Lifesong (3 page)

“But you just said the shift has to do with imprinting.”

“It does, but some of the wolves will still try, even though you’ve been of age for a while now. Promise me you’ll remain indoors.”

Emma bit her bottom lip. “Another prison,” she sighed under her breath.

I reached over the seat and squeezed her hand. “Not a prison.”

“It sure sounds like one.”

“You’ll understand once we get inside.”

I pulled the truck as close to the house as I could, refusing to turn off the ignition until the other wolves were well out of sight. My legs ached, and I turned off the car.
Time to run.

After hopping out of my side of the truck, I hurried to the passenger side to let Emma out. Without grabbing her duffle bag from the back, I hoisted her into my arms, carrying her to the front door. I cursed under my breath at how cold she must’ve been, at her being naked under her nightgown. I wrapped my coat around her to keep her warm.

The outside of the cabin stank of wolf pee.
Shit.
Emma was still looking around the property when I pushed her inside, pressing my back against the door until it shut.

“What the hell?” Emma asked, prying my arms away from her.

“I told you, the other wolves—”

“You should probably start at the beginning,” Emma warned, dropping her hands to her sides as she turned to inspect the inside of the house.

I turned her back around. Her eyes were just as fierce as they had been when we’d first met. I placed my hands on her face and fought back a burning desire to kiss her on the lips. “I promise to do just that, but first there’s something I really need to take care of. Wait here, and keep the door locked. I’ll call for you to open it when I get back.”

Before she could whisper another word, I locked myself outside. The piss hadn’t got there on its own, and I’d be damned if I was going to ignore it. Gritting my teeth, I pressed my fingertips into the snow. Every muscle in my body trembled, my pink skin rippling away to show the fur underneath. A small part of me knew she was watching, and I shivered under her gaze.

Without looking back, I stepped out of my old clothes, then bolted towards the woods. Zarrius had to be around here somewhere.

Chapter Three

Emma

When Tucker closed the door, he took all the heat that was in the house with him. My body shuddered as I stood in the doorway, too stunned to move. I wanted to be angry with him for leaving me there, for shoving me inside and locking me in. But as soon as I looked through the peephole, all of that melted away. All I could think about now was the articles of clothing lying just on the other side of the door, and the wolf that appeared from their folds.

I didn’t know how long I waited there on my tiptoes, shivering from the draught, but by the time I turned away, the inside of the house had grown considerably darker.

The house was a huge step up from the one I’d shared with my parents. It was a two-storey cabin complete with hardwood floors. From the foyer, I had three choices—step down into what appeared to be a living room to my right, walk down the long hall to possibly a kitchen or cellar, or go upstairs to investigate the bedrooms.

I eyed the empty fireplace in the living room and decided to check that out first. Thick carpeting brushed against my feet, my toes curling against the almost-forgotten sensation. Using what light filtered through the living room window, I searched the mantel above the fireplace for some matches. I found a book between a set of candles as well as paper and some dried wood on the floor beside it.

I took two of the larger logs and set them inside. Remembering how my father used to light the one back home, I struck the match and pressed the flame to the paper before shoving it under the dry wood. The timbers started to glow, and I closed the screen in front of the fireplace to keep any loose sparks from floating out onto the floor.

With the warmth of the fire behind me, I stood there to thaw, taking stock of what else was inside the medium-sized room. There wasn’t much. Two burgundy recliners faced the wall to my left, a pair of lamps overlooking them. I tested one, but it didn’t turn on.
So much for that idea.
Not that I had anything to read anyway. My things were still in the car, and God only knew where the keys were.

On the wall farthest from the hallway leading from the foyer there was a long sofa with an end table on either side of it. Aside from the scant amount of furniture, there were no books, no magazines or any other kind of entertainment—just a room with chairs.
Maybe that’s all the pack needs.
Once I was sure the fire wouldn’t blow out, I padded back into the front hall.

