Chapter Seven
HOT WATER CASCADED down the length of Caitlin’s back and she lightly scratched soapy suds into the side of her neck where she’d been licked.
Like a giant, metaphysical stain on her soul.
On the way home, well, to Penny’s almost-to-be ex-cabin, Penny had explained further to her how the wolves were riled because they could smell Rhett’s scent wafting from her.
How it was more than just a scary thing to have him so close that he could have hurt her.
He’d done something almost unforgiveable in the shifter world.
He knew of the budding relationship between her and Isaac and had marked her in the supernatural way.
Noah said normally the pack wasn’t such a lot of assholes, but that they were riled up with the enemy’s scent brimming in their territory.
The scent wafting from her.
What he wasn’t saying was important. Rhett did a lot more damage than anyone had told her. She couldn’t fit into their pack like this. He’d taken a first moment from them. The first time Isaac introduced her to their people and it had been ruined by Rhett.
The fact that she only had a mere three weeks’ vacation there? Ruined because Noah explained the scent would linger for maybe a week.
The newness between her and Isaac? Ruined because he could barely stand to touch her.
Oh, he tried. The entire car ride to his pack meeting, he tried to comfort her.
But after her initial fear from the—well, assault—wore down, he couldn’t wait to get out of the car.
He relaxed when he entered his cabin and so she stood far away, near Penny.
But then Noah came to stand with her and Penny and she noticed how Noah grew snappy in her presence.
He’d whispered something to Penny, her eyes grew huge, and then Noah went to grab something. He returned in a flash and Penny took the box of wipes from him. She began to dab at Caitlin’s neck, explaining how the smell was riling everyone up.
Humiliating.
That was the worst thing about it. She’d been clueless, cuddling up to Isaac in the backseat of the car, not knowing how hard it had been for him to touch or to even be near her.
But maybe that had been the brain fog from lack of sleep.
The tiredness melted away with the adrenaline rush, but she wasn’t quite thinking clearly.
And the hurt? The feeling of rejection because Isaac nodded eagerly when Penny and Noah said they’d take her home on their way?
He was too eager.
Surely that was just melancholy from the mood shift too. She’d always been prone to mood swings when tired. She was the type who needed a full eight hours.
She hadn’t ever gone an entire night without sleep.
With one last rinse, she switched the water off and grabbed for a towel, briskly rubbing her neck raw before drying the rest of her body.
She stepped in front of the mirror, tilted her head sideways, and scrutinized the spot.
It was a reddened, splotchy mess that looked worse than it had when it was just the lick.
Squinting her eyes, she peered closer into the steamy mirror.
She might have actually done damage. It looked like a hickey now.
A giant, scrubbed hickey. The blood caught underneath the skin looked permanent, tingling with the scratches and raised with marks.
Great. Now there was a visual reminder to go along with the invisible scent everyone but her could smell.
Naked, she padded her way into the bedroom to dress.
It was late now, Penny and Noah had stayed for a couple of hours. Well, Noah went outside to change into his wolf and patrolled the cabin while Penny visited. They’d talked a lot, caught up about Dad, and she’d whispered that she was excited to see where she and Isaac would end up.
Considering he couldn’t stand to be around her? Safe bet to guess what tomorrow would bring. Guilt? Avoidance? Maybe just a tight apology and he’d go back to the asshole she’d first met?
She sighed. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t take her smell.
She flipped off the lamp in the living room and made her way to the bedroom. Her phone was unusually quiet since she’d blocked her dad. That was a sad realization to reach.
But there was a text notification blinking on her phone screen. She flipped the phone open.
Caitlin, this is Cory Pyre. Your dad said you’re on vacation for a few days. Just wanted to make sure you were up to date on current events for next month’s fundraiser. Can I call you?
Were they kidding? She blocked her dad and he sicced Cory on her?
No, she wasn’t going to talk to him on her vacation.
It was the point of the matter. If he or Dad were on vacation, no one would disturb either of them.
And why the hell did he think she was out for a few days?
She had a sudden urge to unblock her dad so she could send him a nasty text.
