Her Perilous Wolf by Julie Steimle (free e books to read .txt) 📖

them. But you’re not like that.”

He chuckled, about to retort.

“Your family uses your wealth to build and create,” she said. “You use to it preserve and help people—and wolves.”

“Ourselves.” He shook his head, slowly more aware of those listening in. Around them, people were silent. The police had taken away most of those who had been cursing at them. The fight was over. “The reason we care for wolves is selfish. Don’t pretend stuff to flatter me. I don’t need it. We’re saving ourselves. We make animal reserves where no one can hunt except us.”

“Any wolf would do that,” she retorted, ignoring the watching eyes also. She was used to the chuckles and stares from Jessica and Silvia at any rate. She knew they were cheering this on, which gave her courage. Audry added, “If they had money.”

“The Germans didn’t,” Rick growled while thinking of them, thinking of what they might do to Audry if they knew about her. “They hunted people. They killed them for sport and food.”

“They sure did,” Daniel muttered, walking by with the Elf. He and that foreign Elf had just been talking with Piranha and Tom when Michael, Tommy, and Vincent had been there—about what, it was unclear. Matthew was somewhere with JJ, and Jessica stood back with Andrew and Silvia, giving them the most space.

Audry shuddered, her mind going back to Rhett who had lost half a leg, and Jordan who had been murdered by them.

“You should be scared of me. It’s dangerous to be near me,” Rick said again in one last desperate attempt to ward her off, watching her expression.

But Audry shook her head, already seeing what he was doing. She wrapped her arms around his bare waist, admiring the remarkable man whom she wanted to be with. “I will take the risk to be with you.”

“But you could get killed!” He took hold of her wrists, wrenching them gently off from him. But he did not let go of her. He did not want to let go. Rick wanted to make her see the danger she was in by caring for him. He tried to use reason. “The danger is not just the SRA. There are wolves who would be upset about us—about you with me. The Germans. The French. For heaven sakes, Daisy’s pack.”

“I can handle it,” Audry declared a little too boldly, thinking about Daisy’s pack which she had met at the convention years ago. Though, she wondered about the French. It was probably those he was running from at the Eiffel Tower.

“I can’t.” He shook his head, tears now falling. He shook his head, trembling at the thought of her getting killed. In his mind’s eye, she was more than just bruised—she was bleeding to death like Jordan. “I would just die if you got hurt.”

“Because, you also like me.” She put her forehead against his again, searching for that answer in his grays. She wiped the tears from his eyes.

Rick moaned, more tears falling. “Because you mean everything to me.”

He meant that. Chills washed over Audry, motivating her to kiss him again, this time more heavily. She wanted him. He was the dangerous man she had been looking for all these years.

He stood there, stunned for a whole two seconds as she kissed him, dismayed that he could not scare her off—and yet, breathing her in as her mouth massaged his. Her scent was so divinely enticing, he finally gave up resisting and kissed her back.

Their friends had taken steps further off, grinning together as the pair continued to kiss as if no one was watching. Silvia and Jessica shook hands, quietly cheering on ‘Breacon’. Their husbands were smiling together, exchanging looks.

“Finally,” Randon murmured for the few and near to hear.

Andrew nodded. “No kidding. When I found out she existed… man, I was sure she was the one—until he started avoiding her.”

“But that was just proof of how much he likes her,” Silvia said.

“But she will now need a twenty-four-seven bodyguard,” Michael murmured, sauntering up to that cluster. He held a meaningful gaze which Andrew understood well. Rick alone was a handful to guard. They had a feeling Audry was equally willful and would not like always having someone with her for protection.

Vincent strolled up with Michael, nodding. “Yeah, but you can make that happen, right? All of you?”

They looked to him, registering yet another ‘normie’ in the group.

“You are taking this in stride.” Randon smirked, openly pleased. “Good for you.”

Vincent shrugged, watching Rick and his cousin continue to kiss as if they were the only two people left in the world. “He’s less of a threat to her than those SRA hunters. Much less. Besides, I always knew there was something going on between them. And Audry is attracted to danger.”

“But she will need a bodyguard,” Andrew murmured again, nodding. “We don’t need anyone messing with my best friend’s future wife.”

Vincent’s eyes widened on him for a second. But considering it, he figured that it was probably what would happen. And he approved. Rick was a good man.

“Or Silvia could set up a shadow spell,” Randon suggested.

Jessica shot him a side look, though Silvia grinned with a nod, more than willing. Jessica interjected, “I’m not sure Rick would agree to that.”

Silvia shrugged. Most likely he wouldn’t. He’s not fond of witchcraft.

Vincent was glad of that.

“Audry would,” Randon said with a shrug also. “She’s done it before.”

They thought on that. It was a possibility.

But then Darth ran up and barked all around Rick and Audry, breaking up the kissing session. Audry pulled apart from Rick, prepared to stop Darth from attacking her wolf-man, if that was what was happening. But Rick laughed and crouched down next to the hyper dog, scratching up around the dog’s ears as Darth sniffed him then licked his face. Rick looked to Audry. “Is he yours? I thought you weren’t into pets? Something about the principle of freedom for—”

“Oh, shut up.” Audry crouched next to Darth also, who immediately slobbered over her face and jumped up his paws on her shoulders with love and licks.

“Is he going to be my competition?” Rick laughed, standing up. His eyes gazed with extreme fondness for this insane woman.

