Wolf Hills (30 page)

“Please…” Her voice trailed off as he drove her higher. He really did know just how to touch to send her passions soaring.

“What do you need, sweetheart?” His fingers slowed, then withdrew. She wanted to whine at the loss. Only sheer force of will kept her from begging.

“I need you, Jason. Inside me. Now.” She was demanding in her need but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he gave every appearance of liking it.

Emboldened by his response, she took matters into her own hands, reaching between them to wrap her hand around him. She squeezed, tantalizing him as she held his gaze, but she couldn’t wait too long. Promising herself she’d play more later, she guided him into her opening and sank downward.

Oh, yeah. That’s was it. That was what she needed. That…and more. She began to move on him, slowly at first, drawing out each sensation, but then the need spiked and she began to lose control. Her movements weren’t as fluid, her muscles quivered under the strain.

Jason was there to help. His hands framed her hips, supporting her as her pace became frantic, aiding her movements, thrusting upward with his hips to meet her. Oh, yeah. He knew exactly what to do.

“Just like that, sweetheart,” he whispered as his breathing increased yet again. They strained together upward, toward some goal only they knew. Together.

Pleasure broke over them in unison and for that moment out of time they were truly one. Sharing one skin, one being in the face of the tempest. Sally screamed his name as the warm essence of him filled her, bathing her senses in the greatest pleasure she’d ever known. Only with him.

Of all the men in the universe, this one had been designed with her in mind. As she had been made for him. Together they were unstoppable. Unbeatable. Invincible.

And their passion was one for the ages.

And then, inevitably, it was time to let go of nirvana. Time to come back down to live among the mortals once again. But that glimpse of heaven remained and would be reachable again in the not too distant future.

That’s what life with Jason would hold. Moments of perfection followed by other moments of laughter, love, joy and, of course, some pain. But he’d be there to catch her when she fell as she’d be there for him. And he would comfort her as she would comfort him. They were a team now. A partnership never to be broken.

Sally liked that. She liked belonging to someone and having someone so incredibly special belong to her for the first time in her life. She liked being a part of Jason’s life. She only feared one thing…that the rest of the Pack wouldn’t be as welcoming.

She knew she had a hurdle to jump there. The soldiers in the field with them had accepted her and a few others at the Pack house. But the Pack was made up of many individuals. Some had already taken a dislike to her based purely on genetics. There could be others who would make her life difficult—and Jason’s by extension—because of her.

Jason rolled them to their sides and made her comfortable in the aftermath. She was glad he had the strength and presence of mind to take care of them both because she was useless. Limp as a wet rag and completely wrung out.

“You okay?” Jason panted, his breathing still affected by their exertions.

“Never better.” She tried to be nonchalant but he didn’t seem to be buying it. His hand came around her waist and squeezed gently, forcing her to meet his gaze.

“What’s with that little frown between your eyes? Can’t be what we just did because that seemed just about perfect in every way.” A little sliver of doubt crept into his expression and she was quick to reassure him.

“You know it’s not that. Every time we’re together it only gets better.”

“Then what is it?” His hand smoothed over the skin of her waist and back, soothing her.

“I’ve been thinking…”

“Well, that’s your problem right there,” he joked. She smiled, but she wanted to talk to him about this. She just didn’t want to sound like a scaredy cat. He sobered when her tension didn’t ease. “Seriously, how can you think after that? My brain is fried.”

“Yeah, mine pretty well short-circuited there for a while too, but then the little doubt came back.”

“Doubt?” He seemed appalled, shocked and a little scared, though hid it for the most part. “Doubt about what? Can’t be about us.”

“No, not about us.” She stroked his shoulder, reassuring him again with her touch. “But about how your Pack is going to accept me. I don’t want to cause you trouble. I know I’m not what they expected. Not what
you
expected, for that matter.”

“Sweetheart, you’re you and that’s all that matters. You’ve already proved yourself to the toughest badasses in the Pack. The soldiers are the ones who would give you the most trouble if you weren’t strong enough to be their Alpha’s mate. If you weren’t an Alpha female in your own right. But you’ve already proved that to them. The rest of the Pack will get the message and fall in line. If the soldiers support you—and after last night, every last one of them thinks you walk on water—then you’ve got no problems. Believe me.”

She tried. She really did. She wanted to believe what he said was true, but a niggling little doubt remained. Her first experience at the Pack house hadn’t been exactly peaceful. And women could be a lot cattier than men. Or maybe that should be wolfier, in this case? She laughed at the thought and he seemed to relax.

He pulled her back into his arms and they cuddled for a bit, dozing as the events of the past day and night caught up with them again.

It was around lunchtime before they finally got up for the day. It seemed werewolves ran on only a few hours of sleep—something that had been characteristic of Sally all her life. She and Jason were well-matched in that respect. They showered together, sharing a quickie that involved a lot of slipping, sliding and soap bubbles, not to mention laughter and incredible passion.

Sally had to borrow some of Jason’s giant sweats, but it was way better than putting on her dirty, torn and ruined blouse. Her jeans went in the wash with some of his clothes and they left his house for a companionable stroll through the woods.

She knew they were heading for the Pack house, which was just over the hill as the crow flies, but with Jason’s arm around her shoulders, she found it hard to be apprehensive. Still, when the big structure came into view, she felt her heart sink and a bit of the fear return. How would they receive her? Would she be welcome among them? Would they accept her as Jason’s mate?

They mounted the steps to the big house together. Each step she took closer to the doorway saw uneasiness build in Sally’s mind. When they reached the door, Jason turned to her and put his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes.

“It’ll be okay. I promise you.” He dipped his head for a quick, reassuring kiss and turned to open the door. He wasn’t giving her any more time to stew.

