Page 9 of Luca’s Magic Embrace

As she turned to blow out the citronella candle, she heard a branch break. She froze and looked out into the darkness. Eyes. She breathed slowly, willing herself to relax. She was only a few feet from the house; she could make it inside. But instead of moving inside the house, she stepped forward out of curiosity. Maybe there was an animal in the woods. A deer? Eyes flashed again, and she stifled the urge to scream. Reaching behind her, her fingers blindly fumbled for the door handle. She felt something…a switch.

“I will not be afraid,” she whispered to herself. No, she’d had enough of being scared. And she was sick and tired of feeling as though she was a field mouse waiting for the hawk to strike. She was a grown woman and could handle whatever was in the woods. She was in the mountains after all. There is nothing to fear.

She blew out a breath and flipped the switch. Light flooded the edges of the forest, and she spotted what she thought was a dog. A dog? What the hell? Samantha loved dogs, but there was something strange about the very large mongrel standing between the trees. The dog’s eyes glowed a deep amber, and its fur was midnight-black. It almost looks like a…wolf?

No, that couldn’t be. There hadn’t been a report of a wolf in Pennsylvania for over twenty years. Bears, yes. Coyote, yes. Wolf, no. So logically, it must be a dog, she told herself. Maybe it was a breed that looked like a wolf - an Alaskan Malamute or a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog? She steeled her nerves; a dog she could handle.

Samantha slowly moved forward, walking down the stairs. If the dog was lost, he might have a collar and tag. She held out her hand, palm up and spoke to him in a high voice as if she was speaking to a baby. “Hey doggy? Whatcha doin’ out here in my woods all by yourself? Are you lost, baby?” The dog calmly sat staring at her as if he understood what she was saying.

She approached carefully, sensing the animal was uninjured and not aggressive. “Come here, boy. It’s okay. Are you hungry?” She blew little kisses towards him as if he was a ten pound Shih Tzu. “Come on, now. Don’t be afraid.”

She stilled as the large dog stalked towards her. Why the hell couldn’t she have just gone inside the freakin’ cabin? Okay, I can do this. Samantha lowered herself toward the ground so she appeared smaller to the animal. Once again, she offered her hand to it.

The dog loped over to Samantha and lay in front of her. She reached forward, letting him sniff her hand, and then proceeded to rub his head and ears. “That’s a good boy. Oh yes, who’s a good dog? You’re a good dog.” She praised him as she caressed his soft fur.

“Now how did you get in the woods, doggy? I’ve got some food in the house. Are you hungry?” Samantha asked. The dog tilted his head and yipped.

“Okay, then. Let’s go inside. Come on. Maybe there’s rope inside to make you a leash. I’ll help find your owner…” As she turned to try to lead him into the house, she glanced back. Where is the dog?

“Hey doggy, where’d ya go?” Samantha called. Out of the darkness, a gorgeous, very naked male walked out of the trees. “What the hell?” Samantha screamed and ran as fast as she could towards the cabin.

Large hands grabbed her arms, holding her frozen. Oh God, not again. This cannot be happening to me.

“Settle down, petite sorcière. It’s okay. You’re safe with me.” Tristan had expected that the little witch would not react warmly to his arrival. Her fear permeated his senses. He needed to calm her without revealing that Luca had sent him. He was hoping that he could have gone unspotted. Damn that branch. Once she saw him, he couldn’t resist walking up to her. Getting a good rub down was a benefit of pretending he was a dog, but there was no way he was letting her leash him. Shifting to human was his next best plan.

“I’m Tristan. Ilsbeth sent me,” he assured her.

Samantha exhaled a deep breath, relaxing into his hold. “Ilsbeth? Why?” She looked up to study his face and then her eyes roamed down to his groin and back up again. Her face flushed. “Oh my God. You. You’re naked. You’re a…a wolf,” she whispered, hardly believing the words she spoke.

“Yes on both counts. Now unless you plan on stripping down with me, it’s hardly fair that I stay naked for your pleasure. Let’s go inside, and we can talk.” He winked and opened the sliding glass door, gesturing for her to go in.

Stunned by his flirtatious nature, Samantha walked inside. She struggled to understand why Ilsbeth would send a wolf to her in Pennsylvania. “Tristan, please, I don’t understand. Why would Ilsbeth send you here? I’m perfectly safe. Is she okay?”

Tristan made himself at home, grabbing a throw blanket off the couch and wrapping it around his waist. Samantha could not help but stare; his tanned, six-pack abs looked like she could bounce a quarter off of them. He was well over six feet tall, and ruggedly handsome. He looked like a California surfer with his platinum blonde hair brushing his shoulders.

And while she found him attractive, she felt a dull ache in her chest. The knowledge of what she may or may not have done at Sangre Dulce ate at her. She doubted she’d be attracted to anyone in a sexual way for a very long time.

Tristan sat down on the large Italian-leather sofa. He felt sorry for the girl. She had no idea what kind of danger she was in or that she was going back to New Orleans tomorrow. And worst of all, she didn’t know Luca was on his way. He thought that he should at least attempt to soften her up for Luca. Perhaps he should plant a few seeds that would make the soon-to-be happenings a little more palatable.

“Petite sorcière, I am Alpha of this area, so I know everything that happens here. And everyone who comes into my territory does what I say. Do you follow me? I want to explain a few things to you…explain why Ilsbeth sent me. Now sit,” he ordered as he patted the loveseat adjacent to him.

As if she had a damn choice in the matter. She walked over and sat rigidly in the chair. She glared at him, her pensive lips sealed in a tight line.

“Now that’s better, mon cher. Please understand a few important things. First of all, know that you are safe with me. I won’t let anyone have at you. And the reason I am assuring you of your safety brings me to my second point. There is no other way to put this; you are still very much in danger. We have reason to believe that they were after you.” Tristan could see Samantha’s face blanch with fright. He reached over and put his hand on her knee.

“Look at me, Samantha,” he commanded.

She silently complied.

“Remember what I said first. I will protect you.”

“But…” she interrupted.

“Samantha, I was there that day when we rescued you from Asgear. I know what they did to you. Now, I don’t know you very well but if you are tough enough to survive what was done to you, you can survive this. You’re not alone.”

She wanted to believe him but the images of Asgear beating her bloody flashed through her mind. She could not survive again. She glanced over at the front door and fought the urge to run away. He said he’d protect her. She took a deep breath, willing herself to relax long enough to hear him out. She needed to know why they thought she was still in danger.

“I need to know. Who’s after me? I mean, Asgear is dead. What could anyone possibly want from me? They say I’m a witch but apparently I can’t do that either. If you’ve spoken to Ilsbeth then you know that I’ve felt nothing, done nothing…magically. If I really do have magic in me, I’m a sorry excuse for a witch. Honestly, I just want out of this nightmare. That’s why I came here. I need to get away from all that craziness.” She put her face in her hands, sighed and fought back a sob; she refused to cry one more tear over what Asgear had done to her.