Page 34 of The Werewolf Cowboy
“Now that I’ve had dinner and we’re out of that damn cave, I’m much better.”
Grayson laughed. Enchanted by the sound, she left her rocking chair and climbed into his lap. At first he flinched again, but when she pillowed her head against his chest, he sighed and slid an arm around her.
“I’ve dreamed about this,” he admitted. “You, in my arms, and we’re just watching the world pass by.”
He slid his fingers through her hair, rubbing her head and she made a humming sound deep in her throat, like a contented cat. A large predator cat, not a house pet.
“Feels great,” she murmured.
“You’re purring. Thought you were a wolf, not a lil ole pussycat,” he teased.
She bared her fangs at him. “I am, silly. Think a housecat has these?”
He wasn’t immune to the simmering sexuality between them, for she felt the hardness in his jeans beneath her bottom. Smiling, she sat, watching the sunset. Katy marveled at the changing colors. Vibrant, iridescent and lovely.
So unlike this kingdom of darkness and danger.
Grayson pointed to the sky. “Colors representing all the species here of Others. Green for the forest fairies and sprites, red for Fae, blue for Lupine, orange for trolls, citrine for ogres, and pink and purple for all the Others who reside here. Purple for the magick, pink for the earth.”
So different from her world of Skins, where she galloped through the pastures and could easily pretend she was normal. Either a Skin or a Lupine. On Earth, it was easy to blend. Here, it presented a real challenge. She had to call upon her unique Lupine powers to survive.
Her stomach growled, as if she hadn’t eaten an entire steak.
He watched her, as if gauging her reaction. “How do you feel? Truth now.”
“I’m still hungry,” she admitted. “I don’t want to seem ungrateful…”
“Reckon you would still need chow. Fresh, raw meat, not frozen. You’re approaching your time, and that uses up a lot of Lupine magick. And in this world, Lupines require more raw meat to fuel their magick. Get up.”
She did. Grayson stood, stretching, and she admired the play of his biceps as they flexed.
“Is there game nearby?”
“Close enough so we don’t have to run far.” He held out his hand. She took it, the energy between them arcing in purple and pink streaks. He studied the sparks.
“Feel that?” he asked softly.
She nodded. “Sexual chemistry.”
“Here, it’s a living thing, not as subtle as in the Skin world. Lupines make their intentions known early on, because our instincts run deeper and our urges are fiercer.” He drew in a deep breath and tugged her down the porch stairs.
Silver moonlight gilded the nearby trees as they shifted into their wolf forms. Gone was the tension she felt seeing his large wolf, which easily outweighed hers by 150 pounds. Instead she felt alive, aware and very, very female.
Grayson led her through the glade into the forest. Her nostrils twitched with the delicious smells of rabbit and deer.Haven, indeed, she thought as he caught the scent of a nearby deer and she followed, stalking the creature.
Soon the deer was dead, a merciful, swift death. She held back, letting Grayson eat first. Back on the ranch when she ran with the others in the Mitchell pack, Lupine etiquette demanded the alpha pair and all pregnant females eat first, but here, she went on instinct.
The male who brought down the kill had his choice.
Katy watched Grayson eat his fill of the prey. Then he turned, and nudged her toward the deer, urging her to eat.
A primitive thrill raced through her. This was living life as wolf, nothing to block her from her instincts. No threat of Skins, no worries about getting caught doing something that the pack—and Aiden—would frown upon. Nothing but pure wildness, nature and her own deep-set instincts guiding her.
No wonder Fae like Ninnea preferred the Dark Kingdom. Without the restrictions of the earthly world, they could live free and do as they chose.
Grayson shifted back to Skin, and wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. “Don’t think like that, Katy. Life here isn’t all pleasure and fun and games. It can be unpredictable and raw, so raw that if you stay here, you could lose yourself forever.”
Again, reading her mind. By now she was accustomed to the intrusion. Instinct nudged her to block him by thinking of a brick wall. Katy shifted back and called to mind the image of dozens of bricks, solid and strong.
