Rudy moved in a flash, his arms whipping out toward me, the long, clawed fingers swiping through the air. The next thing I knew, I was thrown onto his back like I weighed nothing. A loud laugh popped out of me as I wrapped my arms around the thick neck of the beast that held me. Rudy held my legs on either side of his chest, his firm grip locking me in place, and he ran. My laugh got swallowed by the wind as we blew through the trees faster than I could have imagined. At least I wasn’t thrown over his shoulder or carried bridal style this time.
Piggy-backing a werewolf, weird, sure, but why the hell not?
Bowen
After a wildly freeing night running around the woods, we ended up back in the basement bedroom. When Rudy changed back to his human form, he’d kissed me so deeply that I thought I would go completely boneless. He had stayed present the entire time, and I’d been able to hear them both throughout. While I wouldn’t have been opposed to fooling around, the cool night air and the evening’s activities left us both exhausted. Rudy was drained, but he was filled with peace and contentment as his wolf settled in to rest.
Rudy pulled me into his arms, and I snuggled into him, absorbing the warmth that radiated from him. It was a perfect day. Starting and ending in his embrace. A lovely date with an incredible man, and clinging to my werewolf as he got to stretch his long legs and feel the wind in his fur. I fell asleep with a face full of hairychest and a smile stretching my lips. I could get used to this.
When morning came, at least I assumed it was morning, since there were no windows, I found myself once again smothered by the large body of my mate.Mate. It would be a strange concept if I hadn’t spent more time in the animal world than the human. Animals didn’t need ceremonies to decide they belonged to another, and neither did I. Honestly, it was so much easier this way. No more dating around, hooking up and spending time on all the shallow, surface stuff. It simply was. Rudy was mine, and I was his…theirs.I lucked out with a two-for-one deal. Except now I had a big man laying on top of me, and my bladder was protesting.
With a soft kiss on the top of his head, I whispered, “Rudy?”
He huffed and nuzzled closer to me, which was so very sweet, and so very unhelpful in the current situation. I tried to nudge into his mind, seeking him or the wolf, but they were both completely conked out. With my hand, I pushed gently on his shoulder, to which he only gave a softwoofand returned to his spot.
It looked like I was going to need a firm approach. Wedging my hands between us, I gave a hard push, and he flopped off me, landing at my side with a huff. I watched for a moment, expecting his wolf to wake, ready to fight, but he didn’t. Chuckling, I climbed outof bed and went up the five steps to the upper room and used the restroom.
When I came back, Rudy was sprawled out, arms stretched out, mouth open wide, and a loud snore roaring out of him. I laughed to myself at the sight,look at my big, scary man. He sure was a sight, one I would never get tired of.
Seeing as how he didn’t seem like he was going to stir anytime soon, I got dressed, grimacing again when I put on the clothes I’d worn twice already. They must have a laundry service here, so I should inquire about that. Even still, I was tired of not having… things.
At this point, I was pretty much considering everything I’d left behind at my apartment to be gone, along with my car that had probably already been towed away from the beach. The idea of returning there, of going back to my old life, was unfathomable.
The leather bracelet on my wrist was the most important thing I owned. And as for the rest of it, it was just stuff. Stuffandclothes. It was funny how little I thought about clothes until I ran away to an island without any.
Maybe some underwear. My boxer briefs were functional, but that was all I’d really cared about since I didn’t get to show them off to anyone. I imagined pink, glowing eyes staring at me when I revealed something sexy underneath. The idea of it was wickedly thrilling. From the other room, I heard Rudy let out a moan and stifled a laugh. Did he sense my desire evenin his sleep? I peeked my head around the steel door to see him flopped onto his belly now, face smashed into the pillow. A whimper sounded, and he wiggled against the mattress. It looked like he was having some happy dreams.
