Ellida (21 page)

“Easy, told ya.”

No wonder her teacher was impressed.

AROUND BREAKFAST time I finally tucked
Astrid into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was fast
asleep.

I took Blueberry downstairs to feed her with
a bowl of fresh cream. I’d never been a great cat person, but
Astrid’s little blue-eyed tabby and I’d quickly become very fond of
each other.

Again, James had insisted everybody stay for
a sleepover. I saw Peyton’s purse, Alec’s car keys, Drew’s scarf
and Ahmed’s jacket scattered around the room. The whole band had
come here last night with us and had stayed over. James was always
happy with the house full of people.

I smiled. No wonder James was adored. An
accidental, even reluctant Enhamir at the beginning, he hadn’t
hesitated to step in to prevent any conflict within the clan after
my refusal to become the Einhamir.

James was the only person who knew the true
reason why I’d refused the position that had been offered to me. I
wanted to go to war with Seth, and I knew I’d get enough support in
Red Cliffs for that. James thought enough lives had been lost.
“This isn’t the right time, Jack,” he’d said. “We’re not ready.
Seth is too strong, and you and I are not bloody Agamemnon and
Menelaus. Don’t let those hot heads here push you into a war you’re
not sure you can win. Jack, Seth has started this, but we’ll finish
it. I give you my word…”

The next day I thanked the Council for the
offer and suggested James as my temporary successor.

James had made a few bold moves and won over
the Red Cliffs hard line. He’d become the Einhamir Red Cliffs
needed the most at that moment. He had also secured my future
position. Over time he’d started liking being Enhamir. He was a
natural leader, respected, popular, unselfish, firm and brave. Yet,
he didn’t try to keep the position for himself a day longer than it
was necessary.

His legacy was huge. He’d left giant steps
for me to follow. And yet I knew he believed in me, and his trust
filled me with pride and confidence.

I FOUND Ahmed in the living room, leafing
through some old newspapers.

“You’re up early. Coffee?” I offered.

He nodded. “Please.”

“Did you sleep well?” I asked as I came back
with two mugs in my hands.

“Excellent. I don’t need much sleep, of
course, but long ago I adopted human sleeping habits, among some
others,” he said. “It was a way to deal with—”

“An infinity of time?”

“Something like that, yeah. Now I quite like
it. You see, I lived among humans and werewolves, but I never
stayed long enough to become close with them. And here I feel as if
I’ve come back home. I feel connected, not only to my kind, but to
humans, too.”

“I used to wander around quite a bit. That
was my escape, my way to deal with my own pain and hurt, big and
small, my fears and my mistakes. I had the same feeling every time
I came back. Coming home helped me to heal, glue my broken pieces,
become whole again. People here are nosy, they gossip, sometimes
you feel you have no privacy, but they are also compassionate,
there’s so much in them to give and to receive. This
is
home, Ahmed. That’s why it feels good.”

For a while Ahmed was lost in his thoughts,
and then he just nodded.

“Are you going to work on your house today?”
He asked after a while.

“I want to finish the floor in the master
bedroom. The new bed will be delivered on Monday.”

“Let’s go then. I’ll help you. We’ll be done
before noon.”

I TOOK Blueberry back to our room. “You are
too old to sleep in our bed, young lady. Besides, we don’t want to
accidentally squish you,” I whispered. I placed the kitty into the
cushioned basket that Astrid had bought for her and put it on the
armchair. “There. Be quiet now. Our big girl needs a good
rest.”

Risking waking her up, I kissed Astrid’s
warm, red lips. They tasted like sweet cherries. She stirred and
let out a soft moan, recognizing my touch.

Downstairs again, I made another pot of
coffee for Ahmed and myself.

He went to his place to shower and change
into work clothes, before we met at my house.

Soon we were both completely absorbed in the
simple yet satisfying job of installing the parquet flooring.

WE WERE kissing. I felt Jack’s soft, warm
lips over mine, first gently, then more and more passionate. We
were in my house in Rosenthal, and I wanted to ask him how he’d
made it over the nightingale floor because I hadn’t heard it
squeaking. “What took you so long?” I asked instead.

“You think your floor could stop me?” he
said. “I jumped over it.” His hands cupped my breasts, stroking
them gently. I could feel my nipples hardening.

