Gunner did not want to believe he was in the presence of anything other than an attractive crazy girl he’d met at the DeLux Cafe. But something inside of him knew when she’d said the words, insinuated she was more than human, more than just your run of the mill supernatural, it was true. He grabbed the tumbler from her, his fingers brushing hers slightly, the tiny shockwaves jolting through him once more. He took a rather impolite swig of the cocktail, which tasted like bitter licorice. He’d never been in the presence of a god before, especially ones offering him drinks in a reclusive cabin in the middle of God knows where. “Do I have a choice?” His eyes flicked to the tumbler in his hand before catching hers once more.
It was a strange and unsettling sight, the duality of her jewel toned irises. Pale blue set against a deep green.
Like the sky above the forest trees.
He did not miss her gaze drifting down to his lips, or the way in which her dark hair fell over her pale shoulder, the silver streak standing out against its contrast like a comet in the night sky. The round curve of her breasts, smoothed by the ribbed tank top she wore, provided quite a welcome view.
“You always have a choice,” she said, her voice barely a whisper, swallowing her nerves quite visibly. Gunner could feel her apprehension.
What reason does she have to be nervous?
She’s not the one who woke up in a fucking cabin God knows where…
The spark from their shared touch rattled his wolf once more, and his spirit surged against his insides. This time, Gunner could not prevent the grimace of pain on his face as it did so.
“Fuck…” he hissed through his teeth.
Soft hands settled on the sides of his arm, and the goddess pushed and pulled him, as if looking for something.
“How long has your spirit been caged?” she asked in a tone that was all business. No more sultry whispers.
“What?” He closed his eyes and tried to push back against his inner spirit, the one who up until this night had remained rather docile and quiet.
“Your spirit. How long has it been caged? When was the last time you shifted?” She grabbed his neck, turning his head to the side. She inspected him closely.
What she was looking for he wasn’t certain, and he couldn’t deny even though he knew he should be on the defense, ready to attack just in case this crazy bitch went off the rails, he couldn’t fight the truth—her touchsoothedhis spirit, even if it was only minimal.
Or that the feel of her nails against his throat caused his cock to twitch.
This is not the time, buddy.
Gunner sucked in a deep breath. He didn’t know this woman from Adam, and divulging such personal information to a woman he’d just met—every part of it should have felt wrong. For some reason or another, he trusted this woman.
Somewhere deep in his bones, he knew she would not harm him.
Not unless he wanted her to.
The thought was startling, and it took him a moment to catch his bearings and respond.
“What is your name, again?” He swallowed. They weren’t the words he’d intended on speaking, but something about the proximity of this woman, the spark in his blood, the hungry wolf inside—all of those things propelled him to ask the question.
Heneededto know.
The innate desire within drove him toward seeking out the answer.
“You can call me Cate,” she said as she looked up at him once more, her hand resting on his bicep, long nails cool against his warm flesh.
Reflexively, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She stood still as a statue, and his inner wolf pushed against him once more, hungry, starving for something he could not quite put his finger on.
A strange sort of tension formed between them as Gunner stared into Cate’s eyes as the sound of her breathing became slightly deeper.
Gunner forced himself to blink, to look away from her hypnotic eyes.
“Always. I have been like this, always.” His voice was steady, but it carried all the pain and all the sorrow from his life in it.
It was a simple statement, but buried in its simplicity was a thousand unsaid words, hopes and frustrations that mixed together to create what Gunner had assumed would be his shameful fate.
The anger in his voice was palpable. No matter how hard he tried he could not shift.
He could not do what he was simply born to do.
Cate gasped as she pulled her hand from his arm, and Gunner noted the ache from his wolf at the absence of her touch. Such things were shocking to him, the overwhelming knowledge within that he could trust this Cate with something so personal. It did not make sense.
“You havenevershifted?” she said in disbelief.
Gunner sighed deeply. The surprised tone was one he’d heard throughout his life from varied sources, one he had grown a rather thick skin for.
“No, Cate. I have not.”