To Catch a Wolf (33 page)

pleasure, of new feelings and wonder such as Athena had never known.

Did he realize what he did to her? Was it part of his game? Or was it as real and sincere

as the renewed wholeness of her body?

He was no fool, and neither was she. The exact nature of the physical consummation

between man and woman was but a vague idea in Athena's mind, but it must be

connected to the way he touched her, the way her body responded and grew moist and

To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04

Page 253 of 410

warm and wanting. She could understand, now, how women bore children outside the

bonds of marriage.

But Morgan's skilled fingers were not the organs capable of planting new life in a

woman's body. Children—good heavens, children—she had dismissed that future as

completely as she had one that freed her from the chair.

Children, marriage, physical love. Suddenly all three had become solid and tangible,

vivid landscapes she could see through an open window instead of hazy specters

glimpsed in a fog of resignation.

Morgan had made them all possible. He alone. He gave and gave, without knowing how

much, and now he gave again. She knew in her heart that he wouldn't force himself

upon her, risk getting her with child. God forbid that he should create such an

unbreakable tie between them.

But if he thought of her—of her reputation, which he had seemed to ignore in Denver—

and of the future he would alter forever if he continued—then how could she accuse him

of such a sensible selfishness?

No. If he had meant to prove his independence, his indifference to human tenderness,

he had chosen the wrong way. He gave unstintingly, denying himself the kind of

fulfillment men must derive from such a joining. And she could not bear the thought that

he had nothing but the dubious comfort of knowing he could make her feel.

That was when she realized she had fallen in love with him.

The notion was so blindingly obvious that she was briefly numb to sensation. Everything

froze—lungs, heart, even her ability to hear and see.

To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04

Page 254 of 410

She loved Morgan Holt. It wasn't mere attraction for one like herself, one who could

understand. It wasn't some sort of rebellion against the life she thought she had chosen

after the accident. It wasn't even this, this marvelous thing he did with his lips and his

hands.

And it was not at all what she expected love to be. She had thought it beyond her reach,

an emotion connected with gallant, handsome, courteous men who had wealth and

presence and would never look twice at a woman in a invalid's chair. Men like her

brother and his associates, the husbands and fathers of her society friends.

Morgan was not gallant, or courteous, or even handsome in the way of those men. He

was bad-tempered, gruff, impolite, indifferent to propriety, and far too plain-spoken. It

was rare that he considered the feelings of others as he ought

as she tried to do.

But his was a breadth of soul, a tormented devotion, a passionate loyalty that could not

be bought but, once given, was eternal. He had decided soon after their first meeting

that she belonged to his small circle of family and friends. She knew he would never let

harm come to her, and that he would fight to the death on her behalf.

All that he gave, having nothing but himself. But he felt. He felt as deeply as anyone she

had ever known.

How could she make sense of this emotion, this knowledge of what he meant to her?

She saw how much she had taken from him, and was ashamed. She did not take

without giving back.

She must give to Morgan—help, and succor, and healing, if she could. Even love, if

there was any chance in the world that he might accept it. But there was a more

immediate gift within her power to bestow. A small, temporary gift that mattered less to

her than to her society, but might begin to repay the debt she owed him.

To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04

Page 255 of 410

If she had the courage.

Morgan stroked her with gentle pulses, and she momentarily lost the power to consider

such abstracts as courage and selfishness. Light-headed, she arched up, up, her spine

curving as if to bring every inch of her body into contact with his. Higher, higher,

unfurling wings to carry them both into the heavens.

It was coming, the moment of perfect freedom. No more chair, no more waiting, no

bondage even to the earth. Just one more stroke, one more caress, and she would

prove

prove to herself, and everyone

Morgan stopped. Athena opened her eyes with a wordless protest, but the look on his

face kept her silent. She heard the thump of footfalls running up the stairs a second

after he did.

Niall. She barely had time to pull her nightdress over her knees before he burst through

the door.

"My God," he said hoarsely. "Athena." His gaze fixed on Morgan. "You damned

bastard—”

"Niall!”

Athena's cry might as well have been a whisper. It did not penetrate Niall's rage. He

could see nothing but the man who had despoiled his sister.

Morgan Holt. The cur crouched over her on the bed—her bed—an ugly snarl on his face

as if he would defend her against her own brother. Defend her, by God, when he had

stolen what little of value she had left.

To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04

Page 256 of 410

Niall clenched his fist and dove at his enemy. Morgan sprang up and met him in

midstride. Niall felt his fist connect with flesh and bone, heard the satisfying grunt of

pain as Morgan staggered and fell to his knees with the force of the blow.

But he did not remain down. He stood again, shaking blood from his split lip, and braced

his legs apart. Niall obliged him with a second strike directly to the jaw. Morgan's head

snapped to one side.

"Niall, stop it!”

He was aware of the motion at the edge of his sight, a figure in pale linen lurching

toward him with an awkward gait. Confusion stopped him from hitting again, though

Morgan remained stubbornly on his feet. If one of the whoreson's circus friends had

come to help him

A hand caught at his arm. Athena's face swam into focus.

"Niall!”

Athena. He blinked. She could not be here. She was on the bed. But the bed was

empty, coverlet and sheets rumpled but unstained. The hand that gripped his arm with

such frantic strength was slender and feminine.

