Closing her eyes, she flipped onto her side, hoping this new position would help her find the rest she desperately needed. As her body started to drift toward dreams, she heard the rustling of fabric. Frightened, she sealed her eyelids tight, feigning sleep.
“Hello, Kalli,” a deep sexy voice said, startling her. Her heart began beating quickly. She didn’t want to answer him. Please go away, she silently prayed.
Tristan had talked to Julie in the kitchen as she was preparing soup. She’d sternly warned him not to upset Kalli, updating him on her condition. She was afraid the little bird would try to fly, and was confident that if she tried, Kalli would fall flat on her face.
But Tristan was anxious to see the intriguing woman who had found herself in Alexandra’s nest. He needed to see her face, smell her skin, touch her. Rolling his eyes, he cursed himself. His wolf had to be influencing his thinking. Struggling not to go to her, he took off his jacket, unbuttoned his sleeves and fell back into a large velvet lounge chair that sat diagonal to the bed. Her enticing hair sprawled over the white bed linens, begging to be touched. When he listened to her heartbeat, he knew she was awake.
“Kalli,” he repeated, louder this time. “I know you’re awake. Come on, now, ma chère. Let’s have a chat, shall we?” His voice had a barely detectible southern Cajun accent to it.
Kalli gritted her teeth. She hated that wolves had such good hearing. Her heartbeat gave her away. Running her hand through her untamed locks, she pushed the unruly hair aside and turned over in bed. She pushed up so that she was laying more at a forty-five degree angle, not quite sitting, but clearly aware of his command. Averting her gaze, she played with her hands, hoping they could do this quickly. Determined to get the upper hand of the situation, she struggled to raise her eyes and direct the conversation.
“Dr. Williams. My name is Dr. Williams,” she corrected, trying to separate herself from the wolf ranking that she knew all too well made her opinions less than important. She was human now, she reminded herself. She purposefully shielded herself in her title, embracing the professional decorum that always managed to seal off unwanted feelings.
“What?” Tristan asked, surprised at her pretentious tone. Was she for real?
“I said my name is Dr. Williams.” She nervously forced herself to sit a little taller, but her breath caught as she made eye contact with the charismatic Alpha. He was ruggedly handsome, with those striking amber eyes she remembered. Except now, she felt as if he was seeing straight through to her soul. His slicked-back dark blonde hair framed his tanned face; a sexy five o’clock shadow broke the surface of his skin. A sensuous smile revealed perfectly white teeth. Why was he smiling? Better to bite you with my dear.
Her stomach dropped in anticipation. What was happening to her? Involuntarily, her nipples strained against the fabric of the shirt as her body recognized the incredibly virile male addressing her. Her wolf howled, begging to run to and jump on him. She took a deep cleansing breath, trying to force her body to relax. This could not be happening. I am human now.
Tristan laughed. So this was how she was going to play it. He could sense her arousal and damn if it didn’t make him want to actually enjoy this little interrogation. Her heart was beating like a hummingbird, yet she played it cool. He licked his lips, and raised an eyebrow, shooting her a wolfish grin.
“Okay, Doc. Personally I think we’d both be a little more comfortable if we’d go informal, but by all means, suit yourself. I’m Tristan Livingston, Alpha of Lyceum Wolves. Welcome to my home.”
Chapter Six
Kalli immediately lowered her head, gazing downward. “Thank you, Alpha,” she said softly, taken aback by his commanding presence. Within seconds of doing so, she became conscious that she’d reverted to pack protocol. Confused by her own behavior, she quickly looked up, adjusting her posture. How could this have happened? She’d been away from wolves for nearly seven years, yet the man before her sent her reeling. His smooth voice registered deep within her as if she’d known him long ago. But he wasn’t the Alpha from her childhood.
His manner was cool and dignified with a hint of humor that could be seen in his smile that reached his eyes. Instead of physically attacking her, he’d sent a healer to her side. He’d rescued her from the vampire, and ensured she was clean, warm and fed. Yet she knew deep down not to be fooled by his kind exterior. A dominant wolf lurked inside him; remarkable good looks and a compelling personality were only one side of the man before her.
She glanced down, noticing the gooseflesh on her arms. What was he doing to her? Bunching the silky sheet, she pulled it up over her pebbled breasts and held it under her chin.
“I, um, I really appreciate you saving me from the vampires. I didn’t think I’d survive,” she stammered, struggling to sound coherent.
Tristan considered her initial response, ‘Thank you, Alpha’. It wasn’t so much what she said but how she said it. Her submissive positioning came so naturally that he would have sworn she was wolf. Knowing that she was human was a paradox, given the gesture. The only explanation could be that she’d spent a lot of time with wolves. And then just as quickly, as if a light switch had been clicked, she easily transposed back into an underlying confident tone of voice.
He could detect her internal struggle as to how to appropriately interact with him. Watching her defensively bring the cotton material to her chest told him she knew she was teetering on the edge of arousal, fighting to gain control of her own body. While he was very much used to young adult wolves displaying erratic behavior in the presence of their Alpha, going from servile to aggressive, he could not reconcile why she, a human, would display a conflicting demeanor.
Her paled olive skin tone had not regained its healthy color as yet, but her beautiful blue eyes were bright with excitement as she studied him. She smelled of clean soap and lilacs, which pleased his wolf. Shiny raven curls spilled down over the sheets, teasing her elbows. The sight of her drove Tristan to imagine how he’d like to run his fingers through her hair, bury his face into it, wrap his fist around the tendrils while he slammed into her from behind. His breath caught, and he quickly looked away, averting his gaze while attempting to hide his feral thoughts. What was he thinking? He was here to get information about the fire, not to figure out how he could get into her pants. But the more time he spent near her, the more he wanted her.
He needed to get control, and fast. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to get the conversation moving in the right direction. “Well, I too, am quite happy that you are alive. Alexandra can be quite deadly.” He ground his teeth just thinking of what she’d done to Kalli. “But we were lucky. Jules said you’ll recover quickly.”
“Yes, thank you again for your kindness,” she replied formally.
“Would you like to tell me why you think the vampires took you?” He was toying with her a bit, but he found people were more likely to talk when the discussion wasn’t centered on the real topic.
“Well, I really don’t know. You see, I’m a veterinarian at UVH. I got called in for an emergency consult. When I got back to the car, there were two men…waiting for me. I don’t know why. I tried to fight, got in a few hits, but I couldn’t get away,” she explained through the tears that ran down her cheeks. Determined to stuff every horrible thing that had ever happened to her deep inside where she could compartmentalize the hurt, she swore she would not cry about this. Wiping the eyes with the back of her hands, she raised her gaze to Tristan’s. Please let me go home. I can’t do this. Silently she willed it to be, but knew it wouldn’t happen.