Resurrection (6 page)

She picked up her glass, took another sip of wine to buy some time, and then turned to him. “That control you exercise. Are you doing it now?” She hoped he wasn’t because if this was him controlling his hormones, she was in trouble. She could see his pecks through his tight black T-shirt and had thought about running her hands over them.

He nodded.

Damn.

“Okay, then stop.” She needed to know, more than anything, if what she was feeling was natural or just a chemical reaction.

“What?” His mouth dropped.

Her heart rate sped up. “I don’t want you on guard the whole time you’re around me. Just stop whatever you’re doing. I know somehow, it’s making you uncomfortable. So…just relax and be yourself.”

He straightened. “Um, no.”

“No?” she gasped. “What do you mean, no?”

“It wouldn’t be fair to you, Wendy. I don’t want to do that to you.”

She laughed at the absurdity of it. “How bad can it be? Z, just relax.”

He stared at her, for what seemed like minutes. She hoped he’d just relax so she’d know what she was dealing with. Then…something changed. Her skin felt warm and damp with sweat. Her heart raced and her mouth watered. Her breasts felt heavy and swollen, like they’d jump out of her shirt. Heat pooled low in her belly causing desire to stir in her like she hadn’t felt in ages.

“You see?”

Shifting in her seat, she took a fraction of a moment to gather herself. “Yeah, that’s powerful stuff you have there. But how do
you
feel?”

“Mate him, mark him. He is ours!”
Her wolf pleaded.

His pearly white teeth flashed at her, adding to his allure. “Much better, thank you. How are
you
?”

“Actually, I’m a little more at ease now that I know you’ve been keeping that to yourself.” She fanned her face. “You haven’t tried to trick me, clearly.” She giggled. Waves of excitement and euphoria were now washing over her. “Honestly, my wolf wants me to tear your clothes off and mark you as mine.”
Dammit, I said that out loud.

He scooted to the edge of the couch and stood. “I like the way your wolf thinks.”

“Where are you going?”

He gave her a soft smile. “I keep hearing something. I’m going to the other room to check it out and give you some space to regain your composure. It’s nice being able to let go of the hold I’ve had, but I don’t want it influencing you too much. You’ll just hate me for it later.” Without waiting for her rebuttal, he left her in the living room.

Her wolf was panting away. She counted the weeks.
Not time for my heat.

“Then it’s safe to at least test him out.”
Her wolf urged.
“Just a little roll in the hay.”

Good grief, he’s a living being, not something we test drive.

“Yeah, you want it too. I can feel you. You might erupt into flames soon.”
Her wolf tugged at her, prodding her.

“That’s so weird,” he said entering the room again. “I keep hearing voices, well a voice. But I can’t tell where it’s coming from.”

She turned her ear in the direction he was facing as she tried to figure out to what he was referring. She hadn’t heard a thing and great hearing was a benefit to being a Lycan. “What is it saying?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s vulgar. I’m not repeating it. But I think someone is about to bond. Probably a Lycan.”

She started to snicker at the thought of him hearing what her own inner wolf had to say. “Have you ever talked to your wolf side?”

“My what?”

She laughed again. “Don’t you have a Centaur side? A being inside you that you can converse with?”

“I sure as hell hope not. The Centaur form is our natural form. We blend by being able to shift into human. The Lycan in me comes from my mother.” He scratched his head. “You…have another voice inside your head?”

Trying to hide her amusement at what certainly had to be his wolf acting like hers, she smiled. “Seems like you do too, and he’s a naughty little wolf.”

He laughed and shook his head. “If only you knew.”

She put her hand on his forearm. “Don’t worry. My wolf is just as bad. Had me counting to see if I was going into heat.” She snickered and rolled her eyes. “She actually suggested taking you for a spin…like we were test driving a car.” Realizing how bad she must have sounded, she shook her head and held up her hands. “I’m sorry, she’s really out of control right now. So if I burst into laughter for no reason, you’ll know why.”

She saw him tense, his shoulders rising. He sat a little stiffer.

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “I’m getting control of the situation.”

“No, please. Just relax.” She shook her head. “If I come to work here, we will be around each other a lot. I want you to relax around me. I’ll figure out how to ignore it. Really.” She tried to reassure him even if her sexual urges were driving her mad.

“So the wolf, I wonder why I’ve never heard him before?” He brushed a blonde curl out of his face.

