Reflections of the Wolf (12 page)

“She’s fine,” he snarled, surprising Caroline into jumping.

“Oh my God, Liam! You scared me! Tina? Hey, what are you….” Caroline’s voice was cut off by Damon’s hand over her mouth as both he and Devin exchanged a look. Their nostrils were flaring as they could smell the overpowering scent of sex in the air. Damon smiled knowingly, but Devin frowned at Liam.

“I’m sorry we interrupted your…conversation…but Caroline was concerned when she couldn’t find Tina. Tina, are you, all right?” Devin said quietly. Liam growled at the implication that his mate might not be okay in his care.

“I’m fine, thanks! We’re just working some things out. We couldn’t talk in there. Too loud,” she babbled and finally stopped herself. Liam felt her press her forehead against his back right between his shoulder blades as if seeking his comfort, and his whole body relaxed. He reached one arm around behind him settling it on her hip and held her tightly to him. He liked that she turned to him when she needed protection, even if it was just protection from her friend’s judgment.

“Actually, I’m going to run Tina home. I believe she has to work tomorrow, and it’s getting late,” he said, and Devin nodded. Caroline’s eyes were huge and stunned. Liam could see her brain working out what they had interrupted, and her little nose twitched. Now that the panic had worn off, she was scenting them as well. This was the most awkward situation he had been in to date, and he could feel Tina’s trembling behind him.

“Sure, I’m just glad we were able to see you were both okay. We’ll see you both later then,” Devin said, and he tugged on Caroline, who was staring openmouthed now that Damon had dropped his hand from her. She stood frozen in place as if she wasn’t sure she was ready to leave them.

Damon opened the door to the bar, and Devin snagged Caroline’s hand to pull her with them. When she didn’t move immediately, Liam shifted to the side so that she could just barely see her friend. The two women exchanged a look that had Caroline releasing a huge sigh and shaking her head.

“Tina Dawn Jameson, you better know what you’re doing,” she said and spun around to storm back into the bar, leaving them alone.

Liam turned around and put his arms back around Tina. She sagged heavily against him. He kissed the top of her head and ran his hands up and down her back, trying to figure out what to say.

“I can’t believe I just did that,” she mumbled against his chest. He could feel her hot breath through the material, and his cock stirred again.

“Had sex in the alley, or had sex with me?” he asked.

“Got caught!” she said, laughing, and she tipped her head back to look at him. The amusement in her eyes eased his concern over the situation. She wasn’t sorry she had sex with him again. That was a good start.

“I’m just glad it was someone we knew,” he said, chuckling.

“Lord have mercy, if a stranger had stepped out here I’m not sure I could have stopped!” she said, and his breath caught. A low growl rumbled through his chest at her passionate statement and the smirk she gave him.

“Come home with me tonight? I’ll make sure to get you to work on time in the morning,” he said.

“No, Liam. I need to go home. I told you I’m not ready for a serious relationship. Please just let this be what it is for right now.” She stepped away from him, and his chest was heavy with disappointment.

Instead of arguing, he reached down and took her hand, bringing it to his lips. The soft caress of his lips over her knuckles caused her brown eyes to darken, and he smiled at her. “You got it. Just promise me you won’t run away again. Don’t shut me out completely.”

She watched him silently for a moment before nodding. “I’ll try.”

With those two words, they headed around the building to the parking lot where he helped her into her car. Just before he shut her car door, he leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss. It took all of his control to hold back and not drive her to the edge of desire again, but he forced himself to step back and shut her door with a quick wave. He watched her car drive away until he couldn’t see the brake lights anymore before he headed to his own truck and his cold bed.

Chapter 9

Liam tossed and turned most of the night in his bed before deciding to get up and go for a run. Maybe shifting and embracing the forest would help him settle his thoughts.

Falling madly in love with the woman destined to be his mate was going to upset his entire world. He understood now why Devin and Damon refused to live at the den, because it was so far away from Caroline when she was at work. The desire to take care of Tina in every way absorbed him.

