The Taming of the Wolf (23 page)

Dashiel Thorpe had never been as uncomfortable in his life as he was sitting across the table from Benjamin Westfield. The man’s shrewd hazel gaze raked him from top to bottom. The hair on the back of Dash’s neck stood up.

“Miss Macleod means a lot to my wife, Brimsworth,” the man finally said as he raised a glass of whisky to his lips.

“You mean my countess, don’t you? She’s not Miss Macleod any more, but Lady Brimsworth, and I would appreciate it if you would remember that.”

Dash knew he was acting a bit high in the instep, but he was an earl, after all. If anyone was entitled to behave in such a way, it was he.

“It’s a very difficult thing for me to reconcile in my mind. My apologies,” Westfield said as he tipped his head toward Dash and reached to refill his glass.

“Accepted,” Dash grunted.

Westfield drew in a deep breath. “I do feel like I have to tell you—you seem like a changed man. Perhaps she’s good for you.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.” Though Dash had a fairly good idea, he just wanted to hear the man say it.

“Perhaps Caitrin brings out the best in you,” Westfield clarified. “You’ve lost a touch of the wildness that used to tail you like a hound tails a fox. Not completely, mind you; but a touch.”

“Hard to shake the hound, isn’t it, Westfield? Particularly when we’re born with it in us, whether we want it or not.”

“Whether we want it or not?” Lord Benjamin echoed. “That doesn’t sound like you’ve accepted who you are.”

The man sounded like Niall Forster, and Dash wasn’t anxious to hear again how he should embrace the beast inside him. He downed the rest of his drink in one big swallow and pushed the glass back toward Westfield for a refill. “I’m a Lycan, as are you. There’s nothing else to discuss.”

Benjamin Westfield bristled visibly. “Well, not all Lycans are the same, obviously.”

Before Dash could respond to that fairly uncomplimentary remark, Lady Elspeth burst back into the private dining room, with Cait following close behind and calling to her.

“El, wait,” his lovely wife begged.

He heard the torment in her voice and immediately jumped to his feet. “What is it, Caitie?”

Elspeth flew across the room and into Westfield’s arms, and then said vehemently, “Ye willna believe what
he
did, Ben. He claimed her that night. The night of the last full moon. He claimed her after knowing her for no more than a few minutes.”

“You mean he…?” Westfield let his words trail off, as his hazel eyes took on a murderous glint.

“Aye, he
claimed
her.”

“Bloody hell,” Dash muttered before he pushed Cait safely to the side and took the first punch Westfield threw across his chin. He crashed into the sideboard, and the unlucky piece of furniture splintered under the force of that momentous blow.

Cait’s gasp echoed in his ears.

Dash lay there for a moment, rubbing his jaw, as the enraged Lycan looked down at him. Then he said, “I’m sure I deserved that, Westfield.” He climbed to his feet as Cait came to assess his injuries. He met his attacker’s gaze without flinching and growled, “I’ve not always been an honorable man, but if you ever do that again, I’ll do my best to flatten you.”

“I canna believe ye told him that, El,” Cait hissed at her friend.

Dash put her arm around Cait’s shoulders and pulled her to him. “It’s all right. I had that one coming, angel.”

“He had no right ta hit ye like that,” Cait insisted, standing on tiptoe to kiss the side of his jaw, which was already healing.

“Yes, he did, angel. He had a right.” A smile tugged at the edges of his mouth. “He has your honor in mind, but I believe he’s thinking I claimed you a bit differently than I actually did.”

“I doona ken what ye mean.” She blinked up at him.

He kissed her forehead. Still his little innocent.

Dash addressed Westfield with a softly breathed comment that only another pair of Lycan ears could hear. “I didn’t do
that
until I married her.”

“Then what
did
you do?” The man looked totally flummoxed.

“I claimed her as my Lycan mate. Without any of the benefits.” He arched his eyebrows at the man, still speaking under his breath.

