Bits of Nick (a work in progress)

The storm outside had built heavily in the last couple hours, becoming one of the worst that had blown through San Diego in some time. Rain was coming down in sheets interspersed with blinding flashes of lightning and incredibly loud explosions of thunder.

This made the knock all the more surprising.

Nick slowly gathered energy in his left hand as he approached the front door. Who the hell would be out on a night like this? He couldn't imagine anything without gills that would find a storm this bad to be something to go out walking in.

Keeping his left hand behind him, he slowly opened the door with his right, viewing the soggy mess that was standing on his porch. Her clothes, clearly chosen to impress, were soaked through and dripping, leaving a growing puddle around her likely rain-filled boots. Only the leather bag over her shoulder seemed to have weathered the elements well. Drips over her skin had caused what little makeup she'd applied to run, and wiping at it had given her face a slightly gothic look. Rain had soaked through a headscarf and turned a mane of nicely made up auburn hair into a hanging, heavy mass of loose strands. From the middle of the mess, a pair of grey eyes peeked out at him, as if hiding behind tall strands of reddish grass.

Nick blinked in mild surprise. "Chastity? What are you doing out on a night like this?"

To his greater surprise she shifted uneasily, clearly uncomfortable and uncertain. This was a woman who took her clothes off on stage on a nightly basis with a brazen style that turned audiences full of strange men into drooling idiots in thirty seconds or less. Moreover, she was a werewolf, a predator, literally one of the things that went bump in the night. She had seen her share of blood and violence, and could hold her own as few could.

And here she was on his porch, soaked to the skin, looking as nervous as a schoolgirl going on a first date.

His attention flicked past her, first left then right, looking for a target for the magic building in his hand. Seeing nothing, he looked back to her again, noting she still hadn't spoken. "Are you okay?"

Chastity opened and closed her mouth, unable for whatever reason to speak. Finally, she clenched her hands, took a deep breath and quickly blurted "ImsorryNickIjustwantedtosaythankyouforsavingmetheothernightintheclubandIneverseemedtogetthechanceandIthoughtIdstopbyandsayhiandsurpriseyouandthenIgotlostandcaughtintherainandthenIfoundmywayhere-"

A sudden clap of thunder almost directly over the house caused her to jump with a shriek and nearly made Nick lose control of the spell he was holding in check. Chastity ran her hands over her face and sighed, looking even more embarrassed than ever. "Can I come in" she asked. frustration barely held in check.

Nick offered her what he hoped was a warm smile as he stepped back and opened the door wider, flexing his fingers to dispel the energy in his hand. "You'd better. If this gets any worse, you'd have to swim home."

Chastity nodded her thanks, stepping carefully onto the mat inside the door to avoid dripping on the floor. "I'm sorry to show up uninvited like this. It's just that, ever since that night in the club, I haven't had the chance to talk with you." Nick silently took her jacket and hung it in the closet. "I mean, lots of guys make offers and promises and stuff, but you almost got your head blown off protecting me. Most guys wouldn't have the guts to do that." She braced a hand against the wall as she removed her boots, which he set against the wall upside-down to drain. "I know I could have just called you, but that just seemed so impersonal after what you did and..." She stopped and looked at him where he leaned against the door frame, watching her with a faint grin of amusement. "You're trying not to laugh, aren't you. I'm soggy and I'm cold and I'm nervous and I'm babbling, and you're trying real hard not to laugh at me, right?"

Nick grinned a little wider. "Hi," he said quietly.

Chastity stared in momentary confusion. "I... you..." Finally, she stepped in and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, shivering as she pressed her face into his shoulder. "Hi."

Gently returning the hug, Nick lightly rubbed her back. Suspicions confirmed, she was definitely soaked to the skin and freezing cold. He wondered for a moment if werewolves could get sick from such things. "Come on, I've got a fire going in the parlor you can dry out and warm up while I fix us something to eat."

She leaned back and looked up at him, something in her eyes he couldn't identify. "You really are something, you know that? I show up on your doorstep out of the blue, in the middle of the worst storm ever, and you take it in stride like it happens every day. Unbelievable." She

turned to walk down the hall, pausing to look back over her shoulder. "Um... it DOESN'T happen every day, does it," she asked with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous grin.

Nick snorted in amusement. "I'll have you know you're the first woman to show up on my doorstep, rain or shine, who wasn't either looking to save my soul or sell me something." He tilted his head with a thoughtful look. "Which, now that I think about it, sounds a bit more confessional than I thought it would."

Chastity gave him a smile. "Well, I'm flattered to be your first." She giggled at the look on his face. "Sorry, couldn't help it." She started back down the hall. "I hope I dry out quickly. I'd hate to make a mess of your ru... ruh..." she rapidly sneezed three times. "Rug," she finished, sniffling.

Nick shook his head. "All right, that settles it. I need to get you out of those clothes."

She froze, not turning around. "What?"

"You're half frozen and soaked. I'm not going to have you coming down with pneumonia on my conscience. Come on, you can take a nice hot shower to warm up and I'll run your clothes through the dryer."

Chastity bit her lip in thought, grateful he couldn't see her face. The storm had put a serious crimp in her plans, but this would help things along nicely. "Okay then, if you insist. Where's the bathroom?"

Nick led her upstairs to the guest bathroom. "There's a hairdryer under the sink and a robe and a laundry basket over there in the towel closet. Just leave your things outside the door and I'll throw them in the wash."

Silently nodding her thanks, Chastity closed the door. Nick waited with his back turned until he heard it open and close again, picking up the basket as he heard the shower start. "Agatha," he called softly as he retreated down the hall, "I could use a quick hand here."

