He sighed, feeling the tension drain from his shoulders. Finally, she was going to tell him she didn’t want to fight Samia, and he was going to take pleasure in walking over to Brennus’s house and telling the Elder, and his daughter, that they’d better not mention “blood rite” and his mate in the same sentence, or he was going to personally throw their asses out of Cedar Creek. “Anything, alainn.”
“Change.”
“What?”
She pulled away from him, moving to the further side of the chair.
“Change into your wolf. Please.”
“That’s all?” he asked, feeling disappointment rush his being. The tension was returning. He could feel it.
He felt the soft brush of her inside his mind.
Yes, that’s all. I’ve never seen your wolf up close, Conall, and I’d like a proper introduction.
Standing, he stripped out of his shirt, and undid his belt.
“Slowly, please,” Vivienne called out, and Conall lifted a brow at her. She sent him a wicked smile and he shook his head. His mate was such a little minx. A hot little minx. His wolf agreed.
He drew off his pants more slowly, and she nodded in approval, leaning back in the chair as if enjoying a particularly good show.
Clad only in his boxers, on this particularly cold day, Conall felt a thrill of excitement shoot up his spine, and slowly turned his back to her.
“No, no, no—”
He tugged his boxers off and tossed them over his shoulder. Turning, he was not at all surprised to find her holding them.
Cheater.
He laughed. It was so easy to tease and be teased by her. She made him forget many things, and remember the more important ones. Family. He’d told her the pack was his family, and it had been the truth, but she was going to be his family, the family he took everywhere with him, because she was inside of him. And if—when—she conceived for him, they would expand that family. He briefly wondered what their children would be? Would his genes come out dominant, or hers? It didn’t matter. He’d never thought he’d find a true mate, had always assumed he’d make a political connection.
He turned around, taking in her heated expression as her eyes traveled his naked length.
Calling up his wolf, he clenched his teeth against the pleasure-mixed pain that tore through him as muscles, joints, bones, tendons and ligaments rearranged themselves.
***
How beautiful could one man be in two different forms? Extremely so.
Vivienne sighed as she watched the change occur. The bright light hid most of the change from her, but she had seen his head go back, his neck arch out, and in the next instant, the black wolf sat on its hindquarters, watching her.
A little frisson of fear engulfed her before she dismissed it. Yes, he was a wolf, but he was also Conall. She was safe.
The wolf suddenly stood, and her heart thundered. Already tall and broad in human form, Conall was massive as a wolf. He was likely more than four and a half feet tall, with those yellow eyes. She guessed he weighed over one fifty pounds, close to two hundred, which meant he could tackle and kill her. Especially with those razor-sharp white teeth she’d glimpsed when he’d opened his mouth.
He remained where he was for long moments, and then slowly moved toward her. It’s Conall, she reminded herself. Conall, who could be extremely gentle when he wanted, Conall her lover, Conall her mate. He stopped directly before her, and she could feel his breath against her knee. And then he moved his head forward and placed his head in her lap, closing his eyes.
Vivienne remained still for a few seconds, before moving her fingers across his head. His fur was so soft. She smiled, running her fingers over his cold nose, then over his ears. He growled and she pulled her hand away, only to have him push his head further against her. She returned her fingers to his ear, watching as he tilted his head further into her hand, and decided that was a growl of pleasure.
Before long, she was on her knees, her hands buried in the thick coat of his pelt, as she stared into those yellow eyes. Leaning forward, she kissed the top of his head, and said, “Conall, you’re beautiful.”
A second later, his tongue licked the side of her face, and she drew, surprised. At her expression, his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth. She laughed, knowing he was laughing, too.
You are the beautiful one, alainn.
“Well, if this isn’t what humans call adorable, I don’t know what is.”
Chapter Fifteen
Conall spun so suddenly that Vivienne lost her balance and fell backward, landing on her butt. She was reminded briefly of their first encounter, when she’d run into him at the state park, when she lifted her gaze. Her smile disappeared and she sat up. Conall was slowly circling a man. A low growl came from his throat, a sound that was clearly a warning, as the black wolf moved with lethal grace.