Lup Teren (Wolf Land Series Book 1) Read online

  “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

  “We’re connected,” he interrupted.

  “Mated?” she squeaked nervously.

  Chuckling he stated, “No, but every time we…”

  “Join,” she interjected.

  “Fuck,” he said with a smirk making her blush. “We become more entwined. When we are truly mated we’ll be able to hear each other’s thoughts, feel each other’s emotions. There won’t be any secrets between us and our strengths will grow.”

  “There aren’t any secrets between us now,” she smirked, and then stiffened when he didn’t confirm her statement. “Is that why I feel so hostile toward Nicolae? Because you feel that way?”

  Nodding his head yes, he gave a saucy grin. “Try to rest,” he repeated, annoying her.

  “Please, explain.”

  “When wolves mate they are able to combine their strengths and skills. As a Were, I’m fast, strong, and cunning. When I become mated, all of my abilities will double, even triple depending on the strength of my wife. Yours will do the same.”

  “I see.” Scooting down she arranged herself against his side, resting her head on his bulging bicep like it was a pillow. “So you’re mating me to increase your manly prowess?” she teased.

  “If my masculine prowess increased any more, you wouldn’t be able to walk,” he scoffed earning him a gentle smack to the forehead. “Only kid’in,” he added, kissing her temple. “I’d marry you even if you were a mere human. Fortunately, you’re anything but mere,” he complimented, opening his baby browns. “You’re amazing.”

  “You’re making me want to ravage you.” She turned giving his Adam’s apple a quick flick of her tongue followed by several lingering kisses.

  “Control yourself, woman,” he laughed. “There are wolves listening to our antics.”

  “Good grief,” she muttered, trying to put more space between them, but couldn’t with Antonio securing his grip around her middle.

  “Get some rest, sweetheart,” he encouraged. “We’ll be there soon.”

  “Alright,” she agreed reluctantly, resuming her former position. “Wolves and their super hearing…damn freaks,” she mumbled below her breath.

  “We heard you,” several voices sounded at once. Jeez!

  Freaking wolves!

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Sweetheart,” Antonio gently shook her awake, “we’re here. Time to get up. Your father is waiting at the manor for us.” The sound of his voice was a bit gravely and tense making her feel the same.

  “Ok.” She slowly opened her eyes, her mind still groggy.

  This connection was worse than having PMS. At least she only had PMS once a month, but this…this was a pain in the collective arse.

  “Duncan and the others are waiting for us outside in the SUV.”

  “Give me a minute,” she said, rising to a sitting position, quickly tugging on her borrowed boots and grabbing the leather jacket. “I’m ready. Lead the way.”

  Outside, the night air was chilly and she was thankful for the jacket. Above, the sky was a clear, black canvas sprinkled with a multitude of twinkling stars and a moon the shape of a half wheel of cheese. The surrounding woods were also perfect, awe-inspiring and eerily watchful as she and Antonio made their way down the gangplank to the awaiting black SUV already filled with Nicolae, Blaine, Mrs. Radu, and Duncan at the wheel.

  “C’mon you two,” Duncan said in that stern voice she’d always loved. “Time’s a wasting.”

  Antonio held the door open for her and waited while she scooted inside, then sat beside her, closing the door firmly once he was situated.

  “Let’s go,” his instructions aimed at Duncan.

  “We’re off,” the driver exclaimed, pulling away from the dock onto a smoothly paved road leading away from the outskirts of the island. She guessed the manor was located more inland due to the road’s dissection through the center of the wooded area. It was hard to tell since the darkness seemed to engulf everything, even the trees lining both sides of their path. Fortunately, the fading sound of lapping waves against the rocky coastline along with the lessening scent of sea water intertwined with the almost suffocating fragrance of pine needles revealed their location.

  Unexpectedly, she began to feel claustrophobic inside the packed vehicle. “How long til we reach the manor?”

  “Why, what is wrong?” Nicolae’s facial features hardened. “You are not getting a headache are you?”

