Wolfen Secrets (The Western Werewolf Legend #3) (5 page)

With little defense against an onslaught by
the lieutenant, Sonja relented, absorbing all he offered. His hands
roamed her back before settling over her behind, giving her
backside a firm squeeze.

Enjoying the feel of his hand on her behind,
Sonja was glad she’d not layered on the heavy petticoats under her
shirtwaist. She rather appreciated his attentions.

“I want you to depend on me. To know I’ll be
there for you no matter what,” he whispered next to her ear.

The heat of his hands coupled with the
vibration of his words so close, sent a delicious shiver down her
spine. Wanting him to continue meant they’d be on display again.
With a force of will, she pushed away. Instead, she reached up,
giving him a proper kiss on the cheek. “I understand. Thank you for
the reminder, Lieutenant.” She fanned the flush which followed,
turning aside intentionally to join the others when she came face
to face with the Guardian.

“How do you do that?” she snapped,
embarrassment mingled with what she was sure was surprise on her
face.

“It was not my intent to frighten you, only
to call you to the fire’s side. We’re about to begin.” He glanced
past her toward Ty, nodding stoically.

With a hand extended in invitation, he
allowed them to precede him back to the clearing.

Goaded by the awkwardness she’d experienced,
Sonja couldn’t help a dig of her own. “I appreciate your attention
to your appearance for the meeting.” His gentleman’s personage
would certainly sooth the group. She cut a glance behind her at his
polished figure. “Though the members of the wagon train are
familiar with your different forms, the news may go down better
with you in your present state.” Coolly clipped, she was all
business. Still, inwardly she was grateful. The form of a man in a
country squire’s clothing with his neatly trimmed beard allowed the
Guardian to move among the humans more comfortably. She could
already see they accepted him more readily.

Near the fire were the men Ty had saved from
death at the hands of the Yankee vampires. A prisoner of war camp
had made an excellent cover for a vampire’s coven and a handy
pantry for the bloodsuckers food stash. Luckily, for Ty, there’d
been an escapee, Abram Clemens, who’d agreed to guide him back to
the prison. Abram stood alongside Smitty and the others loyal to
the lieutenant. Working together, along with help from Sonja,
Hortence and the Guardian, the lieutenant had managed to save those
who survived the attack on his supply detail in the lowland south
of Spotsylvania as well as several of General Jeb Stewart’s
men.

Sonja closed her eyes for a moment. The
memory of how she’d found Ty in the stagnant waters of the swamp
the night his detail was ambushed appeared clearly in her mind.
Some strange urgency provoked her to turn to the lieutenant.
Reaching out with a trembling hand, she clutched his shirtfront in
her fingers. Whispering for his ears only, she said, “God’s truth,
you were dying of your injuries not three months ago. I won’t see
you hurt on my account. Do you hear me, Lieutenant?” Her eyes
burned with the unshed tears of a woman who understood how much she
had to lose. “Promise me you won’t put yourself in harm’s way for
my safety unless there’s no other way. Do I make myself clear?” Her
eyes remained steady on his. Praying he didn’t see the moisture
glistening from them in the moon’s light, she broke the spell by
stepping away.

He said nothing, though his surprised gaze
followed her to the front of the group.

Composure was imperative, so she forced the
tears away with a quick brush of her fingertips before stepping
into the campfire light. “Friends, the Guardian has asked to speak
to you all. Changes are coming and he wants everyone to be
prepared.” Sonja cleared her throat. Glancing in the wolf god’s
direction, she motioned him forward.

“Thank you, Mrs. Brooks.” Somber gallantry in
motion, exactly how Sonja would remember the wolf god as the
Guardian began his speech. “There comes a time when we all must
stand on our own strength,” he began...

***

After the Guardian had said his goodbyes,
Sonja and Ty retired to their wagon.

Remembering his arms around her after the
nightmare the night before, she smiled into his face as he leaned
in close to steal a kiss along her neck. “I’ve not one but two
nights in your arms, Lieutenant. What a special present you share.
You do not have watch?”

“No, I traded with Smitty. I much prefer
spending my nights with you. Besides, Smitty needs more time
standing guard. He’s growing soft with all the good food and
nothing to keep him busy.” He leaned in steeling a kiss along her
nape. “You are a pearl a man craves beyond all reason, Nymph.”

