His father grabbed Alton’s hand and pulled him into a warm embrace. “You saved my life, son. I will be forever grateful that you had the courage of your beliefs …” His voice broke, and he took an audible breath, but he didn’t release his son. “… that you were willing to risk all for Lemuria. I couldn’t be more proud. Your mother feels the same.”
Alton pulled back. “Have you spoken with her?”
“I have. Taron and I went through the portal, and I contacted her. The snow is still much too deep to traverse, so we’ll need Mari’s magic to get back to Evergreen, but for now she is safe with Spirit, Freedom, and Ed. They’ve seen no sign of demonkind since we left Evergreen.”
“What about Markus?” Ginny glanced at Eddy. “Eddy, didn’t you just say your dad was going to try to reach him?”
Artigos sighed. “Markus hasn’t answered his phone, but Ed said that wasn’t all that unusual. They’re going to keep trying, and we’ll make contact again tomorrow. Now that you’re back, though, we need to discuss our future plans for Lemuria. There’s an army to organize, a new government under your grandfather’s rule, new members of the Council of Nine to choose… .”
He grabbed Alton’s arm and turned away, obviously intent on going straight to work on everything that could be done now. Dawson glanced at Selyn. She winked, grabbed his hand, and tugged him toward a small portal he’d not noticed before.
Without drawing anyone’s attention, the two of them slipped through the portal, into one of the narrow passages generally used by the Lemurian guards.
It was also a wonderful shortcut to Alton’s quarters. Laughing at their escape, Dawson let Selyn tug him along the passage and through another portal into the private rooms.
“Do you think they know where we are?” Selyn kissed his chin, but her fingers were busy tugging at the ties holding the neck of his robe closed.
“Do you think they care?” Dawson grabbed the sides of her robe and pulled it over her head. She was entirely nude beneath the soft folds. “If I’d known before what Lemurians wore under these things, I might not have insisted on giving you my old scrubs.”
Selyn giggled, still tugging at the ties she’d managed to tangle into a knot. Dawson leaned close and rubbed his beard over the sensitive tips of her nipples.
“That’s not fair.” She gasped when he turned his head and nibbled with his teeth.
“I think it is.” He sucked the entire nipple between his lips, tugging until Selyn rose up on her toes, but when he released the pressure, she spun out of his way and grabbed his robe, tugging it over his head without untying it.
“Ouch! I’ve gotten used to keeping both ears, thank you.”
Laughing, she pulled harder until the fabric finally came free. They’d managed to work their way down the passage to the bathing room as they undressed. Dawson kicked off his boots and grabbed Selyn up in his arms.
Then, slowly, and with many dips and kisses, he lowered her into the water. Steam rose all around, and Selyn was slippery as an eel, but he held her tight against his chest and kept her there as he sat on a ledge beneath the water’s surface. It bubbled all around them, washing away the stench of demonkind, soothing and removing fear and loss. Cleansing them in a way that renewed Dawson, that energized Selyn.
Holding her against him, Daws felt the tension seeping out of his bones. He allowed his muscles to relax, let the events of the day fade away with the wisps of steam floating on the surface of the water.
His life had changed, but so had Selyn’s. Dawson had the strange feeling that they were merely in the midst of a chapter of a much larger story, that the events leading to this moment in time were nothing more than bullet points on a much longer list.
He’d never imagined finding love. Not like this. Never dreamed he’d find himself playing the part of a warrior, a member of an elite group charged with saving an entire civilization from demonkind, but he was.
Selyn nuzzled beneath his chin and kissed him softly. “I love you, Dawson Buck. No matter what comes, no matter where our lives lead, I swear I will always love you. Forever.”
He returned her kiss, opening his thoughts to her, sharing everything that filled his heart. “Always is a damned long time. Are you sure about that?”
“Oh, yeah.” She snuggled close, slick and warm and perfectly aligned to take him deep inside. Sighing as he filled her, she tightened her grasp around his neck, rested her forehead close to his. Kissed him. Then she kissed him again.