Westfield’s eyes widened in surprise, and he looked a bit ill. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Neither did I,” Dash chuckled. “But I’m lucky I did.” He pulled Cait close again and dropped a kiss into her hair, squeezing her tightly. “So lucky,” he finally said in a voice she could hear.

She simply caressed his jaw, love for him shining in her pretty blue eyes.

“I doona understand,” Elspeth said, her eyes flashing fire. Westfield probably had his hands full with that little redhead.

“I’ll explain it to you, later,” her husband answered as he held out a chair for her at the table. Then the man’s face lit up, and he rubbed his chin. “This really is quite fitting, actually.”

Dash followed suit, holding Cait’s seat for her. Then he dropped back into his own chair as Benjamin Westfield passed him the whisky bottle. “Thank you.”

The other Lycan grinned as though enjoying a private joke. “You do know that your wife has taken special delight in antagonizing me?” Westfield asked. “I’ve been called dog, hound, and mutt, among more unsavory things.”

Cait stiffened at his side. “Aye, and in yer case, Benjamin, they’re all accurate.”

Westfield tipped back his head and laughed. “I do believe you deserve each other. I’m thoroughly going to enjoy watching this play out.” He moved his hand, gesturing to encompass both Dash and Cait. “I assume she strong-armed you into residing in Edinburgh?”

Dash shook his head. “Caitie hasn’t made any demands on me.” Not that he wouldn’t have done whatever she asked.

Westfield’s eyes grew round. “Indeed?”

Caitrin sat forward, leveling the man with her haughtiest glare. “Dashiel didn’t need convincin’.
He
would never dream of takin’ me from my coven, unlike some other flea-ridden mongrel I could mention.”

“Ah, yes.” Westfield turned his attention to Dash. “I do believe Caitrin will punish you more than my brother could ever have hoped to.”

Dash squeezed Cait’s hand. “I hardly find marriage to my beautiful and clever witch to be a punishment. More like a reward I don’t deserve.”

The concerned look on Lady Elspeth’s face vanished, and she actually smiled at him. “In that case, Lord Brimsworth, welcome ta our circle.”

Dash winked at her. “A much nicer welcome than the one I received from Miss Sinclair.”

Cait sighed dramatically. “Rhi shocked him, right in the middle of the church. Can ye believe that?”

Westfield nodded. “You’re lucky that’s all you got. I was attacked by some very determined ivy, my coach was destroyed by lightning, and fireballs were thrown at my head.”

“Please.” Cait’s pretty blue eyes twinkled wickedly. “It was
one
fireball, Benjamin. Ye are such a bairn.”

It was Dash’s turn to laugh.

***

It was hard not to join in with Dash’s laughter, though Caitrin managed to hide her smile. Goading Benjamin Westfield was one of her most favorite pursuits. But the fireball had made her think of Blaire. She looked across the table at Elspeth. “When ye get home, check on Blaire, will ye?”

“Is she ill?”

The look of mild annoyance on Benjamin’s face quickly became a scowl, and Cait wished she had the power to throw fireballs herself. If one of their sister witches
was
sick, Elspeth would want to heal her, yet her annoying husband would try to stand in her way. Besides, Elspeth wouldn’t have been given the power to heal if she wasn’t supposed to use it.

“She’s no’
ill
.” She sent Benjamin a scathing look. “I havena seen her. She was at some crumbling castle in the Highlands when we left, some monstrosity Aiden inherited, apparently. Anyway, I’ve had a series of frightenin’ visions about her, so Mr. MacQuarrie went ta check on her for me.”

Elspeth sat forward, immediately concerned. “Frightenin’ visions?”

Cait nodded. “It was as if something, someone evil was hunting her. He doesna feel like a regular man ta me. There’s no life within him.” She laughed at herself. “I ken that sounds like the ramblings of a madwoman, but I doona ken how ta explain it any better than that.”