“Probably because you don’t spend much time in wolf form. Honestly, for a Lycan, our wolf is our closest confidant. They think differently than we do at times, which give you great introspection. They can be baser animals at times…sex, mating, procreation. Mine is going crazy because my sex life has been non-existent for many years.” She silently cursed herself for blurting yet another intimate detail.

He rubbed his face. “Wendy, I’m fighting every urge I have right now. You can’t say things like that.”

Her smile quickly relaxed as she studied him seriously. “You know…it’s not a bad idea.”

“What?” He leaned back, his eyes wide.

“You know, trying each other out. Clearly there’s some attraction here, but my natural instinct is to find a Lycan mate.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong direction.”

“Look at you, being so bold!”
Her wolf mused.
“Good girl!”

He sat silent; staring at her for a moment then smiled and shook his head. “Is this what they call informed consent?”

The thunder of her heart was nearly deafening in her ears. Her wolf was right. She’d never been this bold with anyone. “We’re both adults.”

He stood, holding out his hand. “It’s time for me to take you back. Why don’t you consider this when there is some distance between us?”

Doesn’t he want me?
“Oh, yes. It’s getting late.”

She grabbed up her purse, throwing it over her shoulder. She picked up the glass of wine and tossed it back. “Ready when you are.”

The walk back to the others was a quiet one. She was afraid she’d either offended him, or come across as crass. Either way, she couldn’t wait to get back to the comfort and safety of her cabin. She’d never been so bold, so forward before. Whether it was his powerful hormones or the duration of her unplanned celibacy, she didn’t know, nor did she care. It was time for her to take control of her life. Zoltar and Colin had both made the same point. She always took care of everyone else. Maybe it was time for her to look out for her own needs.

Wendy had made the affirmative decision to move to the school. Though her relationship with Zoltar had been left hanging in the wind, her future looked bright. She’d returned home from the tour and begun packing that night. Within a few days of her return, she was all packed up and ready to move to the school.

Easing her transition was the fact that Nala and Colin seemed to be getting along. Things were still quaint and not bonded, but they smiled more around each other and the tension had decreased. She’d even caught them holding hands a few times. The burden of leaving her brother behind was lessened by the chance that he might bond.

She had a nice, long cry the week prior. Sobbing every night, mourning the loss of the only pack she’d ever known. Grace had given her many counseling sessions.

“Wendy, we’ll make a pack there. I promise. Roman and I are already your pack mates so you won’t be completely alone. We’ll run together each night until you feel comfortable. Okay?” Grace offered.

“How did you do it so quickly, Grace? I mean, here. How did you claim us so fast?”

She leaned against the truck and dusted her hands off on her jeans. Her auburn locks were pulling free from her pony tail. She tucked them behind her ears. “I admit my situation is a lot different. I’d never had a pack before, and this was my first real family to speak of. But…I made an honest effort to be part of it. I wanted it all. If you don’t want this feeling of trepidation, then you have to try, every day, until you don’t have to try anymore. That
one
day,” She paused and closed her eyes briefly, smiled and continued, “that day when you think of the others as yours…then they are.” She smiled. “It’s part of our magic, I guess. The nice part for you is, you don’t have to accept a new leader. You already think of Roman as your Alpha so things should be easy for you. Plus, Tiffany is transferring to our new school, so there’s another familiar pack mate. ”

She wiped her eyes one last time and took a deep breath. “Really, I couldn’t do this without you, Grace. You’ve been a godsend.”

Roman loaded the last box in the truck. “You ladies ready to start this new adventure?”

* * * *

An entire week had passed since she
offered herself
to Z. She hadn’t had a chance to see him the next day or the following day after that before Grace and Roman dragged her back home, where she spent the time packing her things to make the final move. Because she owned so little things had moved fast for her. She’d been packed up and ready to move to the school to prepare for the coming opening long before Roman or Grace were ready. It’d given her time to observe her home and her brother with an open heart, a knowing it was time to let go. Nala and Colin seemed to be getting along, which made her choice to go an easier one. Things were still quaint and not bonded, but they smiled more around each other and the tension had decreased. She’d even caught them holding hands a few times. The burden of leaving her brother behind was lessened by the chance that he might bond.

Saying good-byes to Colin and Nada had been hard; it brought back the pain of her choice to leave, to start a life of her own. She had a nice, long cry. Sobbing most of drive back to the school, mourning the loss of the only pack she’d ever known.

