Wolfsbane Blues Ch. 02

Author's note:

Ok, we all know sequels are never as good as the original. I'd planned on leaving the first story as a stand-alone, but got talked into a second one. I'd like to thank all the people who took the time to send me positive feedback. Hope this one lives up to your expectations. ~Cas

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Allie eyed the ringing phone on her desk much as she would have watched a scorpion. She briefly pondered ignoring the imperious noise and continuing her work as if nothing had happened.

Unfortunately, the better half of her nature won out and Allie flipped the phone open to answer it. "Yes." Not a question or an invitation for conversation.

"Yeah, it was good for me too. Now are you going to be snippy and make me call back later?" Grey's voice was particularly warm. She could tell he was in a teasing mood. Teasing was good, and her mood brightened considerably in anticipation.

"Bitchy, actually. But I'm waiting for you to say something before I rudely hang up on you. What's up?"

"Well, that's comforting. I thought you agreed we weren't going to ignore each other. I also thought I could bribe you into a good mood by offering to feed you."

She let her voice go slightly husky, "Depends entirely on what you're planning to feed me, sunshine." As innuendos went, it was hardly subtle or clever. Fortunately she was only interested in keeping his mind firmly in the gutter and away from pesky details like reconciling her with her father, or any other Pack business. Subtle and clever were completely unnecessary.

"Well, when you put it that way, I can pick up Chinese and be at your house in half an hour..."

"Anticipated that I'd say yes?" The drive was closer to an hour, not that she'd obsessively stalked him online to find out where he lived or anything. A girl has a right to know basic information on guys she sleeps with, she assured herself.

"Well, I anticipated that if you said no, I would show up anyway and impose on your hospitality. After all, we're practically kin. And you like me, remember?"

What exactly she liked remained unspoken. No need to be tacky, when they could be mutually admiring each other shortly. "Oh yes, I'd almost forgotten that part. Liking you, that is. But since I do like you, why don't you come into my parlor?"

"Said the spider to the fly. Or, more appropriately, said the bat to the wolf." She was smiling, and her panties were a bit damp, as she hung up the phone.

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Grey had never been invited into the home of a witch before. From what he could see, it lived up to none of the juvenile expectations. In fact, other than the impressive garden that wrapped around the yard and the aversion to any kind of architectural unity, Allie's home was much like all the others in her neighborhood.

Ok, perhaps the spires were a bit ostentatious. And the steepled roof was a shade dramatic. With the wrought iron gate, it looked a bit like the TV version of the Addams Family estate, though in brick. A perfect abode for a sexy witch. Maybe her home was the slightest bit stereotypical...

As he was debating whether to remain in his car and call to let her know he had arrived or simply to try and jimmy the lock on the gate, he looked up at the window above the porch entrance.

Silhouetted against the filmy curtains, he could see Allie in profile. She was pulling on a shirt of some kind. No bra, he saw her breasts swinging freely while she wiggled a bit, bent at the waist. His mouth went very dry. He could feel his IQ slipping a few points.

He'd softened since he'd called ahead twenty minutes ago, but that was getting fixed pretty quickly. Fortunately, she moved away from the window before he embarrassed himself by showing up at her door with a woodie.

"The rice is getting cold, Elliot. And remember, be strong. Interrogation first, wild crazy sex second. And probably third, too." Talking to himself never seemed crazy to Grey. Maybe that was a bad sign, but he selectively ignored everyone's pointed comments on the subject.

He left his car parked on the street, and lugged the bag of Chinese over to the gate. Perhaps it was fortunate that he remembered that Allie was a witch before he seriously considered letting himself in through the gate. And while she might only Change into a bat, she'd been raised with wolves. Probably at least a bit territorial.

When he pressed the little glowing button next to the gate, he could feel it grow hot for a second against his skin. And even after he removed his finger, it continued to tingle. The gate swung open on its own...

And Allie opened the sturdy, hardwood door at the top of the veranda stairs. "Ignore the sentry, it was just making sure you had no intention to do me harm. Welcome, you're delightfully early." She was practically bouncing with energy. Her T-shirt, a bright orange, clung nicely and he could feel his resolve to get answers slipping. If he had less control over his instincts, his tongue would be lolling. Instead he merely ran it around his teeth and ogled as subtly as he could.

