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My heart soared when he called me beautiful…but how did he know what I was thinking? In the distance, I heard sirens and knew I had to decide, and this decision would affect the rest of my life. I could run for it and take my chances with starting over. Or I could go with Luca and cross my fingers that things really had changed, and the council no longer put supernaturals to death because of their lineage.
Oh, who was I kidding? My wolf practically demanded that I go with Luca, and if I was being honest with myself, I wanted to, too. The way my body almost burst into flames with his innocent touch and my heart galloped uncontrollably made me wish for things I thought I could never have. What was the worst that could happen? Would I have to make a run for it later? Maybe die? Did I have a choice anymore?
Luca stood. “Come on, Ivy. You can change when we get home.”
Home…I got to my feet and lumbered after Luca to the waiting black SUV. Devon held the back door open for me while Luca rounded to the other side. My wolf felt content and actually laid her head in Luca’s lap. He scratched her ears. As the last of our adrenaline drained away, our eyes closed.
The sun peaked through the window. I blinked my eyes and sniffed the pillow, inhaling the deep scent of falling leaves, crisp apples, and cinnamon. An image of Luca flashed into my mind. Naked on his sheets, I bolted out of bed and took inventory of my body, trying to remember what happened last night. Did we have sex? No. I remembered the club, kissing Luca as he—Kelly—the vampire! Oh shit! I changed into my wolf! I must have fallen asleep in wolf form and changed back sometime during the night.
But where am I?
Taking a deep breath, I surveyed the room. The king-sized bed with a gray bookshelf headboard centered the wall, and a painted portrait of a black wolf hung above it. Chocolate-colored eyes looked so real as he stared right back at me. Instantly, I knew that the gorgeous wolf was Luca. A dark wooden floor with scattered light-colored plush rugs felt like clouds under my feet. A nightstand with a small lamp, a dresser—the bedroom room was both sparse and luxurious at the same time.
A set of doors opened to a large walk-in closet full of jeans, black suits, ties, and leather shoes on a shoe rack. Who was this guy? I carefully rubbed the fabric of a black suit coat between my fingers and thumb; the softness had me looking at the tag. “Wow!” I dropped the material and stepped back.Neiman Marcus. I didn’t know how much it cost, but I knew enough to realize it was way out of my league.
“Okay, so not the bathroom.” I shut the doors and reached for another door handle to the right. Twisting, a grin spread across my face. “Jackpot!” I needed to wash last night from my body. Glancing in the oversized mirror, the dark circles and smeared eyeliner made me look like something from the walking dead.
The state-of-the-art bathroom with digital controls and computer screens made turning on the water tricky. However, after a bit of trial and error, I managed to not only get the shower running but set the water temp to 101 degrees.
A good hot shower cleared my mind enough that I knew I couldn’t hide from this. That, and my wolf demanded that I not cower to anyone. Caroline had drilled the need to hide, to protect myself, and even though I had used magic and changed into my wolf. I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I still wondered why Luca brought me to his home. Why didn’t he lock me in a cell if being dual-natured was so bad?
Before I could dwell on any of that, I needed a phone. Checking on Kelly needed to be my first priority because a good alpha always puts the well-being of her pack above herself. That, and I desperately needed to talk to her. Apologize for dragging her into this vampire mess. Then, maybe I could convince Brian to let me visit. Surely, he could give special permission.
Caroline constantly reinforced that shifters, and other species, were territorial and you never encroached without permission unless you were looking for a fight. I didn’t really understand but my wolf did. Maybe that explained why Caroline never had any company. Oh, she would meet in town and visit with hervery fewfriends, but they never came to her house.
“Okay, Ivy, you’ve stalled long enough. Time to face the consequences.”And probably fight my way out of this house.I added mentally.
Finding an oversized pair of black sweats, I rolled them up four times at the waist just to hold them in place. Then I pulled a maroon tee over my head, letting it fall to my knees. Grabbing the hem, I tied it in a knot at my waist. Not good, but it would have to do.
I found a brush in the bathroom and combed through my long tresses. Yes, I was still stalling. Silver eyes stared back at me in the mirror. I sighed.At least they aren’t glowing.
The hallway was quiet as I headed for the stairs. My hand glided over the Ivory marbled handrail that curled around and descended the staircase. I took my time, half expecting an ambush. My heart hammered and I swallowed hard. But I kept going.
An elderly lady with cleaning supplies briefly met my eyes before hers widened and she dropped her head and stared at the floor. Her actions were a bit unnerving.
Light chatter and the smell of freshly brewed coffee had me heading in that direction. I didn’t take the time to admire the richness of the house. I didn’t look at the strategically placed paintings, the expensive furniture, or the crown molding on the walls. My belly rumbled and I needed a cup of coffee.
I stepped into the spacious dining room with a large oval table with at least twenty chairs. Luca sat at the head with Axel to his right and Devon on his left. There were two others there, but I didn’t know their names. The rest of the chairs were empty. All eyes were staring at me as I followed my nose into an adjoining room. Three women and a man were scrambling around cooking breakfast. I ignored them and zoomed in on the coffee pot, needing my caffeine fix.
“May I help you miss,” a warm grandmotherly voice asked, which only confused me. Was she talking to me? Glancing over my shoulder, my gaze locked with honey brown eyes. They widened and she quickly dropped her gaze.
I sighed at her response, saying, “Nope. I’m good.”
Holding the cup below my nose, I slowly inhaled the robust and delicious smell of liquid heaven when gentle fingers swept my hair away from my neck. Instantly, I knew that Luca had walked up behind me.
“Good morning, Ivy.”
“Morning,” I mumbled and took a sip of coffee before turning to face him. Just being near him made me weak in the knees. My wolf pushed for control, but I held firm. Although, I did silently acknowledge that I didn’t know how much longer I could resist Luca. His tender side melted the shield I carried around my heart, while his dominant take-charge side supercharged my wolf into a sexual frenzy. Okay, maybe not just my wolf’s side. Luca was easy on the eyes and sexier than any man or shifter I’d met.
“I thought you would like to know that I spoke with Brian this morning and your friend has made a full recovery.”
The coffee cup slipped from my hand, shattering on the floor. Lightning fast, Luca lifted and spun me out of the way, so no porcelain hit my legs. I hated that I’d made a mess, but the relief was so profound I had to hold back the tears. I wouldn’t cry, would not break down in front of these strangers—even Luca. I may have had a few intense encounters with him, but he was still a stranger. My wolf bared her teeth at me, insisting he was her mate.Our mate.
Swallowing hard, I regained composure. “That is good news.” I needed to talk with Kelly to hear her voice, so I knew that she really was okay. I mean, she was attacked by a vampire! “Do you have my phone?”
“No. After you changed, your phone shattered on the pavement. Trace tried to save it, but it is too damaged.”
Motherfuckerpancakelover!I gritted my teeth. “Then give me yours. I need to talk to Kelly and check in with Jackson…let him know there was another attack last night. And then I need to….”