She stepped out of the shower. It was desperately needed after loading and unloading all of her personal belongings. As she dried her hair, she kept playing over and over the words Grace had said to comfort her on their long drive back to school.
We’ll make a pack there. I promise. Roman and I are already your pack mates so you won’t be completely alone. We’ll run together each night until you feel comfortable. Okay?

She heaved a deep breath, “Okay Grace. I’m here. I’m making a real effort from this moment on.”

As they’d loaded the truck, she’d asked Grace how she’d manage to make the change herself so quickly and claim the pack so fast. Grace smiled and leaned against the truck, dusting her hands off on her jeans; a habit that still made Wendy cringe, if she only knew how hard it was to get the black dirt out of those jeans.

She shook her head, realizing it would be hard to drop her
motherly
-type thinking, but the advice Grace had given was gold. Recalling the conversation brought her the comfort she sought. Grace had giving her that lazy grin as she’d said,
Wendy, I admit, my situation is a lot different. I’d never had a pack before, and this was my first real family to speak of. But…I made an honest effort to be part of it. I wanted it all. If you don’t want this feeling of trepidation, then you have to try, every day, until you don’t have to try anymore. That one day…that day when you think of the others as yours…then they are. It’s part of our magic, I guess. The nice part for you is, you don’t have to accept a new leader. You already think of Roman as your Alpha so things should be easy for you. Plus, Tiffany is transferring to our new school, so there’s another familiar pack mate.

Remembering those words brought tears to her eyes. She wiped them away for the last time and took a deep breath then murmured as she looked in the mirror and combed out her wet hair, “I couldn’t do this without you, Grace. You’ve been a godsend.” She pulled on her robe and tied it closed as she headed for the bedroom. She sat on the new mattress the university has purchased for her and stared at the closet that housed all of her clothes. There was plenty of space to add more and with the salary she had been offered, it wouldn’t be difficult to update her look.

She stood and picked up the sheets off the dresser and commenced in making up her new bed. It wasn’t difficult to notice someone had made themselves scarce while she moved in. That same someone had made themselves scarce since the last time she’d been at the school—and had offered an interesting proposition. As she pulled the comforter toward the headboard, she jumped—startled by a knock at her door.

“Coming!” she called out as she hurried toward the door. When she opened it, Zoltar stood there with a bottle of wine. Her eyes traveled the lot of him, from his blonde locks, down his tight T-shirt that was stretched to accommodate beautiful pectorals, down his jeans, clear to his loafers.

“Thought you could use a nightcap after a long, taxing day.” His smile was wide, his teeth brilliant white set off by the tan that had darkened from working outdoors.

“Oh, I’m a mess. I wish I would have known you were coming,” she fussed with her hair. Of course he would show up looking sexy as hell when she was a total mess. That was her best luck.

“Nonsense,” he said as he walked in, “but if it would make you feel better, I’ll open this while you go put something more comfortable on.”

Closing the door, she uttered her dismay as she ran off toward the bedroom. She looked at her closet…a nightgown seemed inappropriate, but dressing in jeans seemed silly this time of night. She snatched a pair of yoga pants off the shelf and yanked them on, following up with a thin hoody. She looked at herself in the mirror. “Casual but not too frumpy, I guess.”

She wound her hair in a loose bun and crammed a pencil through it that was sitting on her dresser before taking a deep breath and making her way to the living area.

He handed her a glass of blush wine as she took a seat. “Better?”

”Yes, thank you.”

“I tried to give you some peace while you moved in. However, I couldn’t let you think I was ignoring you. But first, a toast.” He held up his glass. She did the same. “To new beginnings and adventures.”

She touched her glass to his before taking a sip.

“Wendy,” he said then cleared his throat, “before I release the hold I have on myself, let me first say I didn’t come here to get lucky.”

She knew he wasn’t joking, but it seemed like the perfect ice breaker. It made her laugh. “But you want to know if I made up my mind?”

“In a matter of speaking, yes.”

“It was my proposition and no, I haven’t changed my mind. I’m not exactly into casual sex, but I still feel the same as I did before.” As soon as the last word crossed her lips, she felt everything change. Her body instantly reacted to the hormone he released. She gasped quietly and cursed herself for telling him she wanted him to relax around her.

“Thank you. Now, did you get settled okay?” he leaned back on the couch.

