electrocuted.â
He got the strangest look on his face, and she cocked her head. âWhat?â
âNothing. Anyway, thatâs ancient history.â
Time to lighten the mood again. âSpeaking of ancient, how old are you?â
He laughed, showing off those straight white teethâcomplete with a couple of canines that were slightly longer than a humanâs yet not as long as her own. The sight intrigued her.
âIâm two hundred sixteen. A mere baby next to you,â he teased, blue eyes dancing with mischief.
âOooh, that was a low blow, wolf.â She narrowed her eyes, her tone playfully menacing. âOr should I say âpupâ? Perhaps youâre too young and green to play with the grown-ups.â
âPup?â A feral gleam lit his eyes, coupled with humor. Moving in swiftly, he pressed his big body against hers, palm braced above her head. âDo I seem like a pup to you?â
Bark dug into her back, and she relished the feel of his hard muscles surrounding her. The thumpof his heart. And there was nothing humorous about the hard-on in his jeans.
Their easy playfulness rapidly becoming something deeper. Nick continued to push against her, letting her feel his arousal. Then he raised a hand and stroked her face. Brushed a thumb over her lips.
âNo,â she admitted. âYou certainly donât.â
âYouâre beautiful.â
She stared back at him, ensnared in his gaze. âThank you.â
Please, kiss me. I needâ
His mouth covered hers and she whimpered, returning the kiss with equal hunger. Heaven. He was pure heaven, his heady scent and rich taste playing havoc with her hormones. Never before had a man
owned
her with a kiss like this one. As though he fully intended to possess every corner of her soul.
She wanted the contact to go on forever. Her vampire instincts surged to the fore, and she had to force down the desire to bite him. To claim her mate.
Mate!
Suddenly he pushed back, breaking the kiss. His chest heaved and he stared at her as though heâd read her thoughts. Maybe he had, somehow. And if so, he seemed less than happy about what heâd seen.
âI shouldnât have done that.â
Not too promising.
âIn case you didnât notice, I rather enjoyed it,â she pointed out.
âSo did I, but . . .â He ran a hand through his jet-black hair. âLook, I need to get back. Iâm not ditching you, itâs just that something tells me Iâm needed.â
He sounded sincere and she breathed a small sigh of relief. âIâll take you.â
âYou donât have to do that. My wolf can run fast.â
âMy way is faster.â She held out a hand and waited. He hesitated only a second before placing his palm in hers. With a smile, she said, âDonât let go of me.â
âWouldnât dream of it.â
Shifters didnât like traveling by translocation as a general rule. It tended to make many of them dizzy and sick to their stomachs. But there were times that it was the most expedient way to get where you were going.
Closing her eyes, she imagined the Packâs compound and let her gift take them there. The flight lasted merely a few seconds and soon she felt solid earth under her shoes again. Looking around, she saw that they were in the grassy yard area in the back where the party had taken place.
Nick staggered a bit, then leaned over and rested his hands on his knees. âGod, that sucks.â
âAre you all right?â She touched his shoulder.
âI will be.â Gradually he straightened and gave her a rueful smile. âAt least my lunch didnât make a reappearance.â
âThank goodness for small favors.â
âYeah.â
âNick!â The commander glanced toward the back of the building to see one of his men jogging out the door.
âMicah, whatâs wrong?â
Calla recognized the