Wolf's Kiss Ch. 08

Incredibly sated they fell to the bed, still joined, and curled spoon-fashion on top of the bedding. Jake wrapped his arm protectively around his woman and followed her into a deeply satisfied slumber.

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Shayna awakened slowly, stretching and yawning as the haze of sleep faded. She realized she was alone in Jake's huge bed so she lay there and closed her eyes not wanting to face the day. Her life had just gotten even more complicated and she wasn't sure what to do about it. She didn't know which was worse; finding out her lover -- her first lover ever -- is a werewolf, or finding out her long-presumed-dead great-grandmother is alive. And she's also a werewolf. Sure, nothing strange about any of that at all.

And if those issues weren't bad enough, Jake himself made the situation more difficult to cope with by being so damned...addictive. Never in her wildest fantasies had she ever conjured a man so gorgeous and sensual. Being around him put all of her senses on high alert while her brain turned to jelly. But in addition to his sexual appeal, he was also intelligent, affectionate, and had a sly sense of humor too. It all seemed like a winning combination but it felt kind of dangerous too.

Turning away from those thoughts, she threw off the sheet covering her and went in search of the source of her torment. She wanted him to take her to see Marisa and find out what was going on with Gerard St. Simon. The quicker this situation was resolved, the quicker she could get back to her life in D.C.

But Jake wasn't home so she decided to shower. She didn't have time to grab a change of clothes so she dressed in the same jeans and t-shirt she wore there. The clock in his bedroom read 11:30 a.m. and her stomach was rumbling. Isabelle had invited them to lunch but she didn't know what time that would be or if Jake would even be back any time soon. She called his cellphone a few times but he didn't answer. After waiting about half an hour, she gave in to her hunger and made a sandwich and a glass of orange juice.

Prowling restlessly around the cabin, Shayna was bored out of her mind. She peeked through the curtains a few times when she heard people passing by and the sound of children's laughter but she dared not venture outside. She felt like she didn't belong there and didn't want to cause any trouble. Still, she was anxious to find out what was happening with Marisa and was tempted to go back to the community building to see if she was there.

She really tried to wait calmly for Jake to call or come home but the anxiety was killing her. One last failed attempt to call him pushed her over the edge. Peeking out the window again, there was nobody around except a few children playing with a soccer ball in the field to the left of Jake's house. Since she had to go to the right to get to the community hall, she hoped they wouldn't see her.

Shayna opened the door as quietly as she could and stepped outside. Keeping an eye on the children, she closed the door just as quietly and moved along the front of the house instead of walking directly down the pathway. She skulked along that way until she believed she was out of the children's view then walked across the lawn to the main sidewalk. She'd only gotten a few feet away when the children's excited voices coming in her direction let her know she'd been spotted.

Moments later, several curious young faces surrounded her halting her progress. All of the kids seemed to be no older than ten years old, some seeming as young as four or five. The loud fuss they made also drew a few adults out of the surrounding cabins. Before long, Shayna had quite an audience when she'd hoped to go unnoticed to find Marisa.

"Hello," she said nervously to the people crowded around her. "I'm Shayna. I'm a friend of Jake's."

She hoped that telling them she was Jake's friend afforded her a bit of security. Part of her knew Jake wouldn't have helped her avoid one danger by putting her in another. But Jake had disappeared and she didn't want to take any chances.

A woman who'd come out of the cabin next to Jake's stepped forward. She seemed very amused by Shayna's statement.

"Well we know that," she said with a sly smirk. "His scent is all over you."

Everyone laughed at her comment which made Shayna feel even more uneasy. But instead of running back to the seclusion of Jake's cabin as she desperately wanted to do, she held her head up and looked the woman in the eyes.

"I came here last night with my...friend, Marisa. Do you know where I might be able to find her?" she asked.

The woman regarded Shayna with undisguised interest, angling her head slightly to one side. Then she smiled broadly and stepped closer to Shayna, holding out her hand.

"I'm Natalie," the woman said. "I think I might know where she is."

Shayna shook Natalie's hand and smiled in return.

Before Natalie took Shayna to find Marisa, she introduced the other members of the crowd but Shayna couldn't remember all their names. Although everyone was pleasant she was still a little nervous about being the center of attention. All she could think about was going home to her quiet, uneventful life.