As he ran through the trees, he could feel the breeze ruffle his silver-gray fur, and smell the coming rain on it. He wondered what Tina would look like as a wolf. If he had bitten her as his wolf desired, she would already be undergoing an internal change in her DNA. He was proud of himself for maintaining enough control not to. She wasn’t ready yet, and he loved her, so he wanted to give her the time she needed. He just hoped it would be soon because his balls were bluer than his eyes whenever he thought about her.

A cabin came into view as he ran into a forest clearing, and he slowed when he realized someone was on the front porch in a rocking chair. Moving closer he was able to see Delaky more clearly as she rocked gently while sipping from a coffee mug.

“Now you seek my words, Liam Gray? After turning me away from your door?” she said quietly. His animal hearing picked up the words on the breeze, and his ears twitched. “Rude boy to stay in your fur when you mean to beg forgiveness.”

He shifted and smiled at her hesitantly. He moved to sit on the steps of the porch. Delaky didn’t bat an eye at his nudity, and he didn’t pretend to be modest. Wolves were used to being around each other nude, and Delaky was part of the pack even if she wasn’t a shifting wolf.

“I’m sorry, Delaky. I didn’t mean to offend you, but I wasn’t ready to talk, or to listen for that matter,” he said contritely.

“You will listen because your heart is open tonight. You carry the sorrows of old yesterdays, my child, and it is consuming you like fire to the trees. You are burning with impatience that will only cause you more grief,” she said. She watched him with knowing eyes, and he scanned her pale features, trying to understand her puzzling words.

She had large eyes that were faintly blue, but nearly colorless. Her white-blonde hair almost glowed in the dark night and hung in tangled curls over her shoulders. She was lovely, but in a strangely magical way. The rumor was that she was around when his grandparents’ parents were young children, but no one dared to ask her age. No one really wanted to know the secrets of their most trusted advisor. They preferred to just respect her wisdom. Her eyes told the story of an old soul, but her image was young, and she moved with the energy of youth. She was an odd mixture of youth and experience, but who knew why. She just was what she was.

“My wolf wants to claim its mate, but she is human and doesn’t feel the same way,” he explained. Delaky’s silence made him shift uncomfortably. “I have tried to explain to her…”

“You have tried to make her live what life you desire for her.” Delaky cocked her head and paused her rocking before she continued. “Or have you truly shared yourself with her? To be a whole you must intertwine the two halves. Shall you share her shadows and sorrows? Light is not without dark. Your mate is unique in her history, but not unlike yourself. She needs strength, with softness, against her spines of coldness.” Uniquely melodic, her words gave him pause.

Had he merely tried to push his wants on Tina’s life, or had he actually taken the time to share himself with her? And what the hell were spines of coldness? “Delaky, I can’t force her to want me.”

“The desire is there, but her own darkness still haunts her. She must expel the grief to find her joy. You must open her heart to the light of your wolf,” Delaky said with an air of finality, and then she stood. “Sleep calls for me. Bring her to meet your parents, and I will come. She will understand more when you speak less.” With that last statement, Delaky went into her cabin, leaving Liam sitting on the front steps alone in the darkness.

What darkness was haunting Tina? Shit, he thought to himself. How can I speak less than I already have? I haven’t even tried to ask her about her family or her past. How stupid can I be? He shot to his feet and shifted on a breath before taking off into the woods. If he was going to claim his mate, he would need to form a more intimate bond with her and that included sharing his family with her.

He wondered how a mate would change his daily existence. He loved working for the fire department because of the free time it gave him, and he had plenty of responsibilities to the pack. In his free time, he trained the younger wolves in various fighting techniques. He liked to stay as active as possible, and Tina was in great shape because she was a dancer. He hoped that she would enjoy some of the things he did, like poker with the guys, bonfires and beer, early morning runs…he just didn’t know enough about her yet.

What kind of family did she have? Were they close, or were they distant? His parents lived here at the den in their own cabin not far from his, and he spent at least one evening a week having dinner with them. It was important that his family know Tina and love her, too.