  “It’s mild. I’ll breathe through it. No need to panic,” she tried to placate. “It’s just a bit stuffy in here.”

  “Do you need me to put the windows down?” Duncan’s fatherly concern much appreciated.

  “You don’t have to coddle me.” Raina smiled sweetly. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Stop the car,” Antonio ordered out of the blue.

  Duncan immediately stopped. Looking over his wide shoulder, he asked, “Watcha do’in lad?” The Scottish brogue thicker than usual due to a lack of sleep.

  “I think it’s time Raina learned what she is capable of. And what better place to hone her skills than here.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Blaine’s worried expression did nothing to alleviate her nervous tension.

  “I’m positive.” Antonio opened the door, took her hand and led her a few feet away from the vehicle. “We’ll see you shortly.”

  “Be careful,” Duncan warned. “Wolves aren’t the only things in these woods,” he said before pulling away, swiftly disappearing down the pitch-black road.

  “What the hell does that mean?” She looked around the shadowy road, eyes having a hard time focusing.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Antonio began stripping out of his clothes.

  “What are you doing?” she squealed in shock. “Put your damn trousers back on and your knickers. Suppose someone sees you? You can’t walk around with your monster out.”

  “Get undressed,” he laughed.

  “Absolutely not,” she refused, arms folded defiantly across her chest.

  “C’mon,” he urged, “most of the residents here are either pack or Romani. Your daddy owns this island and takes great care people like us have the freedom to be in any form they choose.”

  “I’m not an exhibitionist,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

  “Sweetheart,” he groaned, kissing her lips briefly, brown eyes pleading wordlessly, “trust me.”

  That was her undoing. “Fine, but if anyone sees me naked, I’m gonna kick your arse all the way back to Spain.”

  “You seem to forget, I only lived in Spain for five years.” Raina’s clenched fists stopped any further teasing. “I believe you’d kick my arse, but Weres aren’t bothered by nakedness. It’s just another state of being. You’ll get used to it.”

  “Highly unlikely,” she bristled, as she stripped down to her knickers.

  “Take off everything, Raina. You don’t want people staring at ya…a wolf wearing lacey undergarments? You’d be more of a spectacle that way. You wouldn’t want people to gossip now, would ya?”

  “Freaking wolves,” she snarled. After a moment’s hesitation, she reluctantly took off everything and stood shivering at the side of the road wearing only a perturbed look and nothing else. “I hate you right now. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I certainly do,” he snorted, annoying her further. “C’mon.”

  “What about our clothes?” she asked, looking at the neatly folded garments.

  “I’ll send someone back for them. We’ll leave them on that overturned log.”

  “I don’t know about any of this,” she said to the night as he took their clothing and laid them neatly on top of a fallen log.

  Taking both of her hands in his, he said, “Close your eyes…good girl.”

  “If you say that to me one more time…”

  “Sorry,” he chuckled low. “Ok, close your eyes. Picture transforming into your wolf.”

  “I can’t. I feel silly stand
ing here naked and cold.”

  “Raina, please,” he pleaded. “Picture it in your mind. Pull back your human skin and imagine yourself in fur.”

  Closing her eyes, she tried. Tried, but couldn’t. “I can’t do it.”

  “Yes, you can,” he encouraged. “Concentrate.”

  “Don’t you think I am?” she snapped in annoyance and embarrassment.

  “No, I think you’re farting around. C’mon, take this seriously.”

  She closed her eyes again and tried harder. Then again. And one more time.

  “Shite!” her exclamation scaring a scavenging mouse back into the woods. “I can’t. It’s too difficult.”

  “Yes, you can.” Antonio blew-out a frustrated breath. “Focus on my voice.”

  With her eyes tightly closed, she concentrated. Imagining shifting skin to fur…fingers to claws…teeth to fangs…concentrate…concentrate…

  With a loud huff she informed, “I can’t do it!”

  *****

  She was driving him bloody mad. Not only because she refused to focus on turning, but her gorgeous body, all curvy and voluptuous taunted him to mount her like an animal. Focus Antonio! Focus.