“Alec MacQuarrie went after her?” Benjamin asked.

Cait ignored the low growl that came from her husband at the mention of Alec’s name. “Aye.”

“Well, I’m sure she’ll be fine, then,” Ben assured her. “There’s not a more honorable man to be found.”

Dash rose from his seat. Apparently the talk of Alec MacQuarrie didn’t set terribly well. “Well, it’s been a long day. So nice catching up with you, Westfield, Lady Elspeth.”

Caitrin slowly stood as well and hooked her arm with Dash’s. “I am quite tired.” She looked across the table at Elspeth. “I’ll see ye in the morning.”

As soon as they retrieved their key from the innkeeper, Dash directed Cait up the stairs toward their room. “Did you really try to keep Westfield from marrying Lady Elspeth?”

“Aye. Ye see the good it did me.”

His amber eyes bored into hers as he turned the key in the lock. “Did you not see him in her future?”

Cait cringed and shook her head. “Nay, I saw him. I just wasna happy about it.” She entered the room with Dash’s hand at her waist. He’d been very careful not to let any stray visions encroach upon her mind, for which she was very grateful.

“He seems like an all right sort, when he’s not knocking one to the ground or lauding the many virtues of Alec MacQuarrie.” He shut the door behind them.

Cait rose up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his jaw. “Ye ken there’s no need ta be jealous, Dash. My heart is yers.”

He slid his arms around her and pulled her flush against his hardness. “I don’t plan on ever giving it back.” His lips descended on hers.

“I doona want it back, and I would force ye ta keep it, even if ye tried,” she said when his lips left hers to trail down the side of her neck.

“Saucy little witch, aren’t you?” he murmured as his fingers went to work on the fastenings of her dress. Within moments, she stood naked before him, aside from her garters and stockings.

“Why is it that ye always strip me bare but leave these things on?” she asked absently as he stepped back to work at his own clothing.

“To give you something to complain about?” he said with a big grin.

“Oh, ye are no’ humorous in the least!” she groaned as she looked around for something to throw at him. But before she could pick up any weapons, he’d scooped her up and deposited her on her back in the middle of the bed. He held her foot in his hand as he looked down at her.

“I leave them on you, angel, because if I took them off, I’d have to kiss you in the most inappropriate places.”

She sat up on her elbows. “Such as?” She felt the color creep up her cheeks as he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Shall I show you, my little innocent?”

She was quite happy to hear her voice only quiver a bit when she said, “If ye insist.”

Dash tugged at the ribbons of her left garter until he’d loosened it. Then he began to slowly roll her stocking down her leg. She sighed loudly.

He tilted her leg enough to expose her bottom, which he popped loud enough that it could be heard around the room. The swat didn’t hurt Cait; it surprised her more than anything and she sucked in a breath.

“Patience,” he said, his eyes very intent upon his project.

“Patience is no’ a virtue I have, Dash. I’m very sorry ta tell ye, but ye would find out soon enough, anyway.”

He chuckled out loud.

But then her foot was bare and his lips touched the inside of her ankle. A shiver tingled up her spine.

Dash made his progression up her calf a lovely experience, his lips adoring every inch of her flesh and raising goose bumps along her skin.

“Dash,” she said, trying to get his attention. His slow torture would drive her mad.

“Yes?” he breathed against the inside of her thigh as he opened her legs a bit with his hands.

Cait gasped as he very tenderly scraped his teeth across the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. “Nothin’.”

Cait found herself gripping the bedclothes fiercely in her hands as his lips traveled farther and farther up, alternating between teasing licks and tantalizing nibbles, until her blood was ready to boil.

Then he did the unthinkable. He touched his lips to the very center of her. Cait jumped and tried to scoot back on the bed.

“Ye shouldna be doin’ that.”

But he wrapped his arms around the outside of her thighs to draw her back down, firmly holding her in place.

“Why not?” he asked, intent upon his task.