He could remember joking about finding his mate when he was young with his adopted brothers. Rafe and Ryley had been sad and lonely children after their parents went missing, and Liam found himself constantly trying to lift their spirits. Teasing them was a surefire way to get them out of their melancholy, so he had become fairly proficient at it. They were his best friends, his roommates, his pack mates, his coworkers, and his brothers in all but blood. He needed to talk to them about all of this before he made a plan.

Turning around, he ran back for the cabin to find them. Knowing Rafe like he did, he knew where to find him. Heading directly for the small garage behind the house, he could smell the mingling scents of paint, turpentine, and fresh canvas. The clink of glass paint jars and the rasp of the brush against the canvas assured him that he would find his friend where he expected. He shifted and opened the garage door, stepping inside into the dim shadow of the corner. He didn’t remain there out of modesty, but out of respect. This was Rafe’s private space, and he didn’t regularly intrude.

“Are you here for a reason, or just here to watch?” Rafe spoke without stopping the sweep of the paintbrush. He was methodically painting a picture of a snow-white wolf next to a small lagoon surrounded by forest. It was a striking piece, but then again most of Rafe’s masterpieces were.

“I need you for a minute,” Liam said.

“Hmm, well, I know I’m really that sexy, but I didn’t know you swung that way. Sorry, bro, you’re not my type.” Rafe’s grin and sarcastic comment put Liam at ease, and he laughed.

“You wish! You couldn’t have this if you tried!” he teased back, and settled himself, straddling a chair backward. “I need to talk, and I need to hear the truth.”

Rafe became more serious, and his blue eyes looked curious. He ran one hand through his messy blond hair and set the paint tray on the counter next to him. Picking up the used brushes, he headed over to the sink to begin cleaning them.

“Okay, well then, you talk, I’ll listen. I’ve never lied to you before,” he said over his shoulder.

“I know, that’s why I picked you. It’s about Tina.” Rafe froze in his movements for a brief second before finishing what he was doing and drying his hands. He turned around slowly and leaned back against the edge of the counter.

“Your mate?” he asked, cocking his head in interest.

“Definitely,” Liam responded to his question.

“Congrats, man. I never thought I’d see the day, but I’m happy for you. She’s a feisty one, bet she’s fun in bed,” Rafe said with a leer, and Liam surprised himself by becoming slightly jealous.

“Cut the crap, Rafe. My wolf is so riled up I don’t think I can handle it tonight. I’m not sure how to handle anything about my life right now. I can’t pretend it’s not happening, and I’m freaking out,” he said desperately.

“I got ya. You don’t want a mate, but now you’re stuck with one?” Rafe was so calm about it, but Liam’s skin was crawling with nerves.

“I thought I didn’t want one. I mean, you were there with me through everything that happened. You, Ryley, and Whitney know better than anyone else what I went through with Roxy, and I promised myself then that I would never give another woman the chance to betray me. But with Tina it’s different.” Liam stared into space as he spoke, unable to look at Rafe.

“It’s different because she’s your mate. We tried to stop you from marrying Roxy. Hell, Ryley and I were willing to say we kidnapped you, just to keep you from getting to the plane on time, but you wouldn’t have it. You flew to Vegas with her, knowing full well you were marrying the wrong woman. You’re a wolf, and you belong with your mate. If Roxy had been your mate, then we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation. You know what will happen if you keep your wolf from claiming Tina…” Rafe had his arms crossed, and concern laced his words.

“I know, and trust me I
want
to claim her, but she says it’s not what she wants. I heard her talking to Caroline about someone from her past named Esteban. Damn it, it kills me that some man might have hurt her, and now she may never be able to give me a chance. Delaky told me that Tina has a darkness that she is holding onto, and something about our halves becoming a whole after we get over our sorrows? I don’t know, and talking to her just seems to make my head spin. The truth is that I would walk away if that is what would make Tina happy. It wouldn’t be easy, but I would do anything to make her happy,” he said finally looking Rafe in the eye.