Before I could progress to another part of the house, a faint scratching came from the other side of the door.

“Little pig, little pig…” It was Tucker’s voice. “Let me in.”

The corners of my lips tugged upwards, and I tried not to laugh. I took a breath, wondering what to expect—a wolf or a man? With careful hands, I undid the locks and opened the front door.

My breath caught in my chest when I came face-to-face with Tucker’s naked form. He tossed me a sheepish grin before picking up his shirt and pants, placing them between us. I pulled him inside with hands that weren’t nearly as confident as before, a chill causing my entire body to shake.

He kicked the door shut behind him, his body tensing against the cold. Warm muscle rippled under my hands, and when I felt myself staring, I didn’t look away. I half expected him to notice the fire, but his eyes never left me. He gave me a full, head-to-toe inspection before making a sound of approval. I decided to do the same.

His shoulders were broad, his muscles defined, but not in that disgusting body-builder kind of way. Just…average. I moved one of my hands to brush the side of his face, a bit of stubble prickling my fingertips as he leaned into my caress. Taking a breath, I moved my hand again, this time to the curls at the nape of his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair.

He was delicious to look at, and when he made the quietest of moans, my mouth watered. I licked my lips, and my heart crashed against my ribs. I wanted to kiss him, to feel his arms around me but for whatever reason, I didn’t move. We stood there for a long moment, me staring at the clothes he’d strategically placed over his groin while his eyes focused on my breasts.

Heat brushed my cheeks, and before I could lose the little courage I had, I drew him in towards me, my hands on his face, our lips barely touching. Something dropped to the floor, and in an instant, he’d wrapped his arms around my smaller frame, one hand against the small of my back and the other tangled in my hair.

When he finally spoke, his breath fell onto my lips. “I really want to kiss you.”

My heart skipped a handful of beats before I could find my voice. “Then why don’t you?”

He caressed my cheek. “It’s been a while since I…” His voice trailed off.

“At least you have.” I drank in his scent, which was stronger than before. “I’m kind of new at this.” It was something I hated to admit. Books and practicing with my own hand were as far as my experience went.

He put his arms between us, tilting my head back until he could see my face. “Seriously?”

I nodded, and cursed myself for not kissing him when I had the chance.

His lips were seconds away from touching mine. “Mmm, we’ll have to fix that.”

Holding me close to him, he pulled back on my hair until I was looking right at him, right into the eyes of my wolf. My whole body tingled, threatening to go numb. Oh God, I hoped it wouldn’t. I wanted to feel this. I wanted to feel him. Feel everything.

I swallowed and moistened my lips. Alarms rang in the back of my mind.
He’s part wolf. You just met. You know nothing about him.
I ignored every single one. I didn’t care if I kissed a wolf or a man, just like I didn’t care how new or how real this felt.

Widening my stance to keep myself upright, I almost fell over when Tucker pressed his lips to mine. It wasn’t feral. It wasn’t rough at all. Gentle. Too gentle. I kissed back, and as I did, he parted my lips with his tongue. My back arched, my breasts pressing against cold skin.

Our kiss deepened, and when we finally broke apart, it left us breathless. My head was swimming, I could feel myself falling, but I never hit the floor. I blinked at the spots around my vision until it cleared, but Tucker was still there.
This isn’t a dream.
I wanted him even more.

“You aren’t a dream,” I breathed, unable to say much else.

Tucker laughed at that. “Neither are you.”

And, just like that, he released me. His touch had barely left my skin when he picked his clothing off the ground. I bit my lower lip and stepped to the side so he could get by.

“What was that all about?” I asked, following close behind him as he made his way into the living room.

Tucker pulled on his clothes and trembled in front of the fire. “Glad to see you made yourself at home.” He let out a nervous laugh.

“It was cold in here,” I said, sitting in one of the lounge chairs. The cushions weren’t nearly as comfortable as they looked. “So, are you going to tell me why you just ran off like that, or do I have to guess?”