His wicked grin warmed her womanly parts. She
shifted to prop on an elbow. “I love looking at you. You have the
most wonderful body.” Grinning, she crooked a finger. “Come here.”
With the command, his abdominal muscles rippled as he used his
strong thigh muscles to walk to the bed. His need for her already
visible had her own hunger growing. “I don’t know what I was
thinking, making you travel separately from me after we left
Pennsylvania.” Reaching out, she took his shaft in her hand. The
smooth tip of his manhood jerked in response to her touch.

His blue eyes glowed in the darkness of their
tiny wagon, their world on wheels, as he reached for the quilt
under which she rested. The werewolf’s sense of passion showed in
their depths. Sonja silently thanked the gods for the desire she
witnessed there.

“Nor do I, my love. For you nearly drove me
mad with your misguided demands we remain separated. The wolf
chaffed wild with the need for his mate.” His teeth gleamed briefly
in the one slant of moonlight before he lowered his head to taste
her. Gliding along the crease of her neck, he teased sensations out
of her with his teeth, nipping and biting her sensitized flesh. His
low growl of pleasure warmed her already heated core as he forged a
path downward.

Sonja slid her fingers through his silken
hair. A soft moan escaped despite her best effort. “You didn’t
think I suffered as well?”

No words came from the lieutenant.

Her eyes fluttered shut as his tongue forged
a fiery trail over her abdomen. With still enough brain cells to
make her point, she added, “My plight was great with each passing
night you weren’t in my arms, Lieutenant. One thing I’ll promise
you…I’ll never let you rest alone again.” Her words mingled with
exhales of breath, moans and thrumming need as Ty’s head
disappeared between her thighs. Lifting her by the hips, Ty licked
her lips, teasing a gasp from her. She bucked in his hold. The
pleasure was torture she wanted to continue. He nipped her nub.
Sonja arched to meet him. Her hips, quivered in response to his
attention and soon brought her to a cliff like only he could do.
Over the edge she tumbled. Ty caught her carefully, slipping inside
her heat.

“The promise, I will hold you to, Nymph.” His
breath coming in pants was warm on her flesh. “I will never allow
you to venture far without me by your side. I promise.” He reared
up, like a dark god of old, thrusting deep filling her to the
hilt.

Sonja bowed up, riding the wave of passion to
embrace the next as she accepted all Ty offered. In the sliver of
moonlight, his body glistened with the heat of desire. Long lines
of sinuous muscles moved in a dance as old as time. Together, their
hunger grew. Rising to lofty heights, before peaking somewhere far
above earth’s bounds, Sonja took everything her lover gave. The
blinding light of release came upon her swiftly as his shaft
throbbed inside her. Her inner walls stroked his release as Sonja
welcomed his seed.

With his long, silky hair threaded between
her fingers, she smiled in satisfaction. “If we keep this up,
Lieutenant, you’ll soon be a father.”

“Nothing could make me happier. Nothing
except you marrying me,” he groaned sleepily.

Sonja didn’t answer. Not wanting to disturb
the perfect moment, she refrained from arguing the finer points of
why she couldn’t burden him with an attachment. The soft exhale of
his breathing told her he slept. His warmth enveloped her and she
smiled to herself as she dreamed of holding a baby boy with blue
eyes and dark hair.

***

Since St. Louis sat on the river, its harbor
never ceased to bustle with activity. Held by the Union army, the
city still contained many southern sympathizers. A free state where
slaves could come to become free men, there were always men of both
colors looking for work. Union troops were everywhere. A large
Union armory loomed on a bluff overlooking the banks of the mighty
Mississippi.

The spring thaw was slow in coming to this
part of the great river. Large patches of slick ice covered the
water in treacherous sheets, making a crossing dangerous. Most
boats docked in St. Louis to wait out the temperature’s rise as
spring warmed the water as well as the land.

Dressing like northern refugees rather than
southern cavalrymen, Ty’s men were able to pass the scrutiny of the
armed militiamen stationed on the main road into the city. Sonja
and Briann’s Pennsylvania land deeds proved they were Union
governed citizens. On the outside, the city resembled a bustling
community of prosperous commerce. One had to look closely to see
the tension underlying the opposing sides of the war.

“You look like you’re enjoying the feather
mattress, Nymph.”

She bounced on the bed with glee. “Look, we
even have windows and a real ceiling!”

