WithHerCraving (26 page)
Authors: Lorie O'Clare
“I’m glad you found happiness.” Leisa’s hair had been balled
up under a hat, which sat on her lap now, and the long, thick strands looked
like dark satin. “And I understand why you wanted to send for Magda and me. But
you know I can’t stay here. You know that den would take one sniff of me and
howl to every litter on the mountain to have me killed.”
Katrin was shaking her head before her littermate finished
speaking. “Leisa, they know I’m Malta werewolf.”
“So now you understand our sire’s bloodline?”
Katrin glanced at Jarvis and gave him a warm smile. “I have
so much to share with you,” she told Leisa instead of giving a direct answer.
“And I want to hear every bit of the howlings since you left me in Prince George.”
There wasn’t any resentment in Katrin’s voice. She smelled
as relaxed as she looked. Jarvis knew she worried about Magda and they would
find her, soon. But for now, during this meal, the peace he sensed in Katrin
meant the world to him. They’d come a long way in a short time. He was ready to
run the distance with her.
“Since you sent this,” Leisa paused and looked pointedly at
Jaeger, then added a bit too sweetly, “male to run after me, I guess I’m here
for a while. But forgive me if I’m not as optimistic as you are about being
accepted. A lifetime of being shunned takes a while to wear off. Maybe I’ll run
to our old mountain.”
“Not without an escort,” Jaeger growled. “You’ll stay put
until I return with your other littermate.”
“Trust me, male, I can take care of myself,” Leisa informed
him.
Jarvis leaned against the countertop and studied his Jaeger.
He wondered if something more happened on their trip here. Jaeger didn’t look
at him but focused on Leisa. She might not know it, but Jarvis knew that look.
Jaeger wasn’t going to let Katrin’s littermate run anywhere without him.
“We can all run there,” Katrin decided. “I’d like to see
where our den used to be too. I agree with Jaeger, though. It wouldn’t be right
to return to our mountain without Magda.”
“You two females will sleep in the loft tonight. Jaeger and
I will rough it in our fur outside. It will be easier to sniff out if anyone
else decides to pay a visit tonight. In the morning we will get you ready for
you to hunt for Magda.”
* * * * *
An hour later he and Jaeger sat on the porch, swapping
stories since they’d last run together. The door to the den opened and both
turned as light flooded into the night and Katrin stepped out behind them.
Jaeger mumbled something about visiting the woods and Katrin sat by Jarvis on
the step and nuzzled into him.
“Leisa is sound asleep.” Katrin sounded sleepy too. Her body
was warm and relaxed. “I’m worried about Magda though.”
“Jaeger was telling me a bit about what he knew.” Jarvis
wrapped his arm around his mate. Her littermates were part of his litter now
too. Jaeger had sniffed that truth out as well. He wouldn’t voice his worries
about Magda being alone wherever she was.
“Apparently they were north of Seattle and had decided to
run back up toward Banff,” Katrin offered, and rested her head on his shoulder
as she continued to cuddle. She was in her big sweats again but her soft curves
were immediately a distraction. “Some American mutts sniffed them out and Magda
insisted they separate to make it harder to be caught. Leisa wasn’t able to
find Magda again. When Jaeger found her, Leisa was backtracking toward Seattle,
since that’s the direction Magda initially ran. She was frantic trying to find
her. Apparently Jaeger ran with her for a day before insisting the two of them
run up here.”
“That’s what he was telling me. I had hoped that you sniffed
the truth and saw he wasn’t the bad guy that your littermate howled him out to
be.”
Katrin leaned her head back and smiled at him. “She doesn’t
think he’s as bad as she’s howling him to be either,” she whispered, her blue
eyes bright in the dark.
Jarvis pulled her closer and kissed her. He was pleased that
she still smelled of the incredible sex they’d had earlier. As happy as he was
to see his littermate, and know that at least Leisa was here and safe, Jarvis
understood they wouldn’t be truly settled until Magda was found.
“She’s a bit wild,” Jarvis muttered, but smiled at the
thought of his littermate taking on such a spitfire of a bitch.
“I never sniffed out the truth while running on our mountain
as cubs. The three of us hardly ever went down into town. But Leisa and Magda
must have had it so much worse.”
“The Mercy litter wouldn’t have come to share their kill if
they thought less of you. It will be howled across the mountain.” Jarvis knew a
happiness inside him just holding his mate. Anyone who ever tried taking her
from him would die a terrible death. “Leisa hasn’t smelled out the truth yet,
but she is safe here as well.”