In a swirl of ectoplasm and magic, the house spirit Nick had named Agatha appeared. She stood with her arms crossed, an eyebrow cocked at him. "So, that's the young woman you got yourself shot and nearly killed over. She looks... interesting."

Nick sighed good-naturedly at Agatha's prudishness. Having been created centuries ago by the former master of the house, her outlook had long been based on a more puritanical mindset. Although he'd made a serious effort to open her eyes to the world outside, some habits were hard to change. "Be nice, Agatha," he said with a grin. "After all, she nearly drowned coming to see me."

Agatha shook her head. "I know Sir, I know. Still, I'll never understand why women would dress like that, especially on a night like this." She pursed her lips a moment, suddenly

wondering if she'd gone too far. The old master rarely tolerated her speaking at all, much less offering an opinion. "Um... you said you needed something, Sir?"

He snorted in amusement. "For the millionth time, Agatha, it's 'Nick', not 'Sir'. And yes, if you could whip up some tomato soup and grilled cheese for two, I'd appreciate it."

Agatha nodded. "Of course." She turned and started down the hall, snapping her fingers as she did. The laundry basket pulled free of Nick's hands and floated after her. "I'll just take care of this as well. Really, a man shouldn't be handling a woman's intimates." She looked back at him with a small grin. "Sir."

Shaking his head, Nick went back down to the main parlor. He checked the fire and added another log before sitting on the couch. He stretched and shifted, settling back into the cushions as he watched the dancing flames. He felt himself begin to drift as the warmth washed over him...

"Nick? Could you come up here a minute?"

Nick bolted upright, the voice snapping him out of the half dose the fire had lulled him into. It took him a second to register what Chastity had said, and another for it to make sense.

"Uh, yeah, sure," He called back. "Coming."

He walked up the stairs wondering what was wrong, hoping Agatha hadn't decided to insert herself with fashion suggestions. The door to the guest bathroom was wide open, the room beyond empty. "Chastity?"

"In here." The voice came from the master bedroom, the door half-closed.

Nick raised an eyebrow. What was she up to? He slowly pushed the door open.

Chastity stood in the center of the room, under the skylight. Moonlight shining down gave her a slightly ethereal look, broken up by lit candles scattered around the room.

Nick's first thought was that the storm must finally be dying down a little, to let moonlight through. His second was to wonder where Chastity had gotten all the candles.

It was a testament to his slow uptake that it took thought number three for him to register Chastity herself.

She stood with her back to him, clad in nothing but white heels and stockings. Her wrists were crossed at the small of her back, somehow bound with a four-inch wide strip of white silk, the end of which ran up her back and under her mane of hair. Nick took a slow breath at the sight of her bare backside, feeling a growing warmth that had nothing to do with fireplaces or candle flames.

Chastity turned slowly, revealing a front that was bare as her back and just as beautiful, glowing in the candlelight. The other end of the silk was wrapped around her neck and then doubled over itself, hanging down between her breasts almost to her navel.

It looked almost like...

A leash. It's a collar and leash.

For an ordinary woman to do this? Erotic, exotic, kinky, adventurous... pick at least two.

For a female werewolf? A creature of the wild who reveled in strength and freedom, who had to practically be beaten into grudging submission on anything? All of the above, plus a tad bit odd.

Nick gulped in stunned silence as he took in her image. This wasn't the club. There were no bouncers here, no cameras, no rules.

What was she up to?

Chastity closed the distance between them, each slow step carefully placed to put a little extra sway in her hips to keep his attention on her soft curves, silently focusing him on the offering of her body. "You protected me, risked your life for me, bled for me. You are Alpha, and I am yours."

Nick blinked in surprise, raising his eyes to meet hers. Her eyes were almost luminous, dilated with the intensity of the moment. She was close enough that he could smell the desire coming out of her pores, headier than any perfume. He could feel his heart begin to pound harder as something within him stirred awake, hungry.

She stood less than a foot away. He could literally feel heat radiating from her. "Don't deny what you feel, Nicholas. You want me, I can smell it on you." Her chin dipped slightly at the silk. "Take the end. Claim me as your own. Become Alpha."

Nick gulped again, trying to keep control of himself. "I'm... I'm not one of you, Chas. I can't do this. I'm not Wolf," he stammered.

She took another step, her breasts pressing against his chest. "You don't have to be Wolf to be Alpha, Nick. I hear the beast inside of you. It calls to mine." She gasped softly, her eyes fluttering closed. Nick realized his hands had moved with a mind of their own, one gripping the end of the silk, the other caressing her bare hip as it moved up her body.

Her eyes opened again, looking at him with almost physical intensity. "Don't deny this. Not to me, not to yourself. Become Alpha." She tilted her head, baring the side of her neck. "Claim what is yours."

There are some fights a man's civilized side simply cannot stand against. This was one of them. Nick's free hand slid up, taking a tight grip in her hair and pulling her head back. Chastity gasped in sheer pleasure as his teeth gently closed on her bared throat. He growled into her soft skin, the message pure and unequivocal.

You.

Are.

Mine.

Rational thought took a brief holiday as sensation and instinct took over.

His next coherent thought found them in bed. How they'd gotten there, he didn't care. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, arms still bound behind her. Her breath was hot in his ear as she whispered; goading, cajoling, begging, driving him to unleash himself upon her. His mind swirled from moment to moment; now he was above her, now behind her. On and on it went, her cries growing louder and louder, until finally, above him, her back arched as she threw her head back, a primal scream of release escaping her.

Within him, his beast roared in triumph