Wolves' Bane (The Order of the Wolf, #3)(12)

“Holy shit!” I gasped.

“Morgan, this is Wolves’ Bane, home of The Order of the Wolf.” Caleb’s voice was gruff from his sleep. “While you are on the property, you don’t have to wear the cloak. You’re protected here. The perimeter is enchanted. The wolves can’t get past the barrier.”

I nodded as the word enchanted echoed in my mind. I was still too speechless at the grandeur of Wolves’ Bane to utter a sound. This was all too surreal to process.

Lance pulled the truck to a stop in front of the house. “She didn’t sleep the entire drive up,” he said, presumably to Caleb. “You should take her to her room so that she can get some rest.”

Feeling like I had just been ratted out, I flashed a dirty look at Lance, glaring at him in the rearview mirror. He smiled widely at me before giving a teasing wink. I decided I kinda liked him—a brother I never had.

His expression crashed a moment later when Caleb growled at him.

“Well, I wouldn’t have wanted to sleep either with some giant pawing at me,” Lance muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

My mouth gaped and I could feel a burning blush wash over my entire face. Maybe I didn’t like him after all.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Caleb barked.

Lance winked at me again but didn’t bother answering Caleb. Instead, he and Ken shared a knowing look, then the two of them hopped out of the truck and quickly disappeared into the house.

Caleb shifted behind me and opened his own door, pulling me across the seat and out to stand next to the truck. He placed his hands on my shoulders and stared down at me, a gentle touch to my chin forcing me to look up at him. His face was still lined with exhaustion, his jaw painted with dark stubble. “What was Lance talking about?”

I felt my blush grow deeper. “Ah, nothing.” I bit my bottom lip and cringed, knowing by his expression that my answer was not going to cut it. I blew out a long breath. “You kind of, well, in your sleep, you sort of touched me a little. You know, a little cupping action.”

Caleb groaned and rolled his head back to stare straight up. When he brought his head back down, his expression was conflicted, guilt warring with… “It’s inexcusable. I’m sorry.”

I frowned. “It’s okay. No harm, no foul.”

Caleb’s expression changed in an instant, his eyes hooded as he moved his head closer to mine. “Really? You’re not angry?”

I swallowed, a wave of arousal washing over me. “Nope.” I shook my head and slid my eyes down to gaze at his lips. Nope, didn’t mind it one bit.

He moved even closer, his hand trailing from my shoulder to my waist. “No?” He pressed my body against his, and I could feel the hard bulge of his erection prodding me through his black army fatigues.

Oh, wow!

I tilted my head up, my lips almost touching his, then closed my eyes and waited for him to kiss me.

“Cal? Are you two coming in or what? The girl needs some sleep, man,” Lance shouted, his tone teasing.

“Shit,” Caleb grunted as he jerked away, leaving my heart fluttering and my body quivering. “I guess we’d better get inside.”

I released the breath I’d been holding and opened my eyes. Caleb was already darting around me to retrieve my duffle bag from the back of the truck. Another close call. I slumped my shoulders in defeat. How did he do it? My lusty excitement deflated as I followed him into the house, determined to keep my thoughts in check and my gaze off his ass.





Chapter Six





The Oracle


Cal was annoyed with both Lance for his tactless interference and himself for groping Morgan while he slept. Luckily, Morgan didn’t seem too bothered by it, but really, he needed to get himself under control. This was all new to her—the last thing she needed was some Neanderthal move like cupping her breast. He might have been sex deprived, and Morgan might have been marked as his mate, but that didn’t give him a green light for frat-boy shit.

“The Oracle wants to see you,” Ken said as he poked his head out from the kitchen, a huge deli sandwich halfway to his mouth.

Cal brushed his fingers against Morgan’s lower back, fighting the urge to spread his hand over the tantalizing curve there. “I’m going to get you settled in your room. You need some sleep.”

Morgan nodded as she rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, I’m pretty exhausted—too exhausted to bug you about who the Oracle is.”

He motioned for her to go up the stairs. “I’ll give you all of the details you want and need to know. I promise. But first you must get some sleep.”

Morgan gasped and grabbed his left arm, halting him mid-step and pulling him down to examine his tattoo. “It’s a wolf. Of course, it’s a wolf.”

He closed his eyes for half a second, reveling in her touch as she traced the design. Under her fingers, the symbol came to life, shooting jolts of pleasure through his body with such intensity he thought he might come right then and there.

So much for keeping things under control.

He dropped her duffle bag to the floor and laid his other hand over hers so he could gently pry her fingers away, clearing his throat as he did.

“It’s the symbol of the Order and it’s imbued with magic. I can use it to find you. When you trace it…well…it just feels really damn good.”