“That’s what I told her. Besides, I think Jaeger might make
sure of it.”
Katrin sighed, completely relaxed against him. “Wouldn’t it
be nice if—”
“Don’t say it,” Jarvis interrupted, laughing.
“I think it would be so nice if my littermates found
happiness like I have.”
“I feel the same way about Jaeger. But neither one of us are
going to encourage a thing.”
“Of course not.”
There wasn’t a better smell in the world than his mate’s
happiness, especially mixed with the alluring scent of her just having been
fucked well. Jarvis silently vowed to always keep her smelling that way.
“Which won’t be a problem since he’s leaving again in the
morning to hunt for Magda.”
Katrin nodded, her body relaxing more against him. She
leaned her head back and stared at the large, bright stars resting on a blanket
of blackness.
“I hope he finds her. But wherever she is, I honestly feel
that she’s safe. Magda is made of tougher stuff than even me.” She let her head
fall back against his arm and looked up at him. “Do you think Jaeger would be
terribly offended if I wanted my mate to sleep with me? I’ve already arranged
bedding by the fire.”
There wasn’t any place in the world he’d rather be. “If he
is, he’ll get over it.”
“Tell him I promise a good meal when we wake tomorrow. I
won’t set him off without fresh kill.”
Jarvis nuzzled her nose. “I’m the luckiest male in the
world,” he grumbled. “Half Cariboo and half Malta werewolf. If word gets out
what a perfect combination that makes, our kind will be breeding with your kind
all over the place.”
Her laughter was melodic and created a scent he was proud to
make her feel.
“I love you, Jarvis. Take your female to bed.”
He glanced in the direction Jaeger had disappeared and
decided his littermate had probably overheard enough to know he was sleeping
solo tonight. Then turning and scooping Katrin into his arms, he happily
obliged her.
All my life, I’ve wondered at how people fall into the
routines of life. The paths we travel seem to be well-trodden by society. We go
to school, fall in love, find a line of work (and hope and pray it is one we
like), have children and do our best to mold them into good people who will
travel the same path. This is the path so commonly referred to as the “real
world”.
The characters in my books are destined to stray down a
different path than the one society suggests. Each story leads the reader into
a world altered slightly from the one they know. For me, this is what good
fiction is about, an opportunity to escape from the daily grind and wander down
someone else’s path.
Lorie O’Clare lives in Kansas with her three sons.
Lorie welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
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Lorie
O’Clare
Cariboo
Lunewulf 1: Taming Heather
Fallen Gods 4:
Embracing Temptation
Leopard
Visions 1: Vision Captured
Leopard
Visions 2: Vision Fulfilled
Leopard
Visions 3: Vision Controller
Leopard
Visions 5: Vision Revealed
Raptors
Revealed 1: Feather Down
Raptors
Revealed 2: Feather Possessed
Raptors
Revealed 3: Feather Adored
Raptors
Revealed 4: Feather Torn
Sex Slaves 2:
Waiting for Yesterday
Werewolves
of Malta 1: Elements Unbound
Werewolves
of Malta 2: Living Extinct
Werewolves
of Malta 3: Far from Innocent
Werewolves of Malta
4: Forbidden Attraction
Werewolves
of Malta 5: For Life
Werewolves
of Malta 6: ’Til Death
Cariboo
Lunewulf 1: Taming Heather
Cariboo
Lunewulf 2 & 3: Challenged Pursuit
Leopard
Visions 1: Vision Captured
Leopard
Visions 2: Vision Fulfilled
Leopard
Visions 3: Vision Controller
Leopard
Visions 5: Vision Revealed
Primal
Heat
anthology
Raptors
Revealed 1: Feather Down
Raptors
Revealed 2: Feather Possessed
Raptors
Revealed 3: Feather Adored
Raptors
Revealed 4: Feather Torn
Werewolves
of Malta 1 & 2: Alpha Exiled
Werewolves
of Malta 3: Far from Innocent
Werewolves of
Malta 4: Forbidden Attraction
Werewolves
of Malta 5: For Life
Werewolves
of Malta 6: ’Til Death
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
With Her Craving
ISBN 9781419946776
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
With Her Craving Copyright © 2013 Lorie O’Clare
Edited by Julie Naughton & Kelli Collins
Cover photography and design by Syneca
Models: DeAngelo and Darbie
Electronic book publication June 2013
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