“Hmmm.”
“Why didn’t you mark me? I mean, back at the cabin.”
Shit. She hadn’t meant to blurt out those words. But she’d been restrained, turned on, and would’ve agreed to anything.
His hold tightened. “I’ll mark you when you’re ready.
When you agree with a clear mind.”
“What if I don’t agree?”
“You will.” He brushed a kiss along her temple. “Mating is forever. You need to make the choice on your own.”
What an awfully reasoned approach for a wolf to make.
“Sometimes you surprise me.”
His shrug nearly knocked her on her butt. “Sorry.” He helped to right her.
“My fault.” Being a klutz sucked. “So, um, when you fought, you were both human and wolf. That’s not normal, is it?”
“No.”
She waited for more, but he remained silent. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s part of being Skene. We’re good fighters because of the ability, which is one of the reasons our enemies took us out. It was also why I was trained so early to be on the Council.”
Sounded seriously lonely. Maggie wrapped her fingers tighter around his. “So, how about a tour of the wolf headquarters?”
“Sure.” He maneuvered her closer to the main lodge.
“Are you considering staying here?”
The thought occurred to her to lie, but she couldn’t do it after the day they’d shared. “No. Even if I remember my life and know I love you and want to get hitched, I’m not living here without you.”
“You can’t hunt with me.”
Now she shrugged. “So it’s an impasse. We don’t mate.”
“We’ve had this discussion before.”
“I was right then, too.”
He slowed. “Are you remembering?”
Her shoulders straightened. “No. I mean, sometimes I hear your voice right before I wake up. Your voice with the brogue. But that’s all.”
He turned her to face him. “That’s incredibly sweet.”
Warmth settled across his rugged cheekbones.
Heat climbed into hers. “I’m not sweet. Telling you the truth seems to be the easiest path.” Her grin even felt happy.
“Even though I don’t remember my past yet, I do feel like I loved you.” She kicked a loose pebble, her gaze dropping.
“A lot.”
One knuckle under her chin lifted her face. “I loved you more.” His mouth took hers.
Warm and gentle, his kiss wandered right down to her heart and spread.
He lifted his head. “You may never remember your past, sweetheart. But you’re strong enough to go forward and create a good life for yourself. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.” Was it possible for her to move on without knowing herself ?
“Good. Are you ready for a wolf party?”
She bit her lip. “I’m not sure. But what the heck.”
Chuckling, he took her hand and led her around the weathered lodge. A potluck had been set up in the middle of the scruffy clearing, complete with bright checked table-cloths. Two long tables were piled high with tons of food in crockpots, pretty dishes, and decorated bowls. People milled around, setting up, while a band tuned instruments close to a makeshift dance floor.
Terrent tugged her toward the wide porch along the main lodge where Gerald helped a little boy untangle a kite. “Hi.”
The Alpha glanced up, a smile lighting his worn face.
“Help. Please help.” He handed over the strings.
Terrent accepted the mess and dropped to his haunches.
“Hey, Toby.”
“Hi, Trnt.” Toby smiled, showing a gap where his two front teeth had once been. Long blond hair sprang out from his head in every direction, and his eyes were a bright green.
Very wolflike. He had to be about four, maybe five years old.
“My kite got grounded.”
“We can fix it.” Terrent tugged a string free.
Warmth flushed through Maggie. What the heck? Now she was some silly female getting all soft over a guy helping a kid?
Yeah. Yeah, she was.
He jerked his head toward her. “This is Maggie.”
Toby stuck out a grubby hand. “Hi. You Trnt’s?”
Maggie shook his hand, saying “no” just as Terrent answered “yes.”
Toby nodded solemnly. “That means you his.” He sighed and shook his head at Terrent. “Girls.”
“Amen, brother.” Terrent finished untangling the strings and handed the kite back to the kid.
“Thanks, Trnt. You the best.” Toby took the kite and jumped off the porch, his small legs pumping. The flag lifted.
“Cute kid,” Maggie said. Her gaze caught on Roger as he sat in a wide chair at the end of the lodge. A king surveying his subjects.
Terrent followed her gaze. His shoulders went back.
Gerald sighed. “Let it go. We’re going to do the transfer of leadership ceremony next week. Unless someone challenges him, he’s going to lead.”
“Good luck. I’m glad I’ll miss that moment.” Terrent glanced at his watch. “I’ve been away from work too long and plan to leave soon. We’ll be back in time to take the cheerleaders to nationals, I promise. But we have an outbreak of werewolves in Denver, and I need to meet Lock and Ace as soon as possible.”
Maggie swallowed. What about her? His timetable only gave her a short period to discover who was messing with the inoculations. “Werewolves from the virus?”
Terrent started. “No. These are everyday humans-turned-werewolves.”
Unfortunately, the werewolf gene was a dormant one in humans. Nobody knew why or how it went live with certain humans, who then turned and either bit or clawed other vic-tims. There would always be werewolves for the Bane’s Council to hunt and kill. Maggie kicked a pebble. “Have a great trip.”
Terrent lifted an eyebrow, glancing down. “I figured we’d come up with a plan before I left. Whether you want to live here, with the vampires, or anywhere else. I’d like you to live with people I trust.”
“I’m not your responsibility.” Apparently she never would be. Maneuvering around the large wolf, she hooked her arm through Gerald’s. “I’d love a tour of your headquarters.”
The Alpha smiled, looking years younger. “I’d be delighted.”
They both ignored Terrent, moving off the porch toward the outcropping of buildings.
Gerald pointed to three log cabins set back in the forest.
“Those are guest cabins for visiting dignitaries—not as fancy as the mansion you first stayed in, but nice enough.
You’ve already seen the main lodge.” He grinned and patted her hand while leading her toward the entrance to the rock.
“Inside the mountain we keep the cool stuff.”
She’d spent plenty of time in the king’s underground headquarters. “Don’t tell me. Hidden weapons caches, com-puter banks, and storage facilities. As well as living quarters in case everyone needs to take refuge underground during war.”
Gerald threw back his head and laughed. “Yes. Just like the king’s. But our people are wolves who don’t live underground unless we’re being bombed. We’ve spread out over the mountain, and some folks even live in town. We’ve found that’s the best situation for the kids—to make friends with humans. The world is becoming closer, and we’re trying to adapt.”
Roger would probably try to change that. Maggie sighed.
“Your packmates seem like good people.”
“We’re great.” Gerald grinned. “You should join the pack.
As soon as our soldiers return, we’ll be invincible again. Or . . .
really strong.”
“What about my weird brain ability?” She could be a danger to everyone around her.