Wolves' Bane (The Order of the Wolf, #3)(40)

“It’s for the best, man.”

Cal nodded without looking back. She might hate me for it afterward. No, she will hate me for it, but it needs to be done. He could make promises to himself that sex wouldn’t happen, but that would be a lie. There was no way, with the desire he had for her, that he’d be able to hold himself back, especially if the bonding process was as intense as everyone claimed.

When Cal made it outside, he scanned the perimeter. It was mid-afternoon, the sun was just starting to descend. The forest lay quiet. Ken and James had already removed Jimmy’s body, taken it to the underground laboratories to make sure it didn’t rise again. Which wasn’t a concern, really, but why take the chance? Jimmy hadn’t yet become a fully turned werewolf, which must have been why he was able to get through the perimeter’s security magic.

Cal walked toward the spot where he had found Morgan. Something glinted in the sun, hidden in the grass. He bent down and retrieved her cell phone.

So this was how he’d gotten her outside.

He dropped it to the ground then crushed it under his boot, feeling a satisfying pop as it imploded on itself. She’s gonna be pissed at me for that too, Cal thought grimly, as he bent down to retrieve the remains, shoving them into his pocket once he’d collected every piece. Just tally up the reasons to hate me. As long as she’s safe and alive, that’s all that matters.

Cal scanned the first set of markers that lined the property. It would take him the rest of the day to recast and etch symbols of protection on each, but it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be able to sleep, or do anything else until it was done. With a sigh, he moved to the first wooden beam. There were fifty in all, each about five miles apart, circling a defined border to the property. There were other Hunters who could help him, others with similar powers but he wouldn’t be satisfied unless he etched them all himself. He needed to know that they were cast properly.

He ran his hand over the beam and detected his own marking there already. The magic was strong, unfading, and yet that bastard had still managed to get past. It was a loophole that had never occurred to Cal. What bothered him more than anything was that if Jimmy knew the weakness, then so did Lazarus. There would be nothing stopping him from making an army of new werewolves, all crazed with the beginning of the transformation and all seeking the king’s praise for their loyalty.

With his finger, Cal traced the spell that was already there, a simple protection to ward off werewolves. Not good enough. On top of that, he layered another more powerful symbol, one that would ward off man or beast. No good could come from a human stumbling on their property either. He didn’t know why he hadn’t done it before.

I guess I had no reason to, before now.

He closed his eyes and let the spell flood through him. The magic of the earth rushed up his legs, electrifying him, surging through his body and out of his finger as he etched the marking one, two, three times over, increasing its strength with each pass. It was overkill to be sure, but he wasn’t willing to take any chances.

Not with Morgan’s life on the line.





Chapter Nineteen





Bonded


I opened my eyes and groaned. Every muscle was tight and aching, but while I was sore all over, there wasn’t any really horrible pain. I reached up to touch my neck and winced. Yep, that one hurt, but even my neck wasn’t as bad as I would have expected. I ran my hand along my ribs. Tender, yes, but not excruciating. I sucked in a deep breath, allowing my lungs to fill completely before blowing all of the air out. No pain, nothing broken.

I sighed as I rolled over, happy to find myself nestled in my own bed and surprised to see that the room was dark, except for the shimmering glow of the moonlight, which cast rays of soft light over everything in my sight. I’d slept the rest of the day away and didn’t remember much beyond Cal’s comforting arms holding me.

The bathroom door opened and bathed the room in bright unnatural light, blinding me momentarily. I sucked in a breath as my vision adjusted. Cal stood in the doorway, his perfectly chiseled body draped in a small towel wrapped around his waist. A sheen of moisture covered him, and steam rolled out of the bathroom, billowing around him like he was a god.

“You’re awake.” His voice was gruff, a low grumble that washed over me and set my heart thumping.

I nodded, licking my lips as I pushed myself up onto my elbow.

“How do you feel?”

I watched him move, feasting on his honed physique as it flexed under his flawless skin. His arms and chest were so defined, so cut, firm and solid, flowing into more muscle that lined his abdomen, a six-pack straight out of a muscle magazine. My gaze trailed farther down, along the sharp cut of his hip where the towel covered him. I was wet with want. I licked my lips again as I scanned his body back up to meet his eyes.

He was looking at me with one eyebrow cocked and a wry smirk on his face. The heat of a blush washed over me and I cleared my throat. “Oh, um, I feel okay. A little tender but otherwise fine.”

He moved over to the bed and sat with his back to me, his shoulders hunched. It took everything in my power not to reach over and trace my finger along his spine, trailing the contours of his muscles, or maybe even run my tongue over all that gorgeous wet skin.

“I’m sorry, Morgan.” His voice was hushed, so low I almost didn’t hear him.