Wolf Tales 12 (5 page)

“Don’t even make jokes about it.” Keisha slipped the back door open and gazed into the star-filled night. “That little girl’s so filled with magic she practically glows in the dark. There’s no telling what she could do if she put her head to it.”

“She’s magic because her mother’s magic.” He leaned close to kiss his mate. Keisha turned away, laughing, so that his lips caught the silk of her cheek.

“Uh-uh,” she said, wagging her finger under his nose. “I’m not taking the blame for that one. Lily’s definitely her daddy’s girl and all the magic comes from you. Not my fault, buster.”

He chuckled. No point in denying the truth. “Come on. We can argue that point while we run.” Tonight Xandi and Stefan were watching the kids so he and Keisha could have a couple of hours alone together. They’d best make the most of it.

Keisha cast him a sly glance. “You want to talk? An evening by ourselves and the man wants to talk? Give me a break!”

She shifted in the midst of her laughter, hit the deck lightly on all four paws, and leapt over the railing with her plume of a tail held high. Anton followed right behind her.

The night was warm, the air currents shifting before them as they followed the now-familiar path through the woods. With Lucia’s feeding schedule, they wouldn’t have long to run, or the time to go very far.

No matter. Now, with children needing them close, every opportunity to run as wolves was a gift, each time they shifted a special occasion. Unfortunately, gratification of the sexual rush after running was often delayed by circumstances—generally in the shape of one or more of the kids needing something
now.

Dry grass and twigs crackled beneath their feet; the night was clear and stars sparkled overhead. Anton quickly lost himself in the myriad sensations of running as a wolf in the dark forest, following the ripe and seductive scent of his bonded mate, of the woman he’d taken to wife. No matter how often they sped down this same path, how many times he followed his female, it was always new, her allure as powerful as if he chased her for the first time.

As familiar as it was to him, the path they followed was always filled with surprises along the way; the sensations he filtered through his Chanku eyes and ears, inhaled with each breath, always exciting. He knew he would never grow tired of seeing, smelling, and hearing the natural world—his world—through the senses of a predator.

He couldn’t help but wonder if their children would appreciate this same sense of disbelief, the same thrill. They should all begin to shift once they reached puberty—for their generation, it was going to be a normal part of growing up. Would it still be as special?

All the kids had known of their amazing legacy from the beginning. Already even the littlest ones were aware that grown-ups turned into wolves or leopards. The kids knew that when they got bigger, they’d shift, too. They also knew it was a very big secret, and so far, they’d honored their parents’ trust.

Still, what an amazing thing, not to be alone with this. Always accepted for who and what they were—perfectly normal, not like outcasts as so many of the adults had been.

He heard bats soaring overhead, and cocked an ear to catch their high-pitched cries. The soft chatter and squeak of their voices reminded him of the hours he’d spent in the cave today. Lily had kept Alex entertained the entire time, making up her long, drawn-out story about the beginnings of Chanku history and spirit guides and such.

Her imagination was boundless, as unfettered and free as it could possibly be. She spoke with such authority that Anton and Stefan had joked about poor Alex growing up with an entire history lesson fabricated from a few scratches on the cave wall.

Thank goodness the pack had the ability to homeschool the kids. The Montana school system was not ready for Lily Cheval and her merry band of shapeshifters-to-be. He didn’t even want to think of what it was going to be like when the kids actually started shifting.

How did you deal with a teenaged shapeshifter’s hormones and the increased libido following a shift? That was something they’d have to figure out sooner rather than later. Hopefully not too soon, though none of them knew how long it might be before the older kids gained the ability to become wolves.

Mei was the one who’d asked the question none of them had considered—since the adults all still occasionally took the supplement, didn’t that mean the babies got it from mother’s milk? They’d been exposed to the nutrients in the Tibetan grasses through their mothers from the time of conception to birth. Had that already enabled development of the tiny gland near the hypothalamus that made them Chanku?

Logan had run some tests, but he had nothing to compare the kids to, no control group to study. For all they knew, Lily and Alex could shift at any time.