But that would be falling right into their laps.
No, she would ignore Cory like his text never came through. She set her phone onto the charger just as a wolf’s howl rent through the night air.
It was back.
Or was it… was it Isaac’s crazy wolf? Was he taking a turn patrolling her cabin?
Or was it someone else? Not that it mattered, really.
Noah warned her to stay indoors. While he and the rest of the pack had their human consciousness present when they were changed, Isaac was different.
His wolf was separate. His was a killer.
A scratching sounded at the door and that was what the wolf was doing last night. Howling, scratching, pacing the porch.
She shifted the sheers just a bit so she could peek outside.
Geez, that thing was massive. Was it bigger than last night? It seemed the same color. Had the same glowing, ice-blue eyes. Isaac’s eyes when his wolf shone through.
It stared right at the window again.
With a shiver, she let the curtain drop. It couldn’t get in. Right?
She curled up in bed; huddled under the covers. There was no way she’d be able to sleep. No way. Not with that howling and growling and whatever else the monster was doing.
Her eyelids were so heavy. It was warm inside the soft bed, the comforter thick and comfy. The sounds outside melted away as she fell into slumber.
She felt like she’d only slept for a few minutes when a light lit up the room.
It took a bit for her brain to realize it was her phone.
Maybe it was done charging. At least the snarling from outside had stopped.
She reached over to pull the phone from the cord, but it was a call lighting up the screen.
Mom.
She pressed the accept button without thinking and immediately regretted it, but it was too late.
“Yes?”
“Caitlin Montgomery, you will come home this instant. I don’t know what you think you’re doing—”
She sighed. Right there, into the phone. “I’m visiting my sister, Mom. I’m getting to know Penny. I’m taking vacation that I haven’t used in years.”
“You have no idea how lucky you are. Do you think any other job in the world would let you take unapproved, spontaneous vacation? You left us high and dry, missy—”
“Yeah, I know. Because your next ‘job,’ has been texting me. While on vacation. What’s the matter, Mom? Penny refused him and you’re snaking me right into her old life?”
Her mother’s voice shook with anger. “You will unblock your father this instant. You will get into your car—I don’t care how early in the morning it is—and drive home now.”
Caitlin pulled the phone from her face to check the clock. It was one o’clock in the morning. “Really worried about my safety there, huh? You want me to get up in the dead of night and drive down pitch-black, winding mountain roads?”
“You got yourself there just fine, I’m sure you’ll get yourself home fine.”
“Is there ever a point in your life when you don’t do Dad’s bidding?”
The outright question made her mother’s raving voice falter. But not for long. “Your Father and I are a team—”
“Well, Penny and I are also. I just forgot that for a while. I remember now.” She moved the phone to pressed the disconnect button, but her mom’s loud voice made it sound like the phone hadn’t moved at all.
“You’ve gotten a little too big for your pants, Caitlin Jane—”
Wow, her mom hadn’t used that tone in a few years. Maybe she was deep into her wine bottle.
“If you’re not home by brunch, you’ll find yourself more aligned with your sister than you think. No more access to credit cards, no bank account, home codes changed. Nothing but the cash in your pocket right now.”
“Is that what you did to Penny?” Anger shook her voice. “You threw her out into the world penniless?”
Her parents ignored the fact that she and Penny were adults.
That they earned their paychecks. But… she’d been stupid.
As an adult, she should have made the move to her own bank account.
Not the one she shared with her parents, who’d started it with her as a teen.
She should have applied for her own credit cards, but her father had always provided them, so it never seemed important.
Now she realized it was a way to keep their daughters under their control. Just like Penny had said, but at the time, she thought Penny was being difficult.
“You’ve written Penny off. Maybe even signed her death warrant by forcing her to become a shifter—and I don’t doubt for one minute that you and Dad know about the dangers of being turned.
If this is the end of my sister’s life at your hands?
I’ll make sure I have as much time with her as possible.
