Wolfe (22 page)

Wolfe

I could hear Lily snoring in the back seat. The dog had a switch that let her sleep anywhere, anytime.

Kiara was quiet now, and lay with her head on my thigh, rocking as the SUV went over rough spots on the road. The handbrake must’ve been digging into her side even with my jacket cushioning it.

“You should have your seatbelt on, and be sitting up.” I murmured. “It’s safer.”

“Not now, please. I need to touch you. It helps.”

“Okay.” I reached down and caressed her head, feeling her soft hair shift. “I love feeling you too.”

Her amused snort was unexpected.

I shook my head, smiling. “Wasn’t meant to be dirty.”

“Suuure it wasn’t.”

“Though come to think of it, you’re a few inches away from a blowjob.”

“Hmmm.” Her breath warmed my skin through the denim. “Maybe later.”

“Good to know.”

“I’m serious. Strangely. It’d take my mind off this.” She raised her bandaged hand.

Even now the blood made me scowl. “I’m sorry. Sorry we had to do that, Kiara.”

Her sigh was long. “Me too.”

“The painkiller helping any?”

“A little. Though you’re the best painkiller.” She turned onto her back and kissed my palm.

I nodded, feeling blessed that I could help her.

“I found some wildflowers for you, on the way down the mountain earlier.”

“That’s so sweet,” she said, her voice husky.

“Really?”

Tears shone in her eyes.

I steered us around one of the long curves that led down the mountain.

“Guess I’m feeling fragile.” She sniffed and I glimpsed her wiping her eyes.

“That’s okay. I’d kiss you better if I could. The flowers. They’re in the glove box.”

“You picked some? Wow.” She sat up and opened the glove compartment. “Awww. Pretty.”

“Just some bluebells and some red flower I don’t know the name of. Hope they’re not poisonous.” I grinned as she put the small ragged bunch to her nose.

“They smell nice too. You’re a gorgeous man.”

“I can be.” I patted my thigh. “Lie down again.”

Her look said she liked both the idea and that I wanted her there. When she was again lying with her head on my thigh, I ran my finger under the black collar I’d left on her.

“You going to take that off?”

“You can wear it a bit longer. I like it on you.”

“Mmm. I guess. I don’t mind.”

I resumed patting her.

We’d get there. Find our way. I had plans for leaving the USA. We’d work our way down south and once on the coast, I had memories that told me how to work the system and get onto a boat without being stopped.

Thailand?

Wasn’t sure I wanted to go there again, even if it might clear up my past.

I’d talk it over with Kiara and figure this out.

I had this vision of us being married under the sun of a tropical country, confetti raining down, and people smiling and generally being happy. That was going to happen. I would make it so. The more I found out about myself, the more confident I was of this power.

I steered around another long corner then flexed my fingers into the leather steering wheel cover. My strength reassured me.

We could do this.

We had a good future coming.

I wondered if to Kiara this was her
twu love.
For me, I figured it was.

“The pain coming back?” I could feel the twinge. “Need me to take it away?”

Sleepily she murmured a
no
. Stubborn girl. I kissed my hand then applied it to her cheek. “Have a second-hand kiss.”

“Mmm.”

She was falling asleep. It’d been a very big day.

The pain taking away thing...

I remembered.

I’d done it with Guera too. Not all the way as I figured they both needed to feel pain – seeing they deserved it. They’d hurt Kiara, meant to kill me. Assholes. Even if it was their job.

They were in love, though. It was part of why I hadn’t done more.

I’d carved a
W
into the man’s back.

Like I’d decided, Kiara didn’t need to know. Only that I hadn’t killed them.

Guera...

The ziplock plastic bag was in my jacket pocket, the one next to the door.

Four fingers.

I’d taken
some
of her pain.

I should probably throw those away when Kiara was asleep.

Something had compelled me to keep them.

Wouldn’t hurt to hang onto them for a while longer. I was curious about my reason. Always good to know why I did things. My past was such a fucking mystery.

Kiara

Three months later. Cuba.

For two foreigners getting married in Havana, Cuba, we’d done well. Though we couldn’t have a full church wedding, due to our needs for secrecy, or indeed a true civil marriage for the same reasons, Wolfe had done us proud.

The walls had lost their original color, flaked away by years of the elements. The ornate curled decorations, the baroque architecture, the wrought iron – all gave this location a delicious flavor of decadence and history.

We’d arrived here weeks ago. The go-fast boat, as they called it, that’d brought us from Florida to Cuban soil had been the simplest part of our journey. Normally they took Cubans to US soil, or maybe drugs.

We were in the courtyard of a crumbling Spanish colonial house owned by a cousin of the owner of our
casa particular
– Karel. Or maybe a cousin of a cousin. It had been an exuberant gesture of his to sort this out for us. He’d been aghast at our lack of celebration, as had his wife, Athena.

Was it natural or Wolfe’s doing? Athena had no doubt had much to do with this.

They were some of the friendliest people I’d ever met, but... Wolfe had perfected a subtle control method so I could no longer tell what he’d made happen and what came naturally.