Audry eyed him sideways before laughing. She shook her head. “Darth was a gift from my friend Juma in Tanzania. But I really don’t know what to do with him, actually.”

“He’s good protection,” Rick murmured, eyeing the Belgian Malinois. “He’s got nice teeth. Strong jaws.”

Audry grinned fondly at Rick. “Is he going to be my competition?”

Peeking sideways at her, Rick laughed, nodding. “No. But it has been a while since I’ve had a dog. Did you know the SRA shot and killed the two Dobermans my family had? Way back when I was sixteen. I think maybe your dog will need more protection than you.”

Eyeing Darth up, Audry wondered if that were right. It was likely if the dog had been with her when they had taken her, they would have shot him. “Ok, we will have to figure out something for him then.”

“We…” Rick gazed at her, practically trying out the word. He nodded to himself and drew a breath. Reaching down, he took Audry by the hand and pulled her up to standing. “As in you and me?”

She smiled at him, nodding. “Yes. Us. That was the point of this whole conversation.”

He blushed. “Ok. Then, uh, Audry, I’d like to ask you a question.”

“Don’t move so fast!” Andrew called out, cupping his hands around his mouth, laughing.

Rick shot him a dirty look. But he said to Audry, “Do you want to go to dinner with me tonight?”

She smiled, nodding. “I’d love to.”

“We can even go vegan,” he said with a smirk.

Laughing, she kissed Rick on the nose. “For me, it has to be.”

“Ok…” Daniel strode up to them. “Are we done now?”

Both Rick and Audry stared at him with equal terse glares.

Yet Daniel hardly felt it. “Because we have to get you—” pointing to Audry, “—to a hospital.”

Rick nodded in agreement, looking her up and down—his eyes resting most especially on her bruises.

“Well, maybe not.” The elegant elvish woman strolled up to them, her entrancing voice colored with a rich British accent. “I have a healing touch. If you two come here, I can heal hurts.”

All eyes rested on her.

Rick took a slight step closer to Audry. “And you are…?”

Smiling as if life and light were her friends, practically emanating it, the elvish woman replied with a deferential nod to him, “My apologies. My name is currently Heather, or Rowan if you’d like.”

But Daniel interrupted her in a loud whisper, “I thought we agreed you’d go by your original name. We’re coming full circle. You have to let that past go.”

Sighing, a degree weary with mortals to be frank, the elvish woman looked to Rick and Audry again. “My name is Brigidt. And I am here to help.”

Rick put a tighter arm around Audry.

“You have no reason to worry,” Brigidt the Elf said, her entrancing eyes taking them both in. She nodded to Andrew, then with some blushing deference to Daniel as she said, “I am the Holy Seven’s patron elf.”

Rick took in a quick breath. He looked to Daniel who nodded. But then he said, “But where’s Peter? If you found her—”

Daniel waved it away. “Peter is still researching for vimp details at the British Museum in London. And he’ll join us after ‘football’ season.”

Audry felt dizzy. Yet she looked to Brigidt, taking in the weight of this elvish woman’s presence. She could feel power coming from the Elf, but it did not feel malevolent, not like that Chinese snake man. Audry peeked to Silvia who was maintaining her distance, perhaps from pure fear. Audry said, “What exactly is an elf?”

Laughing, and it was musical, the Elf replied, “Omit the word ‘exactly’ and I can tell you approximately what is an elf.”

“There is no exact definition of an elf,” Daniel explained. “An elf is like an angel, only mortal. They are gifted beings, shape shifters, and incredibly restless—”

“Restless?” Brigidt rose up a little taller than him. How she did it, Audry could not tell. But she emanated regality and power in her offense. In fact, she almost looked Egyptian for a split second.

Yet Daniel spoke to her like an equal, hardly intimidated. “Yeah. You are so restless. At least you are among people. We need to get you to the Berkshires soon. You need nature.”

Moaning, Brigidt did nod to that. “Agreed. The last time I was in New York, it did not go so well.”

“Wait.” Andrew stepped up. “You were once in New York?”

Brigidt nodded, her eyes raking over him in assesment. “Yes sir. Sometime in the future. I was dragged here by rotten Merlin. Believe me, I was an unwilling passenger.”

“You knew Merlin?” Jessica approached eagerly, dazed.

Dryly, Brigidt nodded. “The bloke was a cambion. I have stories about him which would make your hair curl.”

She then turned once more to Audry. Brigidt reached out her long arm and fingers, and stroked the skin next to Audry’s eye, touching the bruise. Audry felt it tingle, going cold then hot.

Rick took in a sharp breath, staring at it.

“What?” Audry said, looking to him.

“It’s… gone.” He glanced quickly to the Elf who was now stroking the bruises on Audry’s neck. The dark purplish marks seemed to evaporate, leaving pink impressions which had a color more like blush.

Then the Elf touched the gash on Audry’s elbow. The pain in it went away. No more throbbing or stinging. Audry tried to look at it, but was not really able to see it. Rick lifted it up, peering at it for himself. “There’s a slight mark.”

“I can soften your scars,” Brigidt the Elf said to Rick with a curious fondness for him. “But I cannot erase them. Would you like me to?”

Rick peeked to Audry, reaching out for her hand. Squeezing it gently in his, he said, “That’s ok. No. It, uh, reminds me of a debt I owe.”

Audry shook