you in a bad way. The
same can’t be said of other people. I devastate them. They’re exhausted after
being near me. I hate doing that.”
“That’s a problem all right.”
“I should join the circus. What jobs
are there? I could sell food or something.”
“I’m not a part of Markus’s pack,
Catherine. I got the hell out a couple of years ago and I’m not going back.
I’ve no intension of getting sucked into that drama again. You wouldn’t believe
half the shit these wolves get into. Something’s always gotta be cleaned up.”
So he was leaving. I rested my
forehead on his chest. “How long will you be in town then?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where do you live anyway?”
“I got business interests here and
there, but I’m mainly in Florida.”
“What kind of business?”
“Motorcycle shops.”
“Oh.”
“I gotta check my email, actually.
I’ve probably got a hundred messages.”
“Is everyone who works for you a
wolf?”
“No. Just Clive and Stuart. Smaller
packs are easier to hide, especially in a big city. It’s in our nature to shift
and have a run, which is no easy feat in a populated area.”
“Yeah, I can see that. How did you
become a wolf?”
“My mother was a wolf, and so was
dad. I’m pure blood, which is rare. It makes me a natural alpha.”
“I remember now. It you’re bitten,
you become a wolf.”
“Yeah, that too, or if you eat a part
of a werewolf. Those animals are half-breeds, and they tend to be outcasts.
They’re weaker than the rest of the pack.”
“Is that what Steven is?”
“Yeah. He was an accident. He found
himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Casper ripped him up pretty good.
He shifted a week later. The poor guy’s got nothin’ better to do now than
follow the pack around. He’s their punching bag.”
“You’re like a bunch of wild animals.
Is anyone married?”
“We don’t get married. We…er…we live
strange lifestyles. Sometimes we don’t know who’s responsible for what baby. I
don’t think anybody’s had a kid in a while.” He groaned. “Shit. I know why I’ve
been summoned. Aw…goddammit.”
“What?”
“I just answered my own question. The
pack needs new blood and they want me to provide it.”
“What does that mean?”
“I gotta mate with the females.” He
scrambled to his knees suddenly, getting to his feet. A look of disgust brought
out the lines in his forehead, while he reached for a wineglass and poured a
splash of fluid from a bottle of red. He downed the contents in one gulp,
staring at the fire. “I shoulda fucking known. If I had any sense, I’d pack up
tonight and get the hell outta here. The problem is they’ll find me.”
The idea that he would have sex with
other women was unappealing, but it seemed to be the way the wolves behaved.
“Is it so bad? I mean, sleeping with the women?”
“I’m not doing it.”
“That bad, huh?”
“No…well, it would bond me with the
pack. I’d have to stay. I got enough to do with my business. I don’t need this
added shit. If I’d wanted to stay with the circus, I’d have done it. I like
living my own life, Catherine. I don’t want those assholes telling me what to
do.”
“Sounds like they won’t then.”
“Not if I can help it. At least I’ll
know what I’m getting myself into at the meeting tomorrow. They won’t be able
to spring any surprises on me. Thanks.”
I smiled at him, admiring his
physique. He was an extraordinary looking man, not an ounce of fat on him, and
the rest was sculpted muscle that ran from his ankles all the way up to his
shoulders. His face was partially covered in a shorn beard, giving him a dark,
sexy look. If that wasn’t bad enough, his eyes, which were vibrant blue and
hypnotizing, possessed an intensity that left me weak.
He seemed to sense my mood, his look
smoldering. “You want anything to eat?”
My gaze lowered to his manhood, which
was beginning to show signs of life. I’d been pleasured