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.Joe sat down at the kitchen table.“No, we’ll take Nate; he’s older and knows more words.”“Hey,” Nathan glared at Joe and then his sister.“Is that cheating?” he asked turning to me.I laughed.“Ah…no.But, I don’t think it’s fair either.” I glanced at my husband and winked.“Nate, you and Sadie can be on Nathan’s team and Adrian and I will take pity on Lauren.”“Hey, that means they get two old people.They know more than we do,” Lauren protested.“Am I the only one offended by being called old?” Sadie asked, her gaze moving between Nate and Joe.They only smirked in answer.I laughed, leaning over to pat her knee.“Sorry, but you should get used to it.I’m sure it won’t be the last time you’ll hear it.” I sat back and placed my empty plate on the end table.“But it is a good idea for you to be on the opposing team.” I smirked at Adrian.“It will give you a chance to whip Adrian’s butt.”Sadie stood up, holding her plate in her hand.“Then I’m definitely in.” Her voice was playful, but I couldn’t help notice coldness in her eyes.Something happened out in the woods and I just hoped he didn’t screw up too badly.For the rest of the night we played Scrabble, Pictionary and Charades.Meanwhile we ate all the pizza and four bags of chips I kept in the cottage for emergencies.The night turned out to be fun and we made a vow to end all full moon nights that way.I was happy to see Nathan punch Lauren playfully on the shoulder and when she stole a hug from her baby brother, she mouthed, “Thank you,” over his shoulder to me.Once everyone left, leaving Nate, Sadie and I, the cottage felt empty and extremely quiet.When I asked Sadie what had happened with Adrian she promised to tell me later; she was too tired to explain.She left the two of us alone snuggled on the couch watching an old black and white movie.“Have you heard back from Henry,” I whispered softly, not wanting Sadie to hear.He shifted his position so he could look at me.“No, not yet; but I also called Stephen, now that I know I’m looking for a werewolf.” Stephen was the werewolf pack leader.Yes, there was a pack, a very large one that monitored werewolf behavior to make sure they didn’t expose our secret.We didn’t belong to it, actually I had never met anyone who did, but Joe and Nate were friendly with their leader.“What did he say?”“That he’s never heard of him.But he said he would ask around the werewolf community.”I reached out and touched his cheek, then moved my finger upward to brush a piece of hair off his forehead.“I hope you find what you’re looking for.”He made a low sound in his chest.“I’m sorry,” he muttered.“For what?”“For obsessing.I should be giving all my attention to my new wife, not some name that I don’t know the meaning of.” He snuggled me in closer with his arm.“But I just can’t let it go until I get answers.”“Don’t worry about me.I understand.”He smiled and focussed once again on the movie.We were silent for a while, both of us watching the TV screen.“So, what happened when you found Nathan and Marisa in the woods?” he asked, breaking through the quiet.I had been drifting, the sound of his breathing right next to me, lulling me to sleep.The sudden sound of his deep rumbling voice startled me.“What do you mean?” I whispered, surprised by his question.“I followed your scent trail home, while the others took a different route.They didn’t notice the extra scents.”I shrunk guiltily into the couch cushions.“I’m sorry I lied.I just didn’t want to put them on the spot and have everyone interrogate them.I taught them a lesson and told them to stay away on full moon nights and that it was too dangerous to be curious.I got my point across, so there was no need for any further feedback from you guys.” My words came out more defensively than I had meant them to.His lips quirked upward.“I wasn’t going to chastise you.I’m glad you handled it the way you did.It was good to see Nathan having fun again.Will told me he’s been brooding ever since he told him the secret.You showed him that nothing important has changed.” I leaned my head on his shoulder again, breathing in his familiar leather and pine scent.“What do you mean; you got your point across?”“I growled at them in my wolf form and then pounced on Nathan, knocking him down.” I sat up and met his gaze.“I hovered above him and snarled, showing my teeth.”His brows went up.“Why?”I grinned.“And then I licked his face and stuck my tongue out.”A laugh snuck out of his lips, his face a stern contradiction.He attempted to look annoyed by my behavior, but he couldn’t hold the expression.A smile brightened his features and he began to laugh.“How did they react?”“Marisa screamed bloody murder.I’m surprised you didn’t hear her.”His laughter ceased as he leaned forward, his lips touching mine before pulling back again.“I might have heard something, but I was too focussed on the buck we were hunting.What about Nathan, did he scream like a girl? I would have liked to have seen that.” His soft laughter was one of my favorite sounds.“No he didn’t, but he looked like he was about to pee his pants.” I couldn’t help but laugh as the memory of their expressions crossed my mind, reminding me of the eerie laughter I thought I heard.The laughter faded with that added thought and the feeling of apprehension returned.“Did you hear or sense anything strange out there?”A line creased his forehead.“No.Why?”I couldn’t give him a reason.Yes, I was sure I heard the laughter and felt something odd out there, but I also could have imagined it.“I shrugged, planting a smile on my face.“No reason, never mind.”His grin returned as he leaned forward, his face hovering inches from mine.“Have I told you how much I love you lately?” he whispered in my ear as he leaned closer, his hot breath sending chills over my skin.“No, but talk is cheap buddy.Why don’t you show me?”Before I could process what was happening, I was in his arms as he carried me to the bedroom, all negative thoughts disappearing from my mind.Chapter Twenty-ThreeThe work outThe next day I was on my way to my car, heading for my weekly Saturday workout at the gym, when I was bombarded by Sadie and Marisa.I hadn’t noticed Sadie wasn’t at the cottage.Nate had gone in to work for a couple of hours and with him gone I thought I’d head to the gym.I had only been back once since we returned from Sacramento.Adrian was at the shelter helping to get the addition done, so we could get it finished before Fun Day, which was scheduled for next week.Since Adrian hadn’t been working out in the last six months he wanted to get back at it.He was planning to meet me there after a few hours of work.“Can we come?” Sadie asked.I had just noticed they were wearing workout clothes, both in matching tank tops and yoga pants [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]