She was standing—leaning her weight against him, but on her own two feet. Shock

reverberated through Niall. He had come into the room expecting the worst, and finding

it

but he had not been prepared for this. Not Athena able to stand, to walk, to

participate willingly in her own ruination.

He met her gaze, a strange, cold calm muting his rage to a dull throb behind his eyes.

"How long?" he asked in a soft, reasonable voice. "How long have you been lying to me,

Athena?”

To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04

Page 257 of 410

A vise made of five steel fingers caught him about the throat. He clawed at an arm

roped with muscle, implacable in its grip. Vision narrowed to a pair of slitted amber eyes

and a mouth full of bared white teeth.

Then the grip relaxed, and he caught himself as he fell, scrambling out of reach while he

labored to fill his lungs with precious air. His back hit the wall, and he let it hold him up

until he could see clearly again.

They stood together, not touching but close, the bastard and Niall's shameless, half-

human sister. Athena's hair was half loose about her shoulders like that of a cheap

Cherry Creek slut, her lips bruised with kissing. Morgan

Morgan stood in front of her, head lowered, shoulders hunched like a bear ready to

charge. Coarse black hair fell in his eyes, giving him the look of a madman. His lip and

nose bled where Niall had struck true, but he hardly seemed aware of the injuries. An

almost inaudible growl rumbled from his throat.

He was an animal. Worse than an animal. Niall thought of the rifle downstairs—his

father's, hung on the wall when Walter Munroe first took up with Gwenyth Desbois, and

never used again. Father had abandoned hunting for pleasure because of that woman.

But the rifle was still there.

The door was close. All he had to do was avoid provoking an attack. He took a step

backward.

"Niall," Athena said. She moved one of her feet, sliding it across the floor. "It isn't what

you think. Please, listen to me!”

He looked at her in such a way that she faltered, folding her arms across her chest as if

she could ward off the contempt in his gaze.

To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04

Page 258 of 410

"I am no more blind than you are lame," he said. "You are a whore, just like your

mother.”

He wasn't quite sure what happened then, or how it started. Morgan's teeth were the

first to change. They began to lengthen, became more pointed, the incisors graced with

a cutting edge like miniature daggers. Then the face

subtly, slowly, so gradually that

Niall could not have said exactly how the transformation progressed. His stomach roiled

with horror at the sight of something that God and Nature had never intended.

Skin stubbled with a day's growth of beard darkened further, taking on the rough texture

of short fur. Nose blended into upper lip. Ears shifted, lengthened. The body took on

proportions that mocked the human shape, pushing and pulling at the seams of

Morgan's clothing.

And through it all, the eyes barely changed. They focused on Niall with all the single-

minded purpose of a starving predator in sight of an easy meal.

The face of Morgan Holt was no longer that of a man. Nor was it a beast, though it most

closely resembled a wolf. A wolf

the Wolf-Man. A legend made to frighten children

and entertain jaded audiences. A creature like Athena's mother. Like Athena.

Morgan Holt's circus act was no act at all. And Niall understood everything.

In such moments—as if he were in the middle of a crucial business negotiation—Niall's

mind became as sharp as the Wolf-Man's fangs. He knew that Morgan had the strength

to tear him apart with little effort, and that for some reason he had not done so. He saw

that Athena was moving, hobbling, setting herself between the two men as if her slight

body could hold them apart.

To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04

Page 259 of 410

"I will not let you hurt each other," she cried. Her voice trembled, but it did not fail. "Now

you know what Morgan is. I broke my word by coming here, but I did not lie to you. I

couldn't risk telling you the full truth.”

"Because I would stop you from seeing him again? From going to your

what is he?

Your mate?" Niall laughed. "Have you been waiting for another like you to come along

and take you away? Will you be the bitch to his dog, Athena?”

Morgan lunged. Athena interposed herself, almost falling, and Morgan stopped to catch

her. Niall noted with icy curiosity that each of Morgan's fingers was tipped by a curved

black nail, and wondered if he could speak in a human tongue.

"She has done nothing," Morgan said in a rasping voice, answering his question. "If you

do not leave her alone, I will—”

"Now isn't it just like men to grunt and squabble like pigs over slops.”

The voice was a little breathless, but Niall would have recognized it in a shout or a

whisper. He spun toward the door. Caitlin stood at the entrance, with Harry French

supporting her on one side and Ulysses Wakefield on the other. Lines of strain framed

her eyes, but she was perfectly capable of impaling Niall with a look of utter scorn.

"The gallant white knight, charging up to save a lady's honor," she said, looking past

him at Morgan without batting an eyelash at his grotesque appearance. "You're no

better, Morgan Holt." Her eyes lit with pleasure as they found Athena. "And you. Look at

you!”

"Caitlin!" Athena exclaimed. "You should not be out of bed. I

I am quite well.

Everything is all right.”

To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04

Page 260 of 410

Everything was clearly not all right, but Niall knew the most dangerous moment had

passed. "This is none of your business," he said, addressing French. "Get out.”

Athena pulled halfway from Morgan's grip. "Harry, take her back—”

"And miss all the fun?" Caitlin leaned forward, almost dragging the two men with her. "I