She felt as if she’d burst open like an overwatered tomato. Her heart, her breathing, her mind…everything raced. “Yes. I didn’t have much to move. Everything in here is new but my clothes and even then, I’m going to have to get some attire for teaching before the session begins. Grace said something about classes for us?”

His smile caused his eyes to crease at the sides. “Yes, we’ll get a bit of a taste of what the kids will be going through for about a month.” He leaned back a bit more, crossing his ankle over his knee. “Plus we need to learn some teaching skills. Three of the professors we hired are experienced human college professors. They’re going to show us how to make our own syllabuses according to state guidelines and how to run our classes. I think it’ll be quite fun.”

She feigned a cough to disguise her panting breath. Heat radiated through the hoody and she swore steam must be coming out around her neck. “Well, Xander gave me a crash course on using the new laptop. That kid is good. I think Grace said something about him getting a degree and teaching computer technologies here. He has me feeling like a pro in a short time. Don’t get me wrong, I surfed the internet plenty before, but that’s all.”

He poured a bit more wine in his glass. “More?”

“Not yet.” She’d only taken a sip. There was no room in the glass for more, but she appreciated the gesture. Her body was still reacting to him, but she did notice the static energy feeling was easing, just slightly.

“Can we talk about the real issue with us?” she blurted.

His eyes widened. He took a big drink of wine.

So did she.

“That’s probably a good idea.”

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. After another sip of wine, she let the glass rest on the table. “Our kinds haven’t really been allies. My kind, Lycans…we haven’t really taken to blending with other species. Our beautician has a Fae boyfriend and that was a huge step. Colin wasn’t the most popular guy when he approved it. That was back when he was the Alpha of our pack.” She waved her hands. “Anyway, I’m not sure if we became…a couple that it would be that well received. Everyone seems to want all of our kinds to unite, but that’s just on the surface. Mating with a Centaur could make me an outcast and Lycans are pack people. I can’t say the same about Centaurs…I just don’t know that much about your kind.”

His head bobbed as he clung to her every word.

“You took my breath away the first moment I saw you, but I figured it was because of what you are. Then you showed an interest in me and quite frankly, I’m not sure what your motives are, other than sexual draw.”

He opened his mouth.

She continued before he could speak. “Beyond sex. We all have a sexual motive. Every single stinkin’ one of us. So I’m not being judgmental.” She paused. “But to be absolutely, undeniably clear, I have zero desire to be a Centaur incubator.”

He laughed so loud it startled her. He reached over and patted her knee. “I’m sorry. That was…that hurt, but it was funny at the same time. I don’t want you to incubate anything.” He put his hand over his mouth for a moment and regained his composure. “I have many of the same concerns. I want you to have a home and a pack. I don’t want to put you in any position you don’t want to be in. I cannot put into words the pull I have felt toward you. It has been a misnomer that all Centaurs want is sex. We are sexual beings, don’t get me wrong. But we have all craved a mate. As you probably guessed, I’ve had ample opportunity for sex. I have, however, remained celibate because the only desire I have, is for you. That’s a new experience for me.” He picked up his wine, chugged it down and refilled his glass. “However, I would like to date you, Wendy. I don’t want to have sex with you sometimes and call it good. I think about you every moment, of every day. I think about your vanilla aroma, how it invades my senses every time we’re near. I think about your haunting blue eyes, how they bore right through me. I think about your kindness, and need to care for others. Your laugh is what dances in my thoughts as I sleep. Mostly…mostly, I think about our one and only kiss…how sweet you tasted on my lips.”

“And when you are in heat, the Pixies have protection that feels like nothing. If that’s not suitable, then we may use whatever you wish, because the only child I have…I want to be with my mate.”

Time for talk had passed. She leaned in toward him, and placed her hand on his neck. She pulled him in closer, brushing her lips lightly across his.

“
A mate! Yes! A mate! Finally!”
Her wolf danced around with joy.

With the softness of a butterfly, he grazed her bottom lip with his tongue and he scooped his arm around her back pulling her onto him.

Wearing yoga pants, she could feel every inch of him growing…thickening…hardening beneath her. She worried, briefly, about being out of practice. Instinct however, was all that was needed. She pulled her fingers through the back of his locks as their lips caressed. She pulled him closer to her, though there was no more room to give. Her breasts were planted firmly on his chest as his kiss trailed from her mouth down the nape of her neck.