"You look amazing. I'm sorry I only come bearing Chinese." As soon as he got to the top of the veranda, Allie snagged the bag of Chinese, stuck her tongue out at him and skipped back inside laughing. "It's good to see you, Grey. C'mon in!" She didn't look back to see if he followed her. Her house had a way of making sure people ended up where she wanted them.

Grey found himself stuck in the entry way, awed. If ever he had seen a more hideous room, he had mercifully forgotten it. Heavily carved wood antiques were matched with neon pillows and tie-dye tapestries. Art Nuevo posters were next to hanging prisms. Paisley wall paper oozed across the walls. Heavily jeweled glass lamps gave the entire scene a macabre light. Clutter was everywhere.

Allie's voice came from off to his left, "Oh, yeah, ignore the entryway. It's meant to discourage visitors. Works eighty-five percent of the time."

Grey shook off the awed horror and walked dazedly into a formal dining room, which was done in cherry wood and cream silk. Bone china and blush pink roses decorated the table. Silver gleamed discretely. The normalcy and simplicity of that room helped him come back to his senses. He'd never been affected by decor in the past. He could only suspect that Allie had put some enchantment on the previous room. Clever little witch, she'd left him to face it because she was trying to keep him off balance.

Off to the right, the door to the kitchen was open. Modern appliances and marble counters gleamed. And Allie was bent over getting something out of the fridge. Grey leaned in the doorway and appreciated the view. Damn, those were short shorts.

"Are you just going to stand there or do you want to be useful?"

"Depends, if I'm useful am I going to get a welcoming kiss? Because so far, you've stolen the food and left me in the Addams Family drawing room."

Allie laughed and put the soy sauce she'd taken from the fridge down on the counter. She lightly ran over to Grey and threw her arms around his neck, holding herself hard against him. She crushed her lips against his and welcomed his tongue when he grabbed the back of her head. His other hand cupped her ass and lifted her up so she could get a better angle on his mouth. He tasted like cinnamon breath mints, and Allie gave a little mew when he lifted his head to nibble on her neck. "We should start with dessert first," her voice understandably a bit rough.

Grey very suddenly remembered he was supposed to be getting her to talk before he dragged her off to bed. Which really came as an unfortunate thought, since he hadn't gotten any since last he'd seen Allie a week ago. Self-gratification had seemed particularly unexciting after their last mind-blowing encounter. And she felt nice and warm, nestled against him. "We'll need our strength. Maybe a quick supper?"

She nuzzled against his throat, clearly not happy he'd turned down her offer. "How quickly can you eat?" She frowned when he lifted her down and settled her a bit away from him.

"As quickly as you answer my questions." Be tough, he thought. Don't sound desperate.

"That's not fair. Are you going to be a tease, Grey? Because I promise I'll still respect you in the morning." Her large, dark eyes simultaneously laughed at him and tested his resolve.

"You're talking to the guy you left in a hotel room that smelled like sex with your father, the werewolf with an acute sense of smell, minutes away. And who's going to have to try and keep a tight leash, pardon the pun, on your extended family. And who will be stuck in the middle of all your immediate family's drama so long as you continue sleeping with me. I just want a few answers. You can ask me anything about my life, and I'll tell the truth." Grey leaned back against the doorway again.

"You're making this into a relationship." She sighed. "Fine, ask away, but we trade questions and you can't ask me specifics about my witchcraft because I'm bound to silence. And then we adjourn to the bedroom and skip dinner."

"Deal, I get the first question." She stuck her tongue out at him again in response. "Why do you Change into a bat?"

Allie braced her arms behind herself and hopped slightly till she sat on the counter. "Because wolves don't fly." Grey just raised one eyebrow at her. So much for trying to make him use another question... "And because I was groomed to be the Pack leader since I was born. Classic case of rebellion against an overbearing parent. Since I couldn't stop the Change, I decided to make sure I didn't become a wolf. Believe me, the amount of metaphysical studying necessary to transmogrify your alternate self permanently is hardly worth the effort. But escaping a life I didn't want? Worth every second." She patted the slice of counter next to her. "Tell me about your family."

