AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He licked her cheek again—he couldn’t resist—then backed up to sit on his haunches, his injured leg making the position painful.
Brandy ran her hands over her face, attempting to dry her tears. “I’m sorry, big boy. I don’t usually fall apart like that.” She sniffed and twisted all that magnificent fiery red hair onto one shoulder. “But I’ve never been so frightened in all my life.” She let out a little mirthless laugh. “And I coexist with wild animals.”
As she puffed out a breath and pushed herself over to lean against the wall by the door, Reardon sat perfectly still. He didn’t want to cause the lass any more stress, and more importantly, he didn’t want her to come to her senses and realize he was no longer contained in the cage.
Look harmless.Aye, that would win her over. He got into a lie down position again, head resting on paws, and managed a friendly tail wag. Normally, Reardon McAlator, leader of the fiercest army in Ireland, did not wag his tail for anyone.
But this lass? He’d quite possibly do anything for this lass though he barely knew her.
“Brandy!” a female voice called from the other end of the room.
Reardon remained in his submissive posture, sensing no harm from the other woman’s voice.
“Over here, Mom,” Brandy said.
The fairy lass has a mother.Of course she did. Reardon had had one too. Long ago. Before he turned into a wolf that first time. Before he became a monster on the battlefield.
A woman with shoulder-length, silvery hair rushed to Brandy’s side. She’d barely given Reardon a second glance as she stepped around him and got to her knees beside her daughter.
“Are you all right? I saw Hank running from the clinic, and I knew he was here causing trouble. I’d like to get my hands around his neck and… and…” She wrapped her arms around Brandy and squeezed her to her chest instead of finishing her threat. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Brandy shook her head against her mother’s shoulder. “No.” She raised her head and regarded Reardon. “Call me nuts, but I think this big, beautiful boy saved me.”
Her mother glanced over her shoulder to regard Reardon. Again, he did his best to look passive though Brandy had seen him at his most feral just moments ago. She had to understand he’d only behaved that way because he’d seen she was in trouble.
“Send old Swift packing, did you, wolfie?” Brandy’s mother held out her hand.
Supposing that was an invitation, Reardon got to his feet—his three good ones anyway—and slowly approached. He touched his nose to her offered fingers and finding them to smell like meat, he set about licking each one and most of her palm.
Her laugh filled the room and leached all the tension out of it. “Somebody approves of the steak I marinated this morning for dinner tonight.”
“I suppose we owe him a piece then.” Brandy smiled and it lit up the air around them.
“Any wolf that protects my baby girl can sit at the goddamn dinner table with us.” Brandy’s mother scooched around so she faced Reardon. “I’m Meredith. What are we calling you?”
“I was waiting for Dylan to name him after school. You know how he likes to do that.”
Meredith shook her head. “He came to your defense. He wants you to name him. The kid will get over it.”
Brandy angled her head at Reardon, and for some foolish reason, hewantedher to name him. Even though he already had a name. Even though he wasn’t just a wolf. Even though he’d eventually have to reveal he was also a man.
He wanted her to claim him. Naming him would do that.
“Go get the book.” Meredith gave Brandy a nudge.
Brandy got to her feet and Meredith followed. Reardon wasn’t sure what to do. His instincts told him to follow the women, but his brain said the less he moved the better. His injured leg agreed with that as well. The limb burned now, and he was almost certain that not being under Flidae’s protection anymore had affected his ability to rapidly heal. One of the few perks to being a werewolf was now lessened.
He let out a wolf sigh, but after being close to Brandy, he was no longer that eager to get home. Maybe he could enjoy his time here first. Maybe he could do something Flidae would consider worthy. Maybe he could get closer to Brandy.
When the two women came back to where he was still sitting, Brandy had a book under her left arm.
Meredith pointed to the overturned cage. “Strong sucker, isn’t he?”
Brandy set the book on a nearby shelf, and she and Meredith righted the cage. “You should have seen him get up on his hind legs and hold that position—even with a busted leg. Hank was about two seconds away from shitting himself.”
Laughter filled the room, and Reardon was relieved Brandy appeared to be all right. Pink tinged her cheeks again, and her smile reached all the way to her gorgeous blue eyes that reminded him of summer skies in Ireland.
“I think it’s time we got those security cameras we’ve been talking about, don’t you?” Meredith pulled the blankets out of the cage, balled them up, and set them by the door.