With the encouragement of Karel and his young wife, a local band had materialized too, along with chairs, tables, and a supply of alcohol and food. We were paying for this, but prices here were so low it’d barely make a dent in our cash.

The chance to participate in an impromptu reception cross party had seemed infectious.

“Here. Let me get some of this from your hair, beautiful one.” Wolfe’s murmur from behind me, with his mouth inches away and his breath stirring the small hairs on my nape...as always, I shivered.

When he began picking the white confetti from my hair, I turned in his arms, only to receive a soft kiss on my lips.

The twenty or so Cubans, who were friends of Karel, cheered and I couldn’t help smiling over Wolfe’s shoulder at them. They thought we’d had a civil ceremony earlier, though really all we could do was say our vows to each other while standing in the light waves of the beach.

The water had been glass when it stilled before the next wave, and tiny fish had flitted past our legs.

“I love you and will be yours forever,” had been the gist of our vows. It was more than enough for us. We’d wanted something to formalize our relationship.

Maybe one day we’d reach a country where we felt safe to register our marriage under our true names.

“More mojitos!” sang Karel, raising his glass. “For the bride and groom, Cedro, por favor!”

Wolfe held me at arm’s length. “Or champagne?”

“Mojitos will do. Then...” I pressed my forefinger on the button of his white dress shirt and admired the look of his suspenders. The Panama hat had gone missing, thank god. I wasn’t sure he suited one. “
Then
.” I peeked from under my brow. “We shall try to dance the salsa?”

“Hmmm. Is this to be your means of torturing me?”

I looked to Karel. “Your promise? To teach us to dance the salsa. Is that still on?”

“Of course! Music!” He raised his arms dramatically.

Wolfe rolled his eyes and gave a majestic sigh. “For this, at midnight I will dunk you in the ocean...” He pulled me closer and whispered, “Naked.”

I smirked. If he dared. The indecency laws here might mean he’d get us arrested.

“How about the bath tub?”

“That depends... On what you do.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Oh.” I touched my tongue to my teeth, thinking... Or what he made me do.

The unexpected was often best.

“As you wish.” I smiled as I said those words from
The Princess Bride
. Anticipation peaked my nipples. Luckily, the embroidery and beads on the bodice hid such body signs. “How long are we staying here, in Cuba?”

“Forever, if my twu love wishes it so.”

My smile grew as he wrapped his hand over mine – with reverence where he touched my shortened finger – and his other hand cupped my waist.

In this moment, forever seemed good.

“Shall we dance?” Wolfe’s blue eyes took on a feral amusement. “Before I decide you’re too tasty to leave uneaten.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

“I have a confession to make, Kiara. I already know how to dance.”

The trumpets, guitars, and bongos began to play. Before Karel could reach us, Wolfe swept us across the floor, and Cuba’s music twirled us into her arms and into her heart.

THE END

Wolfe is a spin-off, standalone novel from the Dark Hearts trilogy

Dark Hearts can be found on
AMAZON

I love to hear from my readers.

If you enjoyed Wolfe, please consider leaving a review on your favorite retailer or website.

Cari Silverwood is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of kinky darkness or sometimes of dark kinkiness, depending on her moods and the amount of time she’s spent staring into the night. When others are writing bad men doing bad things, you may find her writing good men who accidentally on purpose fall into the abyss and come out with their morals twisted in knots.

If you’d like to learn more go to

My mailing list

Connect with Cari Silverwood on Facebook

On Goodreads

You’re welcome to join this group on facebook to discuss Cari Silverwood’s books:

Pierced Hearts Discussion Group

Also by Cari Silverwood

Dark Hearts Trilogy

(Dark erotic fiction)

Wicked Ways

Wicked Weapon

Wicked Hunt

Dark Hearts trilogy collection – contains Wicked Ways, Wicked Weapon, Wicked Hunt

Wolfe – a spin-off novel from the Dark Hearts trilogy

Pierced Hearts Series

(Dark erotic fiction)

Take me, Break me

Klaus – a novella

Bind and Keep me

Make me Yours Evermore

Seize me From Darkness

Yield

Pierced Hearts Volume 1 – contains books #1, #2 and #3

Pierced Hearts Volume 2 – contains books #2 and #3

Pierced Hearts Volume 3 – contains books #4 and #5

Preyfinders Series

(Erotic scifi)

Precious Sacrifice (Originally published in the anthology, Kept)

Intimidator

Defiler

Preyfinders – The Trilogy

Preyfinders Universe

Cyberella

The Badass Brats Series

The Dom with a Safeword

The Dom on the Naughty List

The Dom with the Perfect Brats

The Dom with the Clever Tongue

Squirm Files Series

Squirm – virgin captive of the billionaire biker tentacle monster

Strum – virgin captive of the billionaire demon rock star monster

The Well-hung Gun – virgin captive of the billionaire were-squid gunslinger monster

Cataclysm Blues Series

Cataclysm Blues

(A free erotic scifi novella)

The Steamwork Chronicles Series

Iron Dominance

Lust Plague

Steel Dominance

Others

31 Flavors of Kink

Three Days of Dominance

Rough Surrender

(Released by Momentum, an eBook branch of Pan Macmillan)

Blood Glyphs