Fully clothed, I went back in and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to wake him once more. I kissed his shoulder, gave him a shake, and spoke softly to him, both inside his mind and out loud. Still, he didn’t stir. I couldn’t blame him, not after the emotional and physical toll of last night. The surrender to his wolf had been noticeably difficult. The wolf used his new freedom to exert himself so completely that he nearly dropped before changing back. It had been a long walk back to his basement apartment. The man clearly needed the rest, but I was too hopped up on warm fuzzies to stay in bed.Maybe… maybe I could have a fun surprise for him when he wakes up.
Pulling a piece of paper out of my messenger bag, I left a note and put it on the bed next to Rudy. Unable to resist, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He let out the cutest little whine that almost had me changing my mind.
No. Operation Find-Something-Sexy-For-Rudy-To-Rip-Off-Me-With-His-Fangs started now. I gave one last look at the broad back and muscles I didn’t know existed and thought I might try to find him something, too.
Rudy
Running. Running. Moonlight. Trees. Splashing through a stream. Chasing rabbits. Stars. Leaves crunching. Freedom. Salty sea air. Torchlight. Sandy beach. Bowen. Bowen.Bowen.
Our dreams tangled together, combining images from the night before with ones yet to come. My wolf dreamt in simple flashes of moments, while I felt the emotions that came with each one. Bowen, beautiful Bowen, was there in all of them. Always such love and wonder in his face and in his heart.
In harmony with my wolf, my entire body felt weightless. I was floating, buoyant, no longer weighed down by the burden I’d carried my entire life. It was all thanks to my mate. My mate, whose scent was in my nose. I reached an arm out, seeking him in the dark. My hand hit soft fabric. It swept around, but there was no body next to mine.
Sitting straight up, my eyes flung open to find I was in my bedroom, and the door was wide open. The mattress beside me was empty. Panic woke me like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on me. I shot to my feet, but managed to calm enough to use my senses before freaking out.
His scent was all around me, but then he’d been sleeping in my bed. I listened carefully to see if I could hear him, but tried not to jump to conclusions when I couldn’t. Forcing myself to stay calm, I put my hand over my heart. He was there; I could feel him. There was a sense of determination that wasn’t mine; it was Bowen’s. There was something else, too. It sparkled and zapped like… mischief. The sensation brought a small smile to my face as relief filled me.
With another glance around, I saw a piece of paper sticking out from the messy bedding. Diving onto the bed with a flop, I hurried to grab it, as if the paper held the answers to life and death. I carefully opened the folded note, bracing myself.
“Gone shopping, be back soon. You were amazing last night. Thank you for sharing that with me.”
Shopping. I let out a laugh. He was safe, and he would be coming back. As for the rest of the note, I clutched it to my chest and rolled onto my back, feeling all kinds of big, gooey, smitten puppy love from a few simple words. The way Bowen not only accepted my beast side but encouraged it reached into the very depths of my soul and healed a wound that had beenfestering for a long time. If I didn’t love the man before, I most certainly did now.
Knowing he was upstairs shopping in the gift shop or maybe rummaging through the courtesy closet, I decided to take advantage of the time and clean the woods off me and brush the taste out of my mouth. My cheeks flushed at the memory of Bowen giving me another treat from his bag after taking a break. He sat by my side in a small clearing, his hand on my large, clawed one, while I gnawed away on a bully stick, as if it were a perfectly normal thing to do. Damn, but it felt normal with him.
After showering, I dressed and made my way upstairs to get some actual food, and hoped that I would find my mate while I did. I could still feel him within me, but, strangely, he felt further away. Maybe it was just the bond settling into place after the intensity of our connection that was still forming. Maybe it was because my wolf was at peace within me after being free all night. Or maybe Bowen was resting somewhere. I didn’t really know how any of this fated mates stuff worked anyway. Through the uncertainty, though, I felt a niggle of worry sinking into my gut.
I tried to convince myself it was ridiculous, but the worry didn’t go away. In fact, it grew. It grew as I walked down the hallway, nearing the dining hall, leaving me feeling off-kilter. Food might help after all the energy I exerted last night.
Bypassingthe tables, I went straight into the kitchen where Zee was carefully placing sprigs of green stuff around a plate. He glanced up and his brows arched when he saw me. “Trouble in paradise already?”
