe that you were sent

here to me for a reason." Laura could feel his hot breath near

her ear as he spoke to her in soothing tones.

"We may not have forever, but we have been granted this

night," he whispered.

His lips, seeking her sweetness, cut off the questions that

stormed through her mind. The intense passion in his kiss

closed down all thought. Resistance was not even an option

that penetrated her thoughts when she felt his large hands

slip beneath her clothing to softly stroke her skin.

He removed her shirt. His warm touch a contrast to the

coolness of the night air as he caressed her firm breasts. His

adept fingers teased her nipples to erection.

Breathless, she ran her hands across his hard back,

savoring the sensation of the feeling of his muscles moving

beneath his skin. His lips devoured hers with a hunger that

only one of his kind would understand.

Justine's exploration of her body continued as he stripped

away her remaining clothing and laid her down in the tall

grass. Gently spreading her legs, his fingers sought her

warmth, leaving a trail of fire wherever he touched her,

searing into her, probing her depths.

The heat between her legs erupted into an inferno and she

arched her hips, trying to get his fingers even deeper inside

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her. There was only his touch—all other thought had ceased.

As his fingers continued to work their magic, slipping in and

out of her wet tunnel, he held her so close that she could feel

the evidence his hunger.

"Justin." His name came out as a gasp.

"Tell me what you want, Laura." His darting tongue tasted

her aching breasts, trailing down to the heat between her

legs. The sensation of his hot tongue slipping between her

woman's lips to taste her desire for him nearly sent her into a

spiraling orgasm, but she clutched the grass in her hand and

willed herself not to come yet. She wanted so bad to feel his

thick flesh inside of her, pumping her furiously.

Laura found her voice. "You Justin ... I want you!" By now

she was scarcely capable of speech.

Playfully, his teeth bit into her thigh, and though it had

only been a soft nip, she could feel warm blood trickling down

her leg. She could feel his lips tenderly kissing away the pain

of his rough play. Any doubts that might have flashed though

her mind were drowning in the vortex of passion that she

found herself plunging into.

"Tell me what you want ... you have to tell me!" he

pleaded.

"I want you to make love to me Justin. I need you . . . I

need to feel you inside of me," she breathed.

His groan was indistinguishable from a growl. He gently

parted her legs and mounted her, filling her with his frantic

need. She gasped when he penetrated her, the pain of

accommodating his flesh was almost too much for her, but it

was such a sweet, delectable pain.

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Pausing, he lovingly let her woman's flesh adjust to his

aroused shaft, though it was evident that taking it slow was

causing him incredible frustration. He slowly began to move

within her, building her passion to incredible peaks, but still

he held back the powerful thrusts that she craved.

"Justin ... harder ... I want all of you inside of me ... do it

hard," she almost screamed the words at him.

"I will hurt you." His words were more like growls. She

could tell it was difficult for him to be gentle with her, but she

didn't want him to be gentle, she wanted him to fuck her with

everything in him.

"I don't care, do what your instinct wants you to do," she

groaned.

Looking at him through passion-glazed eyes she felt

triumph when it became obvious that her words and his own

hunger had overpowered his restraints. The look on his face

was that of pure animal lust, just what she wanted from him.