“I’m sure,” she said, nuzzling the soft beard covering his jaw. “I just hope forever’s long enough.”
Be sure not to miss
WOLF TALES 12
,
the final book in Kate Douglas’s sizzling series!
An Aphrodisia trade paperback on sale July 2011.
Turn the page for a special preview… .
Montana, early August
He paused, raised his muzzle to the dark sky, and sniffed the subtle currents on the night air. The scent was there—faint, but still calling to him, even as the silent night, the gentle breeze, the resinous scent of pine and fir called.
His eyes narrowed, and his ears pricked forward. Using all his senses—those of the wolf, those of the man within, and those amazing Chanku senses—he tested the world around him.
This was where he belonged, in this wild, unforgiving place. This was home—the only home he wanted. The only place where he could truly be free.
But, what good was freedom without his mate? What was the point? She didn’t run with him tonight. She hadn’t run with him for much too long.
A low whine sounded from the thick tangle of willows. Cautiously he sniffed the air again. The scent was stronger. Not his mate. No, but someone every bit as important. Someone he sought here in the forest, in the ripe hours balanced on the knife’s edge between darkness and dawning. Those perfect hours, when all about him slept.
Even the skitter of mice in the long grass, the squeak of bats overhead, the soft hoot of owls … even those sounds had faded away as all the woodland creatures went off to sleep, to hide, to mate … to celebrate another night of life before the rising of the sun.
But he was awake, and so was this other, the one who was his friend, his brother, his closest male companion. The one he loved above all other men. The one who called to him now.
“Anton? Over here.”
Anton Cheval slowly turned in the direction of the soft call and blinked as Stefan Aragat rose to two feet. Despite the darkness, Anton saw his smile. Thank the Goddess for a man who smiled, even when all about them seemed so … what? How could it be, that he felt so dissatisfied?
Life was good. All was well, and yet …
Shifting, standing as a man beside his lover, Anton chuckled. “You couldn’t sleep, either?”
Stefan shook his head, ran long fingers through dark hair threaded with silver, and sighed dramatically. “Teething is the bane of parenthood.” His familiar dry sense of humor eased some of the odd tension stringing Anton tight as a bow.
“I did my fatherly duty,” Stef said, placing his right hand over his heart. “I spelled Xandi the first half of the night, but it’s her turn. She’s on kid duty now, praise the Goddess!”
Anton flashed him an understanding grin as he stepped over the low-growing willows. “Lucia was fussing, too. I waited until she fell asleep. Unfortunately, Keisha was nursing her when they both drifted off. There wasn’t much room left in the bed.”
“There was always plenty of room for four adults.” Stefan laughed and hooked his arm around Anton’s neck. “How is it a single woman and a three-month-old can take up the entire bed?”
Silence stretched between them for a long count as Anton thought about the statement Stefan had made in jest. “So much has changed,” he said, unsure if it was a good or bad thing. He leaned into Stef’s casual embrace and stared toward the east, searching for the coming dawn. Was that a faint glow between the trees? No. Not yet. He glanced at Stef. “It’s all good, I think, all these changes, but …”
Stefan’s amber eyes twinkled. “But you’re dissatisfied. I can feel it. What’s wrong, my friend? Everything is as it should be. The pack is growing with so many new babies. We’ve gone a full five years without an attack, a kidnapping, an assault of any kind against any one of us… .”
“Not since the assassination attempt.” Anton shoved his tangled hair back from his eyes, remembering. Those hectic months following the attempt on the president’s life had ended with lengthy prison sentences meted out to their worst enemies. There were still plenty of bad guys out there, but at least none were focused on controlling or destroying Chanku.
Their secret was still safe. With Nick and Beth Barden continuing as private security for the First Family—at least until the president’s second term ended—they certainly had powerful friends in high places.
“So, what’s the problem? It’s not like you to go searching for trouble.” Stefan planted both hands on Anton’s shoulders and stared solemnly at him. There was no teasing now, no sense of humor. Merely concern. Loving concern.