So go ahead and freeze my accounts. I’ll get a job away from home and start a life far from the both of you, just like she did. ”
“Caitlin—”
The disconnect button cut off her mother’s shrill voice and with a few more buttons, Caitlin blocked her also. And this time, she placed her phone face-down on the nightstand.
Cool air brought goosebumps to her shoulder as the comforter was pushed aside and a warm body slid into the bed. Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her into him.
“Isaac?” She had no idea why she was dreaming of him. She’d kind of expected to have nightmares about wolves breaking in, but she’d take this dream any day.
“Mmm. Go back to sleep, sweet.”
“Don’t wanna sleep,” she mumbled. “Want you.”
“I know,” his deep voice rumbled in her ear. She strained to hear what he was going to whisper next, but then she was out again.
Until light began to filter into the room and she realized she was on top of a warm, hard, naked body.
“You’re awake,” he rumbled.
“Isaac?” She squinted.
His chuckle rumbled through his chest, making her feel every vibration. “Yes. Who else?”
“Are you naked?” Because something—hard—was poking her in the low abdomen.
“Very.”
She wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, so she said, “Oh.”
“That’s all?”
“Umm… I think so?” Then her brain caught up with her. “How’d you get in?”
“Front door key.”
“Oh.”
A minute of silence.
“Isaac?”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you here?”
“It was my turn to patrol last night, so I relieved the guy coming on duty and just stayed inside.”
“Oh.”
“Now you want me to ask a question that you can answer?”
“Umm, okay.”
“Want to see my dick yet?”
She gasped sharply, but he just chuckled some more. “No? It’s okay. You’ll probably see it when I get out of bed and jump into the shower. Hopefully my clothes are still on the porch and didn’t get wet last night.”
“Why are your clothes on the porch?”
“I changed there when I relieved Amos. Now, get off me before I strip you bare, yank you on top of me, and lower your cunt to my mouth.”
Another gasp was all she could utter. The man had no filter. It was fucking hot.
He gave her a smoldering look over his shoulder as he slid out of bed. His eyes were shining ice-blue in his tanned face.
His body was magnificent. Huge, perfectly muscled back tapering to a narrow waist, the most perfect ass ever, strong thighs, sexy calves…
He left the bathroom door open as he started the water. She lay there, her brain coming awake as her body did. He must’ve been the wolf that kept her up last night.
And God. She could feel how wet she was between her legs.
So she came up behind his naked body and pressed her front to his back, wrapped her arms around his waist, and just held on.
A growl rumbled up his chest.
“Your wolf doesn’t like me anymore?”
He turned in her arms, and a hand under her chin tilted her head up. “He’s torn. He wants you so much. So much, Cait. Just like me. But, he’s unstable. I don’t trust him to let me cover your mark without giving you my bite.”
She gasped. “You mean change me?!”
His mouth was drawn into a grim line as he nodded. “I can get him used to you. Spend some time. Maybe he can be talked into moving slowly.”
She backed away from him. “Okay. Separate showers then.”
Neither one of them seemed to want to let her leave the steaming bathroom. Plus, she could see how his cock was proudly erect and ready for her. God, he was huge, the head wide and deeply purple.
“I want to take you out tonight. Give you a chance to meet my wolves over again now that they know what to expect. That was on me, I should have warned them before bringing you into the meeting.”
“I’d like to start again.”
“I’ll let them know we’re going out. About nine?”
She nodded. “That’ll work.”
She left a piece of her heart behind when she forced herself to turn and leave the restroom. But, she could probably get him to stay longer if she started breakfast, right? Surely he wouldn’t let her eat by herself.
Maybe she could entice him into staying for a while. If he did leave later, she could call Penny over. Talk to her about Mom’s phone call. Talk politics because surely, between the two of them, they could practice all that they learned from Dad.
Yeah… that was it. They could work together on a marketing plan against the Turn Limitations law. Make it known across state lines what a horrible idea it was, make sure others didn’t follow the same route. Make sure it didn’t go further. Over breakfast, she could talk about the idea to Isaac.
Well, wait. Maybe she could call Penny and Noah over for breakfast, just like they had come over the first day when it was the four of them.
Suddenly, she was excited for the day.