STORY EXCERPT

“Hello, Miss Knight,” he called to her softly. She looked up at his dark, sunken eyes and couldn’t help but pity the man, having worked through the night, and still having to come and speak to her.

“Can I get you a coffee, Detective?” she asked him with a nervous smile.

He looked up at her as she stepped down off the stool and headed round the counter to the kettle, already anticipating his answer to be “yes.”

“Coffee would be great, thanks,” he replied, returning her smile. “I do need to ask you some questions, Miss Knight, about the body and the break-in to your cabin. I don’t want to keep you in the dark here, for your own safety.” He paused, so she turned around and met his gaze. She tucked her long, wavy black hair behind her ear, the way she always did when nerves got the better of her.

 “We have found evidence that the two incidents are related,” Nick said, and the sugar container dropped from her hand, spilling its contents all over the side.

Alana was shaking, but she tried to clear up the mess. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “It was just a shock, that’s all. I’m fine.” She tried to convince him as he put his arms around her. It surprised her how safe she felt in his arms. Nick then nodded to PC Cox to finish the coffee.

She walked with him as he led her out of the kitchen and into the front room.

The room had dark oak wooden floors, which were broken up by a very large, silvery cream shag pile rug, neatly placed in front of a small fireplace. The soft, inviting cream-colored sofa was placed opposite the fire, with a large bay window looking out at the access lane to her property. The walls were cream and the décor broken up with red curtains and cushions for the sofa, and a red-colored beanbag resting at the side of the fireplace.

Around the room there were other red furnishing, lamps and ornaments in the alcoves, but on the whole, it was a very minimalistic room. Usually the room made Alana relax, but that didn’t happen today.

Nick let her go as she sat on the sofa. She sat with her legs tucked up under her as she rested her head back.

If she was scared before, she was shitting herself now. She had known there was more to the body being on her land when Aatu had filled her mind with images of the murdering wolf confused with images of a man. Her fears were further confirmed when she returned to find the cabin broken into. The fact the detective had found evidence to link the two was just the icing on the cake. And now she couldn’t contact her father.

PC Cox entered the room and placed two cups of coffee on the table next to the sofa. Alana managed a quiet “thank you” and he returned her gratitude with a smile.

“Cox,” Detective Sorin said, “you and Lang head on over to the cabin and make sure the forensics have everything they need. Then I want you to circulate the perimeter of the two buildings, see if anything gives.”

PC Cox nodded acceptance of his duties and backed out of the living room. Alana looked at the detective, who was still standing, waiting for him to speak. The silence in the room was broken with the sound of the back door closing as the other two PCs left her house.

Nerves crept through her body, and her skin crawled as the detective slowly removed his dark-gray suit jacket, his eyes focused on her. He stepped closer to where she sat and started to unbutton his shirt at the neck. Alana swallowed hard, unsure of what do to. One part of her mind told her that he was just getting comfortable, while the other part told her to run.

She drew a deep breath as he moved down to the second button. “What are you doing?” Her voice as assertive as she could manage, she tried to hide the panic. It was the way he smiled at her then that had her heartbeat thumping in her ears. It was a slow, easy smile, with eyes that twinkled with mischief as he continued to watch her. He now moved on to the third button and took another step closer to her.

Alana was about to stand up and make a dash for the door as his hand slipped inside his own shirt. Curiosity got the better of her and she sat still, waiting. He pulled out a black threaded necklace with a silver pendant the size of a fifty pence piece.

Instantly she recognized the pendant, and adrenaline pumped through her body and made her feel light headed. She stood up and reached out to touch the circular coin with the figure of a wolf’s head embossed on it. It had the word “Altor” inscribed, meaning “protector” in Latin. An old family name her father had given to his protector, as his father had done before that. She smoothed her thumb over the coin’s surface and looked deep into the detective’s eyes, not trusting what her gut was telling her.

“Alana, your father sent me.”

ADULT EXCERPT

“What the fuck was all that about?” he demanded, trying to stand up straight. Alana didn’t respond, just stood and glared at him.

“Your crazy fucking wolf nearly caught me,” he continued, trying to justify his aggression. He searched her eyes for an insight to what she was thinking. He hadn’t meant to change on top of her, it just happened.

