Page 4 of A Skirl of Sorcery
‘You need a good man about the place,’ Dave went on, clearly unwilling to drop the subject.
I raised an eyebrow. ‘Just like you need a good woman?’
He looked only mildly horrified at the thought and I smirked. ‘In any case,’ I said, dusting off the last few pizza crumbs, ‘Iwouldn’t worry about any more thieves. I reckon whoever was behind those burglaries has moved on to pastures new.’
Dave’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. ‘What do you know that I don’t?’
He Who Must Sleep appeared from around the corner and made a determined beeline for my lap, jumping up and curling into a tight ball before closing his eyes. ‘I’m a middle-aged cat lady who’s not getting her leg over. What on earth could I possibly know?’
I stroked the top of He Who Must Sleep’s head and smiled to myself – but I still couldn’t shake the image of the troubled trow out of my head.
I didn’t knowwhy Thane was currently living in a swanky penthouse apartment in one of the best areas in Coldstream. He wasn’t short of a bob or two, so it was possible he owned the place, but given what else I knew about him it was equally possible that he was squatting there.
Thane never stayed in the same place for long; he moved around on an almost monthly basis, as if he were afraid of putting down roots somewhere and then being disappointed when he was forced to leave. I suspected there would always be a scared boy inside that taut, muscular body, a boy who was afraid that he didn’t belong anywhere. We all had our demons; some were simply more obvious than others.
Just in case he wasn’t supposed to be in residence, I avoided the concierge at the front desk and took the stairs rather than the lift to the top floor. Better safe than sorry.
‘Thanks for dropping by, Kit,’ Thane said, when he opened the front door. ‘And thanks for doing this.’ I stared at him.‘You’ve not changed your mind, have you?’ I opened my mouth but no words came out. ‘If there’s a problem,’ he began, ‘tell me what it is.’
I gestured wordlessly towards his body. He’d clearly just stepped out of the shower, and he was topless, his chest beaded with droplets of water. A white towel was slung around his hips. One tug and it would pool on the floor around his feet, exposing him fully to my gaze. My eyes caught one particular shining drop of water as it trickled down from Thane’s collarbone, creating a mesmerising trail on his faintly tanned skin. The droplet curved around his exposed nipple before tracking lower. And lower. And lower…
Thane glanced down at himself and looked surprised. ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t apologise.’ I finally managed to speak with at least a little coherence.
A slow, lazy smile lit up his face as he flexed his arms and leaned casually against the door frame. It was an open invitation to jump his bones.What the hell, I figured. Dave was right; it was about time we did this.
I took a step back, licked my lips very, very slowly, and allowed my eyes to travel all the way down his body then back up again to linger at the towel. ‘You’re very wet,’ I murmured.
His answer was instantaneous. ‘Are you?’
I drew in a breath.Come on, Kit. You like Thane. Don’t be afraid of this.‘It’s time that you found out,’ I whispered.
Thane’s nostrils flared: he hadn’t been expecting that response. ‘This could complicate our friendship.’
Sure it could, but I’d already considered the ramifications, many times, and I knew Thane had done the same. ‘We’re both adults. We can deal with the fallout. I want sex, Thane. With you.’ Thane flushed. ‘And we both know you’ve done this deliberately.’
His blush faded away and he frowned. ‘Done what?’
‘The towel. The wet, half-naked body. You saw me coming from your window and prepared yourself for my arrival.’
He flashed me a tight, knowing grin. ‘You know me too well.’
I swallowed. ‘Not well enough. Not yet, anyway.’
His emerald eyes glittered and he extended a hand. I reached out to take it.
Then I froze.
‘What?’ he asked. ‘What’s wrong?’
I pointed wordlessly to his stomach. He glanced down and registered the large patch of thick, glossy fur that had appeared. ‘Fucking full moon,’ he muttered.
In theory there were several hours to go until Thane was supposed to transform. Once the sun went down and the moon’s effect took force, Coldstream would be filled with baying furry hounds; by midnight, Thane would be on four furry paws and roaming through Coldstream with his tail in the air whether he wanted to or not. But I knew that werewolves often partially transformed in the hours – and sometimes days – before the moon was full, especially when they were under a lot of stress. Or excitement. That was why I was picking up Tiddles this morning rather than later in the day.
‘Can you control it?’ I asked.
Thane grimaced. ‘Sure.’ No sooner had the word left his mouth than more patches of fur appeared on his arms. There was a cracking sound and his face began to change shape.