Ty smiled despite himself. Sonja was enjoying
the luxury of a real bed. Who could blame her? The wagon had housed
their whole life for so many months. Finally, he could woe her the
way he’d wanted to for so long. There was a barn dance happening
outside of town in a few days. He wanted to take her.

“Thank you so much for the hip tub!” She
bounced off the bed, flinging her arms around his neck.

“You deserve a good long soak when you bathe.
I’ve got to admit, I enjoy the little luxury as much as you.”

With heated water, Sonja relaxed in the brass
tub as soon as it was full. Humming a light tune, she lathered,
grinning when Ty glanced over to enjoy the view. Lying atop the
comfortable bed, he pretended to be engrossed in the paper in front
of him, the same one which told of Sherman’s march to the sea and
how his beloved Savannah hadn’t escaped the bastard’s torch. His
ire pricked, he tossed the paper aside.

“Would you like to join me, Lieutenant?”

He never tired of her reference to his
military rank. The words came out so possessively, he couldn’t
object, even though he wasn’t in the army any longer. How he left
made him a wanted man in the Union Army’s eyes. He could do nothing
about that now. Instead, he focused on her in the tub as his eyes
lingered over creamy breasts slightly submerged in the steaming
water. Turning his full attention toward the exquisite image of the
woman in the bath with the creamy skin, silky blonde curls and
brandy-colored eyes, Ty grinned at his good fortune.

She held the world for him. “You know, you’ve
bewitched me.”

Sonja paused, giving him a coy smile.

“I wouldn’t put it past you and Hortence to
have put a spell over me after we first met.” Quite smitten with
her, those were the facts. He’d succumbed to her charms the first
moment he’d laid eyes on her standing in the doorway to her small
bedroom back in Pennsylvania. Slim and graceful as she stood in the
opening, she possessed an ethereal air about her. The image of a
woodland nymph from Greek mythology came to mind. He surprised
himself by imagining her dancing while she sang a charming tune,
all the while, enchanting him with her bewitching eyes. Tawny and
long, they dominated her fine boned face and spoke to him of
secrets he found he must discover.

“Lieutenant, you flatter me. Hortence
wouldn’t stoop to such a tactic though." Her giggle mingled with
warm water cascading down her rosy breasts made Ty want to thank
the witch for something. He just couldn’t fathom what at the
moment. Steam rose from the water, caressing the rosy tips of her
breasts and coaxing the nipples into hard, dark peaks. His fingers
itched with the need to fill his hands with her lush endowments.
For a slim-built woman, Sonja had the most perfect breasts he’d
ever seen. Wondering if he was biased, he slung his long legs over
the side of the four-poster bed and began unbuttoning his pants.
The fact they were alone with no one watching, made his arousal
surge and his craving for her all he wanted to consider. He wanted
to make love to her all afternoon until well into the night, until
they were both bone-tired.

Her giggle of pleasure brought him back as he
found his shaft in his hand while he idly stroked its length,
pondering how he found himself there. The wealth of pleasure he
wanted to share with her was immeasurable. The sheer need for her
had no limit. Unable to count the times he awoke hard with a
craving for her in the past months made him falter. His attraction
for her bordered on obsession, didn’t it? He stroked his thickening
erection harder.

“Hurry, Ty. You don’t want the water to get
cold.” She smiled seductively as she shifted to make room for
him.

Sliding into the water, he eased down behind
her. With a gentle nudge, he eased her onto his shaft. A moan left
her lips as she fisted around him. Velvety soft, she fit like a
glove over his manhood, her inner muscles working as she rocked on
him. “Take your pleasure, Nymph. I want you to enjoy everything I
give you.” No woman had ever worked her way into his consciousness
like Sonja. He breathed in her scent, growing more aroused.

With a grip on either side of the tub, Sonja
worked her hips, giving him every ounce of her woman’s flesh.

As water sloshed out of the tub, he buried
his fingers in the wet tangle of her hair and held on to her hips.
Feeling the wonder of her in every pore, every nerve ending and
with every beat of his heart, Ty met her stroke for delicious
stroke. Soon she covered his length with an explosion of honey as
her hips piston over him. The wave of euphoria which washed over
her took the last of her strength. She collapsed back on his chest.
“You’ve a special talent, Lieutenant, for making me feel so
rich.”