Alana moved across the room to his pile of clothes. She picked them up and threw them at him. “Deal with it,” she stated with such coldness that he could feel the temperature in the room drop. Nick was suddenly aware of his naked state as his clothes flew in his direction. His T-shirt, being lighter, only made it halfway between them, whilst his jeans connected with his feet. He scooped down to gather them from the floor, closing the gap between them.

Alana turned on her heel and marched out the door into the hallway. Nick followed after her, clothes still in hand.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he shouted after her, as she started to climb the stairs.

“That’s none of your business, Nick, just leave me alone.”

It hurt Nick that she didn’t even turn to face him as she spoke. She just continued to run up the stairs. It wasn’t his house to just follow her, but his gut assured him it was the right thing to do. He took the stairs two at a time and closed the gap between them, just as she tried to close her bedroom door in his face.

“Leave me alone!” He could hear the tears in her voice and he pushed open her door with a little more force than he intended. She jumped around as the door banged into the wall.

“Get out,” she screamed at him, but Nick refused. He walked over to her slowly, his voice very calm and soothing.

“No.” Nick stopped right in front of her. The ice he saw in her eyes before had been replaced by pain. Instinctively, he reached out to touch her face, but she turned away from him. Gently, Nick turned her head back to face him and he took another step closer to her. Their bodies met with the rise of their chest as they breathed. The atmosphere was much calmer, as if time itself was slowing down. Nick kept his gaze on Alana as he moved his face closer to hers, her eyes slowly closing in response to his gesture. He waited a moment to see if she would pull away, but she didn’t. Now he understood why she got so upset. She was just as attracted to him as he was to her.

Their lips met, soft and lightly, as Alana took that final step to close the gap between their bodies. Her hand caressed his chest as Nick dropped his clothes on the floor and tangled his fingers into her hair.

“Alana,” he whispered as he pulled back, putting a little thinking space between them. He knew his body, and finally having her in his arms, stopping wasn’t going to be easy.

“I want this, Nick,” she answered, as she pulled off her T-shirt to reveal smooth, silky skin. Nick’s gaze went directly to her abundant breasts, encased in white lace. The feel of her body against his made his erection more evident. Then Alana smiled nervously at him as she started to unbutton her jeans. Impatience got the better of him as he pulled Alana against his body. This time he kissed her deeper, putting his hands inside the waistband of her jeans as he edged them down over her hips. Alana stepped out of them as he fumbled with the back of her bra. It was when he started to pull at it with force that Alana stepped back from him. As she raised her hands to her breasts, Nick watched in shock, not quite sure what she was going to do.

He had never taken her for the “touch yourself” type, yet here she was. He swallowed hard at the devilish smile on her face. Then she undid the clasp at the front of her bra. With both hands reaching out for her shoulders, Nick slowly pulled the straps down each arm, pulling her warmth back to him as he did.

* * * *

Naked, but for her matching white panties, Nick backed her against the wall. He kissed her neck and cupped her breast, relishing the sound of her sharp intake of breath as he teased her nipple between his fingers. Then he kissed his way down to her breast as he helped himself to a mouthful. Alana moaned as his teeth grazed her nipples and his long, hard length pushed against her moist panties. She lifted one leg allowing him to move against her as her breathing became deeper and irregular. The heat of passion made their skin glisten as Alana gripped Nick’s hips and pulled them against her.

They both moaned out as the tip of his shaft pushed into her wetness slightly. Her panties prevented him from going deeper. She rocked against him, her hands sliding over his chest and around his back before they came to rest on his ass as she thrust against him harder and faster. Nick couldn’t wait any more. He lifted her up and walked over to the bed. With her legs wrapped tightly round his waist, he crawled along the bed before laying her down on her back. He pulled out of her as he leaned back, his hands sliding down her body to guide her panties down her legs.

His face stopped at her neatly shaven mound. Nick lowered his head and licked between her swollen lips, tasting her arousal as he sucked her nub into his mouth. He felt Alana’s fingers grip at his hair on either side of his head as she squirmed and moaned beneath him. He drove his tongue into her again as he lapped at her juice.