My fingertips traveled across his broad,
muscular chest and hard stomach. “You are so smooth, Jack. I love
how your skin feels on mine,” I murmured as my hands fumbled with
the buttons of his fly. “Why don’t you just wear regular denim,
with a zipper?” I asked, finally winning the battle with his
jeans.

Jack’s rock-hard erection filled my hand. I
gently stroked the length of his shaft. A single drop of thick,
clear fluid leaked from the small slit. “You are so big, Jack,” I
sighed with a satisfied grin and dipped my head. “I’m not sure I
can take all of you.” The tip of my tongue traveled lazily from the
base toward the wide top, following the path of the prominent
dorsal artery—for some reason its medical name popped up in my
mind. “I’m not very experienced with this, Jack.”

“Imagine it’s a popsicle that’s started
melting,” he said, smiling.

“It’s a rather huge popsicle,” I said and
took him in my mouth. A delicious, salty and tangy taste hit my
palette. “Mmm, I like it,” I murmured, swirling the tip of my
tongue over the engorged head of his penis.

Jack gently pushed me away. “No, Astrid,
love, it’s too much… I can’t …”

“More,” I moaned, “I want more… It’s so silky
and smooth…” Then I heard myself singing
Smooth
, Santana’s
famous song, “One of these nights I’m gonna sing this song,” I said
between two lines. “You like that song, Jack? I love it, it’s so
sexy… Make love to me, please, Jack.”

Jack’s hands grabbed my knees pushing them
apart, and then I felt his hard, hot flesh inside me, swelling even
more, filling me with his length and width. My wide-open eyes found
his, wolfish, topaz-brown, half-closed in ecstasy. “Jack, you have
the knot!” I shrieked in half-surprise, half-delight. “You’ve
knotted me, Jack! Oh, that’s why you told me I would have known if
I’d had a werewolf lover before… Of course, you have
bulbus
glandis
, that’s logical. You
are
a wolf!”

“Only when I’m with my wolf-girl,” he said
through short, rapid breaths. “The knot will release, love, don’t
be scared.” Our kisses deepened—long, luscious play of our lips and
tongues.

“I don’t want to be released,” I whispered
into Jack’s lips, panting laboriously, the pressure building
unbearably inside me. “I want to stay knotted forever… Oh, Jack, it
feels so good… I’m yours…”

“You are, baby… mine forever…” As the rhythm
of Jack’s thrusts increased, my inner muscles clenched around the
thick shaft of his cock. A split second after a hard, shattering
climax raged through my body, I felt Jack’s heavy testicles tighten
and his hot, thick release fill my hungry womb…

A sound of a moan, loud, my own, snapped me
awake. I opened my eyes, gasping for air. My hair was damp, my body
sweaty. The bed sheets were crumpled under me, Jack’s pillow
tightly squeezed between my legs, my hand somewhere there, too. I
pulled myself upright, disoriented for a moment. Shouldn’t I be in
Rosenthal? My left hand reached for Jack. I was so sure I’d find
him on the other side of the bed.

With a sigh, I fell back against the pillow
and closed my eyes, clinging to the threads of my dream. My heart
refused to slow down, its fast, strong beats pounding through my
chest and echoing in my ears.

Oh, thank God the room is
soundproofed
, was the first sane thought that penetrated
through my mind.

Still enchanted with my beautiful dream, I
stumbled toward the bathroom, took a cold shower and got
dressed.

I FOUND Betty and Eamon in the kitchen.

He spun me around. “Here comes our star! You
were incredible, Astrid! They loved you! Are you ready to knock
them out again tonight?”

“Last night I was just warming up. Tonight’s
gonna be pandemonium!” I said happily.

Betty hugged me and kissed my cheek. “We are
so proud of you, Astrid! You were fantastic! What a voice you
have!”

“Thank you. Oh boy, I almost ran away when
the lights turned off, but once I started, everything was okay.
Everything fell into place.”

Eamon placed two plates in front of his
mother and me and poured us coffee. “I made French toast for
breakfast. Vanilla sugar or cinnamon sugar?”

“Vanilla, please. Is there anybody in this
family who doesn’t cook, except me?” I said, helping myself to a
thick, golden slice of French toast. Eamon dusted it with powdered
vanilla sugar and topped it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
“Jack taught me how to make it, and now I think my French toast’s
even better than his.”