Feeling a little foolish, Anton slowly shook his head. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Maybe things are too good, too settled. I have a strong sense of change in the air, as if something is going to happen. No reason for it. We’re all healthy; our children are growing.” He smiled. “Our numbers are growing, that’s for sure. I never once imagined myself as a husband, much less a father of four.”
“You’re not the only one. At least I think Xandi’s happy with our three. I hope.”
Anton raised an eyebrow. “I believe Ariel counts as two.”
“That’s sort of what Xandi and I think. She’s made Alex look like the world’s easiest baby.” Stefan chuckled. “So why the dissatisfaction? Our once cozy foursome of known Chanku now numbers fifty-six, a number that will be growing quickly with Liana, Jazzy, Tala, and Daci expecting. No one’s tried to kill us in the past five years.” He raised one expressive eyebrow. “In case you’re wondering, that’s a good thing. You’ve completed purchase of over half a million acres adjoining this property, and the economy has the bank accounts smiling. Anton, my friend, only you could find something wrong with so much that’s good.”
Again Anton shrugged. He wished the sense of foreboding would leave him, but he’d learned to listen to his premonitions. Still, he hated to worry Stefan. He wasn’t about to let Keisha in on his fears, either, not until or unless they actually proved valid.
“You know me,” he said, feeling just a little bit foolish. “I’m never happy unless I’m worried about something.” He laughed. “I imagine it has to do with control issues. If I can’t identify it, I can’t be in charge.”
Stefan chuckled, but he kept his comments to himself. That alone got him a raised eyebrow from Anton, but he disliked a sense of something waiting when he didn’t know what to expect. “It’s odd. Nothing I can put a finger on, but I have the strangest sense that things are about to change. I can’t explain it, but I’m afraid to ignore it.”
Stefan leaned his forehead against Anton’s. “Aren’t you the one who told me change is good?”
Keisha stood in the doorway and smiled at Anton. They’d run as wolves and grabbed quick showers. The baby was sleeping, the older kids watching a movie, and they were alone. For now. He waited impatiently in their bed as she leaned against the door frame and stretched one arm overhead, brushing her free hand down over her thigh, parting the shimmering fabric to display one long, dark, sleek leg.
Immediately his body hardened, and he was ready for her as he was always ready, wanting her with a need that was almost painful in its intensity.
Then she blew it.
Keisha managed to hold the seductive pose for a good five seconds before bursting into giggles. “Sex queens are us. C’mon, Anton. You’re supposed to be impressed. Not bad for forty-two, eh, big guy?”
“Not even bad for twenty-five.” Stefan grabbed Keisha from behind and whispered, “Happy birthday, Keish!” She squealed with surprise and laughter as he planted a sloppy, wet kiss on the back of her neck. His mate, Xandi, slipped past them and flopped down on the bed beside Anton.
“Happy birthday, sweetie.” Xandi held up a bottle of chilled wine.
“What’s this?” Keisha glanced over her shoulder at Stef’s twinkling eyes and then sauntered across the floor to the bed. “Where are your kids?”
“With yours.” Laughing, Xandi punched Anton lightly on the shoulder. “You didn’t tell her, did you? I’m impressed! You actually kept our secret. We got Jazzy and Mei to watch the babies while Oliver and Logan take the big kids to the new Disney movie and then out for ice cream.”
“After which,” Stefan added, sounding awfully smug for a guy who hadn’t made any of the arrangements himself, “they are camping out in the backyard in a tent. We will, of course, owe them child care for the next twenty years.”
Keisha glanced at Anton. “You knew this and didn’t tell me? How’d you ever manage that?”
He shrugged, almost embarrassed to admit how much he wanted this time for all of them—how much he wanted Keisha to understand how he’d missed this. As he spoke, he opened his mind to her, showed her how much he loved her, how much he needed this night where all of them could step back to what they’d once had. “I wanted it to be a surprise, and I didn’t want you fretting over details.” He reached for her hands, took both of them in his, and gently squeezed. “It’s been a long time since we all got together without rug rats underfoot. I’ve missed time with you. With all of us together.”