Anton admitted he most definitely was not ready for that.

Anton? What are you worrying about now? We’re here, and you didn’t even notice we’d arrived!

Blinking stupidly, Anton gazed about him and realized they’d reached the small meadow where he’d made love to Keisha so many times before. Where the boys had been conceived one cold February night, a few months after the assassination attempt.

There was no way to answer Keisha. She was right. He’d run on instinct alone, his mind twisting around problems without answers, things he’d just have to accept and deal with when the time came.

I wish I had your ability to compartmentalize and put aside those worries I can’t do a thing about.
He stepped close and rubbed his muzzle through the thick ruff of fur at her throat.
You are so much more than me, my love. So perfect in every way.

Laughter bubbled in his thoughts.
Damn, but you’re a smooth talker.
She plopped her butt down and sat on her haunches. Her ears pricked forward and her teeth shimmered in the darkness.

I am, aren’t I?
He bumped her shoulder, surprising her, bowling her over beneath his larger weight. She yipped and scrambled out from beneath him, tail wagging, tongue lolling, ready for a tumble.

He stalked her this time, head low, his dark tail waving slowly behind him. She took a step backward, and then another. He leapt and she shifted direction just in time, scampering out of the way. A startled rabbit jumped straight up from beneath her and scrambled into the weeds growing along the creek.

Keisha twisted and pounced. She missed the rabbit entirely and landed in the creek. Water flew, splashing Anton, soaking the front of him. This time when he leapt he caught the loose skin at her neck in his powerful jaws and, without breaking the skin or hurting her, managed to drag her back to dry ground. She rolled to her back in total submission. Then she faked him out and rolled aside to get away—but he was there.

He was always there. He was her mate. He would be there for her forever—and with the knowledge of their extended life expectancy, that promise was truer than he’d ever realized.

Anton stood over Keisha, sides heaving, ears forward as she submitted to him. With absolute grace she rolled to her belly and rose to her feet. Then she stood perfectly still as he mounted her.

Power surged through him—the power of the wolf, of his own magic, of the love he felt for the woman who had saved him in so many ways. Locking his front legs about her body, he thrust unerringly into her welcoming sex. She was hot and slick inside, her body tightening around him as he quickly filled her in the manner of wolves. His penis pierced her channel, sliding deep, swelling, locking the two of them together.

Her vaginal muscles clamped down and held him close. The knot at the base of his penis fit her perfectly.

There was something magical about their mating. It was always this way, yet always different. The sense of something primeval, an act greater than both of them, of a history none of them truly understood culminating in the two of them here, in the dark forest, mating beneath a starry sky as wolves.

Thrusting hard and fast, he reveled in the sensation, the unbelievable bliss of Keisha’s tight muscles clasping him, holding him like a hot fist. Her sheath rippled over his length, tighter, closer, until their climax caught both of them in its powerful rush.

Crying out in a voice trapped between a growl and a whimper, Anton collapsed beside Keisha. With his mind still linked to hers, his cock still tied deep inside her heat, he took a moment to catch his breath. Then he licked her shoulder and rested his muzzle on the thick fur.

I love you,
he said. Such simple words. Could she possibly understand just how powerful they were, how much they affected him whenever he thought them, felt them? Said them?

Of course I know. I’m here with you. Our bodies are one. Our minds are one. We are one. Together always.
She gazed at him with those fathomless amber eyes, the woman who was all things to him. Mate, wife, the mother of his children. The best friend he’d ever had in his life.

He slipped out of her thoughts, content to experience the physical sharing alone. Then he sensed her silent laughter and raised his head.
What?

I don’t know why, but I was just thinking of our wedding. Me pregnant with the twins and looking like a beached whale, Lily like a little princess as the flower girl, Alex in his tux with the ring. They did a wonderful job, but I was still in shock over the fact you were actually marrying me. It was such a wonderful surprise when you proposed. You had seemed content with our bonding.

He snorted, which always felt like the wolven equivalent to laughter.
You’d already given birth to our daughter and you were pregnant with twins. It was time to make an honest woman of you.

