The Mystic Wolves

break skin, but enough to elicit another moan as his hands grabbed me by my hips, grinding me into his lap.

Like a red flag waving madly, the line we were forbidden to cross came painfully close and Mason seemed to sense it as well. Our bodies heaved in unison as I struggled to rein my passion in. I moved my hands lower to his chest, rubbing my fingertips in the fine layer of hair and daring myself to keep going south. His muscles rippled under my touch as I felt the firmness of his abdomen, the tension coiled just ready to snap.

I broke away, determined to taste what my fingers had found, leaving a trail as my tongue licked first his neck, then his shoulder.

Darcy. Stop. We can’t… His thought cut off as my mouth found his chest. I moved backward so I could have better access and found myself suddenly pinned to the ground. My hands were firmly held by the side of my head with Mason lying squarely on top of me. I snapped my teeth at him, tempting him to play more.

He lowered his head down and rested it against mine. The fever so quickly roused had left us breathless, and we took a few moments to cool off. I wiggled slightly under him, the friction igniting the fire all over again and the next thing I knew, he threw me over his shoulder, and headed for the water.

“Hey, put me down,” I shouted, beating against his back when he ignored me.

A firm hand landed on my behind, swatting me as Mason finally reached the pool’s edge.

“You need to cool off, my little vixen.” He laughed before unceremoniously dumping me in the water. I spluttered to the surface, my hair a wet, tangled mess. Even through the strands, I could see the smirk on his face.

I submerged myself back under, moving towards the edge where he stood. I shot out into the air, droplets spraying everywhere and latched onto his arm. With a grin of my own, I yanked on his wrist and watched him soar over my head and land behind me. The splash it created left me spitting out water.

I turned around to confront him, but he was nowhere to be seen. I stared at the ripples covering the surface and realized the sneak was trying to surprise me. With a grin, I readied my stance.

A few moments past and there was still nothing. No break whatsoever. No goofy Mason. I began turning and turning, trying to see where he was. Just as I thought my heart was about to burst from my chest, I heard the whisper.

“BOO.” This mammoth form rose from the depths and crushed me to it, face first.

“Ugh, you scared me!” I screamed, hitting his chest. A fleeting shot of pain pulsed through my palm. Damn, it was like hitting a brick wall.

“You cooled off yet, baby?” he said with a grin, using his hand to wipe away the excess droplets. He looked like a god, standing there dripping wet, muscles flexing as he moved his hair out from his eyes. He must’ve seen my intent because he suddenly pushed me away, his arm held out to stop me as I moved toward him. I sent the theme song to Jaws through our pathway as I stalked him in the water. He must have received it because he started laughing.

“Enough of that now, Darcy. You still have questions, remember? Focus a little and maybe I’ll play with you later.” He winked at me before sending a small wave at me. I raised myself up, avoiding the splash to my face. I sent one back in return and he dipped himself under the pool’s surface.

Not to be caught a second time, I pushed off the bottom with my feet and swam into the center. It was deep, but not enough to cause me to panic.

It was a myth werewolves abhorred all forms of water. Like anybody else, there were definitely some of us who had a fear of drowning, but for the most part, we enjoyed a good swim. Right now, it felt cool against my heated skin.

Not paying any attention to Mason, I leaned back and began to float, allowing my arms to gently caress through the crystal liquid, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness. There was something calming about being suspended and I closed my eyes, tuning everything else out.

Chapter Eight

He must have realized I needed this moment because he didn’t come after me, leaving me to my thoughts.

My feelings were definitely different from this morning. Gone was the need to run and hide from him. While the grief for Jasmine was still there, a constant weight around my heart, he had convinced me we would be okay, and nothing had changed between us. I took great comfort in that and wrapped it around me like a warm, fluffy blanket, fresh out of the dryer. I took strength from knowing I wasn’t alone, and I would always have my strong wolf mate beside me. A contented sigh escaped my lips. The pain I was feeling would lessen over time. There were still matters to take care of and within the month-finally, our mating ritual.

In the few short hours since I’d been awake, I felt lighter and I knew I owed it all to Mason. When the man set out to prove a point, he never held back, and I was grateful once again for his devotion. He could’ve easily used his Alpha powers to command me to see sense. Maybe a lesser person would’ve, but not him. He always lead with his heart when it came to me, never afraid to show just how deeply he felt. It was one of the many things I loved about him.

A cold breeze wafted over my skin, and I realized I couldn’t feel the sun anymore. I opened my eyes slowly, seeing it crest through the trees and I recognized time had passed. We’d pushed the limits of Devlin’s patience long enough, and standing up, I looked around for Mason.

He was reclining against a crop of rocks, catching the last of the sun’s rays before it dipped fully behind the tree line. He stole my breath with his masculine beauty, the way the light played off the golden tint of his skin. Moisture collected in my mouth as I waded my way over to him, careful not to disturb him. There weren’t many moments where he was able to just relax and I loved seeing the boyish look of peace covering his face.

Reaching up, I went to trail my fingers over his abdomen, wanting to see them tense when his hand whipped out and grabbed hold of my wrist.

“No you don’t, Darcy. No touching. We need to head back. I can feel everyone going crazy back at the house.”

For someone who should be moving, Mason lay still, his eyes closed. He could’ve been asleep if it wasn’t for the wide grin he was wearing. He lifted my hand to his mouth, gently kissing the back of it and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position.

My hungry eyes took in every move, and I was pretty sure I sighed.

“I love the way you move. Are you sure we have to go back straight away?” I tried to put a smolder in the look I gave him, but Mason was busy stretching out his muscles, looking around.

“I’m glad I brought you here. I like the idea that this is something special-just for us. I have lots of plans involving this place.” He smiled, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

He moved slowly, leisurely over to a pair of trees, looking behind it for something.

What are you looking for? I whispered mentally to him. Nothing. Not even an indication he’d heard me. Mason? I tried harder. It was like talking to myself.

Hey Mason, I think we should run away and raise cows and bunnies and all things rainbow and sunshine. I shouted mentally, focusing as hard as I could while sending images.

That made him pause. He slowly stopped, a look of curiosity on his face. “Rainbow cows dancing with bunnies in the sun? Something you want to share?”

I rolled my eyes at him. Obviously, whatever was happening with the mental connection between us, it was distorting things. I watched him look one more time around the trees before giving up and walking back over to me.

“I was trying to ask you what you were looking for, but I don’t think you were hearing me.” I laughed, folding my arms across my chest. This really was starting to irritate me because it shouldn’t be so difficult. Heck, a child could learn something this fundamentally simple, but I was struggling. It didn’t make sense. Mason’s thoughts came through loud and clear every time, just not mine.

He looked a little distracted. “I was trying to remember where I put some of my