Natalie grabbed Shayna's hand again and disengaged her from the crowd. Shayna followed along noting that they were heading for the community building. They passed several more interested faces but Natalie kept them moving, pointing out a few of the other buildings in view.

The community center was the largest building on the compound and the main gathering place for everybody. There was a commercial grade kitchen, large dining room, and several lounges open to anyone who wanted to use them. There was also a pretty extensive library and computer room to keep everyone's skills and knowledge current. Just beyond the community center was a gym with the latest exercise and sports training equipment. There was also a wide field behind the gym for training in human as well as wolf form.

Shayna tried to take in Natalie's running commentary on the amenities at the compound but the woman talked so fast about so much that it was difficult to keep up. She was relieved when they stepped into the community building and she immediately spotted Marisa in the main lounge talking with a small group of women. Marisa smiled when she saw her and motioned for her to join them. When she reached her side, Marisa swept her into a fierce hug.

"How are you feeling, honey? Did you sleep well?" she asked, lifting Shayna's chin and watching her closely. It was a very maternal gesture that came so naturally neither of them questioned it.

"I'm fine, I guess. What about you?" Shayna asked.

"I'm managing," was Marisa's vague reply.

They both suddenly remembered there were others nearby and stepped apart. Their companions seemed fascinated by the interchange they'd just witnessed and Shayna could see the speculation in their eyes. One was a Were like them and the other was definitely human yet there was some kind of connection between them. Shayna wondered if they should put the others out of their misery and just tell them what was going on or if they should let the Alphas determine how much everyone needed to know.

Deciding the latter was the better course of action, Shayna held her tongue. Marisa seemed to come to the same conclusion and proceeded with introductions and only referred to Shayna as her dear friend. Thankfully no one asked any questions about them or why Jake had brought them there and just made small talk.

A few minutes later the sound of a loud commotion outside the center had everyone running to the door to see what was going on. Shayna was by far the shortest person in the room and couldn't see out the window so she pushed her way to the door. Loud growls could be heard over the excited voices in the center and despite the ominous sounds, she needed to see what was going on.

When she finally pushed her way out the door, a frightening sight greeted her. Just outside the gate, two wolves circled each other, growling and snarling furiously. Shayna instantly recognized the red wolf from the night before but had no idea who the brown wolf was. Both wolves were about the same height but the brown wolf seemed a bit beefier. Just then, the red wolf lunged, narrowly missing the other wolf's neck as he quickly leapt to the side. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the brown wolf slammed into his opponent's side knocking him off his feet. The red wolf was just as quick and instantly regained his footing before he could be pinned down.

"Shayna, get back inside!"

Shayna looked up as Natalie grabbed her arm to tug her back to the safety of the building but Shayna didn't move. She knew this was important and didn't want to miss it. Natalie didn't force the issue as she was caught up in the battle before them as well. When Shayna turned back to the fight, she saw Jake's father running toward the gate with several other men behind him. The two wolves were circling each other again but stopped at the sound of Alpha Montrose's booming voice.

"Both of you, enough!" Claude Montrose yelled. "Shift now!"

Shayna was mesmerized as both men changed to human form before her eyes. She wasn't surprised that the red wolf was a big man with a curly cap of bright red hair but her eyes widened in shock as she realized the brown wolf was actually Jake. Without thinking, she started to move down the steps toward them but stopped short when Marisa came into view as she stepped through the gate.

Although Gerard St. Simon and Jake had shifted as ordered, both men continued to crouch and eye each other warily. But at Marisa's approach, Gerard turned his gaze to her and stood to his full height. As soon as she was within arm's reach, he pulled her to him, burying his face in her hair. Shayna couldn't hear the words they whispered to each other but the scene was so touching, so emotionally charged that she didn't doubt they were the words of long-lost loves.

Almost at the same moment, the Weres seemed to become aware of something coming up the drive in the distance. Shayna couldn't see or hear anything but all eyes were suddenly watching the road to the compound. Without warning, Gerard partially shifted, growing red hair all over his body and increasing in height by about six inches. His claws and fangs sprang forth as he hoisted Marisa over his shoulder and leapt into the woods.