hadn’t told me you were going to be out there.”
“As would anyone, I reckon.” Jason winked at her, seeming more relaxed now that she’d agreed. “If you’d like to drop in at the party at the pack house as my guests after the hunt, you’re both more than welcome.”
“Thank you, Alpha.” Dmitri took over the conversation again, and Carly was glad. She wasn’t quite sure what Jason meant by a hunt, but she had some wild ideas, considering he could turn into a wolf. “We’d be honored to drop in for a few minutes. It will give your pack a chance to meet Carly, since she will be Mistress here.”
Jason bowed in a very formal way for a man dressed in only a canary yellow towel, but he was so handsome, he could make even that silly towel look like haute couture .
“I’ll see you at full moon, then. It was a pleasure meeting you, ma’am.”
“Likewise.”
Carly had barely spoken when the man shifted form again, leaving the yellow towel in a puddle as he landed on four paws, a tawny wolf with gleaming eyes. He barked once, then dashed away faster than anything she’d ever seen.
Dmitri retrieved the towel and ushered her back into the house. She wanted to know all about were wolves. But then, there was so much she wanted to know about. She knew the easiest—most tempting—way of getting the information was also the scariest. She could have all the knowledge Dmitri possessed if she would just agree to sharing their minds fully.
She just wasn’t sure she could do it. Not yet. Dmitri was such a powerful personality, she was too afraid of losing herself.
“When is the full moon?” she asked when he led her into the kitchen.
“A couple of days from now. He usually gives me some warning when his pack intends to frolic anywhere near.” Dmitri opened a few of the cupboards, taking down glasses and a bottle of wine. “I brought this up from my wine cellar. Tonight is a celebration.” He poured the wine, giving her a glass of the deep red liquid. “Of course, every night with you is a celebration. But tonight you have taken one step further into the world in which I live. You’ve met and been accepted by the local Alpha. That—whether you realized it or not—was a big step.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say, as a general rule, our kinds don’t mix much. Because I live way out here, I’ve had to have more contact with the were community than most immortals. Bloodletters, they call us, since most of my kind object rather strongly to the term, ‘vampire’. Personally, it’s never bothered me, but if you meet others—and you will—you would do best to remember that.”
“Don’t call them vampires. Check.” She raised her glass to his with a teasing smile, but she was fascinated by what he was telling her. “So bloodletters and were wolves don’t get along?”
“It’s not that we don’t get along. It’s more that we prefer to give each other a wide berth. And there are more than just wolves out there, Carly.
Jason is Alpha of the dominant wolf pack, but there are other clans and tribes of were folk in this region as well. By comparison, our presence is small. There are many more weres in the open places. My kind tend to prefer cities because of the availability of human prey, while the weres prefer open space in which to run.”
“It makes sense.” But she didn’t like hearing human beings called prey .
“To us,” he toasted. They touched glasses and drank, the excellent vintage warming its way down her throat. It was delicious. Curiosity made her look at the bottle’s label.
“I’ve never had a bottle this old.”
“You’ve never had a lover this old,” he joked, pointing to himself. “But like fine wine, I promise, most things do get better with age.” She laughed, and he moved closer.
“I didn’t know you could drink wine.” She grew breathless as he invaded her personal space in the most delicious way.
“It is my last tie to the sun. It is one of the only
“As would anyone, I reckon.” Jason winked at her, seeming more relaxed now that she’d agreed. “If you’d like to drop in at the party at the pack house as my guests after the hunt, you’re both more than welcome.”
“Thank you, Alpha.” Dmitri took over the conversation again, and Carly was glad. She wasn’t quite sure what Jason meant by a hunt, but she had some wild ideas, considering he could turn into a wolf. “We’d be honored to drop in for a few minutes. It will give your pack a chance to meet Carly, since she will be Mistress here.”
Jason bowed in a very formal way for a man dressed in only a canary yellow towel, but he was so handsome, he could make even that silly towel look like haute couture .
“I’ll see you at full moon, then. It was a pleasure meeting you, ma’am.”
“Likewise.”
Carly had barely spoken when the man shifted form again, leaving the yellow towel in a puddle as he landed on four paws, a tawny wolf with gleaming eyes. He barked once, then dashed away faster than anything she’d ever seen.
Dmitri retrieved the towel and ushered her back into the house. She wanted to know all about were wolves. But then, there was so much she wanted to know about. She knew the easiest—most tempting—way of getting the information was also the scariest. She could have all the knowledge Dmitri possessed if she would just agree to sharing their minds fully.
She just wasn’t sure she could do it. Not yet. Dmitri was such a powerful personality, she was too afraid of losing herself.
“When is the full moon?” she asked when he led her into the kitchen.
“A couple of days from now. He usually gives me some warning when his pack intends to frolic anywhere near.” Dmitri opened a few of the cupboards, taking down glasses and a bottle of wine. “I brought this up from my wine cellar. Tonight is a celebration.” He poured the wine, giving her a glass of the deep red liquid. “Of course, every night with you is a celebration. But tonight you have taken one step further into the world in which I live. You’ve met and been accepted by the local Alpha. That—whether you realized it or not—was a big step.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say, as a general rule, our kinds don’t mix much. Because I live way out here, I’ve had to have more contact with the were community than most immortals. Bloodletters, they call us, since most of my kind object rather strongly to the term, ‘vampire’. Personally, it’s never bothered me, but if you meet others—and you will—you would do best to remember that.”
“Don’t call them vampires. Check.” She raised her glass to his with a teasing smile, but she was fascinated by what he was telling her. “So bloodletters and were wolves don’t get along?”
“It’s not that we don’t get along. It’s more that we prefer to give each other a wide berth. And there are more than just wolves out there, Carly.
Jason is Alpha of the dominant wolf pack, but there are other clans and tribes of were folk in this region as well. By comparison, our presence is small. There are many more weres in the open places. My kind tend to prefer cities because of the availability of human prey, while the weres prefer open space in which to run.”
“It makes sense.” But she didn’t like hearing human beings called prey .
“To us,” he toasted. They touched glasses and drank, the excellent vintage warming its way down her throat. It was delicious. Curiosity made her look at the bottle’s label.
“I’ve never had a bottle this old.”
“You’ve never had a lover this old,” he joked, pointing to himself. “But like fine wine, I promise, most things do get better with age.” She laughed, and he moved closer.
“I didn’t know you could drink wine.” She grew breathless as he invaded her personal space in the most delicious way.
“It is my last tie to the sun. It is one of the only
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