Free Wolf Tales Interlude: The Gift by Kate Douglas

 
     
     
    Chapter One
     
    Stefan set the phone back on the table and sighed. Anton and Xandi had arrived safely in Portland in spite of an unexpected snowstorm. The house seemed so empty with them gone. He hadn’t expected to miss them this much, but hearing Xandi’s sweet voice made his heart hurt.
    A week, no longer. It should only take them a week for Xandi to sign off on the lease on the apartment she’d once shared with her ex-fiancé, formally resign from her old job, pack her belongings and make the long drive in the rental truck, back to Montana.
    If Anton hadn’t had business in Portland, Stefan would be the one with her now, but he had and it only made sense Stefan be the one to stay here with Keisha.
    Keisha . Stefan watched her through the large front window. She leaned over the deck railing, her slim body silhouetted by the setting sun, her once kinky black hair now falling in soft, tousled waves past her shoulders, its new texture a direct result of her Chanku heritage.
    She looked so lonely out there, so alone. He’d grown used to seeing Anton by her side. Always touching, protecting, loving her. Keisha was such an enigma. Fun loving, brilliant, beautiful -- yet still so conflicted Stefan’s heart ached for her.
    He pushed himself to his feet and poured a couple of glasses of wine. Keisha looked up at him and smiled when he shoved the door open with his shoulder and joined her at the railing. The freezing air practically took his breath, but the clear sky and brilliant stars were worth the chill.
    “Beautiful out, isn’t it?” He handed Keisha the glass of Chardonnay, watched her throat constrict when she took a small sip, nodded when she smiled at him.
    He opened his mind, but found her thoughts blocked. Unlike the others, Keisha kept her barriers in place more often than not. He wasn’t certain, but he suspected her rape and assault were never far from her mind, that she still suffered the trauma of her attack.
    Looking at her, at the pensive, far-away look in her eyes, he imagined it was still very much part of her. Stefan sipped at his wine, then set the glass on the railing. “Xandi just called. She and Anton are settled into their hotel room. Anton’s got appointments all morning long and Xandi’s hoping to close out the lease and take care of her formal resignation. Packing her belongings will take longer, and they’ll have to rent a truck to move everything here. It looks like they won’t get home until at least Friday.”
    “That long?” Keisha frowned as she sipped at her wine. “That’s Christmas Eve.”
    “I know. Weather’s been pretty sketchy, too, but they’ll leave as soon as they can.”
    “I’ll worry about them all week.” Keisha blinked and looked out across the snow-covered meadow.
    Stefan saw the glint of tears in her eyes. He touched her chin with his fingertips, turned her face to him. “They’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. Wanna go run?”
    Her eyes widened. “Oh. I guess I never thought of you and me running. I figured we’d wait until they got back.”
    Stefan began working the buttons down the front of his flannel shirt. The freezing air made his fingers clumsy. “You’re kidding, right? Go a week without shifting? C’mon.” He slipped out of his clothing, aware of Keisha’s hesitation, her sudden shyness. It wasn’t easy to keep from grinning at her. “Keisha, we’ve shared the same bed. We’ve been naked together, we’ve shifted countless times together.”
    “I know.” She dipped her chin so he couldn’t see her eyes. “Anton and Xandi have always been here.”
    “Are you afraid?”
    Challenged, she glared at him. “No. No, I’m not afraid.” She whipped the sweater over her head, slipped out of her jeans and shifted, her amber eyes glowing in the early twilight. I’m fine. What’re you waiting for ?
    The barriers were still there, still blocking her innermost thoughts. He shifted.
    Nothing. Let’s go .
    The week-old snow had