“How did you know that connecting with me could help?”
He shrugged and finally let go of me. I instantly missed the feel of him, but I refused to let myself acknowledge that. “When you used it on me in the club, I felt a connection to you. But in the heat of that moment, I obviously didn’t explore it. However, it was enough for me to realize that you and I were fused. And I’ve been curious to try that again.”
“So it was a hunch that you could find my new power? Or were you just wanting to cop a feel of my magic?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
He chuckled but then his voice dipped again, and damn, the hunter’s erection was still fully apparent through his loose pants. “I won’t lie, feeling you fused with me is incredibly arousing, but that wasn’t why I wanted to try this today. You have to remember, I’m a hunter. I seek things that are lost. I think connecting my magic with yours is the key to helping you find it and learn how to access it.”
My eyes widened. “You mean, we’ll be doing this again?”
“If you let me. Until you learn where this power is and know how to access it, you won’t be able to use it. I think the first step is helping you identify where it is. Once you have a firm grasp on that, you can begin playing with it.”
“Playing with it how?”
“By using me. You can draw on my magic, suck it away from me, play with it, until you learn how to control your new magic better.”
“You want me to play with you?”
He grinned devilishly. “It’s almost as if that statement has a double meaning.”
“Such a pervert.” But I couldn’t stop my smile.
“In all seriousness, yes, I want you to play with your new magic by using me, and you’re welcome to use me in whatever way you please.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks, but just as quickly so did a huge dose of reality. “But this new magic has killed other supernaturals. It’s sucked the life and magic from them to the point of death.”
“True.”
“But what if I—” I shook my head rapidly. “What if I hurt you? Or kill you?”
He gave me a soft, seductive smile. “Well, colantha, we’ll have to hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Chapter 20
Somehow, I managed to stand from the mat without touching him while he conjured his portal. It was hard to believe that it was already evening. The day had slipped away so fast.
“Ready?” The hunter held out his hand while his portal swirled behind him.
I took it, and seconds later, we were in the woods just outside his cabin.
Night had fallen, the trees dark and bare, as the portal disappeared into a swirling gold void. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering.
The Fire Wolf took a step closer, his large build predatory and silent. “I’m going to touch base with the pack members guarding you. Go on in and get warmed up. I’ll be inside in a minute.”
He disappeared in a blur through the trees, and I thanked the gods that I had a minute alone. After that training session, I needed it.
Doing a one-eighty, I trudged toward the cabin, but while my body felt okay, my mind was another matter. I was mentally fatigued. What I needed was another good night’s sleep without dreams or early wake-up calls.
I reached the porch steps and began to climb them when something tugged inside me. My gaze snagged upward, toward the shining waxing crescent moon. It gleamed brightly in the sky, like a curved pearly-white petal.
Lips parting, my feet moved hesitantly and then before I knew what I was doing, I was retreating back down the steps toward the forest’s edge.
The tug continued to draw me, pulling me toward the moon’s snowy light. The trees thinned, the meadow appearing. I stumbled into it, my eyes never leaving the moon.
It was incredibly alluring, shockingly beautiful, and so—
“Tala?” The hunter’s sharp call snapped me upright.
I swung around to find him standing right behind me, his eyes shining amber in the moonlight. “Why are you out here? You’re supposed to be inside.”
His question cut through the fog in my mind, and with a shake of my head, I realized what I’d been doing. Following the moon? Really, Tala? You need to get some rest.
“I don’t know,” I said sheepishly. “Sorry.”
A frown wrinkled his forehead, a groove appearing between his eyes. His nostrils flared, and he took a step closer to me. He inhaled, his frown deepening before he shook his head. “Come on. Let’s get inside.”
He held out his hand to guide me, but I strode forward without accepting it.
When we reached the cabin, I climbed the steps in a hurry and didn’t slow even when I crossed the threshold. “It’s late. I’m tired, and I’m—”
“You have to be hungry. I’ll make us something to eat.” He strode into the kitchen, and even though my gaze automatically drifted to the broadness of his shoulders and sexy roll of his hips, I forced my attention to the vaulted ceiling before fleeing up the stairs.
The sound of banging pots and pans came from below as I darted into the master bedroom. I paced a few times, my insides flapping like a caged bird since nighttime had come, which meant that my bargain with the hunter was just around the corner.
With clumsy movements, I went to my purse, needing to speak with Prish or Tessa and wanting to know if they were okay and how they were doing.
But then I remembered I didn’t have my phone, and if I wanted to contact them, I had to write.
I pulled out the notebook I’d packed and began to scribble, writing the letter so fast that my penmanship was atrocious. But I needed some kind of distraction, and I missed my sister and best friend.
I sat on the bed and let myself get lost in my ramblings. I told them everything about the cabin, the small, quaint town, and how friendly Ocean was. I left out the details about the hunter’s brothers and upbringing since that wasn’t my information to share, but I ended the letters telling them that I missed them and hoped to see them soon.
When I finally finished, tantalizing aromas from downstairs drifted into the room.
A few minutes later, the hunter called, “Dinner’s ready. Are you coming back down?”
I considered ignoring him, but then my stomach growled, reminding me that going to bed without dinner wouldn’t be pleasant or wise. If my job here had become training my new power, I needed to keep my strength up.
Forcing myself to my feet, I trudged toward the stairs, my nose twitching at the delectable fragrances.
When I rounded the corner to the dining area, my eyes widened when I beheld the set dining table with a candle glowing in the middle of it, the warmth of the fire roaring in the hearth, and the corked wine bottle that sat beside two full plates. Steaming steaks, Brussel sprouts, and what looked like a rice pilaf were placed before me.
“I hope you like red wine,” he said as he began filling two glasses.
“You made this?” I asked incredulously.
“I did.”
“I thought you only ate nuts and cheese.”
He chuckled and set the wine bottle back down. “The food in my base is quite different from the food in my home.”
“But you don’t consider this home.”
He held out a chair for me—well, okay then, this was that kind of meal—before saying, “True. This isn’t my home. That’s in Montana, but my sister knows what I like. She stocked the fridge with what I would have bought.”