Book 1 - Page 16 (1/2)
He unfastened her belt and unzipped her pants. Smiling sinfully, she never twitched a muscle to stop him. Although mating as a human could occur anytime and with relish, the wolf’s side demanded mating from January through April. And he intended to ensure that she was well satisfied for the rest of that time and beyond.
Suddenly, a deep male voice from the next room said, “You have mail, Madam.”
Devlyn spun around, but seeing no one, he stormed out of the room to kill the intruder in her office.
Bella laughed and chased after him. “He’s my email butler, Devlyn.”
Staring at the monitor, he read the message Bella had posted on a local board. Mystic Red seeks male interested in lifetime mate, who loves to hunt, free-spirited and wild in nature, Portland, Oregon.
“d.a.m.n it, Bella.”
Bella ran her hand down Devlyn’s bare back, trying to coax some of the tension out of his tight muscles.
“When did you post this message?” he growled.
“An hour after we fell asleep. I woke and couldn’t get back to sleep. I couldn’t quit worrying that the lives of other women could be at stake.”
He turned to her, his face stern, teeth clenched, jaw set. “So you decided you’d be the bait? Without asking for my input? I thought we were doing this together. What if he decides it’s a hoax? That you don’t really want him for a mate? That you only want to turn him over to his pack to determine his punishment? What if he tries to kill you?”
She traced his ribs with her fingernails, beguiling him. “I’ve never done anything useful in my life. I’m a website graphics designer, but I’ve never truly done anything that makes a difference — well, except for caring for childless human couples during my teen years by mutual arrangement. Several provided a home for me when I needed one badly. I acted the loving adopted daughter and took care of them when they grew too old to care for themselves.”
He caught her wrists to stop the sweet torture that her fingers did on his aroused body. “They never caught you slipping out of the house to take a run on the wild side?”
Shrugging, she admitted as much. “A couple of times, but they scolded me for sneaking out to see a fellow, even though, of course, I hadn’t. In each case, I took care of the couples in their advanced years until they died. When I finally reached the age of majority and could live on my own, I did so, using the money and properties they had bequeathed to me. I moved from time to time so as not to alert others that I aged so slowly and to keep Volan from finding me.”
Rubbing her face against Devlyn’s whiskery cheek, Bella loved the feel of his scratchy stubble against her skin, undomesticated and wolfish. “But I’ve never done anything for our own kind. You saved my life once. You’re a hero in my eyes. I want to help stop a killer who could expose all of us for what we truly are before it’s too late.”
“It doesn’t matter to you that I don’t want you to do it?”
“Of course it matters to me. I want you to protect me.”
His darkened eyes sparkled with desire. “You want me to be your mate.”
“I don’t want you to die, Devlyn.”
“d.a.m.n it, Bella. I don’t want you to die either. You want me to allow you to jeopardize your life to save others, but you refuse to be my mate because you’re worried I’ll risk my neck? I’ve already gambled my life for you once. I wasn’t that powerful a swimmer when I was young and carried you across the swollen river. I was determined at all costs to save you. Even now, trying to protect you against this killer, I’m risking my life. So why not take the chance against Volan?”
Devlyn shook his head when she didn’t respond and searched through the thirty-two messages she’d received. “Lots of d.a.m.ned nutcases living here.”
“Yeah, I didn’t expect to get that much of a response.”
“I think you’ve been too cryptic.”
When she ran her hand over his toned bare b.u.t.t, the muscle tightened. He flicked an interested glance her way, but she tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. “What would you have me say, Devlyn? ‘Red lupus garou female seeks mate. h.o.r.n.y right now. Only a red lupus garou male need apply’?”
“You might have half of the lupus garou population in several states applying for the position. Lord knows how many are looking for a red.” Sitting down at the keyboard, he typed, Little Red Wolf seeks mate. Preferably big gray wolf terminally in l.u.s.t with her.
She hit his shoulder. “Be serious.”
Grunting, he deleted the words. “I am serious.” He typed, Rufus lupus female seeks mate in Portland, Oregon, area only.
“A red wolf seeks a mate? The humans will think she’s a nut and — “
“The lupus garou will know she’s one of them, a loner, looking for a red wolf pack to join.”
“Okay, sign it as Rosa.”
“But what if Thompson — “
She combed her fingers through Devlyn’s shoulder-length brown hair, highlighted by the sun, satiny-smooth to the touch, soft, where the rest of him was hard. “He probably wouldn’t be looking at the personals for the local community. And if he did, he’d never figure it out.”
Devlyn rubbed his chin.
“Do it, Devlyn.”
He flashed her an annoyed look. “You sure are bossy.”
“You love me for it,” she teased.
He clicked on the send b.u.t.ton and scanned the email responses to her first message. h.e.l.lo, Mystic Red. I’m High-on-Poppy. Would you be my love forever? Just blows my mind what we could do together, wild thing. Set the world on fire. Looking for your loving response. HOP
Devlyn looked back at her as she read over his shoulder. “Sounds fun loving, huh?” she asked.