"Well, I have two sisters, one older, one younger. Catherine and Sybella, respectively. Catherine is the pack leader in our area, she took over when my father died. Our mother was killed during a hunt not long after she bore the youngest." Grey walked over and hopped up onto the counter next to Allie. She leaned against him slightly, to show sympathy. "Sybella takes after our mother, she just loves to run and play. She owns a daycare center and is married to young werewolf in a pack near Plattsburg. Not really anyone else, except the extended family." He paused. "How did you come to be a witch? If that isn't too specific..."

"No, it's ok. I was very young when I first came across magical theory. I studied. And then studied some more. And practiced until my brain about got fried. Eventually I was able to achieve enough willpower and focus to change the things around me. Of course, I soon learned that real power comes from being able to control and change oneself." Allie laid down onto the counter and smiled. "My first real spell, I summoned my primary familiar spirit. A bat, obviously." She paused, "So, why did you take my dad up on the offer of pack leadership?"

Grey twisted around so he was facing her. "Because I didn't want to challenge my sister for our pack. She's a good leader. And it'd be humiliating if she won, which was a distinct possibility. Besides, I wanted to be part of a pack a little further away from my hometown. I don't live there anymore, and the commute for full moons was bad enough that I'd skip every other one."

"Are we done yet?" Allie's voice was plaintive.

"Nope, and that counts as your next question. My last question is, did you know your father hand-picked me to marry you?"

Allie shot upright so fast that Grey could feel the air rush past. "Dammit Grey, you had to say it. Are you trying to keep me from getting laid tonight? Yeah, I more or less figured out that my dad wouldn't turn the pack over to someone unless he was pretty sure that he could hear the sweet sound of wedding bells in my future." Her arms were crossed and she was leveling him a killer look.

"If it makes you feel better, I turned that part of the job down." She still glared at him with molten eyes. "Not that you aren't wonderful and completely lovable, but originally I just bargained out the compromise that I would turn leadership over to your children. Look, I didn't want this to be a surprise later. I didn't want it to look like I was trying to hide it."

"You suck at sweet-talking."

"Would it help if I said that nothing could piss him off more than us sleeping together and not getting married?" Grey winced, thinking of the pointed comments Patrick had made when Grey had opened the door to the hotel room Allie had just vacated.

Allie appeared to consider it. "Yes, and right now that's mostly because I know you're going to have to be the one to explain our relationship to him. Serves you right, for being honest."

"Somehow your sentiment strikes me as unfair..."

"It's not MY fault you had the bad taste to get involved in werewolf politics. It's like the mob, but less civilized." She paused and leaned against him, toying with the collar of his shirt. "So now that we've covered that everything is your fault and that I'm a vile temptress leading you astray, etc, can I drag you off to bed? Or would that be tacky?"

"After coming through your foyer, I will never look at tacky the same way again. Lead on, vile temptress."

Allie gave him a sassy smirk. "You're so accommodating, Grey." He slid off the countertop and turned to face her; his hands grabbed her hips and he lifted her down.

Well, he would have lifted her down, but her arms once again snaked around his shoulders and she held herself against him for a leisurely kiss. He took the opportunity to get a good hold on her ass. It was luscious and firm, his fingers tightened and her legs wound around his hips.

"Is it because you're a witch? I spend all my time around you thinking about fucking you senseless..." It was only after he said it that Grey realized it might be a bit insulting.

Allie laughed. "That's almost a compliment, I think. I can see the title of the porn flick now, 'The Curse of the Never Ending Boner.' And to answer your question, the feeling is mutual, and it's probably biological, not magical."

Grey gave her an exaggerated leer. "Sure feels like magic to me," he said and he squeezed her ass before setting her down. He was in luck, she wasn't going to hold his association with her father against him. And now that he'd cleared his conscience, it was play time. He raised his hands to gently cup her breasts through her shirt. No bra. Her nipples were taught and thrust into his palms, while the rest of her soft bounty spilled into his fingers.

Allie gasped a bit when his hands encountered her already aroused nipples. They were so sensitive... Her back arched instinctively, trying to get a firmer sensation from the caress. She took her time finding the buttons to his shirt, slowly running her hands over his chest and stomach. Inch by inch she reveled in exposing his skin to her gaze.