  It was time to use another tactic. “Fine, what did I expect from a woman anyway?”

  “What did you just say to me?” Ah, hah! That got her attention.

  “You heard me,” he chuckled, knowing it would make her even angrier. “When push comes to shove, you’re all the same. You’re all weak, pathetic, damsels in distress, every last one of you.”

  “Bastard! I only recently found out I’m a damn wolf…Hybrid…whatever! How can you expect me to turn on command? I’ve only done it once and that was by accident.”

  “I could do it right away,” he lied. “I’m not lying. Why do you think your gender is described as dainty, petite, the fairer sex? It all means the same thing…weak.”

  “You’re asking for it,” she snapped a more forceful warning.

  “It’s alright. Put your clothes back on. It’s not that far. We’ll walk. It’s obvious you can’t do it.” He reached for his sweater, pulling it over his head.

  “I can do it,” she insisted, staring at him.

  “No, you can’t. Just like four years ago when you left me to die. Ran away like a damn coward.”

  “You told me to run,” her voice lowered.

  “I told you to run because I knew I was going to die anyway. You couldn’t even lift me. Weakling.”

  “Shut up, you…you…flea infested mongrel.”

  “At least this mongrel can shift…unlike you.”

  “I’m warning you.” She felt that sensation in the pit of her stomach, rising quickly to her temples.

  “Some almighty Hybrid,” he scoffed. “You’re meant to unite the packs with the Romani? Bullshit,” he scoffed. “They may as well just use those ancient scrolls as toilet paper. Fulfill the covenant my hairy wolf arse.”

  “Stop it.” Her blood began to boil and the point of a fang pushed through her tender gums.

  “You are such a little girl.” Almost there he thought to himself.

  “Little. Girl,” her repeated words mumbled under her breath.

  “At least your body is as it should be. Warm and tight and inviting. You may be weak, but your pussy is perfect.”

  “Asshole!” she growled as she lunged forward without thought shedding her human form in mid-leap and landing on top of the wide-eyed, laughing Antonio.

  “Good girl,” he chuckled, scratching behind her ears. “Until you can control it better, you’ll just have to get furious.”

  The love of his life gave him a lick on the nose, removed her body from his chest and waited while he shifted. Predictable. He knew his woman well. Piss her off and you were in deep shite. He was a proud man…wolf…whatever.

  *****

  “That was sneaky,” she communicated telepathically accompanied by a sniff here and there. “I’ll get even with you later.”

  “I know,” he snickered. Large dark eyes filled with amusement, amusement at her expense. “We have to go, but I have to warn you.”

  “Warn me about what?”

  “Small animals live in these woods, rabbits, rodents, and deer.”

  “I’m not afraid of…”

  “That’s not what I meant. You’ll feel the urge to…ya know.”

  Confusion shone on her face as she tried to understand, “The urge to…what?”

  A blush stole across his cheeks. “Chase them. Kill them. Eat them.”

  “No way,” she gasped at his accusation. “The only meat I eat comes from the supermarket or from a tray carried by a waiter or waitress. I’ve got more self-control than that.”

  “Okay, suit yourself. I won’t bother you about it again.” The insipid male shook his head and barked, “Follow me.” She did.

  She followed his hairy behind through dense wooded thickets carpeted with overgrown trailing ivy, low-hanging branches and slippery moss-covered patches of dirt. They crossed over dilapidated bridges and makeshift trails. Waded through shallow streams with rocky beds and climbed steep slopes that, if not for their claws, would have plummeted them to their deaths. But regardless of the dangers, she’d never felt so alive in her entire life.

  “Having trouble keeping up?” Antonio’s voice came through her mind, his concerned tone compelling her not to give up.

  “Just a little, but I’ll make it. Being all furry takes getting used to. And having four legs and a tail…don’t even get me started.”

  From the corner of her eye, movement caught her attention in a small clearing several kilometers ahead. It was something brown and plump and smelled like…like…dinner. The desire to sprint toward the cute little happy-meal-on-legs took over her cerebral cortex. Salivary glands began to secrete their enzymes. Her stomach had the audacity to growl.

