Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

Kael

I lay on the couch, staring at the wooden beams above me, my hands fisted around the quilt. It was soft and worn, made by Bill's late wife. She'd been talented with a needle and thread. I'd watched her as a pup.

The room was too quiet, too still, and my senses still too sharp. The faint whisper of the wind through the trees outside and the creak of the old house settling put me on edge.

None of it was a distraction from the real problem. Her scent. It laced the air, seeping into my lungs with every breath. I turned onto my stomach and buried my face in the pillow, but it was no use. I couldn't escape it. It was everywhere, wrapping around me like a cocoon.

Sweat beaded on my forehead, and my muscles tensed. My heart pounded in my chest, and I fought the urge to throw the quilt off and march down the hallway.

I'd just met her. I knew nothing about her except that she was supposed to be dead. I rolled to my side and had just forced my eyes closed when my mind exploded with light.

Kael.

My wolf bolted to his feet.

What. The. Hell.

It wasn't me , he seemed to say, and I squeezed my eyes tighter.

Another blast. It was coming from her. But how? I thought back to the run through the woods. How she'd heard me in her head.

She needs us. That was definitely my wolf. He was like a damn devil on my shoulder.

"She doesn't need us. She needs a mate, and that is not me." I gritted my teeth. This was insane. I gripped the quilt tighter, but with every wave crashing on the rocks of my mind, my resolve slipped a little more.

We didn't have to mate, did we? I'd heard from enough she-wolves how painful their heat could be. How all-consuming. If she just needed a little relief…

I rolled onto my back, adjusting myself in my pants. Maybe it didn't matter that we were essentially strangers. Maybe that made it better, actually.

My wolf was clawing at my insides, begging me to go to her.

It won't be what you want , I shot at him. He didn't seem to give a shit, and I took a shuddering breath. I couldn't hold out much longer.

The images of her standing in front of me morphed into fantasies. Her standing in front of me, her breath hitching as I stepped into her personal space. Her lips parting, her chest rising and falling. I pictured myself reaching out and touching her, feeling the softness of her skin, the warmth of her breath on my neck.

I imagined pulling her close, feeling her body press against mine. My hands sliding down her back, her breath hitching as I traced my fingers along her spine. I could almost feel her trembling under my touch, her heart pounding in time with mine.

Callista. Are you serious about this? I sent the thought, not sure if she'd hear me. I waited, my pulse throbbing in my throat.

Don't make me beg.

The need in her voice was like a drug, and despite my best efforts, I was already addicted. I was going to get strung out if I didn't get a fix. I stood, searching for my boots. I found them at the front door and slipped them on.

Lana's going to rip me a new one if I come within ten feet of you.

Lana was parked in the hall, right outside Callista's door. Going in that way wasn't an option.

Window.

My wolf howled at the sense of her voice. I stepped toward the door, and the floorboards creaked under my weight. I winced.

I took two more careful steps until I reached the door and pressed my hand against the wood. Every muscle in my body was taut as I turned the knob and cracked the door open, peering onto the porch.

My wolf growled in approval, and I stepped out into the night, closing the door behind me. I stood still for a moment, listening. No movement inside the house. No one had heard me.

I moved quickly along the side of the house, barely making a sound on the grass. My heart pounded in my chest as I approached the window of Callista's room. There was a faint light coming from inside, and my pulse quickened. A shadow moved. She was in there, waiting for me.

I reached for the window, but then I stopped, remembering the tent. Lana was in the hall, but that didn't mean she hadn't scouted out the guest room. I couldn't risk triggering one of her traps and waking the whole house. I took a step back and pushed a thought forward.

I can't open the window. You'll have to do it.

I waited. The light shifted behind the curtains, and the fabric was swept to the side. She was there. In nothing but her bra and underwear. She was curvy with hips that begged for my hand to curl over them.

Before all the blood rushed from my head to my groin, there was a click, and the window slid open.

I stepped forward, but before I could reach the sill, a door slammed. I froze, my heart in my throat.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lana's voice was a low growl. We were screwed.