The interlude in the forest with Stefan had reminded him of what they’d so easily taken for granted for so many years. Maybe this was all that was missing. Time as adults. He could only hope. Keisha’s smile spread so wide he thought he’d burst with the sense of having chosen correctly, at least as far as birthday gifts went.
“It has been too long. And I’m not wasting a second.” She slipped the silky fabric over her shoulders and let it fall to the floor in a puddle of teal blue silk. In spite of her bravado, he sensed her worry, that her body might not be quite as firm after her fourth child, that the others might not find her as appealing.
“You’re wrong, you know.” The words slipped out before he even considered the fact he’d invaded her private thoughts. “You’re more beautiful now than ever before.”
She blinked rapidly, and he hoped he hadn’t made her cry. That wasn’t what he had wanted at all. Then she slid across the smooth sheets, reached Anton first, and kissed him soundly. Before he could deepen the kiss further, she turned and gave Stefan a quick kiss, but she saved the last for Xandi.
He savored her joy in this long, deep kiss with the woman she loved. Heard her thoughts, open to all of them now. It had been much too long since they’d kissed one another with passion in mind. Too long since they had been together without either having a baby slung on one hip.
He noticed Xandi had braided her hair—dozens of tiny braids falling in auburn perfection, each one tipped with a colored glass or wooden bead, and it reminded him of an earlier time, when they’d all been new to this now familiar reality, new to the world of Chanku.
The memories were fresh in Keisha’s eyes as she lifted a handful of Xandi’s braids in her palm. They clattered softly, beads bouncing off one another, sparking old and treasured memories that she shared with both men.
Arousing, sensual memories with graphic images filled all their thoughts, images so clear they were almost tactile.
“Remember our first time?” she asked, and while she spoke directly to Xandi, the words were obviously meant for both Anton and Stefan as well. “Remember when I was so damned scared, so afraid to be touched, and you made love to me? Your hair was braided, just like this.” She ran her fingers through the tiny braids. “I remember thinking those beads felt like dozens of tiny fingers trailing across my skin. When you swept your hair across my breasts, I almost came, just from that alone. It was such an amazing time. The first time, ever in my entire life, that I had sex with a woman, that I climaxed with a woman. That experience took away so much of my fear.”
“Do I remember? Are you kidding? You spanked me!” Xandi laughed. “How could I forget that? You tied me to the bed and spanked my butt, and you got me so turned on I was practically screaming.” Muttering in mock outrage, she added, “Telling me I had to address you as the alpha bitch. You wouldn’t let me come for the longest time.”
“Yeah, but when I did, I did you right.” Keisha wrapped her fingers around the back of Xandi’s neck and pulled her close for another kiss.
Anton tapped her shoulder. “Whoa, ladies. Wait a minute. I want more details. Did you ever tell us about tying Xandi to the bed? Why don’t I recall that part of the story?” He glanced over his shoulder at Stefan. “Why is it, with these two, you and I are always the ones in restraints?”
Stefan shook his head. “I’m not sure, but don’t you think we need to do something about that terribly unfair and sexist dynamic?”
Anton nodded. “I do.” He glanced again at Stefan, carefully keeping his mind shuttered and his thoughts hidden from Keisha. He knew she was still wondering about those shielded thoughts when he pounced. She’d barely let out a shriek when he flattened her to the bed, holding her down with the weight of his body.
Anton awoke in darkness. Body sated, mind moderately relaxed, he lay in the tangle of arms and legs and ran a silent inventory of what body parts belonged to which of his lovers.
Xandi’s arms were wrapped around his lower legs, and Keisha’s cheek rested on his thigh. That had to be Stefan’s head on his belly—he recognized the stubble from a day’s growth of beard. Anton lay quietly, thinking of the night past, of the joy they’d all taken in this very special time with one another.