“But if you shift to werewolf in FaeryTown, will humans see you? You said they couldn’t see FaeryTown, so...” She offered a hopeful shrug.
Ry hadn’t considered that. Could he shift in FaeryTown? Of course, he wouldn’t be seen by humans. But he risked the chance of his werewolf leaving FaeryTown for regular Paris. And would that wild part of him be satisfied with a romp about the city? No trees or fields? No long stretches of human-free acreage to let loose and howl in?
He’d have to figure this out within the next few days.
“It’s something to consider. Can we make the date for next week? Sunday maybe? Because the day before and after it’s full I also...have needs.”
“Like what?”
The days before and after the full moon? He also wanted to shift, but that compulsion could be squelched with sex. A lot of it. How to work that out this weekend? “Another one of those things you don’t need to know about.”
“You certainly are a man of mystery. But I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to share some of those secrets with me. You can trust me, Ry. Sunday?”
“Later in the day, after I’ve returned to Paris.”
“Maybe we could do a late-afternoon picnic?”
“Sounds like a plan.” He grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table and handed it to her. “Enter your info for me so I can call you. I don’t even know your last name.”
“I’m Indigo DuCharme.”
“Of course. A princess wouldn’t have any other but a romantic name. We’ll figure things out Sunday morning when I give you a call.”
“I can’t wait. In the meantime, I’m going home to—”
“Google werewolves?”
She bowed her head, because he’d hit it right on the nose. “Maybe.” Indi typed in her name and phone number, then also put in her address.
“What you read online will only be fiction,” Ry explained, feeling the need to do so. “Although some writers do get a few things right. Just take it all with a huge chunk of salt, okay?”
“Deal. I imagine it may be weird for you to have someone asking you questions about yourself, but I’m going to warn you that I may have many more questions on Sunday.”
“It is weird, but I’m not feeling so nervous about this as I was when you initially asked me. Maybe we both need a few days to let this sink in. If by Sunday you’re not on board with me, then I’ll understand.” He took the phone from her.
“Sounds like a plan.”
Indi stood. He’d just given her an opportunity to leave. And while he wanted her to stay for a few more kisses, Ry guessed her brain was humming with so much new, strange and curious information that she would need to be away from him for awhile, take it in and give it a good think.
She thrust out her hand for him to shake. Really? They’d gone beyond that silly gesture.
Ry pulled her in and bent to kiss her. The woman’s body melded to his as if fitting into a mold. And as his hard-on gave him away, Ry delved deeper into the kiss to grasp her sweetness just in case he might never see her again. Parting from her happened with a sigh from them both.
“Sunday is so far away,” she said, walking to the door. “It’s going to be a long week. Thanks, Ry, for being honest.”
“Thank you for not freaking out. But if you freak later, you can call me and we’ll cancel plans.”
“No canceling. And besides, my BFF is always on call for my freak-outs.”
“No telling the BFF about me.”
“Right. I can tell her I met a handsome man, though. She’d never forgive me if I kept that one to myself.”
Another kiss sent her on her way. And Ry waited in the doorway, listening as her footsteps sounded down the stairs.
What had he just done? Revealing himself to a woman he barely knew? Something was wrong with him.
“Or maybe it’s finally right.”
Chapter 7 (#ucb55dd12-1f56-5278-b0ae-28279fd7849d)
Days later
After slaying the two collectors in FaeryTown, Ry hopped in the Alfa Romeo and headed out of Paris. For reasons that were innate, the full moon always seemed to pull hardest at him around midnight. The witching hour? More like the wolfing hour. Even though, rationally, he knew the moon would hit its peak fullness around 2:00 a.m. this month. Other months it could be fullest during the day, but no matter, his werewolf waited until midnight to clamor for release.
But he could hold it back with the knowledge that soon he’d let out his werewolf and it would be free to run. The drive to the cabin was one of the prettiest trips when he managed it during the day. His night vision was excellent, and as he neared his property, he spied groups of deer in the ditches and the paralleling forest.
Ry pulled up the long curving gravel drive to his place and left the car out front. He’d considered having a garage built to protect the Alfa, but he wasn’t so hung up on material possessions, and while he kept it maintained, he wasn’t owned by the upkeep of it.
He unlocked the front door and tossed his duffel bag to the floor. It was cool and quiet inside. He didn’t bother to close the door because he immediately began to strip and toss aside his clothes.
Nothing felt better than a four-legged lope through the forest. And it was rare he got farther than the front doorway when he came here for two or three days of quiet and relaxation.
Shifting was immediate. His limbs loosened and shortened and coalesced to that of a gray wolf, which, when standing next to a natural wolf, would be perhaps six or eight inches taller and longer, but not much bigger.
Strutting out into the night, the wolf loped around the fieldstone walls and then raced toward the grassy field spotted with wildflowers. When he reached the forest, he let out a long and rangy howl that was answered by another natural wolf many miles off. He would ignore the howl. It was merely a property marker, not an invitation.
Charging through the forest, the night crisp against his fur, the wolf reached the small clearing that was lit like a stage with cool white moonlight.
And as the beast soared into the wild grasses and, briefly, all four limbs were off the ground, again the shift overtook Ry and his body lengthened. His legs grew and tight, furred muscles wrapped about his burly chest. He landed on legs similar to a man’s, yet his feet were powerful paws with claws that could dig into the ground for propulsion, or kick and kill with a slice of those sharp weapons.
Head growing and yet remaining in wolf shape, Ry stood tall. He thrust back his shoulders and arms, and lifted his chest. His lungs deflated as he let out a howl that mastered the night and laid claim to his territory.
And with a sniff of the air and a tilt of its ear, the werewolf tracked a nearby fox. He took off toward the small creature, the invigorating rush of adrenaline, and the release after a month in human form, quickening his strides.
* * *
The website had been updated. The bills were paid. And the new product samples had been delivered an hour earlier. Indi looked over the many assorted boxes that she’d received from companies vying to be featured by Goddess Goodies’ new self-care line. While she’d thus far stuck with adding a few hair accessories and one pretty moonstone necklace to the website, Janet had suggested she branch out to a few more female-centric items. Books on self-care. Healthy teas. Crystals. And...why not a vibrator? Self-pleasure was a big part of being a happy, gorgeous goddess. So Indi had agreed to at least consider the vibrators.
And the research could prove interesting, if not also satisfying.
Chuckling at what her job description required, Indi stood up from the boxes she’d unpacked and stretched. She’d been working all morning. Her office was the front living area at the side of the house. It was walled on the curved side with windows and sat up two short steps from the main sunken living room. A dressmaker’s dummy, currently wearing vintage Alexander McQueen, was her main project. While she employed a staff in a small warehouse, and they managed the bulk of the sewing and online orders, she did choose a few gowns to revamp because she loved the process of redesigning what had been a gorgeous piece to begin with, and she was an excellent seamstress. Home economics had been a favorite course in high school, and she’d taken fashion, textiles and business in college.
It was Saturday and the sun was high in the sky. She tried to keep her weekends free and not work too much. And she did have fresh peaches in the fridge...
Stripping away her clothes, Indi walked away from work and into the weekend.
Later, she floated on an inflatable lounge chair in the pool behind her home, eyes closed and one hand clasped about a peach sangria. No swimsuit. Nudity was her thing. Her shrubs were tall enough that she didn’t worry about nosy neighbors.