Dark brown hair lightly coated his chest and arrowed down to his stomach, pointing out the significant area of interest. A gratifyingly hard area of interest, tenting his pants. Allie's lips curved into a mischievous grin and leaned forward to lick one, then the other, of his nipples. They responded by puckering, and Grey inhaled sharply.

"It feels good to do this, without the demands of the moon-lust. I think I'm going to enjoy playing with you, Grey."

"Define 'play,' because I'm not into medieval torture devices." Although, with his cock doing most of his thinking at the moment, torture didn't sound half bad. Especially if she was naked. Or in a leather corset.

Allie pouted her bottom lip out and held his gaze steadily. She leaned back from him slightly, pushing her hips into his. "That's too bad. I like games. If you don't want to play sacrificial virgin, maybe you'll like faun and nymph."

Grey couldn't look away from her eyes. He could feel his IQ slipping drastically, and his blood racing. "Faun and nymph?" He knew he sounded dumb, but she was rubbing her cunt over the front of his pants. Soon he'd be drooling.

Allie leaned forward and crushed her breasts against his chest. Her mouth was right under his. "I'm the nymph. You're my faun." She slid her tongue out and took her time tasting his bottom lip in a slow caress. Then leaned back to study his slightly dazed expression.

With a quick whirl, she was gone. Racing off towards the back door, she laughed over her shoulder, "Catch me if you can..."

Grey didn't even think. Some instinctual part of him, probably the wolf part, reacted and he chased after her before he even was conscious of his own motion. Through the kitchen, through a dark living room (and a quick bump into a couch) and at the back door, only seconds after Allie slammed it behind her. That bought her a few moments, as he struggled to open the door.

Once outside, the dusky twilight gave a view of a large and overgrown garden. Clearly her lot abutted a park of some kind, because he could see wilderness not far beyond the fencing which separated her garden from the common land.

And a bright orange flash darted to the back of the garden on a course for the gate. Allie's laughter seemed to echo in the quiet. Grey was off again, the thrill of the chase making his already heated blood rush. He jumped down from the porch rather than take the stairs. A fountain with three gargoyles spitting water lay in his path, and he circled to the right. The nearest gargoyle winked at him... Grey's mind shuddered back from the implications that entailed.

Fortunately his feet kept going, and he was through the herb garden and at the gate only seconds behind Allie. Out here, away from the house which was filled with her scent, he could almost taste her. She hadn't started to sweat yet, but her body already had a warm and active fragrance to it. Yummy.

The gate was still swinging when he reached it and shoved it out of his way. Beyond the garden was a natural landscape, covered with pine trees and large boulders. An easy place to get lost or to hide. Well, not hide from a wolf. He saw her disappear behind one of the pines not far ahead of him.

Allie knew she had only a few more minutes before her breathing would be heavy enough to give her away. Grey's light footfalls sounded behind her, much too close. Getting caught was only fun if both people got themselves winded and endorphin-happy first. Still, her pounding heart and wet panties were more than enough motivation to go a little faster. She pushed through another small grouping of evergreens and angled towards the boulder filled gorge.

Having a slight head start and knowing the grounds were only going to keep her ahead for so long... She dodged behind the first boulder, and to the side of the next. The incline was staring to make her gasp, but she tried to control her breath. Around two more boulders and ducking behind the next one. She could loose Grey in here, maybe.

Or, she could have, if he hadn't dropped from on top of one of the nearby boulders directly into her path. Thud! She ran full on into him, knocking them both back against another of the boulders. "Gotcha," he whispered.

Allie recovered first, and disentangled herself from him. "Not hardly..." A quick pivot and she was off again. This time with Grey right on her heels. She shivered, feeling his breath on her back. Now they were both gasping for air.

Allie ducked and weaved through the boulders again, glad she'd worn sensible shoes. Feeling that Grey was directly behind her, she made a graceful leap onto one of the smaller boulders, and bounced up onto the one beside it. A quick running jump brought her up the side of the gorge and one more brought her to the top. Her lungs protested the vigorous activity.