AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not joking, Brandy. My full name is Reardon Douglas McAlator. Dylan named my wolf form well.”
“God of war. I suppose, given what you’ve told me about your former life, it was a fitting name.”
“Are you afraid of me?” His beautiful eyes were so pained, so sad.
“Afraid of you? No. I don’t even know you.”
Reardon shook his head. “You don’t know me as a man, but think about it, fairy lass. You know me as a wolf. You’ve cared for me when I was injured. You’ve fed me, sheltered me, given me a pack. You’ve invited me into your home, your bedroom, your heart, as a wolf. And that wolf has protected you, has he not? He’s returned your love, has he not? Everything you feel for that wolf and that wolf feels for you doesn’t change now that I’ve got two arms and two legs.”
Brandy studied the man behind the bars and had to agree that there was a certain level of familiarity she couldn’t explain with any logic other than what he had said. He was right. Shedidlove the wolf. Was it such a stretch to love the man as well?
“We did have some chemistry together as humans, I suppose,” she said.
“You suppose?” Reardon offered her a heart-stopping grin. “Fairy lass, what we shared was destiny. You’re my soul mate. I’m certain of it.”
Soul mate.Completely unscientific, but it felt like the right label. She couldn’t deny that. She wanted to be his soul mate. But how could it last if he wasn’t from her time? How could they build something together when he’d have to return home eventually?
How could she waste another minute if this thing had a time limit on it?
Brandy turned and pounded a fist on the door the sheriff had left through. In a second, the door whipped open, and Sheriff Olsen looked ready to subdue anyone who needed subduing.
“You can release him. He wasn’t trespassing on Silver Moon property. It was a misunderstanding,” she said.
The sheriff eyed her for a good long moment. “You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, because it was Silver Moon that called him in, it’s Silver Moon who can call him out.” Sheriff Olsen removed keys from his utility belt and unlocked Reardon’s cell. “I’ll get the paperwork for his release. Follow me.”
Reardon pushed open the door to the cell and stepped into the corridor. Gently, he cupped Brandy’s cheek and she pressed her face into his palm. Not able to resist, she leaned into his big, strong, hard body and let out a sigh when he wrapped his arms around her.
“This feels no different than when you hugged me as a wolf, right?” he whispered in her ear.
And it didn’t. It truly didn’t.
Chapter Fifteen
They rode in silence. Meredith in the driver’s seat with Parker in the passenger seat. Brandy and Reardon shared the back seat. Far too much space stretched between them in the small car as far as Reardon was concerned, but he got the vibe that it wasn’t because Brandy wanted it that way. She’d gestured to her mother and friend in the front seat when they’d gotten into the car at the police station and he’d picked up her mental message.
Wait until we’re alone.
So he would. He’d wait until they were alone. Then he’d show her that everything he felt for her in wolf form was the same in man form. Maybe even stronger. He was so relieved she wasn’t angry with him for keeping the truth from her. She appeared to understand. Understand and accept. In fact, the way she kept shooting small smiles to him suggested she was a little… giddy over what he was. As if he were the proof she’d been searching for to prove her secret research into lycanthropy hadn’t been a waste of time. She was fascinated by the topic and his existence validated all the claims she’d collected over the years.
Meredith pulled her car into the driveway and turned to face them in the back seat. She stared at Reardon, her gaze drilling holes into him. “Before I let you loose, wolfman, I need to see what I saw on that video live and in person. I need to know you’re not going to hurt my daughter or my grandson.”
“I don’t like this,” Parker said, his worried gaze never leaving Brandy’s face.
“I’ve never intended to hurt Brandy or Dylan,” Reardon said before Brandy could protest against her mother’s demand and her friend’s concern. “I will show you anything you wish to see and guarantee I will keep Brandy safe as a man just as I have as a wolf.”
“You really share a consciousness with the wolf?” Parker turned more to look at Reardon.
“The wolf and the man are the same. I know—and feel—everything the wolf does and the opposite is also true.”
“Show us.” Meredith climbed out of the car.
Parker hesitated a moment before following Meredith’s lead.
Reardon put his hand on the door handle, and Brandy reached over and took his other hand. The sight of her small hand on his warmed him like nothing else could.