He stepped across the threshold to the back part of the house where the giant dining hall was and the noise level within dropped like a stone. Oh, boy. Sally followed him, expecting the worst.

Instead, when they saw her, the gathered wolves sent up a cheer that rocked the rafters. Howls, whistles and the stomping of feet welcomed them as Jason took her hand in his and raised it as if in victory. They were a couple and the smiling faces of the werewolves all around made it clear that most of the Pack was happy about it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sally saw Jimmy moving through the cheering crowd. When he made it to the front, he stepped right up to her and dropped to one knee, his gaze holding hers. The room’s exuberance died down as they watched the youngster’s actions.

“I pledge my fealty to you, Alpha, and to your mate.” It wasn’t precisely clear whether he was addressing Sally or Jason, but either would work. It was a major step for her and one she hadn’t expected. “Thank you for saving my life,” Jimmy added as he knelt before her, his heart in his eyes, his neck bared in submission.

Sally wasn’t exactly sure what to do, but she couldn’t leave him on the floor like that. She took his raised hand and tugged upward. Jimmy rose with a grin splitting his face.

“I’m glad I was able to help, Jim. Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say, but it seemed she was on the right track.

“Everyone,” Jason addressed the gathered wolves. “As you probably have already heard, Sally is my mate. She’s agreed to live here, among us, if you will have her.”

The cheering renewed at an even higher volume. Sally was overwhelmed by the response. They really did seem to want her here. With Jason. Wow. They were welcoming her when she’d expected to be challenged at every turn.

Jason leaned in to put his arm around her shoulders, tugging her to his side.

“I think they like you,” he said just loud enough for her to hear over the crowd.

Tears sprang to her eyes then. Tears for the unfailing confidence in his voice and the warm acceptance of the Pack. Not only had she found a man that was her perfect match in every way, but he had introduced her to a new world and a Pack full of amazing people who were willing to accept her the way she was and take her in among them. Would wonders never cease?

Sally had gone from having no family and only a handful of friends that she saw less and less frequently, to finding a new home with a man she loved and the surprising acceptance of a werewolf Pack.

They had lunch with the Pack that turned into a celebratory feast that lasted for hours. Everyone in the Pack seemed to have turned out for the impromptu party. It was like a welcome home bash to a place she had never been before. Almost everyone found a minute or two to spend congratulating them. Some of the older couples teased her and Jason about the delights of being mated and Sally found herself laughing more in a few hours with Jason and his Pack than she had the whole previous year on her own.

Her life had changed in a big way and so far, it seemed all for the good. They excused themselves toward sunset when the party showed no signs of winding down. Sally’s bags were still at Carly’s, with all her clothes. Carly greeted her with a giant hug and Dmitri gave her a small bow of respect. It seemed she’d managed to impress not only the werewolves, but the Master Vampire as well, last night.

Carly demanded details about the action of the night before while Jason and Dmitri shared information about the ongoing hunt. Sally was surprised to learn that sometime during the afternoon of feasting and laughing, Jason had heard from his brother, Jesse, who was on the road following the two hunters they’d let escape. Jason and Dmitri compared notes about the three who had been killed and how the police were reacting to the supposed bear maulings.

One of Jason’s older Pack members had made the report earlier in the day, bringing proof to the police department in town of the bear’s demise and leading the local cops to the bodies. So far, no further questions had been raised. Dmitri would keep an eye on the police reports with Carly’s help and together the Master and the Alpha would make sure no inappropriate questions were asked. They both had a vested interest in keeping things quiet—and their existence hidden from the general human population.

Carly was sad to see Sally pack up and leave her house but she was supportive and helped with the folding and packing. Sally took only a few minutes for a quick change of clothes so she didn’t have to wear Jason’s giant sweats any longer. She’d felt a little odd all day, surrounded first by the wolves and then at Carly’s, dressed like a hobo, but nobody seemed to mind.

She felt a little more human after she’d changed and Sally took a few minutes to reassure her friend that she was making the right decision. So much had happened that Sally hadn’t had time to tell Carly about.

“Let’s take a little walk outside. I want to show you something.” Sally tugged Carly through the French doors to the patio while the men watched from the living room. Dmitri was vigilant with Carly’s safety, but he seemed okay with Sally taking her outside without a chaperone.

“What is that heavenly smell?” Carly’s eyes searched for the origin of the flowery scent even as Sally knew she would. A smile broke over her face and Sally knew the exact moment Carly became aware of the night-blooming garden Sally had planted as a gift what seemed like eons ago but was really only a day or so ago.

“This is my gift to you,” Sally said, leading Carly on a small tour of the little garden. “I can add to it if you like it, but I wanted to be certain before I made it too big.”

“How did you do this, Sal?” Tears formed in Carly’s eyes as she looked in awe at the garden. It was going over as well as Sally could have hoped. Carly seemed truly touched by the gesture and Sally was on the verge of happy tears herself as she watched her friend enjoy the scents and shapes of the blooms under the light of a pale moon.

“Did Dmitri fill you in on Leonora? Turns out she’s my many-times-great-grandmother. I’m part dryad. That’s why I’ve always been able to make things grow.” Sally shrugged, not knowing what to expect from such an admission.

“All those beautiful gardens,” Carly said, seeming to think back, remembering the earlier landscaping Sally had done with fondness. “I should have known you had some kind of magic. But where did you buy all these? I didn’t know there was a nursery that had this kind of stock around here.”

Might as well come clean, Sally thought. She reached into her pocket where she’d placed a single seed, for just this purpose. Pulling it out, she held it up between her thumb and forefinger for Carly’s inspection.