  “Fight it, Raina,” Antonio whimpered near her left ear, giving it a quick flick with his tongue.

  “I’m trying to,” she sniffed again, her long dark tail swishing of its own accord.

  “Hurry,” he insisted, getting her to focus on him instead of the hare, “the manor is this way.” On padded paws, they sprinted when they came to a large grassy meadow.

  Up ahead, a large iron gate barring the well-manicured grounds of a stately estate greeted them. Hastily, Antonio led the way to the main entrance where a man wearing a tan and dark brown security guard’s uniform sat reading a newspaper. He didn’t seem surprised when Antonio appeared at the small guardhouse and gave three short barks. The man smiled before hitting the open button to the intimidating gate.

  “It’s good to have you back, Antonio…Miss Jacobs. Go in. They’re waiting for you in the office.” Antonio barked again, but this time it was two long and one short. The man grimaced then added, “I’d get cleaned up first. Lucian is with them.” Antonio growled low, his tail stopped wagging and the fur on his back stood straight up. “Tell me about it,” the guard snickered. “Talk to you later.”

  Speedily, they ran through the opened gate and made their way to the main house. The enormous beige brick structure was flanked on each side with smaller replicas. White pillars gave each building a Southern plantation feel. Everything, including the grounds, was impressive to say the least, with native fruit trees, flowering bushes, climbing vines that softened the harsh brick facade. In the front of the main house was an impressive marble fountain with a statue of a nude woman with long tresses holding a bow and arrow with two wolves playing at her feet, one on either side.

  Something about the fountain called to her. It was strange. Raina had seen it before, but she wasn’t certain where.

  “We have to hurry. I’ll give you the grand tour in the morning.” She and Antonio went around back and she waited patiently as he changed back to his human form. The sight of his perfectly shaped arse brightening her nervous mood. “Shift back, Raina.”

  “I’ll be naked,” she whined with indignation.

  “No one will care,
” he said, trying to comfort her, but failed miserably.

  Shaking her head, she added, “I don’t think so.”

  “There are robes for us to wear.” He opened a closet revealing several thick, white, terrycloth robes. Quickly, he donned one himself. “Try turning back to your human form.”

  “How do I shift back?”

  “Do the opposite. Calm yourself and focus on returning to your human body.” She really concentrated this time, but nothing happened…again. Antonio only smiled. “It’s alright; it should wear-off when you sleep. Follow me and try not to get into any trouble.”

  “Trouble, me?” she asked with mock indignation. “Cheeky.”

  They went in the back door that led to a large, gourmet kitchen where Mrs. Radu was already preparing the morning’s breakfast. She smiled sweetly at them both before nodding to the doorway and saying something in Romanian followed by, “They waiting, hurry,” in broken English.

  As they entered the main living area, she realized the rest of the house was just as impressive. The old-world styled home sported cathedral ceilings, floor to ceiling palladium windows, an enormous stone fireplace so huge you could park two Mini-Coopers in its hearth. Imported alabaster Italian marble adorned with authentic Persian rugs in a variety of patterns, but all containing hues of burnished gold, turquoise, alabaster, and dark brown warmed the starkness of the highly polished floors.

  In the far corner of the main room, a striking vintage Grand piano sat near the windows overlooking the stables and the large lake behind it, the softly undulating waves glistened like diamonds under the pale moonlight. The sereneness of the view caused her breath to catch.

  Antonio smiled. “I guess you like it.”

  “It’s incredible,” she whimpered like they were in the halls of a renowned cathedral.

  Antonio patted her head, bringing her out of the moment. “There will be time enough for admiring the grounds tomorrow. I promise.”

  Continuing the long walk to the other side of the enormous residence, she glanced at the portraits along the long, neutral painted hallway. Pictures of men and women adorned in ancient garb who resembled her, graced the walls. Their name and title engraved on a metal plate beneath each frame. She made a mental note to study each one later.