“While I love the idea of making you guess, we’d be here for a very long time—time that could better be spent on other things.”

I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Oh, really?”

“Mm-hmm.” Tucker crouched in front of the fire, setting another log amongst the flames before standing back up. “So, what would you rather do first, get something to eat or wash up?”

My stomach growled at the mention of food, but the promise of a shower and my possibly being naked in front of him was way too inviting for me to pass up. It was bad enough I’d seen him naked without offering the same in return.

“Shower first,” I said, after giving the question some thought.

Tucker dipped his head and took a candle from above the fireplace, then lit the tiny wick before leading me up the stairs. The upper part of the house was still cold, and my thoughts went back to the lamps that hadn’t turned on. There was no way they were just there for decoration.

Upstairs there were three bedrooms—two small ones close to the stairs and then a third all the way down the hall. Tucker led me to the last room, using the candle from downstairs to light the ones on the dresser before showing me to the bathroom.

“More candles?” I asked, trying not to sound surprised.

Tucker shrugged in the orange light, using the candle to light a few more inside the room. “We’re a little old-fashioned,” he admitted, staring at the floor as I removed my nightgown and underwear. “Truthfully, the pack hasn’t been inside the house in years. It would be pointless for us to keep paying a bill for power we don’t use. I’ll get it turned on later tonight.”

I shrugged and smiled when a tremor ran up and down my spine. I let out a soft moan, but either out of respect or because he didn’t hear me, Tucker kept his eyes on the floor. With a sigh, I climbed into the shower, disappointed when he didn’t join me.

Chapter Four

Tucker

Emma’s hints were far from subtle. I didn’t speak after that. Every thought I had ended the same way, with her silent invitation and my desire to take her up on it. I could still taste her kiss on my lips, and I let myself fall back to that moment, remembering the arch of her back and the moan that crept up from the back of my throat.

Any other time, I would’ve left the room and gone outside to get some fresh air, but the pack knew she was there, and being in the same room with her was the only way I could keep her safe. I didn’t trust myself enough to leave her, even if the pack couldn’t reach the windows.
They shouldn’t be able to reach her at all.

Only guardians with a human bond were allowed inside.
That doesn’t mean they can’t try
. The last thing either one of us needed was Emma freaking out from bumps in the night.

“So, about earlier,” Emma’s voice came from behind the shower curtain. “What happened? Why did you leave?” She leaned out of the shower for a single moment, her body sopping wet.

I tried to drown out the sight of her breasts, the curve of her hips and the playfulness in her eyes. “Did you smell anything when we first came inside the house?”

Emma mumbled behind the curtain then said, “The dog pee?”

“Wolf.”
Just one.
“They can’t actually get in here, not without a bonded human, but they can protest.”

Emma pulled the curtain back again to give me a serious glance, soapsuds covering the top of her head. “Like you and me, you mean.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Why would they protest, though?”

“Because, even though we have wolves’ skins, we have human hearts. We get jealous, just like everyone else.”

“But I don’t understand why they’d be jealous, or why you’d be so protective.”

I sighed and blurted out the words before I could take them back. “Every guardian needs a human to bond with, to imprint on—to be our mate. But there’s more to it than that.” I groaned and combed my fingers through my hair. My heart jumped at the thought of her being my mate and my cock strained against my jeans. “You know this whole thing with the Earth?”

Emma didn’t answer at first, the sound of the water hitting her bare skin painting a picture I refused to see for myself.

Just as I was beginning to think she hadn’t heard me, Emma finally replied, “Yes?”

“The reason the Earth cries is because of human machinery. It’s been taking children to restore its essence, but the world is running out of children.”

“Why children?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s something I could never understand. Why doesn’t it take all humans?”

I nodded, if only to myself. “Because of their innocence—their energy. It’s the Earth’s way of defending itself. If it can get rid of future generations, it can keep history from repeating itself.”