“Maggie couldn’t care less about cooking,”
Betty said. “At least you found a husband who cooks. We’ll see if
she’s going to be that lucky.”

According to my various senses, only Maggie
was still in the house. “Where’s everybody?”

“Peyton, Drew and Lily left an hour ago.
Peyton asked you to phone her later,” Eamon said, joining us at the
table. “Alec’s with Jack, Dad and Ahmed. They want to finish the
floor before the storm. The rest of the band left, too.”

“Eamon,” I said, “I’d like to include
Santana’s
Smooth
on our list. You’d sing it. I’d do the
back-up singing. What do think?”

Eamon laughed. “Funny you mention it. Jack
really likes that song. We might even convince him to sing it.
Sure, we’ll do it, one way or another.”

A few scenes from my recent dream flashed
through my mind, and I felt my ears become hot.

TAKESHI WAS already waiting for me to
continue with our practice. But before we started, before anything
else, I wanted to see Jack.

I found him alone on the main floor, in a
big, bright area that soon would be the heart of our home—our big
family room with the kitchen as its central point.

Jack turned to me and a wide smile spread
across his face. I threw myself into his open arms. He cupped my
bottom and lifted me, setting me on his hips. I locked my legs
around his waist.

I closed my arms around his neck and set my
mouth over his. “I missed you. I had a dream last night,” I
murmured, moving my lips to his neck and shoulder.

“Ah. I don’t need to ask what kind of dream.
I was good, wasn’t I?”

“Beyond description. Oh, I’m so tired of this
stupid moratorium on our sex life.”

“A few more sleeps, baby.”

“Jack, we need you upstairs!” I heard Ahmed’s
voice.

“In a minute!” Jack said. “I have to go,
baby.”

“Wait. I need to ask you something.” I licked
my lips looking for the right words to ask about a particular part
of my dream.

I’d had the brief pleasure of seeing Jack
stark-naked twice. Every part of his big, magnificent body was
well-built and proportional and nothing looked physiologically
distinctive. Except that, now that I thought about it, he indeed
seemed a bit wider… there.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what we did in my
dream?” I started indirectly, blushing. I closed my eyes and rested
my forehead against his, breathing in his masculine, arousing
scent.

“Ahem, no, not now,” he said, a regretful
note in his voice.

“Jack, hurry up!” This time it was my
uncle.

I sighed. Well, I was a doctor. So far, I’d
treated only humans, but there must be textbooks on werewolf
anatomy. Or I could wait a bit and learn firsthand if werewolves
indeed had that intriguing extra feature. If they had, then,
logically, our female physiology must also be ‘customized’ to
accommodate it, right? So there was nothing to be worried
about.

My hand slipped under Jack’s shirt, caressing
his warm, sweaty skin. In a low voice, I sang the first few lines
of
Smooth
into Jack’s ear, raising goose bumps on his
forearms. “I dreamed I sang that song… Jack, do you have any idea
how much I love you?”

I lowered my hips until my middle part
reached Jack’s hard arousal and then I kissed him like there was no
tomorrow.

“Whoa, whoa, easy baby! My control only goes
so far.” He put me down and gave my bottom a gentle smack. “Go now.
Ahmed and Dad need me there. I’ll see you later.”

IN AN attempt to pull myself out of the
erotic haze, I concentrated on my training, to Takeshi’s apparent
delight. Three hours with a bow and arrows significantly smothered
my sexual frustration.

Later I joined Rawhide in the basement.

“What do you think about some pop songs for
tonight? The best of the 70’s and 80’s?” I said.

“Oh, joy!” Bernard Wagner, Eamon’s friend
from school and the band’s keyboardist and saxophonist, rolled his
eyes.

Eamon made a face but didn’t say anything. He
pulled a piece of paper from the drawer. “This is our list for a
pop night.”

“What’s gonna be the last song tonight?” Sid
asked. “Any idea?”

“We can finish the night with some country,”
I said and winked at my cousin.

He rubbed his chin. “Oh, well. I asked for
it, didn’t I? Well, cousin, country it is.”

Bernard shook his head. “Oh, please, no! If
we play country for the closing, we’ll be there till morning.” Then
he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, “But you wouldn’t mind,
would you?”