JESSE
Destroying Ulfrik’s body was an unpleasant task, but it had to be done. And I had to do it in a certain way.
As I’d told Caleb, secrecy was everything. A burial would have been straightforward, but I couldn’t risk a stray animal digging up bones. If a hiker or some curious kid playing in the woods stumbled across so much as a vertebra, the media would descend on Hale Valley within hours.
And shortly after that, werewolves would jump from science fiction to reality. The lycanthropy virus died with its host, but the virus also caused enough changes in an individual’s DNA to raise red flags. No one could ever find Ulfrik, which meant building a pyre and cremating his remains with the help of a few chemicals.
After a minute of deep-breathing to strengthen the ward, I dressed in loose sweats I kept in the garage. Then I gathered my supplies, wrapped Ulfrik’s head and body in a drop cloth, and made my way into the woods.
Fortunately, the snow had held off long enough for me to find enough dry sticks for a makeshift pyre. I built the structure as quickly as I could, then rewrapped Ulfrik in a more dignified manner. Once I got him settled on the pyre, I stepped back and bowed my head.
“Um…” I searched my memory for the Bible verses I’d been forced to memorize as a kid, but all I heard was my father’s gruff voice speaking in Dutch. That wasn’t a mental path I wanted to go down, so I settled for mumbling the Lord’s Prayer. Snowflakes began to fall as I finished, and I hurried to my bag of supplies and mixed the aluminum, iron oxide, and magnesium that would ensure Ulfrik’s pyre grew hot enough to turn his bones to ash.
Then, with a flicker of a propane torch, I set his body ablaze. Sparks flew, and I hauled ass away from the pyre as the chemical reaction sped up.
Once I reached a safe distance, I turned back and waited for the fire to do its work. The smoke climbed into the sky, mixing with the snowflakes that drifted to the forest floor. Heat radiated from the pyre, searing my lungs and making sweat roll down my back. As the flames licked over the body, hazy memories of Ulfrik filled my mind. From what I’d heard over the years, he’d withdrawn from the world after his mate died. The isolation had almost certainly contributed to him turning rogue. Sequestered from other wolves, he’d had no one to anchor him when he started losing control.
At last, the chemical fire burned itself out. I shoveled snow onto the remains to stifle the last of the heat. It took a few more minutes to clear the scene, and then I packed up and headed for the house.
My thoughts turned to Caleb as I picked my way over fallen logs and dead leaves. He’d been understandably shocked by the violence of Ulfrik’s death. His fear and revulsion had crossed our bond with crystal-clear clarity. But his determination to protect me had been just as strong. With just one shift under his belt, he hadn’t hesitated to take on Ulfrik. Most new werewolves would have panicked in the face of a rogue. Caleb had lifted those pruning shears like they were a broadsword.
I didn’t deserve him. But I’d be damned if I let him go.
Worry dogged my steps as I neared the house. I was strong enough to block Caleb from accessing my emotions. But that wouldn’t always be the case. He’d mastered his wolf. How long until he mastered our bond? What happened when he started asking questions I wasn’t prepared to answer?
The shower was running when I entered the house. I removed my dirty shoes and padded up the stairs, my cock stirring at the thought of Caleb naked in my bathroom. And this wasn’t the right time for sex, but timing didn’t seem to matter to my dick when Caleb was involved.
The bathroom door was cracked, revealing a sliver of the double sinks and the mirror above it. I paused, one hand on the door as steam rolled through the air, ferrying the cedar-and-clove scent of my body wash into my lungs. I canted my head down, willing my erection to go away. But a soft noise brought my attention back up just as a flash of golden skin appeared in the mirror above the sink.
The steam cleared, revealing a wet Caleb standing under the rainfall shower head. He faced away from the mirror, his feet braced wide on the gray tile as he rinsed shampoo from his hair. I’d splurged on the shower, which was open to the rest of the bathroom except for a fixed pane of glass that stopped water from spraying everywhere. It was money well-fucking-spent because it gave me an unimpeded view of Caleb’s sun-kissed body.
Blood rushed to my dick. Only half-aware of what I was doing, I pushed open the door and drifted forward, my gaze fixed on miles of golden skin and rippling muscle. Football had served Caleb well, honing his body into something out of a fitness magazine. Every inch of the man before me was sleek and tight, from his wide shoulders to his thick calves dusted with golden hair. His ass flexed, and I clenched my jaw as water and sudscoursed over the round muscle and into the cleft between his cheeks.
Fuck.
Slowly, he rotated to face me. He kept his eyes closed and his head tipped back from the spray. Water ran down his smooth chest and perfect abs. It kept going, finding its way into the deep V-cuts around his hips before slicking down his heavy dick and the smooth balls underneath. A droplet rolled down his cockhead and clung to his tip. It hung there, trembling like it didn’t want to let go.
Same. But I wanted more than his cockhead. I wanted to kneel before that pretty dick and catch every drop of water on my tongue.
Caleb moved more fully under the shower head, letting the water pound his face. His blond lashes turned dark and spiky, and a few straggler soap suds cascaded down his chest, lovingly tracing his round pecs before descending to the hollows of his abs.
My jaw ached, and I realized I was grinding my molars against the desire pounding through me like a bass drum.
“Are you going to join me?”
I jerked my head up to find a pair of bright blue eyes gleaming with amusement—and invitation.
Desire struck like an arrow finding its mark. I ripped at my clothes with jerky movements. My sweatshirt hit the tile. I hopped on one foot as I got tangled in my pants. Caleb laughed at my dilemma, then gasped when I charged into the shower and pushed him against the glass wall.
“You knew I was there,” I growled, skimming my hands down his water-slick sides.
His lips curved. “Mmm, the whole time. Just ogling me, Mr. van der Meer. What will people say?”
“They’ll say I’m fucking lucky.” I pressed my body against his, grinding our cocks together as I bit at his jaw.
He moaned, grabbing my hips. “You have no idea how hard it was to keep my dick from chubbing up.”
The Calebesque turn of phrase made me smile against his skin. “And how did you manage this miraculous feat?”