I’m glad. I never realized how much the simple ceremony of marriage would mean to me. It will always be a perfect memory. Just like tonight will be a perfect memory.
Her eyes sparkled.
Now, though, we need to go back. My breasts are full and that means Lucia will be waking.

Reluctantly, Anton shifted. Their bodies separated and he rose to two feet. He tugged Keisha to her feet as well.

“Why’d we shift?” She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He cupped her full breasts in his palms, leaned close, and planted a kiss on each turgid nipple. Then he sighed. “These. I just wanted one good look before I have to share.” He kissed her breasts again.

Laughing, she shifted and took off running. He followed close behind and chased her all the way back to the house, nipping at her heels, knowing he was the luckiest man on earth.

After a quick shower, Keisha went in to feed Lucia. Anton checked on the twins. Both boys slept soundly. Beautiful little boys sprawled as usual in their bunk beds, Gabe on the top one, Mac below. They made him smile—angelic in sleep, they could be holy terrors when awake. He stepped out of their room and reached for Lily’s door when Stefan sauntered down the hallway with a brandy snifter of what looked like cognac in each hand. One could only hope....

“Brought you something.” Stef held out a glass.

Anton took it, smiling. “Thanks. You always seem to know what I need. How were the kids?”

“Not a sound. Lucia’s been asleep the whole time and the boys were out like lights as soon as they had their baths.”

He glanced at Lily’s door. “How about the princess?”

“She said Alex was being a poop, so she went to bed early with her Harry Potter book.”

“Nothing new there. She sure bosses your son around. Poor Alex is going to grow up with issues.” Anton wrapped his hand around the doorknob. “Meet me in the study. I need to go tell her good night.”

“Will do. And, Anton . . . don’t hold it against Lily. She’s just practicing for her alpha bitch role.”

Stefan touched the rim of his glass to Anton’s. Both of them took a swallow of their cognac. The rich bite of the liquor took Anton back in time. How many glasses had he and Stefan shared over the years, how many life-altering events?

He was probably better off not knowing.

Quite true, my friend.
Stefan shot him a quick grin, raised his glass in salute, and headed back down the hall. Anton stepped into Lily’s room.

Lily’s
empty
room.

“Lily? Where are you?” The light was on, the bed still made up, and while the pillows were piled against the headboard and her Harry Potter book lay on the covers, there was no sign of Lily. He checked the small bathroom, all the while casting out mentally for his daughter’s signal.

Keisha? Is Lily with you?

No. I’m in the nursery feeding Lucia. Isn’t she in her room?

No. Her book is here, and . . .
He checked the closet.
She must be wearing her new nightgown. It’s not on the hook. I can’t imagine her going outside in her gown, but I can’t pick up her mental signal anywhere.

Lucia’s almost asleep. I’ll be right there.

Anton put out an open call, reaching for Adam and Liana, for Oliver, Mei, Logan, and Jazzy. He included Keisha, Xandi, and Stefan.
Have any of you seen Lily? She’s not in her room. There’s nothing out of place, but I can’t read her mind. She’s not answering. Do any of you have any idea where she might be?

He sent his thoughts out again, a powerful burst from a most powerful mind, calling Lily. Begging her to answer him. Ordering her to respond. There was nothing. Nothing but a great silence where his daughter’s unique mental voice should be.

Chapter 4

She didn’t usually block Daddy’s voice, especially when he sounded this upset. Lily paused, caught between wanting to do what her father wanted and answer him, and wanting to do what she knew was right.

She was probably going to get a time-out, no matter what she chose, but sometimes she honestly felt as if she knew better. She might be only six years old, but even Mommy said she was an old soul. Older than Daddy?

Lily sighed and tightened the barriers in her mind. She’d figure out a way to explain this later, when he’d had some time to cool down. Besides, he was the one who’d told her to go see Sparkly Eve, wasn’t he? And after reading the story in the cavern, and knowing how worried Daddy was about all the Chanku who had never been found, it made perfect sense to follow the map carved right here, right in the middle of the wall.